Live Blog – 2011 MLB Draft

Hey Everyone! After a full day of work and a long ride home in a hot car, it’s finally draft time…

Thanks for joining me for a live blog through the first round of the 2011 MLB First Year Player Amateur Draft. The Pirates are on the clock & it’s been rumored today that they’ll take Gerrit Cole with the #1 overall pick. There’s only one way to find out…

5:59 PM – Pittsburgh Pirates last #1 overall pick: Bryan Bullington in 2002. (originally drafted by Royals in 37th round in ’99, went to Ball St.) He’s been all over the place (including back with the Royals last year) & now pitches in Japan. Overall MLB stats: 1-9 w/ 5.62 ERA in 26 appearances in 5 seasons. Only win was with the Royals…

6:01 PM – Selig takes the stage with his usual superstar quality…and the Pirates are officially on the clock.

Last year’s #1 overall: Bryce Harper by the Nationals: hitting .338 so far this season

6:06 PM – No Pressure Pittsburgh….don’t blow it…it’s gotta be Gerrit Cole, right?

6:07 PM – #1 PICK – PITTSBURGH PIRATES – GERRIT COLE – RHP – UCLA
– Seattle is on the clock
-no real surprise here – this guy has got a big league arm without the high-maintenance needs as some of the other pitchers in the draft
-last outing at UCLA – was upset by San Francisco in the regional (UCLA was eliminated).

6:11 PM – For Seattle – maybe a position player? Anthony Rendon is a popular choice here in the mock drafts, but has had a bit of a shoulder issue this season. What about Bubba Starling? He’s a potential pick here. Maybe better for the Royals if he’s not on the board at #5 so they could avoid the PR (potential) nightmare…

6:13 PM – #2 PICK – SEATTLE MARINERS – DANNY HULTZEN – LHP – VIRGINIA
-Arizona is on the clock
-wow! disappointing for Rendon who they just showed on the screen. Best Lefty in the draft is GONE! Hultzen seemed totally surprised to be picked this high. He was expected to go top 5-10, but the kid seems pretty shocked right now
-Do the Royals look at Rendon now? Is he a better option than Bubba?

6:16 PM – first commercial break – good “Field of Dreams” Pepsi Max one where Rollie Fingers gives the delivery guy his curly mustache – awesome. Take that Carl Pavano.

6:19 PM – #3 PICK – ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS – TREVOR BAUER – RHP – UCLA
-Baltimore is on the clock
(nice improv by Bud after cheers from the crowd…)
-Dang! UCLA’s pitching duo is gone after THREE PICKS! How did they get knocked out of their regional.
-Will the Orioles take Dylan Bundy? If they don’t, I think the Royals will. He’s the best pitcher out there now.

6:22 PM – talking to #1 overall pick Gerrit Cole. It’s crazy to think that he didn’t even listen to the Yankees when he was drafted out of high school.
-Royals draft room furiously flipping coins right now – STRESS TIME.

6:25 PM – #4 PICK – BALTIMORE ORIOLES – DYLAN BUNDY – RHP – OWASSO (OK) HS
-Your Kansas City Royals are on the clock – 5 minutes to scramble.

-crap.
-OK, who’s it gonna be? Rendon, Bubba Starling, or the best Pitcher available?
-best ptichers left: Sonny Gray (Vanderbilt), Matt Barnes (UCONN), Taylor Jungmann (Texas)

6:27 PM – I’d love the Royals to take Bubba, but it just may be a tad – bit – risky…you’d hate to end up empty-handed with your First Round pick.

6:28 PM – 2010 Royals 1st Round Pick – Christian Colon – hitting .242 at Northwest Arkansas

6:30 – #5 PICK – KANSAS CITY ROYALS – BUBBA STARLING – OF – GARDNER EDGERTON (KS) HS
-Washington is on the clock

-I like it – hope we can sign him. I think KC has the best chance of anyone to get it done!
-Glad the Royals stuck to their guns & didn’t jump to Rendon (he’s s-l-i-d-i-n-g) or get a pitcher they weren’t crazy about.

6:36 PM – #6 PICK – WASHINGTON NATIONALS – ANTHONY RENDON – 3B – RICE
-Arizona is on the clock (again – took Trevor Bauer a few minutes ago)

-i don’t care what he says, he was sweating a bit. SOOOO many mock drafts had him going #2 to the Mariners. It seemed for a minute hat he was going to get skipped over and forgotten about forever.

6:39 PM – I still feel good about the Bubba pick – can he play tonight? You know he’s close to Kansas City…

-I like the pace of this draft – it’s not dragging….yet.
-Another pitcher for the D’Backs or maybe someone like Francisco Lindor, a HS Shortstop from Florida?

