MLB Draft Today

Keith Law’s latest mock on ESPN (I know, I know, it doesn’t mean anything), leaves a small chance that we get Buster Posey . . . at least I get to dream until about 2:30.

Baseball America has us taking Posey as well, with the Rays going with Beckham. So ya never know. Skipworth has more upside but he’s also like 4-5 years away from being ready. Posey could contribute within 2-3 and could always change position as well.

“Skipworth has the potential to be a star behind the plate. Like Posey, he’s only been playing the position for a short time, but he has a very strong arm. If he is able to stay behind the plate, he can be a superstar-caliber hitter. He gets his arms extended nicely, and his power will only increase with age. If he can’t stay behind the plate, he could always move to another position. His bat will play will at first base or a corner outfield position.” —ESPN

“Arguably the best catching prospect in the draft class, Skipworth has all the makings of an offensive-minded catcher with plenty of power from the left side, a hot commodity for every organization. He’s got plus arm strength, but needs some work in his defensive game, something scouts believe will improve over time.” —MLB.com

“Hand, in scouting parlance, has had some helium as the spring unfolded. A strong southpaw who’s more of a thrower than a pitcher right now, he does have a pretty good heater and an excellent curve. His delivery will need some work, but there’s plenty of room for improvement once he can find some repeatable mechanics. In a fairly weak high school class, a southpaw with an arm like his is bound to get plenty of attention.” —MLB.com

“Edgar Olmos from Birmingham High in Van Nuys, Calif., is a tall and skinny lefthander with an enormous amount of physical projection. Birmingham plays in the weaker L.A. City Section of the California Interscholastic Federation, and Olmos should benefit greatly from being exposed to tougher competition this week at Blair Field. Olmos possesses solid-average stuff–a 86-87 mph fastball and 67-69 mph sweeping curve.

His best attribute is a smooth, fluid, easy delivery in which he buggy-whips the ball to the plate from a near sidearm slot. His arm slot is higher for his curve, and lower for his fastball. Also, he has a difficult time consistently repeating his delivery, and when he gets tired, his mechanics start to unravel.

All of that is correctable. The bottom line on Olmos is that with his projectable build and easy arm action, there figures to be a great deal more velocity and strength in that arm as he matures and fills into his lanky frame.”—Baseball America