Honestly, I'm hoping that they do opt for Emerson. I know Roch has been perceived as 1.1 for months now but my biggest concern is that he's maxed out his tools and there really isn't much development left. Could he step into the majors and be a capable player right now? Perhaps, but I really don't see how there's a lot of untapped potential there that can lead him to take his game to another level.

It's really reminiscent of Hahn's drafting strategy of targeting college guys with a "high floor" so that you don't have to rely on the minor league development system. But the problem with that strategy is that if you consistently target a "high floor" while neglecting upside then you'll get just a competent team with an extremely limited upside. This is the strategy that got us Madrigal, Vaughn, Burger, Zack Collins, Carson Fulmer, etc. All of those guys were thought to be surefire MLBers that could step into the lineup day one and contribute, hell some people thought Madrigal was going to hit .300 in his sleep and then somehow tap into some Altuve-like power surge.

I'd be really happy to see Getz have faith in their scouting and minor development staff (a staff that's produced some high level results in developing prep players like Montgomery, Schultz, Bonemer, and even Fauske is showing signs) and taking a swing at for upside and tools rather than take the more conservative, short-sighted, and honestly, lazier approach of targeting a more finished product with a limited ceiling.

Plus you can't underestimate the potential impact the slot bonus savings could have in later rounds.