2008 Sharks Draft Wrapup

A quick look at the guys the Sharks drafted this past weekend.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Previous Affiliation
3rd	62nd	Justin Daniels	Center	Kent High School
4th	92nd	Samuel Groulx	Defenseman	Quebec of QMJHL
4th	106th	Harri Sateri	Goalie	Tappara of Finnish Junior League
5th	146th	Julien Demers	Defenseman	Ottawa 67s
6th	177th	Tommy Wingels	Center	Miami Ohio University
7th	186th	Jason Demers	Defenseman	Victoriaville of QMJHL
7th	194th	Drew Daniels	Right wing	Kent High School

Justin and Drew Daniels - Fun fact: Justin and Drew Daniels are twin brothers. In their sophomore year (2006) at Suffern, they led Section 1 with 91 points and 90 points, respectively, before transferring to Kent High School. Before the draft, Justin was ranked #102 by Central Scouting's Mid-Term Ranking, Drew at #113.

Justin's assets

He has the combination of hands, speed, and offensive ability. He has a long stride and the ability to take the puck in the defensive zone and quickly turn up ice with it. He cycles the puck very well and showed good hands in tight and ability to play through traffic. When he has the puck, he really can control the play and the pace.

Drew's assets

A solid all-around player, who is more of a playmaker with his 36 assists on the season. He has a quick shot and showed good poise with the puck and should be a solid contributor at the college level.

Those scouting notes are from Rivals, where you can also read a great interview with both of the brothers.

Sam Groulx - Fun fact: Vlasic is Groulx's favorite NHL player. Ranked #76 by Central Scouting. Not as much information on the interwebs about Groulx as was the Daniels twins, but here's what Chris Edwards from NHL Central Scouting said of him:

Groulx's assets

Samuel was often used on both the power-play and penalty kill units, showing good puck movement from the point and good body position in front of the net to prevent the opposition from gathering rebounds. His at his best when he plays a simple controlled style game, but needs to improve his overall strength and decision making.

Groulx's 2007-2008 stats.

Harri Sateri - In addition to having the coolest name out of all the Sharks' picks, Central Scouting ranked him the second-best European goalie overall. What Goran Stubb, the NHL's Director of European Scouting had to say:

Sateri's assets

Harri is a solid goalie with a low mistake rate. He'll be a key player for the Finns during the upcoming season at the World Juniors in Ottawa. He could go in the third or fourth round of this year's draft.

A scout's observations:

Sateri has the coverage and quickness to make the necessary saves as well as the mental abilities to keep up with the game.

Sateri's stats from 2006-2008.

Julien Demers - Demers went to the 2008 OHL All-Star game as a rep for the Eastern Conference. Central Scouting ranked him #83 overall. Scouting reports from Chris Edwards and Ottawa 67's coach Brian Kilrea.

Demers' assets

Julien is a physically strong defenseman, who is solid on his skates, but he needs to improve his mobility and playmaking ability. He is at his best when he uses his strength to his advantage and keeps his puck handling simple.

Quietly Julien has become a top player in our league and is underrated by many. He is what every NHL team wants, a big, strong defensive defenseman who can move the puck. He is strong in the corners and in front of the net and can back up any challenge.

Demers' stats from 2007-08.

Tommy Wingels - Wingels was named MVP at the 2007 USHL All-Star/Prospects Game. Central Scouting hasn't ranked him, but they listed him as a "B" player in their 2006-07 Players to Watch List. Chicago Sports also has a nice article about his experience as a freshman Miami-Ohio.

Wingels stats from 2007-08.

Jason Demers - No, he's not related to Julien. According to the Sharks' website:

Demers' assets

Jason was first among all QMJHL defensemen in scoring and second on his team. He also participated as a member of San Jose’s rookie tournament squad prior to the 2007-08 season. Demers impressed Burke and his staff enough to be drafted by San Jose after his impressive junior season.

Nice. Demers' stats from Victoriaville.

