Live Draft Coverage
Okay, here’s a new thread for real time reactions to the draft picks. We have a few requests.
Please do not hit refresh constantly in order to find out who got picked. The server can’t handle it. MLB.com and Baseball America both have draft trackers that will update as the picks get made. Hit refresh on those bandwidth monsters.
Also, please realize that the server is taxed the most when everyone rushes to comment all at once. When 300 people all try to add their light to the growing firmament of discussion while 20,000 others are hitting refresh, we go offline. So, if you’re going to add a comment, have it be meaningful. Try to refrain from posting things like “WHAT?” or “YAY!”. They don’t really add to the discussion, and there’s a good chance you’ll help nuke the blog.
Edit: Comments have been turned off. Seriously, stop hitting refresh. I’ll provide commentary on the M’s pick in the post, turn comments back on afterwards.
So far, this has gone about as well as the M’s could have hoped – with Aumont and Dominguez both available, the M’s college arm fetish is going to be tested.
Hallelujah – Welcome to Seattle, Philippe Aumont. I’ve said for a week now that he was the guy I wanted. For the first time in years, the Mariners take the guy I like. Yipee!
Okay, comments are back on. Aumont now has his own post above.
Comments
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Also if you happen to be home today, or your work has tvs or something, don’t foget the draft is on ESPN2. So you don’t even need to keep hitting refresh here or MLB.com, just turn on the tv
Is the draft starting to get more recognition? was it even on ESPN2 last year?
WHAT? YAY!
2: First year on tv.
The ESPN2 feed is streaming on MLB.com unless it cuts off in a few minutes.
I’m preparing for inevitable disappointment…
Just root for Matt Dominguez to fall to #11. That’s the most likely way this could turn out well.
I love how there’s a huge echo in the seemingly giant warehouse where the draft is being held. Maybe what makes the NFL draft so much fun to watch is all the screaming Jets fans in the background.
That said, I’m thrilled MLB is finally opening up the draft like this and showing it live on TV. May this trend continue.
The Devil Rays have been “on the clock” since roughly July 2006. How come they haven’t made their pick yet?
In the past, they’d already be at like 23 by now.
Well here’s the cheering.
That Phillies ad was just horrible.
Will teams be encouraged to take more time to pad it for advertisers?
I love how they put Tampa Bay on the clock and then go to a commercial break.
That DRAFT 2007 logo on the podium looks really ordinary. Of course that makes it a million times better than the London 2012 Olympics logo.
I’m surprised people didn’t boo Selig. This is a player draft! The commissioner always gets booed!
They have to take the 5 minutes so ESPN can do their oh-so-meaningful analysis and stupid interviews.
Yes, each pick will take five minutes so that ESPN can fill as much ad space as possible. The M’s probably won’t pick until about 12:15 or so.
The Draft 2007 logo looks like the Aussie Footie League logo.
The Jays commercial with Overbay, that was funny.
Wow, David Price looks absolutely thrilled to be drafted by Tampa…
Just think, if the draft weren’t televised, we wouldn’t have seen this enlightening interview.
You know why this won’t work as a TV show? You can’t trade picks in MLB. That’s what adds some drama to the NFL draft…you never know when a blockbuster deal will come down to let someone move up or down in the draft.
So Price was drafted because he’s affordable? I guess the Price was right then…
19 – I agree with you, and I will also add I don’t think the ESPN MLB analysts will trash a team for their pick like the NFL analysts do.
Moustakas is a bit of a surprise, no?
yes
There’s been one televised pick in MLB Draft history and you’re already explaining why it’s a failure. Awesome.
25 years ago, MLB would release an alphabetical list of players drafted a week after the draft ended, with no hint as to who was picked when. I think this is better.
Dave – would be great if you could post the pick & your 2 cents if possible.
22: If you read the previous thread by Dave and the “afternoon update” he gave, Moustakas was not a surprise at all, actually.
No, we’ve known Moustakas was going to KC for about 5 hours. It’s reported in the thread below this.
I think with salaries inflating there’s more and more interest in what prospects are coming up for teams, and this is definitely the premiere opportunity for teams to add talent to the system. I think it’s a great thing that’s it’s televised and seen as more of an event.
you know, AB’s look at the end of the doubleplay twins ad really makes it work.
