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Thursday, June 11, 2009Top 50 Fantasy Prospects in the 2009 MLB Draft with CommentsPosted by Matt Hagen at 2:42amHere's my big board, fellas. Now that we know where the top players were drafted, we get an idea about the seriousness of each player's signing bonus demands, which is the biggest x-factor in the draft. I will be using this sacred artifact to conduct all of my fantasy drafts. Never draft for need, stick to your board, and enjoy long-term success. Enjoy, and feel free to share your big board in the comments section. Send any minor league questions to (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). 1. SP Steven Strasburg - Washington would not draft him at No. 1 if they didn't plan on breaking signing bonus records in the process. They are serious about signing the best college pitching prospect ever. He is that good, but there are of course no guarantees. The human mind can be the worst enemy to a pitcher, which has been proving by countless phenoms fading away into obscurity. If you have the top pick in your league's draft, don't think twice. Strasburg is as good as they come. 2. OF Donovan Tate - San Diego took him No. 3 overall, and they will have to offer a signing bonus beyond what they paid former No. 1 overall pick Matt Bush. It will come down to the wire, but everything is pointing toward the Padres getting a deal done with the top position player in the draft. 3. SP Zack Wheeler - Recently, San Francisco has proven that they know their stuff when it comes to scouting pitching talent. While Wheeler is only my third favorite high school pitcher in the draft, his draft position and organizational situation have me excited. 4. SP Tyler Matzek - Having Matzek, my favorite high school pitching prospect, fall to Colorado breaks my heart. No pitcher has ever been able to consistently put up elite numbers playing half their games at Coors Field. His slide has me thinking that his commitment to Oregon is very strong. I'm cautiously optimistic that the Rockies will make sure he turns pro. 5. SP Matthew Purke - While it's not Coors Field, the Ballpark at Arlington is almost just as bad. Plus he will have to face designated hitters. Matzek fell into a disappointing situation, and now my second favorite high school pitcher is facing a similar calamity. At least Texas has a superb recent history of producing strong pitching prospects. 6. SP Aaron Crow - I can not see Crow failing to sign for a second year in a row. Kansas City believes in investing through the draft. They will get a deal done with the potential ace. 7. SP Jacob Turner - Another top flight high school arm. Detroit knows what they like in a high school arm, and Turner has it. 8. SP Shelby Miller - St. Louis had Miller high on their board, and he fell right into their lap. I have no concerns about the Cardinals not getting a deal done with Miller. 9. SS Jiovanni Mier - I have been critical of Houston's drafting habits, but I like their selection of Mier. In my opinion he is the best pure shortstop in the draft. 10. SP Matt Hobgood - Baltimore surprised many with their early selection of Hobgood, but Baltimore has had a great recent history with pitching prospects. Hobgood fits the mold. 11. OF Dustin Ackley 12. SP Alex White 13. SP Chad James 14. OF Slade Heathcott 15. SP Mike Leake 16. SP Kyle Gibson 17. 3B Bobby Borchering 18. SP Chad Jenkins 19. OF Michael Trout 20. SP Eric Arnett 21. SS Nick Franklin 22. SS Grant Green 23. SP Rex Brothers 24. SP Tanner Scheppers 25. C Wil Myers 26. SP James Paxton 27. C Max Stassi 28. 1B Rich Poythress 29. OF Everett Williams 30. SP Garrett Gould 31. 3B Matt Davidson 32. SP Andy Oliver 33. SP Tyler Skaggs 34. 3B David Renfroe 35. C Tommy Joseph 36. SS Mychal Givens 37. SP Sam Dyson 38. C Tony Sanchez 39. OF Kentrail Davis 40. RP Joe Kelly 41. SP Aaron Miller 42. SP Madison Younginer 43. SP Brody Colvin 44. OF Brett Jackson 45. OF Randal Grichuk 46. SP Kendal Volz 47. SP Kyle Heckathorn 48. SP Mike Minor 49. OF A.J. Pollock 50. SP Brooks Pounders Comments
Mike Clay said...
Didn’t you just answer you own question then? Posted 06/11 at 10:51 AM
Corey Nickles said...
His stuff is close to Glavine’s, but I’m not saying he is glavine. Posted 06/11 at 11:34 AM
Mike Clay said...
Same difference. If he is anything close to Glavine, it’s a great pick. Posted 06/11 at 11:54 AM
Tim K. said...
I’m sort of meh on Dustin Ackley for fantasy purposes and it seems like you are, too. Is he going to steal at all or just hit singles and doubles and play good defense? Posted 06/11 at 12:31 PM
Matt Hagen said...
Good observation Tim. I am underwhelmed. He will have a lot of value in a trade, though, because he did go second overall. So, he has to be somewhere near the top of the list. Some say he has .300/30/30 potential. Could he reach that? I guess it’s possible. If I was to bet on one of those things happening, it would be the .300 average. His power and speed don’t look 30/30 to me. But there is still room for him to develop. You can call me skeptical. Posted 06/11 at 02:00 PM
Nevin said...
Atlanta on Minor: Seems odd that they would pass on Matzek to take Minor. First assumption is that its about money, that they believe the marginal value difference between Matzek and Minor doesn’t justify the cost difference. But could be they think that he’s a better fit for them than is Matzek. Or maybe Matzek is represented by Furcal’s agent, and they won’t deal with him, as they claimed? For what its worth, someone asked Keith Law in chat whether he would rather have Minor or the recently traded Jeff Locke, and he said Minor. Posted 06/11 at 02:31 PM
starkweather said...
RE: Ackley Posted 06/11 at 03:05 PM
alskor said...
No mention of 50 steal potential Reymond Fuentes…? Posted 06/11 at 04:21 PM
Matt Hagen said...
Fuentes does have great speed, but little else that’s fantasy relevant. I don’t invest in pure speed. To me, Fuentes looks like nothing more than a bit player in the majors. Posted 06/11 at 07:15 PM
Chad B. said...
Where would some of the top Latin arms like Sano rank with these guys? Posted 06/13 at 01:56 PM
Max said...
Really? No Jared Mitchell in your top 50? I know he strikes out a lot, but he draws walks, has a bit of pop, has good defense and is a solid athlete. I have to think that was a huge oversight. He’s certainly a better prospect than Kendal Volz who stunk this year and dropped like a rock in the draft. Posted 06/15 at 05:21 PM
Scott said...
I’m with Max on this one…Mitchell is an incredibly high-upside pick with eventual 20/30 given the advances he made between his first and second year at LSU. Posted 06/16 at 12:53 PM
Matt Hagen said...
Mitchell, coming out of college, has too raw of a bat for my taste. I may be overly pessimistic about the young man, but I don’t see much power translating to the pros. He has shown some plate discipline, but there are huge holes in his swing, which is concerning, especially for someone who doesn’t have much power. Due to his speed, draft position, and decent plate discipline he would have been one of the very next players on the list. But he is not in my top 50 and it is not an oversight. Good discussion. Posted 06/16 at 04:10 PM |
Why did Atlanta select Mike Minor at 7th overall? It’s weird, he seems like the second-coming of Tom Glavine.