2006 MLB Draft

[Dback Jon]

Detroit just took Miller

 

[Dback Jon]

Seattle takes Brandon Morrow

 

[devilfan02]

Dback Jon, you have any preference on who we should take? I'm obviously hoping for Miller to fall to us, he would be unreal. Detroit could take him though....

 

[devilfan02]

Miller's gone, ****. All but done that we take Scherzer then.... I like the pick but he has some serious arm issues that scared off nearly every team.... As I said before, I like Kershaw but he'll prob be gone

 

[Dback Jon]

Detroit did take him...

I like college pitchers -Linecum or Sinkbeil would be good.

 

[Dback Jon]

Dodgers take Clayton Kershaw

 

[devilfan02]

Great, our division rivals (Dodgers) get Kershaw. Crap

 

[devilfan02]

Detroit did take him...

I like college pitchers -Linecum or Sinkbeil would be good.

I like Lincecum too but it has been noted that we will take Scherzer over Lincecum if both are available. Lincecumm is said to be the most MLB ready and will prob be in the bigs by Sept. The only problem with him is he's projected as a reliever

 

[devilfan02]

You gotta be kidding me..... The Dodgers get Kershaw and the Giants get Lincecum. We're up..... I'm betting we go with Scherzer

 

[Dback Jon]

We take Scherzer


This draft moves fast!

 

[Dback Jon]

At least we can watch Scherzer play this weekend in the Super Regionals

 

[devilfan02]

Dbacks pick Scherzer... The guys on the MLB.com draft show said he doesn't posses a 3rd pitch and will prob be a closer at the next level. He's also a Boras client so we could be in for a long summer/fall trying to sign him...

 

[devilfan02]

MLB.com on Scherzer-

Comments: When the season began, was being mentioned among the top picks in the country. Biceps tendinits that forced him to miss several starts has made some scouts pause. With a fastball that can reach the upper-90s, a plus slider and a bulldog mentality, some see him as a short reliever in the future.

 

[devilfan02]

Searing Fastball Sets Scherzer Apart
2006 College Preview Index

By Will Kimmey
January 18, 2006
Tim Jamieson remembers the first time he saw Max Scherzer pitch. "He was very violent, with a lot of body parts moving in different directions," the Missouri coach said. "Pardon the pun, but he was a max-effort guy."
Most college hitters remember their first look at Scherzer, too. Their memories aren't as fond after facing a 6-foot-2 righthander whose fastball pushes the upper 90s and has such impressive command that he considers a walk the equivalent of a pitcher's error.
Scherzer's sensational sophomore season turned him into one of the nation's elite pitchers and prospects. He limited opponents to a .163 average, which ranked second in the country among starters, and led the Big 12 Conference with 131 strikeouts in 106 innings. Scherzer finished the year 9-4, 1.86 and then watched the honors pile up: Big 12 pitcher of the year, second-team All-American, Team USA starter.
Scherzer opens 2006 with a shot to become the draft's first overall pick, and seems a lock to become the first first-round draft pick in Missouri history.
"For me he's a once in a lifetime type of guy," Jamieson said. "You can't think that you'll ever coach another player like this."
Jamieson lauds his ace for his maturity and intelligence as much as his physical gifts, marveling at how fast Scherzer responds to instruction. A 43rd-round pick of the Cardinals out of high school in Chesterfield, Mo., Scherzer embraced the new mechanics he learned during the fall of his freshman year (which emphasized body control and balance) in a span of two months. He earned 20 innings on a veteran staff before heading to the Northwoods League.
Pitching regularly as La Crosse's closer helped Scherzer's velocity, command and national profile all jump at once. His fastball climbed from topping out at 94 mph during the school year to 96, then 97, then 98. He started throwing more strikes with his fastball, generating more advantage counts. He paired that pitch with a slider in the low 80s to strike out 41 hitters in 26 innings to rate as the league's No. 2 prospect, behind 2005 first-rounder Lance Broadway.
Scherzer's intense demeanor led to success in the bullpen, but stamina questions hovered over his move to the rotation. As Missouri prepared to open its 2005 schedule, Jamieson still didn't know if he was going to use Scherzer in relief or as a starter.
He got the ball for the season-opener against Winthrop and struck out eight batters in his first four innings, but he ran out of energy and reached his pitch limit in the fifth. He recorded only one more out and left after giving up four walks and five runs in a game Missouri lost 7-4.
Jamieson talked to Scherzer after that start, stressing efficiency. Then Scherzer transformed his style of pitching faster than his fastball reaches hitters, working smarter by his next start. He pitched at 92-94, threw strikes and could dial up a better fastball when the situation called for it. "I never had a guy who made those adjustments so fast," Jamieson said. "We had a talk, and from next start on, he became who you saw last year."
That season included Scherzer's throwing the first seven innings of a combined no-hitter against Texas Tech and recording 14 strikeouts. He also beat league champion Nebraska 2-1 by throwing his first career complete game. Scherzer allowed four hits and two walks. He struck out five of the last six hitters he faced in that game, including College Player of the Year Alex Gordon, and buzzed 97 mph routinely in the ninth inning.
"I like being a closer because you can be as intense as you want. You can't let a hitter get on," Scherzer said. "Starting, there's going to be runners on. They're going to get hits. You're going to walk people. The game's going to happen, you have to be a lot more low key. You can't blow it out in the first inning because the seventh inning really matters. I like it because it really feels like your game and you can give your team a chance to win a lot more."
Scherzer found most of his success with just his fastball and slider as a sophomore, and he will incorporate more changeups this year. He experimented for years with different changeup grips before finally finding a comfortable one while throwing on flat ground last season. If that pitch becomes a third average offering, especially against lefthanders, his stuff will allow him to start as a pro. If not, his intensity and raw power should still make him a potentially dominant closer.
"The thing that amazes me, watching him in high school and his first year, in the back our of minds, here was a closer. Let it loose for six outs, and that’s who you are," Jamieson said. "He proved he can pitch 92-95 and when he needed to get an out in run-scoring situation, he became the closer again by reaching back for more. I've never seen another guy who can elevate himself to closer-type situations and then bring it back down to starter. So for me, he's whatever you want, a closer or a starter."

