Philippe Aumont
With the 11th pick in the first round pick, the M’s selected Philipee Aumont, an 18-year-old 6′7 RHP from Quebec. Here’s a video of Aumont from the MLB Scouting Bureau, and there’s a brief scouting report on him from the MLB.com draft tracker page.
He throws a 90-94 MPH fastball that has popped 96 at times, but unlike most prep pitchers, he already has a feel for the two-seam fastball and throws it with heavy sink. Pitching from a downward plane and pounding the bottom half of the strike zone, he’s got all the makings of being an extreme groundball pitcher, and you know how I love groundball pitchers. He also throws a slider and has toyed with a change-up, but both pitches are very raw and he doesn’t command either one particularly well. However, the slider has flashed good movement at times and has the potential to become an out-pitch with more work.
Aumont is extremely inexperienced, as he didn’t have a high school team to pitch for in Quebec. He traveled to showcases in the U.S. to pitch in front of scouts, and the M’s made sure to put a pair of eyes on him everytime they could. They saw Aumont more than any other team, logging tens of thousands of miles to watch him pitch at different events. In the end, they all fell in love. He was rated as the top prep pitching prospect on their board, even ahead of consensus #1 arm Rick Porcello. The team believes he has more upside than any pitcher in the draft due to his projectable frame and feel for the sinker at such a young age.
The popular comparison in recent weeks has been Kevin Brown, though that’s obviously a best case scenario, and putting those kind of expectations on any 18-year-old kid is unfair. However, as a perfect world comparison, it has some merit. That’s the kind of pitcher the M’s would love to see Aumont develop into. By request, here’s three potential career paths for Aumont (ignoring the injury and flameout possibility, which is there for every pitcher), based on his skillset and the careers of similar types of pitchers in the past:
Low End Upside: Aaron Cook, Jason Marquis
Middle Upside: Derek Lowe, Brad Penny
High Upside: Kevin Brown, Chris Carpenter
If you can’t tell, I love this pick. This is the guy I wanted all along, so if my opinion is worth anything (and that’s obviously up to you), then there’s reason for optimism. It was a stretch that he’d fall to #11, but when he did, the M’s had to abandon their pick-for-now philosophy and take the best arm on the board, and that was clearly Philippe Aumont. Welcome to Seattle, kid. We’re glad to have you.
Comments
USSM uses and recommends
If the M’s had Dominguez rated higher on their board, why did they take Aumont? Or, was Aumont higher all along?
In your expert opinion when do you see him ready for the big leagues and he should be groomed as a starter, right? I only ask because I swore Morrow would be groomed as starter when he was drafted.
Man, Dominguez looks like a tough guy to pass up but Aumont is a huge opportunity and it’ll be fun to watch him move through the system. Drafts energize my interest in the Mariners every year and it’s pretty cool to watch it on tv. Bud is good for some things.
Strikeouts plus groundballs equals Felix.
Well, that’s what’s awesome about Felix, anyway. Somebody’s going to draw the comparison, so it might as well be me. How does Aumont stack up against The King?
That’s what I’m wondering too.
From what I’ve read they’re both fairly high reward picks, but a college 3rd baseman is much lower risk than a High School Pitcher.
Is Aumont’s ceiling MASSIVELY higher? Or is Dominguez upside just lower than I thought.
Aumont’s mechanics remind me of Randy Johnson after he figured out how to make his delivery smoother.
They probably didn’t have Dominguez higher on their board. That was my interpretation of what I thought their board looked like, based on the conversations I’d had with people in the room. No one would come out and say “this is who we have in this slot”, so I was piecing it together.
They really liked Dominguez, and they really liked Aumont. Like I said in the post, the names mattered a lot more than the slots.
Aumont’s just 18 and pretty raw (he didn’t have a HS team, and just pitched in showcases for scouts), so he’s 3-4 years from the majors at least. He’ll be groomed as a starter.
Well there’s no need to rush him to the majors. Weaver doesn’t pitch until Saturday so he can have all of tomorrow to meet the guys, try on his uni, pet the moose…
Not a great interviewee, but maybe he can get a locker next to Ichiro in the future.
It was nice to see them get an arm to develop. ESPN even called him possibly the best pitcher in the draft if you consider upside.
Hmm, an inexperienced High Schooler vs the most talented pitching prospect to hit the majors in over 20 years.
I’m thinking it doesn’t look great for Aumont.
Dominguez is a HS player, not a college guy. And yes, I’d say Aumont’s ceiling is quite a bit higher. The chic comparison among scouts who like him is Kevin Brown.
And he’s not Felix. No one’s Felix. Aumont doesn’t have a breaking ball, a change-up, and he can’t touch 98 with a four-seamer. He’s nowhere near Felix.
But no one is.
I’m fine with either/or, I just would have been disappointed if they did something else with the pick. You can’t have both, and with pitching so hard to come by, I like it.
As much as I’d love to have another Felix in the organization, I’ll certainly take Kevin Brown. Kevin Brown was a top pitcher in the majors for several years.
Kevin Brown is a borderline hall of famer and one of the most underrated pitchers of this generation.
