Prospect Insider - Scouting Taijuan Walker

Scouting Taijuan Walker

By Chris Crawford

By 06-07-2010

Jason's scouting report for Taijuan Walker is available for subscribers right here.

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Hope you guys had fun today, we got a bunch more stuff coming tomorrow, and the M's wont be on the clock so long. Gonna be a lot of exciting stuff.

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Comments
The following 28 comment(s) for this article are shown below:

1. By: rjfrik on 06-07-2010 22:36:32
I hope Walker becomes a good SP. And I really hope we can grab a bat at 67. Curious if Walker would crack the organizations top 10 in the farm system. Does he crack it Jason?

2. By: Blowgun7 on 06-07-2010 22:40:15
Is Cleto even a top 10 guy in our system? I would think Cleto has a better arm and repotoire than this kid.

3. By: mauricewilliamsiii on 06-07-2010 22:53:50
And is only four years his senior.

4. By: Slurve on 06-07-2010 23:20:31
Swagerty taking up ballet instead of pro-ball? D'awwwwwwwwwwwwww... So baseball lost someone to priesthood and ballet who would of thought?

5. By: Edman on 06-07-2010 23:33:48
As I've said before, first round picks are typically selected for impact potential. It shows that Jack and company didn't try to go after a quick fix. As has been mentioned before, when you draft for need, you can make mistakes.

It's completely unfair to expect any high school kid drafted in the mid to lower first round to break any team's top ten. They generally take at least three years to know what you've got.

And really, the Cleto comparison? What would he have graded out to when he first entered pro ball? It's unfair to use him as a comparison when he's got experience as a pro, other than the fact that he's a pitcher.

Seattle needs bats, and there are plenty of picks left to do that with. But, they would have been wrong to select a bat, if they felt this kid could become something great. We're talking the #43 overall pick, not the #10.

I admittedly know nothing about this kid. Just because he didn't get a lot of attention by the media, doesn't mean he's not projectable.

6. By: Chris Crawford on 06-07-2010 23:42:24
Pretty hard to say if Tijuan is going to make the top 10 now.

It'll be interesting to see how quickly he signs and where he goes, since i'm in Virginia Beach -- i'm hoping Pulaski.

Also, i want more twitter followers, ChrisCrawfordPI, I think i'm addicted to twitter.

I'm going to bed, was a blast updating everything, hope you guys enjoyed.

7. By: Blowgun7 on 06-07-2010 23:51:07
The Cleto comparison was in regards to being in the Top 10. I picked Cleto because he's the only guy I could think of who is still somewhat raw, young, and has a power arm.

If Cleto who has a better fastball, some success as a pro, and better breaking stuff can't make the Top 10, then I'm not sure a prep arm who currently doesn't even have an average secondary pitch can make Top 10.

I don't think anyone here wanted to draft for need. I don't even see the player available from a bat standpoint that would have provided a quick fix. I think a lot of folks wanted a more highly thought of prep arm (like Allie), a college arm (like Workman), or one of the big upside prep bats like (Castellanos or Jackson, although I know both would cost significant cash, and have strong college commitments).

I'm certainly willing to give this kid a shot, but you would just love for the M's, given how weak their system is, and how weak their overall organizational talent is, to step up with the cash and buy a Castellanos or Jackson out of their college committments.

8. By: baseballman on 06-07-2010 23:55:29
I like the pick, and think that walker will turn out to be huge for us. theres a ton of risk involved with draftin prep arms or prep anything, but then again theres risk involved with every pick. its good to see the Ms not shy away from prep players given their current major league state.

JAC, i could be way off, but do you think we are more likely to get bats back in a Lee trade? if so it would make sense to go heavy on arms and prep arms in this draft. just curious, because its almost a foregone conclusion that we will trade him and if Jack thinks he can get a bat or two, then going for arms early makes too much sense.

9. By: Lailoken on 06-08-2010 00:11:50
Makes sense to me baseballman. The Mariners need bats at the MLB-level & GMZ will want some MLB-ready players back in exchange for Lee. With Pineda & Hensley (not to mention Vargas, Fister, & French) looking pretty solid right now the need for arms in the upper levels of the system is less pressing than the need for bats.

10. By: Lailoken on 06-08-2010 00:15:47
The Mariners also went bat-heavy last year in the draft & on the international market. Drafting an easy sign in the sandwich round may not just allow the M's to go overslot for the #67 pick but may allow Engles to do what he does best & sign some top international talent. DePaula & Peguero would be the start of a nice international haul.

