(june 16, 2017) - mlb.commlb.mlb.com/documents/7/8/2/236832782/june_16_2017_clips_m3tugqij.pdf ·...
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Clips
(June 16, 2017)
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Today’s Clips Contents
FROM LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3)
Angels' pitching woes continue in 7-2 loss to Royals
Angels sign first-round draft pick Jordon Adell
FROM ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER (Page 5)
Ricky Nolasco has a rough night in Angels’ loss to Royals
Angels Notes: Matt Shoemaker improved, but his next step remains uncertain
FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 9)
Adell wastes little time in signing with Halos
Nolasco hit hard as Halos fall to Royals
Injury not expected to sideline Shoemaker
Cron following in his father's footsteps
Halos look to gain ground behind Chavez
FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 14)
Royals roll to 5th straight win by beating Angels 7-2
FROM ESPN.COM (Page 16)
Keith Law's draft recap: American League team-by-team breakdown
FROM BASEBALL AMERICA (Page 25)
After 60 Years In The Game, Bobby Knoop Shows No Signs Of Slowing Down
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FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
Angels' pitching woes continue in 7-2 loss to Royals
By Steve Dilbeck
Frustration has a new face for the Angels. It looks like Ricky “Long Ball” Nolasco.
Nolasco is the Angels right-hander who can look near brilliant one moment and in the next like a pitcher
who can never surrender a hit that doesn’t leave vapor trails behind it.
Nolasco tried for the ninth time to win for the first time since April 27 and for the ninth time failed, the
Angels falling to the Kansas City Royals 7-2 on a warm Thursday night in Anaheim.
He was not helped along by a non-supportive offense, but neither did he do much for his own cause,
giving up five runs on 10 hits — almost all well struck — and walking two in six-plus innings.
Two of the hits were home runs, continuing a troubling theme to his season. He has given up
an American League-high 21 home runs.
“It’s definitely frustrating,” Nolasco said. “Those two balls just snuck out today. It’s something that really
hasn’t been an issue my whole career but for some reason this year it is. I just have to make better
pitches.”
Nolasco fell to 2-8, his ERA climbing to 5.01. All five Angels currently in the rotation have an ERA of more
than 4.00.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia blamed Nolasco’s troubles on an inconsistent release point.
“He’s missed a lot of spots,” Scioscia said. “Those misses where he’s trying to go away and leaving it over
the heart of the plate, guys have had pretty good swings at those.”
Meanwhile, the Angels could do little with Matt Strahm. If that’s an unfamiliar name, that is
understandable.
Strahm is a 25-year-old left-hander who was making the first start of his career after 41 relief
appearances. He looked like a veteran starter against the Angels.
Strahm (2-3) went five innings, giving up one run on three hits and walking one. He struck out three and
benefited from a seeming Danny Espinoza solo homer being overturned from a video review in the fifth.
The ball was foul.
A 21st-round draft pick by the Royals in 2012, Strahm threw a career-high 68 pitches. The only run the
Angels scored against him came in the first on a bloop single by Albert Pujols.
But Nolasco gave up RBI doubles to Alex Gordon and Whit Merrifield in the second and the Angels never
led again.
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After all the excitement in their comeback victory against the New York Yankees on Wednesday, the
Angels went rock-a-bye quiet Thursday. A regular New York hangover.
The offense stalling, Nolasco gave up a solo home run to Lorenzo Cain in the third and another to
Gordon in the fourth.
“I was trying to find a way to grind it and get it to that seventh inning,” Nolasco said. “Just keep grinding.
That’s all you can do.”
When he gave up a leadoff single to Cain in the seventh, he was finished. Reliever Jose Alvarez did not
help the cause, giving up four hits in the inning and allowing three more runs to score.
“[Nolasco] was behind a lot of hitters,” Scioscia said. “They were on a lot. They had a lot of traffic out
there. He battled to get through six but he’s just not quite where he needs to be.”
Yunel Escobar singled in a sixth-inning run, and the Angels’ offense was finished.
The Royals finished with 15 hits. Seven went for extra bases.
Angels sign first-round draft pick Jordon Adell
By Steve Dilbeck
Three days after selecting high school outfielder Jordon Adell with the 10th pick in the major league draft
— and just a day after the three-day draft ended — the Angels signed the 18-year-old.
The deal for the exact $4,376,800 slot was reached Thursday, making Adell the first No.1 draft pick to
agree to terms. The Angels made the announcement on the video board at Thursday’s home game
against the Kansas City Royals.
The agreement came after Adell passed his physical. He was at Thursday’s game.
"For me it was a no-brainer. I didn't want to waste any time and wanted to get right to work," he said.
He'll start at team's Arizona facility.
Adell, a five-tool player, hit 25 home runs, tops among high school players in the United States, and
batted .563 with 22 stolen bases at Ballard High in Louisville, Ky.
The Angels plan to develop him as an outfielder, but as a pitcher the right-hander can throw a fastball at
95 mph.
Shoemaker improved
Right-hander Matt Shoemaker, who left Wednesday’s game in the fourth inning with a sore forearm,
showed improvement Thursday, manager Mike Scioscia said.
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“He still has a little stiffness, but it’s definitely better,” Scioscia said. “We’ll continue to evaluate and see
how it goes.”
Scioscia said Shoemaker did not participate in any throwing Thursday.
“He’s had these before, and they seem like they go away in fairly short order,” Scioscia said. “How many
days that is remains to be seen. Long-range we’re really not concerned with it.”
Shoemaker’s next regular start would be Tuesday, though that follows an off-day and the Angels could
elect to skip him a turn.
If they place him on the 10-day disabled list and need another starter, veteran right-hander Doug
Fister is a logical candidate. He’s scheduled to make his third start for triple-A Salt Lake on Friday. Fister,
33, can opt out of his contract if not in the majors by Wednesday.
Short hops
Reliever Huston Street (triceps) on his first rehab outing in two weeks Wednesday with Class-A Inland
Empire: “I came out of it healthy, that’s all that matters. I was terrible as far as the way I pitched.”
Street, who gave two hits, three runs and walked one while getting one out, said he is scheduled to pitch
Friday and Monday for Salt Lake, and then hopes to be activated. He has yet to pitch this season. …
Right-hander Daniel Wright was called up from Salt Lake and Parker Bridwell was optioned to triple-A.
FROM ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Ricky Nolasco has a rough night in Angels’ loss to Royals
By Jeff Fletcher
ANAHEIM — The Angels are still waiting for the Ricky Nolasco who was so encouraging at the end of last
season.
This year’s version has been markedly different, pitching inconsistently except for one maddening
constant: balls flying over the fences.
Nolasco gave up two more homers, increasing his league-leading total to 21, in the Angels’ 7-2 loss to the
Kansas City Royals on Thursday night.
“With Ricky, it’s pretty simple,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “It’s just his command, being able to repeat a
release point.”
Nolasco gave up five runs in six-plus innings, raising his ERA to 5.01. He has not been the pitcher who had a
3.21 ERA in the last two months of 2016, after the Angels got him from the Minnesota Twins.
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Scioscia said Nolasco and pitching coach Charlie Nagy have been “working very hard between starts, trying
to find that timing, tempo and delivery he had for the last dozen starts last year where he was locked in.
He’s working hard. Hopefully he’ll find it, because he’ll give us a big lift.”
Nolasco seems as puzzled as anyone as to what’s gone wrong.
“Just keep grinding,” he said. “That’s all I can do.”
