OTWT MLB Draft notebook

The first round of the MLB Draft was full of surprises and here is how OTWT say it.
• Surprised the Astros went with Correa. It's clear they went with the player with the largest upside. Stud middle infielders are hard to find.
• Mark Appel and Gerrit Cole that is not going to be a bad one two punch on the mound for the Pirates.
• MLB Network needs to stop putting Harold Reynolds on their draft coverage he adds nothing to the show.I hate the fact that he loves every pick.
• Love the fact that Courtney Hawkins did a back flip during the draft. Nice touch.
• Lucas Giolito is your typical Nationals pick high ceiling type player. Mike Rizzo is not scared of taking chances on players with issues. See Matt Purke.
• Nats last four first rounders: Strasburg, Harper, Rendon and Giolito. Not bad at all.
• Love when Gammons talks draft. Makes my day.

Shame on MLB Network

So you have Jonathan Mayo and Peter Gammons, two of the biggest names in minor league and draft coverage, on your roster and what do you show on draft deadline signing day an hour before the deadline, show a program recapping the days games.

While MLB Network continues to grow last night it made a huge mistake in not doing some type of signing deadline specials. For a network that builds itself to be the home of baseball to treat the second biggest day in the prospects calendar, the draft being the first, like this is just not right.

Some years there are few story lines when it comes to signing day but this year there were a ton of them. From Harper and the Nats trying to get a deal done to Lee with the Dodgers to Parker and the Rockies. That does not count all of the sandwich round guys that signed for over slot.

Maybe next year MLB Network will step up and do a late night show tracking the signs. That would be nice for the network that says they have everything in baseball covered.
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MLB Draft quick thoughts

I'm a draft geek and I admit that, so here is my quick thoughts on the MLB Draft:
• It was great to see Gammons back making good points, excellent points on why college catchers have not developed because they don't call their own pitches.
• No Strasburg/Harper battery in the future, disappointing but it makes sense. Don't get him killed behind the plate.
• Love Drew Pomeranz. Great stuff and he should be fast tracked to the big league.
• UNC Matt Harvey is a potential ace, the Mets are getting big time arm. Love the picked.
• MLB Network is getting better at the draft but they need to show more of Mayo and Callis. Hart and Reynolds are just not in the same league and bring nothing to the table.
• I would love to see MLB Network take the draft to next level and show Cape Code League games.
• This is why the Rays are so good and have so much talent on the farm, they make the right choices during the draft and they did it again with OF Josh Sale.
• Rockies and Kyle Parker, the second qb the Rockies have taken Todd Helton being the first and that worked out well.
• Gammons: "Parker only 20/20 player in draft 20 hr 20 td passes" great line.
• The Dodgers took a guy they have no intention of signing, Zach Lee. They are not spending the money, take the pick next year in a draft that scouts say is deeper.
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Saying Good Bye to Legend

You could see it coming a mile away, there was Buster, Tim, and Jayson and some how Peter was seeing less and less airtime. So yesterday Peter Gammons, one of OTWT all time favorites, announced that he was leaving the ESPN and heading to do work for MLB Network and NESN.

The move does not come as a shock to most people for the last couple of years, the four letter network has been focusing most of their baseball insider time on the more high energy Buster Olney. Gammons, who had been at the four letter network for the last two decades, will do studio shows for both networks.

While ESPN might look at Gammons as surplus to requirements, he is the reason that so many people love the hot stove part of the season. During his time at the World Wide Leader, Gammons was at the front of reporting things and his love for the player development side of baseball was second to none.

As a person that also loves players development, Gammons was a hero. During the summer he would talk about Cape Cod League and the draft. This was done in a time that no one really cared about either. I always thought that this was the best part of his work, he would always let fans know what is in the farm systems. I know that Keith Law is good at that, but no one can replace Gammons knowledge and I have always like Law.

Gammons will be great on MLB Network, but the big looser in those whole thing is ESPN, why would a network let go someone like Gammons its makes sense to me. One of the positives is that Gammons will be able to spend more time with his band.