11. By: Edman on 06-08-2010 00:19:58
The saying, "You can naver have too much pitching" hasn't changed over the years. Blogun, your Cleto comparison is flawed, the question is not where his stuff is today, but rather where it will be in a couple of years. He doesn't need to crack the top ten now.....but do they project that he will work his way to a top three prospect in a couple years?

You assume that Castellanos doesn't want to go to college. There is a risk in not signing now, but if he believes he can be a top five pick in a couple of years, why not get an education and sign for even more money.

Teams can't afford to waste a pick on a guy they can't sign. Particularly if they get no compensation because he was drafted as a compensation pick.

It's not always as simple as taking this guy, or that guy.

12. By: DAMellen on 06-08-2010 00:25:51
So who are the best players left? Who should I be crossing my fingers and hoping the Mariners draft tomorrow? You know...besides Shelley Allie or whatever.

13. By: Blowgun7 on 06-08-2010 00:27:17
I understand what you're saying Edman. And we will see what happens with the players I mentioned above and whether they sign or not.

As for potential to crack the Top 10 I get what you're saying, but I don't know how you can project whether or not he smoothes his mechanics out or develops a good secondary pitch. The scouting reports I've read seem to indicate he has nothing in regards to secondary pitches, so I don't know how we can project him at this point.

It's almost as if he's going to have to see some live professional action before we have an idea of what kind of prospect he is. Can we expect him to develop those other pitches simply because he's young, has a big arm, and is athletic?

I don't know. I'd feel a little better if he showed signs of a plus off-speed pitch or even a mediocre off speed offering. Based on what I've read, all of his secondary pitches are pretty poor at this point.

14. By: slick on 06-08-2010 00:28:52
#10

I' am with you on this one every year the M's are linked to a top IFA but never the top one or two last year it was Pimital which at the time was a 4 or 5 best availabe talent and Morban the year before was considered somewhere 8-10 best available talent. This year however I read we are in the mix for De La Cruz Peguero Heredia and DePaula In the mix for all the big names.

15. By: Blowgun7 on 06-08-2010 00:36:36
Peguero looks like a helluva player. Tremendous bat speed.

We also apparently have a deal done Philips Castillo who is one of Top 5-10 DR kids. Big power bat who plays corner outfield.

16. By: baseballman on 06-08-2010 00:40:30
really blowgun? (re 15) that would be awesome.

castillo has a huge bat, and prob the most power out of all the IFA this year.

i too have seen the Ms name linked with just about every major IFA. its a good sign that arent going to cheap out (not that they really ever have in IFA) but they seem to be a little more active this year and seem maybe a little more willing to spend

17. By: Blowgun7 on 06-08-2010 00:44:50
Yeah I think BA had a blurb about it last week. Something about us having committed 2 million to signing him.

18. By: rjfrik on 06-08-2010 01:00:08
Ed,

If you have the money to sign a guy who wants a lot of money, then why not spend the money on him to get him off of his commitment. You say he could go to school and become a top 5 pick in 2 years, which I completely agree with. So why not get a top 5 pick at 43? Doesn't that make more sense if you have the money to do that? In my opinion it does. It's the one thing that is flawed in baseball. Top 5, 10, 15 talent can slide all the way to the second round because teams don't want to pay money for the players. In other sports the best players go to the worst teams, but not in baseball. If you have the money you can grab the best talent. This is why teams like the Redsox can win year in and year out and still have stellar farm systems. We do a great job at paying for the top international guys and I love it! I wish we would also fork over the cash for the best American talent when it falls in our laps.

I think Walker is an interesting prospect and I hope he pans out, but as I said before, if I'm running the M's I'm drafting the best talent available even if it cost me top 15 money, especially when I don't have a first round pick.

19. By: mauricewilliamsiii on 06-08-2010 01:00:08
Edman what you said in comment 5 is spot on. And for god sakes everyone, the kid is seventeen. I'm of the opinion that kids shouldn't even start throwing breaking balls in game situations until they are 16-17. He's 6'6" and he has hit 96 on the gun. When he fills out and he has been coached up he might sit consistently at 96. I for one am glad the M's made a pick like this. Now I hope for the next 6-8 picks they take polished college players most of them positional. Then maybe it will be time for some more risk to be thrown in.

20. By: Edman on 06-08-2010 01:27:53
rj, you don't make that pick because you can't assume that money is all it takes to sign him. Do you know that he'll sign? Do you know how much it would take to sign him? You don't waste a high draft pick, even at #43, if there is a considerable chance that you can't sign him. You take that kind of risk in later rounds. This isn't fantasy baseball, where you play with fictional scenarios that don't cost you anything. While people like you would applaude, you'd be pissed as hell if they couldn't sign him. Complaining about how they wasted another draft pick.