Wasn't Expecting That

Inning	Batter	Velocity	Result
1	A. Gordon	87	Ball in Dirt
2	J. Guillen	83	Called strike, K
3	D. DeJesus	83	Called strike
3	D. DeJesus	83	Called strike
3	J. Gathright	87	Ball
4	A. Gordon	83	In play, GB single to RF
4	J. Guillen	82	Ball
4	J. Buck	82	Foul
4	J. Buck	82	Ball
4	J. Buck	85	Swinging strike, K
5	M. Aviles	85	Ball

Uncharacteristically rough start for Lincecum, who ran into trouble in the 3rd inning onwards after sitting on the bench for quite a while. He finished a shaky 5th inning with 8 strikeouts but gave up 5 runs in 5 innings, the most runs scored against him since August 11th, though the Giants still led 10-5. The rest of the game is not worth noting, except for this:


Tim hasn't faced much adversity this season, but he wasn't his usual dominant self the past two starts. In the last two games, he pitched 12 innings, giving up 12 hits and 9 runs. Is it possible he might be wearing down, despite his near-perfect mechanics? He's logged 102.7 innings so far--on pace for more than the 146.3 innings he pitched in 2007--a good reason for some fatigue. Or, his shaky starts are just another episode of the big league cat-mouse game: batters adjust, Tim adjusts right back.

Tim's next start will be more interesting than usual. We'll see if today's off-day helps rest his arm, or if he adjusts back into his dominating self.

Comment starter: Is Tim wearing down a bit, or is the league figuring him out?

Which Giant Will Go to NY: Poll Results

Tim Lincecum	10 (76%)
Bengie Molina	1 (7%)
Aaron Rowand	3 (23%)
Other	0 (0%)
None	0 (0%)

Obviously.

What to Do With Zito

SAT time! Sharpen your No. 2 pencils and please open your test booklets to page one. You have 25 minutes. Your time starts now.

The Splash Blog: What should the Giants do with Barry Zito?

A. Send him to the minors ala Dontrelle Willis

B. Hire Rick Peterson to work with him

C. Offer him $50 million to buy out his contract

D. Keep him out there to take losses every five days until Brian Sabean gets fired.

E. Put him on the DL with a hangnail, if necessary.

F. Your suggestion here.

Reasoning
A: Zito's contract stipulates he has the right to refuse assignment in the minors. Slim chance he revokes that right. Besides, we all know what happened the last time he pitched against a minor league team.

B: Peterson is not a genie who will magically restore 6 mph on Zito's fastball. Still, it won't hurt to bring him in to help Zito, especially when $100K is loose change compared to the Salary-Which-Must-Not-Be-Named. I don't know if Peterson can tweak Zito's mechanics to circa-2004 form, but if I were the Giants, I'm certainly bringing him in to try. The only problem is that the Mets are paying Peterson until 2009, and any money he makes will be deducted from his salary.

C: We knew Zito's signing was a disaster from the start, but by offering a 50 mil buyout, the Giants will have admitted Zito was a mistake. After the complete mishandling of Barry Bonds' departure last season and the "OMG new era of Giants baseball!!!" promotion with Zito as its poster boy, I don't think the front-office nor the PR department can take another beating.

D: I'm not sure about the Giants potentially firing Sabean for Zito's losses, considering the 2007 offseason rumors that Magowan wanted Zito more than Sabean did. It would be interesting, in a perverse way, to have a 20-game loser on the Giants, though.

E: Win-win for everyone: fans won't see him pitch, the Giants send him to the minors regardless of the clause in Zito's contract, and Zito gets to work out whatever's wrong in a low-pressure situation.

F: I'm a bit surprised The Splash Blog didn't list "bullpen blowout mop-up," but we can be a bit creative here. Instead of hiring Rick Peterson, I would hire Chris Lincecum to tweak Zito's mechanics. The guy threw an 88 mph fastball when he was 55, enough said. Or, given that teams most likely won't want Zito in a trade, the Giants could exchange him for a bag of bats. It's happened before.

