Blake Anderson, C

[Todd]

I like this pick alot just because it makes alot of people angry.

[emkayseven]

What did I say?

it's all about the benjamins
--------------------

Throughout their organization, the Marlins are stocked with power pitching. They are also in the process of boosting depth behind the plate.

Finding quality catching is a challenge in every Draft. But on Thursday night, Miami addressed the position right away, pulling off a surprise by selecting Blake Anderson with the 36th overall pick, which was a Competitive Balance Round A selection.

"It is a hard spot, and catchers go fast," Marlins vice president of scouting Stan Meek said. "So when you find one you really like, we just felt like we should move him up a bit, because we really liked him. You need to sign players you like. We did maybe push him up a little. But he was, we thought, one of the best catch-throw catchers in the Draft."

Anderson, from West Lauderdale High School in Collinsville, Miss., was not listed among MLB.com's top 200-ranked players heading into the 2014 First-Year Player Draft.

Meek noted that an unidentified club sitting a few picks behind Miami was prepared to pull the trigger on Anderson.

"We were texted right after we took him by a team that was behind us," Meek said. "Not too far behind us. They said, 'You nicked us on him.' We had some indications. We thought we couldn't wait to take him. That's why we did, and sure enough, we were told he would have been taken."

The Marlins received the 36th choice because they were unable to sign their 2013 pick, lefty Matt Krook, who didn't pass the physical and opted for college.

Anderson batted .438 (46-for-105) with 14 doubles, eight home runs and 40 RBIs his senior season.

The slot value for the 36th pick is $1,573,900. The Marlins are confident they will be able to sign Anderson, who has a verbal commitment to Southern Mississippi.

The Draft continues on Friday with Rounds 3-10. The MLB.com pregame show begins at 12:30 p.m. ET, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 3-10 beginning at 1 p.m.

With the second overall-pick in Thursday's Draft, Miami went with Tyler Kolek, the hard-throwing right-hander from Texas.

As an organization, the Marlins are rich in pitching, but thin on position players.

They are building some depth behind the plate. J.T. Realmuto, for instance, made his MLB debut on Thursday, driving in three runs.

Realmuto was a third-round pick in the 2010 Draft.

The Marlins brought Anderson in for a workout recently. Right now, he is more advanced defensively, and he needs to add more strength, which should improve his offense.

"We think it's way above-average Major League catch-throw skills now," Meek said. "The bat is the little bit behind. He's not real strong. We think the bat is going to play. The way the swing works is great. He just needs a little more bat speed and a little more strength to get that."

http://miami.marlins.mlb.com/news/ar...k_mia&c_id=mia

[emkayseven]

Questionable value: Blake Anderson, C, West Lauderdale High School (Collinsville, Mississippi) -- Anderson (Miami Marlins) was the first player off the board who didn’t land in Law’s Top 100, and all I can tell you about the backstop is that he has an above-average arm with average bat speed. When you don’t have enough information for a full scouting report, that’s sort of the definition of questionable value, isn’t it?

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/mlb-draft/post?id=1896

[tjfla]

The unidentifed team was the Pittsburgh Pirates who picked #39. So if we didn't trade them #39 we probably could have got him later

Average Bat however he can stay at Catcher. That was the #1 reason why we took him over Vallot,Reetz,Schwarz and other HS C.

[Todd]

While its hard to tell from one video, his stance and swing look pretty simple and repeatable, and also fairly level and fluid. If he has decent pitch recognition, you can work on bat speed but. But I liked the swing just from that video.

[emkayseven]

On Thursday, another Southern Miss signee - West Lauderdale catcher Blake Anderson - was selected by the Miami Marlins with the 36th overall pick in the Competitive Balance A round.

Anderson confirmed to the Hattiesburg American late Thursday that he intends to sign a professional contract with the Marlins, rather than enroll at Southern Miss.

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/s...cubs/10084681/

[tjfla]

A recent high school graduate will soon be part of Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins.

A source from Blake Anderson's family tells me the West Lauderdale catcher will sign with the Marlins on Wednesday.

Representatives from the Miami ball club will visit the Anderson and his family on Wednesday before he officially signs. His father, Neil, said negotiations worked out as they hoped, and they alerted Southern Miss of their decision.

http://www.wtok.com/sports/headlines...262258851.html

[tjfla]

SIGNED 1.17 million

Saved 400K

https://twitter.com/ChrisCotillo/sta...61111366795264

[FishTale]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZioJpcAcE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEv9tO99Igc

[Todd]

I really do like this pick. One can argue that it was a reach at that spot, and it very well might have been, but this kid looks like he has the tools.

[HUGG]

MLBPipeline #26 Prospect

Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 35 | Run: 30 | Arm: 60 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45

Anderson helped lead West Lauderdale High School to the Mississippi 4A state championship as a senior and was then picked 36th overall in the 2014 Draft. The pick raised some eyebrows around the industry, but the Marlins believed he had some of the best catch-and-throw skills in the Draft class.

Anderson has a strong arm and was clocked up to 92 mph on the mound. At 6-foot-3, he has a large frame for a catcher, but his athleticism gives him a chance to remain behind the plate. He is a good receiver and blocks balls well.

Anderson isn't as advanced offensively and struggled at the plate during his professional debut. Though his swing is more geared toward contact than power, scouts expect him to add some pop as he physically matures.

http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2015?list=mia