2014 Year in Review: PG Events | College | High School
Any
follower of the Major League First-Year Player Draft knows that the
event is unlike that of any other sport. The financial ramifications
for years has often dictated which players are selected where more so
than those players' individual talents.
As
new rules were put in place to take the focus off of the money
involved starting with the 2012 MLB Draft, we have seen more of a
fair balance between talent and their respective slot values, with
few surprises occurring early in the draft.
Those
new rules also allow for flexibility and creativity when it comes to
picks. The Astros proved this in the first year the new rules were
put in place, selecting Carlos Correa first overall and signing him
to a bonus several million dollars less than his assigned slot value.
That creativity allowed them to select and sign a few players that
had fallen further than expected in the forms of Lance McCullers and
Rio Ruiz.
Although
not quite as drastic, and clearly not a plan that was executed as
well as they would have liked, the Astros tried that same tactic
again this past year as detailed below. To a lesser scale the Cubs
employed a similar plan, saving considerable money from the draft
pool by signing the fourth overall pick, Kyle Schwarber, for money
significantly less than the assigned slot value only to reap the
benefits with several of their other picks taken in the top 10
rounds.
Fewer
supplemental selections for free agents lost during the offseason and
Competitive Balance Lottery picks given to organizations in smaller
markets created more opportunities for teams that didn't fare as well
the season before to be in a better position to load up on premier
talent with not only their first round picks, but the subsequent
picks that followed.
Here
are the top 10 Perfect Game storylines from the 2014 MLB Draft:
10.
National Showcase, All-American Classic continue to provide draft
preview
Each
of the 16 players that were drafted out of high school in the first
round of the 2014 MLB Draft attended the 2013 PG National Showcase
the previous June. In addition, three of the 18 college players taken
in the first round had also previously attended a National Showcase
while in high school.
Fifteen
of those high school players participated in the 2013 PG All-American
Classic at Petco Park. Two more 2013 PG All-Americans were selected
in the supplemental first round, and Vanderbilt ace Tyler Beede, who
pitched in the 2010 PG All-American Classic, put the total number of
former Classic participants taken in the first round at 18.
Since
the Classic's inception in 2003, 149 players have been selected in
the first round of the draft. With seven more All-Americans being
selected in the second round, a total of 25 former PG All-Americans
were selected on the first day of the three-day event.
Of
the 74 players taken on Day 1 of the MLB Draft, 65 of them (88
percent) had previously attended a Perfect Game event, including all
40 of the players drafted straight out of high school.
9.
Surprise entires add to draft depth
The
2014 draft class enjoyed a sudden boost in talent when both Jacob
Bukauskas and Isiah Gilliam, previously members of the 2015 class,
became draft eligible. Although neither player had a lasting impact
on the 2014 draft in hindsight, their newfound draft eligibility did
cause scouts, cross-checkers and directors alike to re-shuffle their
priorities to make sure they were able to see both over the course of
the spring.
Bukauskas,
a projectable righthander that committed to play for North Carolina,
decided to graduate a year early, honor his college commitment and
accelerate his perceived path to professional baseball.
However,
not even Bukauskas expected to see his fastball, which peaked in the
90-91 mph range the summer before, suddenly peak at 98-99 with
several reports of him reaching triple digits. His slider also had
more bite, and he also threw a changeup with one of the loosest and
live arms of any pitcher eligible for the 2014 draft.
That
increase of velocity came largely thanks to Bukauskas' own
determination to drastically improve, focusing on his strength and
conditioning between his sophomore and junior years in high school,
adding 25 pounds of mass to his previously lanky 6-foot-1, 170-pound
frame.
The
strength and velocity gains led to a big jump in the rankings, now
classified as a 2014, and upon draft day was the 20th best
high school prospect and 36th overall draft prospect
according to Perfect Game. In fact, only Tyler Kolek, the eventual
No. 2 overall pick, was considered to have a better fastball.
Bukauskas
insisted throughout the process that he re-classified solely with the
intent of attending North Carolina a year early, and even emailed the
scouts in his area expressing this intent, asking them not to draft
him. Other players, such as the Pittsburgh Pirates Josh Bell, have
used this tactic before only to sign out of high school, but when
Bukauskas slipped to the 20th round (Diamondbacks) of the
draft, it became clear that he would indeed go to college.
Bukauskas
is already ranked the No. 2 overall prospect in Perfect Game's first
projection of the top 50 prospects eligible for the 2017
draft.