My Answer: B
Fun Answer: F, bring in Chris Lincecum!

A Brave New World

Henry Schulman notes Randy Winn will be a hot name with the trade deadline approaching. Atlanta beckons.

Trading Winn, who is already benefiting the team with a steady .298/.359/.447 and 112 OPS+, would improve the Giants even more. A trade would open a spot in RF, ready for Nate Schierholtz (.303/.348/.550 in AAA) when the Giants wish to promote him. It also frees the Giants from $8.125 million owed to Winn for 2009.

Trading for Winn benefits the Braves as well. Kotsay is currently on the DL, though he is returning soon, and Francoeur is struggling (.252/.301/.416).

Most of the Braves' top prospects are struggling this year, but a package of Winn + reliever + money eating on the Giants' part could net a couple with upside. Lillibridge, Hernandez, and Flowers are potential names.

Braves' prospects:
BP's Braves Top 11 Prospects: Jan 15, 2008
John Sickels' Atlanta Braves 2008 Prospects: Nov 16, 2007
BA's Top Ten Prospects: Nov 5, 2007

Comment start'er up: Whom should Sabes trade Winn for?

Slider Numbers

Inning	Batter	Velocity	Result
2	I. Rodriguez	81	Ball
3	C. Granderson	81	Ball in dirt
4	M. Cabrera	86	Swinging strike, K
4	M. Holliman	83	Swinging strike, K
5	C. Granderson	79	Swinging strike
5	P. Polanco	86	Ball

Last night's game wasn't the strikeout gala I was hoping for, but I'll take it.

Reasons to Celebrate

There has to be something positive remaining after, say it with me, the A's beat the Giants. Again. I have a few reasons in mind:

1. The resuscitation of my computer.
2. Who else but Tim Lincecum (happy belated birthday, rock on) and his consistent dominance.
3. Lincecum vs Verlander at 7:15.

'Til then, a scattering of links:

• The Giants have gotten the ball rolling on signing their draft picks. To date, 17 out of 50 picks have signed. Notable signees include Edwin Quirarte, for $193K, and CJ Ziegler.
• Semi-forgotten Kevin Frandsen says, "I want to hit." Recovery normally takes 4-6 months, but 3 months after the injury, his rehab is ahead of schedule.
• In light of Tyler Walker's recent struggles, Bochy confirms that Keiichi Yabu is now the set-up man. Yabu has been solid given his relative anonymity and age, so he definitely earned the role.

Question: In which inning will the radar gun overheat tonight?

Kelenna Azubuike Opts Out

Not unexpected, as he played his way to a larger contract. He's an RFA, meaning that the Warriors can match any offer given by another team. Most, if not all, teams are pushing luxury tax this offseason, so the most I expect Azubuike to receive is a $1-2 million chunk of the MLE. He and his agent most likely will ask for $3 million per season, but with the extensions for Monta and Andris and the rookie contracts for two draft picks already pushing lux tax, the Warriors can't finagle that amount. That said, the Warriors will figure out a way to keep Azubuike on the team.

New Coach, No Shiny Trophies

Three days after Ron Wilson left the team for good, the Sharks quickly one-upped the Leafs by hiring Todd McLellan. Before yesterday's press conference, McLellan was most recently sighted doing this:

Despite inexperience as a head coach in the NHL, he brings the discipline of the Red Wings and the authority of a coach who has been on a Stanley Cup-winning team. His training camp gameplan for getting the Sharks past the second round:

speed through the center of the ice, getting to the net and keeping opponents' goalies busy with plenty of shots.

For now, a warm welcome for the man who can, I hope, light a fire under Thornton's behind come playoff time.

---

In other Shark related news, Martin Brodeur wins the Vezina Trophy. Again. Brodeur is undoubtedly a top-notch goalie, but look at Nabokov. There were plenty of games last season where Nabby singlehandedly kept the Sharks from losing. Not to mention the epic 53-save performance to force 4 overtimes in Game 6 until the Stars got the winning bounce. Well, at least that's something else the Sharks can avenge for next season.

