BB: D3 MLB Draft projections, picks and free-agent signings

[Jim Dixon]

Draft Lagonasky if you want.....its not my pick that I'm spending on him........

A chat with Lagonasky (from the Haverford website):

Post-graduate plans:
After graduation, I plan on taking a year off to travel and possibly pursue professional baseball if the opportunity presents itself again next year. Then, it's off to medical school for the rest of my young adult life. As depressing as it may be to come to the realization that I'll be in school practically until my thirties, I believe that medicine will be a personally fulfilling career choice and a rewarding challenge that I look forward to facing.

[Hammer Ball]

Why would BA omit him from the top players from DE, MD, WV & DC?

[RSSmith]

This discussion is going on in great detail on the "D3draft picks and free-agent signings" board.

[Hammer Ball]

After approx. the 25th round one specific + tool can get a player drafted if the team is willing to try and develop the player around that tool.  Speed is usually high on the list. Scouts often say you can make a player a little faster but you can't make him fast.  In the old draft and follow days a + speed player would be drafted late and watched(placed) in a summer league and, if needed, a JC to see if he took to hitting coaching at a more advanced level.  If he did he would be offered.  Laganosky has ++ speed,  a + arm and great makeup (medical school etc.)  Alot to build on.  I know nothing of his personal contacts in MLB but I am aware Haverford is well represented in MLB front offices and the Agent ranks.

The fact is results at the D3 level don't mean much (or anything) in the drafting, although they may get a player looked at, once.  That is why playing in the right summer league is crucial for a D3 player to get serious consideration.

However, it seems the numbers scouts are more likely to look at are height, weight, home to first (and second), shoe size, hand size, and arm length (wingspan).  (Assuming the player has shown he can play.) Projectability is the key, even for a 21 or 22 year-old. (Although not as much as for a 16 year-old Dominican.)  Talk to a scout about a player he is scouting and the first thing you might hear is "he has good size" or "I like his frame, there is room to grow".  It has been reported that some clubs require additional explanation from the scout if a sub 6' RHP is reported on.  Short-sighted (no pun intended) maybe, but look at the draft lists each year and count how many sub 6" players are taken - not that many.  There seems to be a formula.  When they do stray from that formula it is usually for LHP's or speed guys.

D3 players are underscouted not because they are not worthy of consideration but more likely because MLB clubs have limited scouting resources.  Their people can see alot more "prospects" (aka "suspects") at a D1 game then at a D3 game.  Thus, they will have more players to report on and will have "covered" more potential draftees. 

Just my opinions.

[CrashDavisD3]

DRAFT POSSIBLES CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY
Matt Irsfield RHP Senior (90+ fastball)
Wayde Kitchens RHP Senior(90+ fastball)
Tristin Phillips 3B Senior(.400 hitter)
John Semel OF/RHP Sophmore(Draft Eligible)(.400 hitter/90+ fastball/outstanding speed/power)

[DSKSlugger]

HammerBall, great insights!

It is true that D3 is at a disadvantage b/c they tend to only have a few guys on the field who garner some notes in a scouts notebook.

But the other big factor is scheduling.

D3 baseball is done while D1 baseball is still going close to the draft, therefore scouts are forced to work with a small window. On top of that, teams best pitchers are usually saved for their weekend doubleheader or conference game, this causes scheduling conflicts if the player (in this case a pitcher) is not already high on organization follow lists. If for instance, you have a good d3 prospect pitcher who is on every mlb follow list, and throughout the year he has weekend start after weekend start, he might get overlooked and will at least be placed on the back burner b/c all the regions D1 best pitchers are going to work on those days as well ( and if you are D1 pitching prospect who has turned heads then e/a team will make a note not too only follow, but to at least check the player out once or call a friendly scout for some quick notes. That being said, if a D3 pitcher has something to look at, like good 90s velocity, and a scout gets out to see him thanks to his coaches, scouts will have no reservations about coming out to D3 games for the rest of the year. They go where the talent is and if there is something worthwhile they will miss those D1 games for a solid D3 prospect. Its about getting noticed, making a good impression, and showing them something to make them want to come back.

[DSKSlugger]

Why would BA omit him from the top players from DE, MD, WV & DC?

Can't say. Most likely it can be explained by what i said in my earlier post about BA. Solid D3 prospects are kept quiet by MLB scouts b/c they know that their guy can stay under the radar at the D3 level. The mid-atlantic is solid but nothing special, i am surprised that no blue jays mad the list.

BA has many prospects on the state by state reports that go undrafted and more still that aren't on there that get drafted and do well. Last years mid atlantic featured Rob Pietroforte and Jonas Fester of Johns Hopkins, but unfortunately neither got drafted.

[OshDude]

Was catching up on my newspaper reading and Charlie Walters of the Pioneer Press reported that there were 14 MLB scouts on hand for the two championship games.

[EasternCtFan]

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/draft/y2009/drafttracker.jsp

[OshDude]

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/draft/y2009/drafttracker.jsp

I counted 18 D3 guys in the mlb.com database:
11 P
4 OF
1 C
1 1B
1 SS

[DSKSlugger]

Wow! great work. Can you say which of those players has a video available?

[OshDude]

Wow! great work. Can you say which of those players has a video available?

Bronson was the only one I saw with video (33 seconds).
Here's my list (another freebie, fellas), with links to stats. Add any I missed.
Avery, Cortland
Birdwell, Whitworth
Blanco, Cortland
Bronson, Trinity (TX)
Dott, Whitewater
Giovenco, North Park
Grant, Lynchburg
Helms, UT-Tyler
Holland, UT-Tyler
Johnson, Concordia (TX)
Laganosky, Haverford
Nolan, Kean
O'Hara, Rowan
Shelton, LaGrange
Tone, Cortland
Toth, TCNJ
Whiteman, Muskingum
Whitenack, Old Westbury

[KSCfan]

Guys- ill admit i dont know much about the whole drafting process with baseball, however i seem to notice that most guys that do get picked up from d3 or sign seem to be pitchers.  I am from New England and maybe thats not the case somewhere else but in recent years players like Serfass and Dipeitro and LaVorgna from Eastern, Fairchild from USM, Kiley from Trinity, and Furbush from St Joes are NE guys that got drafted.  All of these are pitchers, and it seems to me that scouts are more likely to sign or draft pitchers than they are position players.  Cooney the catcher from Eastern, and the catcher from Babson were really the only position players i remember.  Im sure i missed some guys but still  I have seen more d3 position players go independant ball than the minors.

[Hammer Ball]

D3 coaches/conferences might help their student-athletes realistically (keyword) interested in playing  professionally by having a conference scout day in the fall.  Selections might be difficult (i.e. political) but using the all-conference teams' returning players as a starting point, factoring in statistical leaders (top 10 in major catagories), not allowing incoming freshman to participate, etc...  may initiate the process.  If the conference rules allow of course.  The scouts would likely be very appreciative of the opportunity to make a single trip to see the better players in a conference.

[biggio34]

Do not be surprised to see Adian Kummet's name get called on draft day from St. Scholastica. He's down in KC working out at Kaufmann for the Royals, and the Reds wanted him in Cinci to do the same. The Twins were also hot on the trail.