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What MVN Is Saying

By EJ Fagan | June 7th, 2007

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Hey guys. The writers covering their own teams can say things a lot better than I can, so here is a set of links to what the rest of MVN is saying about the draft:

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What They’re Saying About … Picks 16-30

By Staff Report | June 7th, 2007

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#16 - Toronto Blue Jays - Kevin Ahrens, SS/3B, HS

Said Nick Cannata-Bowman at Giants Cove:

Ahrens was a target of the Giants at 22, and has drawn comparisons to Chipper Jones. Is a switch-hitter who can hit for power and average. Will likely be moved to third base as he doesn’t run particularly well. Great talent, and another player San Francisco misses out on. His left-handed swing gets “too loopy” at time, but he’s new to switch hitting and can iron that out in the minors.

#17 - Texas Rangers - Blake Beavan, RHP, HS

Said Beverly at Young Guns:

The Rangers selected local boy Blake Beavan with the 17th pick in the first round of the June, 2007 draft. Beavan, a 6′7″ right handed pitcher from Irving High School was awarded the Youth Player of the Year award in December, 2006. According to MiLB.com, Beavan’s fastball was clocked up to 96 mph and his slider is in the 81-84 range.

#18 - St. Louis Cardinals - Peter Kozma, SS, HS

Said Nick Cannata-Bowman at Giants Cove:

To be completely honest I have never heard of this kid. Has average tools across the board with below-average power. To me comes off as a David Eckstein type in that regard. Kozma is very much an overdraft and was projected to go in the 30’s. He doesn’t do any one skill exceptionally well and because of that is a fairly weak pick at 18th. Keith Law dubs it as “too conservative.”

#19 - Philadelphia Phillies - Joe Savery, LHP, Rice

Said Nick Cannata-Bowman at Giants Cove:

Savery plays first base and pitches, making him a double threat out of the 19th pick. He’s been down with injuries recently, but has been considered a top half of the first-round kind of player. Fastball ranges from 91-93 mph and has exceptional hitting ability. Steve Phillips compares him to Al Leiter in terms of build. Controls his offspeed pitches very well, but has a very straight hittable fastball.

#20 - Los Angeles Dodgers - Chris Withrow, RHP, HS

Said Nick Cannata-Bowman at Giants Cove:

Another tall righty with great control and good velocity on his fastball. His secondary stuff is still in the development stage and will require a lot of work in terms of coaching. Definitely not on the fast track, Withrow will take a while to bring to the Majors, but the Dodgers have a patient farm system stacked with talent and drafted a pretty good talent here. His curveball and changeup have a chance to be plus pitches at the Major League level but still he still needs some work.

#21 - Toronto Blue Jays - J.P. Arencibia, C, Tennessee

Said Nick Cannata-Bowman at Giants Cove:

Has good power, especially for a catcher, but will probably be moved to first base. Has a projectable power bat, but was thought to be going lower in the first round or early in the second round. Hits mostly for power but not so much for average. Many thought he’d go in the supplemental round, but a college catcher with hitting ability is a solid pickup here. He’s a need pick more than a best-talent-available guy.

#22 - San Francisco Giants - Tim Alderson, RHP, HS

Said Nick Cannata-Bowman at Giants Cove:

At 6′10″, throws his fastball up around 94 mph, with great mechanics, and amazing control. Draws comparisons to Chris Carpenter and comes off as a good pick at 22, but still doesn’t fill the need for a hitter in the first round. Alderson makes more sense at 29th than at this pick, as his delivery makes some scouts wary. He pitches out of the windup but has a funky slide step that brings up some doubts about his ability to stay healthy.

#23 - San Diego Padres - Nick Schmidt, LHP, Arkansas

Said Nick Cannata-Bowman at Giants Cove:

Schmidt is an innings-eating lefty who is compared to Andy Pettitte, but doesn’t have overpowering stuff. Has good command but won’t be a front-end of the rotation pitcher, as he doesn’t really have one out pitch. Projects to be a 3rd starter, but with Rick Porcello and Matt Harvey still available, definitely not the best pitcher available.

#24 - Texas Rangers - Michael Main, RHP, HS

Said Beverly at Young Guns:

Main is a 6′2 180 lb high school senior from DeLand, FL. He is a dual position player, serving as both a starting pitcher and an OF. He throws and bats right handed, and is speedy having been clocked at a 4.37 40-yard dash. He has signed a letter of intent with Florida State.

