Grading the Draft: Day One

JasonAChurchill · June 5th, 2008, 10:00 PM

Let’s keep this short and as bitter as the Seattle Mariners are obtuse.with the 20th pick in the first round of the 2008 First-Year Players Draft, your Seattle Mariners select…The worst pick in the entire first round.No, not because University of Georgia closer Josh Fields isn’t a really good pitcher, it’s because he’s a reliever [...]

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Timberwolf · June 6th, 2008, 11:26 PM

Just when you think it can't get any worse, the Mariners squander a #1 pick on a relief pitcher. Or as Carlos Mencia would say "dee dee dee"

djwhokid · June 7th, 2008, 06:45 PM

You do realize the drafting of Fields will give the Mariners more maneuverability in moving Brandon Morrow in the starting rotation?

Morrow will get his chance. Right now, no spot is available in the starting rotation.

Also, this gives the Mariners more flexibility in trading J.J. Putz. If the Rangers could get Kason Gabbard, David Murphy, and Engel Beltre for Eric Gagne (and Putz is way better than Gagne) that could help the Mariners greatly.

bedir than average · June 7th, 2008, 06:50 PM

Morrow needs time in AAA regardless of who was drafted. That should happen NOW.

As for the drafting of Fields it was a waste. They drafted a known quantity with a low upside. This team doesn't need average major leaguers, it needs studs. They should draft high reward talent

djwhokid · June 7th, 2008, 07:19 PM

A spot in the rotation is not even available for Morrow this year and probably next year as well.

What should the Mariners do? Move Washburn or Batista in the pen? They should let them start, and hopefully if they pitch better, that could lead a desperate team in contention that needs a starter to pull a deal with the Mariners.

The good news is that Washburn and Batista's contract will end after 2009. After then, Morrow will get his chance.

Quote:

As for the drafting of Fields it was a waste. They drafted a known quantity with a low upside. This team doesn't need average major leaguers, it needs studs. They should draft high reward talent

I'll take Fields over a high school pitcher....... high reward? Give me a break. How many first round picks did the Mariners burn on these high reward starting high school pitchers?

As it is said in Moneyball, college pitchers have a much better track record of sticking in the big leagues and having success than high school pitchers.

Fields will not only make the majors quicker than the Mariners first round pick last year, but likely have a longer and better career.

Timberwolf · June 7th, 2008, 10:07 PM

No room in the rotation? Bedard can choose to leave after next year, potentially leaving Felix as the only starter worth having. The 1995-2001 Mariners are the kind of teams that should be drafting the best college relief pitcher, not a disaster like the 2008 Mariners. Brandon Morrow should be starting in Tacoma tomorrow, not wasting away in the bullpen on the Voyage of the Damned. When he wins 5 games and gets his pitch count over 100, they should put him in the Mariner rotation.

Moneyball is all about making the best with scarce resources. The Mariners have a top 10 payroll, they need to just get talent and not worry too much about paying for it. They obviously have plenty of money if they can throw it away grossly overpaying people like Carlos Silva and Kenji Johjima.

Hopefully we have scouts looking for more 16 year olds in Venezuala and the Dominican.

Did anybody notice that our SECOND round draft choice was batting SIXTH in a college lineup?

bedir than average · June 7th, 2008, 10:43 PM

Considering that nobody in the current lineup is good enough to bat sixth they likely see this as an improvement

djwhokid · June 8th, 2008, 12:07 AM

Quote:

No room in the rotation? Bedard can choose to leave after next year, potentially leaving Felix as the only starter worth having.

I just do not see the rush. We have Bedard, Washburn, and Batista for this year and next.

This kind of thing can be done in Spring Training next year.

If you have noticed, the Diamondbacks who drafted Max Scherzer with the 11th pick of the draft (Morrow was the 5th pick) is in the D-back pen as well.

Right now Morrow's confidence is sky high. Why risk disturbing the status quo? Ian Kennedy has been a joke with the Yankees this high, while Andrew Miller is currently struggling as a starter.

bedir than average · June 8th, 2008, 09:15 AM

Scherzer has already started 3 games in the Majors and last year was used exclusively as a starter in the minor starting 21 games. He hasn't been used like Morrow at all.

Timberwolf · June 8th, 2008, 10:39 AM

The Diamondbacks were not a pathetic trainwreck when they drafted Scherzer. The 2008 Diamondbacks are the type of team that should draft a relief pitcher, which they did with Schlereth, the lefty from Arizona and son of the NFL player.

bedir than average · June 8th, 2008, 10:41 AM

I missed this

Quote:

Why risk disturbing the status quo?

Because the status quo is the worst team in baseball?

djwhokid · June 8th, 2008, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bedir than average

I missed this

Because the status quo is the worst team in baseball?

I meant Morrow's confidence.

BTW, if you move Morrow out of the pen, who replaces him? The Mariners have no viable option.

And if Morrow does end up in the rotation, that means Washburn, Batista, or Silva move to the pen. The Mariners cannot afford to move these high-priced pitchers out of the rotation.