The most mystifying part of his troubles have been the homers. Lorenzo Cainand Alex Gordon took him
deep in the third and fourth innings, putting the Angels behind, 4-1.
Coming into this season, Nolasco had allowed 1.1 homers per nine innings over 11 seasons in the majors.
The most homers he had allowed in a season was 28, back in 2008.
This season is not even half over and he’s on pace to shatter that, having allowed 2.4 homers per nine
innings.
On the positive side, Nolasco has allowed 16 of the homers with the bases empty. Despite his rough
outing, the Angels were within reach, if they could have mustered much offensively.
Facing lefty Matt Strahm, who was making his first big league start, the Angels scored an unearned run in
the first inning, and then nothing else through Strahm’s five innings.
The Angels had just three hits against Strahm.
In the fifth inning, Danny Espinosa appeared to hit a homer down the left-field line. After a review, though,
umpires ruled his shot had passed just foul of the pole. Espinosa then struck out.
The Angels got that run back in the sixth. Cameron Maybin singled and scored on Yunel Escobar’s single to
pull within 4-2.
But before the Angels could bat again, the game got away.
The Royals scored three runs in the seventh, including one unsightly sequence. Sal Perez’s bloop into
shallow center dropped, despite first baseman C.J. Cron, second baseman Espinosa and right fielder Kole
Calhoun converging on it. Perez was then able to go to second when the throw came to the plate.
Perez and Eric Hosmer then scored on a Mike Moustakas single, extending the Royals’ lead to 7-2.
The first of the three seventh-inning runs was charged to Nolasco, who could at least take some solace in
the fact that he made it that far.
“I was able to throw up some zeroes in the fifth and sixth to get to the seventh,” he said. “At the end of the
day, I just put us in a hole, and it’s kind of hard to dig out.”
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Angels Notes: Matt Shoemaker improved, but his next step remains uncertain
By Jeff Fletcher
ANAHEIM — Matt Shoemaker is in a holding pattern after leaving his last start with tightness in his
forearm.
Manager Mike Scioscia said Thursday that Shoemaker has improved, but the club is still unsure what is
next for him.
“He still has a little stiffness,” Scioscia said, “but it’s definitely better. We’ll continue to evaluate it and see
how it goes.”
Shoemaker said after Wednesday’s 7-5 victory over the New York Yankees that he was not concerned
about the tightness, which he also felt a little after his previous outing. It resolved within a couple days
then, and he was able to take his next turn.
“I’m not concerned about it, but it’s still got to calm down, that spot of tightness,” Shoemaker said
Thursday. “I feel like it’s a little better, but I can’t really tell how much better it is just sitting here right
now.”
Shoemaker did not touch a ball on Thursday. He said he would normally throw a bullpen session two days
before a start, so he’ll need to be able to do that on Saturday or Sunday if he’s to take his next turn in the
rotation, on Tuesday in New York.
If he can’t make it, the Angels have a few options, because of Monday’s off day. They could simply push his
spot back as far as next Saturday, giving him nine days of rest.
If Shoemaker is placed on the 10-day disabled list, and the Angels need another starter to take his place at
least once, they could turn to Doug Fister. Fister is scheduled to start on Friday for Triple-A Salt Lake City. It
would be his third outing at Triple-A since signing with the Angels. Fister has a clause in his contract
allowing him to request his release if he’s not in the majors by next Wednesday.
STREET’S OUTING
Huston Street headed for Triple-A, scheduled to make at least two outings before the Angels could activate
him. He said he’s expecting to throw one inning on Friday and four outs on Monday.
“If I do well in my next two outings, I should be on a plane to New York,” he said. “That’s my hope. They
may decide they want me to do one more outing. If they do, we’ll talk about it.”
Street retired only one of the five batters he faced on Wednesday night with Class-A Inland Empire. He
walked two and gave up two hits, and was charged with three runs. His velocity was mostly around 86
mph with his fastball, he said.
Although neither the results nor the velocity were what he wanted, he was undeterred.
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“I came out of it healthy,” he said. “That’s all I care about. I was terrible, as far as the way I pitched, but
that’s why you do it. … The results are what they are. That’s why you have three (rehab outings).”
While Street could be back in about a week, Cam Bedrosian is hoping to be back sooner. He gave up one
run on two hits in two-thirds of an inning on Thursday night with Inland Empire. He struck out two. He had
said he expected that to be his final outing before being activated.
DONE DEAL
The Angels agreed to terms on Thursday with first-round pick Jo Adell, inking him to a deal exactly at the
slot value for the 10th pick: $4,376,800.
Adell, an outfielder from Lousiville, Ky., arrived in Southern California on Wednesday and underwent a
physical. Scouting director Matt Swanson said Wednesday that he was confident the Angels would be able
to sign all their picks in the top 10 rounds.
Angels general manager Billy Eppler said Adell would begin working out at the Angels complex in Arizona
and then play in the Arizona Summer League.
ALSO
Garrett Richards continues to work out in the gym, but he said he has no idea when he’ll be able to throw.
He said it’s been about a month since he even underwent the strength test the Angels use to determine
whether he’s ready to pick up a ball. Although it’s been more than two months since he threw, he said he’s
still “moving in the right direction,” and he’s hopeful he can pitch this year. “I’ll be ready to go when the
time comes,” he said. “There’s nothing I can do till I start throwing. That’s kind of what I’m waiting on.” …
Don’t expect the Angels to try Eric Young Jr. at second base to keep his bat in the lineup once Mike Trout
returns. Young hasn’t played any significant amount at second since 2010, which Scioscia said is because it
was determined the outfield was a better fit for him. Scioscia said trying Young at second now would be
“sketchy, at best.” Trout is still at least three weeks away from returning, so “a lot can happen,” Scioscia
said. …
Andrew Bailey, who has been out with a sore shoulder, is scheduled to get back on a mound on Monday,
he said. Bailey has been out for about two months, including a couple weeks in which he was shut down
from throwing. …
Daniel Wright was recalled to take the spot of Parker Bridwell, who was optioned after Wednesday’s
game. Bridwell would have been unavailable for a few days after throwing 56 pitches on Wednesday.
Wright was recalled for the fifth time this season.
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FROM ANGELS.COM
Adell wastes little time in signing with Halos
By Kaelen Jones / MLB.com
ANAHEIM -- The Angels signed 2017 first-round Draft pick, outfielder Jordon Adell, Thursday after he
passed a physical. The deal includes a $4,376,800 signing bonus.
"To me it was a no-brainer," Adell said of the decision Thursday, as he attended the Angels' 7-2 loss to
the Royals. "I'm in a situation where I felt like I was the guy. This organization believes in me."
Adell is the first top-round pick to sign with a team.
The Angels selected Adell out of Ballard High School in Louisville, Ky., with the 10th-overall pick in
Monday's Draft. He was ranked the No. 21 prospect in this year's class, according to MLBPipeline.com.
The 18-year-old said he didn't want to waste time over negotiations so he could get to work. He added
that he doesn't want to rush his development, either.
"I just want to soak up all the information I can, and get the at-bats that I need and the reps that I need,"
he said. "When I'm ready, that time will come."
During his senior year, Adell garnered Gatorade Kentucky Baseball Player of the Year honors, batting
.562, while tagging 25 home runs -- the most of any high schooler in the country -- and 61 RBIs, along
with 22 stolen bases and 53 runs.
Adell will head back to North Carolina this weekend to get together with family prior to joining the AZL
Angels, the Halos' extended spring training team in Arizona, on Wednesday.