6:41 PM -#7 PICK – ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS – ARCHIE BRADLEY – RHP – BROKEN ARROW (HS) OK
-Cleveland is on the clock

-Bradley is a QB recruit to Oklahoma – so there’s some work to be done by the Diamondbacks. They just got two pretty good pitchers with a TON of upside in the first round. Can they just take the rest of the night off?

6:45: Next 5 picks: Cleveland, Chicago Cubs, San Diego, Houston, Milwaukee

6:48 PM – #8 PICK – CLEVELAND INDIANS – FRANCISCO LINDOR – SS – MONTVERDE ACADEMY (HS) FL
-Cubs are on the clock

-being ranked the #1 High School Shortstop in the country will almost always land you in the Top 10 of the first round (with no proof to back that up)
-The Cubs have not done very will with their first round picks recently (surprised?)

6:52 PM – #9 PICK – CHICAGO CUBS – JAVIER BAEZ – SS – ARLINGTON COUNTRY DAY (FL) HS
-San Diego is on the clock.

-wow, two High School Shortstops in a row – I wonder if the Cubs would have taken Lindor if he was still available.
-Man, I miss Harold Reynolds – these guys are doing a pretty good job. Not a terrible broadcast…

-we’ll see if we get back to the pitchers here with the Padres – they took a pitcher last year. Still some good ones available including Jungmann from UT, Barnes from UCONN, Gray from Vandy, Bradley from Georgia Tech. Best position player on the board might be Cory Spangenberg, a High School infielder from Florida.

-Selig just time travelled back to the “2000 first year player draft”

6:59 – #10 PICK – SAN DIEGO PADRES – CORY SPANGENBERG – INF – INDIAN RIVER CC (FL)
-Houston is on the clock

10 picks down – one hour in – what’s the biggest surprise? I’d say the fact that New York Jets fans haven’t booed anyone out of the place…

-Astros took Delino DeShields Jr. in the first round last year (8th overall) – great name recognition. Maybe they go with Dante Bichette Jr. this year???

Man, I swear I keep saying things about 30 seconds ahead of these guys. Maybe I’m in the wrong line of work? Just sayin…

7:04 PM – #11 PICK – HOUSTON ASTROS – GEORGE SPRINGER – OF – UCONN
-Milwaukee is on the clock (can Selig make the pick?)

-that pick surprised me – I thought the ‘Stros would go with a pitcher – namely, Jungmann from UT. They’re terrible, so whoever they get should be able to help them…
-I need someone to come feed me dinner while I watch and type. Any takers?

-Brewers didn’t sign their #1 pick last year – Dylan Covey – who has Type 1 diabetes & currenly plays for University of San Diego. Good Story.

-Geoff Jenkins!

7:10 PM – #12 PICK – MILWAUKEE BREWERS – TAYLOR JUNGMANN – RHP – TEXAS
-Mets are on the clock

-good pick for the Brew Crew – I bet he can’t wait to meet Mr. Zack Greinke…

AWESOME to see Lil’ Kevin on that UPS commercial!! One of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s funniest episodes…

-Jed Bradley & Sonny Gray are top 10 prospects still out there.

7:15 PM – #13 PICK – NEW YORK METS – BRANDON NIMMO – OF – CHEYENNE EAST (WY) HS
-Marlins are on the clock

“Best High School player to ever come out of Wyoming” Can’t wait for him to get to NYC…

The boys in blue are underway out at the K – Paulino holds the Jays scoreless in the top of the 1st – Royals bat in a tie game!!

7:21 pm – #14 PICK – FLORIDA MARLINS – JOSE FERNANDEZ – RHP – ALONSO (FL) HS
-Brewers on the clock again

-Marlins are HUGE on the High School kids – but this could be the first one to be a Cuban defector…
-Supposed to be a lot of upside to this kid – good pick by the Marlins – keep it local. (I’m talking to you Astros – you biffed your pick)

-Brewers took Taylor Jungmann at #12 – another pitcher here? They could build quite a rotaion for the future by taking another college guy…

7:27 PM – #15 PICK – MILWAUKEE BREWERS – JED BRADLEY – LHP – GEORGIA TECH
-Dodgers on the clock (what did selig say? “Los Angeeleees” that’s not how you pronounce it…)

-I actually looked at this guy for the Royals – he was the 2nd best College Lefty in the draft & I thought there was an outside chance that if the Royals were looking to take a college guy & Hultzen wasn’t around. I’m a little surprised that he slid to #15.

