We just drafted some speed

[palehozenychicty]

I would have went with a college pitcher that slipped down.

[Domeshot17]

Originally Posted by gosox41

Does he actually have any baseball ability or are we looking at another Borchard or Owens?


Bob

That is the million dollar question. The basic concept is either or. This is a boom or bust prospect. He either ends up like those 2 and will never be anything at the mlb level, or he becomes Mike Cameron.

Scouts use numbers to grade prospects. He has a 45 (below average) contact potential and a 60(potential all star) Power and a 65 (Elite) speed. Basically, if he maxes to what most believe is his ceiling (and yes he could develop more), he is a 260 hitter with 30 homer and 40 stolen base potential.

[DumpJerry]

Originally Posted by nodiggity59

Another former football player?

Kenny, you don't say!

[Craig Grebeck]

Originally Posted by DirtySox

What is your take on Mitchell? For? Against? Gummi Bears?

Mildly pleased. Happy to see a risk, but would have rather taken some pitching in that spot. But if we're going for speed, I'm glad we went for a guy with some other skills.

I think it's pretty unfair to marginalize a guy based on scouting reports and label his ceiling as Mike Cameron. That being said, I'd take Mike Cameron in a heartbeat. Hell of a good baseball player.

[cws05champ]

Originally Posted by Craig Grebeck

Mildly pleased. Happy to see a risk, but would have rather taken some pitching in that spot. But if we're going for speed, I'm glad we went for a guy with some other skills.

I think it's pretty unfair to marginalize a guy based on scouting reports and label his ceiling as Mike Cameron. That being said, I'd take Mike Cameron in a heartbeat. Hell of a good baseball player.

By all accounts we got the best college athlete in the draft last year(Danks) and the best overall athlete this year both with good speed and some power potential.
Please do not rush this next kid. Sounds like he needs some work on his swing and base stealing technique. Hope he turns into the next Carl Crawford...but I'm not holding my breath. I was disappointed that three high upside college arms came into our division in the first round.

[Harry Chappas]

FWIW - Goldstein from Baseball Prospectus was on the Score this AM and basically echoed what has been said but stopped short of creating a "ceiling" for him. Basically, he said he could be a superstar, but that his game is a work in progress.

We fans complain about the "safe" picks and then when we roll the dice, all I read about is how he would have been there at 38 - as if this is a statement of fact.

It's hard enough to evaluate an NFL draft where we fans are more familiar with the names/games of the prospects. But grading a baseball draft this early is a waste of time. Let's wait a couple of years.

[Luke]

Originally Posted by cws05champ

By all accounts we got the best college athlete in the draft last year(Danks) and the best overall athlete this year both with good speed and some power potential.
Please do not rush this next kid. Sounds like he needs some work on his swing and base stealing technique. Hope he turns into the next Carl Crawford...but I'm not holding my breath. I was disappointed that three high upside college arms came into our division in the first round.

I looked for some video of his swing for a couple minutes, but couldn't find anything. From what I read, it sounds like he has a long swing, but has been able to make up for it with his athleticism. I have no idea how coachable the kid is, but I hope the organization takes their time with him, works on shortening up his swing.

[thedudeabides]

Originally Posted by cbrownson13

So either way, not a leadoff hitter?

He could very well be a leadoff hitter. He had a .325 average, and a .471 OBP this year. He had a high strikout rate, but it wasn't all issues with making contact. He took a lot of called third strikes as he is suppose to be very selective at the plate.

He has the potential to be a good defender and develop some good power, so I don't think the Jerry Owens comparisons make any sense at all. He's definitely a little raw, so don't expect a meteoric rise through the system like we've seen with Beckham and Poreda.

[bigdommer]

Originally Posted by cbrownson13

So either way, not a leadoff hitter?

Well, he's a .325 hitter with a .471 OBP. Now, some will say big deal, that's college. But as a former college catcher, I can guarantee you that I would not pitch around a guy with this much speed. He's a double if you walk him, so you have to attack the strike zone. Pure speculation, but with an OBP that high, he has a very keen eye for the strike zone and is not simply being "pitched around."

Correction to my previous post, partially courtesy of the trib. My scout friend compared him to Carl Crawford, not Cameron. He compared the HS outfielder taken early in the first round to Cameron.

[Ranger]

Originally Posted by Harry Potter

Scouting report on mlb.com sounds like Jerry Owens version 2.0

Owens never had power potential, so I wouldn't liken mlb's scouting report to that of his. The only similarities between the two are that they are both fast and played football. And it is not uncommon for college baseball players to have also played some other sport. And just because they did, doesn't mean that they aren't WAY better at baseball.

Who knows how this pick will work out 2-3 years from now, but I think it's unfair to classify it as an automatic faliure because the kid played football, too.

[voodoochile]

Originally Posted by Ranger

Owens never had power potential, so I wouldn't liken mlb's scouting report to that of his. The only similarities between the two are that they are both fast and played football. And it is not uncommon for college baseball players to have also played some other sport. And just because they did, doesn't mean that they aren't WAY better at baseball.

Who knows how this pick will work out 2-3 years from now, but I think it's unfair to classify it as an automatic faliure because the kid played football, too.

Frank Thomas comes immediately to mind...

[jabrch]

Originally Posted by voodoochile

Frank Thomas comes immediately to mind...

So does Bo Jackson...So does Dave Winfield...and there are many more.

[Malgar 12]

Originally Posted by jabrch

So does Bo Jackson...So does Dave Winfield...and there are many more.

I get your point but Bo Jackson won the Heisman Trophy. He was an excellent football player.

[TDog]

Originally Posted by Malgar 12

I get your point but Bo Jackson won the Heisman Trophy. He was an excellent football player.

But if Bo Jackson had never played any football or give it up while in college as Frank Thomas did, he could have had an incredible baseball career -- not with the White Sox, of course, but incredible nonetheless.

I've seen a lot of draft with a lot of potential. I've seen a lot of them not make it. Actually very few make it. There were people in the Twins organization who wondered if Denard Span would ever make it, and apparently he has.

The best you can do is look for potential and tools. Regardless of the organization a player is in, it really depends on the player to work to develop his potential. You can't predict such things on draft day.

[Nutriaitch]

Greetings White Sox fans.

Long time LSU baseball fan here. Stopped by to see what y'all were saying about Mitchell.

Make no mistake about it, this pick is based purely on potential and upside.
JMitch tends to struggle (kinda ugly sometimes) against lefties, but is pretty steady against righties. Showed lots of improvement this year, and once he commits 100% to baseball, he may improve even quicker.
He could probably step right in as a big league defender right away.
Lots of speed on the basepaths (he scored from 1st on a routine single to right this year), but sometimes has too much trust in his speed, and takes chances he shouldn't.

Best of Luck to y'all with this pick, I'm really rooting for this kid.