He’s the epitome of how awesome groundballs and strikeouts can be, even if you can’t always throw strikes. And then, if you figure it out later in your career, you can be the best pitcher on the planet.
Yea, that was one of the worst interviews I’ve seen outside of the NBA Draft. Still, you have to love the M’s taking a pitcher with so much potential.
I would have loved a hitter… but I’m almost as happy seeing the team take the long term approach than going for the quick fix now.
Of course, this probably means the M’s will give Aumont a bullpen job coming out of spring training in 2008, but hey…
Durr, thanks for the correction.
Dave – can you give us a low/med/high comp. for Aumont?
Is there a projection on his time frame? Also, do we know how often he was pitching since he had no high school team? I could see a very quick jump for him in ability going from a exhibition game pitcher to a minor league system. Not a jump to the majors, just in consistency and his secondary pitches.
What time of the day will M’s next pick happen?
Conor – good idea. I’ll work that into the long write-up for tonight.
Kevin Brown is certainly the high, though.
I love this pick for the Mariners. He has a ton of potential.
The 52nd pick should occur between 2:30-3:00 pacific time.
bon jour, Phillipe!
I can sure live with an incipient Kevin Brown, esp. if you can get the non-crabby version.
Dave – I know it’s early, but what would the Future Forty numbers look like for Aumont?
Also, he’s got virtually no stats because he didn’t play high school ball. Were the M’s able to scout him against good hitters?
Would have been nice getting someone who could hit the bigs in 2 years… but with Phillipe still available, great pick!
I’d be very happy if he becomes another Kevin Brown.
Kevin Brown is the first player I thought of when I watched Aumont’s mlb.com video. It was his wide shoulders… funny that they both are sinkerballers
Bienvenue!
Hopefully this works out better than that last tall righty we chose. Let’s call this one “peu d’unité”!
Aumont’s going to get similar ratings to Tillman and Butler on the Future Forty.
And yes, the M’s worked their tails off scouting Aumont. He pitched at a lot of showcases events in the past year, often against top prospect hitters and first day draft picks. High school stats are worthless, so the lack of them doesn’t concern me at all.
Good to know he pitched against a decent amount of top prospects. Makes me feel even more excited about this pick!
Phillipe and Felix potentinally going 1-2 in the rotation in 2009-2010!?!?
Wow, this could be really fun!!!!!
Great pick.
The future rotation looks pretty good right now with Morrow, Frierabend, Phillipe (in middile of ‘09), and Felix.
Now later on when Washburn is no longer useful to us, we’ll need to go out and get that 2nd solid leftie we can feel good about in the rotation. I sure as heck know that 2nd leftie won’t be Horatio.
Philippe Aumont is 18. He won’t be in the majors in 2009. You should be thrilled if he’s there in 2011.
it’s only 2007 folks. The kid’s 18. We’ll be lucky to see him in Seattle before 2011.
#32: Phillipe and Felix potentinally going 1-2 in the rotation in 2009-2010!?!?
Aumont is not going to be in the rotation in 2010, even with the Mariners’ “fast-track” philosophy. Not even Felix moved that quickly.
It’s hard to judge someone from a distance. I watched the video clip of him on MLB.com. I like his size and the consisten velocity on the pitches (unteachable things). He seemed a bit wild and also seemed to keep his front leg closed too much (things that can be corrected). Good pick. It will take a few years of polishing before we see him with the M’s.
Question – has there been any research to find out if college or HS pitchers perform better from a durability perspective?
I’d wonder if HS pitchers don’t perform slightly better due to the club having control over their workload & fitness regimen from ages 18-22 but I don’t think I’ve seen anything on that.
Did the M’s get comp for Gil Meche leaving? is that the 52nd pick?
Does Aumont follow the Butler/Tillman track (assuming he signs soon): Arizona/Everett this year and low A ball next year?
Did the M’s get comp for Gil Meche leaving? is that the 52nd pick?
Yes; Meche was a B player.
…tears of joy…
Hopefully Aumont’s going to be there along with a couple of the other picks, I already am planning to go to 10 of Everett’s games.
He shouldn’t be hard to spot. He’s a bloody big kid.
So Aumont’s low upside is a #3-4 starter?
I’ll take two, please. In 2011, Felix and Aumont and pray for… guillemots?
You won’t get any complaints out of me here. I’m looking forward to heading out to Everett and seeing what Aumont and our other draftees can do.
I’ll try to head up and catch as many Aumont Days as I can.
Yea, basically. If he makes it, he’s not going to suck. He’s either going to get hurt or flameout in the minors or be a pretty good major league pitcher. His frame and command of the two-seam make him a lock as a 50%+ GB guy, and he could easily be more like a 60%+ guy. And, well, try finding a major league pitcher who gets groundballs on 60% of his balls in play and isn’t effective.
So Aumont’s low upside is a #3-4 starter?
As opposed to Schmidt’s CEILING being a 3-4 starter. Heh.
So does it look like Hagadone could be the pick at 52? That’s where my money is at…
Dave, you say that Aumont is going to get similar numbers to Tillman/Butler on the Future 40, yet you seem MUCH higher on Aumont than you were the HS duo after the draft last year. Are last year’s kid’s significantly better than they looked going into the draft, or is this year’s draft so bad that the best case scenario #11 pick is only comparable to last year’s 2nd and 3rd rounders?