-They’re talking to Trevor Bauer right now & I’m a tiny bit mad we didn’t get a crack at him. STILL HAPPY WITH BUBBA THOUGH! (in all honesty & full disclosure, I’m wearing my Red Nebraska Polo shirt right now & wondering if Bo Pelini has called Bubba yet)

7:32 PM – #16 PICK – LOS ANGELES DODGERS – CHRIS REED – LHP – STANFORD
-wow, he needs to learn how to say “Angeles”. Angels are on the clock.

-Reed was a closer in college & has nine saves this year, also a 6-2 record as Stanford advanced to the Super Regional over the weekend. We’ll see if the Dodgers plan to keep him in the bullpen or try to make him a starter.

-Angels first five picks last year were High School players in 2010 draft…best HS player available? Robert Stephenson RHP from California.

7:38 PM – #17 PICK – LOS ANGELES ANGELS – C.J. CRON – 1B – UTAH
-Oakland is on the clock.

-wow – I think one person clapped for him. Maybe it was Cron himself?
-seems like a big bat – good bloodlines. He’s got to be happy to possibly have a future in Southern California

-how many people know Rod Carew strictly because of Adam Sandler? (he converted…)

-7:44 PM – #18 PICK – OAKLAND A’S – SONNY GRAY – RHP – VANDERBILT
-Boston is on the clock.

-Gray is another one of the undersized pitchers (like Bauer). I was a bit surprised to see him drop to #18.
-Vanderbilt is still alive – advanced to their Super Regional yesterday. Gray tossed six shutout innings vs. Belmont on Friday. I’m hoping Vandy finally makes it to Omaha…

-still nothing going on in the Jays-Royals game out at the K…wondering what the stadium reaction was like to the Bubba pick.

7:50 PM – #19 PICK – BOSTON RED SOX – MATT BARNES – RHP – UCONN
-Rockies are on the clock

-Barnes and teammate George Springer are both off the board now. No surprise that UCONN will be playing in the Super Regional with two first round draft picks (ahem – UCLA? what happened?)

-Top Ranked prospect still available is Taylor Guerrieri – HS Pitcher from South Carolina. Will the Rockies go HS or College? Would you want to be a pitcher in Denver?

7:55 PM – #20 PICK – COLORADO ROCKIES – TYLER ANDERSON – LHP – OREGON
-Blue Jays are on the clock

…and then his ERA went through the roof.

NOTE TO #21 PICK: your future could be in CANADA. Just a heads up…

LUMBERGH! Nice to see you in a State Farm commercial. Would love to see more of you…

8:00 PM – #21 PICK – TORONTO BLUE JAYS – TYLER BEEDE – RHP – LAWRENCE ACADEMY (HS) MA
-Cardinals are on the clock.

-Beede’s got great size & is sure to fill out. He’s committed to go to school at Vandy, which would be a great system for him. Pretty good guys to come out of there (Sonny Gray @ #18, Some guy named David Price…)

TWO HOURS IN. 12 PICKS TO GO IN THE FIRST ROUND.

8:06 PM – #22 PICK – ST. LOUIS CARDINALS – KOLTEN WONG – 2B – HAWAII
-Nationals are on the clock (again)

“Kolten Wong is the second coming of Carlos Baerga” – Peter Gammons. And that’s why Gammons is the best. The Cardinals pick him 30 seconds later. This guy was MVP of the Cape Cod League last summer…not a bad line to have on your Resume.

-The Nationals took at Anthony Rendon at #6 overall. My guess is that they go with a pitcher here. I’m going to say…..Taylor Guerrieri

8:12 PM – #23 PICK – WASHINGTON NATIONALS – ALEX MEYER – RHP – KENTUCKY
-Rays are on the clock

-6’9″ Righty – big upside because it sounds like he’s still improving. He’ll get a chance to work with Strasburg, which could make for a tough 1-2 of big hard throwing pitchers.
-oh wait, they’re talking to the second coming of Carlos Baerga…

-The Rays go pick-crazy coming up…10 picks between here & #60

8:18 PM – #24 PICK – TAMPA BAY RAYS – TAYLOR GUERRIERI – RHP – SPRING VALLEY (HS) SC
-Selig almost said “Devil Rays”
-Padres are on the clock (again)

Dang – I was off by two picks here. I was a bit surprised that Guerrieri fell this far, but who knows – it would be so hard to rank these guys past the top ten or so…

-The Padres took Cory Spangenberg at #10 overall…

-First round of the draft is slow & paced. Then, what will happen in the next two days is an all out free-for-all.

