<cite class="source">By Keith Law | ESPN Insider
</cite>Day 1 is in the books and we saw one huge surprise in the top 10, a few surprises in the teens, and then all kinds of wackiness from the 20th pick on. Here's a quick look at my favorite picks and drafts from the first day, and a few picks that didn't make sense from where I sit.
Houston Astros
The picks: Carlos Correa at No. 1, Lance McCullers Jr. at No. 41
Summary: Pre-draft deals are illegal in baseball under Rule 3 -- the team could lose not just the player but the pick, as well as the bonus pool money assigned to it -- but if Correa were to agree now to a deal below the assigned value for the first overall pick ($7.2 million), the Astros could spread the savings over subsequent selections, possibly giving most or all of that to sandwich-round pick Lance McCullers, Jr., a first-round talent with a strong commitment to Florida. It's a risk for Houston, but the payoff could be huge; if you believe McCullers, a 6-foot right-hander who reworked his delivery last winter so he could throw strikes, can be a starter, you could make a credible argument two of the top 10-15 players in this draft are now under the Astros' control.
I'm also hopeful that Correa becoming the highest-drafted player in Puerto Rican history, whether you're counting players born there or just those who went to high school there, will help provide a boost to the sport on an island that was once a fountain of baseball talent but has dried up over the past 20 years. This will be big news in Puerto Rico, and MLB should encourage it.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The pick: Mark Appel at No. 8
Summary: I don't know exactly why Appel fell, as I have no evidence from any source that Appel put out an actual bonus demand at any point. Did teams shy away because they didn't know the signability? Did they anticipate a high demand, but never ascertain it? Regardless of the reason, it's now on the Pirates to find out what the demands are and figure out a way to pay for him, because picking eighth in a weak draft should not land you a clean-delivery college starter who can reach 97 mph and shows feel for a slider and a changeup. By the way, Appel refusing to do the team's conference call after the selection gets my vote for Non-Issue Issue of the Week. He doesn't work for the team. He doesn't have to do their conference call. Hey, sign me, and I'll do two conference calls.
Washington Nationals
The pick: Luc Giolito at No. 16
Summary: I've said a few times that Giolito would likely have ranked at the top of my draft board had he been healthy all spring, and my outsider's understanding of his injury is that it's not that serious as elbow injuries go. The risk here may be more perceived ("Oh my God, you took a guy with an elbow injury") than real. Good for the Nationals for having the stones to take the best guy on the board, even with these perceptions and the threat of a tough negotiation for a bright kid committed to UCLA. If they sign him, he'll be worth it.
Boston Red Sox
The pick: Deven Marrero at No. 24
Summary: Both the Red Sox and Rays (below) landed solid college position players who had no business dropping that far in the draft. Marrero hit for two springs and two summers at ASU before running into mechanical issues with his swing this year, but never lost his defensive ability and should be able to regain what he lost at the plate.
Tampa Bay Rays
The pick: Richie Shaffer at No. 25
Summary: Shaffer had some of the best bat speed and raw power in the college crop but scuffled the past few weeks, including a poor showing at the ACC, but that shouldn't overshadow what he did prior to that point, and you can count me in the camp that thinks he has a shot to stay at third.
Others I liked: San Diego, Toronto, Philadelphia, Oakland, the Cubs.
</cite>Day 1 is in the books and we saw one huge surprise in the top 10, a few surprises in the teens, and then all kinds of wackiness from the 20th pick on. Here's a quick look at my favorite picks and drafts from the first day, and a few picks that didn't make sense from where I sit.
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Picks I really liked
The picks: Carlos Correa at No. 1, Lance McCullers Jr. at No. 41
Summary: Pre-draft deals are illegal in baseball under Rule 3 -- the team could lose not just the player but the pick, as well as the bonus pool money assigned to it -- but if Correa were to agree now to a deal below the assigned value for the first overall pick ($7.2 million), the Astros could spread the savings over subsequent selections, possibly giving most or all of that to sandwich-round pick Lance McCullers, Jr., a first-round talent with a strong commitment to Florida. It's a risk for Houston, but the payoff could be huge; if you believe McCullers, a 6-foot right-hander who reworked his delivery last winter so he could throw strikes, can be a starter, you could make a credible argument two of the top 10-15 players in this draft are now under the Astros' control.
I'm also hopeful that Correa becoming the highest-drafted player in Puerto Rican history, whether you're counting players born there or just those who went to high school there, will help provide a boost to the sport on an island that was once a fountain of baseball talent but has dried up over the past 20 years. This will be big news in Puerto Rico, and MLB should encourage it.
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The pick: Mark Appel at No. 8
Summary: I don't know exactly why Appel fell, as I have no evidence from any source that Appel put out an actual bonus demand at any point. Did teams shy away because they didn't know the signability? Did they anticipate a high demand, but never ascertain it? Regardless of the reason, it's now on the Pirates to find out what the demands are and figure out a way to pay for him, because picking eighth in a weak draft should not land you a clean-delivery college starter who can reach 97 mph and shows feel for a slider and a changeup. By the way, Appel refusing to do the team's conference call after the selection gets my vote for Non-Issue Issue of the Week. He doesn't work for the team. He doesn't have to do their conference call. Hey, sign me, and I'll do two conference calls.
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The pick: Luc Giolito at No. 16
Summary: I've said a few times that Giolito would likely have ranked at the top of my draft board had he been healthy all spring, and my outsider's understanding of his injury is that it's not that serious as elbow injuries go. The risk here may be more perceived ("Oh my God, you took a guy with an elbow injury") than real. Good for the Nationals for having the stones to take the best guy on the board, even with these perceptions and the threat of a tough negotiation for a bright kid committed to UCLA. If they sign him, he'll be worth it.
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The pick: Deven Marrero at No. 24
Summary: Both the Red Sox and Rays (below) landed solid college position players who had no business dropping that far in the draft. Marrero hit for two springs and two summers at ASU before running into mechanical issues with his swing this year, but never lost his defensive ability and should be able to regain what he lost at the plate.
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The pick: Richie Shaffer at No. 25
Summary: Shaffer had some of the best bat speed and raw power in the college crop but scuffled the past few weeks, including a poor showing at the ACC, but that shouldn't overshadow what he did prior to that point, and you can count me in the camp that thinks he has a shot to stay at third.
Others I liked: San Diego, Toronto, Philadelphia, Oakland, the Cubs.
