For example this year, before the draft began I tweeted (@AltitudeSports) the following:
- If it isn't Appel, I'm going with Correa. Slick big SS. Correa also dominated in Perfect Game showcases against other first rounders.
- I'll go ahead and make this prediction. Albert Almora will be a better player than Byron Buxton. Furthermore I think Correa is best of HS.
I tend to say what I feel. And in this case, I was thrilled to see the Astros agreed with me.
That said, I tend to avoid the first round entirely. The major media outlets will cover that MUCH better than I can.
That said yesterday I also tweeted the following.
- In a draft short on catchers here are two names to think about later in the draft. Parker Morin out of U Utah. And Chris Cowell of Richmond.
- Cowell is a big power bat. Top 10 HRs in nation this season. Tons of swing and miss though. Solid defensively. Senior, wasn't drafted in '11.
- Morin is a Left-handed bat who was a switch hitter up until this season. Was PAC-12 honorable mention this season. Best hitter on a bad team.
Today in the 14th round, with the 433 selection, the Kansas City Royals selected Parker Morin. Great pick-up in my mind, and here is my reasoning.
Morin is 5'10 195. I suspect he will continue to bulk up as he has a short stocky build. I'd project him to round out at around Brayan Pena's size. When you see Morin you know immediately he is a catcher.
He spent two years at the JuCo College of Southern Idaho where as a freshman he hit .255/.383/.396 and as a sophomore hit an impressive, .372/.416/.534. Keep in mind the JuCo league that Southern Idaho plays in, is a wood-bat league. The kid can hit.
In 2012, he began his stay at the University of Utah, the Pac-12's weakest team. Parker started every single game of the season for the University of Utah and was an All-Pac12 Honorable Mention this season. With the Utes, Morin led the team in hitting by batting .314/.353/.414. The talent stepped up in his league, and Morin batted clean-up for a very bad team. In other words, he wasn't given the best pitches to hit.
He is a pretty solid contact hitter, but doesn't exactly have great speed or power. As such his future may be as more of a defensive-minded contact hitting catcher. One issue he will run into is that he doesn't walk a ton. That said, he also isn't a big swing and miss guy. Again though this plays up the fact that he is a contact-hitter.
Take a look at some of these break downs from his three college seasons.
Strikeouts/Walks
2010: 20/21 (106 AB) 18.8% of AB's resulted in K.
2011: 11/16 (191 AB) 5.7% of AB's resulted in K.
2012: 29/13 (212 AB) 13.7% of AB's resulted in K.
XBHits (2B/3B/HR)
2010: 5/2/2 (27 H/106 AB) 8.5% of AB's resulted in XBHits. 33.3% of Hits XB.
2011: 14/4/3 (71 H/191 AB) 11.0% of AB's resulted in XBHits. 29.5% of Hits XB.
2012: 11/1/3 (69 H/212 AB) 7.1% of AB's resulted in XBHits. 21.7% of Hits XB.
The biggest issue that stands out to me here is that while Morin doesn't strike out frequently, 11.8% for his college career, he doesn't have gap power either, 8.8% of his AB's resulted in XBs. That singles contact has to turn into Gap Power in order for Morin to sustain a career. Over the past three seasons he has regressed in terms of XBHits, but has shown signs that he can he the ball well. One fear I have is that both the University of Utah and College of Southern Idaho are high-altitude parks. As such the ball should fly better there.
So if the hitting isn't awesome, what will make him a valuable player? DEFENSE!
I briefly mentioned defense early, so here is where I think the Royals got a good steal in Morin. I've managed to scout a couple of his games in both High School and College and was always impressed by what he brought to the table. This past year with the University of Utah he displayed a pop time of 1.9, which is right in the middle of the Major League Average. He displays great footwork and seems to have a great grasp of the game.
He committed a total of 8 errors in his college career in 918 chances. A .991% Fielding%.
Most impressively base-stealers were caught at an improving clip each season and at a total percentage of 35.3%. His best season behind the plate was with the University of Utah, facing the top talents in the Pac-12.
2010: 12/40 (30.0%) Caught Stealing (Fun, albeit worthless, fact, As a freshman Morin was 0 for 2 at attempting to catch Bryce Harper stealing...)
2011: 27/80 (33.8%)
2012: 33/84 (39.3%)
Totals: 72/204 (35.3%)
He is an incredibly down to earth kid and he gets it. Hard work and determination go a long way in this game and I think that Morin will be a great value pick for the Royals in the 14th Round.
Consider this, the Royals past 14th rounders have produced a total of 6 Major Leaguers. The most recent, Devon Lowery. Who has managed 4 innings in the Majors. Since Lowery the highest level a 14th Round Royals selection has reached was Steve Kent who reached AAA in 2010 for Seattle. And lasted only three years in the Royals system. Other than him, only one player has reached High-A. Morin is already at the Low-A level, so I'll go out on a limb and say he will be the first player since Kent to reach AA. That said, I don't expect that before the 2014 season. At the earliest I foresee a late 2015 arrival at the Major League Level if things progress the way they have been for Morin.
Now, let's tap the breaks a little. Do I foresee him as a future Major League All-Star, no. Do I think he'll be an everyday starter in the Majors, again, no. Do I think he has the potential to be a solid Major League backup. Definitely. Think of him along the lines of Matt Treanor, a solid defensive minded back-up catcher who can play at the Major League Level. Now ask yourself, would you take that out of your 14th round selection?
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