8:23 PM – #25 PICK – SAN DIEGO PADRES – JOE ROSS – RHP – BISHOP O’DOWD (HS) CA
-Red Sox are on the clock (again)

Bottom 5th: 1-1 Game out at the K right now. Aviles has an RBI Triple and an error…

8:29 PM – #26 PICK – BOSTON RED SOX – BLAKE SWIHART – C – CLEVELAND (HS) NM
-Reds are on the clock

-First Catcher to go in the draft. Maybe he stays a catcher, maybe not?

-Eric Davis!

8:35 PM – #27 PICK – CINCINNATI REDS – ROBERT STEPHENSON – RHP – ALHAMBRA (HS) CA
-Braves are on the clock

-I thought the Reds were going to get skipped there – apparently not as strict as they are in the NFL draft…

-Back to back no-hitters? That’s impressive – no matter what level you’re pitching at…
-So far, 17 pitchers, 10 position players have been taken.

-The Braves picked some guy named Jason Heyward in the first round (#14 overall) back in 2007…

-Man, I’m glad there’s no Mel Kiper Jr. in the MLB draft…

-Best Pitcher Available: Daniel Norris – Lefty HS from Tennessee
-Best Position Player Available: Mike Mahtook – OF from LSU

8:42 PM – #28 PICK – ATLANTA BRAVES – SEAN GILMARTIN – LHP – FLORIDA STATE
-Giants are on the clock

Gilmartin was 12-1, with a 1.83 ERA this season for the Seminoles. He’s been the leader of this staff for two years & FSU is going to the Super Regional.

-What, the Giants don’t want Brian Wilson to be in charge of making their pick?

8:47 PM – #29 PICK – SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS – JOE PANIK – SS – ST. JOHN’S
-Twins are on the clock

Great name. A little bit of a surprise because Levi Michael is a ShortStop from North Carolina who had been projected higher. Three shortstops in the draft so far, Panik is the first college SS.

-Giants promotion team has got to love this pick. “Panik Button” night?

8:53 PM – #30 PICK – MINNESOTA TWINS – LEVI MICHAEL – SS – NORTH CAROLINA
-Tampa Bay is on the clock for the next TWO PICKS

-The Twins HAD to have been surprised to have a crack at Levi Michael here, especially after the Giants took a SS one pick in front of them… Will we see him at the K one day?

-Speaking of the K – Royals & Jays still knotted up 1-1 in the 6th.

-Bubba fact – he has pitched in earlier HS years & can throw a 98 MPH fastball, but did not this season at Nebraska football coach Bo Pelini’s request…

-can the Rays just make both picks at once or do they have to wait five minutes between picks? Selig just told them that “the hour is getting late”. Frankly, I’m a bit surprised he’s still around – he seems bored out of his mind…

8:59 PM – #31 PICK – TAMPA BAY RAYS – MIKE MAHTOOK – OF – LSU
-is he going to go by “Mikie”?

-Yep, dragging this thing out all they can, putting them back on the clock for five minutes…
-Just TWO PICKS LEFT in the first round. Rays & then The Rangers…

-If anyone is wondering…no, I’m not going to blog through the Supplemental Round….I might consider it if the Royals had any picks, but they shut it down after nabbing Bubba two and a half hours ago.

-Projected First Rounders still around: Daniel Norris (P), Brian Goodwin (OF), Andrew Chafin (P), Henry Owens (P), Anthony Meo (P)Matt Purke (P)

9:04 PM – #32 PICK – TAMPA BAY RAYS – JAKE HAGER – SS – SIERRA VISTA (HS) NV
-Rangers are on the clock

-maybe a little bit of a surprise because no experts picked him to go in the first round, but if the Rays saw something they liked in Hager, then more power to them for not just taking the highest rated guy on the board.
-so with their three first round picks, they took a Pitcher (TAYLOR GUERRIERI), OF (MIKE MAHTOOK), & SS (JAKE HAGER). They might be able to field an entire team by the end of the night.

-Rangers pick? My prediction is Daniel Norris – HS Pitcher still on the board & top HS lefty in the draft. They’re not afraid to draft young guys…

9:10 PM – #33 PICK – TEXAS RANGERS – KEVIN MATTHEWS – LHP – RICHMOND HILL (HS) GA
Now, Mr. Selig can go to sleep. Joe Torre will be handling thins from here on out.

Well, shows you what I know. The Rangers take a High School Left Handed pitcher & it’s not the guy I predicted.

Well, we did it! Just as the Royals fall behind 2-1 against the Blue Jays.

I’m looking forward to digging into the Bubba Starling pick & seeing what else happens during the barrage of picks coming in the next couple of days. Stay right here at Kings of Kauffman for the best coverage and analysis – don’t listen to those guys on the MLB Network. Good night now.

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