First draft pick has signed

2008 Draft

Here ya go

The expected exodus of USC baseball players to the pros officially began this year with Phil Disher, and continued with Mike Cisco.

Cisco, a junior pitcher, has signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, the club’s minor league office confirmed on Monday. Cisco was picked in the 36th round in last week’s Major League Baseball first-year player draft.

Link.

Cisco’s numbers the last 2 years

2008: 16 G (11 GS) – 71.0 IP – 4.82 ERA – 93 H – 14 BB – 40 K – 7 HR – .314 OPP AVG
2007: 16 G (14 GS) – 86.2 IP – 3.84 ERA – 88 H – 18 BB – 74 K – 7 HR – .261 OPP AVG

As you can see, he definitely had a better sophomore year, so hopefully the raw ability is there and he can become a middle reliever in the bigs, even though the odds are against him.

If you look at the top of the site, you’ll see a link called “2008 Draft Picks” where I’ve listed every pick the Phillies make. As guys sign, I will bold their name so we can track who has and who hasn’t signed by the August 15th deadline. If you come across an article talking about a player signing, please post it on that page so I can make the necessary updates. Thanks.

38 thoughts on “First draft pick has signed”

  4. Gose and Hamilton down…now to get the big names to sign.

    I don’t get why Gose is so adamant about being an OF…he projects so much higher as a pitcher…

    Like

  5. this on the philly.com

    Phillies sign eight draft picks
    Philadelphia Daily News

    The Phillies have signed eight players selected last week in the draft, including high school outfielder Anthony Gose, chosen 51st overall, and Villanova righthander Jordan Ellis.
    The players will report to a minicamp in Clearwater, Fla., that include players on the extended spring training roster.

    The camp concludes Saturday with players then being assigned to the Williamsport Crosscutters (New York-Penn League) or the Gulf Coast League Phillies.

    Gose, 17, is an outfielder from Bellflower (Calif.) High. Ellis, 22, was chosen in the 28th round.

    Other players signed are:

    * Fifth round, 1B Jeremy Hamilton, 21, Wright State University.

    * Ninth round, 3B Cody Overbeck, 22, University of Mississippi.

    * 22nd round, 2B Daniel Hargrave, 22, University of North Carolina-Wilmington.

    * 23rd round, OF Brandon Haislet, 22, University of Hawaii.

    * 36th round, RHP Michael Cisco, 21, University of South Carolina

    * 43rd round, OF Bryan Frew, 22, University of Nebraska-Omaha

    Like

  6. Gose is 17, so in all likelihood he knows exactly what he wants in life and doesn’t want anybody to tell him otherwise. I can’t say I blame him, maybe he likes hitting and playing everyday. A few people have mentioned on this site that the Phils should adopt the strategy of letting him start out as an outfielder, but try to steer him towards pitching because he’d be a better pitcher than outfielder.

    – Jeff

    Like

  7. Of course he wants to play the outfield……chicks dig the long ball!! A few seasons of sub .225 hitting with less than 5 HRs might help him realize his quickest path to the bigs from the mound!
    A guy I am interested to watch is Overbeck from Ole Miss….he can really hit and has some pop. He is listed as a 3B, but not sure if he will stay at that position……..I really like him!

    Like

  8. The thing is, for true two way guys, you evaluate what the player wants to do, what you think his strong point is, and then you figure out the path. If Gose is dead set on the outfield, then let him start there. He’s very young, if he struggles for 2 years, as long as he keeps his arm in shape, you have plenty of time to move him. Also, the conversion from batter to pitcher is deemed “easier” among scouts than going from batter to pitcher and then back to batter again.

    Like

  9. I agree…don’t pressure the kid…

    The Phils suddenly have a number of decent outfield prospects. Perhaps the competition will motivate Gose to improve, or cause him to rethink his commitment to the outfield. Either way, I think its far too early to force him to the mound. There remains a solid chance that Gose develops into an excellent outfielder, especially if he’s truly committed. The fact that Gose turned down an opportunity to make more money as a pitcher says something about his character. I don’t know if he’s stubborn or driven, but either way, he’s only 17 and has plenty of time to change his mind. The important thing is: he’s signed.

    Like

  10. And in the most general of terms, allowing him to play the field for 2-3 years will move him closer to being out of the danger zone in terms of putting innings on his arm in the 18-21 years. Which is good.

    Like

  11. I like Cisco’s peripheral numbers. Keeps the ball in the park and doesnt walk a lot of guys with respectable Ks. He could be decent if his stuff is good enough not to get knocked around.

    Like

  12. That, James, is a very good point.

    By the same token, I wonder if Spencer will hit enough to
    stay in the OF.

    Like

  13. I presume you’re talking about Matt Spencer.

    Spencer, to me, is likely going to be a 4th OF, possibly a bit more. He has a very good arm, so he can probably stick in RF. Kevin Goldstein, in the Q/A I did with him a while back, said hes probably a good 4th OF/decent starter, 15-20 HR power, decent average guy. Not a star, but maybe half of a productive platoon.