Hagadone or Doolittle, most likely. There aren’t many other teams being tied to either player (the Cubs are a possibility for Doolittle at #48), and the M’s have been on both guys pretty hard lately.
What was with all the cryptic stuff about Aumont’s past? Any insights into this?
Dave, you say that Aumont is going to get similar numbers to Tillman/Butler on the Future 40, yet you seem MUCH higher on Aumont than you were the HS duo after the draft last year.
I know a lot more about Aumont now than I did about Tillman/Butler last year. I’m significantly higher on both those guys now than I was on draft day.
What was with all the cryptic stuff about Aumont’s past? Any insights into this?
He won’t even talk to his advisor about it. Clearly, there’s some history he’d rather leave buried, and I’m not going to spend any time digging it up.
Porcello to the Tigers.
They’ve got some very good young arms…
As opposed to Schmidt’s CEILING being a 3-4 starter. Heh.
The difference being that Schmidt will be a #4 starter as early as the second half of 2008 while Aumont might see ML batters in 2010 if he really pushes things.
And that’s why I’m surprised that Bavasi/Fontaine went to Aumont. But as I think about it, I guess they’ve always been “ceiling” guys, gambling on them especially in trades (see Foppert, Bazardo, HoRam). Of course they weren’t going to pass up a high ceiling guy in the name of winning right now.
Of course they weren’t going to pass up a high ceiling guy in the name of winning right now.
They would have had Moskos or Weathers been on the board. Essentially, what it came down to is that no one in the organization really loved Nick Schmidt, and lots of guys loved Aumont, and the difference in ceiling was so overwhelming that it was a pretty easy pick.
If one of the harder throwing college guys had been there, they’d have gone win-now.
I love babelfish.
“It has the body of a 28 year old guy, the head of guy a 18 year old and lived of baseball of young person a 14 year old”, illustrates Sylvain Saindon, person in charge for the development of the players with Baseball Quebec. “It was put at baseball on late, with the result that it has a new arm. It is a large asset because the athletes who have a physique of “large whip” often develop problems at the articular level.”
Dave, excellent coverage. Thanks we couldn’t ask for a better guide to the draft. Do you have any nuggets that may be available later in the draft that the M’s might take?
Good for the mariners. This pick make’s me happy.
We have some good young players in the organization and I think the future actually looks bright for our ball club. We have alot of good young pitchers with felix, morrow, lowe ect… add Aumont for the future.
Im Love this pick. Can’t wait for the #52 pick.
If they’re on the board in 25 picks, when the M’s are up next, look for UW LHP Nick Hagadone or Virgina 1B Sean Doolittle to be the pick. Both are low-risk guys who could get to the majors quickly.
The difference being that Schmidt will be a #4 starter as early as the second half of 2008 while Aumont might see ML batters in 2010 if he really pushes things.
But, #4 starters are not that hard to find, so why use the 11 pick on what amounts to a replacement player when high-ceiling talents like Aumont, Harvey, or Mills are available?
I’m calling Harvey to the Yanks at 30…
60, #4 starters SHOULDN”T be that hard to find.
For us they can be, though.
Of course, I much prefer this pick
John Sickels ranked Aumont as the 11th best pitching prospect in the draft. Nuts to him!
Dave, with four #2 caliber starters (if Morrow ever gets moved back to the rotation) and Triunfel added in the last 12 months, is this the best calendar year for young talent acquisition you can remember the M’s having? Maybe it’s just the increased accessibility to information, but I can’t remember adding 5 kids I like this much in any 3 year period, let alone two drafts and a free agent signing period.
some biographical info here, and here
I really think Jim Callis is about to fall asleep while he’s talking.
Brackman to the Yanks!
I think it is a little premature to label any of Morrow, Tillman, or Butler as “#2 caliber starters.” While I like Butler, he is getting shelled in low A ball right now. And Tillman isn’t performing too well since being promoted. Could they possibly be #2 quality starters? Yes. What are the chances of Butler/Tillman becoming #2 quality starters in reality. Probably about 30% for each.
Not a great interviewee, but maybe he can get a locker next to Ichiro in the future.
The dude doesn’t speak English. I thought he handled that interview pretty well.
67 – context.
Of course Tillman and Butler are getting shelled. Anyone who expected any different doesn’t understand the dynamics of the leagues they are playing in.
Plus, Dave thinks Butler is hurt.
He’s have had a better answer if they led off with….what did you think about Ottowa getting bounced in five games last night in the Stanley Cup Finals?
69 — Context obviously must be considered, but my point is that you simply cannot say they are #2 caliber starters at this point. They aren’t. They have a chance to be, but, realistically, it is a pretty small chance.
As USSM coined the moniker “King Felix,” can “Prince Phillippe” be far behind?
Good call Pete
If they stay healthy it is not that small of a chance.
I just know that if we pick Doolittle he’s going to be scrappy and useless like Willie.
