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Post by skillset on Mar 22, 2007 15:41:13 GMT -6
Couldn't agree with you more. And besides that I am sure like you said that Price will go #1 and Weiters would be the best player available for us to take. Just think if he was to progress into the hitter he is expected to in a lineup with Butler,Gordon,Teahen, Shealy we would have a new murderer's row in KC. That is quite a thought! Imagine this lineup and rotation in 3 years! CF Gathright LF DeJesus DH Butler 3B Gordon C Weiters RF Teahen 1B Shealy 2B Bianchi SS Blanco/Sanchez Gil Meche Luke Hochevar Zach Greinke Tyler Lumsden Carlos Rosa\Billy Buckner\Brian Bannister\Luke Hudson\Danny Christensen
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Post by ror1fan on Mar 22, 2007 16:56:09 GMT -6
Couldn't agree with you more. And besides that I am sure like you said that Price will go #1 and Weiters would be the best player available for us to take. Just think if he was to progress into the hitter he is expected to in a lineup with Butler,Gordon,Teahen, Shealy we would have a new murderer's row in KC. That is quite a thought! Imagine this lineup and rotation in 3 years! CF Gathright LF DeJesus DH Butler 3B Gordon C Weiters RF Teahen 1B Shealy 2B Bianchi SS Blanco/Sanchez Gil Meche Luke Hochevar Zach Greinke Tyler Lumsden Carlos Rosa\Billy Buckner\Brian Bannister\Luke Hudson\Danny Christensen Yeah it will be sweet.
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Post by Rick on Apr 4, 2007 6:51:12 GMT -6
You are all WRONG ! You got the MATT right but MATT LAPORTA is the best player available in this years draft! Take a look at his stats...He hits a HR every 6.9 at bats.... his on base is almost 600 he has a sick 900 slugging percent. Leads the toughest conference in the nation in several cats and his team in almost every cat... Can you say The total package!!! Oh by the way he can play any position on the field! including catch >>> all state....pitch...struck out the best hitters in the league at the cape all star game this past year .....outfield infield ...bat boy..where do you want him?? He is hands down a THE MAN!!! The TPKG!
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Post by royalsfan2008 on Apr 4, 2007 10:38:51 GMT -6
David Price should be taken if he's available at our pick. He's been dominating.
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Post by ror1fan on Apr 4, 2007 11:12:52 GMT -6
You are all WRONG ! You got the MATT right but MATT LAPORTA is the best player available in this years draft! Take a look at his stats...He hits a HR every 6.9 at bats.... his on base is almost 600 he has a sick 900 slugging percent. Leads the toughest conference in the nation in several cats and his team in almost every cat... Can you say The total package!!! Oh by the way he can play any position on the field! including catch >>> all state....pitch...struck out the best hitters in the league at the cape all star game this past year .....outfield infield ...bat boy..where do you want him?? He is hands down a THE MAN!!! The TPKG! LaPorta I'd hadden't heard much of him but he looks like a great player.Thanks Rick
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Post by skillset on Apr 4, 2007 14:42:15 GMT -6
LaPorta had a great sophmore year too when he lead the nation in homeruns with 26. But he played very marginally last year as a junior (.259 BA) and then hired Boras as his agent. The Red Sox drafted him late last year and he didn't sign. It will be interesting to see where he goes this year as he won't have much leverage as a senior player. Also first basemen don't usually go early in a draft as most hitters move there if they are slow of foot or just plain bad in the field.
As for where he plays, he went to Florida as a catcher and was horrible so they moved him. He is a big enough guy that he wouldn't be an asset in the outfield either. So it looks like he is a 1B just like he has been at Florida the past 3 years.
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Post by skillset on Apr 4, 2007 15:01:33 GMT -6
We all know that the aluminum bats in college can make stats look great when the player may not be. So I looked up Matt LaPorta's and Matt Weiters' numbers from last summers Cape Cod League, which is put on by MLB and uses MLB rules (like wood bats).
Matt LaPorta .250 BA - .394 OBP - .463 SLG - 6 HR - 19 RBIs - 19 BB - 24 SO Won Sportsmanship award All-League Team as one of two DHs
Matt Weiters .307 BA - .417 OBP - .535 SLG - 8 HR - 21 RBIs - 23 BB - 21 SO 2nd in the league in BA, OBP, and HR. Named Best Pro Prospect of the league. All-League Team as one of two Catchers
Now we can compare these two on an even field, as they faced the same pitchers under MLB situations. You be the judge.
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Post by rick on Apr 5, 2007 22:35:53 GMT -6
First of all I watched Weiters in the Cape and no doubt he is a great player and will likely be a great MLB...I think anyone who knows baseball knows that both he and Laporta will be houshold names someday....
