re: *Official MLB Draft Thread* Updated with signings

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Is Stevenson a lock in the outfield next season? Doesn't foster play 2nd??

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This is long, so...forewarned...

Dont want to be crucified, but he could be one of the guys on the chopping block for next year. I am not saying by any means he WILL be cut, just that Mainieri has some VERY tough decisions coming up. With it looking like the entire recruiting class will be coming in sans Williams and Palladino...this is who we are losing as far as position players

SR. (OF) Edward
SR. (OF) Rhymes
SR. (UTIL/1B) Katz
SR. (MINF) Yocum
JR. (MINF) Jones

So we're returning Ross, and losing no catchers. So now we have 3 catchers once again, not counting Moore who can get back there if need be too. We have a JUCO catcher coming in Kade Scivicque...do we REALLY need 4 catchers? 2 sophomores, 1 junior and 1 senior? Once again, not counting Tyler Moore.

As far as the OF goes we're returning Laird, Stevenson, McMullen, Sciambra and Foster a utility OF/2B. So 4 to 5 OF returning, yet we have Jarrett DeHart, Jake Fraley, Cade Stone and possible Charlie Yorks coming in. So that's at least 7 OF, not including Foster who could play 2B or Yorks who seems to be in question if he's even the recruiting class. Let's say Foster stays in the INF and Yorks isn't part of the class. Who do you trim out of those remaining 7 to get 6 dedicated OF? You have Laird, Stevenson, McMullen, Sciambra, DeHart, Fraley and Stone. Fraley and DeHart are big time prospects, so they are safe. So you're looking at Stone or someone like Sciambra or Stevenson not making the cut. Tough choice.

Now to the infield. We lose Jones, Yocum and Katz. We keep Ibarra, Bregman and Moore/Foster as utility guys. We have 5 incoming guys though in Dakota Dean, Nick Longhi, Kramer Robertson, Danny Zardon and Connor Hale. Dean, Longhi, Robertson and Zardon are absolutely safe being big recruits for us (or little brother of an assistant to the team ). Hale is a JUCO guy and I think we got him in case we couldn't hold onto Ibarra for 1 more year (maybe completely wrong there). But at any rate, you're looking at one of these aforementioned guys getting the chop before the season. Possibly could be Hale, for all I know alternate plans for him could already be in the works with Ibarra returning.

Then there's pitching, holy cow, what a mess. We're losing 7 pitchers in Cotton, Bonvillian, Eades, Bourgeois, Berry, LaMarche and Rumbelow. That's a good deal...but all our signed pitchers appear to be coming sans Palladino...and there's 11 of them outside of Palladino. Good luck there Mainieri. Going to be some unhappy folks.