(Get) A Sporting Life

One thing I am enjoying about the baseball landscape these day is the ability to get to know something about the prospects going into the draft. Ten years ago the draft just happened and you got a blurb or two in the paper the following days. Now it is possible to get some feel for the players likely to go in the first couple of rounds. Granted, that "feel" is a little cursory, but at least it gives baseball fans more of a rooting interest. That being said, here are a few players I'm rooting for the Cardinals to select with one of their four selections in the first 72 picks. (The Cards select 27, 34, 69 and 72.) Note this is not an attempt at a "mock draft" ordering. Trying to do that past the Top 10 selections seems a bit of a fool's errand. There is just too much volatility for mock drafts to be all that worthwhile (though they are fun.) The only thing I am doing is removing some of the big names from consideration as it seems unlikely, for example, that...

Since Day One was so wildly successful, I'll stick around until the Cards' second round pick. Daniel Norris is still out there. Evidently he will cost some money to sign, but I think we have a bit of cash. I'll also look out for Jorge Lopez, RHP out of Puerto Rico. UPDATE X2: I'll also put out Alex Dickerson, OF Indiana U., potential big bat. UPDATE X3: Brewers took Lopez. Are those asshats reading this blog? UPDATE X4: Looking for another pitcher. If the Cards can be patient maybe Matt Purke, LHP TCU. He's been injured, but he's a high upside selection. UPDATE X5: Norris finally taken, by the Blue Jays. Possible steal if they can get him to sign. UPDATE X6: Cards selection Charlie Tilson, OF HS New Trier, IL MLB says : The Chicago-area high school product was known in the region for a while, but really helped his stock with a tremendous performance at the Area Code Games last summer. Tilson isn't the biggest guy in the world, reminding some of a Brett Ga...

I've no idea what will happen, but I'm rooting for the Cards being able to get Jed Bradley, LHP Georgia Tech. They are on pick 12 and the Cards pick at 22. There is a chance! UPDATE: Crap. The Brewers took Bradley @ #15. I'm switching to Daniel Norris, LHP, HS Johnson City, TN (Where the Cards have a minor league team. WOuld be a nice story!) UPDATE X2: Only one pick to go and Norris is still there. If they go position player I would think SS Levi Michael or 2B Kolten Wong. UPDATE X3: Cards are up! UPDATE X4: Kolten Wong is the pick. UPDATE X5: In terms of "name" picks this draft will be a little slim for the Cards. We don't pick again until #79. UPDATE X6: More on Wong from MLB.COM : There aren't that many pure college bats in this year's Draft class, but Wong has one of them. He gets overlooked because of his size, his position and the fact he plays in Hawaii. But, drawing comparisons to Carlos Baerga, Wong can really hit. He's got a profession...

Southlandish said: I don't know a damned thing about this kid. If he is versatile, maybe the plan is that one skill may stick and he's trade bait. I don't know what the other draft options were as far as trade material. We need outfield help ASAP. Drafting for it strikes me as a pipe dream. I'm just guessing here, but it would make sense if you are trying to pick someone you can use to trade up for a serious AA or AAA outfielder who can play in a year or so (when Ankiel blows his Achilles after a promising start) that we need to draft to make a deal. I agree that we need outfield help sooner rather than later...I just thought it might be nice to have a couple legit prospects down there for a change. However, there may be a pattern in the Cards draft today. Got this from Future Redbirds : Cardinals #36 Pick - RHP Clayton Mortenson. From MILB: While there are often college seniors who make very good pros, it’s rare for there to be one like Mortensen, a legitimate “prospe...

St. Louis used their #1 draft pick (#18 overall) for high school shortstop Peter Cozma out of Oklahoma. Evidently he is a five tool players who does everything well, but nothing outstandingly well. I'm a little disappointed. Given the fact that no outfielders had been taken, I thought there was a chance for the Cards to pick up, for example, whoever they considered the best available college outfielder. The organization doesn't seem terribly well stocked in that regard...but we got the SS. Some are upset that the Cards didn't go after the pitcher in Jersey, Porcello...but I'm sort of glad they avoided him. Let the Yankees pay Boras' extortionate prices.