Say what? I thought the draft was over. Indeed it is. Keith Law tweets that the Braves have signed second-round pick Andrelton Simmons... as a shortstop. Simmons was considered the best defensive shortstop in the entire 2010 draft class, but the Braves selected him as a pitcher, where he has been clocked in the 95 to 98 MPH range.
Simmons hinted that he has a desire to play in the field, and he was extremely raw as a pitcher, so the Braves must have relented and agreed to sign him as a shortstop. While he is a plus-plus defender at short, his bat is apparently not that good, and like his pitching would have, he will need to put in a lot of work in the hitting department.
This means the Braves used their first three picks this year on position players, and six of their first seven picks on position players. Two of their first three picks are also shortstops.
0 recs | 27 comments
/confusion
MBL1 - June 11, 2010 via mobile
Good.
I couldn’t have asked for anything more from the Braves. Pitching is wonderful, but we just had to get some offensive talent this year.
Scott Coleman - June 11, 2010 via mobile
Or, in Simmons' case,
defensive talent. Who knows if he’ll ever hit?
Jacob Peterson - June 11, 2010
you never know with these guys either. Schafer was an all defense guy until his breakout season a few years ago.
I guess this means that lipka will go to gcl, simmons to danville, and eventually salcedo will go to rome.
telemakhos - June 11, 2010
cough** HGH ***cough***
ducheneaux13 - June 11, 2010
He didn’t actually do it, but why would you actually spend a minute to find all the info on the subject when you could just jump to a conclusion in a second.
cbwilk - June 11, 2010
sorry… internet sarcasm
ducheneaux13 - June 11, 2010
Sorry, hard to tell. I had to explain to a guy at the game tonight how off base he was about all that.
cbwilk - June 12, 2010
it is a tired subject.
there was no there there.
and he is a legitimately good kid, wholly deserving of every presumption of not guiltiness.
fandave - June 11, 2010
Huh, I didn’t know you had to specify a position before signing.
TradeAndruw - June 11, 2010
I don't think you have to
But it’s sound business to agree with a guy what he’ll be doing before giving him any money, so you don’t have those disputes after you’re already out the cash. You might change your mind on a guy if you decide he’s not going to be worth it unless he pitches, and he refuses to pitch.
Bronn - June 11, 2010
Reminds me a bit
of the Casey Kelley situation that the Red Sox had. They agreed to let him play the field for a half-season if he would pitch in the second half. He stunk at hitting but dominated at pitching, so he agreed to be a full-time pitcher after that.
Not saying the Braves have a similar deal with Simmons, but I can easily imagine him agreeing to try pitching in a couple years if he’s not progressing with the bat.
Jacob Peterson - June 11, 2010
I can see him getting a run at SS in rookie ball...
and if he struggles, then he works on the mound come spring.
Mr. Sanchez - June 11, 2010
This kid sound like Brent Lillibridge
Great glove but no bat but now he is 6’2", 170 maybe once he fills out the bat will start to come around.
Jay212033 - June 11, 2010
Lillibridge hit in college and the low minors.
He was never a no bat.
MichaelProcton - June 11, 2010
Nothing to lose with this...
Many players revert to pitching when they don’t make it as position players. Better than trying the other way around.
deester11 - June 11, 2010
Any word on if their other 2nd rounder and 3rd rounder is getting close on deals to join with these who have signed already.
LakersMania - June 11, 2010
It’s a good move. Get the kid signed, let him try to hit, if he succeeds, great, if he fails, get him on the mound. The Red Sox did this with Casey Kelly and it’s working out great.
cbwilk - June 11, 2010
I concur
Mr. Sanchez - June 11, 2010
I like that outlook.
hollerin' brave - June 11, 2010 via mobile
Medlen
He was drafted as a SS but his bat didn’t work out so he moved to the mound and has been great since.
Jay212033 - June 11, 2010
He never played SS as a professional. He was a pitcher from day 1. He was a SS in college, but the Braves never thought he could play there professionally.
cbwilk - June 11, 2010
Why do they say he has no bat?
I know it’s Juco, but he seemed to hit well. .420 ba, 7 2b, 6 hr in 72 at bats along with 10 for 11 in steals. Maybe he can be a replacement for Elvis Andrus.
danielduello - June 11, 2010
here's his BA scouting report
Like Connors State outfielder Marcus Knecht, Simmons is an Oklahoma junior college player who went from obscurity to scouts’ must-see lists. Simmons turned down small bonus offers to sign out of Curacao at age 16, and that would have spelled the end of any professional baseball hopes if Western Oklahoma State coach Kurt Russell hadn’t seen him on a Caribbean scouting trip. He’s the best defensive shortstop in the draft, an athletic 6-foot-1, 180-pounder with a cannon for an arm and plus actions and instincts. In fact, some teams might be more tempted to draft him as a pitcher, because he has run his fastball up to 95 mph and flashed a mid-80s slider in limited action. That decision became even more difficult when he missed a month with a broken toe. Simmons’ righthanded swing is long, but he makes enough contact and has pop to go with his average speed. He might not provide a huge impact with his bat, but he should hit more than enough to make keeping his glove in the lineup worthwhile. Simmons is only a freshman, but he’ll turn 21 in September and needs to start his pro career.
telemakhos - June 11, 2010
I think it’s mostly his long swing that scares people off a little
telemakhos - June 11, 2010
If he’s really a plus-plus defender at SS like people are saying he wont need to hit that much. Like the guy above said, his stats suggest he has some kind of a bat.
chopc - June 11, 2010
a top tier defensive SS with a canon arm is a very rare player.
fandave - June 11, 2010
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