For those that have read my draft content at MinorLeagueBall.com, you know I pride myself on giving quality content based around what the readers want. While I could simply continue posting content solely on John Sickels' site in the Fanpost section, this blog can provide an opportunity to better things for both myself and the baseball fan community. With support in readership, and my consistent contributions on here, I've been informed that a new SBNation MLB Draft Blog could be on the way, with myself as the main contributor. It will take a couple of months, but it will be worth the interim step on here to get readership up and to really gain interest in Major League Baseball's Rule Four Draft in general.
I've continually been amazed at the lack of interest in the MLB draft when comparing it to that horrible weekend in April when people paint their faces and cheer or boo their NFL team's picks. Millions of people attend baseball games every year, and most of them don't have a clue where the players on the field came from. John Sickels does an incredible job at Minor League Ball in cultivating interest in prospecting, and people have generally become more aware of the Minor League Baseball landscape over the last decade or so. However, as John doesn't have the time to cover draft interest pieces year-round, there's a gap in the draft coverage that average fans can get for free. Baseball America, PGCrosschecker.com, the ESPN Draft Blog (which is a welcome addition this year), and other pay sites generally monopolize draft coverage, making it close to impossible to get information on draft prospects and projections outside of the one page MLB.com draft profiles. As a result, people generally care less about the MLB draft than they do about minors coverage in general, waiting until a given player starts producing stats or information that's more readily accesible. My goal in this blog is to cover what the experts want to monopolize, and that is genuine information obtained without the pay wall and without the presumed scouting expertise.
I know the prospects and the landscape inside and out, but I don't pretend to bring you any inside information on just how good a player will be, or give you grades on their individual tools. First of all, I don't have the means to go out and scout every kid. That's impossible. Second of all, I don't want to cheat and give you info that's been obtained by the pay sites, only for me to rip them off and give you grades obtained by someone else. That's both illegal and immoral, and I don't want anyone to think that I'm stealing anything. Whenever I'm giving you information that's not strictly my own, I will cite it. Go to those sites, invest the money if you choose. I've chosen to invest that money, and while it's expensive, it's definitely within reach for even people with little income.
If you don't have the money for those sites, or you don't want to use your money in that way, this is the site for you. I will keep you up-to-date with all the latest draft news, give you rundowns on all 30 teams and their front offices, and the coverage will be unique in that the coverage will be completely free. I promise you that this will be the most extensive free draft coverage you will find anywhere on the internet. Here's some idea of what you'll see on this site:
Team Draft Previews: Covers the first five picks of every draft a scouting director has run, with writeups. An example can be seen here with the Colorado Rockies.
Mock Drafts: Updated weekly, my mock drafts will cover the first, supplemental first, and second rounds, with possibly more towards the draft. Here's my most recent first round mock draft.
Draft Stock Updates: Sorted by position, these writeups will let you know who's been gaining ground or losing it. Here's the writeup for college pitchers.
Prospect Comparisons: Side by side comparisons of draft prospects, looking at the strengths and weaknesses. Readers can vote for their choice of player.
Individual Prospect Profiles: This is pretty much self-explanatory, so look for these from time-to-time.
There's going to be much more than this. This will be run year-round, so look for the coverage coming up to the draft now, followed by signing updates, analyses of draftee debuts, and looks at where the unsigned players are going. I will cover everything pertaining to the draft, including summer leagues, fall practices, pro days, the signing deadline, and the leadup to the Spring college and prep seasons every year, pointing you in the direction you should be looking before the games even start. You should know your favorite team's draft picks inside and out by the time they come to you, and I will do my best to give you the tools you need to make your knowledge superior to your best friend's.
Enjoy the blog!
-Andy