Mound Talk

As always, this is part of a series. If you haven’t read the whole mock draft, please do so as the selections and some references are relevant in the context of the whole document.

#11: Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers have a loaded system thanks to several big trades & plenty of draft picks last year. The influx of talent is predominantly in the low minors & full of high upside guys who are also big risks. Once again, the two best players available for this selection are high school first baseman, Eric Hosmer, & Florida State catcher Buster Posey. Given the depth of the Rangers catchers (Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Taylor Teagarden, Max Ramirez), they may shy away from Posey. However, Hosmer remains a possibility.

The Rangers are committed up up-the-middle guys under General Manager Jon Daniels. During his two drafts, the Rangers have been focused on high school players & pitchers. With his 33 picks in the first fifteen rounds he has selected 14 high school players & 18 pitchers. Of the high school players he has taken eight in the first five rounds (13 selections). These 13 selections break down as seven pitchers, one catcher, two shortstops, a first baseman (Chris Davis), a centerfielder & a third baseman. The lone exception was a power bat. Given his choice, Daniels would like to take a pitcher, shortstop, second baseman or centerfielder.

The Rangers are a very tricky team to figure out here. Given their tendancies, there are a lot of possibilities. As mentioned, Eric Hosmer presents the best talent but, of course, has tremendous bonus demands. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Rangers go with him at this point and spend the money. At the same time, there are plenty of options that fit their draft history better.

Miami (FL) second baseman Jemille Weeks would be an intriguing pick here. Though it would definitely be a stretch, he has been gaining a lot of steam lately and even had some people saying he is better than his brother (Rickie) when he came out of college. Weeks projects to be a better defender than his brother but without the same power. He has a tighter swing but slower hands. I’d guess Jemille will be able to hit for a good average but without the power. He may be a touch quicker.

High Scool outfielder Aaron Hicks is a very athletic centerfielder. He is raw & certainly needs to develop but he projects very well. He has good power potential, shows a lot at the plate in terms of contact but is raw & is very quick. He has a great arm & moves well. Hicks fits well into the mold the Rangers have created & would be a good pick for them here.

Shooter Hunt is another guy the Rangers will heavily consider if he’s available. He represents the best pitching prospect available in my mind & has a history with the Rangers. They selected Hunt with their selection in the 34th round of the 2005 draft. Though there is different personel at the top, this connection may bear somewhat in their selection.

Texas Rangers
Likely Selections: Eric Hosmer, 1B, HS. Jemille Weeks, 2B, College. Aaron Hicks, OF, HS. Shooter Hunt, RHP, College.
Mound Talk Selection: Eric Hosmer, 1B, High School

Ultimatley, I think if Hosmer is available, the Rangers will take him. It’s a good fit for an organization that has become loaded with pitchers. Hosmer is a big time power bat with a lot of potential. The Rangers will be very happy with him. This was a difficult selection to make because so many players make sense here. Buster Posey is one of the two best players available but organizational depth will move the Rangers off of him & with Daniels draft philosophy, Weeks & Hicks are great options. The Rangers have the history with Hunt as well. Faced with all these options, the Rangers have a difficult decision to make.

#12: Oakland Athletics

I’m sure everyone is at least familiar with Moneyball & I’m sure that most of you know that A’s General Manager Billy Beane does NOT select just high schoolers…just most of the time. With his last four drafts, Beane has selected 15 high schoolers in the first fifteen rounds (68 selections) & seven in the first five rounds (28 selections). However, the A’s have gone extremely heavy on pitchers including 40 of 68 top 15 round picks & 15 of 28 in the first five rounds. A pitcher makes sense here for Billy Beane.

Shooter Hunt is the best pitcher available & if he’s around, Beane will be tempted to snatch him up. Jemille Weeks would be be another option that fits nicely. Again, Buster Posey is the best college bat & with Hosmer being selected, the best position player available.
There’s a good change the A’s would pass on Posey in favor of Weeks at this spot. Again, I consider this to be a bit of a reach with the twelfth selection but worse picks have been made. I think of Weeks as more in the 16-20 range than the 11-15. However, if a team is looking for a middle infielder & feels Weeks is above average defensively, the pick here makes sense.

Georgia’s closer Josh Fields sneaks in as late consideration here. He would move quickly through the system, like current closer Huston Street, & could help a resurgent team in the very near future. Fields is a short righty & will likely fall on most draft boards because of that, but that never stopped Billy Beane from drafting anyone.

Oakland Athletics
Likely Selections: Jemille Weeks, 2B, College. Shooter Hunt, RHP, College. Buster Posey, C, College. Josh Fields, RHP, College.
Mound Talk Selection: Shooter Hunt, RHP, Tulane

Hunt has front line potential but also is pretty raw. He’ll need a lot of work to get his command down & be an effective pro pitcher but he certainly is talented. Hunt would join a talented group of A’s pitching prospects including Henry Rodriguez, Trevor Cahill, Fautino de los Santos & Craig Italiano to go with their very talented group of young hitters.