61 – It’s not that the M’s can’t find solid 4/5 starters, it’s that they can’t find solid top of the rotation pitchers. Batista, Washburn, Baek, Feir, HoRam are all end of the rotation pitchers that the M’s try to bondo into holes in the rotation. I didn’t mention Weaver cause he’s not a starter, maybe not even a pitcher, he’s “the other teams batting practice dummy”.
Anyways, after Aumont, does anybody have any wishes for the 52nd pick, I personally like Hagadone, gotta root for my Huskies when I can.
69. And what are those dynamics, dnc? Actually not snarking: I’m genuinely curious.
77 – Both are crazy young for the leagues they play in.
Hope that helps.
“The dude doesn’t speak English. I thought he handled that interview pretty well.”
*Joh runs down to the bookstore for a copy of ‘Learn French in Your Spare Time’*
Yes, I think Joh will still be behind the plate in five years. We know how much the M’s love that gritty veteran presence!
As USSM coined the moniker “King Felix,” can “Prince Phillippe” be far behind?
Seems a little fruity to me…
Matt Harvey is still on the board…
Just as an FYI from the Ottowa Sun:
http://ottsun.canoe.ca/Sports/Baseball/2007/06/02/4227917-sun.html
[quote]A good kid and a great pitcher, Aumont has turned his life around. From a punk kid who was heading in the wrong direction to a level-headed 18-year-old right-handed pitcher who’s on the verge of a major-league payday.
Since 2003, Aumont has been living with a couple — Stephane Petronzio and his wife, Sylvie Hughes — in a small bungalow in Gatineau.
Five years ago, Aumont, who comes from a broken home, decided to leave the nest, where his life had not been a bed of roses.
“I was in a ghetto, almost,” says Aumont, a sombre look on his face. “The decisions that were made regarding my life were often bad ones. If I hadn’t gotten out, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Raised in a poor neighbourhood, Aumont almost fell off the rails a few times.
“I took soft drugs and then I was involved in some small-time robberies,” he says candidly. “I was on the wrong track. Two or three of my chums from back then became vegetables because of drugs. Others are totally lost.
“I wanted a better life. I wanted a future. At one point, I had the willpower to say no.”[/quote]
Smoker seems like a great pick at 31. He must have signability concerns?
Gonzaga Bulldog has been drafted! Jason Bay and now this….
No more small bungalow for Aumont.
Okay, so Aumont lives in Gatineau now. Do we actually know where he’s from? His English isn’t as good as I would have expected from a resident of Gatineau (which is basically Ottawa).
How about Roi Philippe?
Through 40 picks, Harvey is still on the board.
If he’s there at 52, is it worth it to take him and at least try and sign him? Is the upside worth possibly making an empty pick?
I’m for it, although I doubt ownership is. Never mind.
The M’s aren’t going to take someone they can’t sign, and they can’t sign Harvey.
At least Sean Doolittle is off the board. To the A’s.
Dave, do you like Hagadone?
That leaves Nick Hagadone as the likely M’s pick at #52.
87 – I think he’d definitely be worth the risk, but the issue is whether the M’s are willing to break slot. As Dave has detailed, that’s almost a guaranteed negative. The last time we did that was with Matt Tuiasosopo, and that was at least defensible (local kid, we didn’t have a pick in the first three rounds). I can’t see the M’s sticking it to Selig by snagging Harvey in this draft.
Would be awesome if they did.
88 – Dave, can’t or wont?
If they’re willing to turn him into a starter, yes. I’m still not a big fan of drafting relievers this high, but a lot of people think Hagadone could start.
Can’t. Ownership won’t give them permission to go way over slot.
What’s Hagadone’s stuff like Dave? I realize that it would take a hit if he’s converted into a starter?
Wouldn’t it be Phillipe Roi? Doolittle is off the board, to Oakland, so no lefty help for the lineup at #52.
Hagadone was 89-94 this year after moving back to the bullpen with an above average slider. In the rotation, he’d be 86-90 most likely.
Where can I find a flat file list of draft picks? MLB’s draft tracker isn’t working on my computer. Please help, the mariners don’t play today and I need my baseball fix.
The M’s aren’t going to take someone they can’t sign, and they can’t sign Harvey.
Don’t rain on this parade, Dave. I’m strangely optimistic after the Aumont pick. Good vibes!!
Baseball America has a round-by-round database that is updated after every pick.
Dave,
If you have time I’d love to hear, in your opinion, in the M’s draft the past 5-6 years, who has turned into the biggest surpise (meaning, they looked like absolutely nothing special & turned out much better) and who has disappointed you the most (not taking into account injuries).
99 – There is a low bandwidth draft tracker at mlb.com. It’s where the list of draftable players was before the draft.
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/draft/y2007/drafttracker.jsp
The fancy flash tracker didn’t work for either (it’s the first native flash 9 app I’ve seen anywhere).
Dave, Michael Burgess is still available, as is Matt Mangini. Have you heard M’s people say ANYTHING about those two?
Putz has to be the biggest surprise, I’d think. 6th round pick, fringy starter in the minors, turned dominant relief ace.
Mon Francais est mauvais.