But people with your level of interest represent what, a tenth of a percent of all baseball fans? Here’s another reason: people know college football players. They’ve mostly never heard of the high school and college players going into the MLB draft.
I believe the MLB draft will work on TV long-term. That is, if they don’t try to turn it into a 12-hour event. Nice and short (no longer than a typical MLB game) and it can be a solid program that we all look forward to every June.
Oh….one more thing. It’s feakin’ THURSDAY! If they don’t move this thing to a weekend they won’t have any viewers.
It’s going as per the below post. Not looking good for the M’s.
The KC ad they showed in the last break was just depressing. It’s hard to pretend that that team is exciting.
As expected, Vitters goes #3 to the Cubs. The Pirates should take Detwiler, but they’ve done so horribly with college arms in the past 5 years, they might go another direction.
31: Also, it needs to be on an evening or weekend telecast, IMO in order to achieve long term success.
How far does anyone think Wieters drops?
Re #30: “They’ve mostly never heard of the high school and college players going into the MLB draft.”
Which is precisely WHY the televised MLB draft is good. So the average fan can learn a bit of insight into the player(s) their team is calling ‘The Future’.
If you want something to root for, hope that Matt Wieters goes in one of the next three spots. All three teams could potentially draft him, which would likely push Aumont or Dominguez down to the M’s at #11.
My guess is that you could make the MLB draft a successful television event if the analysts gave viewers some idea of who was who, and who needed what, beyond what the typical fan can find in the newspapers (which isn’t that hard to do). Also, 31’s suggestion to make it short seems like a real good idea. And trading draft picks just seems like a real good idea, although perhaps there are all sorts of well-thought out reasons against it that I’ve never thought of. It would be interesting to see how long it would take the Yankees to trade away all of their draft picks for “proven veterans”.
37 – Especially for Mariners fans to understand just how bleak the future really is with the M’s FO ability to construct teams…
Nice. No chances Moskos drops to us then.
So far going exactly as MLB.com’s projections had it:
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070607&content_id=2011187&vkey=draft2007&fext=.jsp
If it stays true, Philip Aumont should be next
Wow, that seems a little high for Moskos, I guess the M’s wont get him. Lets hope Schmidt goes next!
37: Which I agree is a good thing, but you’ll never get rich trying to enlighten people about anything in this country. At least not on TV. That’s why we hear more about Paris Hilton than Darfur.
I’m not saying I don’t WANT the MLB draft on TV…just that it’s not going to get ratings anywhere near the NFL due to the lack of trades, players most fans didn’t obsessively follow during their college careers, and a weekday, mid-day time slot.
Whew…one college reliever down
This is why the Pirates are the worst orgnaization in baseball. Moskos at #4 is ridiculous, especially ahead of Detwiler.
44 – That’s why it’s on a weekday. No one wants to broadcast this on a weekend if it’s not going to draw viewers.
42. I don’t care how accurate it is so far, that Doolittle projection is retarded.
Detwiler to Baltimore is almost a mortal lock. The Nationals pick is totally up in the air, but at this point, I’m betting the M’s get a shot at Dominguez.
42 – then the M’s take…Sean Doolittle…wtf, with Beaven, DOminguez, Bumgarner, Porcello all on the board still. That’s gotta be a joke.
The M’s aren’t taking Doolittle at #11.
47…and since it’s on a weekday their prophecy will be fulfilled. Hopefully there’ll be enough viewers to make them reconsider next year.
Almost a mortal lock.
Dave…looks like Wieters was the “mortal lock.”
Interesting stuff so far.
aw, Brian Fuentes has his own commercial.
woohoo, Weiters is off the board
Nice pick by the O’s, very ballsy. They got the best player in the draft (IMO)
Hey – all I said was it was right so far…lol. I didn’t write it! Besides, they missed that one at #5.
The Mariners have probably already drafted. The problem with this TV format is that Bud is hoarding the announcements for the full 5 minutes behind the screen. If we didn’t have to sit through all this nonsense we’d know who our guy is by now.
Almost a mortal lock, but not quite. First surprise of the round.