"He'll start in Arizona," Los Angeles general manager Billy Eppler said. "We'll probably go through the
orientation process, similar to what we would do in Spring Training when our hitters show up, with a
couple days of [batting practice], and then maybe some live BP, and just some tracking, and put him out
there, and bring him along."
Nolasco hit hard as Halos fall to Royals
By Kaelen Jones and Jeffrey Flanagan / MLB.com
ANAHEIM -- Lorenzo Cain and Alex Gordon each hit home runs to back left-hander Matt Strahm's
impressive outing as the Royals topped the Angels, 7-2, in Thursday night's series opener at Angel
Stadium.
Kansas City tallied 15 hits, and eight of its nine starting batters logged at least one hit. Whit
Merrifield, Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas each added run-scoring hits and Gordon finished a triple
shy of the cycle. The Royals won their season-high fifth straight game.
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"We feel like we're playing well right now," Gordon said. "I think before this road trip, I feel like the team
hasn't really clicked all together, and it kind of feels like we're starting to do that. And the good thing is
we never really got too far out of it. We're still in this race."
Angels starter Ricky Nolasco surrendered five runs on 10 hits and two walks across six innings. He gave
up his 20th and 21st home runs of the season, the most allowed by an American League pitcher this
season.
Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia attributed opponents tagging Nolasco for homers due to the right-
hander missing spots.
"He battled to get through six, but he's not quite where we know he can be," Scioscia said. "When he's
on, he's getting that good action and keeping the ball down, and making pitches."
"Just got to concentrate on making better pitches," Nolasco said. "Forget about this one tonight and go
on to the next one, just like I do every five days."
Strahm, making his first big league start after pitching out of the bullpen, allowed one unearned run in
five innings.
"A lot of good things happened tonight," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Very encouraging. Matt got us
through five innings. And the offense is staying hot."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Not-so seventh heaven: Royals catcher Salvador Perez followed Hosmer's one-run double with a
towering pop-up into shallow right field. Angels first baseman C.J. Cron, second baseman Danny
Espinosa, and right fielder Kole Calhoun ranged over, but the ball managed to drop safely for a single.
Upon fielding it, Cron fired home to prevent Hosmer from scoring, but allowed Perez to advance to
second. Moustakas then grounded a two-run single on the ensuing at-bat, to give the Royals a 7-2
advantage in the bottom of the seventh.
"They went hard at it," Scioscia said of the play. "It's just one of those balls that's right in the tough
spot."
Gordon's redemption: Gordon's error in left field in the first inning allowed Calhoun to advance to
second base before scoring on Albert Pujols' single to give the Angels a 1-0 lead. Gordon redeemed
himself when he roped a double into right field that Calhoun mishandled, allowing the tying run to
score. Gordon, who was a triple shy of the cycle, scored on Merrifield's ground-book double on the next
at-bat to give the Royals a 2-1 lead.
"I'm too old and too slow," Gordon said of trying to get a triple. "I just went for another homer."
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
For the first time since 1979, the Royals now have scored seven or more runs in five straight games.
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THE HOME RUN THAT WASN'T
With two out in the bottom of the fifth, Espinosa hit a shot toward the left-field foul pole that first was
ruled his seventh home run of the season. The umpires convened and then, after a 28-second replay
review, the home run was overturned. Espinosa then struck out, ending the inning.
WHAT'S NEXT
Royals: Right-hander Ian Kennedy (0-6, 5.40 ERA) takes the mound in game two of the series against the
Angels on Friday at 9:07 p.m. CT. Kennedy gave up four runs in six innings and got no decision against
the Padres last Saturday in a game the Royals rallied to win, 12-6.
Angels: Right-hander Jesse Chavez (5-6, 5.06 ERA) will make his 14th start of the season during Friday's
matchup against Kansas City at 7:07 p.m. PT. In six career appearances against Kansas City, Chavez is 0-1
with a 1.65 ERA (three runs allowed over 16 1/3 innings).
Injury not expected to sideline Shoemaker
Halos' righty departed last start early with sore forearm
By Kaelen Jones / MLB.com
ANAHEIM -- Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Thursday that right-handed pitcher Matt Shoemaker,
who exited Wednesday's win over the Yankees after three-plus innings with tightness in the extensor of
his right forearm, will be monitored very closely before determining whether he'll be available for his
next scheduled start Tuesday.
"Historically, he's had these before, and they seem like they go away in fairly short order," Scioscia said.
"But how many days that is remains to be seen. I think long-range, we're not concerned with it."
Shoemaker received treatment for the injury Thursday. Scioscia added that the 30-year-old will throw a
bullpen session to assess how he's feeling before making a decision on his availability. The Halos have an
off-day Monday before opening a three-game series against the Yankees on Tuesday, and the Angels are
considering pushing Shoemaker's start back.
"We're going to wait for the symptoms to subside and then he'll start a throwing progression," Scioscia
said. "When that is, it'll let us know in its own time."
Wright recalled, Bridwell optioned
The Angels recalled right-handed pitcher Daniel Wright from Triple-A Salt Lake prior to Thursday's series
opener against Kansas City. Right-hander Parker Bridwell was optioned to Salt Lake on Wednesday night
after Los Angeles' 7-5 win over New York to make room for Wright.
Wright last pitched for the Angels on May 29 at Tampa Bay. He entered Thursday 0-1 and had posted a
5.19 ERA across 17 1/3 innings in four appearances (two starts) with Los Angeles this season.
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Bridwell, who had been recalled from Salt Lake prior to Wednesday's game, pitched 3 2/3 innings in
relief of Shoemaker. He relinquished one run on seven hits while permitting no walks and striking out
one batter.
Worth noting
• Right-handed reliever Huston Street will join Salt Lake, and throw for the club Friday and Monday as a
part of his rehab assignment.
Street -- who opened the season on the 60-day disabled list with a right lat strain -- pitched for Class A
Advanced Inland Empire on Wednesday in his first outing since suffering a setback during his rehab in
early June. He gave up three runs on two hits and two walks in 1/3 inning, however the 33-year-old isn't
overly concerned by his performance.
"The results are what they were, but that's why you have three to kind of lock it back it," he said. "All I
want to be is healthy. I don't really worry too much."
Street long-tossed at 160 feet Thursday, and made 90 throws.
• The Angels are "still waiting for an evaluation" on right-handed pitcher Garrett Richards, according to
Scioscia. Richards has been on the DL since April 7 with a right biceps strain.
• Right-handed reliever Cam Bedrosian was scheduled to pitch one inning for Inland Empire on
Thursday. The 25-year-old has been on the DL since April 22 due to a right groin strain, but said Tuesday
he's confident he'll be activated either Friday or Saturday.
• Scioscia said left-handed pitcher Tyler Skaggs' bullpens are getting more aggressive, and will throw out
of the stretch during his next bullpen session. The southpaw has been on the DL with a strained right
oblique since April 29.
"He's passing these hurdles, but there's still a lot left before we see Tyler on the mound for us," Scioscia
said.
Cron following in his father's footsteps
Halos' first baseman grew up around the game
By Maria Guardado / MLB.com
ANAHEIM -- C.J. Cron doesn't remember much from his father's playing days. When Chris Cron broke
into the Majors with the Angels in 1991, his eldest son was one-year old, too young for any of those
memories to take hold.
But C.J. has plenty of recollections of Chris' career as a Minor League coach and manager. He spent the
summers of his youth following his father to towns like Hickory, N.C., and Birmingham, Ala., where he
saw his own baseball development begin to take shape.
