46 replies to this topic

[chirogerg1]

It certainly seems like college pitchers are all the rage right now, but there are definitely some position players worth monitoring over the spring.
These two are the ones to really watch: Georgia HS outfielders Austin Meadows and Clint Frazier.

Meadows is 6'3'', ran a 6.31, has a great arm, and good bat speed.

Frazier is 6'1'', ran a 6.40, has an even better arm (PG clocked him at 98, yes 98, from the OF), and possibly even better bat speed.

Meadows is considered to be a slightly better prospect than Frazier, on account of his better size, speed, and slightly better power, but Frazier could end up being the better hitter. Also keep in mind that Mike Trout's best 60 time in high school was a 6.38, so both of these guys could be plus-plus defenders purely on account of their speed.

Each had 2 hits in the UA All-America game last year.

Either Theo or Jed also said that they consider taking position players high in the first round less of a risk and that position players are more likely to reach their ceiling. They also said they would take a can't miss position player over a pitcher in the first round this year, and it seems to me like either one of these guys could be a "can't miss," depending on how they perform this season.

Another, more dark-horsy guy to watch is Washington HS C Reese McGuire.

McGuire has the complete package for a catcher, including decent speed. McGuire has a great arm, and could be an above average all-around defender at the next level. Better yet, some think he has room to grow into even more power. Oh, and he hits lefty.

Last guy I like at this point is another HS C, Chris Okey. Okey is supposedly a better defender than McGuire, has good bat speed, with the ability to hit for average, even if the power is a little lacking. Okey is more of a second round guy, but I would love to see the Cubs end up with him.

The depth of this class is the HS catchers, and drafting where the depth is a commonly used strategy. Combine this with the, IMO, pretty glaring hole the Cubs' system has at catcher, and I think taking a catcher within the first few rounds would be ideal.

Even though there is good college pitching at the top, I'm just saying, don't write off the possibility of the Cubs taking a position player, especially if any of the top ones really impress this spring.

[Luke]

Right now I'd pass on both Meadows and Frasier and take Kris Bryant out of San Diego. But Manea remains on top of my board, at least for now.

[chirogerg1]

It seems to me that Bryant has no true defensive home. I know he has the arm for third, but does he have the range? First for him wouldn't really be an option in the Cubs system, with Rizzo and Vogelbach. I feel like Meadows and Frazier give much better defensive value, and either could end up being a better hitter (albeit likely with less power) than Bryant, and both could play any outfield position. I guess I just see Bryant as Josh Vitters 2.0.

[Luke]

I'm not sold on Meadows, particularly his swing. It looks to me like he'll have issues making consistent contact as he moves up the ladder. He has a very high ceiling, but as of now, I think that comes with a ton of risk.

Frazier I need to watch more tape on.

I'm not even looking at Bryant as a 3B. Even if he could play that position in the pros, he wouldn't in the Cubs system simply due to the depth. I see him as a left fielder for the Cubs, but one that should move through the minors fairly quickly. He looks like the most major league ready bat in the draft.

But like I said, right now I would take Manea over any of them. We'll see how much changes over the next few months.

[Mike Taylor (no relation)]

Early on, I was high on Meadows, until all of the pitching acquisitions this front office has made since the 2012 draft. I guess they don't like any pitchers in our farm system (said somewhat jokingly), so I started to take a long look at Sean Manea. I think a strong, fast-throwing lefty in the Cubs rotation as opposed to the Ted Lilly types we've seen out there could help out a lot (especially if they're young).

That being said, I think we draft a few pitchers in the first three rounds and then a few position players (I think that Boise team last year did very well, so I don't see guys staying there very long, so we'll need replacements).

[calicubsfan007]

I really think we need to draft pitching with our first pick. Unless there is an amazing position player availble in the first, I would say go for the pitching.

[ced landrum]

I'm not sold on Meadows, particularly his swing. It looks to me like he'll have issues making consistent contact as he moves up the ladder. He has a very high ceiling, but as of now, I think that comes with a ton of risk.

Frazier I need to watch more tape on.

I'm not even looking at Bryant as a 3B. Even if he could play that position in the pros, he wouldn't in the Cubs system simply due to the depth. I see him as a left fielder for the Cubs, but one that should move through the minors fairly quickly. He looks like the most major league ready bat in the draft.

But like I said, right now I would take Manea over any of them. We'll see how much changes over the next few months.

I don't like what I read about Bryant. Particularly the ones that say he is passive at the plate. I have also read some reports that say he probably isn't going to stick at third and LF might be stretch. His power and eye look good, but he reminds me a bit of Choi.

[calicubsfan007]

If I remember correctly, Choi had a pretty solid rookie year. So, it can't be all bad to be compared to him. Granted, he didn't do well in the long run, but I am trying to think of the positives there.

[Luke]

Choi was doing fairly well until he ran into Wood and went down for awhile. He was never the same after that.

[ced landrum]

Choi was o.k. early on. He had a high OBP but he struck out 22 times in 55 Ab's in March/April. In 500 Abs he would have struck out close to 175 times. Don't get me wrong, I liked Choi a ton, but he was overly patient and that in the end was why he ended up back in Korea.

[Cubbie Blues]

Choi was o.k. early on. He had a high OBP but he struck out 22 times in 55 Ab's in March/April. In 500 Abs he would have struck out close to 175 times. Don't get me wrong, I liked Choi a ton, but he was overly patient and that in the end was why he ended up back in Korea.

What sent him out of MLB was his injured wrist.

Choi was doing fairly well until he ran into Wood and went down for awhile. He was never the same after that.

[fromthemitten]

Pitchers eventually adjusted to Choi (jamming him on the inside) and Choi failed to adjust... could have something to do with the wrist.

[calicubsfan007]

I personally think that it was just a bad combo of those factors. It is hard to hit inside pitches when your wrist is out.

[King Jeff]

Is there somewhere that you guys are watching these high school guys play? I have seen a few all-star games, and there are some televised playoff games here in South Florida, but I really don't get to see any film on guys until they are being considered for the draft. Do any of you guys who have seen a bunch of film on these guys have a site or a different source that I can use?

[Luke]

It can take some serious googling to find film on high school players online, but it is out there. I've dropped a few videos below, but these are only the easy ones.

Austin Meadows -
I like the angle on his swing in this one (about the 1:00 mark). His swing looks somewhat long and loopy to me. He looks like a guy that could be eaten alive by inside hard stuff. I'm not sold on Meadows at No 2. No 6? No 10? Sure. 2? Not so much.

Sean Manea -
This is from the Cape Cod league. Repeats his motion fairly well, and it looks like a relaxed, easy motion in this video. He isn't major league ready yet, but he isn't too far off.