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Eric A Longenhagen
12:16
Howdy, friends. Let's do our baseball chat.
Earl
12:17
If there is a 2020 draft in the current modified form, do you think it’ll be more beneficial or less than the typical draft for a team like the Giants who have multiple high picks? With talent pool that’ll be available, other teams’ strategies.
Eric A Longenhagen
12:19
Uhhhhh, I suppose I don't truly know but my knee jerk reaction is that it's bad for creativity (like there's no way to execute what the Braves did last year, for instance) and teams picking a bunch in the comp rounds are the ones best positioned to be creative in a typical year, so those are the teams most punished by the inability to get creative.
B
12:19
What range might Jesse Franklin go in? He seems to have that ideal spine angle (ie bent close to 40°) that is conducive to a steep plane/attack angle. That sort of mechanical profile coupled w/ the possibility that he sticks at a premium position makes him seem like one of the more interesting “sleeper” college bats IMO.
Eric A Longenhagen
12:21
I like Franklin. He's relatively positionless but I agree he rakes. Does that guy get a medical redshirt in addition to his extra COVID year of eligibility? And does he use those multiple years of leverage as a reason to return to school for another year?
More Quarantine Please!
12:21
I've noticed that a popular type of question in Fangraphs' chats is the best way to get a job in baseball.  I thought people might like to know that Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors has a good article up today with feedback from multiple actual MLB execs:
Eric A Longenhagen
12:21
Good link. There's a Kiley-driven section of Future Value that has job-related discussion, too.
Brandon
12:22
Where would Yoelkis Cespedes rank on the draft board?
Eric A Longenhagen
12:23
In the 35+ tier unless something substantive about his feel to hit has changed since I last saw him, which i guess is possible.
Purple Mays Haze
12:24
If there is no MLB/MiLB season, by how much do you think prospects' "development" is held back? Less than a year...like half a year?
Eric A Longenhagen
12:25
I think we'll see some kind of fall dev league here in AZ, like a longer fall league situation. That'll give maybe a third of a season of reps to a certain layer of player but everyone else probably loses a full year.
Bob wehada baby itsaboy
12:25
Does a "helicopter finish" have any relationship with being able to do a certain thing well? Like does it tell you they have super quick hands, good whip, or anything?
Eric A Longenhagen
12:27
It's just a colorful descriptor, though finishing that high probably means you have lift in the swing, too.
froglegs_jackson
12:27
is your impression of White Sox player dev that they're still in the stone ages?
Eric A Longenhagen
12:28
No, there are signs of life. LouBob attack angle change chief among them.
Hey Eric
12:28
You should lobby to have fangraphs include your blurbs in the prospect player profile page a la the fantasy profiles for major leaguers!
Eric A Longenhagen
12:29
Yeah I might have to coordinate with the fantasy folks and check with Meg and David and Sean about whether it's cannibalizing The Board/lists but that seems doable
Jake
12:30
In a normal year with a full season, what would a D3 pitcher have to do to get drafted top 10 rounds? Sit 93-95, with a plus offspeed and 1 or 2 average offspeed with average to above command?
Eric A Longenhagen
12:31
I think a half grade lighter across the board still goes top 10 rounds. Nick Garcia from Chapman (was throwing really hard in the fall, not as hard when I saw him in Feb) is basically a layer beneath what you described and I'd guess he would go later Day 2.
John
12:31
How comfortable would you be taking Crochet in the top 15?
Eric A Longenhagen
12:31
Un
Jabroni
12:31
Do you think this is a good year for the Tigers to underslot 1-1. In a short draft their money pool is even a bigger advantage over the other teams. If they took Veen 1-1 do you think they could push someone like Hassell or Bitsko to the 2nd round?
Eric A Longenhagen
12:32
I think if you do it (you'd have to have Tork, Martin, and one or two other guys evaluated pretty much the same) then it's because you think you can land a big fish in rounds two and three, not just two.
Tom
12:33
What do you look for in hitting and pitching mechanics?
Eric A Longenhagen
12:33
There are whole chapters about this in the book, but the chat-length answer is grace, balance, athleticism, controlled variability.
Stan
12:33
How do you learn what an 80 grade pitch is? I understand that velo etc are the indicators. But is it just experience of being at games etc? Thanks and stay safe!
Eric A Longenhagen
12:35
Yeah you just have to see it. Seeing guys like Cole, Strasburg, deGrom and Chapman live has been instructive.
Jeff
12:35
I'm very curious about HS LHP/1B and future NCAA intern with Clemson, Cayden Grice. What kind of tools does he have as a hitter?
Eric A Longenhagen
12:36
I'm a big Grice fan. Huge frame, really athletic swing, great defensive footwork and hands.
Keith
12:37
Casey Martin is typically rated pretty highly on draft boards. Am I alone in thinking his profile is terrifying? Hit tool seems more volatile than any other 1st round prospect...
Eric A Longenhagen
12:38
Yeah his approach is bad. He's in the Jeren Kendall bucket. Can't imagine him falling out of round one because he's so talented.
Cliff S
12:38
22 days in a full quarantine.  Glad to have some baseball to discuss.  Who is your favorite under the radar prospect?
Eric A Longenhagen
12:39
Depends on you radar. Let me check my internal DB very quickly and see if a name I didn't write up catches my eye....
12:41
I'll give you a few. I like Josh Tols from Philly. Soft-tossing reliever with a 70 curveball.
12:42
Daniel Cope with the Rockies. Polished catcher from Fullerton, above-average arm and glove, doubles power.
12:43
Zach Neff from the Twins. Really heavy tailing sinker lefty, just a tough look for LHBs
PatEdMartin
12:44
Trying to take a positive outlook on recent news with the draft and college baseball:  If there is a return to normalcy by the time the next college season rolls around, do you see this predicted bump in talent across the board as something that can finally push it into the mainstream?
Eric A Longenhagen
12:45
Probably not (sorry, sorry). I want it to, but I doubt a bunch of 6th-10th round types going back to school is what moves the needle. Now, three years from now, when all the high schoolers who would have signed for $500k-ish are juniors and a bunch of them have developed into top 50 type talents, *then* we might really have something. I also think streaming access is a big part of the equation.
Tyler
12:46
How has this shutdown impacted your ability to evaluate draft prospects? Do you` feel any less confident about your ability to scout these players?
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