All posts by giventofly41

Arms to Watch In 2007

Other Stuff

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(Pat Overholt)

I’ve gotten some great feedback on the site so far, and I’m really appreciative for all the people who come here to read my ramblings every day, and even more thankful for those who leave comments and take the time to send an email. When I know what you’re thinking, or what you’re interested in, it really helps me figure out where to go next, and what things to talk about. A few people have asked me about guys to watch that might be flying under the radar a bit, and I felt like that might be a good topic for a post. I covered my top 15 list already, so I won’t include any of those names. Here are 5 underrated arms to watch in 2007.

Jarrod Freeman, RHP. Freeman was drafted as a high school senior in the 11th round in 2006 and signed shortly after, a good start to the middle portion of the first 20 rounds for the Phillies. He fits the mold of what the Phillies like in terms of right handed pitchers, as he’s already 6’3, 187 lbs, and the Phillies envision him growing a few more inches. He threw in the mid 80’s in high school, with an average changeup and good curveball, a rare combo for a pitcher so young. However, in the last year his velocity has climbed into the high 80’s/low 90’s, and he can be expected to add a few more mph, possibly topping out around 93-95 consistently. He has a fluid motion and smooth mechanics, which bode well for future projection. He started in the GCL and pitched well: 45.1 IP, 3.38 ERA, 47 H, 5 BB, 37 K and only 3 HR allowed. One of the things that I like most about him, he posted a stellar 2.6 groundball to fly ball ratio, and he was a tad unlucky (.342 BABIP) against right handed batters, so he should see an improvement on his ERA if his peripherals remain solid. He didn’t come from a baseball hotbed (Utah), so we’ll have to wait and see how he pitches against advanced competition. He turned 19 in November, so that’s the age he’ll pitch at for all of 2007. I expect he’ll be assigned to short season Williamsport and spend most of the season there, possibly getting bumped to Lakewood for 1 start at the end of the year. If all goes well, he’ll open 2008 at Lakewood at age 20, and be right on track.

Darren Byrd, RHP. The Phillies took Byrd in the 18th round of the 2005 draft, and he had already signed a letter of intent to go to Junior College, but after mulling it over for a few days, he decided to pass on junior college all together and sign right away. That immediately speaks to his aptitude and commitment, and it gave him some extra development time. He again fits the “Phillies mold”, which I think I should trademark, for right handed pitchers, 6’3, 170 lbs, wiry, long loose arm action. His velocity was in the high 80’s, but again, the Phillies felt that as he grew a little bit, his velocity would jump. They started him in the GCL in 2005, and he was pretty solid, posting a 2.66 ERA in 44 innings, allowing 36 H, 10 BB and 1 HR, while striking out 24. He pitched 2006 at age 19, and again the Phillies handled him gently, starting him back at the GCL, where he again pitched well: 36.1 IP, 3.22 ERA, 33 H, 15 BB, 1 HR, 27 K. Upon promotion to Batavia, he didn’t disappoint, allowing only 4 ER in 15 innings. He struck out 14 but also walked 11 in his first exposure to short season ball. If he continues to add velocity and depth to his secondary offerings, he has the makings of a middle of the rotation starter or a 7th inning reliever. Lefties had a potentially fluky .386 BABIP against him, and if that levels out, his overall numbers should improve. Like Freeman, he also has strong groundball tendencies. He’s still a long way away, but he shows good promise at this point. The Phillies will more than likely open him up at short season Williamsport, and he could see a promotion to Lakewood at some point.

Carlos Monasterios, RHP. Monasterios’ name should sound familiar, he was one of the pieces that came to the Phillies in the Bobby Abreu trade at the deadline. He was signed by the Yankees as a free agent out of Venezuela in 2004, but didn’t make it stateside (as far as I can tell) until 2006. He’s 6’2, 175 lbs and only 20 years old, so there is still some room for him to fill out and possibly add velocity. That’s good news, because his fastball already sits in the 91-93 range and tops out at 95, with great downward movement. His curveball and changeup are lagging behind his fastball, but show signs of at least being a tick or two above average in the future. His numbers were better for the Yankees, but he still finished with an overall line of 45 IP, 3.20 ERA, 41 H, 6 BB, 35 K, and only 3 HR allowed. Monasterios generates his share of ground balls (79, to 43 FB) and he kept the ball in the park, another good sign. He will be 21 at the start of 2007, but he’s still somewhat raw. He’ll likely start at Williamsport and pitch most of the season there. If his secondary pitches catch up to his fastball, he could possibly reach Clearwater sometime in 2008, and possibly the Phillies bullpen in 2009. So yes, a long way away, but a very promising arm.