Sorry about the length...but you got me going with the Horrible catcher and the Wood bat concerns.... You need to really know the player his history at a position and his history with a wood bat before you should make those comments. I researched and found his history as far back as HS.... He has been hitting a HR every 10 at bats or less for every year since his senior year except for last year when he missed 13 games due to a strained oblique muscle. Apparenlty his power is a god given talent and not the result of aluminum bats!...in fact I checked even further and found that he not only owns the HS HR record...he owns the Little Leage HR record as well. I think his pedigree is as deep as it gets...
In 2004 we just got a glimpse of it when he was a freshman as he only had just over 100 at bats and hit 14 hrs. He followed up his soph year leading the nation... just named for the second time in a row SEC player of the week and National Hitter of the Week. He and Wieters are using the same bats aren't they? Oh yeah...Laporta is hittting against the SEC pitchers...SEC pitchers some who will be pretty high picks in the MLB draft....And Weiters hits against?...and uses a Aluminum bat too? Why dont you compare their current stats with the same equipment? Laporta has hit 10 HR in his last 7 games! Just hit 2 more agains no 1 FSU on Tues. As for inflated numbers with aluminum... keep in mind that Laporta just passed Rafael Palmeiro in career SEC HR in less games! Raffy....used a more powerfull bat back then as well... And lastly about what Laporta can do with a wood bat....just ask the World Champ Red Sox players who watched Laporta work out this summer while in the cape and he jacked 11 in a row over the Green Monster...with a wood bat!
As for his being horrible at catching...that is so far from the truth. He played catcher his junior year in HS because they needed a catcher. He turned out to be ALL State and ALL region and drafted by the Cubs as a Catcher. He turned down the CUBS and went to UF. UF was already predicting he was signing..and just happened to recruit an unknown by the name of Brian Jeroloman. Brian and Matt shared catching duties but Laporta was the catcher who could play any position on the field...so naturally he did not get to catch much when Brian developed in to arguably the best catcher in the nation while Laporta developed into the best power hitter in the country. He was moved to wherever he was needed. He threw a 1.8 pop time in HS by the way...can play 3b or 1b as well as anyone in the nation with cat like reflexes and the softest hands I have ever seen at any position.
And finally as for the awards received in the Cape...I found that Matt was player of the week the first week he showed up as a freshman jacking multiple HR and was named to the all star team. As a member of team USA 2005..the same team Wieters was on he led the team in HR...too. I read a quote about Laporta and stats and awards..."they are just someones opinion" and we all know what they say about opinions!
Whoever the Royals pick...they would do well with a player like Laporta who can be put in so many places...if you need any Royal references for Laporta...just ask SHealy or Gordon...He broke Shealys records at UF and showed up Gordon in the College World Series!
Hope you are still awake ! Gotta go for now...my computer ran out of ink!
Weiters AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD%
325 31-31 120 26 39 8 1 6 33 67 .558 27 2 20
4 .453 1 0 1-1 198 19 1 .995
Laporta Matt LaPorta..... .433 30-30 104 40 45 8 0 15 35 98 .942 25 14 8 5 .587 0 0 2-2 260 23 3 .990
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Post by Rick on Apr 6, 2007 7:49:53 GMT -6
Just another opinion....from SC coach Tanner...one of the best teams in the nation! Of course it is just someones opinion...but at least it is coming from a man who knows baseball and Laporta better than me...
"LaPorta's offensive numbers are really incredible," Tanner said. "He's Babe Ruth. He's King Kong. We may as well give him the Golden Spikes Award right now. The guy is incredible. I don't know if I've ever walked a guy for an entire series, but it's crossing my mind. The guy has been invincible."
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Post by Jim on Apr 6, 2007 7:55:40 GMT -6
Are these Laporta stats for real? From same South Carolina paper. Whoever gets the start will have to figure out a way to pitch to Florida's Matt LaPorta, who is hitting .433 with 15 home runs and 35 RBIs. In his last seven games, LaPorta has 10 homers and 19 RBIs.
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Post by royalsfan2008 on Apr 6, 2007 11:35:30 GMT -6
He sounds like a good hitter, but I think Rick is over rating him.
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Post by JIM on Apr 6, 2007 16:04:07 GMT -6
looks like a great hitter! and Laporta is rating himself....with his bat! Dont kill the messenger...this Laporta looks like the real deal! "BABE RUTH" KING KONG" Royals could use a Babe couldnt they?
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Post by agordon4 on Apr 6, 2007 23:00:36 GMT -6
Maybe, but from what I've got he is a 1B. We have Shealy there and the OF/DH spots are full so IMO Weiters-a true C would still be a better pick.
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Post by royalsfan2008 on Apr 7, 2007 10:10:24 GMT -6
A first baseman isn't going to go that high anyways.
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Post by ror1fan on Apr 7, 2007 10:48:35 GMT -6
So he(LaPorta) would be good in one of the later rounds if he's still their.
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