Batter's Box Interactive Magazine - 2019 MLB Draft

2019 MLB Draft - Day 1

Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2019 MLB Draft are taking place in Secaucus, New Jersey. Follow the draft right here. #LetsGoBlueJays.

The Blue Jays have the 11th and 52nd selections and have a bonus pool of $8,463,300 to work with. Baseball America now has the Jays going with West Virginia righthander Alek Manoah with their first pick. Before that, it was UNLV shortstop Bryson Stott. MLB.com's Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo agree the Jays are going to go with Manoah with the 11th selection. FanGraphs also believes Manoah is the Jays man.

Image from wvmetronews.com

Round 1 - 11th overall. RHP Alek Manoah, West Virginia. 6-foot-6, 260 lbs. Born January 9, 1998. Slot Value $4.55M.

MLB.com Scouting Report - Manoah was a two-way player out of high school in the Miami area in 2016, but went undrafted and headed to West Virginia. The big right-hander worked more out of the bullpen than in the rotation over his first two seasons, but opened a lot of eyes as a starter in the Cape Cod League, leading the league in strikeouts. He's been that pitcher ever since, moving his way to close to the top of college arm options in this year's Draft. A physical beast at 6-foot-6, 260-pounds, Manoah has always shown glimpses of solid power stuff, but without consistency or command of it. That's changed this spring as he has shown above-average control for most of his junior season. He's pitched with a fastball typically in the 94-97 mph range, missing a ton of bats thanks to good sink. His slider flashes plus at times and has been a more reliable weapon for him. He has a solid changeup, relying on it in the Cape Cod championship game, but he hasn't used it as much this spring. Manoah has managed to keep his large frame in sync and has repeated his delivery in order to fill up the strike zone more effectively. Given that he doesn't have that many starts on his resume, he's a rare college pitcher with projection, something that should get him off the board in the first round, much earlier than his older brother Erik, currently a reliever in the Angels system, who was drafted by the Mets in the 13th round of the 2014 Draft. Video

Baseball America Scouting Report - Manoah split time between starting and relieving during his first two seasons with West Virginia, but after a stellar campaign as a starter in the Cape Cod League last summer—when he posted a 2.70 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 33.1 innings—Manoah has made a successful transition to a full-time starting role this spring. Through his first 12 starts this season, Manoah has been one of the more dominant arms in the country, posting a 2.07 ERA with 108 strikeouts over his first 82.2 innings (11.76 strikeouts per nine innings) and the lowest walk rate (2.29 per nine) of his career. Manoah mostly works off of two pitches—a power fastball that sits in the mid- to upper 90s and a hard slider that projects as a second plus pitch. While Monoah has shown a changeup at times, he’s mostly been a two-pitch starter this season. He also entered the season with significant reliever risk because of his erratic control, large, 6-foot-6, 260-pound frame and questionable athleticism. However, he has started pitching exclusively out of the stretch and, as a result, has improved his strike-throwing ability enough to give him a real shot of sticking as a starter in pro ball. But while his walk rate is down significantly this season, Manoah still needs to refine his command—as evidenced by 17 hit batters over his first 12 starts—and teams will likely be concerned with how well he is able to manage his body moving forward. This list of major league starting pitchers who have had success at or near Manoah’s size is a short one, with CC Sabathia, Aaron Harang, Justin Masterson and Michael Pineda some of the names who qualify. Still, Manoah’s stuff compares nicely with most of the pitchers in the 2019 class, and he’s steadily improved his draft stock with each start. Manoah should be one of the first college pitchers drafted this June.

Twitter Reaction

@ScottyMacThinks My first impression of Alek Manoah: if he’s wrong about something, I’m not going to be the one who tries to correct him. #BlueJays #BigBoy

@GregorChisholm #BlueJays select RHP Alek Manoah with the 11th overall pick. He's a junior from West Virginia and was ranked 11th by MLB Pipeline. He's 6'6, which also happens to be my height, so based on that alone this pick makes sense. More seriously, he's a power pitcher, hits 94-97 mph.

@SamDykstraMiLB Nate Pearson: 6-foot-6, 245 pounds Alek Manoah: 6-foot-6, 260 pounds One day, it could be Big Boy Season in the #BlueJays rotation, featuring plenty of heat

@WestVirginiaU Alek Manoah is heading to the Toronto @BlueJays with the No. 11 overall selection in the MLB Draft! That ties Chris Enochs for the highest pick in WVU history! Congrats, Alek!

