Stroman is apparently the most pro ready pitcher in the draft.... compared to Tom Gordon.
Marcus Stroman, RHP, Duke University: There is a long-standing scouting bias against short right-handers, but the 5-9, 185 pound Stroman is so good that scouts projected him as a first-rounder anyway. He throws 92-95 MPH, has a good changeup, and dominates hitters with one of the best sliders in the draft. He went 6-5 in 14 starts for a 21-34 team, but posted a 2.39 ERA with a 136/26 K/BB in 98 innings with 83 hits allowed. Many scouts think he’ll be ready for the majors by September. The main question is his long-term role. His arsenal is diverse enough to start and he’s had nothing but success as a starter, but many scouts think he’ll fit best in relief due to his size. If so, he could help in a bullpen later this year. However, given his track record and is quality mix of pitches, others believe he deserves a shot as a starter. Either way, he’s got a great arm.
Get another Gose, which you can never have enough guys like him in the system, especially when Gose is close to being called up, add in a 8th inning/closer with nasty stuff that should be able to pitch in the majors as soon as 6 weeks from now provided contracts get signed right away.
Simply amazing picks.
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The best part of this is that, other than Smoral, all of the players should be able to be signed for under slot, and Smoral's overages should not be prohibitive so we should be able to draft more high upside guys if we want.
Could be a solid addition but better than all but 5 closers right now?
I'm just saying what I heard... I know very little about the guy, but I would bet that Jim Bowden knows more about him than you or I.
If you take a close look around the league - there aren't more than 10 teams with lockdown closers in their pen right now, meaning, there isn't any more than 10 closers that are secure in their position right now. I see what you are saying, but also see where Bowden came up with that off the top of his head.
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Probably will see all the picks between no and the 11th round be crappy players that will sign for nothing in order to free up the dollars that those picks will get for Smoral and Alford.
Interestingly, both Davis and Stroman should sign for under slot as well. Stroman might only take 1 mil to sign as he'll get a head start on the arbitration clock by being quick to the majors. Smoral should take around 1.5 mil (about 700K more than slot) and Alford in the neighbourhood of 2.5-3 mil (long shot to sign)
