General managers and their scouting divisions huddle around the club's conference room table as the 2014 draft is about to get under way. It will be fast, furious and punishing for those not ready to play the high-stakes game of strategy. Decision-making will have to be quick, impulsive and yet accurate. There won't be time to assess the fallout right now. Only after the die has been cast will Major League Baseball clubs have an opportunity to take stock of their draft day. The first five teams to pick this year will be
Miami,
Minnesota,
Detroit,
Los Angeles and
Minnesota. Here are the highest-rated players on BNN's draft list:
1.
Adam Walz, 22 year-old C out of college.
2.
Ricardo Hernandez, 18 year-old 1B out of high-school.
3.
Ron Goss, 18 year-old 1B out of high-school.
4.
Steve Snyder, 21 year-old CF out of college.
5.
Bryan Lawlor, 21 year-old 1B out of college.
6.
Danny Cabrera, 17 year-old C out of high-school.
7.
Chris Unger, 18 year-old 3B out of high-school.
8.
Luis Guzman, 21 year-old SS out of college.
9.
Ryan Mirabella, 22 year-old SS out of college.
10.
Matt Spera, 21 year-old CF out of college.
1st Round, 1st Pick(1st overall)
Miami Marlins select SS
Luis Guzman(21, 1.5/4*) out of Ouachita Baptist University
Great Competition: .298-10-23 1.274OPS 63G 6.0WAR
Signability: Hard, Bonus Demand: $5.5M
Injury Proneness:
Durable
Personality:
Leader, Loyalty, Financial Ambition
More of a second baseman than a shortstop,
Guzman is a very good hitting prospect that can become a great infielder for years to come. Good personality, albeit not perfect for development, the Junior College kid would’ve been interesting for us as well.
1st Round, 17th pick (17th overall)
Toronto Blue Jays select CF
Steve Snyder(21, 1.5/4.5*) out of West Virginia University
Good Competition: .335-16-59 1.310OPS 6.2WAR 61G
Signability: Normal, Bonus Demand: $3M
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality:
Adaptability, Baseball IQ
Another Junior College bat, the 21-year old was #4 in the latest OSA Mock Draft but fell and fell and fell… to us. Good bat with lots of doubles in it, and a well rated defender in the outfield. A right-handed hitter, he has some raw speed but needs to hone his stealing skills to add another big tool to his game.
2nd Round, 12th pick (53rd overall)
Toronto Blue Jays select RHSP
Julio Acosta(21, 1.5/4*) out of UL Lafayette
Average Competition: 9-5 3.39 121K 3.1WAR 132IP 20GS
Signability: Hard, Bonus Demand: $1.5M
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality:
Adaptability
A really good pitching prospect that lives of his finesse, throwing around 90mph with a devastating curveball and above average movement. He also throws a sinker and a pretty bad screwball. Will need some work.
3rd Round, 16th pick (87th overall)
Toronto Blue Jays select 1B
George Benton(18, 0.5/3.5*) out of Perry High School
Average Competition: .504-9-39 1.732OPS 5.3WAR 32G
Signability: Easy, Bonus Demand: Slot
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: Unknown
Another first baseman, the high school kid is a right handed batter with more of a contact/doubles oriented approach that played more 2B, but is not as good as a defender there. Batting potential is 65/80/50/55/75. Will start in R-ball for sure.
4th Round, 16th pick (118th overall)
Toronto Blue Jays select RHRP
Mike Smith(18, 1.5/4*) out of Lincoln High School
Average Competition: 2-0 15SV 0.49 106K 3.2WAR 54.2IP
Signability: Easy, Bonus Demand: Slot
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality:
Adaptability, Baseball IQ
Ye, we selected another reliever to bolster our minor league system. The kid is already throwing a hard slider with a harder sinker, but in addition to that, out scouts think he will have average control one day.
5th Round, 16th Pick (148th overall)
Toronto Blue Jays select RHSP
Tommy Erikson(21, 1.5/4*) out of Dominican University
Good Competition: 9-2 2.75 106K 3.4WAR 101.1IP 15GS
Signability: Easy, Bonus Demand: $300k
Injury Proneness:
Durable
Personality:
Work Ethic, Loyalty
Almost 22, the kid has good potential with a low 90’s heater, and four good offspeed pitches including a 75 potential curveball. The biggest question is… will he develop?
6th Round, 16th Pick (178th overall)
Toronto Blue Jays select SS
Arthur Price(18, 1.5/3*) out of South Plantation High School
Poor Competition: .454-6-43 1.475OPS 4.7WAR 36G
Signability: Extremely Hard, Bonus Demand: $800k
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality:
Adaptability, Work Ethic
Rated 60 defensively at short and 55 at left,
Price has a future as a versatile utility player if he plays his cards correctly. Rated 65/60/50/50/75 with the bat, he can hit some at the MLB level hopefully.
7th Round, 16th Pick (208th overall)
Toronto Blue Jays select LHSP
Bobby Olenick(21, 1.5/3.5*) out of Texas A&M University
Fair Competition: 11-3 2.74 140K 3.7WAR 125IP 18GS
Signability: Normal, Bonus Demand: Slot
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality:
Work Ethic, Financial Ambition
A lefty that can pitch DEEP into game with a 75 stamina, the finesse pitcher (another one) with six pitches is similar to our 5th rounder. At age 21, he needs to develop to make this one worth.