Kevin Goldstein has a mock draft up at BP today. He’s got the Pirates taking Missouri’s Kyle Gibson fourth, with Strasburg, Ackley, and Donovan Tate off the board. He’s also got Tanner Scheppers going fifth to the Orioles. There’s been a lot of talk about Scheppers lately that I haven’t touched on, but he’s looked great in workouts and in his few starts with the St. Paul Saints.
It’s worth remembering that Scheppers went unsigned last year because of his health, which I think a lot of people forget. He fell to the second round because of rotator cuff and labrum issues. He told the Pirates that he wanted first round money. It’s always hard to know exactly what goes on in the negotiations, but after the Pirates watched him pitch last year, they didn’t seem to be thrilled with his health and offered him less than slot value to sign. They seemed perfectly willing to pay him what he wanted had he been healthy, but he wasn’t. Even now, a lot of questions remain about that shoulder. Going back to my post about the draft last week, I’d put Scheppers firmly on the list of guys that I’d be avoiding as a GM. Drafting a pitcher with an existing arm issue that high seems like a great way to add to the long list of failed pitchers taken in the first round.
Alternately, here’s another mock from the Minor League Ball diaries that has the Pirates taking Jacob Turner at #4. It seems like the only thing that most people agree on right now is that Strasburg and Ackley are going 1-2.
And a well-researched diary at Charlie’s about the draft. And there’s lots of draft media here.
The wonderfully named Viva Derek Bell had a run-in with the Pointy-Haired Blogger in his comment section over Miguel Angel Sano.
Here’s an interesting piece about how umpires influence games at The Hardball Times.
Not Pirates-related, but this video of Sidney Crosby dominating what is supposedly Austin Lemieux rocked my face off.
