With the first day of the 2015 MLB draft having come and gone, baseball fans are now looking ahead to the future and asking some big questions regarding their favorite team's top picks.
The MLB draft especially lends itself to a more forward-thinking, inquisitive mindset since it will at least another two or three years before a lot of the big names start hitting the majors.
Looking back on Day 1's results, these three topics are some of the more burning queries that will only be answered in due time.
MLB Draft Grades
Biggest Questions after Day 1
Does Daz Cameron Sign with the Houston Astros?
If you're drafting strictly on talent and potential without financial factors coming into play, Daz Cameron is a top-10 pick. However, ESPN's Keith Law hinted in his third mock draft that drafting Cameron might be a problem because of his bonus demands.
Law's suspicion looks warranted as the high schooler fell to the Houston Astros at No. 37. As ESPN's Jerry Crasnick noted, the fact that Scott Boras is Cameron's adviser likely means the Astros will have some protracted contract discussions ahead:
Mike Elias, Houston's director of amateur scouting, thinks the two sides will eventually hammer out an agreement, per Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle:
Something that may or may not play into the situation is the fact that Cameron is the son of former major league outfielder Mike Cameron. NBC Sports' Matthew Pouliot questioned whether the younger Cameron should quibble over a few million dollars when his father can already provide plenty of financial security:
Of course, the converse argument is that Cameron can sit back and wait for an offer he truly feels is fair since he can fall back on his family's financial situation.
Should the Astros get Cameron to sign, they could have a major steal. He's an MLB-ready defensive outfielder already at this stage and a solid contact hitter who could grow into more of a power threat in a few years.
Houston was very smart to take the risk with Cameron, especially after it drafted Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker with its first two selections. If Cameron doesn't sign, then the Astros should still have two great rookies entering their system.
Can Brady Aiken Overcome His Injury Issues?
By now, the saga of Brady Aiken is well documented. Drafted first overall with the Houston Astros last year, he never signed with the team following a financial squabble over potential injury concerns with his elbow. Aiken then had Tommy John surgery in March.
Everybody expected Aiken to come off the board on Day 1 of the 2015 draft, but the surprise came with the team that drafted him: the Cleveland Indians. For years, the Indians placed a premium on safety in the first round, preferring polished collegiate talent to risky prep players.
The franchise has since eschewed that philosophy, having taken Clint Frazier in 2013 and Francisco Lindor in 2011.
The Indians' director of scouting Brad Grant additionally feels confident in taking a player (Aiken) so quickly removed from major arm surgery.
"You look at our major league staff and some of those guys who have come back from Tommy John and who have been able to have success, we did our due diligence with Brady and we feel very good about being able to select Brady," he said, per Ryan Lewis of Ohio.com.
If he can make a full recovery, Aiken is a future ace of the staff. He has electric stuff with a wide array of pitches from which to select. There's a reason the Astros took him No. 1 in 2014.
Former six-time All-Star Curt Schilling thinks Cleveland cleaned up between Aiken and Triston McKenzie, the team's second pick:
One position where the Indians are really thin in their farm system is pitcher. Aiken is obviously a few years away at the very least, but he gives the Tribe a dynamic arm they don't have in the minor leagues outside of maybe Justus Sheffield.
Even if it doesn't work out, you can't blame the Indians for taking the chance.
Will the Arizona Diamondbacks Be Vindicated for Taking Dansby Swanson over Brendan Rodgers?
The Arizona Diamondbacks essentially had to choose between two shortstops with the No. 1 overall pick. Both Dansby Swanson and Brendan Rodgers are immensely talented and were worthy of the top selection. Swanson is probably the safer option since he proved himself at the college level, but Rodgers has the higher ceiling.
In the end, Arizona went with Swanson, and you can't really disagree all that much with the decision. The Vanderbilt Commodores put together a highlight package from his performance against Texas A&M in the SEC tournament. It offers a brief snapshot of the full Swanson experience:
Swanson doesn't possess overwhelming power, but he's a good hitter who can find the gaps. Add that in with his more-than-capable fielding, and he's the complete package at shortstop.
Of course, you could say a lot of the same things about Rodgers. In fact, you could argue Rodgers boasts more power in addition to more speed on the basepaths to go along with his slick glove. MLB.com drew the parallel to Addison Russell, who's considered one of the best shortstop prospects in baseball.
You can count on the fact that the Diamondbacks will be second-guessed for years if Swanson winds up struggling and fails to live up to expectations while Rodgers becomes the next coming of Troy Tulowitzki with the Colorado Rockies.
The fact that the two players will play in the same division only adds to the fun.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
- Login to post comments