Sunday Bantering: Draft reviews, MLB and Players fight

I had a day of physical labour yesterday. Our front yard has a huge spruce tree and it kills the grass in the front yard. We have tried things but best we get is a crop of dandelions, so we’ve decided to give up on grass and put mulch instead. Yesterday was a day of cutting the sod that was there and taking it to the dump. I’m hurting today.

Anyway:

It sounds like negotiations for a baseball season are over and players are just waiting for Manfred to dictate the season. I’m wondering, when it does happen, how many of the players just sit it out.

I’m not sure that’s even mildly positive. But I’m sure I’ll watch, what else have I got to do?

This statement from MLB is laughable. MLB maked the same offer, over and over, and the union is bargaining in bad faith. Maybe they could actually negotiate?

There are a number of reviews up of the Jays draft.

Keith Law was very complimentary:

The Blue Jays had a hell of a draft, landing my #1 overall player with their first pick in Austin Martin (1). I ranked Martin as the best all-around prospect on the board this year because of his broad set of skills and quickness on both sides of the ball. At the plate, he’s a tremendous hitter who rarely strikes out and makes consistently hard contact. He’s shown above-average defense at third base, with the athleticism to play any of several skill positions on the diamond, possibly even shortstop.

On CJ Van Eyk

I thought he was a back-of-the-first round kind of player and getting him at pick 42 seems like great value.

Trent Palmer:

looks like a reliever, but has three pitches in a fastball, breaking ball, and splitter, and came out throwing strikes for the first time this spring, so he should at least get a chance to prove he can start.

Nick Frasso:

has been up to 97 with good life, but has a cross-body delivery, a history of arm trouble, and no breaking ball to speak of.

Zach Britton:

potentially hitting enough to get to the big leagues as an extra outfielder.

Mike Axisa and R.J. Anderson at CBSSports.com give the Jays an A for the draft:

Vanderbilt’s Austin Martin was the No. 1 prospect in the draft class and the Blue Jays landed him with the No. 5 selection. They have to be over the moon. Toronto could have used its remaining picks on potted plants and Martin alone would’ve made this an A draft, but they also landed a fringe first round arm in second rounder C.J. Van Eyk, a riser with the spin rates analytically inclined teams love. Fourth rounder Nick Frasso could’ve been a second rounder had he not gotten hurt prior to the shutdown. Van Eyk and Frasso are two excellent complementary picks to Martin.

At Fangraphs Eric Longenhagen talked about Martin:

he has arguably the best approach in the draft, high-end bat-to-ball skills, and his swing has lovely natural loft that, in concert with the approach, ensures he’ll hit for power even though he’s not sending anything to space. And I believe enough in him as an athlete to think he’ll find a way to play a valuable defensive position rather than left field or something.

Fantasypros.com has the Jays #5 in their ranking of the draft:

Picks: Austin Martin,, CJ Van Eyk, Trent Palmer, Nick Frasso, Zach Britton Virtually everyone thought the Orioles would grab Austin Martin with the second overall pick. My mock had them striking a deal with Nick Gonzalez but they ended up doing so with Heston Kjerstad instead. Then Martin, an Anthony Rendon-like prospect, dropped past Miami and then Kansas City into the Blue Jays’ lap. Assuming they can strike a deal, that pick alone makes their grade, but they also managed to grab a quality college pitcher in the early second round in Van Eyk.

Let’s have a poll:

Arden Zwelling has a profile of Jordan Groshans. It it is long, but well worth reading:

Evaluators lean on words like “advanced” and “polished” when describing how the 20-year-old looks more like a college senior at the plate. He has plus bat speed, quick-twitch athleticism and raw power from a six-foot-three frame he’s still growing into. He has a discerning eye for the strike zone and the patience to wait out a pitch he can drive. He has good hands and plenty of arm strength to play either position on the left side of the infield. But it’s his cutthroat mentality — an edge, a swagger, a little piss-and-vinegar — that really gets people talking.

Happy Sunday.