I hope we can get Keyvius Sampson in the second round. He plays for my highschool and he is quite a ballplayer.

Pete - Couldn't agree more with you on the possible O's pick for the draft. Your "The Koji conundrum" post sure brought up some lively debate. I (and most of the readers) still couldn't disagree more with you on that topic though, but appreciate your points of view. All I am saying whether it's Koji (even if he isn't used to pitching this often and this long in Japan), needs to be stretched out, even if it means we lose some games in the short-term. It's like what Nolan Ryan is trying to bring back with the Rangers. They aren't even looking at the number of pitches for the starting pitchers anymore. Back to old school. Keep one pitcher in there as long as possible and less variables to mess up a win (like yesterday). Anyhow, always enjoy your blog even if I don't post very often.

Rarely do MLB organizations draft for need in the top rounds. The O's lack of MI depth might lead to them selecting more than they would otherwise, but they're not going to base their first round pick on a need.

And there are serious questions about Green's fielding ability, as well as his power. I doubt many organizations still have him as a top-5 talent.

But you might be right, as this is a strange draft. It's unusual for there to be a consensus best player. And then behind him, there's a list of 7 to 9 players who could all be 2nd. I'm hoping Dustin Ackley (OF, UNC) falls to them. He's the draft's best pure hitter, and won't need a lot of minor league experience.

Grant Green is also a San Diego native.

Weren't the Nationals the only team to NOT sign their top pick last year?

Boras can ask for $50 million, but that doesn't mean the Nationals have to pay it, especially because they would get a replacement pick at No. 2 overall in 2010 if they don't sign Strasburg. That rule eliminates the need to pick anyone other than the best player available.

I'll bet they sign him for between $10 and $15 million in the last hour possible. Strasburg would be risking arm injury and getting nothing by going back to school. $10 million is all anyone needs for the rest of their life; he'd be a fool to turn it down.

Pete,

He has the Nats by the short hairs! They kid just threw a NO-NO last night with 18 Ks and 2 walks! Boras can name his price! However the Padres are possibly cheaper than the Nats, I think the kid would go to Japan for a year versus back to college. The Nats HAVE to draft him and HAVE to sign him! After last years fiasco in the draft, they need to git r dun! Which shouldn't be confused with Adam Dunn!

Hey Pete,

Check out this website: www.withthefirstpick.net

They have Grant Green rated as the #178 prospect in this years draft.

Hey Pete,

Check out this website: www.withthefirstpick.net

They have Grant Green rated as the #178 prospect in this years draft.

The Nats would be crazy not to draft him. The money would come to the kid eventually. He is special and someone like him comes along once in a while. Yes Boras is a pain to deal with, but really if it was another agent, it would not be much different for Strasburg.

Grant Green also could play one incredible jazz guitar. He and Joe Henderson hooked up on some special Blue Note dates. Check out "Idle Moments" (1964).

Pete- I love you man, or, I should say your writing, unless your free Saturday night, anyway, to pull Koji is terrible, he was under 90 pitches and had NY baffled.
Sherril struggles in the 9th, so what, then he shouldn'e close then.
DT is i minor league manager. He uses way too many pitchers.
Many orginizations have moved pitch counts up to 100 from 80 on their prospects.
Johnson had pitched 11-12 scoreless innings, you can not expect him to be shut down like that every time.
Exhibit A on why I am right and your wrong........Win/loss record.

On another front, how great is it that it seems all of our minor leaguers are starting to come together. Is Matusz going to be the best player we took in the draft last year?
I ask because Zagone is a monster.
Rowell is putting it together is seems.

Great Tod Van Poppel reference from a previous poster. I still have his "rookie" card in case he becomes the next Nolan Ryan as promised.

Pete, don't you think that Eaton has a big part to play in Sunday's loss? As you said, DT had a decision w/ no right answer to make. The reason he had no right decision was b/c Eaton couldn't go 7 on Saturday. With Baez burned, Sarfate numb, Ray searching for rhythm & Bass & McCrory to young to hold a 7th inning 2-run sunday lead against the Yanks, walker was forced into a less than ideal role & he lost.

.............................................................................................
Pete's reply: Yep. It all ties together.

I don't think it will be Green. There are too many question marks with his glove and whether he can play SS in the majors. He hasn't had a great year and his draft stock is falling. The guy that I think we might wind up with is Aaron Crow who ironically, is the guy the Nats couldn't get signed last year. He was the consensus #2 pitcher in the 08 draft behind Matusz. This year's draft is pretty weak and especially weak for positional players and big bats in the top 10 which is why I think we go pitcher again. We just might wind up with the top 2 pitchers from last year's draft.

Pete. I have to diagree with your 4th place-yr end assessment of the Blue Jays in a prior thread. I catch quite a few Jays games on the tube up in Canada and 1 thru 9 their offense is solid. Ther bullpen is lights out and while their rotation is young, so far they have been better than expected. I know there is truth to the 'once around the league' with young starters but there are lot of positives.
Cito Gaston knows ball and unlike the O's, the Jays aren't afraid to roll the dice with young talent-ie Snider,Lind, Richmond, Cecil, Romero. Notice that the above list includes pitchers as well!!!
I'm not a huge Ricciardi fan but he looks like a genius with some of his moves. If the Jays stay in contention, then maybe the owners give him the green light to sign a veteran pitcher like Byrd/Pedro...Right now, that's all that may be missing from a team that might be '09's Rays..

I think one thing that people miss is that if Strasburg signs a 15MM bonus . . . and he is actually above average . . . count in arbtration years and he will have made close to if not more than 50MM. Look at how much Tex made.

Real Baseball Intelligence (RBI), a leading resource in the evaluation of amateur baseball talent and draft coverage, has ranked Stephen Strasburg the #1 prospect in the 2009 MLB Draft. View his scouting report (with video) at www.withthefirstpick.net/stephen-strasburg

The Nats and the Yankees get extra picks for not signing their first rounders in 2008.

$50m? That's ridiculous. Boras can ask for that, but at some point, Boras will have to tell the kid (Strasburg) that he should take the $15-20M that the Nats have offered. It'll be more than he can get in Japan and more than he can get playing with the Fort Worth Cats.