AZZenny
Registered User
BA has started discussing potential top draft candidates, and said the scouts are out and have had their first draft-planning meetings, so why not? Given that injuries, stellar performance, agent choice, etc. will affect the final rankings, here's some starter info.
“The 2005 high school draft (class) has a chance to be one of the better ones in recent memory,” another scouting director said. “This class is deep in position players and athletes. Overall, I’d say the talent level is above-average with a number of impact position players. Also, there are a number of potential power-arm pitchers that could easily step up to first- to third-round status.”
College Variety Show
The consensus is that the college crop is stronger this year. What sets it apart is its depth and variety.
Want a power-hitting corner player? Take your pick. Nebraska’s Alex Gordon, trying to duplicate Cornhusker outfielder Darin Erstad’s feat from a decade ago as the No. 1 overall pick, is a lefthanded masher with the tools to play third base. Teams that don’t like Gordon might prefer Virginia’s Ryan Zimmerman, a surehanded defender at third who starred for Team USA last summer, pushing Gordon to first base. Or look to first base, where the premium choices include Mississippi’s lefthanded-hitting Stephen Head and Stanford’s righthanded-hitting John Mayberry Jr., who already has been picked in the first round (Mariners, 2002).
College shortstops are often considered safe picks; this draft offers two premium choices. Long Beach State’s Troy Tulowitzki earned the nod on Team USA, but Georgia Tech’s Tyler Greene starred in the Cape Cod League, where he was the top position-player prospect. A third college shortstop, Texas A&M’s Cliff Pennington, is also projected to go in the first round.
“This might not be the year to pick in the top five,” an AL scouting director said. “There’s not an elite guy. But from 20 to 30 or 35 even, there’s a chance you’ll be able to draft a college player you feel pretty good about. From the five spot to 25, there is a lot of the same caliber of players with some upside, and in a variety of positions.”
While the depth and quality of position players means the first round probably won’t be as pitcher-heavy as 2004—when 19 of the 30 first-rounders were pitchers—college arms also appear to be a strength, particularly among righthanders. Hard-throwing Luke Hochevar of Tennessee and Mike Pelfrey of Wichita State, both Team USA alumni, are the frontrunners to be the first pitchers drafted, college or high school.
Scouts admit the draft’s biggest weakness, at least at the outset, appears to be lefthanded pitching. The top available southpaws appear to be Vanderbilt’s Ryan Mullins and Cal State Fullerton’s Ricky Romero, along with Georgia prep product Miers Quigley.
“It’s thinner, and because of that, you’ll see lefthanded pitchers overdrafted because everyone needs lefties,” an NL scouting director said. “And if they are overdrafted, that means they’ll be overcompensated, too.”
The Boras Factor
The hardest throwers in the draft are Baylor’s Mark McCormick and Georgia Tech’s Jason Neighborgall, who could go anywhere from the first round to the fifth, depending on how they perform this spring.
Along with Hochevar and Pelfrey, they are advised by agent Scott Boras, as is Greene. Scouting directors are wary that Boras’ number of elite prospects in the draft is back up after his influence waned, and they acknowledge his presence is a factor. His two most prominent clients in the 2004 draft, Long Beach State righthander Jered Weaver (Angels, 12th overall) and Florida State shortstop Stephen Drew (Diamondbacks, 15th) remained unsigned through late January.
“The 2005 high school draft (class) has a chance to be one of the better ones in recent memory,” another scouting director said. “This class is deep in position players and athletes. Overall, I’d say the talent level is above-average with a number of impact position players. Also, there are a number of potential power-arm pitchers that could easily step up to first- to third-round status.”
College Variety Show
The consensus is that the college crop is stronger this year. What sets it apart is its depth and variety.
Want a power-hitting corner player? Take your pick. Nebraska’s Alex Gordon, trying to duplicate Cornhusker outfielder Darin Erstad’s feat from a decade ago as the No. 1 overall pick, is a lefthanded masher with the tools to play third base. Teams that don’t like Gordon might prefer Virginia’s Ryan Zimmerman, a surehanded defender at third who starred for Team USA last summer, pushing Gordon to first base. Or look to first base, where the premium choices include Mississippi’s lefthanded-hitting Stephen Head and Stanford’s righthanded-hitting John Mayberry Jr., who already has been picked in the first round (Mariners, 2002).
College shortstops are often considered safe picks; this draft offers two premium choices. Long Beach State’s Troy Tulowitzki earned the nod on Team USA, but Georgia Tech’s Tyler Greene starred in the Cape Cod League, where he was the top position-player prospect. A third college shortstop, Texas A&M’s Cliff Pennington, is also projected to go in the first round.
“This might not be the year to pick in the top five,” an AL scouting director said. “There’s not an elite guy. But from 20 to 30 or 35 even, there’s a chance you’ll be able to draft a college player you feel pretty good about. From the five spot to 25, there is a lot of the same caliber of players with some upside, and in a variety of positions.”
While the depth and quality of position players means the first round probably won’t be as pitcher-heavy as 2004—when 19 of the 30 first-rounders were pitchers—college arms also appear to be a strength, particularly among righthanders. Hard-throwing Luke Hochevar of Tennessee and Mike Pelfrey of Wichita State, both Team USA alumni, are the frontrunners to be the first pitchers drafted, college or high school.
Scouts admit the draft’s biggest weakness, at least at the outset, appears to be lefthanded pitching. The top available southpaws appear to be Vanderbilt’s Ryan Mullins and Cal State Fullerton’s Ricky Romero, along with Georgia prep product Miers Quigley.
“It’s thinner, and because of that, you’ll see lefthanded pitchers overdrafted because everyone needs lefties,” an NL scouting director said. “And if they are overdrafted, that means they’ll be overcompensated, too.”
The Boras Factor
The hardest throwers in the draft are Baylor’s Mark McCormick and Georgia Tech’s Jason Neighborgall, who could go anywhere from the first round to the fifth, depending on how they perform this spring.
Along with Hochevar and Pelfrey, they are advised by agent Scott Boras, as is Greene. Scouting directors are wary that Boras’ number of elite prospects in the draft is back up after his influence waned, and they acknowledge his presence is a factor. His two most prominent clients in the 2004 draft, Long Beach State righthander Jered Weaver (Angels, 12th overall) and Florida State shortstop Stephen Drew (Diamondbacks, 15th) remained unsigned through late January.