@aaronfitt Alek Manoah of @WVUBaseball goes 11th to #BlueJays. This guy is so much fun—because his stuff is electric, and b/c he has so much personality (see photo). He came to the Cape ASG and chatted through the fence for several innings with me & Tom Holliday. Great conversationalist.

@DVNCallihan John Smoltz of @MLBNetwork called #WVU’s Alek Manoah the right handed version of C.C. Sabathia

@jgoldstrass Nate Pearson, Alek Manoah, Maximo Castillo, and onward... The Jays will have a team that will serve as its own bodyguards.

@ChathamAnglers Alek Manoah (Chatham ‘18) goes 11th overall to the @BlueJays. Manoah led the @Official_CCBL in strikeouts last summer with 48 in just over 33 innings of work.

@baseballexis "The more we watched him, the more we liked him." - #BlueJays director of amateur scouting Steve Sanders said of No. 11 pick Alek Manoah.

@burkegranger Love the pick for the #BlueJays (Alek Manoah [@Alek_Manoah47], RHP, @WVUBaseball. Easy velo; holds mid-90s late into starts. Late life on RB; explodes through zone. + slider with two-plane break & tilt is a swing & miss offering; able to manipulate to either side of the plate.

@chasshill The first team I visited last summer when covering the Cape League was the Chatham Anglers. I asked the manager, Tom Holliday, which player he was most excited to coach. He told me about this under-the-radar WVU pitcher named Alek Manoah. A year later, he's a first rounder.

@longleysunsport #BlueJays director of amateur scouting, Steve Sanders, on first-round pick Alek Manoah: “We see him as a big strong durable guy who has the chance to take the ball every five days in a major league rotation."

@jgoldstrass As @AdamJaksa points out, a potential Alek Manoah / Alejandro Kirk battery would be awesome: over 500 lbs of talent. Tag-team wrestling at its finest.

@NolanKnightJr Alek Manoah during his phone presser "I've never even been to Canada, I don't have a passport." Manoah selected in the first round 11th overall. Sure they'll figure something out. #HailWV #BlueJays @BlueJays @WVUBaseball

@AnjelicaTrinone Alek Manoah on being selected by the Blue Jays & his conversations with the organization: "They told me they loved my size, competitiveness, who I am as a man off the field. They are extremely excited to get me going..it's a perfect fit with me an this organization."

@bnicholsonsmith #BlueJays amateur scouting director Steve Sanders on Alek Manoah “Alek’s a big guy, but he’s tremendously athletic. He’s done a great job getting himself into really good shape. He hauled a lot of innings this year and maintained extremely high-level stuff from wire to wire... That’s something that a big, durable frame will help him do. We’re certainly confident in Alek’s athleticism and work ethic ... We see him as a big, strong, durable guy that has the chance to take the ball every five days in a major-league rotation.” #BlueJays

@Alek_Manoah47 MANOAH Retweeted Toronto Blue Jays Thank you for believing in me! Off to the 6

Image from baseballprospectjournal.com

Round 2 - 52nd overall. RHP Kendall Williams, IMG Academy, Bradenton, FL. 6-foot-6, 205 lbs. Born August 24, 2000. Slot Value $1,400,000.

MLB.com Scouting Report - In January 2017, in the middle of his sophomore year, Williams made the decision to relocate from his home in Mississippi to attend IMG Academy in Florida, with the hopes that the instruction plus the challenge of better competition would pay off. With a Vanderbilt commitment in his back pocket and his name trending in the right direction on Draft boards, it's looking like the move has paid off. At 6-foot-6, Williams is the quintessential projectable high school right-hander. While he started the spring a bit slowly velocity-wise, at 87-91 mph, it's been ticking up, sitting 91-92 mph and regularly touching 94 mph, as he did throughout his NHSI shutout in March. It plays up because of its steep plane and angle and there should be more consistent velocity to come as he matures. He's been throwing both a slider and curve this spring, with success, with some scouts thinking the curve will ultimately work better coming from his high three-quarter slot. He has some feel for a future average changeup, though he doesn't have to throw it much in high school. Despite his size, Williams tends to throw strikes and should have solid command and control, not to mention sharper stuff, once he figures out how to consistently repeat his delivery with his long levers. There's a lot to dream on here, though the team wanting to help Williams reach his potential will have to figure out what it takes to sign him away from Vandy. Video