We can always count on Peter Angelos to do something to piss off Bud Selig. There’s no love lost there, IIRC.
Tremendous. That’s about the best break the M’s could have hoped for.
With both Pittsburgh and Baltimore passing on Detwiler, it’s possible that he slides down to #11 – the M’s had heard that his agent was asking for big bucks, and they were hoping it would scare off teams at the top of the draft.
This is a potential best case scenario in the making.
Wieters will be expensive – I really thought he’d go to Washington, not Baltimore.
Yes, Wieters gone…Also Doolittle not even ranked in the top 200 prospects in BA, awesome, how in the hell did MLB find that guy.
Take that back, found Doolittle…
I love the notion of Steve Phillips discussing negotiating with Boras.
If Aumont falls the the M’s we MUST take him!
Yes, Wieters gone…Also Doolittle not even ranked in the top 200 prospects in BA, awesome, how in the hell did MLB find that guy.
Yeah, I expected the reasoning writeup to be something like: “Given the organizational follies throughout the last several years, this is only the next logical step.”
And of course, Detweiler goes with the next pick.
Well, that dream was crushed quickly. Now we just hope for Aumont or Dominguez to get to #11.
No, that stupid MLB draft got it right at 6, NOOOOOO…I don’t want Sean Does-little.
Mr. Egaas – Doolittle is actually ranked #91 by BA.
Excellent Detweiler, already knows how to lie to the media…”Yes I’m excited to got to the Nationals and lose for the next 200,000 years”
A pro strength and conditioning person to put on bulk? That just sounds bad…
Dave – But won’t Detwiler ask for above slot fees? The M’s refuse to do this. COuldn’t this be Andrew Miller all over again>
70 – That’s much better
-39
The Yankees *do* trade their draft picks all the time for “proven veterans”…it’s called free agent compensation.
Now – THAT’S what the M’s needed! Thank you Brewers!!!!!
Wow…Laporta that early
La Porta, now thats a suprise!
Aumount falling, get M’s!
Holy crap. Matt LaPorta? He can’t play the field and the Brewers don’t have a DH. Plus, they have this guy named Prince Fielder.
That’s a shocking pick.
My pipe dream wish…the M’s select with the 11th pick Jarrod Parker…but that’s gonna be crushed.
So I have hit refresh about 5 times and am now posting a fairly worthless post (though I did not say Yay or Boo)…
How is the site holding up??? are we about to go dark or will we not know that until the M’s pick and the place goes apesh!t?
If Aumont gets past Colorado, we have a great shot.
79 – Maybe the Brewers feel sorry for the M’s and plan to trade Fielder to them for Weaver, but then again maybe pigs really do fly.
I’m pretty close to shutting off comments. Seriously guys, be kind to the server.
Wow, ESPN is killing the Brewers on this.
This draft is breaking almost too perfectly so far.
This has played out about as well as the Mariners could have possibly hoped.
Thank heavens. Weathers and Moskos are gone. It’s an embarassment of riches for the M’s, with Parker, Aumont, and Dominguez as possibilities. Somebody please take Schmidt.
Waethers gone now!!!
Come on Aumount~!
Always a bit early (and a crapshoot), but is there an early estimated timetable of progression for Aumont? Will it be 2010-12 before we see this kid in the bigs? Or a bit sooner?
Hey our pick is coming up soon…I see that Doolittle went 41 to the (frackin’) A’s.
Doolittle to the A’s?
That blows my theory that he’ll suck. He’ll probably be amazing.
#75 is Denny, not DANNY, Almonte:
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=7
Scouting report isn’t to kind to our 5th round pick. Although it appears it’s based on watching one start.
The MLB Draft doesn’t have to be better than the NFL draft to make it as a telecast. It doesn’t even have to be as good. It just has to be better than whatever ESPN would normally broadcast in the middle of a June Thursday. It may not have a huge reach, but it’s going to attract a very dedicated and passionate demographic, and well-defined demographics are something advertisers like (not as much as huge shalllow demos, but still). Which is why they probably feel no pressure to move it to a weekend where it would have to deliver higher ratings. I mean, what else would they have on today? Yet another Around the Horn? A PTI re-run? World Championship Paintball?