Patrick Overholt, RHP. In 3 years, when we look back at the 2005 draft, Overholt might be one of the names we instantly think of, even though he’s flown under the radar to this point. The Phillies took a flier on him in the 22nd round, as he was a red shirt junior with 2 years of eligibility left at Santa Clara University. Overholt was one of the better closers in the country in 2003 but missed all of 2004 with Tommy John surgery. The Phillies gamble looks well met now, as he’d have surely climbed draft boards in 2006, and it looks like he’s finding his groove slowly coming back from surgery. He’s only 6′ 200 lbs, but throws a low 90’s fastball and a hard slider with excellent bite. Many in the Phillies org feel he has “the closer persona”, and as mentioned, has previous experience in that role. While I never jump to consider pitchers who are reliever-exclusive as prospects, college closers are a bit different. Performance wise, Overholt has been pretty solid. In 2005, he was good at Batavia, with a 2.65 ERA in 34 innings and an impressive 51 strikeouts. He started 2006 in Lakewood, posting a solid 3.15 ERA in 42 innings, with an impressive 52 K’s and only 37 hits allowed. He was promoted to Clearwater, and while his ERA jumped a bit (4.10), his peripherals were strong, allowing 20 hits and 10 walks while striking out 41 in only 26 innings. Overholt’s career K/9 in the minors is an eye popping 12.23. While he needs to harness his command to become a successful reliever, his ability to generate swings and misses looks very promising. He’s likely to start 2007, his age 23 season at Reading. He’ll be part of a solid pitching staff, and should get plenty of save chances if given the closers role. With a strong 2007, he could be a bullpen candidate in Spring Training 2008, or midseason ’08 at the latest.

Andrew Cruse, RHP. Cruse, the Phillies 9th round pick in 2006, is an interesting guy. He was a red shirt sophomore at South Carolina, despite being 22 years old. He was thought of in the spring as a first 5 rounds guy but was inconsistent the last two months of the season and fell to the Phillies in the 9th round. While not that big (6’1, 190 lbs), he has a good strong arm and could add a tick of velocity, especially if used in relief. Cruse stated his desire to get his career moving since he was already 22 as his main reason for leaving USC. He was used as a starter, a swing man, a middle reliever and a closer in college, and his arm proved quite resilient in bouncing back. The Phillies decided to try him out as a starter at Batavia, both to see how he’d handle the role, and also to give him more of a chance to develop his secondary pitches. His fastball sits in the 92-93 range, and he was throwing a slurvy type breaking ball, which the Phillies will probably try to turn into a slower conventional curve or a power slider with tighter break. In 66 innings at Batavia, Cruse allowed 60 hits and 19 walks, while striking out 48 and allowing only 2 home runs. Cruse was very strong against LH batters, holding them to a .584 OPS, and had very strong groundball tendencies, inducing 98 ground balls to only 50 flyballs. At this point, it’s unclear what the Phillies view in terms of his role going forward. Since he did well as a starter, he may get a shot to start in 2007, which will be his age 23 season. However, because of his age, the Phillies will probably try and move him quickly. The Lakewood rotation already looks crowded, so he seems to slot in as possibly a bullpen arm, or they could get ambitious and start him at Clearwater in a starting role, where only Carlos Carrasco is currently penciled in. Looking long term, Cruse might turn into a setup man or a swing man. His success against LH batters in 2006 speaks to his improving changeup, and if he can pick a breaking ball and command it, he’s got a chance to be a back of the rotation starter. If that doesn’t work out, he should be a useful swing man, or possibly a setup guy.

Roster (Reading)

6. Reading

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Here is the roster/depth chart for the Reading Phillies. Updated as of 4/21/07, per the Reading Phillies website.

Starting Lineup

C – Tim Gradoville
1B – Juan Tejeda
2B – Joe Thurston
SS – Jesus Merchan
3B – Mike Costanzo
LF – Brian Burgamy
CF – Javon Moran
RF – Greg Jacobs

Bench

C – Jason Hill
C – Dusty Wathan
INF – Matt Padgett
INF – Joey Hammond
INF – Michael Garciaparra
INF – Pete Shier
OF – Brandon Florence

Starting Rotation

SP – Matt Maloney
SP – Kyle Kendrick
SP – Heath Totten
SP – Landon Jacobsen
SP – Tim McClaskey

Bullpen

CL – Anderson Garcia
RP – Nick Evangelista
RP – Chris Key
RP – Ryan Cameron
RP – Nate Johnson
RP – Bubba Nelson
RP – Julio De La Cruz

Roster (Clearwater)

5. Clearwater

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Here is the roster/depth chart for the Clearwater Threshers. Updated as of 4/21/07 per the Threshers website.