Baseball America Scouting Report - Scouting Report: A 6-foot-6, 206-pound righthander who pitches alongside Brennan Malone at IMG Academy, Williams has added muscle and strength to his frame over the past few seasons, pairing a big league body with a solid mix of five pitches, clean arm action and adequate strike-throwing ability. Williams might not have a plus pitch at the moment, but each of his offerings project as average or above-average, led by a fastball that sits in the low 90s and touches 94-95 mph. He had previously used a mid-70s curveball as his go-to secondary offering, but he recently added a low-80s slider with short break that also showed out-pitch potential at USA Baseball’s National High School Invitational this spring. Meanwhile, Williams’ curveball varied in shape from an 11-to-5 downer to three-quarter breaker with finish to the glove side. He also throws a low-80s changeup and a two-seam fastball. There is some slight length in Williams’ arm action, but he repeats a high, three-quarter arm action well and throws strikes consistently. While he doesn’t have overwhelming pure stuff, the tall righthander gets good angle on his fastball and still has some physical projection remaining. Williams is a Vanderbilt commit and could be a tougher sign, but he has the talent to be selected on the first day of the draft.

Twitter Reaction

@CarlosACollazo Kendall Williams is super polished for a prep pitcher with his frame. He's got five pitches. Four-seam, two-seam, CB, SL and CH.

@jjcoop36 Blue Jays take yet another IMG Academy pitcher off the board. Vanderbilt is getting a very good recruiting class but looks like they won't be keeping Kendall Williams.

@ShiDavidi #BlueJays aim for some upside with their second-round pick, high-school right-hander Kendall Williams out of the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. FB sits low 90s, can go get 94-95

@Crawford_MILB Kendall Williams has projection in a 6-foot-6 frame, should have a plus fastball along with two unique breaking-balls. Definitely got some work to do but there upside is palpable.

@TaylorBlakeWard #BlueJays 2-11: Kendall Williams, RHP, IMG Academy - advanced prep arm with projection remaining due to size and physical development, FB sits low 90's with good plane and he offers mix of breaking/off-speed that show abv-avg #MLBDraft

@ShaunKernahan Another IMG Academy selection with the @BlueJays taking Kendall Williams. Not a flame thrower but height creates excellent plane on the FB. to go with solid CB. #MLBDraft

@B_Sakowski_PG Jays grab Kendall Williams, a high-ceiling prep RHP. Lanky, projectable frame, usually 90-94 mph right now with the FB, CB flashes plus, have seen a plus CH, working with a SL that he shows feel for as well. Like him quite a bit.

Posted by #2JBrumfield on Monday, June 03 2019 @ 02:52 PM EDT.

2019 MLB Draft - Day 1 | 81 comments | Create New Account

The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.

Mike Green - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 03:02 PM EDT (#374889) #

Corbin Carroll would work for me, if he is available. After that, I don't have strong opinions.

rpriske - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 03:03 PM EDT (#374890) #

'Baseball Farm' has the Jays taking Corbin Carroll.

Kelekin - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 03:09 PM EDT (#374892) #

Thanks for the draft thread. Moving this comment over:

"I think what we take at #11 depends significantly on Atlanta's #9. They seem to be thinking the same player types.

Manoah might be slightly safer than Rutledge, but my personal favourite here, if we're drafting on talent and not "what can help us sooner", is still Corbin Carroll. He has just performed at every tournament, every level of competition he has faced. The difference between him and most center fielders drafted in the 1st round is usually they are "toolsy" and "raw". He is toolsy and expected to hit. That is absolutely something worth taking a shot on.

Also, the back of the 1st round has plenty of solid names, so it wouldn't be that bad an idea to take a shot at one of those guys if it'll be an underslot deal. There's certainly precedence from the Jays to consider going after a combination of Goss and his teammate Thompson (Matthew, not Zach). Hoese, Espino, and Malone are all solid options.

As far as other players that could fall to us, I am not really big on either Bishop or Stott. Bishop is a strikeout king, and Stott falls closer to the Warmoth scale than on the 'Russ Adams/Aaron Hill' side of things."

Someone claiming to have insider knowledge says that if Rutledge is unavailable the Jays will take Tyler Callihan. If true, I think that would have to be a heavily under-slot deal.

dan gordon - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 03:11 PM EDT (#374893) #

The Athlon Sports preview book for this season listed the top 50 high school and top 50 college prospects. Carroll was rated #4 among high schoolers, Manoah was #11 among college players, and Stott #18.

hypobole - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 03:37 PM EDT (#374894) #

Keith Law's final Top 100 has Carroll #4 overall, behind only Rutschman, Vaughn and Witt.