Seattle's farm system isn't deep enough that they can afford to risk losing a top draft pick and not be able to sign him.

21. By: slick on 06-08-2010 01:52:08
Stetson Allie and A.J Cole must be asking for silly money for all those teams to pass them by. Yankees at 32 and BSOX with 2 pick in the sup round. Would not mind taking a look at Jesse Hahn at 67 if his health checks out.

22. By: rjfrik on 06-08-2010 02:17:03
Ed,
Do you know that he won't sign? Why can't you assume that money ISN'T all that it takes to sign him? You are assuming that he can't be signed. Why? If I'm the owner, I make the pick and I do what it takes to sign him. Do you think Detroit drafted that kid and wasted a compensation pick because they think that he can't be signed? Why would they throw away their pick at 44 when they also didn't have a 1st round pick? They wouldn't. Are the Detroit Tigers a "Fantasy Baseball Team"? Are the Tigers playing a "fictional scenario" because they drafted him? The Tigers were/are in the exact same boat as the M's. No 1st round pick and only a compensation pick. A top 15 talent fell into their laps and I'm sure they have every intent to sign the kid. I wish the M's operated under the same mentality.

Now if JZ had Walker higher on his board then Nick then fine, it's his board. But I seriously doubt that was the situation.

23. By: bcsimons on 06-08-2010 04:09:44
Blowgun #15 I saw that too heres the link for anyone who wants it:

http://www.proballnw.com/06-2010/incoming-amateurs/

About Castillo BA says:"A 16-year-old righthanded hitter, Castillo has a wiry build at around 6-foot-2, 175 pounds and stands out for his potential at the plate, with excellent bat speed and power potential. With average speed and an average arm, Castillo will be a corner outfielder in pro ball."

24. By: CrockDaddy on 06-08-2010 09:16:19
IMO, it seems like they took a guy who they think they can turn into an elite pitcher without having to initially pay him as such. Thus signability/money was definitely a factor, but he's still a high-reward type of guy, which makes him very exciting. Plus he probably has less mileage on his arm than a lot of the other guys out there. The club must have a lot of belief in its player development abilities; take Baron last year and teach him to hit, take Walker this year and teach him to pitch.

25. By: skyway park on 06-08-2010 10:12:46
What time does the draft start today?

26. By: safecochatter on 06-08-2010 10:38:47
Starts at nine am pacific.
anyone got a good website for this. maybe mlb.com or ?

27. By: Edman on 06-08-2010 11:20:26
Interestingly, rj, ten other teams passed up on Nick, including the Red Sox and Angels twice. Were they foolish too?

For all we know, he wanted top ten money, was a Tigers fan and wanted to play on the east coast.

Scouts find that stuff out. They don't just look at the mechanices of being a baseball player, but the intangibles required to get him signed.

The "fantasy" part is your constant illusion that everyone is signable. You can bet that the M's did their homework.

As a side note, Walker moved up from BAs #80 slot, to #40, just prior to the draft. I don't know why, but either a lot of stock dropped, or his rose.

I don't put much in the pre-draft mock draft stuff, other than the first 15 picks. So much changes after that.

28. By: rjfrik on 06-08-2010 13:40:33
Well, Ed, the Angels had already picked 5 players so I think their resources might of been tapped, kind of hard to pick five players and pay them 1st round money and then pick another and pay him top 10 money, I can see why they passed. The Sox were in the same boat as well, with a few picks in the first. The Tigers, like us, didn't have a pick so the money is there to spend. Everything I read about him is that it's going to cost you top ten money to get him off his commitment. And you are right I'm not a scout. But I was a ball player. If you offered me a few million dollars, which would translate into top 5 or top 10 money, I would take it and if Scott Boras was my agent he would make me take it, even if it meant he had to put a gun to my head. Don't kid yourself, this is all about money.

You have a different opinion then mine. You think there are guys that are not signable, NO MATTER WHAT! That is false, if a kid is a baseball player, not a student, not a kid who doesn't know what he wants, but a ball player, you can get him to sign if you offer him enough money. And Nick is a ball player through and through.

If the Tigers offer him enough money he will sign.

I don't put much into the pre-draft mock stuff either, I put stock into my eyes. What Nick did against the best talent last year in the All-American game was nothing short of remarkable. The best player on the field.

Ok. Thats my two cents I know you don't agree. What ever.

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