This years draft looks to be more balanced than 2014 though the top of the draft is a little weaker. That could change with LHP Brady Aiken dominating this year at Junior College. This draft should have a nice collection of position players and pitchers from both High School and College. Below are just some of the players to keep an eye on in the coming year:

SS Brendon Rodgers is the top High School position player along with C Chris Betts, SS Nicholas Shumpert and OF Daz Cameron (Mike's son). There are some interesting High School arms like LHP Justin Hooper who will draw comparisons to Chris Sale with his low arm slot, LHP Kolby Allard, RHP Mike Nikorak and RHP Ashe Russell.

There are also some interesting College hitters like SS Alex Bregman, SS Dansby Swanson, SS C.J. Hinojosa and 2B Ian Happ. All four should be able to stay in the middle of the infield. Other top college hitters include OF Sky Bolt, C Taylor Ward, OF DJ Stewart, and OF Joe McCarthy. College will also provide plenty of arms in RHP Mike Matuella, RHP Kyle Funkhouser (Oak Park), RHP Kyle Cody, RHP Riley Farrell, RHP Carson Fulmer, LHP Nathan Kirby and RHP Walker Buehler.

The Under Armour High School All America game was played last night at Wrigley Field but will air tonight at 7:00pm on MLB Network.

Cubs select DJ Stewart.

Cubs have to keep tanking so they can get the fourth pick in the draft and use it on the twentieth best player.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Kash, and Don

And then just plug him in where ever on the field.

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Fuck the draft, slot values are the best part of baseball.

Cal St Fullerton RHP Phil Bickford has left school and will enroll in a Junior College which will make him eligible for the 2015 draft. Bickford was the 10th overall pick by the Blue Jays in 2013 but did not sign.

Elmhurst Steve's favorite player

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Do you guys think you post more about the Cubs or White Sox?

YES OR NO

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

219 homers and 767 RBI

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The top 11 draft spots are set. The D'Bags are on the clock. HS SS Brendan Rodgers (aka Shortstop Jesus) is my top player in the draft.


1. Arizona Diamondbacks
2. Houton Astros (compensation for not signing Brady Aiken)
3. Colorado Rockies
4. Texas Rangers
5. Houston Astros
6. Minnesota Twins
7. Boston Red Sox
8. Chicago White Sox
9. Chicago Cubs
10. Philadelphia Phillies
11. Cincinnati Reds

LHP Mac Marshall has decommitted from LSU and will attend Chipola JC to be draft eligible in 2015. Marshall was considered a late 1st round early 2nd round talent in last years draft.

I seriously doubt Carlos Rodon v2 will inexplicably wind up in the Sox lap this time around. Oh well, you can really only count on that happening once every 10 years or so. Just take a SS at 8 and see what hes got.

RHP Ashe Russell (Cathedral HS, IN) has a few eyes on him for his start in Jupiter tonight.

How long before we know who gets the competitive balance picks or whatever they are called...need to know if my down-on-their-luck small market Cardinals have a chance at finally landing some prospects.

You tough-luck bastards hit the jackpot again.

Competitive Balance Lottery for 2015:

Round A:

1. Florida Marlins
2. Colorado Rockies
3. St Louis Cardinals
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. San Diego Padres
6. Cleveland Indians

Round B:

1. Cincinnati Reds
2. Oakland Athletics
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Minnesota Twins
5. Baltimore Orioles
6. Arizona D'Bags

That's the best.

That is a lot of damn golf carts there also.

_________________
2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

It looks like the 4 pm rush to dinner in downtown Palm Springs

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

How do these guys find these junior colleges and how do these jc have the funding to field known teams?

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

There are hundreds of golf carts. The facility is enormous with 15 fields. If there are two games scheduled at the same time on opposite sides of the complex you're screwed unless you're a member of the golf cart Olympics.

There are a lot of good junior college baseball programs especially in the south. He had plenty of options. Illinois has some good Junior College baseball programs. John Logan, Heartland and Wabash Valley to name a few. I'm sure Junior Colleges fund the baseball teams the same way they fund their basketball, soccer or track teams.

