So we have discussed already the guys that could potentially be available at 24th, 31st and 37th and what we want to do with does picks. Right now my tentative idea for the 24th pick is Chris Stratton with Matt Smoral as the 2nd option. I've gone back and forth between does two but Stratton fits what the Red Sox do specially with their 1st pick in the draft so I'll follow that mold. In the Real draft it seems like Stratton is rising fast so perhaps the Red Sox won't have a chance but in mock drafts college pitchers tend to drop while HS players in general tend to rise. Smoral also has the foot injury so he has not pitched in the spring, its not a long-term problem but it is a red flag when considering the two.

Lets transition to picks 87 & 118.

I just wanted to discuss some deep sleepers that could make it that far and some of the tendencies the Red Sox have. One of them is picking HS player from the northeast as there is a long list of player that fit that mold ex: Ryan Kalish, Ryan Westmoreland, Sean Coyle, Derrik Gibson and Williams Jerez.

Another tendency is two-sport athletes as this list includes Brandon Jacobs, Casey Kelly, Senquez Golson(Didn't sign) and Kendrick Perkins.

The last tendency I want to talk about is college pitchers in the 2nd rd. The list include Brandon Workman, Alex Wilson and Justin Masterson. College pitching is not that deep so perhaps this tendency won't work this year.

You guys can come up with a few names that you could see available in the 2nd and 3rd round but here are a few names I've come up with:

Braden Kline, RHP, Virginia - Has moved from the closer role back to the rotation and while he had his struggles he's had a very good season. He probably doesn't drop to 87th because the college pitching is thin and he has ingredients to be a good big league pitcher but BA ranked him exactly 87th in their top 100.

Kolby Copeland, OF, Parkway HS, La - Two-sport athlete that stands out for his bat speed and physicality. Like many two-sport athletes he's raw and his tools don't translate as well to the diamond as they should.

Jamie Jarmon, OF, Indian River HS, Del - Two sports athlete who also stands out for his bat speed and physicality. He's the best HS prospect from Delaware since Derrik Gibson who the Red Sox drafted.

Dan Langfield, RHP, Memphis - 6-foot Right-hander with excellent stuff and a three pitch-mix. He's fast ball has been up to 97 MHP.. Scouts question his ability to start because of his size so perhaps he drops but he has all the pitches to be a starting pitcher.

Edwin Diaz, RHP, Puerto Rico - He's a thin righty who throws in the mid 90s and has been clocked at 97 MHP He's raw and need work with his delivery and secondary offering. He compares well with Latin American FAs because of his rawness and youth.

Martin Agosta, RHP, St Mary's - Has a low 90s fastball where he can reach back and throw in the mid 90s. Has a cutter and slider as his other two pitches. Has performed very well the last two year at the college level.

Fernelys Sanchez, OF, George Washington HS, NY - He's a 6'4", lanky athlete with projection left who Stands out for his speed, bat-speed and ability to play CF. Similar to Williams Jerez who the Red Sox drafted in the 2nd round. Jerez was generally ranked higher in a stronger draft but the profile is similar.

I'll let you guys add more players to this and your thoughts with the 2nd and 3rd round pick.

If you were a Twins fan, what would you think about this Shadow team?

C: Joe Mauer
1B: Justin Morneau
2B: Mark Ellis
3B: Brett Lawrie
SS: Brian Dozier
LF: Eric Thames
CF: Curtis Granderson
RF: Mike Cuddyer
DH: Josh Willingham
UT: Brent Lillibridge
UT: Conor Gillaspie
UT: Ryan Doumit
UT: Lars Anderson

SP: Joe Blanton
SP: Aaron Harang
SP: Nick Blackburn
SP: Carl Pavano
SP: Francisco Liriano or Jason Marquis
CL: Joel Hanrahan
RP: Jesse Crain
RP: Glen Perkins
RP: Michael Bowden (starter?)
RP: J.J. Hoover (starter?)
RP: Addison Reed (closer in waiting)

Good morning/afternoon my Padres brothers(?)! With the Mock Draft only about a week away and mrkupe running on fumes, it's time to get serious. One thing that I've really been struggling with is that I just haven't been impressed by a lot of the players near the top of the draft - there are a lot of guys who look better on paper than in reality. As I've noted, I'm unwilling to go boom-or-bust on a prospect unless he's a Giolito or Buxton with 60+ grades across the board. At the same time, I fully agree that a high-ceiling low-floor type does not make sense for the Padres at the top of the draft. I imagine the organization would agree, and I think we should pay heed to what the team did last year with multiple high picks, looking aggressively to the prep ranks. Hopefully we won't get a kid with a bum shoulder like Michael Kelly (who took about half the money he was hoping for after this problem was discovered). Some players have been struck from the list, and there is one new addition.

PLAYERS UNDER CONSIDERATION FOR PICK 7

Lucas Giolito - I think he'll be gone, but the gamble would make sense with so many picks, and I'm on board with taking him at this spot if he can be had. He is by no means a finished product but he has frontline starter potential.

Lance McCullers - I am intrigued with his pedigree, athleticism, and pure power stuff. His two best pitches are better than Max Fried's two best pitches, even if Fried fits the classic projection pitcher mold.

Max Fried - Hard to get this kind of overall package, but I can't shake the feeling that his realistic upside isn't quite as pronounced as I would hope for. Still has a future 70 breaking ball, but the velocity really is average at the moment and he needs to build stamina.

