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Originally Posted by Hrycaj
Any thoughts on the draft last night? I have not been as critical of Avila's drafts as others have. When you draft at the top most years the industry (media) for the most part makes the picks for you. At 12 though, you have to do some work. The choice isn't as clear. Without any evidence I think they were really hoping the scenario played out where the C Parada would continue to fall to them. The Mets put an end to that so they went Jung. Everyone in the industry says he can hit (even with his unorthodox setup). To me the hit tool is the most important. I like hit over power guys because I feel power develops a bit later as kids put on weight and gain experience. So I'm cool there. I'm worried about the athleticism though. The game is going to ban the shift relatively soon. I still feel athleticism up the middle is important. 12 is too high a pick to pick a one tool guy unless that tool is completely off the charts. I haven't seen Jung play enough to know if it is or not. Scouts seem to believe it can be so I will be optimistic. I would have loved to be in the room on draft night. They went SS in the 2nd round which makes me think why they didn't try to get Neto in the 1st round if they wanted a SS. (Neto went to the Angels soon after). Neto also has a good hit tool and is very athletic. Did they think Jung was had a better hit tool than Neto to overlook the defensive shortcomings? Or was it that SS was just best available on the board in the 2nd round when they came up? It would have been cool to listen to those conversations. Anyway, apparently Peyton Graham (SS Oklahoma) was projected to maybe be a late 1st round or Comp A pick. So maybe the Tigers just saw an opportunity too rich to pass up. I'm excited to see who they get today when they start picking again.
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Living in Texas and being an amateur baseball junkie, I can tell you with 100% certainty that Jace Jung can absolutely rake. I've seen the guy hit balls hard that are way out front and others that he hit inches from the catches mitt. The guy tracks pitches deep and keeps is bat in the zone longer than many college players I've seen previously (he's brother is a little better). His overall zone discipline is probably the best in college baseball.
Unfortunately, his fielding needs work. He has a above-average to plus arm, but his lateral movement and first step is below average. I've heard reports his arm and lack of movement makes him a great candidate for moving to 3B.
Overall, I like the pick since the Tigers have proven inept at creating hitters...so why not draft a guy who can naturally do it? I just hope they don't try to tweak his "weirdness" with the "cookie cutter" approaches and ruin him.