#25 - Chicago White Sox - Aaron Poreda, LHP, San Francisco

Said Jake Berlin at The Bard’s Room:

With the 25th pick in the 2007 Amateur Draft, the White Sox selected lefty pitcher Aaron Poreda from the University of San Francisco. I’ve been clamoring for the Sox to select high-risk, high-upside guys in the draft, and it seems that finally Kenny Williams and Co. have gotten the message. Of course, I would have preferred they had gone with an up-the-middle position player (pitchers are much bigger injury risks), but I shouldn’t complain.

And Poreda certainly does have a lot of upside. At 6′6″ and 240 pounds, he could be quite intimidating on the mound, and his fastball (routinely clocked in the mid-90’s) should help as well. He also apparently has excellent command (keep in mind, that’s different from control, although he did only allow 1.63 walks per nine innings this season). Plus, he doesn’t turn 21 until this fall, which is young for a college player.

#26 - Oakland A’s - James Simmons, RHP, UC Riverside

Said Ryan Armbrust at A Minor Consideration:

Simmons was named to the Rivals.com All-American First Team after leading the Highlanders to the conference title and a NCAA Regional. Simmons, the Big West pitcher of the year, has the reputation of being a polished college pitcher with a plus changeup. His control is excellent, only walking 15 hitters over 123 innings this season.

#27 - Detroit Tigers - Rick Porcello, RHP, Seton Hall Prep

Said Matt Wallace at Take 75 North:

I literally yelled in delight and honked my horn on the way from work when a caller to the sports show I was listening to said, “Did you hear who the Tigers just got with their first pick?” I could tell from the excitement in his voice it was Porcello. “Rick Porcello.” The caller had obviously been reading his draft previews and explained to the host that this was a good thing.

The caller was right, as talent-wise this is a very good thing. Porcello was widely agreed upon as the top prep prospect in the draft and a top five talent overall.

#28 - Minnesota Twins - Ben Revere, OF, HS

Said EJ Fagan at MLB Draft University:

Ben Revere? Wow, is this 1985? The Twins picked a guy who is small, easy to root for, and fun to watch, but he’s not a 1st round pick. Fast? Yes. Good defense? Yep? No bat? Yep. You’d think that teams would learn when Joey Gathright is in their division.

#29 - San Francisco Giants - Wendell Fairley, OF, HS

Said Nick Cannata-Bowman at Giants Cove:

Fairley is seen to be one of the best athletes in this draft and draws comparisons to Carl Crawford. Has a short path to the ball and a polished swing. Will take a while to develop, but will likely be worth the wait. Very high ceiling, but could easily go the route of Arturo McDowell and Calvin Murray.

#30 - New York Yankees - Andrew Brackman, RHP, NC State

Said Tony Gicas at The Bronx Block:

Top high school pitcher Rick Porcello fell all the way to the bottom of the first round. While Yankee fans hoped he would stay on the board until pick #30, the Detroit Tigers had other ideas. They scooped up the talented RHP from Seton Hall Prep, leaving the Yankees with a choice between Matt Harvey, Andrew Brackman and Josh Smoker.

New York decided on Brackman, a 6′10″ flamethrower out of North Carolina State University. A two sport athlete, Brackman’s health remains his biggest question mark. The 22 year old experienced problems with his pitching elbow and Tommy John surgery remains a possibility in his future. I would have been more excited with Harvey, but either one of the aforementioned pitching prospects is a steal at pick #30.

Said EJ Fagan at Pending Pinstripes:

It’s easy to be disappointed after we almost got Rick Porcello, but a week ago I’d have been very happy to select Andrew Brackman first round. Mike A. of RAB strongly believes that Nardi Contreras can work some magic on Brackman, and I’m inclined to agree. He’s a college pick with remarkably little seasoning under his belt, but at 6′10″, he’s got projection. Brackman throws 2-seamers and 4-seamers with a spike (knuckle) curve and a good changeup. Don’t expect Brackman to move quickly, but if he takes off, he’s going to be something very special. Brackman as little as a year ago was considered a top-3 pick in the draft, but had arm fatigue problems this year. Eric and I will detail Brackman more in the coming days.