Starting Lineup

C – Lou Marson
1B – John Urick
2B – Brad Harman
SS – Fidel Hernandez
3B – Welinson Baez
LF – Jeremy Slayden
CF – Victor Hall
RF – Greg Golson
DH –

Bench

C – Orlando Guevara
INF – Clay Harris
INF – Hector Made
OF – Mike Spidale
OF – Matt Thayer

Starting Rotation

SP – Carlos Carrasco (RHP)
SP – Andrew Carpenter (RHP)
SP – Josh Outman (LHP)
SP – Dan Brauer (LHP)
SP – Pat Overholt (RHP)

Bullpen

CL – Brett Harker (RHP)
RP – Mike Zagurski
RP – Derek Griffith (LHP)
RP – Wil Savage (RHP)
RP – Zac Stott (RHP)
RP – Charlie Weatherby (RHP)
RP – Cory Willey (RHP)
RP – Alan Davis (LHP)

2002 Draft Report Card, Part 5

2002 Draft Review

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(Tim Gradoville)

Welcome to the 5th and final installment of the first set of Draft Report Cards. They’ve been fun to write, I hope they’ve been fun to read, and possibly brought back some memories, both good and bad. The final selection will cover the most picks (rounds 31-50) but will also be the shortest, as there is very little to say about most of these players. The final 20 rounds of the draft are normally used for 3 things: 1.) Taking 4th year seniors to fill out your rookie ball/short season teams 2.) Taking a flier on guys who you doubt you can sign, but will try anyway 3.) Taking guys who you think could be possible draft and follows. If you don’t know, a draft and follow is a player you take out of high school who chooses to attend a junior college. If he attends a junior college and not a 4 year school, you retain his rights up until a week before the next June draft. If the player performs well and you can come to terms on a bonus amount, you can still sign the player. The Angels and Braves have used this system well in recent years.

All of that said, here are the Phillies final 18 picks (we passed after Rd 48), with brief comments

Jeremy Isenhower, 2B – .696 OPS at Lakewood in 2003, released.
Rob Cafiero, 1B – .602 OPS at Batavia in 2002, went to Atlantic League in 2003.
Jeremy Rogelstad, RHP – 3.77 ERA at Batavia in 2002, went to Independent League in 2003.
Beau Richardson, LHP – Reached Clearwater, pitched well from ’02-’04, bombed out in 2005.
Josh Paddock, RHP – ERA (5+) never matched decent peripherals at higher levels. Released after ’05.
Keahi Rawlins, RHP – HS Senior, did not sign
Tim Gradoville, C – Played 36 games in 2006, has been all glove no hit. Non-roster ST invitee
Corey Carter, OF – HS Senior, did not sign
Daniel Lewis, RHP – HS Senior, did not sign
Brandon Joseph, OF – HS Senior, did not sign
McCay Green, RHP – HS Senior, did not sign
Clayton Dirks, LHP – HS Senior, did not sign
Byron Cragg, RHP – HS Senior, did not sign
Jacob Habsieger, LHP – HS Senior, did not sign
Sam Lecure, RHP – HS Senior, did not sign
Dusty Ryan, C – HS Senior, did not sign
Ryan Greives, RHP – HS Senior, did not sign
Dennis Winn, SS – HS Senior, did not sign

I told you this part would be interesting, didn’t I? Oh, you’re right, I didn’t say that. Out of 18 picks, we signed only 6, and of those 6, only Gradoville and Paddock stuck around for an extended period of time. However, most teams it would seem experience the same type of thing in these rounds, which again makes it tough to grade this section. What’s more interesting, perhaps, are the players other teams took. I’ve glanced at the late rounds in 2001, 2003 and 2004, and the final 20 rounds seem to include quite a few more “flier picks” where guys who became higher draft picks were taken in later rounds, and guys who teams went over slot on actually made it to the big leagues. In this draft, that list is really small. These guys are considered prospects and were drafted, but didn’t sign: Cesar Carillo, Tony Sipp, Ryan Patterson, Ricky Romero, Luke Hochevar, Hunter Pence, Ian Bladergroen, and Shawn McGill, who coincidentally, was drafted as a 4 year senior by the Phillies in 2006.