Kiss of death?

Gerry - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 03:51 PM EDT (#374896) #

Keith Law is chatting right now and he was asked about the Jays repeating their Groshans strategy....

Pick looks great right now - he was the lowest-ranked first rounder last year, I think? - but I only hear them on college arms, including Rutledge. 3:49 If Manoah is there, I would take him, but I've heard they have a very split camp on whether he's a starter in the long term.

Shoeless Joe - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 04:05 PM EDT (#374898) #

I think Carrol is the ideal for me, and Stotts is an audible groan.

Marc Hulet - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 04:43 PM EDT (#374900) #

Carroll would be ideal. Manoah is already getting too heavy and his delivery/arm action is not great and I don't see the potential for above-average command limiting his ceiling. Rutledge has a bad arm action and really short-term the ball which can again affect command.

Give me Carroll, George Kirby or Kody Hoese. Or cut a deal with Maurice Hampton or Tyler Callihan and spread the money around. Or go big on Anthony Volpe.

There are a bunch of college arms I prefer between the 2nd and fifth round including:
Isaiah Campbell
T.J. Sikkema
Rick DeVito
Josh Burgmann
Grant Gambrell

Possible college hitters in the 3-6 round range include Jaxx Groshans, Jake Randa and Bryant Packard.

Kelekin - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 05:05 PM EDT (#374901) #

Some of the guys I'm looking at in that range are:

Greg Jones (80spd)
Drey Jameson
Isaiah Campbell
Ethan Small
Logan Wyatt
Noah Song
Andrew Dalquist
Matthew Thompson

Noah Song to me is possibly the best out of all of them, but he's also a guy who may not see the Majors until he's 27-28 due to the military commitment.

I see Packard on your list - I'm interested in what you think of Canada-born Jake Sanford.

Shoeless Joe - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 05:31 PM EDT (#374903) #

I also find Noah Song one of the most interesting names in the draft.

85bluejay - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 05:32 PM EDT (#374904) #

From the little I've read about this rather weak draft, I would not be upset if the Jays 1) made an under-slot deal and then spread the savings on later picks or 2) punted the pick to next year.

finch - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 06:35 PM EDT (#374905) #

Is the draft broadcast this year on Telus or MLBTV?

Also a fan of the punt the pick of their guy is not available.

PeterG - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 06:55 PM EDT (#374906) #

MLB network

I would be very surprised if the pick is punted.

PeterG - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 06:57 PM EDT (#374907) #

Last minute mocks at BA and Fangraphs each have Jays taking Manoah.

Shoeless Joe - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 07:25 PM EDT (#374909) #

Every major mock has Jays taking Manoah between CBS, MLB Pipeline, BA, and Fangraghs.

The first two picks went as expected, CWS at #3 is the first slot where there is any real questions.

Spifficus - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 07:43 PM EDT (#374911) #

I'm going to go on record to say punting a pick tends to be too cute by half. I remember reading a lot that the next year's draft always looks good a year out because people have yet to get injured or underperform. I mean, if they take a challenging sign, sure, but I would be shocked if they took a pick with no real intent to sign them.

Spifficus - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 07:49 PM EDT (#374914) #

As for what I would like to see, I'd be quite happy with Carroll, Rutledge would also be good. I'm not really high on Minoah (2 pitches, former reliever, pitched out of the stretch this year). The fastball command of Kirby intrigues me as a darkhorse underslot pick.

Spifficus - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 07:50 PM EDT (#374915) #

Ack! Manoah. Of course, I haven't been following this draft that closely, so if they feel he has a changeup in there, and starter's command, that could still work.

PeterG - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 07:52 PM EDT (#374916) #

The other side of this is that if Manoah had good success with only 2 pitches, how much better might he be by adding another pitch?

hypobole - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 07:57 PM EDT (#374917) #

Texas may be on Manoah

Kelekin - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 07:58 PM EDT (#374918) #

The reason I like Rutledge over Manoah, if it's between those two, is because Rutledge is one of those guys who either is a top starter or bust. High risk, high reward, for sure. Really interested to see what the Rangers and Braves do.

Shoeless Joe - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:00 PM EDT (#374919) #

The draft really starts with the Rangers, things should get interesting from here on out.

Kelekin - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:02 PM EDT (#374920) #

BaseballAmerica is 8/8

Shoeless Joe - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:10 PM EDT (#374921) #

So the Jays have their pick of pitchers or Braden Bishop if they want him. Still hoping for Carroll.