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"I guess I kind of grew up around the game," C.J said. "You almost can't even pinpoint stuff because I
don't know any different. We were always hitting, we were always taking groundballs, we were always
playing catch. Ever since I was born, I was in all that stuff.
"Just being around all the teams that he used to coach, I think helped me a lot," he added. "It definitely
plays a big part in where I am today."
Chris, now the Minor League hitting coordinator for the D-backs, also believes C.J.'s early exposure to
the game granted him a wealth of knowledge that he still carries with him as a first baseman for the
Angels.
"I don't know exactly how he got all the little nuances of the game," Chris said in a phone interview. "I
always say that I could not feasibly teach my kids everything that they've ever learned, but being that
they were always there in the Minor Leagues for umpteen years, osmosis took over and it just sunk in,
somehow, someway."
Given Chris' own trajectory in professional baseball, it seemed natural that C.J. would also gravitate
toward the sport.
Baseball was always on in the Cron household, and Chris recalls C.J. hammering softballs, sliding and
imitating the players he saw on television as a kid. As he grew older, C.J.'s talent began to emerge. By
the time he got to the University of Utah and became a two-time All American, it became clear to Chris
that his son had a future in the big leagues.
In 2011, the Angels selected C.J. with their first-round Draft pick, bringing him into the same
organization where his father had spent the bulk of his 12-year playing career.
"It was a special night," Chris said.
Chris typically makes a trip out to Angel Stadium to see C.J. play once a year, but he watches all his at-
bats on television and is always available as a hitting resource for his son.
"I would love for him to use me more," Chris joked.
Said C.J.: "At this point in my life, I know exactly what he's going to say every time. I've been hearing it
for years upon years. But it's always nice to hear what he has to say. I always take it to heart. And he
knows if I ever have questions, I go right to him, so that's kind of how it works."
Regardless of C.J.'s results on a given night, Chris always makes sure to send him an encouraging text
message after each game, assuming his primary role as a parent rather than a coach in his son's life.
"I'm there as the father more so than the hitting guy," Chris said. "It doesn't matter how they're doing. If
it's good or it's poor, you're always still trying to be the regular parent and just say, 'Hey man, I'm so
proud of you. Just keep doing what you're doing because you're living your dream.'"
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Halos look to gain ground behind Chavez
By Jeffrey Flanagan / MLB.com
Royals right-hander Ian Kennedy (0-6, 5.40 ERA) keeps inching closer to the pitcher he was before going
on the disabled list early last month. In his last outing, Kennedy went six innings, his most since April 22
when he recorded seven innings of one-run ball against Texas.
Kennedy will be opposed by Angels right-hander Jesse Chavez (5-6, 5.06 ERA) on Friday night. Kennedy
gave up four runs in his last outing, a 12-6 Royals comeback win over San Diego.
"I just think his command is getting better," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "I don't think his stuff was
any worse than before the injury. But when he's pitching well he commands that fastball. And you're
seeing more and more of that each time out from him."
Chavez has made only one career start against the Royals and that came with Oakland in 2015. He gave
up three runs and six hits over 5 2/3 innings in a loss.
Things to know about this game
• Over his first three starts of 2017, Kennedy posted a swinging-strike rate of 13.8 percent. That
dropped to 8.5 percent over his next seven outings before he notched a season-high 15-percent rate last
Saturday at San Diego.
• Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer is 3-for-7 in his career against Chavez.
FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Royals roll to 5th straight win by beating Angels 7-2
Associated Press
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- A trip to California was all the Kansas City Royals needed to get their offense in gear.
Lorenzo Cain and Alex Gordon hit solo home runs and the Royals picked up their fifth consecutive
victory, beating the Los Angeles Angels 7-2 on Thursday night.
The Royals have now scored at least seven runs in each of their last five games, marking only the third
such streak in franchise history. The feat was previously accomplished May 25-June 1, 1978 and Aug. 9-
12 1979.
The streaking Royals have been getting it done with power, clubbing 14 homers in this unbeaten stretch
that began at San Diego, continued in San Francisco and has carried back down to Orange County.
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"The offense is just rolling right now," Gordon said. "It started in San Diego. As an offense, it kind of
clicks, and everyone just, you know, tags along."
Cain hit a line drive that barely cleared the wall in left center in the third inning, and Gordon followed it
up with a shot to center in the fourth, his third of the year.
For Gordon, who went 3 for 5 and came up a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, it was especially
gratifying. He arrived in California hitting .174, but is 8 for 22 on the trip.
"You try to keep your head up," Gordon said. "Obviously, you are going to go through struggles in
baseball sometimes, and just try to find a way out of it. Hopefully it will keep coming."
That was more than enough support for Matt Strahm (2-3), who won his first career start after making
41 appearances as a reliever over the past two seasons. Strahm went five innings, striking out three
while giving up three hits and one walk.
"It's the first time we've seen him in the windup this year, but he commanded his pitches well," Royals
manager Ned Yost said.
Ricky Nolasco (2-8) dropped his sixth straight start, giving up five runs and 10 hits in six innings, while
the Angels failed to pick up their first three-game winning streak since Mike Trout's thumb injury.
Kole Calhoun put the Angels ahead 1-0 in the first, scoring an unearned run when Albert Pujols singled
to right after initially reaching second on Gordon's error, but the Royals responded with two runs in the
second after a throwing error by Calhoun.
Danny Espinosa of the Angels lost a home run in the fifth when the video replay showed his shot into
the corner in left had curled out of play.
The Angels did finally notch their second run an inning later when Yunel Escobar picked up an RBI, only
for the Royals to respond with three in the seventh. Mike Moustakas had two RBI, giving him 16 in 13
games this month.
Moustakas' eruption is indicative of a team-wide trend. The Royals have scored 42 runs in their last five
games.
EASY ADJUSTMENT
Considering Strahm's last start happened in Double-A last July, the second-year left-hander had no
apparent issues transitioning from reliever to the first pitcher up.
"I don't ever feel like I conserve anything," Strahm said. "Competing every pitch and just try to be as
effective as possible with every pitch."
The plan was to have Strahm throw between 65 and 70 pitches, and he finished at 68. Pitching coach
Dave Eiland wanted to have Strahm get up to throw four times, but Yost felt confident in letting him get
back up for the fifth.
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"Now, hopefully 85 pitches next time," Strahm said.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Royals: DH Brandon Moss was back in the starting lineup after being limited to three at-bats as a pinch-
hitter during interleague play at San Diego and San Francisco. Moss went 1 for 5.
Angels: RHP Matt Shoemaker's status for his next scheduled start is uncertain after leaving Wednesday's
game against the Yankees with tightness in his forearm. "Historically, he has had these before and they
seem like they go away in fairly short order," manager Mike Scioscia said. "How many days that is
remains to be seen." . Scioscia believes RHP Cam Bedrosian (groin) is "very close" to returning.
Bedrosian pitched 2/3 of an inning in a rehab assignment with the Angels' Single-A affiliate Thursday.
SIGNED, SEALED, STARTING SOON
The Angels have signed first-round draft pick Jordon Adell and the No. 10 overall selection will report to
the club's rookie ball affiliate in Arizona next Wednesday.
"For me, it was a no-brainer," Adell said. "This organization believed in me and it was easy. I didn't want
to waste any time. I wanted to get right to work."
Adell led the nation with 25 home runs last season for Ballard High School in Louisville, Kentucky.
UP NEXT
Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy (0-6) has given up at least four runs in each of his last six starts. The Huntington
Beach native and former USC star is unlikely to find any home-cooking against the Angels, with an 0-4
record in six career starts.