Giants' Batting Stances

Must, must watch. Batting Stance Guy is spot on.

Bargain Hunters

Inning	Batter	Velocity	Result
3	C. Iannetta	82	Ball
3	O. Quintanilla	84	Infield single
4	T. Helton	84	Ball
4	B. Hawpe	86	Foul
4	O. Quintanilla	84	Ball
5	M. Holliday	83	Swinging strike, K
6	G. Atkins	82	Ball
6	B. Hawpe	84	GIDP

Not much to report from last night's game, except I had fun watching Lincecum and Jimenez battle for 7 innings. Unfortunate that Bengie couldn't pull off a play at the plate to preserve a nil-nil tie, which happens since the Giants' offense typically dies a mile from sea level.

About the slider: same stuff as before. Tim normally uses the fastball-curveball or fastball-changeup combo in the first couple of innings, and then throws in the slider every once in a while to give the opposing lineup another pitch to think about the second and third times up.

When it breaks, the slider moves away from a RHB enough so if it misses, it misses low and away. (Kalk's player card)

If a batter makes contact, he only manages to hit grounders, as in the cases of Quintanilla and Hawpe.

As a whole, Lincecum gets yet another solid game to put into his resume when extension time rolls around. Right now, he's second in the league in ERA, ERA+, and strikeouts only to Edison Volquez. He's out-pitching the likes of Webb and Santana while making vastly less money than the two: a mere $405-grand. The Giants are paying a bargain price for excellent performances every 5 days. It's time to get Lincecum signed.

Previous slider goodness here.

Hi, I'm a PC

... and I crashed this morning so that my owner couldn't reboot me at all and now has to use a super-old computer that freezes every 5 minutes.

Since I can't type anything without fear of losing all my work, this post will be short.

Someone get Misch the shamrock or horseshoe that Rueter used to pitch with.

Lincecum on the mound tonight facing Ubaldo Jimenez at 6:05.

Right Me Up

Don't look now, but the Giants are only 5 games out of first in the West and riding a 7 road-game win streak, the longest since 2004. There's something to be said about the increasingly abysmal Western Division and the national emergency that are the Nats, but I'll take hot-weather hitting and sweeps any time.


The Sick Man of Major League Baseball

This was by far the Giants' best series of the season. For once, strong starting pitching combined with timely hits to get Matt Cain his third win, who showed marked improvement from his last time out.

6/4 vs NYM: 5 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO, 1 HR

6/9 @ WSN: 6.1 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

Cain's one Achilles heel has been lack of control, especially with his fastball--walking one too many batters and then serving up the long bomb. Last night, we saw him pitch to contact using a mix of pitches, resulting in a few more hits but three extra strikeouts to strand runners.

It also helps to have a guy like Yabu waiting in the bullpen to clean up the bases via one-pitch double-plays in the seventh inning.

If we thought that Brian Wilson's previous saves were terrifying, those were nothing compared to last night's 4-out thriller. Wilson preserved a 1-run lead in the 8th by getting a flyball to end a bases-loaded situation, and then cleaned up the 9th despite a throwing error by Castillo. He's now in the top 10 among relievers in WPA, with the likes of Joe Nathan and Mariano Rivera, with a 1.87.

Haterade

The source of the declining value of the American dollar, skyrocketing gas prices, and global warming: the maple bat

Bruce Jenkins takes another thinly veiled jab at Barry Bonds, this time for introducing exploding maple bats into MLB.

The maple-bat craze was launched single-handedly by Barry Bonds, who enlisted the Canadian-based Original Maple Bat Company in 1999 and used maple to hit his record-breaking 73 homers in 2001.

Safety first, but when will Brucey get new material?

In slightly fresher news, the Giants look to sweep their first 4-game series against the Nationals tonight.

Lineup, courtsey of Mr. Baggarly:

lf Lewis
2b Durham
rf Winn
c Molina
cf Rowand
1b Bowker
3b Aurilia
ss Vizquel
p Cain

Good to see Bochy run Bowker out on the field again. His .248 batting average belies the inordinate number of line drives he's hit right at people.