However, i believe we could use the french word and the English word order and create Roi Philippe. Plus it will sound like Patrick Roy and he was quite the winner in hockey.
Nevermind, there goes Burgess…
Dave, Corey Brown is still out there. Power lefty bat from college with good plate discipline and strikeout issues. Goldstein had his as the 21st best player in the draft. Is this someone who the M’s have scouted? Seems like a good value.
Schilling has a no-no through 8. He’d be perfect but for a Lugo error.
Everything I’ve heard about this coming pick is Hagadone and Doolittle, who went to Oakland. Beyond that, I’ve got nothing.
This was a pretty good interview with Aumont:
http://baseballanalysts.com/archives/2007/06/2007_draft_spot_1.php
Is it me or is it a little shortsighted to shell out $65 kajillion to the likes of Weaver & Batista but then to take a hard stand not to go over slot in the draft?
How much leverage does Selig actually have?
Mangini!!
Well, Conor’s going to be stoked – he loved Matt Mangini.
Do we know anything about Mangini?
What’s your prognosis on Mangini, Dave?
Basic overview of Mangini:
Good glove, decent contact hitter, just okay power, had a down year after being projected as a first round pick.
Similar skillset to David Bell.
Great pick. I couldn’t be happier with these two picks.
Dave & Evan, Thank you.
David Bell?
Bell’s probably a little on the pessimistic side. Maybe Casey Blake is more like it.
Very little star potential, but should be a major leaguer.
In other news, Schilling lost the no-hitter on the last out…
And David Bell was the M’s third baseman in 2001 if I am not mistaken.
When do the nepotism draftees come around?
Dave, had you heard about the M’s having interest in Mangini? It seems they are being a little more flexible in their picks than we had anticipated.
“Bell’s probably a little on the pessimistic side. Maybe Casey Blake is more like it. ”
A left handed hitting Casey Blake. Look on the bright side. At least they drafted a left handed bat early on. ;o)
To be honest, I spent very little time talking to people about picks beyond the first round. Down here, it’s basically just picking the top guys left on the board and taking recommendations from scouts in the room.
So, I’m out of inside info – I spent all my time picking up stuff about the top pick.
Yea, I’m not trying to diss Mangini. There’s value in having a left-handed hitting Casey Blake, especially considering how low the M’s are on good lefty bats in the organization.
“Very little star potential, but should be a major leaguer.”
For a second round pick? That’s quite all right. I like it. Especially if he can move through the system pretty quickly. (College hitter, mlb.com says “polished approach”; not an unreasonable expectation.)
Oh, and uh, “Left-handed bat,” and “Safeco Field” work well together. I like it.
Mangini was highly-rated coming into the season. If he’s still got the potential scouts saw last year, it’s worth finding out.
Hagadone to the Red Sox. I will be so bummed if he becomes a star for the Sawks.
Okay, just got a text message from a scout friend.
“Mangini – Xavier Nady from the left side.”
Sounds about right to me. Nady actually had a very similar college career, as he was very highly ranked after his sophomore year but then slid in the draft after a bad junior year.
This is going way better than expected. Indeed, I am a happy camper right now!
133 – why are you so high on Mangini, Conor?
Who the hell is Trystan Magnuson? MLB doesn’t even have a scouting report for him.
That’s not bad Dave – Nady’s putting together a nice season for the Pirates, after being all over the place as a prospect.
Mangini led the Cape Cod league last summer with a .310 average – very impressive for a college player hitting with wood. He hit .343/.409/.531 for North Carolina State as a sophomore before transferring to Oklahoma State for his junior year. The switch to the Big 12 didn’t seem to phase him, as he hit .343/.444/.548 for the Cowboys this season. I haven’t seen him play in person, but I’ve read everything I could on him and I’ve watched his scouting video about 20 times. He has a great, athletic body at 6′4″, 220 and a lefty bat that will play nicely at Safeco. While I don’t like how he side-saddles a lot of groundballs, I love how smooth and easy his swing looks.
He has a smooth, easy swing?
Like Greg Dobbs?
Apparently scouts like his swing better when he’s hitting with a wood bat.
I don’t know if I’d call Dobbs’ swing smooth and easy.
140 – whoosh
Bryan Smith from Baseball Prospectus compared Aumont to Rick Sutcliffe. Would that be an accurate comparison?
I think I like Dave’s comparison to Kevin Brown more.
78. Ah, thanks, dnc. I agree, Tillman and Butler are a bit over their heads right now, but, for all their struggles and room for improvement, have shown quite a bit.
I just hope Butler’s gonna be alright: I admit I’m not privy to the details on what’s ailing him, but IMO they should probably sit him for a start or two and let him recover a bit, mentally if not physically.
Wow. Looks like Matt Harvey is going to college…
Now it’s time to start praying for Nevin Griffith!
Someone will take Harvey in the 10-15th round as insurance in case their top pick doesn’t sign. But yea, Harvey’s probably going to UNC.
Alright, so are we going BPA from this point forward?
I don’t see it as anything but a good thing that the guys you thought the M’s would take are going to other solid organizations (A’s and Red Sox)… Am I wrong in this assesment?