Angels: RHP Jesse Chavez (5-6) has allowed a home run in 11 straight appearances to set a franchise
record. Chavez dropped his only previous start against the Royals in 2015.
FROM ESPN.COM
Keith Law's draft recap: American League team-by-team breakdown
By Keith Law / ESPN Senior Writer
These American League team-by-team recaps focus on the first five rounds of this week's MLB Rule 4
draft, although I'll mention lower picks as appropriate if it's a player of note or someone I thought was
worthy of a higher pick. The National League version will appear on Friday.
Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles scored big with their first pick, Georgia prep lefty D.L. Hall (first round), who ranked eighth
on my board. He's an athletic kid with a plus fastball and curveball already, average changeup, and a
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June 16, 2017 Page 17 of 27
good delivery. The O's have had trouble developing pitchers, notably because they've changed a lot of
kids' mechanics, but if they just let Hall be he should dominate the low minors. The O's also took
Canadian shortstop Adam Hall (second round), no relation to D.L., who wasn't on my top 100; he's an
average runner with some bat speed but a wrap and a linear approach that doesn't look as if it'll
produce power, and I think he's maybe 50/50 to stay at short.
Zac Lowther was taken in competitive balance round B after the second round (2B), which made him the
highest-drafted player ever from Xavier University. He's a big, thickset lefty who'll pitch at 89-90 mph as
a starter to go with a plus breaking ball, probably in a back-end starter, but he might be more valuable in
a relief role. Jacksonville University right-hander Mike Baumann (3) has touched 97 mph with his fastball
and sits mid-90s as a starter with an assortment of not-average secondary pitches, although his slider
might get there in time. Given his delivery and below-average command, the consensus on Baumann
had him as a two-pitch power reliever in pro ball. Right-hander Jack Conlon (4) has a big arm, throws 92-
95 mph with some sink, and shows an above-average breaking ball, but he has a violent delivery with a
head-whack and he'll need a lot of cleaning up to start. Lamar Sparks (5) is an upside play, a high school
outfielder who can run and has a 70 arm with average present power and a swing that works but the
usual questions about how advanced the bat is right now.
Boston Red Sox
Tanner Houck (1) has been a dominant starter for three full years at Mizzou, working with an above-
average fastball/slider combination, good sink at 92-93 mph and a four-seamer clocked up to 97, but the
delivery is cross-body and has effort to it. The combination gives him deception and he always has
thrown strikes, but I have real concerns he'll wind up a reliever, especially if the changeup -- a pitch he
has but that Mizzou never calls -- doesn't develop. Outfielder Cole Brannen (2) was probably a top-40
pick had he been healthy all year, but he started out badly while coming back from a broken hamate
bone. He's a 60- or 70-grade runner and should be a good defensive center fielder, and he has the bat
speed to hit but doesn't project to power with his current mechanics.
Brett Netzer (3) is a second baseman from UNC-Charlotte with a short swing from a dead start who
never strikes out and doesn't project to any power. Right-hander Jake Thompson (4) of Oregon State
was dominant this year for the Beavers. He was a redshirt junior who missed most of 2015 because of a
back injury and hadn't pitched at this level before. His fastball has been clocked up to 95 mph,
complemented with an average slider and changeup but has a high-effort no-windup delivery. The Red
Sox had been linked to Alex Scherff (5) in the second round but landed him in the fifth; the Arizona State
commit sits 91-94 mph with an above-average curveball and average change, with a short stride that's
not that common on starting pitchers.
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Chicago White Sox
Chicago went for impact college bats on Day 1, taking two of the strongest hitters on the board in Jake
Burger (1) and Gavin Sheets (2). Burger had some of the best exit velocities in the class and there's little
question about his bat, whether it's to hit or show power, but he's probably not going to stay at third
base over the long haul. Sheets is very strong and looks the part of a big league slugger, but analysts
were concerned about his huge home/road splits (Wake Forest is a great park for power hitters) and
trouble with left-handed pitching.
The Sox kept it going with New Mexico outfielder Luis Gonzalez (3), who might have slipped that far on
some late makeup questions. He shows above-average range in center and has good bat speed, with
some mechanical issues that might limit his contact rates. UNM plays at the Albuquerque Isotopes'
ballpark, one of the most extreme hitters' parks in minor league or Division I baseball, and no position
player drafted from UNM has ever posted positive WAR in the majors.
Louisville reliever Lincoln Henzman (4) could move up quickly. He's a strike-thrower with a low-90s
fastball and promising cutter, although he has started in the past and could move back to that role. Tyler
Johnson (5) was South Carolina's closer and has reached 98 mph with his fastball, but it's an all-arm
delivery and he missed time this spring with "arm soreness." Louisville right-hander Kade McClure (6) is
90-93 as a starter with a solid-average breaking ball at 79-82 and projects as a fifth starter. TCU
catcher Evan Skoug (7) showed surprising power this year but struck out in 36 percent of his at-bats. I
thought his swing would produce more contact but fewer homers, and it might be that that's a tradeoff
he'll have to make. He's a long shot to catch but should at least start his pro career behind the dish.
Cleveland Indians
Cleveland didn't have a first-round pick because it signed Edwin Encarnacion as a free agent, so its first
selection came in the second round with Queens High School outfielder Quentin Holmes. He had first-
round upside but struggled with the bat all spring. He's fast and athletic but still not very physically
mature and needs to add strength in addition to improving his pitch recognition, and might be a two-
year rookie ball guy.
The team surprised a lot of scouts by taking Tyler Freeman with the 71st pick overall with its competitive
balance pick after the second round. He's a high school shortstop committed to TCU, and I think most
teams had him off their boards either on signability or because they didn't think he was physically ready
for pro ball. He can hit but is undersized and might not stay at short. I thought he was a "college guy,"
meaning he'd need to go to school, and after that could make himself a better prospect depending on
how his body filled out.
The Indians announced Virginia shortstop Ernie Clement (4) as a second baseman, where I thought he'd
have to move. Like most UVA hitters, he never strikes out, but he also never walks and projects for no
power, hitting only four homers in total in three seasons at UVA and three summers. Mike Rivera (6) has
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been Florida's primary catcher for two-plus years and seems like a lock to get to the majors as a backup
because of his receiving skills and reputation for handling pitchers.
Detroit Tigers
Alex Faedo (1) seems like a very Tigers draft pick -- a big, physical, hard-throwing (sometimes) pitcher
who has some reliever risk. They've even done this before from the same school, taking Florida starter
Jonathan Crawford at pick 20 in 2013. (Crawford went to the Reds with Eugenio Suarez in the trade that
sent Alfredo Simon to Detroit; Crawford is in High-A this year and has walked more batters than he has
struck out.) Faedo was a potential single-digits pick but never got back into form after offseason knee
surgery, pitching at 90-94 mph when I saw him against Vanderbilt along with a plus slider that he threw
a lot and a below-average changeup. His delivery lacked rhythm and if that was all I'd ever seen of him I
would say he's 100 percent a reliever -- but it's possible he needs more time to get his knees back to full
strength.
Reynaldo Rivera (2) is a massive kid from Chipola College, a power-over-hit guy who scouts think will
struggle against good pitching and who might end up at first base given his size. University of
Washington catcher Joey Morgan (3) is a great catch-and-throw guy with a high probability of at least
becoming a big league backup; he can hit a little bit but doesn't project to power or on-base skills. Sam
McMillan (5) is a prep catcher who can throw and has power with a huge swing that can collapse his
back side. Notre Dame starter Brad Bass (6) has been 90-92 as a starter with a mid-80s slider but
showed better velocity before as a reliever and could have more value if he returns to that role.
