Giants Ready to Be Flexible in Unpredictable Draft

Matt Krook #13 - LHP= St Ignatius vs Serra - 4-3 - Neil Sterling

How would you like to be the batter facing Krook (above)? MLB top-rated prospect and he's throwing from the sun-lit-mound, through the shadows and you have to hit it? Hitting is tough enough....

Some new names added to the potential new-Giants watch list. I'm not sure why SS Oscar Mercado and C Nick Ciuffo. The team seems to be well-stocked at those two positions. OF-P Michael Lorenzen would be an intriguing pick.

Baseball America's thumbnail on Lorenzen reads as follows:
52. Michael Lorenzen of/rhp Cal State Fullerton R/R 6-3, 200
The Skinny: Lorenzen's bat is better than it used to be; his 97-98 mph fastball may be better than his bat.

Ciuffo is ranked #20 overall and draws comparison to A.J. Pierzynski. That alone should seal his fate with this organization. Playing the C position is just gravy. Mercado is ranked #38 overall and would be down the road insurance against Brandon Crawford either regressing terribly or blossoming and walking. Not sure we need to use a 1st rounder there.

The Giants need to develop a strong OF bat. The organization has been a bit weak on that front for a long time.

Maybe a Hunter Renfroe from Mississippi State falls to them, he's rated #13. by BA. If you can sign him away from college FB (he is a Mississippi Stae QB recruit), Bradenton (FL) OF Cord Sandberg might be a surprise pick. An athletic, solid bat L/L 6-3, 215 out of HS, so the organization would have to develop him as a hitter.

from Bleacher Report:
Giants Ready to Be Flexible in Unpredictable Draft:

Money matters

Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team has an allotted bonus pool equal to the sum of the values of that club's selections in the first 10 rounds of the Draft. The more picks a team has, and the earlier it picks, the larger the pool. The signing bonuses for a team's selections in the first 10 rounds, plus any bonus greater than $100,000 for a player taken after the 10th round, will apply toward the bonus-pool total.

Any team going up to 5 percent over its allotted pool will be taxed at a 75-percent rate on the overage. A team that overspends by 5-10 percent gets a 75-percent tax plus the loss of a first-round pick. A team that goes 10-15 percent over its pool amount will be hit with a 100-percent penalty on the overage and the loss of a first- and second-round pick. Any overage of 15 percent or more gets a 100-percent tax plus the loss of first-round picks in the next two Drafts.

The Giants' bonus-pool total has been set at $4,712,200, with $1,866,500 earmarked for the first-round selection.

 First-round buzz

Blessed with a full contingent of pitching prospects in the lower Minors, the Giants don't feel as much pressure to deepen their pool of hurlers as other organizations might. They'll likely pursue a position player in the opening round. San Francisco has been linked to, among others, shortstop Oscar Mercado of Gaither H.S. in Tampa, Fla., catcher Nick Ciuffo of Lexington (S.C.) High School and outfielder-pitcher Michael Lorenzen of Cal State Fullerton.

GIANTS' BONUS POOL

Pick	No.	Pick Value
1	25	$1,866,500
2	64	$872,100
3	101	$510,600
4	132	$378,600
5	162	$283,500
6	192	$212,300
7	222	$161,500
8	252	$150,900
9	282	$140,900
10	312	$135,300
TOTAL		$4,712,200
AVG.		$471,220
MLB RANK*		26

* Rank in terms of total bonus pool $
'via Blog this'

from mlb.com:

 http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20030213&content_id=199954&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=null

02/13/2003 6:10 pm ET 

Scout school recap

MLB.com

So scout school is over and all of the students have returned home. What have we taken with us? Hopefully a deeper understanding and practical knowledge of how to properly evaluate and report on baseball talent. Several of you have written with specific questions of what to look for, so below you will find a summary of everything we have learned. I think you will find it helpful.

Judgement: Players are judged in five categories: Hitting, hitting for power, arm strength, fielding and running. A player who can do all of these things above average is sometimes referred to as a "five-tool player." Here's how they're judged:The numbers are then added up and multiplied by two to get the OFP # (Overall Future Potential). Here's how OFPs break down:

Arm: What is a "5" arm and how do you judge it? The average Major League player has a 5 arm. It is an arm that makes the routine play. The arm has strength that allows his throws to have on-line carry. The ball doesn't die when it leaves his hand, it carries.

Fielding: What do you look for in an infielder?
Player should also have "quick feet," which means a live, active lower body that allows a player to get into fielding position.

