AL East Round-up: Intriguing 2014 MLB Draft Picks Edition

Apr 4, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; General view of a pile of baseballs before the opening day baseball game between the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

We’re going to take a small break from our normal routine and instead of recapping the weekly performance of the five American League East teams, we thought we’d take a look at the MB Draft instead.

It goes without saying that the American League East has had a mixed history with the MLB Draft. Some teams like the Tampa Bay  Rays have used it to rebuild, others like the New York Yankees have allowed their picks to serve as compensation fodder when signing big ticket free agents away, and still others have had trouble choosing a direction that works for them.  That’s lead to varying success rates in the draft for the Toronto Blue Jays, the Baltimore Orioles, the Boston Red Sox, and the aforementioned Yankees and Rays.

Understandably, each team took different approaches in the 2014 MLB Draft, drafting to different needs and selecting players at different development levels due to the health of their respective systems. The Yankees, for instance, had a more pressing need for players that were less of a project and could be hurried through the system into the upper minors. The Orioles had to figure out how to attack a draft without a pick in either of the first two rounds. And the Red Sox, Rays, and Blue Jays each had their own agendas to adhere to, all of which evolved from previous strategies to fit their current team needs.

So with that in mind, let’s take a look at what each team did in the draft….

*All videos embedded via MLB.com

Feb 18, 2013: Pittsburgh, PA, USA: Pittsburgh Panthers forward Lamar Patterson (21) shoots over Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Pat Connaughton (24) during the second half at Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Pugliese-USA TODAY Sports

Baltimore Orioles

After spending heavily on free agents at the end of the winter, the Baltimore Orioles were without picks in the first two rounds of the draft, picks they surrendered as compensation for the signings of Ubaldo Jimenez and Nelson Cruz. While those signings were out of the norm for the Orioles, as team notorious for not sinking a ton of money into free agents, it may have also been detrimental to the needs of their farm system, which has seen some injuries to recent draft choices like Dylan Bundy but also some solid prospects in Kevin Gausman, Chance Sisco, Mike Wright, and Eduardo Rodriguez.

So, without a pick in the first two rounds, the Orioles had to play catch-up quickly. With their fist pick, which didn’t come along until #90 in the draft, the Orioles went with the highest ceiling arm they could find, plucking Florida high school lefty Brian Gonzalez.. They then proceeded to use their next 11 picks on college player, including seven pitchers and four position players.

However, it was their second pick that was the truly intriguing one, when they selected Notre Dame right-hander Pat Connaughton. Connaughton draws obvious comparisons to fellow Notre Dame two-sport star

, but his make-up profiles as a much different prospect. At 6’5″ and 211 lbs, he has the frame you want from a power pitcher and can touch mid to upper 90’s with his fastball and gets good downward action on the ball. However, as

MLB.com notes

, he lacks command of the pitch and doesn’t feature a solid breaking pitch. Without that pitch, he seems like a huge project and profiles as a bullpen arm, making his selection at this stage in the draft an interesting choice for Baltimore.

Oct 23, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; The grounds crew waters the infield as the Boston Strong logo is see in the outfield prior to game one of the MLB baseball World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have one of the most top-heavy systems in all of baseball, with many prospects sitting in the upper levels just waiting for their chance to reach the show. That’s a testament to the solid drafting and recent trades the team has made to deepen its stock of quality youngsters. However, the system is also starting to show some thinness in the lower levels.

So it wasn’t surprising to see the Red Sox split their picks between high-end athletes, like Georgia prep shortstop Michael Chavis and Texas right-hander Michael Kopech, and seasoned college players like Indiana slugging first baseman Sam Travis and Cal-Poly closer Reed Reilly. Overall, you see a sense of balance in the Red Sox picks, knowing which players can move quickly through the system to fill immediate needs and which ones can have more time to develop and capture some huge potential.

One of those players is California high schooler Trenton Kemp, a player MLB.com says is one of the best athletes in the 2014 draft class. A two-sport star that also plays football, Kemp has the speed and range to be an excellent center-fielder. However, it is the promise of emerging power which drew the Red Sox to him and they believe that his raw athleticism and short, compact swing will help him tap into that with the right guidance.

Jun 2, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitching coach

(48) talks to starting pitcher

(left) on the pitching mound during the sixth inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Tampa Bay Rays

No team in the American League East has taken better advantage of the draft than the Tampa Bay Rays, and they’ve done a great job of shifting from picking from a top 10  spot to the latter half of the draft.  Because of this, the Rays have been able to provide a solid stream of talent to their Major League club without having to worry about splurging on free agents. That’s been due to having one of the smartest front offices in the game, with a keen eye for talent. That occurred again in this draft when they went out an drafted one of the most polished power-hitting prospects on the board in first baseman Casey Gillaspie, a talent that MLB.com is comparing to

and

. Those are pretty solid comparisons to draw and if the Rays get either out of Gillaspie, who should move quickly, they’ll have a winner.

However, the team’s most interesting pick came in the fourth round, when the Rays nabbed a polished high school arm in Blake Bivens, a pitcher that made quite a bit of noise as the draft neared. For a high school arm, Bivens has perhaps one of the best breaking pitches in the draft and the Virginia native has more polish than his age foretells. He looks to gain more velocity as his frame fills out and the addition of another secondary pitch will put the  right-hander on the same path of other pitchers developed in the organization like Alex Cobb.

Jun 7, 2014; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals infielder Sutton Whiting (1) tags out Kennesaw State owls catcher Max Pentecost (3) at second base during bottom of the first inning at

Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays did a great job of going after two very polished college players that will fill big needs within the organization in starter Jeff Hoffman and catcher Max Pentecost. Pentecost adds a very polished, nearly ready catcher into the system, something the team needs regardless of the presence of A.J. Jimenez. Meanwhile, Hoffman sliding to the Jays at #9 may be the steal of the draft, as the right-hander has future ace written all over him. He’ll need a year to recover from Tommy John surgery first, but the arsenal is already there.

With the saving the Blue Jays anticipate by drafting (and hopefully signing) Hoffman, the team took its customary risk and went after a player with a college commitment and hope to lure him away with a few extra dollars. That honor went to Florida prepster Keith Weisenberg, who the Jays took in the 38th round. Weisenberg has the make-up scouts love in high-school pitcher, an easy delivery, mid-high 90’s fastball, and improving secondary pitches. However,

Scout.com

notes that he will be a tough sign, which is understandable considering the talent and his commitment to Stanford, not to mention the value he’ll be seen at after two  or more years in the college game. Still, the Jays have had success luring commits late in the draft, evidenced by the team’s signing of slugger

despite a 30th round selection. If they can ink Weisenberg, he could be a huge steal this late in the draft.