Streaking Bowker

Thanks to John Bowker's second home run in as many days (did I mention how much I love salami?), Zito notches a second win despite going only 5 innings and allowing 11 baserunners. Not stellar, not even good, but the Giants' newfound offense is enough to dig anyone out of a 3-0 hole. Can these Giants please keep the old Giants locked away in an underground cave?

Speaking of mashing, Posey goes deep again, adding two insurance runs in the 7th inning on the way to an 11-4 victory over Gillaspie and the Shockers.

Lincecum Keeps Rollin'

Inning	Batter	Velocity	Result
3	T. Redding	86	Swinging strike, K
5	K. Casto	84	Infield hit, single
6	C. Guzman	82	Groundout
7	K. Casto	82	Ball

Before I address the slider, can we just crown Lincecum king of the universe and be done with it? He's good. He's also the first Giants in 15 years to start off a season with an 8-1 record.

All seriousness aside, yesterday's data probably is not accurate since Gameday blanked on types of pitches in the 5th and 6th innings.

The information that actually showed up supports the same points I've noticed in previous posts. Sample sizes have tailed off in Lincecum's past starts since he has not thrown nearly as many sliders per game as he did against the Cardinals. I can say that no batter has teed off on the slider yet, though Casto managed an infield single.

---

Dirty Sanchez tonight at 4. 15 hits for the Giants again?

Open Watching Buster Posey and Conor Gillapsie Thread

It's currently the top of the 4th, 3-1 to Wichita State on a 2-run home run and an RBI double.

The commentators said that the coach for the the Seminoles calls every pitch, which disappoints me because we won't be able to see how Posey manages his pitchers. No base-stealers yet, but Wichita State seems like a running team, so he'll probably get a chance to show off his rocket arm.

Bottom 4th, 3-2 Wichita: Home run by Posey on the second pitch he saw, 6th of the post-season.

Top 5th, 3-2 Wichita: Gillapsie grounds out to first. That's his second groundout of the day. Not exactly confidence inspiring, but we'll see.

You can tell that Posey is new to catching. It's not a problem, but he bounces a lot when he sets up before a pitch.

Top 5th, 4-2 Wichita: Before the run scored, Wichita stole 3rd on a slider outside the zone that Posey couldn't catch properly. After, he blocked another ball in the dirt outside the zone nicely.

Bottom 5th, 5-2 Wichita: With two outs and a runner on second, Wichita decides to intentionally walk Posey.

Top 6th, 5-3 Wichita: Commentators said that Villanueva, FSU's starter for the game, credits Posey for keeping him focused during games.

Top 6th, 8-3 Wichita: Gillapsie hits a 3-run HR on the first pitch. A home-run is always appreciated, but it seems like he likes swinging at the first pitch.

Posey catches a pitch outside the zone, then whips it to the first baseman in an attempt to nail the runner there. Though the runner was safe, Posey threw it down the line pretty fast from his knees.

Bottom 6th, 9-4 Wichita: The broadcast on ESPN dropped out with Posey down an 0-2 hole. I'm not sure how he hit into an out, but the play involved Gillaspie.

Top 9th, 10-5 Wichita: Posey drops a 3rd strike, but flips it over to first for the out. He's caught 5 different pitchers today.

Bottom 9th, 10-5 Wichita: Posey strikes out on a pitch way outside with a runner on first. He's a bum!

Bottom 9th, 10-7 Wichita: With 2 men on and 2 outs and a chance to tie up the game, Posey strikes out swinging. The pitch before, though, was a bit high and should have been ball four, but the ump called strike two. End game.