Running: Batters should be timed with a stopwatch from the moment they make contact with the ball until they touch first base. Here's how their speed should break down:
What if there's a wet field and you can't get a player running all out? You can base your judgement on technique. Look for fluidness and effortless motion vs. erratic, choppy, laboring strides. Look for easy, graceful strides.

Hands: What if a player has stiff hands. Can they get softer? Yes, to some degree. Learning to relax the hands and arms and changing the angle of the glove are all things that can be worked on.

Fielding: How do you judge an outfielder?
What if you have to judge an outfielder who doesn't get a fly ball in a game or in pre-game? Observe his actions between innings playing catch, throwing. Look for arm action, arm strength and the carry on the ball when the throws. You can also look for his positioning, anticipation and reaction to balls off the bat.

Catchers: What does he have to do first, second? What about catchers who turn their heads and flinch? All catchers must at least show a 5 arm to throw out baserunners. He also must be able to catch the ball. If he can't catch, he won't have a chance to throw out baserunners. Catchers who flinch are very difficult to correct since it's an involuntary reaction, but it can sometimes be improved upon.

Hitting: How do I know who is going to be able to hit? What do you look for?
Where should I sit to evaluate a hitter? Either behind home plate to look for the fear factor and his stance, or on the open side of the hitter - first base for right-handed hitters and third base for lefties. This will allow you to see his approach, start of the bat and his swing.

Arm action: What is it?
What is delivery? The arm working in conjunction with the body in the process of throwing the baseball.
What is arm speed? The speed of the arm from the start/stop of delivery to the point of release.
What is bat speed? Generation of a quick, powerful swing and the velocity at which the bat travels through the hitting zone. When a player has good bat speed, the ball jumps off his bat.
What is flexibility/agility? Freedom of movement without restriction. Graceful, fluid actions.
What are the qualities a player must have at each position to be considered a prospect?

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FIRST BASE
1. Hitting -- run production and power
2. Defensive skills -- ability to catch the ball
3. Arm -- doesn't necessarily need Major League arm if hitting is strongest tool

SECOND BASE
1. Agility -- able to move quickly around the bag
2. Arm strength -- able to turn the double play
3. Fielding tools -- soft, dependable hands

THIRD BASE
1. Hitting -- run producing position
2. Arm strength -- long and accurate throws
3. Defensive ability -- quick, agile movement, good glove, soft hands

SHORTSTOP
1. Agility -- active body, able to cover ground
2. Arm strength -- needs to be strong for tough plays in the hole
3. Fielding tools, soft hands -- ability to catch and release quickly

LEFT FIELD
1. Hitting -- power, run production
2. Defensive skills -- have playable ability
3. Arm strength -- playable and accurate

CENTER FIELD
1. Speed -- ability to cover ground
2. Defensive skills -- able to rule the field (take charge)
3. Instincts

RIGHT FIELD
1. Hitting -- get on base and drive in runs
2. Arm strength -- longest throw for outfield (Think Vlad Guerrero, Ichiro)
3. Defensive skills

CATCHER
1. Arm strength -- throw out runners
2. Receiving -- ability to catch ball, soft hands
3. Durability -- backbone of team, tough day in and day out

PITCHER
1. Arm strength -- must have at least average Major League fastball or fastball with movement and deception
2. Arm action and delivery -- no restrictions that cause arm to break down
3. Mental toughness -- wanting to get hitters out

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Grading Challenges:

Selection of Tools

MLB Scale	60 Yard Seconds	Home to 1stR/L	Catcher's Release	Infield ARM MPH	Outfield ARM MPH	Pitchers MPH Stalker Gun	Hitting AVG	Hitting Power Projected HR's
80	6.4-	4.0/3.9	1.79-	92 +	95 +	99 +	.330 +	45 +
70	6.5-6.6	4.1/4.0	1.80-1.84	90-91	93-94	96-98	.300-.329	35-44
60	6.7-6.8	4.2/4.1	1.85-1.89	88-89	91-92	93-95	.285-.289	26-34
50 AVG	6.9-7.0	4.3/4.2	1.90-1.95	86-87	89-90	90-92	.270-.284	15-25
40	7.1-7.2	4.4/4.3	1.96-2.00	84-85	86-88	87-89	.240-.269	10-14
30	7.3.-7.4	4.5/4.4	2.1-2.2	82-83	83-85	84-86	.220-.239	5-9
20	7.5 +	4.6/4.5	2.21+	81 -	82-	83 -	.000-.219	0-4