Welcome to the M’s Organization, Nick Neidert and Andrew Moore
The M’s had two selections in today’s first phase of the Rule 4 amateur draft. They’d forfeited their first-rounder when they signed Nelson Cruz, so the M’s had to wait until pick 60 to tab high-school right-hander Nick Neidert. A while later, at pick 72, they selected Oregon State righty Andrew Moore.
Neidert throws hard, and has a low-ish arm slot. The low release point is less due to angle than his drop-and-drive motion. He’s flashed mid-90s heat at times, touching 95-96 late in 2014, and looked to be climbing the board in the spring, but a bout of elbow tendinitis scared some teams off. Coupled with minor size concerns (he’s somewhat slight, and listed at 6’1″ but BA had him at 6′ even, 165lbs), the durability worries essentially write themselves, but then, it’s never been clear that size or build is a predictor of health. MLB.com has some <a href="http://m.mlb.com/sea/video/v84134783/draft-report-nick-neidert-hs-pitcher” target=”_blank”>video of him here. Fangraphs prospect guy Kiley McDaniel saw him as well in November of 2014 right when his stock was taking off. See his write-up here, and check out McDaniel’s video of him as well. Neidert was BaseballAmerica’s #55 prospect.
Moore is even smaller than Neidert – he’s listed at 5’11”, so chalk one up for Kiley McDaniel’s Black Swan Theory. In 16 starts this year, Moore threw 122 IP, striking out 111 and walking just 21. While Moore has a similar “drop” in his delivery, the rest of his throwing motion is nothing like Neidert’s. Moore extends his arm further back and then comes right over the top. His raw stuff may be ranked behind Neidert and the pitchers who went ahead of him, but Moore gets universal praise for his poise, competitiveness and command. That command got him called up to Team USA’s 2014 collegiate squad alongside early 1st-rounders like Dansby Swanson, Carson Fulmer, Alex Bregman and Kyle Funkhouser. Moore typically works in the high-80s, touching the 90s occasionally. He’s got a change-up and slider as well. When those secondary pitches are on, as they were this season and two years ago in his freshman year, Moore’s really tough. When they’re not, like his sophomore campaign, his fastball isn’t enough to bail him out. Here’s MLB video of Moore. The righty from Eugene, Oregon was BaseballAmerica’s #125 prospect.
All things considered, or rather, all things considered in a good 20 minutes or so, I like the moves. The M’s didn’t pick high enough to get someone without some question marks – hell, most teams in the first round didn’t either – but they balanced the risks well. In Neidert, they get someone with very nice raw stuff, but some light injury worries. In Moore, they sacrifice stuff for polish and a great major-conference track record.
For a great recap of Day 1 overall, check out Chris Crawford’s recap at Baseball Prospectus.
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9 Responses to “Welcome to the M’s Organization, Nick Neidert and Andrew Moore”
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Three (ostensible) shortstops in the first three spots of a fairly bad draft year – it’ll be worth watching to see how they develop and if any of them stick at the position.
Thank you for all the coverage, Marc! And again to both you and to Jay for the excellent articles this morning!
This is why the MLB draft sucks. Seattle’s offense is a complete joke….. so they take two pitchers. But you don’t draft need in the MLB draft so they are probably solid picks.
Just lacks the instant impact of the other drafts which it makes it less interesting.
Normally I’d agree that you draft the best available, especially in the MLB Draft, but their farm system is seemingly devoid of impact offensive players especially in the OF. They have players that have the supposed talent to be impact offensive players but outside of Marte (who is injured) those players haven’t played well this season. Next year’s draft is supposed to be one of the deepest for pitching in a while. In the grand scheme of things, maybe they should have focused on position players in the first few rounds this year and pitching next year.
Maybe Lloyd will save the other seat of the trash truck he will be driving next year for Jack and his staff. The M’s are a joke at all levels and no better off than they were 4 years ago.
With the bullpen underperforming, why didn’t the M’s ever pursue Raphael Soriano? I assumed he was injured/rehabbing and that teams were waiting until he recovered.
Come on. M’s! You won 116 games with a blueprint for success. A 10-year $240 million contract doesn’t buy that for you. Find the right solutions. Soriano would’ve been a good alternative.
Aardsma was throwing well and could have helped. Now they can’t hit and draft 5 right handed pitchers in their first 8 picks. Next year is the year to draft pitchers. Please, please, please, make it stop.
There are two reasons you don’t draft for need, especially starting without a first round pick: long odds, and long time.
First: The odds that any one player selected will make the majors, much less be an impact player, starting with the 60th pick, are sufficiently long that it’s imperative to draft whoever you determine has the best chance.
Second: Most likely, any player the M’s draft (again without a top 15 selection), will take three to five years of seasoning in the minors, before emerging.
By then, the M’s desperate needs will be very different than they are today.
The minors provides a wealth of resources to fill spots and to trade for assets. For individual needs, in the near future, it will take trades or free agency, or something of that nature.
“the M’s desperate needs will be very different than they are today.”
BookBook-
I’m forever an optimist but if you really believe the M’s won’t still be looking for a 1B with power and 3 reliable OF’s in 5 years, I want some of what you’re drinking… They’ve had this combination of problems since halfway through the Richie Sexson days.
17 pitchers and 8 position players in 25 picks. 10 of the pitchers are college players. No high school position players…
I understand about taking the best player available but pitching is not your weakness. The front office is. Please make it stop.
The mariners will always have the same needs for the last 10 years. Hitting.