Projected to go in the top 10 in some early rankings, J.B. Bukauskas went to the Astros at No. 15. Richard
C. Lewis/Icon Sportswire
Houston Astros
The Astros landed North Carolina right-hander J.B. Bukauskas (1) at pick No. 15 after he was tabbed as a
likely top-10 guy for most of the spring, although it's possible his standing slipped a little bit at the end
of the year when he seemed to lose some command. Bukauskas is a 6-foot right-hander who'll touch 98
with a plus slider and feel for a changeup that UNC didn't call very often, and normally he's a big strike-
thrower with a very aggressive approach. He doesn't have much plane on his fastball and his delivery
doesn't make much use of his lower half at all, so many scouts and execs feel as if he's more likely a
reliever than a starter.
Archbishop McCarthy's Joe Perez (2) is scheduled for Tommy John surgery this week. He has been up to
97 as a pitcher, but the Astros took him as a bat, so he should be able to return to action by spring
training if all goes well. He's a third baseman, assuming his plus-plus arm is fine, and keeps his hands
inside the ball very well at the plate, with a linear swing that looks more geared to contact than power.
The Astros received two picks from the Cardinals as a result of a St. Louis employee hacking into the
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Astros' baseball ops database, and used those picks on Texas A&M right-hander Corbin Martin (2) and
Arizona hitter J.J. Matijevic (2B). Martin came into the year as a potential first-rounder but struggled
early and bounced in and out of the Aggies' rotation before finishing more strongly. He has a starter's
arsenal, 91-93 with a slider and changeup, but it's a late arm and there's some stress on the shoulder as
a result. Matijevic put up huge numbers in Tucson, a good hitters' environment, but strikes out a bit too
often and is a physically mature 5-foot-11 kid who's probably limited to first base even though he was
announced at second.
Grayson County College right-hander Tyler Ivey (3) wasn't on many boards but has crept into the low to
mid-90s with a loose, quick arm and a chance for an above-average breaking ball, although there is a
split camp on whether it's a starter's delivery. Notre Dame reliever Peter Solomon (4) was bounced from
the rotation -- perhaps saving his arm -- and was 92-94 out of the pen with an average slider that kept
backing up on him when I saw him pitch, as he was releasing it a bit too early. He's a good project for a
player development staff because of the arm strength, but he needs some delivery work. Virginia prep
catcher Nathan Perry (5) has power from the left side but is a project behind the plate; he's committed
to High Point. Iowa's Jake Adams (6) transferred from a junior college and hit .335/.417/.747 with 29
homers for the Hawkeyes but punched out 57 times and can't play anywhere except first base, if
that. Kyle Serrano (10) could have had seven figures out of high school, went to pitch for his dad at
Tennessee, blew out, didn't throw strikes, pitched only 13 innings his last two seasons, and ended up a
senior sign in the 10th round. He still can show mid-90s velo with a power curveball and I would put him
right in the pen and let him go.
Kansas City Royals
Nick Pratto (1) has one of the best hit tools in the draft class, a great left-handed swing that produces
plenty of contact and should lead to future average power. He's a high school first baseman, so his
upside is limited, and that's as bad a demographic in the first round as you can find. In the past 15 drafts,
only one first-round high school first baseman has ended up producing positive WAR in the majors -- the
Royals' own Eric Hosmer. Catcher M.J. Melendez (2) has a 70 arm (if not better) behind the plate and
hits for power. He's agile behind the plate but too active, with the potential to be a good receiver if he
slows his game down. I'm more concerned about the hit tool, as his swing works but he doesn't have
great bat speed. JC lefty Evan Steele (2A) was worked unbelievably hard at Chipola this spring, throwing
140-plus pitches in a playoff outing despite missing time earlier in the spring because of arm trouble.
He's 90-91 with an average breaking ball, and it's very tough on lefties because he comes across his
body.
JC lefty Daniel Tillo (3) will top out at 89-92 with a sweepy slider from a low 3/4 slot and missed some
time late in the spring because of injury. Lipscomb outfielder Michael Gigliotti (4) starred on the Cape
last summer but never got anything going at the plate this spring, eventually bunting for more hits
because he was having trouble making good contact. He's a plus-plus runner who should be above
average in center, but of course he has to recapture the hit tool he showed in 2016.
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Los Angeles Angels
Kentucky prep outfielder Jordon Adell (1) was going somewhere in this range of the draft, clearly, based
on his tools, but I didn't find a more polarizing guy among scouts this spring. Some think he's a tooled-up
budding superstar, and some think he's the next Anthony Hewitt -- all tools, no production. He also had
issues throwing this spring. He'd been 90-93 as a pitcher in the past but was showing, in the words of
more than one scout, "a 30 arm" from the outfield this year. On the one hand, I completely understand
seeing a guy with this upside and pushing him to the top of your draft board, but I personally would
have a hard time with this profile -- raw hitter, lot of swing and miss, betting you can get the hit tool to
where it needs to be so the other tools play -- knowing he's also got something amiss with his arm too.
UCLA's Griffin Canning (2) was a sure first-rounder and could have gone No. 10 overall to the Angels if
the board had gone differently up top ... and if he hadn't gotten an MRI, part of MLB's new voluntary
process where players can choose to submit these exam results to all teams. Whatever teams found in
Canning's, they didn't like, and it cost him a million bucks. Canning has some effort in his delivery and he
was worked extremely hard at UCLA for three years -- 137 pitches the night I saw him -- but whatever
the cause of the injury was, it dropped him in the draft. It's the Angels' gain, and if Canning has to miss a
year due to surgery, the opportunity cost of a second-round pick is so much lower than that of a first-
round pick that I understand taking the gamble there.
Jacob Pearson (3) is a Louisiana prep outfielder with a good swing and strong hands, projecting to hit for
average with some power, but might end up in left field due to his lack of speed or arm strength. I
thought he might sneak into the second round. John Swanda (4) is a projection right-hander from Iowa
with a good delivery and arm action. He's a good athlete who can already spin it despite being more of a
shortstop than pitcher before this spring. Alabama prep right-hander Joseph Booker (5) has been up to
94 with feel for a breaking ball. He's a good athlete and scouts really liked his makeup.
Minnesota Twins
Early reviews around the game on the Twins' draft have been ... less than glowing. They took Royce
Lewis (1), the fifth-ranked player on my board, first overall, but don't appear to have used any savings to
get top talents with later picks. Lewis is a very athletic, quick-twitch kid, a plus runner with good bat
speed, very unlikely to stay at shortstop or even on the dirt but a potential plus-plus defender in center
given his speed and instincts.
They used their competitive balance pick on Mississippi State's Brent Rooker (competitive balance round
A, after the first round, or 1A), a redshirt junior -- so, in the controlled economy of the baseball draft, a
player with very little leverage -- who destroyed the SEC this year with a revamped swing, slugging over
.800 and hitting well against good pitching in the conference. Rooker turns 23 in November and doesn't
really have a position, so he needs to rake and do it quickly. They took Landon Leach at pick No. 37 (first
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pick in Round 2), a Canadian pitcher and the first player selected outside of my top 100. The 6-foot-4
right-hander is 91-93 with a hard slider, but the fastball is very straight -- even low-level hitters were
squaring it up -- and his arm is late relative to his landing leg.