Gilliam,
a hard-hitting outfielder and first baseman, who at the time was
ranked the 43rd best prospect in the high school class of
2015, became eligible for the 2014 draft when it was determined that
the 2014 season was his fourth in high school. Gilliam began his high
school career at Shiloh High School, and upon transferring to
Parkview High School he ended up repeating a year. Since the
2013-2014 school year was Gilliam's fourth he would not have been
able to play during the 2014-15 season, in what was supposed to be
his senior year in high school.
A
switch hitter with exciting power potential from both sides of the
plate, Gilliam's situation left scouts somewhat caught off guard, and
he ended up falling to the 23rd round of the draft. It was
believed that the Cubs may try to make an effort to sign him, but
their aggressive draft, and the players that subsequently signed (see
below) made that impossible, at least when it came to risking the
steep penalties for eclipsing the allotted signing pools.
Gilliam
quickly turned his focus to the 2015 draft by attending the PG
National Showcase in Fort Myers, Fla. last June. Due to his standout
performance there he was also invited to play at the 2014 PG
All-American Classic, and has since attended school at Chipola
College, a junior college, thus making him eligible again next year.
In
Perfect Game's recent ranking of the 2015 draft class Gilliam
is ranked 141st after being ranked the 173rd best prospect eligible in 2014.
8.
Cubs save on Schwarber, load up later
Armed
with the fourth overall pick and the sixth highest assigned draft
pool the Chicago Cubs signed five players to seven-figure bonuses,
the most of any team. Most of their ability to do so came when they
signed Kyle Schwarber, their first pick, to a $3.125 million bonus, a
savings of nearly $1.5 million.
Here
are the other four players (number listed is round taken):
2.
Jake Stinnett, RHP ($1 million)
4.
Carson Sands, LHP ($1.1 million)
5.
Justin Steele, LHP, $1 million)
6.
Dylan Cease, RHP ($1.5 million)
The
Indians, Pirates and Royals each signed four players to seven-figure
bonuses, while the Blue Jays, Brewers, Marlins and Rockies. The
Marlins, Blue Jays and Royals all had draft pools greater than the
Cubs, while the Rockies, Indians and Brewers were just behind the
Cubs in total pool value.
Possibly
most impressive about this accomplishment is that the Cubs did so
without the aid of additional, early picks. The Indians, Pirates and
Royals each had two extra picks, and the Blue Jays, Brewers, Marlins
and Rockies had one each.
7.
Hoffman endures up-and-down ride
Much
like Sean Manaea in the 2013 draft, Jeff Hoffman emerged as a
candidate to be taken first overall in the 2014 draft after a
dominant showing in the Cape Cod League the summer before. Also
similar to Manaea, injury clouded Hoffman's status on draft day
despite his lofty potential.
Ranked
No. 2 by Perfect Game of all draft eligible players to open the year
thanks to a mid- to upper-90s fastball, a plus-plus curveball and a
developing changeup, Hoffman didn't disappoint early in the season.
As the No. 1 overall prospect, Carlos Rodon, struggled to find the
fastball velocity that made him a favorite to go early in the 2014
draft for two years, Hoffman slowly but surely made his case to
leap-frog the hard-throwing lefty in the eyes of scouts.
Hoffman's
statement game occurred during a nationally televised contest on April
4 against Rice in Houston. The 6-foot-4 righthander allowed only one
run and one walk while striking out seven in a key 3-2 win between
the two Conference USA foes. In the game Hoffman had all of his
pitches working for him, and still touched 97 mph in his eighth and
final inning of work.
Two
weeks later he fanned 16 in eight scoreless innings in a win over
Middle Tennessee State, but unfortunately that appearance would be
his last of the year. Initially shut down due to minor swelling in
his elbow, a small tear was found in early May and it was determined
that Tommy John surgery would be required to repair it.
As
draft day approached it wasn't believed that Hoffman was fall too
far, and the Blue Jays, with the ninth and 11th overall
selections, had the ammunition to take a gamble with one of their two
picks. Hoffman went with the first of those two picks and signed for
a bonus of just over $3 million.
The
Blue Jays selected catcher Max Pentecost, who was named the Cape Cod
League Most Valuable Player and PG's Summer Collegiate Player of the
Year in 2013, with the 11th overall pick.
6.
Rodon doesn't go No. 1, but doesn't last long
North
Carolina State lefthander Carlos Rodon, believed to be the favorite
to go first overall in the 2014 draft since his dynamic freshman year
in 2012, didn't quite live up to his two-year hype, but also didn't
last long on draft boards, being selected by the Chicago White Sox
with the third overall pick.
Rodon
arguably enjoyed his most dominant season during his freshman year
when he went 9-0 with a 1.57 ERA. In his three years with the
Wolfpack he went a combined 25-10 with a 2.24 ERA, highlighted by 436
strikeouts in 345 2/3 innings of work. Rodon was one of six players
the Houston Astros had on their short list to be selected with the
first overall pick, and was also considered a favorite by the Marlins
at No. 2.
