BP Unfiltered

Daily Draft Video: Weekend Flashback (Correa vs Springer)

Daily Draft Video Weekend Flashback takes a look at today's top prospects before they were pros.

Carlos Correa and George Springer were two of the top prospects featured in this year's Houston Astros Top 10 Prospects here at Baseball Prospectus. Today’s Draft Video Weekend Flashback features these former first round selections in pre-draft action.

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Daily Draft Video: Weekend Flashback (Zimmer vs Starling)

Daily Draft Video Weekend Flashback takes a look at today's top prospects before they were pros.

Kyle Zimmer and Bubba Starling were two of the top prospects featured in this year's Kansas City Royals Top 10 Prospects here at Baseball Prospectus. Today’s Draft Video Weekend Flashback features these former top ten overall selections in pre-draft action.

BP Unfiltered

Winter Meetings Top 10

Top 10 things overheard mentioned by members of the Baseball Prospectus staff while at the Winter Meetings

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BP Unfiltered

Daily Draft Video: Kris Bryant

Daily exclusive video series designed to familiarize you with the names you need to know leading up to the 2013 amateur draft.

San Diego’s Kris Bryant (CIF/OF) is one of the better raw power bats in the draft class, displaying legit plus-plus power consistently in batting practice while showing some ability to manifest in-game, as well. At his best, Bryant drives the ball to the right-center gap with authority and shows an ability to turn on fastballs on the inner-half. There is some swing-and-miss to his game, as well as stiffness in the field. Warts and all, Bryant could be a top ten pick in June due to the increasing scarcity of power bats at the prospect ranks and the thin crop of collegiate position players draft-eligible this year. Today's video give a look at Bryant as a high schooler and as a freshman. More recent video was featured in the College Infielder installation of the Scouting the Draft Series.

BP Unfiltered

Koji Uehara Has Done Some Things

Koji Uehara factoids about the Boston Red Sox' Koji Uehara.

These aim to be spectacular factoids about Koji Uehara, who is spectacular. They feature a moderate amount of cherry-picking and sample size cheats, but not that much! All statistics except where noted are since 2010, when Uehara converted from starting to relief. And they almost all center around one core fact: Uehara has, in his career, including as a starter, struck out 7.97 batters for every walk, which is the best ratio in history (minimum 100 innings). The next best is Sergio Romo, all the way back at 5.77, and nobody else is over 5. Already spectacular!

• As a Ranger, Koji Uehara struck out 66 and walked four.
• After a first-pitch strike, Koji Uehara has struck out 132 and walked six.
• After a first pitch strike and a second-pitch strike, Koji Uehara has struck out 106 and walked one.
• Against the eighth and ninth hitters in the lineup, Koji Uehara has struck out 50 and walked one.
• Against right-handed batters, Koji Uehara has struck out 90 and walked three.
• After the July trade deadline, Koji Uehara has struck out 80 and walked two.
• From July 19, 2010 until April 21, 2011, he struck out 46 batters without walking anybody.

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BP Daily Podcast

Effectively Wild Episode 97: Why Couldn't Koji Uehara Get a Bigger Contract?

Ben and Sam discuss Koji Uehara's signing with the Red Sox and attempt to figure out why he doesn't make more money and high-leverage appearances.

Ben and Sam discuss Koji Uehara's signing with the Red Sox and try to figure out why he doesn't make more money and high-leverage appearances.

Episode 97: "Why Couldn't Koji Uehara Get a Bigger Contract?"

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Minor League Update

Three Rule 5 Draft Picks Most Likely to Succeed

Thoughts on 'Three Rule 5 Draft Picks Most Likely To Succeed' in the majors.

While the Rule 5 draft can be a bit over-hyped, it is exciting in the sense that there is at least a small chance that your team drafts the next Josh Hamilton, Johan Santana, or Joakim Soria. What? You've never heard of those guys? OK, I'll fill you in.

Hamilton is that guy who's going to sign a free agent deal worth about $25M per season in the very near future. When he was drafted by the Cubs and acquired by the Reds in the 2006 Rule 5 draft, he was known as the troubled, former #1 draft pick who had missed four seasons due to personal issues, injuries, and drug suspensions. Rarely is this kind of talent available, so you know the baggage had to be massive. And it was. In 90 games for the Reds, however, the 26 year-old hit .292 with 19 homers and an overall .922 OPS. He was traded to the Rangers the following offseason for Edinson Volquez and you probably know the rest. AL MVP. Five-time All-Star. Yada Yada Yada. 

When the Twins acquired Santana from the Marlins after they had taken him from the Astros in the 1999 Rule 5 draft, he was a 20 year-old coming off of a decent season (4.66 ERA, 160.1 IP, 162 H, 55 BB, 150 K) for Lo-A Michigan in the Midwest League. The Twins look like geniuses now. But, of course, they probably weren't counting on 93 wins and two AL Cy Young Awards in his eight seasons with the team. They obviously saw some talent to draft a 20 year-old out of A-ball, though. And they had an opportunity to stash him in their bullpen because they were a last-place team not quite ready to compete in the AL Central. So his 6.49 ERA in 86 innings didn't really hurt an already bad team.

Soria was an unknown commodity when the Royals stole him from the Padres before the 2007 season. Signed out of Mexico by the Dodgers, he made just four appearances in Rookie ball before Tommy John surgery forced him out of action for the 2003-04 seasons. He pitched in the Mexican League in 2005 after being released by the Dodgers. The Padres, who signed him the next offseason, liked him so much (sarcasm) that he was loaned to a team in the Mexican League for most of the season. Much credit has to be given to the Royals for taking a guy who had a 3.89 ERA with a 7.3 K/9 and 15 saves in 39 Mexican League appearances and not much else to go on. The 23 year-old rookie earned his first big league save on April 10th, 2007 and finished with 17 saves, a 2.48 ERA, 19 BB, and 75 K in 69 innings.

I'm not going to say that my 'Three Rule 5 Draft Picks Most Likely To Succeed' are going to be the next Hamilton, Santana, and Soria, but there are some similarities in their paths. They've all had adversity to overcome and have diminished value for different reasons. They also have opportunities for playing time on three teams unlikely to have championship aspirations in 2013.

BP Daily Podcast

Effectively Wild Episode 96: What the Winter Meetings Were Like

Ben and Sam recap Ben's experiences on his first trip to the Winter Meetings.

Ben and Sam recap Ben's experiences on his first trip to the Winter Meetings.

Episode 96: "What the Winter Meetings Were Like"

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