We’ve said for years that the best part of the Bavasi administration is the amateur scouting staff, especially Fontaine. It’s no surprise that we thinks he’s really good at his job, and the M’s have drafted well in his tenure.
Denny Almonte — what’s the word?
Okay, just so everyone knows – the M’s DID NOT just draft former Little League cheater Danny Almonte.
This is Denny Almonte. Center fielder, runs like the wind, but raw as raw can be.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=7
Here’s a note from BA’s Alan Matthews from a tournament a few months ago, where Almonte was playing here in North Carolina:
Is there any other reason that baseball teams don’t trade draft picks besides the low percentage of success for players to get to the majors?
Sweet! I get to see Mangini up close and personal tomorrow when he takes on my Louisville Cardinals in the Super Regionals.
http://blogs.pcworld.com/digitalworld/archives/2007/06/sling_hooks_up.html
Sling Hooks Up with NHL, Riles MLB
When it comes to tech, is hockey more progressive than baseball? If you look at the actions of the NHL versus those of MLB, it would seem so.
The NHL has joined with Sling Media to enable users to post hockey clips online. The Slingbox allows you to stream content from a TV, DVR, or other set-top box to a computer and even certain cell phones, whether they’re in the house or on the other side of the world. This summer, the company is planning to launch its new Clip+Sling service, which makes it easy to clip segments from those videos and upload them to Sling’s Website. The NHL has rubber-stamped the service by not only allowing users to record hockey clips, but contributing its own content to the service.
Meanwhile, MLB Advanced Media has expressed concern that users will stream home games to themselves while they’re on the road (which interferes with their own online offerings). The group claims that the Slingbox allows for the “redistribution of content without MLB’s express written consent,” though it has, thus far, stopped short of filing any legal action. Still, it doesn’t look like they’ll be ready to play ball with Sling anytime soon.
I’m not in love with the Almonte pick, but it’s not horrible. Obviously he has tools and I trust Fontaine & Co. Dave – any idea if he’s a legit switch hitter?
As a side note: The A’s are loading up. Also – whoever drafts Nevin Griffith is getting a steal.
Is there any other reason that baseball teams don’t trade draft picks besides the low percentage of success for players to get to the majors?
The league is concerned that big market teams would simply buy up the top picks from small market teams.
Thanks for clarifying. Surely DANNY Almonte is now old enough to have retired from the major leagues.
Thanks Dave, will these draft picks be added to the Future Forty soon or are you going to wait till they get some time in the minor leagues?
I have never followed a baseball draft before and must say it is a lot more exciting then I thought it would be.
Where’d everybody go? The M’s are picking shortly in the 3rd round. I hope they take another bat.
Wouldn’t surprise me if the M’s picked Greg Peavey here.
How long does the draft go tonight? Has it stopped now?
It’s only the third round – it’s still going on.
carrol… any thoughts?
Because of the TV thing, they’re only in the third round. I think they said it was going to go until about 8:30 or 9 (Eastern), which only leaves another hour or two. That means they’ll have, what, 45 rounds to do tomorrow? MLB officials insisted the draft wouldn’t carry over into Saturday, but it might…
I just wondered because the Baseball America draft tracker hasn’t updated since the 4th pick of the 3rd round. Would someone mind posting the picks that have occured since then?
The televised round was REALLY slow. Tomorrow’s should fly by.
And, with the change in the draft-and-follow rules, you might see most teams drop out by round 30.
MarinderDan – MLB has a low-bandwidth tracker that might work for you – I’ve been using it.
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/draft/y2007/drafttracker.jsp
If not, I’ll certainly post the picks you’ve missed.
Another OF, Daniel Carroll.
Just looking at his high school stat page I am not impressed but I am sure there is a lot more to him then a stat page.
Huh? We drafted Scott Carroll – a RHP for Missouri State
D’oh – my bad. Haha – the back to back Carrolls threw me off!
Any reason for the last two picks on what appears to be above average athletic OF’s?
I don’t think it was a case of them being the best prospects left.
Anyone know anything about Daniel Carroll? I hadn’t heard his name before.
http://hsi.pe.com/schools/morenovalleyvalleyview/stories/PE_Sports_Local_D_hs_baseball_03.3e99b89.html
He appears to be quite the athlete. A speedster with an arm, if this story can be trusted.
All I can find is a high school stat page and a few California all star invitational rosters that he is on.
He usually lays off borderline pitches and likes to work deep into counts. He has drawn five walks and been hit by six pitches in 32 at-bats this year.
Last season, he drew 21 walks and was hit by 10 pitches in 67 at-bats, while batting .418.
At least that’s promising.
I will have to look for him at Spring Training next year.
Very good news.
Sounds like he might head off to college. He said it would depend on how high he went in the draft.
Third round isn’t bad.
True. He looks like quite an athelete. Check out those guns in the story B_Con linked to!
We just drafted a RHP who’s scouting report has this listed as strengths. “There weren’t any to speak of from this start.”
Subpar was used to describe multiple pitches.
Nolan Gallagher? Pass…
from mlb.com. Many thought Gallagher was a pitcher who could take a large leap forward this year as Stanford’s Friday starter. Instead, he suffered through a season where he finished with an ERA over seven and lost his starting role.