With
Chris Sale and the newly acquired Jeff Samardzija fronting the White
Sox' rotation, Rodon, who finished the 2014 season at the Triple-A
level, may not take much time before he's part of the Pale Hose's
talented starting staff.
5.
Early balance gives way to college dominance
Ever
since the inclusion of the assigned draft pools all signs have
pointed to a fair and balanced draft when it comes to projected
talent, at least in the early rounds. That trend continued, and
became even more apparent in 2014.
Through
the first two rounds of the draft, 40 of the 74 picks that were made
were used to select players from the high school ranks. However, from
rounds three through 10 only 45 selections were used on prep players.
Most
of this of course has to do with the allotted draft pools, with
further evidence coming in the form of the 55 college seniors and 14
fourth-year juniors that were selected in the top 10 rounds of the
draft. These players of course are taken to give teams more financial
flexibility with the assigned pools.
As
a result, only 10 of the players listed among the top 50 of Perfect
Game's final ranking of the high school class of 2014 went
unsigned, and most of the ones that did were already perceived to
pose advanced signability risks prior to the draft. Here is a list
those 10 players:
1.
Brady Aiken (1st round, 1st pick, Houston
Astros, status undetermined, see below)
20.
Jacob Bukauskas (20th round, Arizona Diamondbacks, now at
North Carolina)
21.
Mac Marshall (21st round, Houston Astros, now at Chipola
College)
29.
Cobi Johnson (35th round, San Diego Padres, now at Florida
State)
34.
Zack Shannon (undrafted, status undetermined)
35.
Keith Weisenberg (38th round, Toronto Blue Jays, now at
Stanford)
42.
Keaton McKinney (28th round, New York Mets, now at
Arkansas)
46.
Reese Cooley (26th round, Cleveland Indians, now at
Chipola College)
48.
Jon Littell (39th round, Washington Nationals, now at
Oklahoma State)
49.
Greg Deichmann (undrafted, now at Louisiana State)
4.
MLB Draft celebrates 50 years
The
2014 MLB Draft marked the 50th year of the event, an anniversary that went somewhat unnoticed. Prior
to the 2014 draft, PG Draft Historian Allan Simpson provided 50
signature moments in the 50 years of the draft in a two-part series:
Part 1 | Part 2
Here's
the No. 1 moment from that series:
1.
Bo Knows Baseball
The
Kansas City Royals scored a major coup for baseball with their bold,
calculated move in 1986 to snatch away Bo Jackson, the reigning
Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick in that year’s
football draft, right from under the nose of the NFL. With his
exceptional power/speed package, Jackson may be the single greatest
raw talent to play Major League Baseball in the draft era, and his
impact on the game—even in his brief, injury-riddled career—was
substantial.
3.
Prep pitchers go with the first two picks
Although
no high school righthanded pitcher has ever gone No. 1 in the draft,
Brady Aiken became only the third prep lefthander (David Clyde, 1973;
Brien Taylor, 1991) to go first overall. He was followed by prep
righthander Tyler Kolek with the No. 2 overall selection to the
Marlins, marking the first time in the history of the draft that high
school pitchers were selected with each of the first two picks.
The
last time a high school pitcher went with the second overall pick was
2010, when the Pittsburgh Pirates selected 2009 PG All-American
Jameson Taillon. Taillon was the first prep pitcher to be selected
that early since Josh Beckett, who went second overall to the Marlins
in 1999, further proof of how infrequent high school pitchers are
selected that early.
Aiken
and Kolek were the first two pitchers to take the mound for the West
squad in the 2013 Perfect Game All-American Classic, where Kolek
peaked at 99 mph. That fastball velocity is tied for the best ever at
a PG event (Stetson Allie, 2009 18u WWBA National Championship;
Michael Main, 2006 National Showcase).
2.
First-rounder Finnegan pitches in Fall Classic
Brandon
Finnegan, the 17th overall pick of the Kansas City Royals,
became the first player from the 2014 MLB Draft to make his
big-league debut, doing so on September 6, tossing two scoreless
innings in a loss to the New York Yankees.
However,
that rapid ascent wasn't what stole the headlines. Rather, it was the
fact that Finnegan played a crucial role coming out of the bullpen
for an upstart Royals team that grabbed the attention of the entire
nation as they stormed to the World Series.
There
were some questions regarding the health and overall durability for
the 5-foot-11 Finnegan as the draft approached, as he was shut down
for a few weeks during the college season in the spring for
precautionary measures. However, he returned to the Texas Christian
staff to provide dominant back-to-back outings in Regional
and Super Regional play to help the Horned Frogs advance to the
College World Series.
