AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST MOCK DRAFT RESULTS
Anaheim Angels of San Andreas Fault in Southern Los California Angeles
1S-37---Brandon Snyder, C-SS, Centreville, VA HS
2-58---Drew Thompson, SS, Tequesta, FL HS
2-71---Justin Smoak, 1B, Goose Creek, SC
3-103--Clete Thomas, OF, Auburn
4-133---Jarred Bogany, OF, Houston TX
5-163---Gabe Scott, OF, Alabama
COMMENT: I think Snyder is a steal at 37th overall. How many catcher/shortstops do you see? It says loads about his athleticism, and he has a good bat too. Fine pick by the Angels. Drew Thompson is a polished high school guy and is Robbie Thompson's son. Justin Smoak has the best name in the draft, and a fine bat. The Snyder/Thompson/Smoak combination is very, very sharp. Clete Thomas from Auburn is toolsy but was erratic in college, giving him higher upside than most college guys but also more risk. The Commissioner took over in the fourth round, and I stuck with the tools emphasis by selecting Texas prep Jarred Bogany. He's raw, but the more polished high school guys in the first three rounds help balance the risk. I switched to Gabe Scott, a senior sleeper pick, in the fifth round to help make the earlier picks affordable within a reasonable budget.
Oakland Athletics
1---21---John Drennan, OF, San Diego, CA HS
1S--36---Jed Lowrie, 2B, Stanford
2---53---Aaron Thompson, LHP, Houston TX HS
2---69---Brian Matursz, LHP, ST. Mary's HS Arizona
3--101--David Cooper, OF, Stockton, CA HS
4---131---Mike Durant, 1B, Berkeley, CA HS
5----161---Danny Powers, RHP, Central Missouri State University
COMMENT: This doesn't look like an Oakland draft, does it? I hope Billy Beane doesn't read this. He might have an aneurism. Seriously, I wanted people to make their own picks based on their own ideas, so I am not going to criticize this draft because it doesn't fit the "Oakland model." Indeed, it will be extremely interesting and instructive to see how this class pans out in comparison to whatever Oakland really does tomorrow. As a traditional draft goes, it looks good, something like what Atlanta or Minnesota might do. San Diego prep Drennan can hit, and is the kind of polished high school hitter that does interest some Moneyballish clubs. Lowrie is a solid college player and good leavening in the supplemental round. Thompson is projectable but will have to be bought out of college at Texas A&M, which might be hard for a team with a limited budget. Matursz is also projectable and should be easier to sign. Cooper draws comparisons to Mark Kotsay, and like Drennan he is less risky than many high school guys. Durant has plus power, but his plate discipline is not consistent, and is probably the guy least-likely to actually show up on Oakland's draft list. Powers is a more typical Oakland draft, a polished college guy who will move fast.
Seattle Mariners
1---3---Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Long Beach State University
4---113---Zach Simons, RHP, Everett CC
5---143---Mitchell Boggs, RHP, University of Georgia
COMMENT: No picks in the second and third round hurts depth. The Mariners scouting director makes a fine choice with Troy Tulowitzki at number 3 overall, and there is a good chance that is who the Mariners will really pick. The Commissioner took over the draft in the fourth round. I went with community college product Simons since he is a Pacific Northwest guy, plus he has more projection and upside than most of the guys still available in the fourth round. To be honest, Boggs was more of a "I have to pick someone, here, Boggs looks good" than a reasoned pick in the fifth round. But in retrospect he does fit well, having a live arm without a lot of mileage on it.
Texas Rangers
1---19---Jay Bruce, OF, Beaumont, Texas HS
2--67---Craig Italiano, RHP, Texas HS
3---99---Josh Bell, C, Auburn
4---129---Andrew Lopez, OF, Elk Grove, CA HS
5---159---Paco Figueroa, OF, University of Miami-Florida
COMMENT: The Rangers scouting director stuck close to home in the first two rounds, picking power-hitting Jay Bruce and power-throwing Craig Italiano out of the high school ranks. Italiano has high upside but also has an injury history, leading to a risk premium. Bruce is about as sure a thing as you can get from a high school hitter at that point in the draft. Bell is a solid college player. The Commissioner took over in the fourth round, with instructions from the scouting director to pick outfield help. I went with high school power/patience hitter Andrew Lopez in the fourth, then Miami speedster Paco Figueroa in the fifth, trying to find a balance of skills and experience.
Loading comments...