They opened day two with Blayne Enlow (3), a first-round talent in my view and the best player on the
board after the first day. He has a wipeout breaking ball and has been in the low 90s but fatigued at the
end of the spring and was sitting in the mid to upper 80s. He needs to get stronger but I love the way his
arm works and the ball explodes out of his hand. Clemson junkballer Charlie Barnes (4) had great results
this year with a fringy fastball that might play as a 45 or below in pro ball, throwing strikes and using an
assortment of offspeed stuff. Guys like Barnes can end up big league starters but the line they walk is
very thin. The Twins did pass one test with Andrew Bechtold (5), a third baseman at Chipola College with
a quick and powerful swing, and an above-average runner. He can get passive at the plate but there's a
solid tools package here to start with. Ricardo de la Torre (6) is a true shortstop who needs to get a lot
stronger at the plate; he's a great long-term prospect and also strong value at this spot.
New York Yankees
Clarke Schmidt (1) was probably going to be drafted in the teens if he'd stayed healthy all spring, as he
had been bumping 97 mph with his usual strong results, but South Carolina brought him back fast from
an oblique strain, throwing him right back into the fire with three straight 100-pitch outings, after which
his elbow screamed. He had Tommy John surgery in April and will be out until at least next spring. When
healthy, he was throwing 94-97 mph with good life, plus a short downer mid-80s breaking ball and a big
action changeup that he didn't use very often. He has a rough arm action with timing issues, where his
arm is very late when his front leg strikes; when I saw him at the SEC tournament in 2016 I thought he'd
end up a reliever or hurt.
Matt Sauer (2) is also a tough-delivery guy -- a big, athletic kid throwing up to 95 mph with a good
breaking ball but with a lot of head violence in his delivery and a cutoff landing that brings him back
across his body too. I know some teams were fine with the way his arm works despite all of that and saw
a mid-rotation starter. Arkansas right-hander Trevor Stephan (3) has shown a plus fastball but no above-
average second pitch and he has a rough cross-body delivery. He started in his one year with the Hogs
but is probably a reliever in pro ball. Texas prep outfielder Canaan Smith (4) is a former quarterback with
a football build; he's strong for 6-footer but his swing is out of control and I worry there's a lot of swing-
and-miss here. Glenn Otto (5) is a Rice pitcher, with the added injury risk that that always carries, and he
missed fall ball because of arm soreness. He worked primarily in relief this year, throwing heat sitting in
the low to mid 90s and walking a man every other inning.
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Oakland Athletics
Austin Beck (1) has some of the best bat speed scouts have seen in years, reminiscent of Clint Frazier
or Javier Baez, along with above-average running speed and a plus arm. He's already pretty big
physically and is going to be huge when his upper body fills out, so he might end up a power-hitting right
fielder rather than staying in center. The biggest question on him is his hit tool, because he faced weak
competition this spring -- I happened to see him in a game his team won 15-0 via mercy rule -- and
didn't face any top arms last summer because he was rehabbing an ACL injury. Kevin Merrell (1A) is a 70
runner with a slappy little swing that has never produced any power except for this spring at USF. He
had only one extra-base hit in 59 plate appearances on the Cape (with wood) last summer. He's
probably not a shortstop in the long run, likely to move to second or center field. LSU outfielder Greg
Deichmann (2) projects as a low-average, high-walks and power corner outfielder, although his defense
in left or right projects as just fringy. He's already 22 and I believe he was the second-oldest hitter taken
on Day 1.
The A's took Nick Allen (3) with their first pick on Day 2, landing a second first-round talent; if Allen were
5-foot-11 rather than 5-8, I think he would have gone in the top 10. He can stay at short, and he can
really hit, and he's not powerless either. He'd supposedly wanted a big number to sign, but I assume the
A's took him knowing they could meet his price tag -- perhaps by going under slot on Merrell and/or
Deichmann. Allen and Beck make a great 1-2 upside punch. Vanderbilt's Will Toffey (4) is a plus defender
at third and a great college player but doesn't project to hit enough in pro ball to be more than an up-
and-down type. After that they went for less expensive picks, including some senior signs, probably to
clear cash to sign Allen.
Seattle Mariners
Kentucky first baseman Evan White (1) is a plus defender there but so athletic that the M's might be
better off moving him to the outfield. That could also help his overall profile. He has quick hands and
good extension through contact but hasn't shown the power you want from a first baseman yet. I
had Sam Carlson (2) as a first-round talent, but high school right-handers are a high-risk class and many
teams prefer to take those guys later and pay them over-slot bonuses. Carlson consistently hits 96 and
gets praised for his work ethic, but he does need to find a better breaking ball to remain a starter in the
long run. He has very little mileage on his arm as a cold-weather kid who didn't make his first start this
spring until April. Gonzaga senior Wyatt Mills (3) is almost certainly a discount pick to help shift bonus
pool money to Carlson. He's a reliever with an average fastball/slider combo but did post silly numbers
this year, with 58 strikeouts and four walks in 40 innings. Dallas Baptist reliever Seth Elledge (4) is 93-94
with a slider that flashes average and throws strikes. Catcher David Banuelos (5) is a catch-and-throw
guy, particularly the throw part but has never hit well enough to consider him a potential regular. Oliver
Jaskie (6) had a solid year at Michigan, but the lefty has just a fringe-average fastball and below-average
breaking ball.
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Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays scored big-time with their first pick, taking Brendan McKay (1) fourth overall. McKay is a two-
way player for the University of Louisville. Tampa Bay will at least start him out as both a starting pitcher
and a first baseman, although I doubt he'll pitch again until next year given his workload this spring for
the Cardinals. I thought most of the spring that his future was on the mound, since lefties with three
pitches and command like he has are scarce commodities. But he wore down as the spring went on but
kept right on hitting and hitting for power, so maybe he's a better asset with the bat after all.
The Rays took Oregon State right-hander Drew Rasmussen (1A). He had Tommy John surgery in March
2016 but is already back and pitching as if he never missed any time; he's throwing 93-95 mph again,
complemented with a slider that flashes plus. But I'm concerned about his workload as the Beavers head
to Omaha. Right-hander Michael Mercado (2) was seen as a very tough sign due to his commitment to
Stanford. He has an unrefined delivery, but he has projection for days on end and is already throwing
89-92 just on natural ability while also showing some feel for a curveball.
Florida State shortstop Taylor Walls (3) projects as a utility infielder; he's not a lock to handle short and
not providing much offense at all, hitting just .276/.421/.428 for the Noles this spring and unlikely to
show even grade 40 power with wood. Saint Mary's right-hander Drew Strotman (4) had been 89-91
mph early in the year but in April started bumping 97 mph and holding it deep into games; he comes
from a high release point and gets behind his low-80s breaking ball, but the arm strength is pretty
enticing. Lefty Josh Fleming (5) of Webster University was named the Division III pitcher of the year,
punching out a third of the batters he faced thanks to an above-average curveball and average
changeup.
Texas Rangers
Bubba Thompson (1) seems like such a quintessential Rangers pick, a multisport guy with big tools
across the board but questions about how much he'll hit. He's a former quarterback with plus speed,
arm strength, and power, projecting to stay in center field, and while scouts like his swing, he hasn't
faced a ton of good competition playing in the deep South, and he's already 19 years old. Chris
Seise (1A) seems likely to stay at shortstop and has a good mechanical swing, but it's all physical
projection and he doesn't have a lot of present strength for hard contact.