    Like

  15. its happened again, 9th inning wirth on 1st no outs. you steal the base then bunt. man on 3rd 1 out rollins fly scores him. mathematically what is your choice a man stealing has an 80% chance of making it. a runner on 2nd with 1 out and rollins or victorino having to get a hit is a 30% chance. and it time for the phillies to bring up carrasco and/or bastardo for the pen. myers has never recovered from last years arm injury, he had no location, movement, or velocity plus he,s out of shape.

    Like

  16. Myers is such an odd pitcher. From month to month and, especially, year to year, you have no idea what you are going to get. The year after he came up, he put on like 30 pounds, lost almost all of his fastball and, honestly, looked like a 40 year old at the end of his career. By the next spring, he whipped himself into shape and was throwing his fastball at between 94 and 97 MPH. He was in the mid to high 90s last year and in better shape. This year he’s in not so great shape and struggles to hit 91 or 92. For Myers those extra 2-3 MPH are the difference between him being a top of the rotation starter and just another average player. If he can’t figure out that he needs to stay in shape (really, why should anyone have to convince Brett Myers that he needs to long-toss between starts – that’s absurd), I don’t see how they could possible extend that contract past next year. Personally, I think we’re going to see a big turnover in pitching personnel over the next 2 years and Myers could easily be one of the casulties (along with Eaton and probably Moyer, who can’t pitch forever).

    Like

  17. Myers sucks. The weirdest thing about him is his Home/Road splits:

    Home: 7 GS, 3.66 ERA, 3-2 record, 8 HR, .215 BAA
    Road: 7 GS, 7.32 ERA, 0-6 record, 10 HR, .361 BAA

    For whatever reason, he loves CBP.

    Like

  19. I think Spencer profiles as a Jason Michaels type with maybe a little more power and a little lower average. I still see him as a little better prospect than Taylor, mainly because of the level he is at. Both have solid tools. Decent power. Average speed. Spencer has a little better arm, though both should be at least average defensively in the outfield.

    Like

  20. Myers seems to throw harder when he’s fatter. His control and stamina suffer, but he’s a power pitcher that needs that extra velocity to truly succeed on this level. Ever since he trimmed down about 18 months ago, Brett’s had shoulder issues and his velocity has drop from mid 90s to low 90s.

    His decreased muscle mass might explain these changes, but honestly, this sort of change makes me very suspicious. Remember how the prototypical power pitcher looked 1996-2004? He wasn’t the great athlete we’ve seen in recent years; he carried more weight, and supposedly utilized this extra momentum to maintain high velocity.

    The obvious example is Roger Clemens. The dominant Brett Myers physically resembled the dominant Roger Clemens. That sort of pitcher suddenly seems to be a dying breed in 2008, and I don’t need to tell you why…

    The question is why the Phils would commit three years to him in 2007, knowing this might be the case…then again, his contract was very reasonable, at the time.

    Like

  22. good point made by bill conlin today about hewitt:

    in the March preseason Orlando National Baseball Classic for high-school prospects, Hewitt was the Outstanding Offensive Player, batting .769 in four games.

    for all of those “he can’t hit” concerns out there. small sample size though.

    Like

  23. Lets curtail the Myers discussion, this is not a blog to discuss the Phillies major league day to day happens, and John, I’ve told you this multiple times. From here on, when you make off topic posts, I’m just going to remove them.

    As for Hewitt’s performance in that tournament, I found a link listing the All Tournament Team.

    http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_highschool_varsity/2008/03/all-tournament.html

    I don’t recognize any of those names. Against top competition with wood bats, he’s struggled mightily.

    Like

  24. With respect to Gose, the fact is that now that he’s signed, the Phillies can pretty much do whatever they want with him. He can complain and grumble, but that’s only going to hurt his potential earnings down the line. I’m sure his handlers have advised him of that.

    I realize this is a little off point, but I’m curious for some feedback from the readers of this site. At what point do you think that the television and radio stations for the Phillies, along with most other teams, will start utilizing OPS, OBP, or SP instead of antiquated stats such as AVE?

    By the way, great site. The comments are great, it’s nice to see there are so many people interested in following how prospects are selected and ultimately groomed.

    Like

  26. Governator —
    I don’t agree that Cisco’s peripherals are encouraging. Yes, the walk rate is good, but 40 Ks in 71 IP is not good, and the opposition hitting .308 against you is really, really not good. He throws strikes, but isn’t missing a lot of bats.