Keith Law posted his top 30 prospects for the 2015 draft. There are nits to pick but all in all it's a pretty good early list.

1. Brady Aiken, LHP, undecided/no school
2. Michael Matuella, RHP, Duke
3. Brendan Rodgers, SS, Lake Mary (Fla.) HS
4. Nathan Kirby, LHP, Virginia
5. Kolby Allard, LHP, San Clemente (Calif.) HS
6. Walker Bueller, RHP, Vanderbilt
7. Kyle Funkhouser, RHP, Louisville (Oak Park-River Forest HS)
8. Nick Plummer, OF, Brother Rice HS (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)
9. Dansby Swanson, SS, Vanderbilt
10. Alonzo Jones, OF, Columbus (Ga.) HS
11. Mike Nikorak, RHP, Stroudsburg (Pa.) HS
12. Daz Cameron, OF, Eagle's Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, Ga.)
13. Richie Martin, SS, Florida
14. Kyle Cody, RHP, Kentucky
15. Cody Ponce, RHP, Cal Poly Pomona
16. Chris Betts, C, Wilson HS (Long Beach, Calif.)
17. Alex Bregman, SS/2B, LSU
18. Ian Happ, IF, Cincinnati
19. Trenton Clark, OF, Richland HS (Fort Worth, Texas)
20. Carson Fulmer, RHP, Vanderbilt
21. Garrett Whitley, OF, Niskayuna (N.Y.) HS
22. Joe McCarthy, OF, Virginia
23. Jake Lemoine, RHP, Houston
24. Gio Brusa, OF, Pacific
25. Dillon Tate, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
26. Justin Hooper, LHP, De La Salle HS (Concord, Calif.)
27. Chris Shaw, 1B, Boston College
28. Luken Baker, RHP/OF, Oak Ridge HS (Spring, Texas)
29. James Kaprielian, RHP, UCLA
30. Skye Bolt, OF, North Carolina

Honorable mentions (listed alphabetically)

Beau Burrows, Weatherford (Texas) HS
Riley Ferrell, RHP, TCU
Jon Harris, RHP, Missouri State
Juan Hillman, LHP, Olympia HS (Winter Garden, Fla.)
Tyler Jay, LHP, Illinois (Lemont HS)
Tate Matheny, CF, Missouri State
Ryan McKay, RHP, Smithson Valley HS (Spring Branch, Texas)
Kyler Murray, OF (and football QB), Allen (Texas) HS
Kevin Newman, SS/2B, Arizona
DJ Stewart, 1B, Florida State.

Nice to see Funkhouser on that list. Was a decent basketball player in high school to.

It is amazing the amount of talent Lemont produces. It seems like every year they have D1 kids.

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Funk is a dude. He has some command things to clean up and if he does he has a chance to go top 5.

Lemont was absolutely stacked last year. They destroyed teams.

Batted .344 in 262 ABS's with 18 homers. OBPS of 1.061. #6 Cubs prospect and #72 overall. Slot drafting/saving money is actually an example of the Cubs being smart.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Exactly why DJ Stewart will be the Cubs pick this year.

NCAA Coaches and MLB officials met Monday, general agreement on a July 1 draft and July 15 signing deadline.

I don't like this. I don't like this at all. It's going to be really difficult to fit together a spending budget and 40 draft picks in only a 2 week signing window. Plus this is really going to mess up short season ball. I figured they would move the draft date up not back.

20th on who's list? Remember those lists are just know nothing writers who make things make.

Fact is he was 17th on BA's list and by being SMART they signed the BEST college bat for under slot and used the excess cash to draft and sign Carson Sands 53rd on BA's list at 109th pick and also added Dylan Cease#77 on BA's list at 177th overall. See how that works.

Your White Sox took the player ranked 133rd Brett Austin at 108 one pick ahead of Sands and took Louie Lechich who was ranked 284th ahead of Cease. Let me know how Brett and Louis work out for you.

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Are you trying to make an argument that the White Sox should not have drafted Carlos Rodon?

That doesn't seem to be a very good haul for the Cubs to take the 17th best player with the 4th pick though.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!