Kelekin - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:12 PM EDT (#374922) #

In the same boat - we now can pick either of the big arms, I was somewhat hoping they'd be gone to make Carroll more attractive.

scottt - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:12 PM EDT (#374923) #

Looks like all the Jay's top guys are all still there.

Gerry - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:13 PM EDT (#374924) #

Several reports that the Jays are taking Manoah.

scottt - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:19 PM EDT (#374925) #

They did.

Gerry - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:20 PM EDT (#374926) #

Manoah led the cape cod league in strikeouts. That fits the Jays profile.

Will the Jays send him to Bluefield? Good for public relations with the minor league affiliate.

scottt - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:21 PM EDT (#374927) #

Pick 52 should be after 11:00.

hypobole - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:22 PM EDT (#374928) #

From Law's Big Board

9. Alek Manoah, RHP, West Virginia -- Manoah has turned everything up a notch in the last two months of his season. I couldn't have seen him any better, as he was still hitting 95 mph in the ninth inning in a 125-pitch shutout of Texas Tech (and yes, the Mountaineers have consistently pushed Manoah a batter or two farther than they should), showing a four-pitch mix with both changeup and slider working as swing-and-miss offerings. He's physically ready at 6 foot 6, 260 pounds, and other than his habit of pitching exclusively from the stretch, there isn't a concern about his delivery. I think he's the best bet in a terribly weak college pitching crop to become a league-average starter.

Mike Green - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:23 PM EDT (#374929) #

I would guess Vancouver for Manoah.

Shoeless Joe - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:27 PM EDT (#374930) #

It is probably not the the most unexpected or sexiest pick, but there is a lot to like with his combination fo stuff, performance and Cape Cod numbers. It seems mandatory for the Jays to sign a huge pitcher in the first two rounds of every draft:

2016: Zeuch 6'7", 220
2017: Pearson 6'6", 245
2018: Kloffenstein 6'5", 243
2019: Manoah 6'6", 260

lexomatic - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:28 PM EDT (#374931) #

So Manoah is a riser? that would also seem to fit the FO MO if I'm remembering correctly?

scottt - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:30 PM EDT (#374932) #

Law calls Manoah at 11 a coup for the Jays.

Now, I'm worried.

Shoeless Joe - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:30 PM EDT (#374933) #

Manoah has been mocked in the 10-13 range for months.

scottt - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:33 PM EDT (#374934) #

With big pitchers you worry less about a hitter charging the mound, so you pinch inside all you want.

uglyone - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:38 PM EDT (#374935) #

Thumbs up.

Imo not as impressive as Pearson seemed to me last year, but pretty damn good.

mendocino - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:39 PM EDT (#374936) #

Games pitched after signing
Zeuch-9 (2-Lan/6-Van/1-GCL)
Pearson-8 (7-Van/1-GCL)
Kloffenstein-2 (2-GCL)

Kelekin - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:45 PM EDT (#374937) #

There is no better commentary than "this guy is a baseball player".

hypobole - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:51 PM EDT (#374938) #

Carroll fall to DBacks at #16. Rutledge still dropping.

Kelekin - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 08:53 PM EDT (#374939) #

A lot of drafts had Carroll dropping to the D-Backs. He's absolutely the type of player they'd take. I think no question if he was three inches taller he'd have been taken in the top 5. Oh well! Good luck to Manoah, and good luck to Carroll.

ayjackson - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 09:00 PM EDT (#374940) #

I'll go on record as saying I am a fan of the pick. *kissofdeath

Shoeless Joe - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 09:02 PM EDT (#374941) #

Looking ahead without knowing who slides I think the Jays will be in on pitching again at 52 based on who is projected around that point in the draft. Jimmy Lewis is someone I really like with the next pick. However I am going to also throw out Josh Smith out of LSU as a player I think the Jays will target if they go with a position player, out of pure random speculation.

Spifficus - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 09:04 PM EDT (#374942) #

Yeah, I definitely rethought my opinion on Manoah in the span of 3 rapid-fire posts, and it's continued to improve the more I've read. I think I'd still have him third on a list of him, Rutledge and Carroll, but I'm not sure the gap is what I originally believed.

Mylegacy - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 09:06 PM EDT (#374943) #

I`m happy(ish)...

Alek Manoah is 7'9" (OK 6'6") 324 Pounds (OK 260) and is SERIOUSLY peaking right at this time.

