IM Time: Baseball America’s Jim Callis

My friends at the Dallas Morning News will give you an all access pass to Baseball America’ s Executive Editor Jim Callis next Monday at 11 a.m. at the DMN Rangers blog. Me, I don’t share my friends – and Baseball America colleagues – so easily. Been trying to IM with Callis about the Rangers draft plans for a week or so. We finally caught each other on line early today. A transcript of our talk follows. This should give you the weekend to come up with some follow-ups for him. If you’ve got questions you want me to run by him next week when we revisit this, just email me. Flip the page for a transcript of our talk. Should give you plenty to converse about with Callis on Monday.

Me: Hey, Jim, it’s Evan Grant from InsideCorner, D Magazine’s
Rangers-centric sports blog/website. Got a few minutes to talk draft?
Jim Callis: I do, seems like that’s all I’m doing these days!
Me: Yes and I know you’ll be chatting with lots of Dallas Morning News readers on Monday, so i’ll hopefully provide some talking points for them to go follow up with you. The intertubes are great things.
Me: Alright, enough time wasted. Who will it be at No. 14? Baseball America had Brownwood, TX high school RHP Shelby Miller there in its first mock draft. Stick with that?
Jim Callis: I think that’s who the Rangers would really like at No. 14, but I’m not sure he’s a lock to get there. Of the five high school pitchers everyone really likes (LHPs Tyler Matzek from California and Matthew Purke from Texas, RHPs Jacob Turner from Missouri and Zack Wheeler from Georgia), Miller and Wheeler are the most signable. I think Miller could go as high as No. 7 to the Braves.
Me: Why do you think they like him? How much stock do you put in Nolan Ryan going to see him pitch a week or so ago?
Jim Callis: He has a great arm and being from Texas doesn’t hurt. He might have the best fastball in the draft among high schoolers, combining velocity and life. His command isn’t as good as those other high school arms I mentioned though. I don’t put much stock into Ryan seeing him pitch, honestly. He’s a Texas kid, so it’s not like he flew a few hours to see him. I think it was more a convenient way to check out a guy they might take, rather than an indication he’s their guy. Much was made of Ryan seeing Andrew Cashner at TCU last year, too.
Me: Personally, I think Nolan has an affinity for the scouting aspect, anyway. … Let’s talk about Purke, the lefty for a minute. All things being generally even, we’ve always said lefties play better in this
ballpark. So, if the Texas lefty is on the board at the same time as Miller, are they not that even in your minds. Miller distinctly better prospect?
Jim Callis: I’d put Purke a little ahead of Miller, actually. He has similar velocity, a more consistently devastating breaking ball, more of a track record in big events, more polish. The difference is that Purke’s signability is a lot worse right now. The perception is that it may take $5 million to steer him away from TCU, so Miller probably gets picked ahead of him.
Me: Yeah, I’ve heard Purke is throwing around Porcello bonus figures. Can’t see that happening in this economy.
Jim Callis: Never say never. I’m not saying he’s as good as Porcello, but Porcello sure looks like a great investment at $7 million right now for the Tigers. And if he falls to a team down in the draft, maybe someone will give him that. But yes, $5 million seems steep, even for his talent.
Me: I’ll say this: Gut tells me Rangers will not get terribly involved with signability issues right now. With ownership situation being in flux, I think they want to be a little more prudent this year. … You mentioned the Braves might take Miller, would that conceivably push Georgia high schooler Zack Wheeler into the Rangers area? And how would Wheeler rank as a consolation prize?
Jim Callis: Wheeler will go ahead of Miller because he’s more polished and just as signable. The Braves would love Wheeler at No. 7 but fear he may go as high as No. 4 to the Pirates. The Orioles at No. 5 and the Giants at No. 6 are also all over Wheeler.
Me: OK, so who does Texas end up with if Miller is gone?
Jim Callis: I’m working on a new projected first round as we speak, and I’m actually leaning toward Purke. They do love lefthanders and he is from Texas. I’ve also heard Southern California shortstop Grant Green possibly going there.
Jim Callis: Austin high school outfielder Everett Williams might be another possibility.
Me: Last year, the club split its baseball pants in two when Justin
Smoak fell to them at 11. … Who might slide this year, Tanner Scheppers (because of lingering injury concerns); Aaron Crow (signability). If the Rangers are willing to step up to the plate is there somebody who might fall into their laps?
Jim Callis: Yes, getting Smoak last year was a coup. I think the Rangers had a pretty good idea that someone nice would fall to them but weren’t sure who exactly it would be. Scheppers could be there. He’s throwing well and has a clean bill of health from the Angels’ medical director (Dr. Lewis Yocum), but the shoulder still is scary for some teams. I think Crow will go before them. A tough-signability guy like Purke or Missouri HS RHP Jacob Turner or Georgia HS outfielder Donavan Tate could get to them. Not sure if they’d pay the full asking price on those guys, though.
Jim Callis: Just got through with new projections. Looks like I’m still projecting Miller there but don’t really believe he gets there.
Me: Some quickies to wrap up: Is there any way Washington does not draft Strasburg?
Jim Callis: The only way they don’t take him is if he gets hurt in the NCAA playoffs. He’s the best prospect of the draft era, and they won’t have to come close to the $50 million price tag.
Jim Callis: Seriously hurt, I should say
Me: Shelby Miller: Give me a major league comp, please.
Jim Callis: Oh god, I’m terrible on those
Me: We won’t throw your answer back in your face for at least seven years. That’s statute of limitations, I think.
Jim Callis: Forced comps, ugh. I really haven’t gotten a good comp from scouts
Me: Will it take above slot money?
Jim Callis: for Shelby Miller?
Me: Yep.
Jim Callis: No. Miller should be signable for slot money from everything I’ve heard. That’s a reason he’s attractive to teams ahead of the Rangers, compared to the pricier high school arms.
Me: OK, moving along: With the exception of Ian Kinsler pick, the Rangers draft classes of 2002-05 all legendarily bad. But what would you say about the scouting staff and evaluation process the team has displayed under Jon Daniels?
Jim Callis: We just ranked their farm system as the best in baseball coming into the season, and a big part of that is their drafting (though they’ve also done very well in trades and internationally). They’ve made some nice picks, from early in the draft with guys like first-rounder Justin Smoak to late-round steals like 25th-rounder Derek Holland.
Me: Wonder what your responses would have been if we’d done a post-draft chat with you following selections of Drew Meyer and John Mayberry Jr.
Me: I see you aren’t touching that one.
Jim Callis: Sorry, was multitasking.
Jim Callis: I wasn’t a big fan of either pick at time. I was stunned they took Drew Meyer over Scott Kazmir, and I never thought Mayberry was going to make enough consistent contact to be a star.
Me: Finally, then, give us one kid who might be intriguing with the Milton Bradley Memorial sandwich round pick (44). Any thoughts there?
Jim Callis: Hmmm. I’ll play the geographic angle and go with Louisiana high school righthander Zach Von Rosenberg and Texas prep outfielder Todd Glaesmann.
Me: I’m sold on the name Zach Von Rosenberg alone. Awe.Some. Thanks for the time. We’ll chat again next week, then.