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What They’re Saying About … Picks 1-15

By Staff Report | June 7th, 2007

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#1 - Tampa Bay Devil Rays - David Price, LHP, Vanderbilt

Said Nick Cannata-Bowman at Giants Cove:

Price was widely projected to go first, so no surprises here. He’s a big lefty hurler at 6′5″, with a 95 mph fastball and a good slider. The Rays needed an arm, with a Minor League system stocked with position players; Price fits the bill here perfectly.

#2 - Kansas City Royals - Mike Moustakas, 3B/SS, HS

Said Craig Brown at Royals Authority:

Baseball America ranks Mike Moustakas as the second-best pure high school hitter in the draft and the top power hitter. He was number five overall on their draft board.

He’s represented by Scott Boras who reportedly has compared the third baseman to Alex Rodriguez. Initial reports were that this comp scared the Royals off Moustakas, but when it came to dollars and cents, the team and Boras aren’t that far off.

#3 - Chicago Cubs - Josh Vitters, 3B, HS

Said Arizona Phil at The Cub Reporter:

In BA’s scouting report on Vitters, they describe him as having outstanding bat-speed and hand-eye coordination, allowing him to make consistent contact. He hits the ball hard to all fields and adjusts well to off-speed pitches.

His main shortcoming at this point (so far) is an apparent lack of aptitude at 3B, but he does have a “third-baseman’s arm,” so it has been suggested that he could be moved to RF at some point if he is unable to improve his play at the hot corner. He also has average speed for a corner IF-OF and middle-of-the-order run producer.

Said JP at Road to Wrigley:

Vitters is just 17 years old, and is a solid bat, although a guy that is at best 4 to 5 years away from Chicago. With a high school selection with the 3rd pick, look for the Cubs to select a collegian with the 48th pick. Likely, 1B/LHP Sean Doolittle, if he is available.

#4 - Pittsburgh Pirates - Daniel Moskos, LHP, Clemson

Said David Golebiewski at Pittsburgh Lumber Co.:

Moskos was a reliever for the majority of his college career, and has a delivery that is considered maximum-effort. The Pirates will develop Moskos as a starter, hoping that his stocky 6-1, 205 pound frame will help him become an innings-eater.

It’s difficult to rationalize this selection. Moskos was seemingly not the best player available (Georgia Tech Catcher Matt Wieters), the best pitcher available (N.J. prep righthander Rick Porcello, Missouri State lefty Ross Detwiler, Indiana prep righty Jarrod Parker, Canadian HS righthander Phillippe Aumont) the best lefthanded pitcher available (Detwiler), or perhaps not even the best college reliever available (Vanderbilt righthander Casey Weathers.)

There had been rumblings from several sources that the team did not get the OK from ownership to select Wieters, a Scott Boras client who is said to be seeking a Mark Teixeira-like major league contract.

#5 - Baltimore Orioles - Matt Wieters, C, Georgia Tech

Said Nick Cannata-Bowman at Giants Cove:

A switch-hitting catcher, Wieters is yet another surprise at fifth. He has plus power and a cannon for an arm, but still went way early here. He’s about even from both sides of the plate in terms of hitting ability, and is still considered one of the top college bats. He’s a Scott Boras player and should prove to be a tough sign.

#6 - Washington Nationals - Ross Detwiler, LHP, Missouri State

Said Anthony Amobi at Oleanders and Morning Glories:

As we know, the Nationals need to rebuild their entire organization from the bottom up, and time will tell if Ross Detwiler is worthy of the number one pick for the team.

#7 - Milwaukee Brewers - Matt LaPorta, 1B, Florida

Said Robert J. Baumann at Brewers Bar:

I was just musing this morning that the team needs another impact bat in the lineup. Prince Fielder is putting up MVP numbers and Ryan Braun might insert himself into the ROY race pretty quickly here. Corey Hart is finally being given a chance and is showing what he can do. Still, our offense lags significantly at times and I can’t help but think ahead to what we’ll do with LF next season. (I’d trade for Adam Dunn, but I’m sure his .250-ish AVG and 150+ SO will blind Doug Melvin).

Matt LaPorta figures to move quickly through the minors given that he’s got 4 years of college ball under his belt, and is already 22 (older than Gallardo). Maybe the Brewers believe he can play LF well enough to solve that problem as early as next year. He played 6 games there as a freshman at UF, but as a senior this past year, he played only 1B and DH. Either way, I’m guessing we might see him in the Show when the rosters expand in September.