That reminds me of the pick of Ricky Orta last year from Miami — I read the scouting report and thought, why on earth would we pick him? Then I saw how he has performed this year and I still have that same question in my mind.
Except Orta has a good fastball and only posted an ERA of 4-something. Gallagher is a soft-tossing righty with bad mechanics and an ERA of 7.27 over 64 innings in the Pac-10.
On his MiLB scouting report – Weakness: Confindence…
not exactly a recipe for success!
Actually his mechanics look pretty good – the tangent took over.
Not sure you are going to find any good scouting reports on any of the guys left, but its hard to believe that a RHP with a 90MPH fastball and no other pitches is the best guy left.
The scouting video makes me think of Jeff Weaver for some reason. Thats never a good thing.
We need longshots to take the place of the longshots of yore that didn’t pan out? I don’t yet fully comprehend the mysteries that are the later rounds of the MLB draft.
Actually, Orta’s ERA at Miami in 2006 was 6.18 and he gave up 58 hits in 51 innings. So, my point stands — Orta’s numbers were horrible and the pick made no sense.
Brad Mills, just take by the Jays sounds like a better pick.
“Mills’ best weapons are a plus curve and a very good changeup.” Not good control on the fastball, but better then a guy with no pitches.
The Angels took Matt Harvey. I hope they don’t sign him…
I’ll bet the guys in the Ms’ scouting department had NO CLUE Ricky Orta sported a 6.18 ERA. There’s no way they saw something they liked in the guy, or saw some kind of hitch they thought was fixable. They probably just threw darts at a board or something.
Bob Fontaine’s good at his job and deserves the benefit of the doubt. If he thought Orta was worth a 4th-round selection and a 6-figure bonus, at the very least, he’s probably an interesting talent, poor college ERA or no.
Orta does have 18 K’s in 18 innings with a .230 ba against this year…not the worst stats that I have laid eyes on.
The worse stats? No.
But are they bad for a college pitcher in low-A? Yes.
A 5.00 ERA and 11 walks in 18 innings sucks.
The M’s take Joseph Dunnigan, CF from Oklahoma at pick 165. Any word on this guy?
Any idea what is with all the CF’s? Have the M’s said anything about looking for them?
CF’s are often the best talent among position players on their teams in HS. Don’t know how true this is in college.
CF’s and Shortstops are usually the most athletic and therefore can be moved to other positions in the outfield and infield respectively.
Dunnigan doesn’t look to bad from the scouting video. Left handed hitter, looks a little portly for CF but could still have the speed. Uses the opposite field in the video.
Kevin Goldstein at BP likes the pick and calls him one of the best athletes in the draft and says that, though raw, he has a higher ceiling than a typical 5th rounder.
Don’t know why he was labeled a center fielder, his Oklahoma bio says he split time between left and right, which is much more in line with his build.
From SoonerSports.com
“2007 [JUNIOR]:
All-Big 12 honorable mention by the league’s coaches … Named First Team All-Big by the Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star Telegram and Austin American Statesman … Started all but one game for Oklahoma, with 29 starts in left field and 27 in right … Enjoyed his best season as a Sooner as the team’s batting champion with a .352 clip … Also led the the team with 11 home runs, 54 RBIs, 128 total bases, 29 walks and a .584 slugging percentage … Led OU with 25 multi-hit games and ranked second with 12 multi-RBI games … Finished the year on a career-high, 15-game hitting streak … At the end of the regular season, he ranked in the top 10 of eight different offensive categories … Tied a career high with five RBIs against Missouri on May 13 … Hit .357 with six RBIs in the series against the Tigers … Drove in seven runs and was 7-for-11 at the plate in three-game series against Texas A&M … Hit a walk-off home run against Texas Tech on May 19 in the bottom of the tenth inning … Hit .384 with seven homers and 24 RBIs in 26 Big 12 games.”
Boomer! Sooner!
As USSM coined the moniker “King Felix,” can “Prince Phillippe” be far behind?
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Once he gets to AAA (and assuming he’s still in the M’s organization), then you can start talking about a nickname. And if he really lives up to everybody’s fervid hopes, I’d suggest “Dauphin” — though that’s probably too literary/foreign/obscure to stick.
Also, I was going to make a joke about his past experience pitching in the Quebec Penal League, but it turns out that’s a little too close to reality.
I don’t see how “Dauphin” is literary… it’s historical.
Le Aumont!
True, it’s historical, but I usually think of the title in the context of Shakespeare’s ‘Henry V’ so…
208, that’d be l’Aumont
Besides, there already is a Prince – Prince Fielder.
(I’d make a joke about there being a queen in Oakland, but one of the mods would remove it.)
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
And for those that need a reminder, ten years ago this week the M’s took a tall, hard-throwing high school pitcher as their first pick. And there were a lot of expectations for him. Hell of a fastball. Perfect companion to our uber-pitcher of the time, Randy Johnson.
He’s in culinary school now.
Let’s hope beyond hope that Aumont isn’t another Ryan Anderson, but we must remember that for every superstar pitching prospect there’s a superstar pitching prospect whose elbow or shoulder derailed his dream.