 

[devilfan02]

9 picks till we're up again. Still some big arms left on the board with lots of quality college experience-

Daniel Bard- top-10 talent out of UNC
Kyle McCulloch- best college arm out out Texas
David Huff- Solid Lefty out of UCLA

 

[Dback Jon]

9 picks till we're up again. Still some big arms left on the board with lots of quality college experience-

Daniel Bard- top-10 talent out of UNC
Kyle McCulloch- best college arm out out Texas
David Huff- Solid Lefty out of UCLA

Three in front of us before next pick

Bard adn McCulloch gone

 

[Dback Jon]

Are they not going to announce any of the picks beyond the first?

 

[abomb]

I dont follow the draft, but am I correct in thinking that fewer HS players are being taken early this year?

 

[Dback Jon]

I dont follow the draft, but am I correct in thinking that fewer HS players are being taken early this year?

That has been an on-going trend the past few years - teams are less willing to spend big bucks on HS players.

 

[Brandon_Webb]

Anyone have anything on the guy we just picked? Brooks Brown?

 

[Kolo]

Anyone have anything on the guy we just picked? Brooks Brown?

here you go--

1. Brooks Brown, rhp (National rank: 31)
School: Georgia. Class: Jr.
Hometown: Portal, Ga.
B-T: L-R. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 205. Birthdate: 6/20/85.
Scouting Report: After two up-and-down seasons, pitching primarily in relief, things began to fall into place for Brown as a junior this spring. He was beginning to hit his stride as a freshman in 2004 when he unintentionally hit Georgia Tech's Wes Hodges in the face with a pitch. The accident unnerved Brown, and it seemed to affect his confidence. He made some subtle adjustments in his delivery last summer while pitching in the Cape Cod League, and established himself as the top prospect in the state this spring. Brown's athletic ability is his best asset. He has a sound delivery, working from a three-quarters arm angle, which he varies to high three-quarters at times. His fastball has nice downward plane and sits between 90-93 mph, touching 95. His curveball is an above-average offering, though it's inconsistent because he tends to get around it, especially later in outings. The improvement of his changeup has helped his success against lefties. Brown's stuff tends to taper off after the middle innings, but his feel for pitching allows him to start in college. He'll probably wind up near the back of a bullpen as a pro.

 

[asuhoopsnut]

Like Scherzer, Mlb.com is projecting him as a closer. I'm surprised they didn't go after Joba "The Heat" Chamberlain or David Huff from UCLA!

 

[asuhoopsnut]

Our 3rd pick (2nd round) could end up being our best pick. 6'4" LHP Brett Anderson has been very highly regarded and might be the most poised and polished of all High School pitchers.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

I really like that DraftTracker on mlb.com. They are doing a really nice job.

Now they just need a salary cap and the ability to trade draft picks and baseball could be more competitive.

 

[Kolo]

Looks like a nice second round pick.

1. Brett Anderson, lhp (National rank: 19)
School: Stillwater HS. Class: Sr.
Hometown: Stillwater, Okla.
B-T: L-L. Ht.: 6-4. Wt.: 205. Birthdate: 2/1/88.
Scouting Report: Anderson's package doesn't quite fit together. He's arguably the most polished pitcher with quality stuff in the draft, no surprise considering his father Frank had long been one of college baseball's most respected pitching coaches before becoming the head coach at Oklahoma State. Brett locates an 89-91 mph fastball at will, and at times it ranks as his third-best pitch. He has a hard, 78-83 mph curveball that's a strikeout pitch and an advanced changeup for a teenager. He also has a slower, get-me-over version of his curve. He repeats his delivery and arm slot every time. Anderson has excelled on the international stage, pitching Team USA's youth and junior teams to silver medals the last two summers. So what's not to like? Scouts say it's Anderson's glaring lack of athleticism. He has a soft, 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame, and he has trouble fielding bunts and covering first base. Some scouts say he has the best command of any high school lefty in recent memory, while others say he may be the worst athlete taken in the first round in years. Nevertheless, he almost certainly will go in the first round.