CLEARLY - we NEED starting pitching. Pearson, Manoah, Pardinho, Kloffenstein and Borucki. To me these are the best starters in the system at this time.

Borucki is show ready, Manoah is 22 Jan 2020 (he MAY be up by Sept next year), Pearson is 22 now (but has missed a fair bit of time) and should be ready September(ish) 2020 as well.

Pardinho (18) and Kloffenstein (18) look to be keepers - BUT - are too young to be of much use until 2022/24(ish).

Most teams will use 7 to 9 starters a year. We've three by mid to late(ish) 2020 (with luck): Borucki, Manoah, Pearson which means we're only 6 starters away from having a full deck of pitching cards.

Dear Management. Deal. Magic. Rabbit. Hat. NOW!

Kelekin - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 09:13 PM EDT (#374944) #

The tough thing with players like Manoah is that it comes down to that 3rd pitch. You hope a lot of the time that a player coming out of college has a good feel for a 3rd pitch and he hasn't really been able to show it a lot yet. So similar to Rutledge, you have high upside, but I'd say you have a lower chance of a bust than Rutledge due to the quality of those first two pitches profiling well as a reliever.

Shoeless Joe - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 09:26 PM EDT (#374945) #

Atlanta has made a very un-AA like draft with two college position players in the first round, the second of which BA described as saying he might be best served a as a super-utility role down the line.

uglyone - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 09:27 PM EDT (#374946) #

I like that Manoah's fastball is plusplus and not just plus, and that his slider is leaning towards plus as well. That's a nice start - he develops one more pitch and we'rr talking front rotation potential not just mid rotation. Flipside is the risk of him being a reliever.

Imo it's more promising than Lodolo who has three possible plus pitches but none which really stand out - he's a guy that looks more to me like the prototypical safe college pick.

Not quite as sexy as Pearson was - Pearson has an even bigger fastball, and two promising breakers instead of just one - but still more of an upside pick than a safe pick imo.

Kelekin - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 09:30 PM EDT (#374947) #

Jones was a top name for me for the 2nd round, so very impressed to see him taken already. Possibly a really nice pick there by TB.

Shoeless Joe - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 09:35 PM EDT (#374948) #

Jone had moved up in the past few days, I wonder if his speed has proped up his batting line in a lesser conference.

ayjackson - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 10:00 PM EDT (#374949) #

He's a Mountaineer. He's massive. His name begins with "M". He probably will give up baseball for pro wrestling one day......coining the nickname now...

Man Mountain Manoah

Gerry - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 10:07 PM EDT (#374950) #

Manoah has been worked hard by his college team this year so don't expect to see him pitch too much in 2019.

Nigel - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 10:32 PM EDT (#374951) #

I’d expect a 15-20 inning cameo in Vancouver in August and not much else for 2019. I’ll admit that I’m not a huge believer that there are a lot of college pitchers that can add a quality third pitch. But two really good pitches can be enough in some cases.

rtcaino - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 11:34 PM EDT (#374952) #

Kendall Williams is 6' 6 205lbs. Clearly, the Jays project that he should be able to add about 55 lbs to his frame.

PeterG - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 11:34 PM EDT (#374953) #

Kendall Williams - HS rhp

uglyone - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 11:40 PM EDT (#374954) #

Hmm. Lotta projection in that pick.

John Northey - Monday, June 03 2019 @ 11:46 PM EDT (#374955) #

I like this approach - big strong pitchers. May not become anything, but those are the guys who have the potential to be real aces ala Halladay, Clemens, etc.

bpoz - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 12:00 AM EDT (#374956) #

An AA draft.

Glevin - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 02:17 AM EDT (#374957) #

There was a very clear top-7 this year but don't think there was much separation in the next 10 picks or so. I much prefer taking hitters high up but I guess you do need to take some pitchers sometimes as well and Manoah and Williams both seem like solid additions. Manoah is probably immediately the Jays #4 prospect (after Bo, Pearson, and Groshans) when he signs (Depending on how much you like Pardinho). Williams might be top-10 as well.

Kelekin - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 02:25 AM EDT (#374958) #

While Williams is not the guy I was interested in there, it seems like a solid risk. I would've liked to see Campbell or Wyatt there though, who was taken the pick after. Going into Day 2 there are still a lot of interesting names on the board. I really hope the Jays try for Song or Dalquist if available, and Canadian-born Jake Sanford.

Glevin - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 02:31 AM EDT (#374960) #

Meant a top-6...