Don’t count your Dauphins before they make their major league debut.
or Burke’s Reflections on the French Revolution.
Nobody seems to have referenced this before, but the Aumont pick gets a great write up from Keith Law at ESPN:
“At 6-foot-6, Aumont is an imposing pitcher. At the same time, though, he is an excellent athlete who is still very crude as a pitcher, but he has the velocity and sink you don’t see very often. I had him going as high as No. 5 to the Orioles, so this is outstanding value for the Mariners. ”
http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/draft2007/insider/news/story?id=2896488&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fmlb%2fdraft2007%2finsider%2fnews%2fstory%3fid%3d2896488
Well, if Phillipe turns into a strikeout pitcher, we can say he “sacrebleu them down!”.
Don’t forget we have Princess Willie, too.
#212: Ryan Anderson, aka “The Little Unit”, actually did cross my mind a little bit today. Of course that’s a little bit of a different scenario because under Lou we had mostly veteran teams and also injuries caught up to poor kid. Mainly it was the injuries that did him in.
Quit honestly for Aumont, and any pitcher for that matter, turning into a successful Major League pitcher requires time, patience, receptiveness to learning, health, being able to accept failure early on, and a little bit of luck. And even if the pitcher does everything right in the minors, there’s still the matter of pitching well enough to stay in the big leagues.
Certainly I think he has all the talent in the world to be a TOR pitcher and the scouts really had him as a can’t miss in the Top 10. He’ll just need some polishing in the minor leagues.
My hope is he’ll be ready by the middle of ‘09 (2 years) or the beginning of 2010 (2.5 years) to join our pitching staff because of that lively arm of his, but if it takes a little bit longer (like until 2011, 3.5-4 years from now), I can live with it. Just as long as he has the attitude to go along with the talent to succeed in the big leagues, which is something a certain guy on our club named Weaver lacks completely as shown by taking $8.3 million this year to not play for the Seattle Mariners, but to play strictly for Jeff Weaver getting an even more absurd multi-million, multi-year deal later.
#217: Well, at least SOME of the scouts had him as a can’t miss in the Top 10.
Dolphin?
I’m all over Dauphin. That’s a great nickname.
for every superstar pitching prospect there’s a superstar pitching prospect whose elbow or shoulder derailed his dream.
I’d say it’s more like for every “superstar” pitching prospect there’s five or six superstar pitching prospects who don’t make it for one reason or another — injury most obviously, but lots of other factors can derail a promising career.
My hope is he’ll be ready by the middle of ‘09 (2 years) or the beginning of 2010 (2.5 years) to join our pitching staff because of that lively arm of his
Ok, everybody needs to just turn it down a couple of notches. I understand: we all hope the M’s have found a diamond in rough, and we’re all desperate to see the team improve today, or at least soon. But the one doesn’t solve the other. The dude is 18. Two years from now he’ll be 20. Remember what a big deal it was for Felix to be pitching before his 21st birthday? This guy isn’t Felix. (And yeah, Felix debuted before 20. He’s still not Felix). Sure there are HS pitchers who reached the majors at 20 and have seen success — Bonderman, Sabathia, Suppan. But the last guy before Felix to debut for the M’s at age 20? Gil Meche. People thought he had #1 starter stuff too (and before his surgeries, maybe he did). Things happen. Just ask Kerry Wood or Rick Ankiel or Matt Riley. And Aumont is raw. He needs more than just “some polishing.” He’s got a lot of potential, but he has to learn how to throw something other than fastballs — and that’s how guys get hurt. Sure, he may sail through it, picking up pitches and staying healthy, but that’s an awful lot to assume — even if it wasn’t with the M’s, whose track record with injuries in young pitchers doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence.
And let’s suppose everyone’s wildest dreams come true, and he turns out to be the second coming of Randy Johnson. Even Randy Johnson wasn’t Randy Johnson for his first couple of years in the bigs.
I hope he turns out to be everything everyone hopes him to be, but projecting out and talking about the year he arrives (what’s the rest of the team going to look like then? Who will be managing, or coaching, or even owning it?) just gets a little silly.
A little more from the TO Sun:
Maybe they can pay part of his signing bonus in video games. “Welcome to the Mariners! Here, have a Wii.”
OK, I’m late to the party–I’ve been out of the loop the last couple days–but to me, as draft news goes, this is right up there with the Sonics landing the #2 pick (those who are basketball fans will understand). I’m with Dave–for the first time in quite a while, the M’s took the guy I wanted–really, the guy I would have wanted even if we’d been picking higher. Yeah, he’s a HS pitcher, so it’s a long road, but this is a guy more than worth the risk. I can’t help hoping, just a little, that we’ll get to see Aumont and Butler in the same rotation in five years or so.
phill is an awesome pitcher I seen him play when he was in gatineau (QC)he as the potential to do great things I knew out off all my friends playing baseball he would be the one to take to the next level and i proud of him makin it but also a little jealous because it was always been my dream also anyways best of luck phillipe hope to play against you when day sincerly yours victor gagnon !!!