Play to Your Strengths: Draft Day 2

207: LHP Aaron King 237: LHP Scott Barnes 267: LHP Ryan Verdugo 297: RHP Ryan O'Sullivan 327: RHP Justin Fitzgerald 357: RHP Ari Ronick 387: CF Juan Perez 417: CF Caleb Curry 447: 2B Daniel Cook 477. 1B C.J. Ziegler 507. RHP Brian Irving 537. SS Brooks Lindsay 567. LF Ryan Mantle, LF 597. 2B Trey Sutton, 2B 627. RHP Michael Eifel 657. SS Carter Bell 687. RHP Jason Jarvis

717. LHP Thomas Musick 747. CF Damon Wright 777. 2B Ryan Lormand 807. RHP Kyle Woodruff 837. RHP Shane Kaufman 867. 1B Robert Flanagan 897. SS Vladimir Frias 927. RHP Aaron Davidson 957. RHP John Blake 987. LF Ryne Price 1017. RHP Francois Lafreniere 1047. 3B Daniel Black 1077. LHP Matthew Way 1107. RHP Jeremy Penn 1137. RHP Chris Wilson

Tons of pitchers taken, but I don't mind. Tidrow has a knack for finding talents, most recently Lincecum, especially in the lower rounds.

It's funny that the Giants only took 1 third-baseman, Daniel Black, so far, given that their minors system is bereft of players in the hot corner. They must have faith in Angel Villalona being capable of handling the position.

2008 MLB Draft: Day 1 Roundup

Let's give a warm welcome to the 6 new members of the Giants family, provided that the Giants can sign them, of course.

#5: C Buster Posey

After initially slamming Buster Posey in a fit of "why didn't the Giants take Smoak" fury, I'm warming up to to him. He fills one of the gaping holes in the infield, throws in potential for 10-15 home runs, and is inarguably the best catcher in the draft.

What he brings to the table:

• Named to the All-ACC first team in 2007, became the first sophomore finalist for the Johnny Bench Award, first team All American by Collegiate Baseball, named to the President's List for a 4.0 GPA.
• Currently, he leads the NCAA with .467/.567/.864. There's something to be said about aluminum bats and small parks, but a .467 average is nothing to sneeze at.
  
• Posey originally played shortstop as a freshman, but he is a fast learner and already displays great defensive potential behind the plate, nailing 40.9% of base stealers in 2007.
• Throwing a low-90's fastball up to second would explain that percentage. In addition to catching, he's expected to be FSU's closer.
• Just in case the Giants find themselves in this type of game again, Posey plays all nine positions.
• This article by Heather Dinich of ESPN closed the deal for me:

  Baseball and school, that's about all I do. That's about it, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I enjoy it, I really do.

  If you're not sold on Buster Posey yet, take a looksee for yourself today 11 AM on ESPN2 when FSU faces Wichita State (home of Conor Gillaspie, how convenient) in the Super Regionals. Game 2 is on Saturday at 9 AM, Game 3 on Sunday at 10 AM.
  

#37: 3B Conor Gillaspie

• 2007 MVP of Cape Cod League, winner of Thurmon Munson Batting Champion Trophy in Cape Cod League (won by Smoak, Derek Jeter, and Lance Berkman previously), named to first team All-Valley and Wichita All-Regional team
• I love this pick. Love it. BA ranked Gillaspie as the 13th pro prospect in the the Cape Cod League and the Giants pick him at 37. Steal!
• Like Bill Mueller, lack of power is the only real knock on Gillaspie, but I think that he has more power than people give him credit for. He hit .345 in Cape Cod with a wooden bat and amassed .673 slugging and 21 XBH, 7 of those home runs.
• Power or no power, this guy flat out hits. He batted over .400 for most of his junior year and has plate discipline. Credit to the Giants for drafting guys with power and patience this year.
  

#82: RF Roger Kieschnick

• Named to Second Team All-Big 12
• He has raw power, finishing 2007 with a .302 batting average with 25 doubles, 5 triples, and 13 home runs. His swing causes him to pull at times, which could be a problem but at the same time generate XBH.
  

#117: SS Brandon Crawford

• As a pull hitter, he has power, but he's lost confidence this year because of a rough Cape Cod season. When he's on though, he regularly drives balls and has a solid arm in the hole.
  