Again, I do not see the problem with drafting a relief pitcher. The Rockies did it last year with a top ten pick. Casey Weathers will probably be the teams starting closer next year (Fuentes will likely be traded) and he should be one of the best closers in MLB.

bedir than average · June 8th, 2008, 12:12 PM

Does it matter who the 8th inning guy is on a team this bad?

Quote:

The Mariners cannot afford to move these high-priced pitchers out of the rotation.

Actually they can. They could afford to sign another pitcher at the same price. They have plenty of money, plus their income would go up if they won more games.

Salary should not determine usage of a player. Effectiveness should.

Timberwolf · June 10th, 2008, 10:00 PM

The 2008 Mariner season no longer matters. The more games we blow in the 8th inning , the higher our 2009 draft choice will be. Getting Morrow ready to be a starter in 2009 is the priority.

Now that we own his rights, they should get Fields signed as soon as his college season ends and see if he can be closing games in Tacoma in August.

June 5th, 2008, 10:00 PM	#1 (permalink)
JasonAChurchill Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 154	Grading the Draft: Day One Let’s keep this short and as bitter as the Seattle Mariners are obtuse.with the 20th pick in the first round of the 2008 First-Year Players Draft, your Seattle Mariners select…The worst pick in the entire first round.No, not because University of Georgia closer Josh Fields isn’t a really good pitcher, it’s because he’s a reliever [...] Read more by following the link

June 7th, 2008, 06:50 PM	#4 (permalink)
bedir than average Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Starbucks Posts: 8,258	Morrow needs time in AAA regardless of who was drafted. That should happen NOW. As for the drafting of Fields it was a waste. They drafted a known quantity with a low upside. This team doesn't need average major leaguers, it needs studs. They should draft high reward talent __________________ I'm sorry I left for a while. I needed a vaction, and then work changed substantially. I'm over 50 hour weeks, plus two hours a day of commuting time. A few weeks ago I launched my own blog about Seattle Sounders FC and Life in Puget Sound. I won't be by these parts often as my focus has changed. Sorry about the unannounced retirement.

June 7th, 2008, 10:43 PM	#7 (permalink)
bedir than average Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Starbucks Posts: 8,258	Considering that nobody in the current lineup is good enough to bat sixth they likely see this as an improvement __________________ I'm sorry I left for a while. I needed a vaction, and then work changed substantially. I'm over 50 hour weeks, plus two hours a day of commuting time. A few weeks ago I launched my own blog about Seattle Sounders FC and Life in Puget Sound. I won't be by these parts often as my focus has changed. Sorry about the unannounced retirement.

June 8th, 2008, 09:15 AM	#9 (permalink)
bedir than average Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Starbucks Posts: 8,258	Scherzer has already started 3 games in the Majors and last year was used exclusively as a starter in the minor starting 21 games. He hasn't been used like Morrow at all. __________________ I'm sorry I left for a while. I needed a vaction, and then work changed substantially. I'm over 50 hour weeks, plus two hours a day of commuting time. A few weeks ago I launched my own blog about Seattle Sounders FC and Life in Puget Sound. I won't be by these parts often as my focus has changed. Sorry about the unannounced retirement.

June 6th, 2008, 11:26 PM	#2 (permalink)
Timberwolf Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Bellevue, WA Posts: 1,855	Just when you think it can't get any worse, the Mariners squander a #1 pick on a relief pitcher. Or as Carlos Mencia would say "dee dee dee"

June 7th, 2008, 10:07 PM	#6 (permalink)
Timberwolf Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Bellevue, WA Posts: 1,855	No room in the rotation? Bedard can choose to leave after next year, potentially leaving Felix as the only starter worth having. The 1995-2001 Mariners are the kind of teams that should be drafting the best college relief pitcher, not a disaster like the 2008 Mariners. Brandon Morrow should be starting in Tacoma tomorrow, not wasting away in the bullpen on the Voyage of the Damned. When he wins 5 games and gets his pitch count over 100, they should put him in the Mariner rotation. Moneyball is all about making the best with scarce resources. The Mariners have a top 10 payroll, they need to just get talent and not worry too much about paying for it. They obviously have plenty of money if they can throw it away grossly overpaying people like Carlos Silva and Kenji Johjima. Hopefully we have scouts looking for more 16 year olds in Venezuala and the Dominican. Did anybody notice that our SECOND round draft choice was batting SIXTH in a college lineup?

June 8th, 2008, 10:39 AM	#10 (permalink)
Timberwolf Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Bellevue, WA Posts: 1,855	The Diamondbacks were not a pathetic trainwreck when they drafted Scherzer. The 2008 Diamondbacks are the type of team that should draft a relief pitcher, which they did with Schlereth, the lefty from Arizona and son of the NFL player.

June 10th, 2008, 10:00 PM	#14 (permalink)
Timberwolf Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Bellevue, WA Posts: 1,855	The 2008 Mariner season no longer matters. The more games we blow in the 8th inning , the higher our 2009 draft choice will be. Getting Morrow ready to be a starter in 2009 is the priority. Now that we own his rights, they should get Fields signed as soon as his college season ends and see if he can be closing games in Tacoma in August.