2025 Guardians Amateur Draft - Part 12 - Random Thoughts

 Ok, the draft is coming and it's time for some random thoughts that will color my final Mock draft which should post the night before Day 1 of the draft. 

• NO SOFT TOSSERS  We have drafted soft tossers like Austin Peterson, Dylan DeLucia and Will Dion. For those of you who saw Peterson's last two AAA starts, it is obvious to me now that every soft tosser reaches a level where they can't compete.  Matthew Boyd is the exception, not the model we should strive to be.  So, no soft tossers except on day 3 in my Mock Draft 3.0.

• NO HS PITCHERS EXCEPT ON DAY 3 - I am OK with the HS pitchers we took last year.  But look at their stats.  Even the best HS pitchers are projects.  So while I'd draft one of two of them on the 3rd day, I just can't see how we can go to that well early in the 2025 draft.  We need guys who will be important contributors in this decade.

• I MAY SOFTENT MY STANCE ON COLLEGE CATCHERS - If Andrew Fischer, Jace LaViolette and Tyler Bremner are gone when we pick at 27, I might be inclined to pick Cam Bodine.  He is a switch hitter with the best hit tool in the draft.  Looking at Naylor and Cozart, we will need someone to pair with Ingle in a couple of years and that could easily be Bodine.

• NO DAKOTA JORDAN-LIKE PICKS - Jordan fell last year because people questioned if his potential would ever match his talent. Looking at this year's class I want solid guys until we get to the 3rd day.  So I plan to stay away from the type of guys who tend to be overdrafted based on their raw potential.  BTW, so far Jordan's performance is validating the people who stayed away although I will say Jordan was a good gamble in the 4th round, especially if you have a strong farm system.  Cleveland doesn't and I don't think a brass ring grab is the way to go in this draft.

• YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH DHs - It is great to have a slick SS, a great centfielder and a great defensive catcher.  Well, if you can't score runs it doesn't matter.  We have spent a lot of drafts trying to find well-rounded position players and, in recent years, were looking for contact-oriented hitters who could grow into their power stroke or, maybe, have enough good other tools to compensate for no power.  For  me, it is time to go back to accumulating the Bash Brothers Part Deux.  A big part of my last Mock will be accumulating those players as I feel that postion players who are obviously DHs in waiting will be undervalued with teams always chasing that 5-tool players. Let's look for the next Kyle Schwarber...and hope other teams are dreaming on multi-tool guys.

• BIGGER IS BETTER - No Freddy Beenes in this draft.  If we get to choose between a 6'0" and a 6'5" guy I will choose the taller guy, even if the shorter guy is more polished and has better CURRENT upside. The Guardians' pitching braintrust can teach a lot of things but they can't teach tall. I'll be looking for tall pitchers, and that includes HS pitchers.

• THE ELEVENTH ROUND IS REALLY THE FIRST ROUND ON DAY 3 - Looking back, the Guardians' 11th round picks have been Garrett Howe (2024), Johny Tincher (2023), Magnus Ellerts (2022) and Hunter Stanley (2021). All of these are college guys but I would venture to say that only Ellerts was an attempt to get the absolute best prospect available when their 11th round pick rolled around.  And maybe not even Ellerts.  It's time to treat this pick as if the 11th round pick was their first pick in the draft.  They have all night after day 2.  Pick the best available player you are pretty sure you cna sign, even if you have to go over slot.  In fact, there is something to be said for going MOST overslot on your 11th round pick.  Not saying to do that but there is some logic as you will likely outdo all other teams for 3rd day talent with just one pick.

• SPREAD THE WEALTH - The Guardians will not have the luxury of saving close to $3 million on their 1st round pick this year.   Still, like in 2023 when they gave $1 million to Alex Mooney and, in so doing, didn't have enough to sign Mac Heuer and Ryan Marohn, they could have spread the money around to sign 3 good players instead of just Mooney. This year they need to do better BECAUSE they won't have a lot of excess to spread around and not put their eggs in one basket like they did with Mooney.  It cost them a guy with the potential to be a first rounder in 2026 (Marohn) and another good pitching prospect (Heuer).  So, in 2025, they need to spread the money around, especially leaving a good war chest for the 3rd day draftees.