#147: Edwin Quirarte

• Quirarte currently serves as the Matadors' closer. Other than that I don't know too much about him. His stats aren't stellar for a closer, 4.50 ERA in 2006 and 6.57 in 2007.
  

#177: Eric Surkamp

• His sophomore season sounds a bit like Matt Cain's season last year:

  Had an outstanding, consistent season despite winning just four games ... Had seven no-decisions for the second consecutive season ... Left three of his no-decisions with the lead, three with the score tied, and one trailing by one run ... Allowed two earned runs or less in 11 of 16 appearances

• He throws a fastball in the mid to high-80's but he gets guys out, as shown by his 2.71 ERA.
  

Overall, I'm very happy with the draft so far. The Giants have broken with tradition and drafted 6 collegiate players, 4 of them position players. Brian Sabean hinted yesterday that Posey would be put on the fast track to the majors and with the big club by 2010:

(Posey) is on the fast track and Bengie’s clock is winding down,” Sabean said. “It’s really up to him how soon he wants to get going and how soon he can get here.

As I'm typing, the Giants have drafted several new players, including 6 pitchers. I'm totally in favor of this new philosophy, and let's hope the Giants get these guys signed.

The Re-Incarnation of Live Thread

(12:30 PM) Heh, the Texas guys are all wearing the same shirt. Aaaand they just took Justin Smoak. Well, at least he won't be with the A's or the Dodgers.

I think Peter Gammons just said that Smoak is fully ambidextrous, except with his feet. Does that make him ambipedrous?

(12:38 PM) Oakland takes Jemile Weeks. Another overdraft, in my opinion.

(12:53 PM) The Dodgers take Ethan Martin. Selig looks like he doesn't want to be at the Milk House (heh) at all.

(1:26 PM) Andrew Baggarly with an article about Buster Posey.

(1:48 PM) 12 picks until the Giants select again. In the meantime, Posey now has his own Wikipedia page. If that doesn't say big-time, I don't know what does.

(1:59 PM) While we're waiting, I think it's time grace Posey with a nickname. Madison Bumgarner received MadBum from the McCoven within minutes of being drafted, so it's only fair if Posey gets the same treatment.

Starting off with the lame and obvious sobriquets:

• Buster "Ring Around the Rosy, A Pocketful of" Posey
• Busta Pose

And, that's all I got.


(2:39 PM) With the 37th pick, the Giants take Conor Gillapsie, a 3B out of Wichita State. Solid pick. From MLB DraftTracker:

He's a terrific hitter and has been over .400 for most of the year. His lack of power makes it hard to profile him anywhere other than a Bill Mueller-type third baseman. There are worse things to be, of course, and a team that values what Gillapsie can do will surely take him

From Goldstein and Bryan Smith, respectively:

A lot of people saw this as a first-round bat, but at the same time, there might be money problems. Giants looks to be ready to do the right thing in the draft.

San Francisco takes another player in Gillaspie in the sandwich round that’s going to hit for a good average and just a little power. I like Gillaspie quite a bit, though, and I think he’s really going to hit. The Giants really have improved their future today with Gillaspie and Posey.

(5:40 PM) Jim Barr has done a heck of a job with the draft so far. 4 rounds, 4 solid position players.

2008 MLB Draft Live Thread!

Whoo!

Follow live at MLB.com. It's free!

(11:10 AM) Word is that the Devil Rays will pick Tim Beckham.

(11:17 AM) MLB.com predicts that the Giants will take Buster Posey, with Justin Smoak falling to 9 and the Washington Nationals. Come on, Giants, I want me some Smoak on the Water two years from now.

(11:23 AM) It's draft time!

(11:26 AM) From BA:

We feel good about our first four picks on the last Mock Draft: Beckham, then Pedro Alvarez to the Pirates, Eric Hosmer to the Royals and Brian Matusz to the Orioles. The problem with the mock draft is the Giants. They could go Justin Smoak, but BA’s Matt Blood reports from Orlando that he’s getting Buster Posey vibes at five.