    Like

  27. I posted this elsewhere but will repeat it here. Keep in mind that HS players cannot be signed until after graduation so that is a hold-up with a handful of our picks. I’ll go through 15 rounds here:

    1. Hewitt – class graduated, can sign anytime
    1a. Collier – class graduates June 11th, can sign after that
    2. Gose – Signed
    2. Knapp – class graduates June 13th, can sign after that
    3. Worley – can sign anytime
    3. Pettibone – class graduates June 13th, can sign after that
    4. May – class graduates June 14th, can sign after that
    5. Hamilton – Signed
    6. Shreve – can sign anytime
    7. Coy – class graduated, can sign anytime (ASU message boards think they got him after the ASU baseball coach said he could play both hoops and baseball at ASU by the way).
    8. Julio Rodriguez – can sign anytime
    9. Overbeck – signed
    10. Jean Carlos Rodriguez – I can’t find his graduation date
    11. Stutes – apparently has a final exam this week and will sign after that.
    12. Weber – class graduated, can sign anytime

    Like

  28. come on allentown, don’t be a total killjoy. No one thinks Cisco is anything great, but we trotted out tons of guys who couldn’t pitch over the last 10 years, he could be Geoff Geary 2.0….if that sort of thing appeals to you 🙂

    Like

  30. Cisco is probably just organizanional guy,but it doesnt hurt that he throws strikes and keeps the ball in play.I’m sure could be a plus for developing the players in the field.

    Like

  31. as for Coy playing both hoops and baseball, that will take up A LOT of a students time, throw in class and a social life, and you’ve become a worn out mess by sophmore year and end up quitting a sport half the time….. you hear this all the time in HS kids decision making when choosing pros or college, or college over college….. most of the time they never play both sports anyway….. pryor for example

    He has a lot of leverage at this point, and will most likely demand as much as he can, if he doesn’t get it he’ll probably just go to ASU, especially if he is unsure at all which sport he wants to play further, one thing ASU can do is provide him a place to see which skillset develops faster, even if he dumps one a couple years in, we can’t exactly do that….

    the kid probably just wants to be a pro, and wants to make sure he’s taking the right path… im sure he’s thinking if basbeall doesnt work out he’ll regret not trying Bball, his basketball highlight film was pretty solid, and his body really does translate better as hoopster than a 3B at the next level…. i dont blame him

    Like

  32. pp, as ive said i believe a minor league system is to help the big team, i believe they need to bring up a lefty reliever, outman/bastardo and they need a nother starter, sorry about last nights frustration. but the guys gillick is most friendly with are seattle, bedard, houston oswalt. if were not going to bring up pitching then lets deal for it. would you send carrasco, outman, cardenas, and brown for either one? if not them who.

    Like

  33. Coy can also sign the baseball contract and if he decides in a few years that he doesn’t like it, he can still go to college to play basketball. CJ Henry was thinking about doing that. Unless he thinks he’s going to make the NBA, a 6 figure bonus is pretty good money if he’s smart with it. In 3 years, if he figures out that baseball isn’t what he wanted, he can go to college as a 21 year old freshman. Sometimes I wish I was older and more mature when I started college.

    Like

  34. I’m kind of split on Coy right now.

    BA had him ranked 13th in Missouri (5th best prepster), and while Missouri isn’t a baseball hotbed like California or Florida, its still a pretty solid source of pro players, especially the last few years. PG Crosschecker has him at #6 in the state, so they clearly think a bit more about him. This is what they had to say

    SCOUTING REPORT: Coy is one of the more unlikely potential top 10-round draft choices, but there seems to be more and more reason to believe that might happen as Coy attended numerous workouts prior to the draft. Coy is better known as a basketball player and was a Missouri 6-A first-team all-state forward. He has signed a basketball scholarship with Arizona State. But Coy has huge power with the bat and surprising hitting skills for his size and length. He hit .650 with 11 home runs this spring, many of them tape-measure shots, and .479-10-52 as a junior. He plays third base now but worked out with teams as a left fielder. Coy’s interest in baseball seems sincere as he missed large stretches of the AAU summer basketball circuit the past two years while playing summer baseball. Numerous published articles in local newspapers quote Coy and his family as saying they are very serious about baseball and would consider signing “for anything in the 8th round or better.”—DAVID RAWNSLEY

    If this is to be believed, then he was taken in the proper window for the Phillies to realistically sign him in the 7th round. I think it will probably take at least 350K + college tuition to sign him. The projection is clearly there, though its likely he’s not going to end up at 3B, since he’s already 6’7. A tall target at 1B, or possibly LF is more likely.

    Like

  35. Philly.com has some more signings including Worley: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/Coste_Ruiz_share_the_load_at_catcher.html

    “The Phillies signed seven pitchers selected in last week’s amateur draft: third-round righthander 1Vance Worley, eighth-round righthander 2Julio Rodriguez, 13th-round righthander 3Brian Rosenberg, 21st-round lefthander 4Sean Grieve, 24th-round lefthander 5David Noles, 26th-round righthander 6Ryan Bergh, and 31st-round lefthander 7Spencer Arroyo.
    Grieve is a former Germantown Academy standout. The Phillies have signed 15 of their 53 draft choices.”

    Like

  37. With these signings seemingly rolling in, could anybody project the GCL and Williamsport rosters?

    Like

  38. The Williamsport roster is expected to be announced on or about this Sat. June 14th according to the Crosscutter site. Also this was on the site:

    The Cutters and their Booster Club are always looking to add names to their list of families, especially homes where Spanish is spoken, because of the number of Latin American players in the Phillies organization.

    Like

Comments are closed.