Still interesting prospects around for the Jays' pick (Not including guys like Allen and Leiter who won't sign). I am betting on Jays taking Jack Kochanowicz with 3rd pick because he's 6 foot 6 and that seems to be the trend.

Shoeless Joe - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 05:14 AM EDT (#374962) #

I love the Williams pick, with him being a tough sign I think the Jays go a little more conservative from here on out.

scottt - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 07:39 AM EDT (#374963) #

Manoah had over 100 innings this year, but he had over 100 as well last years with the Cap Cod playoffs innings. Should go to Vancouver, but still need to sign him and wait for him to get a passport. Probably late June. Could do tandem starts, maybe 2-3 innings every 5 days.

They probably need to go over slot on pick 52, maybe they can go under a bit on Manoah as he was projected to go later.

hypobole - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 08:03 AM EDT (#374964) #

What sites were projecting Manoah to go later? As far as I can tell he was taken in the same range he was projected to go.

scottt - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 08:26 AM EDT (#374966) #

Yeah, you're right, but he should still be an easy sign projected to rise quickly.

We'll see.
Manoha's slot is $4547500.
Williams' is 1.4M.
After the 10th round you can go 125K without counting against the pool.

Great picture of Manoah. Guy is very animated and fun to watch.

Braden Halladay is in this draft with a commitment to Penn State.
There's also Jack Leiter, Glenallen Hill Jr and Quinn Hoffman, none of which I expect to sign.

85bluejay - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 09:06 AM EDT (#374967) #

While I don't know much about the 2 picks, I have to give a thumbs up to the rationale behind the picks - arguably the best college pitcher with 2 plus pitches and a very projectable HS pitcher - you need upside to compete in this division - now it's up to the player and the development team.Pitchers that tall usually are dicey with developing coordination and repeatability of delivery but this FO having drafted Zeuch,Pearson & Kloffenstein seem confident in their development people - Also concerned that Manoah is throwing a lot of pitches & innings for his college team.

In the next few years there could be a lot of MMQB with the Manoah pick as the Jays had a choice between virtually all the players associated with them along with posters favourite Corbin Carroll and Marc Hulet favourite college arm George Kirby.

hypobole - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 09:13 AM EDT (#374968) #

Since neither Allen or Leiter were chosen, the idea of punting a high pick with the intent of compensation in next years supposedly stronger draft seemingly hasn't materialized.

Now maybe teams will be a bit more stingy than usual with bonuses relative to the talent level of the kid they drafted. Or more teams will use the notorious "Orioles physical" on them. Or maybe not.

hypobole - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 09:23 AM EDT (#374969) #

Keith Law after discussing Texas taking Jung over Manoah and the Braves picking Langeliers:

The Blue Jays benefited from those picks by landing Manoah, whom I had as the best pitcher in the entire draft class. He is a four-pitch right-hander who attacks hitters in the zone and throws a ton of strikes. That's easily one of my favorite picks of the night. They also took a projection right-hander in Kendall Williams in the second round. Williams is 6-foot-6 with velocity and good breaking stuff and in need of some delivery help, but he is a great complement to the advanced college arm in Manoah.

Mike Green - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 10:43 AM EDT (#374970) #

FWIW, Manoah is a good pick. He has a reasonable chance to be a solid major league starting pitcher, and a noticeable possibility of being better than that.

There's not too much mileage on his arm, despite the modest overuse this year. I imagine that the club will go very light on his usage in 2019.

bpoz - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 10:44 AM EDT (#374971) #

Financial strategies come into play now.

About $9 mil is our pool. I am guessing our top 2 picks cost $6-7 mil in total. We pick #11 today so a lot of V good players available. We can pick a good/expensive one and pay # 4-10 about $1,000 - 10,000.

Saving about $600,000 to spend on bonuses above $125,000 to get the Chavez Young types make sense.

This is something I will follow over the next month or 2.

uglyone - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 10:57 AM EDT (#374972) #

looking at my pre-draft top-10 again....

1. Bichette
2. Pearson
3. Kirk
4. Moreno
5. Pardinho
6. Groshans
7. Smith
8. SRF
9. Young
10. Castillo/Lopez

HM: Kloffenstein, Hiraldo, Martinez

Manoah I think slots at lowest at #7, and at highest #3. Note that he's older than every guy i have slotted from #3-#6, and 3 of those guys are performing very well in full season ball already and pardinho is probably going to be in vancouver, and all are high upside guys, so for me Manoah will have to have a pretty great debut for me to bump him clearly ahead of any of those guys.

