Places

Night-time fun at Ironbridge museum as sculpture is built: A giant sculpture made from drainpipes was assemble...
Night-time fun at Ironbridge museum as sculpture is built: A giant sculpture made from drainpipes was assemble...
13 minutes ago
TURNING POINTS: Mercer Museum in Doylestown brings the Civil War to life in ...: DOYLESTOWN - The Mercer Museu...
TURNING POINTS: Mercer Museum in Doylestown brings the Civil War to life in ...: DOYLESTOWN - The Mercer Museu...
13 minutes ago
Spot-fixing: Ex-Ranji player detained, allegedly introduced Ajit Chandila to bookie
Spot-fixing: Ex-Ranji player detained, allegedly introduced Ajit Chandila to bookie
17 minutes ago
The Japanese Tradition — Chopsticks, A Parody Educational Video on Proper Chopstick Usage
The Japanese Tradition — Chopsticks, A Parody Educational Video on Proper Chopstick Usage
21 minutes ago
Yesterday I saw Miss California Mabelynn Capeluj tweeting about being nervous. She said it was because she was going to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game. Since Mabelynn is from San Diego, I asked her if she was g...
Yesterday I saw Miss California Mabelynn Capeluj tweeting about being nervous. She said it was because she was going to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game. Since Mabelynn is from San Diego, I asked her if she was going to be doing it at the Padres game tonight against the Cardinals. Her answer: "@gaslampball: @mabelynncapeluj are you throwing out the first pitch at the @padres game?" Yes! How did you know? :-) #MissCaliforniaUSA — Mabelynn Capeluj (@MabelynnCapeluj) May 20, 2013 My answer: Deductive reasoning. Today she announced it to the world, with a photo of her in a Padres jersey. Guess who's throwing the opening pitch for the Padres today! fb.me/2rcdI7UeB — Mabelynn Capeluj (@RealMissCAUSA) May 20, 2013
22 minutes ago
Carson National Forest to enter Stage 1 restrictions May 21. #drought #NewMexico
Carson National Forest to enter Stage 1 restrictions May 21. #drought #NewMexico
24 minutes ago
With two swings on Sunday, the Phillies earned a thrilling win reminiscent of the 2008-11 period and some positive momentum heading into an eight-game road trip. Aroldis Chapman was the fourth closer the Phillies have tied the game again...
With two swings on Sunday, the Phillies earned a thrilling win reminiscent of the 2008-11 period and some positive momentum heading into an eight-game road trip. Aroldis Chapman was the fourth closer the Phillies have tied the game against or beaten in the ninth inning this season. It was the third time in two weeks (Sergio Romo, Heath Bell). A win brought them to within two games of .500, and they have a chance to go over .500 for the...
24 minutes ago
FIR against Facebook for hosting a group exhorting cow slaughter
FIR against Facebook for hosting a group exhorting cow slaughter
28 minutes ago
Tornado-hit states brace for further onslaught as govt issues emergency warning in central US
Tornado-hit states brace for further onslaught as govt issues emergency warning in central US
30 minutes ago
The 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft (hello unnecessarily long name) is coming up in less than a month, starting on June 6th. There isn’t quite as much build up for it as there is for the other major drafts. Mainly because it takes...
The 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft (hello unnecessarily long name) is coming up in less than a month, starting on June 6th. There isn’t quite as much build up for it as there is for the other major drafts. Mainly because it takes place in the middle of the season, and because it is crazy long. But, there are still people talking and speculating about who will go where. Over at Lookout Landing, Chris Crawford has been putting up weekly posts on various prospects that the M’s could take, and mock drafts are starting to pop up around the internet. The problem is, there never seems to be a consensus like there sometimes is for other sports. In the NBA, we know who is going to go #1 almost to a tee, and the whole top 10 is generally easy to predict. But with baseball, it is not nearly that simple. Each team has a different way of evaluating players, and value different aspects of the game. It is still fun to try and speculate about some possible targets, even if you can’t know for sure who your team is going to take. As a general rule, teams will take best player available. In baseball, that is really the best option. No one goes right to the bigs, so these prospects won’t be of value to your team until two, three years off, maybe more. What may be a set position at the time of the draft could be a hole when the draftee is ready to contribute. Prospects can also be valuable trade chips also, so even if a player is blocked, you can get some good value out of him. So I picked a few guys who I think could be around at #12 that the M’s may have at or near the top of their big-board. This is by no means an extensive list, and there was some personal bias when choosing what four players to highlight. But this is my post dangit. I will do with it what I so choose…within the guidelines of the site and the interests of the readers of course. Also, keep in mind I am no scout, so I am relying on what people who know more than I do have said, as well as what I have seen from the players. Austin Wilson, OF, R/R Stanford University 6-5/245 Wilson is a strong athletic outfielder with lots of power potential. He has struggled a bit this year, both with injury and his production. It has caused him to drop a little on some mocks, but he still looks like a decent choice at #12 for Seattle. John Sickels has him going 20 to the Tigers, but I have seen others that have him at 10 or better. The Mariners lack a big time outfield prospect, and that is exactly what Wilson could be. Scouts have his power at as high as a 70 for the future, with that being his best tool. However, it is not his only tool, as he looks fairly solid across the board. He has a massive build, but he does not play like it. He should stick in right field, and looks like a decent base stealer as well. If everything goes as planned for Wilson, he could be a very good player all around. He figures to be an above average corner outfielder thanks to his speed and arm. The bat is a little different, because there are some holes. But if he turns out like most expect, you are probably looking at a .270/.340/.480 type player, in the mold of a Nelson Cruz, or even Jay Bruce. If he reaches maximum potential and everything that can click does click, then he could be closer to Carlos Beltran or Yoenis Cespedes type player, but that isn’t likely. Then of course, if the contact deficiencies present a problem, he could turn into a Chris Carter type player. He definitely has a high ceiling, but it is really hard to pinpoint where he stands right now. He could go top 10, or he could fall to 20. He kind of gives off a high school boom or bust vibe despite being a college player. If he is there at 12 though, I think there is a good chance the M’s take him. Reese McGuire, C, L/R Kentwood HS (Kent, WA) 6-1/190 I recently saw McGuire play in person, and was very impressed with what I saw. He is a very sound defensive catcher, and just looks like he knows wh
37 minutes ago