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Post by Tampa Bay Rays - Commish on Jan 6, 2024 17:10:21 GMT -5
1.30 - Oneil Cruz - Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles waited a while to make their first selection and they went with Oneil Cruz who will have waited almost a full calendar year to get back on a major league field when he makes his first appearance in 2024. He has all the tools for success, but will they all come together? That is the big question mark for Cruz. He has a lot of swing and miss in his big cut, but when he connects it is hit extremely hard. The swing and miss led to 126 strikeouts in just 87 games in 2022, but that is the risk you take with the toolsy player that Cruz is. You take the good with the bad and hope there is more good than bad at the end of the 162. The Orioles are in the toughest spot at #30 and the lowest cap, but he grabs a lottery ticket with his first pick that I can’t be mad at.
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Post by Tampa Bay Rays - Commish on Jan 6, 2024 17:43:55 GMT -5
2.1 - Grayson Rodriguez - Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles go back-to-back and add a very solid young starting pitcher. Rodriguez can be lights out at times, but there are others where he gets hit around a bit. He allowed almost one hit per inning and felt like he was constantly pitching with runners on base in 2023. He has the strikeout stuff to get out of the jams, but must find a way to stay out of the center of the plate for continued success. He was in just the 18th percentile in hard hit % allowed and 28th percentile in average exit velocity against. Both of those lead me to stray away from Rodriguez long-term even with his heavy fastball that can get him outs in a hurry, hitters can sit on it and hit it hard when left in the middle of the plate. I understand the pick, the Orioles are taking the upside of Rodriguez and get him on the cheap deal to build with, but he wouldn’t be the guy I’d take in that spot.
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Post by Tampa Bay Rays - Commish on Jan 6, 2024 17:52:20 GMT -5
2.2 - Jose Ramirez - Chicago White Sox
The White Sox aren’t messing around adding offensive fire power to their organization in a hurry. They follow up Corey Seager with Jose Ramirez who somehow made it out of the first round. The plate discipline to go along with the power and speed make he a top 20 player year in and year out. The Guardians offense isn’t great, but Ramirez still finds a way to get his counting stats each and every year. He approached 175 hits again and walked as many time as he struck out while adding 28 stolen bases. At the 32nd pick, this is a steal for the White Sox.
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Post by Tampa Bay Rays - Commish on Jan 6, 2024 17:59:20 GMT -5
2.3 - Jesus Luzardo - Cincinnati Reds
Jesus Luzardo has been so good for multiple years in a row, but the big question mark for him has always been how many innings he can go without getting hurt. Due to that he once again is having his name floated in trade talks as the Marlins look to deal their surplus pitching for more offense. We finally saw what a full season of Luzardo can be like and he struck out over 200 batters in 178 innings. In total he tallied almost 500 points even with a 10-10 record. The Reds got their pocket aces with Webb and Luzardo, a fantastic start for the Redlegs.
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