Williams I'd have to just slot with those HM's for now.

1. Bichette
2. Pearson
3. Kirk
4. Moreno
5. Pardinho
6. Groshans
7. Manoah
8. Smith
9. SRF
10. Young/Castillo/Lopez

HM: Kloffenstein, Williams, Hiraldo, Martinez

I suspect a couple of those HMs will have made a clearer case for top-10 by the end of the year.

Mike Green - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 11:10 AM EDT (#374974) #

That's about right, UO. Manoah vs. Pardinho is an interesting one. Glad to have both.

It sure would be nice to have a few more centerfielders in the system.

Shoeless Joe - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 12:27 PM EDT (#374976) #

I would rank Manoah just behind Pardinho, but I would have him ahead of Kirk and Moreno.

It is strange to see a pair of prospects twins at the end of the top 10. Hiraldo/Olrelvis and Kloffenstien/Williams are all teenagers as either power hitting third basemen or big frame power pitchers.

uglyone - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 12:54 PM EDT (#374978) #

hmm just wanted to double check the numbers for moreno and kirk to make sure i wasn't getting overexcited.

Kirk

A+ (20): 11.0b%, 12.3k%, 6.0swst%, .400bip, .344avg, .156iso, 176wrc+
A (20): 18.8b%, 8.3k%, 6.0swst%, .299bip, .299avg, .221iso, 169wrc+
Rk+ (19): 13.5b%, 8.6k%, 5.1swst%, .354bip, .354avg, .204iso, 160wrc+

yeah, those numbers are flat out nutso. He's basically putting up Vladdy numbers but at 2yrs older.....but also as a catcher. I used to be excited about a guy like Jansen at this age but his numbers were nowhere near this good. Of course there's plenty of skepticism about his defense, probably because he's fat, but the advanced fielding metrics we have (davenport and BP) both paint him as way above average defensively last year. And that bat would be exciting even if he has no defensive value.

I'm not going to pull punches here - this kid looks really damn good. And with that upside of being a Catcher, i have hard time ranking any pitching prospect ahead of him that's not dominating in his own right.

Moreno

A (19): 4.5b%, 15.9k%, 7.5swst%, .290bip, .300avg, .275iso, 152wrc+
Rk+ (18): 4.5b%, 19.7k%, 17.9swst%, .313bip, .279avg, .180iso, 93wrc+
Rk (18): 4.0b%, 6.9k%, 11.9swst%, .429bip, .413avg, .239iso, 204wrc+

Ok, so those numbers are pretty great too, but yeah maybe i should pump the brakes a bit on this guy. There's more holes in his line than their are in Kirk's. Moreno has a better defensive rep, but who really knows with prospects that young, and the available numbers we have aren't as flattering to Moreno as they are to Kirk.

Still, though, even pumping the brakes i'd find it hard to slot 21yr old Manoah ahead of a 19yr old apparently legit defensive catcher destroying full season ball. But if they put Pardinho right into A when he's ready, and he continues to dominate there at age 18, that's a different story.

I hope at least that Manoah goes to Vancouver. Though I never quite understand why they wouldn't just put guys like this right into full season ball.

Jonny German - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 01:45 PM EDT (#374985) #

Tiny sample sizes.

hypobole - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 01:56 PM EDT (#374988) #

Kirk's SS may be small, but the one in depth scouting report I've seen (and posted here) backs up uo's assessment and stats.

uglyone - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 01:56 PM EDT (#374989) #

eh....400+ pa is big enough sample size to start getting a read on some important things...especially bb/k rates, babip/avg ratio, and isolated power.

Jonny German - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 03:03 PM EDT (#375006) #

Sure. And I agree they’re good prospects. But it has to be acknowledged that they haven’t played much yet. Wouldn’t be hard to add PA to your stat dumps.

(Also, you’re exaggerating on Moreno. Just over 200 PA in the US. The scouting reports still mean a lot more than the numbers for him.)

uglyone - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 03:59 PM EDT (#375018) #

Personally i feel scouting reports get outdated much quicker than most think, especially in terms of specific hitting skills, but hey, we can agree to disagree.

I wouldn't post numbers that I didn't think had value.

hypobole - Tuesday, June 04 2019 @ 04:24 PM EDT (#375029) #

Well the scouting report said excellent bat to ball skills, best in the Appy. The few viewings I had did not contradict that. And his swinging strike% as he's climbed the ladder seems to validate the report.

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