#8 - Colorado Rockies - Casey Weathers, RHP, Vanderbilt

Said Nick Cannata-Bowman at Giants Cove:

The surprises just keep on coming here, with closer Weathers coming in at 8th. I’m way past trying to predict who’s going to go next, with most of the top 10 picks sinking and guys projected to go in the late teens/early 20’s have moved way up the board. Weathers has a live fastball and closer stuff and has a fresh arm that hasn’t been overworked.

#9 - Arizona Diamondbacks - Jarrod Parker, RHP, HS

Said Nick Cannata-Bowman at Giants Cove:

Parker was strongly scouted by the Giants and is one of the most polished high school arms in the draft. Throws around 95 mph and draws comparisons to Tim Lincecum and Roy Oswalt. Is 6′2″ but after Lincecum, scouts are becoming less and less concerned with the size of hard throwing pitchers.

#10 - San Francisco Giants - Madison Bumgarner, LHP, HS

Said Nick Cannata-Bowman at Giants Cove:

Bad bad bad bad bad bad bad. The Giants needed a hitter here and instead drafted another pitcher. Throws hard but secondary pitches are lacking. Again, bad bad bad bad bad. A system devoid of hitters will continue to stay that way. Brian Sabean is officially a first class moron.

#11 - Seattle Mariners - Phillipe Aumont, RHP, HS

Said Bryan Osborn at Caffeinated Confines:

The Mariners used their first round draft pick on a high school pitcher instead of the college arm or bat many expected going in to today’s draft. Big kid at 6-7, 225 lbs. with little experience against top athletes. I’m a little surprised that the M’s didn’t go after Matt Harvey, but he is a Boras client so he is falling fast down the draft boards. This is great news because many feared that the M’s would draft for immediate help.

Said Jay Yencich at Mariners Minors:

The two major things I notice watching the videos are the lateral movement and his tendency to miss down.

That fastball moves, a lot, and from what I gather from the Baseball Analysts interview, he’s probably not scared to pitch inside, though I don’t know it was exactly his intent coming in. He’ll need to harness it a bit, but it’s a big plus in his column now.

The downward movement is also huge. Watching him against hitters in the video, you don’t see him miss up but maybe two or three times total, and when he does it’s often way off to one side. Everything else is a worm-killer, straight up, and though it’s still raw (really forcing his catcher to work at times), it’s still really exciting to see.

#12 - Florida Marlins - Matt Dominguez, 3B, HS

Said Matt Birnbach at Future Fish:

Overall, I like this pick a lot, but I’m going to let this report that I obtained from a regional cross-checker do all the talking for me: “You know, everyone forgets just how good this kid really is because he played on the same team as Mike Moustakas at Chatsworth HS. Matt has extremely quick hands and fastballs will be no problem for him. … He is exactly the kind of player I would want on my team. I’ve heard comparisons to Ryan Zimmerman, and I tell you what … they’re spot on. When he signs, go out and watch him, you’ll thank me later.”

#13 - Cleveland Indians - Beau Mills, 3B, Lewis-Clark State

Said James Pete at Tribe Report:

Cleveland received a steal today in the 2007 first-year player draft when Beau Mills fell into their laps with the 13th pick. In early May, Mills had been slotted to Toronto with the 16th pick in nearly every experts’ mock draft. After Mills led his team to the NAIA championship game with a 3 homer, 8 RBI outing, he rose on everyone’s draft board.

Mills looked to be a lock at 10 (San Francisco), 11 (Seattle) or 12 (Florida). Cleveland, who was hoping that a solid position player would fall to them at 13, had lined up several potential pitching prospects, figuring Mills, Matt Dominguez, Mike Koustakas and Matt LaPorta would all be gone before the 13th selection. Sure enough, Mills fell through the cracks.

Mills, whose father was a major leaguer and is the current bench coach for the Boston Red Sox, was drafted in the 44th round of the 2004 draft by the Red Sox right out of High School. Mills chose to hone his craft at Fresno State. It was the right choice.

#14 - Atlanta Braves - Jason Heyward, OF, HS

Said Will Schaffer at Chop-n-Change:

In something that has become fairly common, the Braves dipped into the Georgia talent pool and selected Jason Heyward, a 1B/OF from Henry County HS in Mcdonough, GA. Heyward, an Aflac All-American, was considered a lock to go top ten, but as we can see, anything can happen on draft day and the Braves’ front office was probably licking their chops after Cleveland took Beau Mills with the 13th pick.