Gavin Cecchini - My intuition on his bat is strong, and he's a high makeup player who is going to get every chance to stick at SS. He doesn't have a single bad tool. He is a potential impact player.

David Dahl, OF, Alabama HS - At first I wasn't considering Dahl, but after some reflection, I have to say that I love his scouting reports and I love his tape. He has an unbelievably smooth and consistent swing with good bat speed, and every one of his tools is average if not better. He also has an advanced approach for his age, which really is not something that can be overvalued. Looks awesome when he faces elite competition. I think he can be a high-impact player.

I don't think the list is going to change from here. I just can't get behind Courtney Hawkins - great athlete and great power but I don't think he is going to be enough of a hitter to make it all work. Below-average hitting skill and below-average approach is a bad combination to gamble on at 7. So, rank these five guys for me in order of preference if you will.

After pick 7, I've decided to put an emphasis on athletes with pure hitting skills and power stuff. I'll list the slot values at each pick so you can get an idea of what we have to work with re: signability. Feel free to list in order of preference or just name your favorite 1-2 players at each spot. You can chime in with extra players, but try to keep it to a minimum of one extra player. This is just through pick 70 at the moment.

33 ($1,525,000) - Tanner Rahier, Mitch Brown, Ty Buttrey, Hunter Virant, Nolan Fontana

44 ($1,165,800) - Washington HS RHP Mitchell Gueller, Texas HS SS Austin Aune, Travis Jankowski, Peter O'Brien, Alex Wood, Austin Maddox, Nolan Sanburn

55 ($925,900) - Adam Brett Walker, Edwin Diaz, Jeff Gelalich, Jake Barrett, Clate Schmidt, Cody Poteet

68 (somehow this changed from what I last saw) ($757,900)/ 70 ($734,900)- Joey Demichele, Stephen Johnson, Brandon Thomas, Brady Rogers, Alec Rash, Stephen Bruno, Brett Mooneyham, Florida JC RHP Brandon Welch, Carson Fulmer

Hey all, I know most of you don't like the trade advice posts here, but this does include mostly prospects/young players. Just looking for some advice.

I just received an offer in my 20 team dynasty.

I get: Jon Lester & 2013 3rd round minor league pick

I give: Chris Sale, Rubby de la Rosa, Jenrry Mejia

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From @Jaypers on Twitter:

Today's minor league baseball notable starting pitchers - John Stilson, Jimmy Nelson, Wilking Rodriguez, Manny Banuelos, Jacob Petricka, Tyler Anderson, Matt Harvey....

Chris Archer, Henry Owens, Alex Meyer, Liam Hendriks, Drake Britton, Roman Mendez, Cam Bedrosian, Drew Gagnon....

Justin Grimm, Jarred Cosart, Nestor Molina, Drew Pomeranz, Jake Odorizzi (AAA Omaha Debut), Trevor Bauer (AAA Reno Debut)...

Tony Cingrani, A.J. Cole.

Other random notes grabbed from Twitter:

Rays expected to recall RHP Alex Cobb to start on Saturday vs the Braves.

Trey Williams and Nick Williams are a couple of intriguing players. Their respective positions are 3rd and CF/RF. Before the start of the season, they were both viewed as 1st rounders, Trey Williams even as high as a top-10er. Between then and now, not sure what, but something went wrong. Now both are viewed supplemental rounders, Baseball America even ranking them as low as #99 and #100.

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From @Jaypers413 on Twitter:

Today's minor league baseball notable startin pitchers - Deck McGuire Felix Sterling, Yordano Ventura, Gerrit Cole, Zack Wheeler, Taylor Jungmann, Jesse Biddle...

Cody Buckel, Tyler Anderson, Julio Teheran, Nick Tropeano, Noah Syndergaard, Aaron Miller, Domingo Tapia, Matt Barnes...

Noel Arguelles, Brad Peacock, Anthony Meo, Wily Peralta and the Matchup of the Season - Trevor Bauer vs. Danny Hultzen.

Random notes:

Cuns called up relief pitcher Blake Parker today.

Adam Jones is first player since Mark McGwire in 1988 to hit a HR in the 15th inning or later in multiple games in the same season.

Mock Organization Diary #3 for the New York Mets, Minor League Ball Community Mock Draft 2012

In this MOD, we will discuss our preferred players for the Mets Comp Round A pick, which is #35 overall. In the first round we are selecting the best player available, regardless of organizational needs. With the next three picks, the plan is to select two catchers, one high school and one college, both of whom project to stick behind the plate, and one pitcher, preferably a southpaw.

The previous MODs were:
MOD: Mets #1 (2012 Draft Approach)
MOD: Mets #2 (2012 Round 1 Pick)

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Same disclaimer included in my pitcher performance rankings applies. These rankings do not correlate at all with the pitcher rankings, but do seem to correlate well between leagues. 100 at-bat minimum (with the exception of Trout and Harper). I am still tweaking the formula. Because we are dealing with stats, small sample size warning applies The more stats accumulated, the more accurate these rankings will be. Rankings based purely on performance for this season. There were no positional adjustments. Also, stolen bases were not taken into account. Let me know what you think! Thanks.

Adam Foster tweeted about this, curious what others think.

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