Ok. So I debated just waiting to give my thoughts on today’s picks until the draft was finished, but then I wouldn’t get anything up on the site till next week, and I didn’t want to do that, so I figured I’d give my initial thoughts now, then I’ll do a bit more next week and touch on the second day of the draft and my overall impressions. First, I want to thank everyone for visiting (over and over again, I’m sure) as we set a new record for single day hits, well over 13,000, far doubling the previous high, which was a year ago on draft day. Second, I appreciate all of the comments and feedback, it was a blast to follow the draft here and get everyone’s thoughts as it happened, and there was certainly a wide array of opinions. I feel like I just need to continue to state it, just so I’m clear. I’m not here to be a cog in the Phillies PR machine. I’m not affiliated with the Phillies, and I’m not affiliated with any other site, despite efforts by other sites to incorporate me into their setup. My opinion is my own, its based on the things I see and read, and its just that, my opinion. I certainly don’t expect everyone to agree with me, and I’m open to every opinion possible, as long as that opinion is backed up with something of substance. The reality of right now is, we won’t really know what these players will provide for 1-5 years, we’re just guessing and going with our initial gut reaction. But all of that said, its still fun. So, lets get to it.
Daily Archives: June 5, 2008
Iron Pigs Report
The passed week was a fairly rough one for Lehigh Valley as they went 3-4 on the week, and are now at 21-41 on the year, 16.5 games back of front running Scranton in the Northern division of the International League. Looking at Iron Pigs among the league leaders, Mike Cervenak continues his rise in numerous categories, including at bats (5th-221), runs (5th-38), hits (1st-71), and average (.321). Andy Tracy is 3rd in walks (31) and 10th in homers (10). Among pitching leaders are Brian Mazone who is 5th in wins (6), 2nd in inninigs pitched (79.0) and 5th in WHIP (1.10) and JA Happ who is 3rd in innings (77) and leading the league in strikeouts with 81. Matt Childers is 6th in the league with 8 saves. Continue reading Iron Pigs Report
And the Phillies take….
We’ll keep the regular discussion in the long draft post, but I’ll update this one as well with our selections, along with scouting reports where applicable.
24. Anthony Hewitt, SS (Salisbury School, CT)
Hewitt is the epitome of high-risk, high-reward. The risk starts with his signability: Any team that drafts Hewitt must be prepared to open its wallet and buy the academic-minded Brooklyn native-turned-Connecticut boarding school star out of a commitment to Vanderbilt. There’s also a huge risk that he simply won’t hit in professional ball: his raw bat was overmatched against quality pitching on the showcase circuit last summer, and though he dominated vastly inferior prep competition this spring, he still struggles to recognize breaking balls and can get locked up at times by ordinary fastballs. But then he’ll crush a ball 450 feet and give scouts a glimpse of his prodigious upside. Several scouts said he was second to Tim Beckham as the best athlete at the East Coast showcase last summer, and he has three legitimate above-average tools in his raw power, speed and arm strength. His muscular 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame evokes Ron Gant, and his work ethic and charisma stand out. Hewitt plays shortstop for Salisbury, but his poor footwork, stiff actions and lack of instincts will dictate a shift to third base or more likely the outfield, where he has enough speed and arm strength for center or right. Hewitt has generated mountains of buzz in the Northeast and could sneak into the supplemental round or even the back of the first round if a club falls in love with his potential enough to overlook his crudeness.
Check below for the rest of the picks…
The official Draft Day discussion thread
Well folks, the draft has arrived. All the time spent analyzing players, reading scouting reports, and thinking about who we want/don’t want, and today is the day. The draft starts at 2PM Eastern, and the first round + compensation round will be shown on ESPN2. As you may have heard by now, the Phillies have lots of picks in the first 5 rounds, and a real chance to add a bunch of talent to the system. The Phillies have hinted that they will be more aggressive in terms of taking better talent, but they’ve also name dropped a couple of really questionable guys, at least in my opinion. I’ll post the full draft order, and we’ll discuss the draft as it unfolds. Any last minute rumors, post them here. Any random thoughts as it unfolds, post them here. I’ll do a full wrapup of today’s action later tonight with detailed thoughts. Baseball Prospectus is doing a roundtable chat today starting at 1PM, which will supplement the TV coverage nicely. You can get prepared for that right here.