Heyward joins Jeff Francoeur, Macay McBride, and Adam Wainwright as Georgia natives taken with the Braves first pick in recent years. John Sickels, the prospect “guru”, said that Heyward was the top high school position player in this year’s draft.

#15 - Cincinnati Reds - Devin Mesoraco, C, HS

Doug Gray at Reds Minor Leagues:

I love the scouting reports on Devin and even more so that he is very strong defensively. However catchers are the riskiest pick on the board, as they pan out less than any other position, including pitchers of any kind. However, that is the only real thing I don’t like about him. Would have liked to see the Reds take Porcello, but apparently he was asking for an astronomical signing bonus in the neighborhood of 7 million dollars, and that is just too much money.

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Draft 1st Round Live Blog

By EJ Fagan | June 7th, 2007

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Update 4:04 PM: Wow, the first two thirds of the first round have been full of surprises. We’ve seen three major drops so far: Harvey, Porcello, and Brackman. So far, there has been a solid trend toward left handed pitching and easy signs in this draft. What does that mean? It means that teams with those extra sandwich round picks are going to be very, very happy. The teen picks saw a lot of high school players drafted, which means that some good college guys are left.

The big surprises so far have been LaPorta and Weathers making the top-10. Weathers is a raw college closer with a great arm, but has little experience on the mound. LaPorta has a huge bat, but wasn’t expected to go earlier than 20ish due to his lack of athleticism and injury history. The Brewers really confounded me with that pick.

Will Porcello go to the Yankees? I can’t see them passing on him, but the Tigers have expressed interest. They were rumored to love Alderson, who is now off the board.

Update, 4:22 PM: The White Sox could be a big pick here. They could take Brackman, Porcello, or Harvey no problem. Or they could go for a guy like Josh Smoker. Ken Williams isn’t dumb enough to take Brett Cecil with some of these guys left on the board, but some GM is going to jump on him today. With the way that the Sox offense is looking, I’m hoping (as a Yankee fan) that the Sox panic and take someone like Kyle Russell.

Update: 4:25 PM: Aaron Poreda? I’m really not a fan of that pick, but as a Yankee fan, I’ll take it. With the Athletics and Twins coming up, it looks like Porcello is falling to Detroit or New York. You have to love two 95+ win teams last season having a shot at an arm like his. I’m shocked at the overvaluing of left handed pitchers in this draft.

Update: 4:35 PM: The A’s fell in love with Joe Blanton, rightfully so, and pick up another fairly safe, cheap college pick in Simmons. Maybe even a Dan Haren type if the A’s can work on his breaking pitches. But the Tigers… select Porcello! Yankee fans start beating their heads against the wall, but at least we should get Harvey.

Update: 4:42 PM: Ben Revere? Wow, is this 1985? The Twins picked a guy who is small, easy to route for, and fun to watch, but he’s not a 1st round pick. Fast? Yes. Good defense? Yep? No bat? Yep. You’d think that teams would learn when Joey Gathright is in their division.

Update: 4:52 PM: Brackman goes to the Yankees. Matt Harvey must be one hard sign. The Yankees have enough pitching in their system to take a risk on Brackman. Lots of big names still available for the Supplemental round. Don’t expect Josh Smoker to last very long.

Update: 5:08 PM: Everyone gets a breather.

The forces that shaped the first round:

Scott Boras: We saw big, board-changing drops out of Rick Porcello, Andrew Brackman, and Matt Harvey, not to mention Julio Borbon. Matt Wieters got picked up a little later than expected, but didn’t really fall. The cascade saw safe picks like David Moskos, Mike Moustakas, and and Matt LaPorta get drafted higher than expected.

The San Francisco Giants: With three picks, the Giants had the greatest opportunity for a splash. The Detroit Tigers loved Alderson, and picked Porcello only after Alderson was off the board. That caused the Yankees to select Andrew Brackman instead of Porcello. San Francisco was able to pick a little bit off the board with their second and third picks thanks to the surplus, and took Wendell Fairley instead of a more conventional pick. Fairley is a C.J. Henry-style super-athlete, two sport pick. Whatever team selects Josh Smoker in the supplemental round can thank San Francisco. (Which was Washington, after I wrote this)

Left Handed Pitching: Seven lefties went in the 1st round. Guys like Dan Moskos jumped way ahead of projections. College left handed pitchers tend to be very safe, quick moving picks, so teams were looking for immediate help. Some position players like Todd Frazier fell into the supplemental round.

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