Finnegan
became the first player ever to play in both the College World Series
and Major League Baseball's World Series in the same year, and as a
result the cap he wore during his scoreless appearance against the
eventual champion San Francisco Giants on Oct. 24 was sent to
Cooperstown to commemorate that accomplishment.
1.
Aiken goes No. 1, status still undetermined
Lefthanded
pitcher Brady Aiken, who started the 2013 PG All-American Classic for
the West squad in front of his hometown San Diego fan base, was
selected by the Houston Astros with the first overall pick in the
2014 MLB Draft. As noted above, he became only the third high school
pitcher to be taken with the No. 1 pick in the history of the draft.
It
was initially reported that Aiken quickly agreed to terms with the
Astros for a pre-draft deal worth $6.5 million, but he never
officially signed or received that bonus. After undergoing a physical
that was contingent on the deal being consummated, it was discovered
that Aiken had an abnormality in his pitching elbow, reported to be a
small ulnar collateral ligament. However, there was no structural
damage.
Because
of this the Astros withdrew their initial offering, and countered
with a bonus in the $3.1 million range, which not coincidentally was
40 percent of the slot value of the No. 1 pick, a move necessary for
the Astros to receive a compensatory selection in the 2015 draft if
Aiken did not sign.
The
Astros later increased their offer to $5 million, but by then the
damage had already been done.
Similar
to 2012, when the Astros selected Carlos Correa first overall and
quickly signed him for well below slot value, Aiken's initial $6.5
million bonus was well below the allotted $7,922,100 for the first
overall pick, giving the Astros nearly $1.5 million to play with
their other, early picks to stay at or below their assigned draft
pool.
That
$1.5 million was supposed to go to prep righthander Jacob Nix, the
Astros' fifth-round selection who had agreed to the bonus and had
already passed his physical with the team. When Aiken didn't sign the
Astros lost that assigned value in their overall pool and could not
sign Nix without receiving a significant penalty; losing their next
two first-round picks.
Because
of this, the Nix and the Player's Association filed a grievance with Major League
Baseball pointing out that Nix had already agreed to a 'binding
agreement' with the Astros. According to a report from CBS Sports, the Astros and Nix have recently come to an undisclosed financial agreement before the grievance was heard by arbitrators.
Also
effected to a lesser degree was prep lefthander Mac Marshall, the
Astros' 21st-round selection. Marshall too reportedly sought a $1.5
million signing bonus, which would have been made possible had Aiken
agreed to the $5 million bonus. Marshall initially honored his
commitment to Louisiana State after not signing, and has since
transferred to Chipola College, making him draft eligible again next
year.
In
Perfect Game's recent rankings of the top prospects for the 2015 MLB Draft, Aiken is ranked No. 2, Marshall No. 57 and Nix No.
106.
Aiken
himself has not filed a grievance, although his case was initially speculated to be somewhat connected
to that of Nix', although now that Nix' situation has been settled it is assumed that both will attend a junior college this coming spring. Both Aiken and Nix, who were originally committed to play at
UCLA, have not aligned to play for any school at this point in time
for the 2015 season.
The
most recent case that may be pointed to as a precedent occurred in
2010 when Barrett Loux, the sixth overall pick of the Arizona
Diamondbacks, was granted free agency after the D-Backs backed out of
their initial agreement when a labrum tear was discovered as part of
his physical. Loux ended up signing with the Texas Rangers. However,
that signing occurred prior to the new Collective Bargaining
Agreement that instituted the draft pools, which clouds the situation
even further.
In
going first overall, Aiken became the seventh PG All-American to do
so, joining Carlos Correa (2012), Gerrit Cole (2011), Bryce Harper
(2010), Tim Beckham (2007), Justin Upton (2005) and Matt Bush (2004).
It
also marked the third year in a row that a premium pitcher was
drafted early in the first round and went unsigned.
Mark
Appel, thought to be a favorite to go No. 1 overall in 2012, dropped
to the eighth overall pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates and went
unsigned. Appel returned to Stanford for his senior year in 2013 and
went on to become the Astros' No. 1 pick that year.
Phil
Bickford, the No. 1 junior college prospect eligible for the 2015
draft, went 10th overall out of high school to the Blue Jays in 2013, only to honor
his commitment to Cal State Fullerton. Bickford has since transferred
to the College of Southern Nevada, the same junior college that Bryce
Harper attended, to make himself eligible in 2015.
Aiken
became the third first overall pick in the history of the draft to go
unsigned, and the first since 1983 (Tim Belcher).