Right-hander Hans Crouse (2) has a lot of effort in his delivery but has been up to 97 as a starter and
really attacks hitters with a hard but slurvy breaking ball. Oral Roberts catcher Matt Whatley (3) is a
premium catch-and-throw guy with an outside chance to hit enough to be a regular but a high floor as a
backup. Ryan Dease (4) is a Florida prep right-hander who mostly pitched in the upper 80s with a below-
average slider. He was expected to go to the University of Central Florida. Jake Latz (5) has been 88-94
with a plus curveball and above-average changeup, and the delivery works for a starter, but he has some
injury concerns and redshirted this year after transferring from LSU, where the Tigers could barely use
him.
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Toronto Blue Jays
The Jays took North Carolina shortstop Logan Warmoth (1), who I thought was a top-10 talent in the
draft, at pick 22. He's likely to stay at shortstop, is an above-average runner, and had one of the best
swings in the draft class. I did hear some teams were concerned about his exit velocities, but I do think
the swing works well enough that I'd bet on sufficient hard contact to make him a regular at short. They
got junior college right-hander Nate Pearson (1A) with the compensatory pick for losing Edwin
Encarnacion. Pearson had hit 101 mph in a workout for scouts on Memorial Day but hasn't shown a
consistent average breaking ball yet, and I think it's a long development curve for him as a starter -- but
with high upside.
Catcher Hagen Danner (2) was a two-way player for Huntington Beach, a bat-first guy who probably
doesn't stay at the position, although the Jays intend to start him out there; if he surprises everyone and
remains a catcher he would probably be an above-average regular. Riley Adams (3) is also a catcher, this
time from the college ranks, a good catch-and-throw guy with a little power but questions about how
much he's going to hit.
Maryland shortstop Kevin Smith (4) came into the spring as a probable top-50 pick, but he never hit this
year, even against the weak pitching of the Big Ten. He also didn't convince anyone he'd stay at short
either, so he slipped to the fourth round as a probable utility infielder. The delightfully named Cullen
Large (5) isn't, and he's not good at second base. Since he hasn't hit for much power or shown great
walk rates, he's going to have to show a plus hit tool that he probably doesn't have.
FROM BASEBALL AMERICA
After 60 Years In The Game, Bobby Knoop Shows No Signs Of Slowing Down
By Bill Mitchell
TEMPE, Ariz.—Fans might not know the identity of the older man in the Angels uniform observing
workouts and games at the minor league complex, but Bobby Knoop is there just about every day that
school is in session for the youngest of the Angels farmhands.
The 78-year-old former big league second baseman and major league coach watches workouts and
games from his ubiquitous lawn chair, perched behind the fence on one of the complex fields. Here he
can get a good view of what’s happening on the field, occasionally taking breaks between innings to
work on the crossword puzzle from the daily newspaper. At times, he’ll head to a side field to hit
fungoes and give individual instruction to infielders. During the Arizona League season or when there’s
an extended spring training game in Tempe Diablo Stadium, he settles into a seat on the concourse
level, where he gets a bird’s eye view of the field.
Bottom line—if there’s baseball happening at the Angels minor league complex, Knoop is likely nearby.
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Knoop’s professional career dates back to 1956 when the Southern California teenager signed with the
Milwaukee Braves. Selected by the Angels in the December 1963 Rule 5 draft, Knoop made his big
league debut in 1964, launching a playing career that spanned nine seasons with the Angels, White Sox
and Royals. Regarded as one of the best defensive second basemen of his era, Knoop won three Gold
Gloves. In his best years he teamed with All-Star shortstop Jim Fregosi, who played 18 years in the bigs
followed by a 15-year managerial career.
“He was my teammate, of course, but more than that he was my roommate,” Knoop said about the late
Fregosi, “. . . my closest and dearest friend in baseball.”
Knoop’s acrobatic movements around the keystone earned him the nickname “Nureyev,” after Rudolph
Nureyev, the Russian ballet dancer of the era. That name was coined by Angels beat writers after Knoop
told them his mother insisted he take ballet lessons as a child. Knoop laughs now at the mention of the
nickname.
“The press put ‘Nureyev’ in there,” Knoop said. “When they asked a question I said my mother said I had
to take ballet lessons—which was a total fabrication! “
After his playing days were over, Knoop spent 21 years as a big league coach with the White Sox, Angels
and Blue Jays, and even got to fill in a few times as a manager. Does he regret not getting the chance at
a permanent managerial gig?
“I think anybody that stays in the game after they’re through playing (has) the thought they would like
to manage,” Knoop said. “It’s just that in my career no one ever asked. If they don’t ask, you can’t say
yes or no. They didn’t ask.”
Knoop’s primary role with the Angels is to observe and advise, a role that he’s held since returning to
the organization nearly five years ago after holding a similar position with the Rockies. He was inducted
into the Angels Hall of Fame in 2013.
Knoop brings 60 years of professional experience to the field. When he talks, players, coaches,
coordinators and managers alike listen.
“My position here is more as an observer,” Knoop said. “A person who can notice things and talk with
the individuals, especially the coordinators and the instructors. I don’t do a lot of instruction with the
individual players because I feel they get too many opinions from too many people. It’s better that they
have one or two people in the area that gives them information, so I pass information on to the
instructors, coaches and managers . . . The more information that you have the better decisions you can
make later on.”
Knoop’s contributions are certainly well-received by the minor league coaching staff.
“I’m usually walking by him to say, ‘Hey, Bobby, what do you think?,” AZL Angels manager Dave
Stapleton said. “He’s the wise one that will say, ‘That’s enough ground balls’ and those kinds of things . .
. He’s the best bench coach I have.”
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Knoop especially reaches out to the younger coaches and players who were born long after his major
league career ended. But just because the younger generation never saw him play or collected his
baseball card as kids, it doesn’t mean they don’t have the utmost respect for him.
“He just brings so much knowledge that young coaches just gravitate to him and talk to him all the
time,” Stapleton said. “Even as long as I’ve been doing this game, I’m talking to him every day about new
stuff. Just the wealth of knowledge that he brings to everybody . . . there’s not a player around that
doesn’t know they can go to him, talk to him, and he will make his way over if there’s something wrong .
. . Sometimes throughout the day he will touch them and talk to them about the things that he did and
how to approach it differently.”
While Knoop works more with the infielders, he has an impact on every player at the Angels complex.
Outfielder Jimmy Barnes, just 20, said that Knoop has helped him with his bunting, but more importantly
just talking to him about life issues and handling things mentally.
“Great players may strive to be the best that they can be,” Knoop said. “(But) it’s a team concept, and if
you’re not willing to help someone else be successful that takes away from your success . . . In order for
you to be successful, someone else has to help you. You have to have that same logic and that same
feeling every day you go out there on the field.”
At 78, Knoop shows no signs of slowing down. When told that he’s in good shape for his age, Knoop
chuckled and then said, “I’m not really certain that I’m in good physical shape. But I like to use the
expression that my father used—I’m in great shape for the shape I’m in . . . When you’re active as an
athlete and you start to lose your mobility—your ability to move and to have quick reactions—it bothers
you a little bit.”
Considering that his father lived to 101, Knoop should be able to stay around the game for as long as he
wants. He points to the example of former Angels coach Jimmie Reese, who worked with the big league
team into his 90s.
“I’ll do it as long as I feel I’m physically capable and mentally capable,” Knoop said,” and as long as they
want me to. They’ll let me know when they’ve had enough.”
But why not take it easy and enjoy some retirement years, especially considering he’s outside in the
brutal Arizona heat nearly every day?
“I suppose basically it’s all I’ve ever done, really,” Knoop said. “I don’t like being indoors. It’s kind of
rejuvenating to be able to work with younger people on a daily basis. I have civilian friends, but basically
the people I associate with are baseball people.”