Draft Chat With Conor Glassey

By Conor Glassey
September 16, 2011



Conor Glassey: Welcome, everyone! Thanks for subscribing to Baseball America and for joining me in a draft chat on a Friday afternoon. Just filled my belly with a giant burrito, so let's get this chat rolling. . .

@Jaypers413 (IL): On the 20-80 scouting scale, what does this class grade as a whole, at this point?

Conor Glassey: A great place to start. I would say this draft is a little fringy in overall talent, so I'm giving it a 45. As with any draft, though, there's upside - and that's what makes it fun!

Chris (KC): I've heard some noises that the draft may be June 11 next year instead of the expected June 4. If that's the case Ryne Stanek will be eligible. Where would you have him in your top 50?

Conor Glassey: I heard those same dates being tossed around, but MLB released its 2012 schedule the other day and the draft is set for June 4-6, which means Stanek missed the cut by 5 days and will have to wait until 2013. If he were eligible, he would have ranked in the 7-10 range.

Thomas (Mississippi): Where does a guy like Lex Rutledge fall. Starter or reliever?

Conor Glassey: Lex made the list at 46. I think he'll get a shot to prove himself as a starter, but it wouldn't surprise me to see him wind up as a reliever. I'm excited to see Samford this season—not just for Rutledge, but because one of my personal cheeseballs from doing the Northwoods League Top 20 this year is Phillip Ervin, who will be a sophomore outfielder for the Bulldogs.

Steve Dakota (Orlando,Fl): What's your take on David Thompson from Westminster H.S. in Miami? He's set a ton of records there.

Conor Glassey: Lots of questions about David Thompson and he's a very good prospect, just not quite a Top 50 guy. Yes, he broke Prince Fielder's Florida home run record, but it's not an apples-to-apples comparison. Fielder played for a 6A school and was a well-known slugger because of his father's career. Thompson plays for a 3A school and emerged on his own. That's not to take away from Thompson, who I like, but right now he's somewhere in the middle third of the HS Top 100 list.

Howard (San Francisco): How good can RHP Kyle Zimmerman out of USF be?

Conor Glassey: Zimmer has a sturdy frame at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds and I'd say he has middle of the rotation upside thanks to a fastball that sits 92-94 and a hammer curveball at times, though his changeup needs to continue to develop.

Mack (California): UCLA lost three 2011 recruits Ross, Goedel and Austin Hedges in the first two rounds of this years draft. What's the likelihood that UCLA's top 2012 recruits Giolito, Poteet, Virant and Fried are taken in the first rounds in 2012?

Conor Glassey: Giolito, Fried and Virant all look like first-round picks and Poteet shouldn't be too far behind, in the 2nd - 4th round range right now.

Beverly (Montana): Nick Williams, seems like people either love him or call him really raw. How do you feel?

Conor Glassey: I think he's really raw. His feet move a lot at the plate and he doesn't square up BP pitching as much as he should, let alone stuff in games. He doesn't read balls well off the bat and takes poor routes in the outfield, as well as doing odd things like sliding back into first base on pickoff throws feet-first. He's going to need to put in a lot of work.

Trabajo (Illinois): Can Gavin Cecchini compete with Marrero in terms of overall ceiling? He seems as if though he can stick at SS (more so than his brother) and has some good potential in the bat.

Conor Glassey: It's possible, but not likely, mostly because Marrero is the better shortstop. Marrero is universally viewed as a shortstop, whereas I think Cecchini is more of a split camp. The team that drafts him Gavin probably let him go out there, but there are some that believe he'll need to move to second base. Cecchini has more power than Marrero had at the same stage, though.

Lloyd (Lakewood): Hi Conor, Where does Piscotty end up defensively? I've seen him struggle at 3B.

Conor Glassey: As have I, but it sounds like he's a better third baseman than what he showed in the super regionals last year. He'll get a chance to stay at the hot corner because that's where he has the most value, but a move to the outfield wouldn't shock me.

Trabajo (Illinois): Is Rhett Wiseman's biggest issue with his swing? His tools sounded pretty big from this summer's writeups.