(11:31 AM) BP reports that Posey may drop because of money demands. 12 million demands to be exact. Bluff?

(11:32 AM) The Tampa Bay Rays are on the clock.

(11:37 AM) The modern miracle of internet just failed me. Thanks a lot MLB.com. In any case, the Rays select Tim Beckham.

Now the Giants can't pick a promising high-school hitter and mess him up in their system. There's still Hosmer, though.

(11:42 AM) Pedro Alvarez is heading off to Pittsburgh. If Smoak wasn't available at 5, then I was hoping that Alvarez would drop. Oh well. Now this is where things get interesting. 1-2 were foregone conclusions, but the rest of the picks are up in the air.

(11:46 AM) Don't take Smoak, Royals. Don't take Smoak.

YES! Smoak is still on the board; Kansas takes Hosmer. Good pick. He has a real nice swing.

(11:50 AM) Choices: Smoak, Posey, G. Beckham.

(11:53 AM) The Giants are on the clock, the Orioles took Matusz. Smoak Smoak Smoak.

(11:59 AM) DAMMIT! Buster Posey.

(12:01 PM) Great. The Giants swap 30-40 home runs a year for maybe 10, "up the middle" defense, and $12 million draining out the their pocket.

(12:05 PM) What Goldstein says:

5. Giants take Buster Posey. If you heard Bud make the announcement, now you know why he goes by Buster. This is a fantastic pick at five for the Giants. Really great find at five, and I’ll bet anything right now that he doesn’t get $12 million from SF.

Because he'll get $11.9 million.

(12:08 PM) Okay, I'll stop being cynical now. It's not Posey's fault that the Giants can't address their needs properly. *coughcoughreadymadepoweratfirstcoughcough* Oops.

In all seriousness, Posey is a good pick. He has tremendous defensive potential and his power is decent. Pablo Sandoval will have a friend in A now.

Smoak is falling farther than I thought he would. The Reds and White Sox passed over him for Alonso and G. Beckham, respectively. Will Smoak fall to 37, perhaps?

(12:20 PM) Poor Smoak. I wonder why he's still sliding.

(12:22 PM) Why is it that all the draftee interviews are less-than-scintillating? You would think that they feel excited to be drafted by a major league team.

(12:25 PM) I'm going to throw something if the A's luck into Smoak (12). Something's going to burn if he falls into the Dodgers' laps (15). Oh geez, the Astros took Jason Castro. Overdraft.

Heralds of the 2008 MLB Draft

In no order: Alvarez, Posey, Smoak, T. Beckham, Hosmer, Matusz, G. Beckham

Time for a quick look around the blogosphere (yes, I said "blogosphere") for pre-draft day rumblings:

• BA has the Giants picking Justin Smoak. A first baseman who can hit for power and who can easily slide into the majors by 2010? Yes, please.
• Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com goes with Buster Posey, who can hit for a little power but who is heralded for game-calling.
• BP and Anthony Goldstein projects Gordon Beckham, one of the two Beckham shortstops who can fill the Giants' gaping organizational holes at the position.
• RealGM sticks to the Giants' philosophy of stacking young arms and predicts Gerrit Cole at #5.
• The Giants have their eye on Kyle Skipworth, a high-school catcher, according to TSN.
• John Barr, the Giants' new scouting director, supposedly has Hosmer at the top of the draft board, followed by T. Beckham and Smoak.
  
• The Front-Row's brother blog hits big-time with their first Q & A with Justin Weyman. The former Penn State radio voice sheds some insight on several players who could don a Giants cap tomorrow.
• With all this attention given to the first round picks, you may start to wonder, what about the supplemental picks? Martin at OGC answers exactly that.
• For all the prognosticating and philosophying, only one source predicted 4 out of the first 30 picks correctly for last year's draft (I'm not counting David Price, who was the sure-fire #1 pick). The winner: John Sickels.

Get Some Coors Out of Your Fridge

Nellie's back!