why the C vote

I wasn’t high on our first or third round picks. I wanted Scheppers, but Green was an acceptable value pick though I have a gut feeling that he will bust, which i hope is wrong. The Marks pick is very meh. He wasn’t really an overdraft but there was a bunch of talent that I prefered at that spot.

That being said the A’s cleaned up on day 2. Im really excited about Stassi and Krol. Dyson and Krol will be tough signs though. One would think especially on the Krol pick, considering that he got booted from his high school baseball team for disciplinary issues involving a car and alcohol, the A’s did their homework and know what his figure is.

Hopefully this video of Krol works

Some mock drafts had him with a 2nd rd projection, BA had him #145 overall in their top 200.
Advanced bat, nice plate approach. This 2009 16th round pick sounds similar to a unsigned 2005 16th round pick. A’s will have convince him to pass up on Washington State.

Baseball America:

Surefire high school hitters are a scare commodity in Southern California and throughout the 2009 draft class, and that helps Leyland stand out. A 6-foot-3, 225-pounder, he may be the most mature and fundamentally sound high school hitter in the state. In an early season game, one coach told his team of Leyland: “These guys have an Adam Dunn over there.” Two homers later the same coach lamented, “I shouldn’t have pitched to him.” Leyland has average to above-average raw power, which has been on display at showcases nationwide. He has done more in those events than hammer the ball in BP, also showing his power in game action. Few high schoolers are as advanced fundamentally as Leyland. His stance is well balanced, and his swing is short to the ball and long afterward. Leyland does not run well, so first base or catcher will be his future defensive home. While not a polished catcher, his hands work decently at that spot. His arm is acceptable, though he’ll need work on his catch and throw technique. Whatever position he plays, Leyland’s bat will always be his trump card. Few high school hitters can match his blend of raw power and technical precision.

I don’t think Pit will go to the Ynoa level. From Dejan Kovacevic

Do not expect the Pirates to shatter Major League Baseball’s record bonus to sign elite Dominican prospect Miguel Angel Sano.

The team remains intensely interested in Sano, a 16-year-old shortstop/outfielder, and the same is known to be true in the reverse, as Sano, his family and agent Rob Plummer have forged a tight relationship with Latin American scouting director Rene Gayo. But there were strong indications from the team’s front office yesterday that the $4.25 million bonus Oakland gave to Dominican pitcher Michael Inoa will not be the bar for an offer to Sano.

Rather, the Pirates plan to place a value on Sano as they do all players, by talent level — which the team views as special — and by the market. The Dominican market for 16-year-olds, as they see it, remains below the outlier bonus the Athletics gave Inoa, as the previous range for elite prospects had been mostly between $2 million and $3 million.

Regardless, I think the A’s were largely out of the race for him before the draft. Additionally, international budgets and draft budgets in most front offices aren’t fungible, and I believe that Billy has mentioned MLB salaries do not affect draft budget.

Basically, any grade has to be written in pencil at this point because we don’t know how many of these guys are going to actually be signed, but at this point the draft looks pretty good.

The A’s we’re drafting from behind as they only had two first-day picks which is where most of the talent is found. Green and Marks were solid picks who definitely add something to the system. The second day is obviously where things picked up as the A’s did a very good job of mixing signability guys, solid college guys. There is a pretty good mix of tools and production between the different picks which will fill out the lower levels of the system.

At this point I’m basing my grade on the assumption that the A’s can get Green, Stassi, and Krol signed while Dyson and Leyland end up on a college campus this fall.

I’ve not seen any of the Rangers draft outside the first couple of picks, but there’s got to be genuine concern about their ability to sign players for any sort of money, this year and going forward. Hicks is up to his neck in it with Liverpool, and unless he can find a buyer there, this could easily spill over.

I’m fairly conflicted