Conor Glassey: Yes, his swing is inconsistent and he too often keeps his weight and head back. But, then again, he hasn't played as much baseball yet as the kids from warmer-weather states like CA, TX & FL. I'm a big fan—he's a physical specimen with loads of tools and a great kid, too.

Buford (Sacramento, CA): I love Jim Callis' mock draft with the A's taking Victor Roache. It makes TOO MUCH SENSE. With Josh Willingham likely to leave via free agency, the A's are staring at a collection of singles hitters in their Outfield again next year. Don't they HAVE TO get a power hitter in the next draft?

Conor Glassey: Well no, not really. It's not like Roache would step in immediately. If the A's draft Roache next June (and a TON can change between now and then), they would do it because they believe he's the best player on their board, not because of a need at the major league level.

Greg (Fullerton, CA): Great early draft stuff guys! I see ASU and Stanford dominate the list, but are there any other top 2-3 round talents on other teams in the pac 10 this year?

Conor Glassey: Thanks, Greg. Arizona State righthander Brady Rodgers just missed the list. Others that should be in that range include Arizona righthander Kurt Heyer, Oregon lefthander Christian Jones, California lefthander Justin Jones and maybe Stanford outfielder Jake Stewart or UCLA righthander Scott Griggs.

@Jaypers413 (IL): When Florida's Brian Johnson goes off the board, which position will he likely take on? And which position has impressed scouts the most?

Conor Glassey: He's a legit two-way guy, so it could vary from team to team. On one hand, it's tough to ignore a lefthander with his physicality and three-pitch mix. On the other hand, that kind of lefthanded power is rare, too—but he's limited to first base. But I think it's always easier to go back to pitching then the other way around.

Ben (Leland Grove): Which factor(s) lead you to conclude McCullers' future will be in the pen?

Conor Glassey: It's a combination of things: he's a smaller guy with some effort to his delivery, which limits his ability to command the strike zone. His stuff is nasty, but he can battle wildness. There's also the fact that between also being a position player and being handled very carefully, he doesn't have a lot of experience on the mound. That can be viewed two ways—on one hand, his arm is fresh, on the other hand, he doesn't have a lot of experience out there on the mound going through lineups three times and learning how to pitch like a starter.

Ben (Leland Grove): At what position will Carson Kelly likely be most useful?

Conor Glassey: Kelly is another legit two-way guy, but I believe his best position is third base. He has a strong arm (up to 92 on the mound) and is a good all-around athlete that shows some power potential from the right side of the plate. Personal favorite.

John (Tempe): Why do you have Appel ranked much higher than Barrett in your recent draft projections? Both pitchers have similiar stuff and have pitched against the same competition for the last two years. I had a chance to watch both in Tempe last year where Barrett dominated Stanford and Appel struggled against ASU. Just curious to see where you separate them from seeing their stats the last two years including summer ball.

Conor Glassey: Appel has a better frame, the fastball's a hair better, breaking balls are similar but Appel also has a better changeup and has put up better numbers. That said, if Barrett's healthy this season I could see him climbing into the back half of the first round.

jeff (atl): Where do you see Clate Schmidt on Top 100?

Conor Glassey: Schmidt, who has a 92-94 mph fastball and tight breaking ball, just missed the list and will probably rank in the 25-35 range when our HS Top 100 list comes out this fall.

William (SLC, Utah): How close was Kayden Porter to making the Top 50 ?

Conor Glassey: Porter has some arm strength and some power at the plate, but he wasn't close. He'll probably be in the back half of the HS Top 100 this fall. Not sure where yet.

Morrie (Staten Island): Are Alex Bregman and Nelson Rodriguez eligible next year? If so, how close did they come to making the list?

Conor Glassey: Yes, both will be eligible for the 2012 draft. Bregman is the better prospect because of his pure hitting and defensive ability. He's a grinder that will wind up at 2B in the pros. Rodriguez is more of a one-trick pony. He's a catcher by trade, but doesn't have the athleticism to remain behind the plate, so he's a 230-pound, right/right first baseman.

Conor Glassey: Thanks for all the great questions, everybody. Stay tuned to Baseball America for more draft coverage this fall and have a great weekend!