Round 1
01. Tampa Bay – Tim Beckham, SS (Griffin HS, GA)
02. Pittsburgh – Pedro Alvarez, 3B (Vanderbuilt)
03. Kansas City – Eric Hosmer, 1B (American Heritage School, FL)
04. Baltimore – Brian Matusz, LHP (San Diego)
05. San Francisco – Buster Posey, C (Florida State)
06. Florida – Kyle Skipworth, C (Patriot HS, CA)
07. Cincinnati – Yonder Alonso, 1B (Miami)
08. Chicago White Sox – Gordon Beckham, SS (Georgia)
09. Washington – Aaron Crow, RHP (Missouri)
10. Houston – Jason Castro, C (Stanford)
11. Texas – Justin Smoak, 1B (South Carolina)
12. Oakland – Jemile Weeks, 2B (Miami)
13. St Louis – Brett Wallace, 3B/1B (Arizona State)
14. Minnesota – Aaron Hicks, OF/RHP (Wilson HS, CA)
15. LA Dodgers – Ethan Martin, 3B/RHP (Stephens County HS, GA)
16. Milwaukee – Brett Lawrie, C (Brookswood Secondary School, BC)
17. Toronto – David Cooper, 1B (California)
18. NY Mets – Ike Davis, 1B (Arizona State)
19. Chicago Cubs – Andrew Cashner, RHP (TCU)
20. Seattle – Josh Fields, RHP (Georgia)
21. Detroit – Ryan Perry, RHP (Arizona)
22. NY Mets – Reese Havens, SS (South Carolina)
23. San Diego – Allan Dykstra, 1B (Wake Forest)
24. Philadelphia – Anthony Hewitt, SS (Salisbury School, CT)
25. Colorado – Christian Friedrich, LHP (Eastern Kentucky)
26. Arizona – Daniel Schlereth, LHP (Arizona)
27. Minnesota – Carlos Gutierrez, RHP (Miami)
28. NY Yankees – Gerrit Cole, RHP (Orange Lutheran HS, CA)
29. Cleveland – Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B (Pitt CC, NC)
30. Boston – Casey Kelly, SS (Sarasota HS, FL)
More mock drafts
Kevin Goldstein checks in with his mock draft today, and he comes to the same conclusion I did.
The Phillies tend to favor young, toolsy players with their top picks, but they went against the grain last year when Rice southpaw Joe Savery fell into their lap. There’s not going to be a player like that for them this year, and based on where it looked like he would go as recently as a week ago, Collier is a nice find here. Once seen as a top 15 pick, Collier’s game is a bit on the crude side, but his tools all grade out well, and many think his potential ranks with any high school position player out there.
Selection: Zach Collier, OF, Chino Hills HS (CA)
Jim Callis has us grabbing Shooter Hunt
24. PHILADELPHIA. With Matusz and Crow seeking major league contracts and Scheppers getting hurt, Hunt was positioned as the best slot-money college starter just a couple of weeks ago. He hasn’t pitched well down the stretch and is sliding, but his stuff is too good to drop out of the first round. The Phillies have been associated with toolsy high school athletes such as fast-rising Connecticut shortstop Anthony Hewitt and California outfielder Zach Collier, but they may wait until their sandwich pick at No. 34 to take that plunge.
Projected Pick: SHOOTER HUNT, rhp, Tulane.
Jonathon Mayo ends up going with Zach Collier as his final guess.
24. Philadelphia Phillies: Zach Collier, OF, Chino Hills HS, Calif.
The Phillies don’t shy away from the toolsy high schoolers and could very well take someone like Anthony Hewitt in this spot, with a sleeper like Destin Hood getting some consideration as well.
Last projection: Ethan Martin
Keith Law adds to the Collier party
24. Philadelphia — Zach Collier, OF, Chino Hills (Calif.) H.S.
Collier won’t get past the Twins at No. 27 if the Phillies go with Hewitt or Jason Knapp here.
Phuture Phillies 