In the 20 rounds and nearly 600 picks, only 4 guys you’ve maybe ever heard of have made it to the big leagues. They are, in order of notoriety, Jon Papelbon, Brian Bannister, Ty Taubenheim and Scott Feldman. All four were drafted by different organizations than they made their breakthrough with, most notably Papelbon, who was a late round pick by Oakland, then later a 4th round pick by Boston. Bannister was drafted by Boston in 2002, then later by the Mets. So, in retrospect, we really didn’t miss much.

Grade: C The last part of the report card was tough to grade, and this part is even tougher. Most teams final 20 picks look just like ours. The fact that Gradoville is still around is surprising, and I think based on the lack of prospects even taken with flier picks by other teams, it’s tough to give the Phillies a harsh grade there. They took their chances on a lot of high school guys, and they didn’t sign any of them. However, none of the guys they chose to not sign amounted to much of anything. Lecure has been modestly successful in the Cincinatti system, but that’s about it.

Final Draft Grade

Now that we’ve completed the report card for the 2002 draft, it’s time to see how the Phillies did. Here’s a recap of their scores for each section

Part 1

Hamels: A-
Segovia: B
Fisher: C-
Bourgeois: D-
Blalock: B-

Part 2

Gwaltney: B
Read: D
Doetsch: F
Harrand: F
Barthelemy: B

Part 3 (Rd 11-20)

B : 3.00

Part 4 (Rd 21-30)

C- : 1.75

Part 5 (Rd 31-48)

C : 2.00

Using my advanced math skills, the Phillies final “GPA” for this draft was 2.13, which is a solid C. This draft produced one potential superstar in Cole Hamels, one potential middle of the rotation starter/closer in Scott Mathieson, one back end of the rotation/bullpen guy in Zach Segovia, and then a bunch of organizational filler. It’s disappointing to not have been able to even land a few bullpen arms or utility infielders in this crop of suspects. Without Hamels and Mathieson, this draft is a complete disaster.

Hope this was a good read. I plan to move on to 2003, but probably not for a while. These things are exhausting.

Roster (Lakewood)

4. Lakewood

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Here is the roster/depth chart for the Lakewood Blueclaws. Updated as of 1/11/07, per the Lakewood website.

Starting Lineup

C – James Gosewich
1B – Doug Morales
2B – Adrian Cardenas
SS – Jason Donald
3B – CJ Henry
LF – Quintin Berry
CF – Gus Milner
RF – Jay Miller

Bench

C – Joel Naugton
C – Matt Reed
INF – Brad Key
INF – PJ Antoniato
OF – Julian Williams

Starting Rotation

SP – Kyle Drabek
SP – Edgar Garcia
SP – Darren Byrd
SP – Jarrod Freeman
SP – Carlos Monasterios

Bullpen

CL – Andrew Cruse
RP – Michael Dubee
RP – Alex Concepcion
RP – Davis Blaine
RP – Garett Hill
RP – Ronald Hill
RP – Ben Pfinsgraff

Roster (GCL Phillies)

2. GCL

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Here is the roster/depth chart page for the GCL Phillies. Updated as of 6/26/07
Starting Lineup

C – Jesus Sanchez
1B – Karl Bolt
2B – Tyler Mach
SS – Jesus Villegas Andino
3B – Travis Mattair
LF – TJ Warren
CF – Darin McDonald
RF – Tim Binkoski

Bench

C – Travis d’Arnaud
C – Shawn McGill
C – Luis Ramon Arzeno
1B – Francisco Murillo
3B – Augustin Montanez
SS – Jamie Morales
SS – Alan Schoenberger
INF – Ambiorix Rincon
OF – Arlon Quiroz
Starting Rotation

SP – Heitor Correa
SP – Rob Roth
SP – Moises Melendez
SP – Jacob Diekman
SP – Richard Austin

Bullpen

RP – Gerard Breslin
RP – Justin De Fratus
RP – Antonio Fiorentino
RP – Jonathan Forest
RP – Miguel Matos
RP – Scott Mitchinson
RP – Nolan Mulligan
RP – Christopher Rhoads
RP – Mauricio Romero
RP – Zach Sterner
DL – Sam Walls

New Feature: Organizational Rosters/Depth Charts

Depth Charts

I was trying to figure out how to add this to the site, and I think the best way to do it is to add it to the left side of the page for easy navigation. Basically, there will be links to all the Phillies affiliates, and when you click on the link, you’ll be taken to a post that covers the roster/depth chart for the team. Each post will be updated as the season progresses, and it will all be done in one post, that way you don’t have to sift through 20 posts to find out who is currently playing 3B for Lakewood, for example. I may make a second post that will just be a running “leaderboard” for the level, which will contain the top hitters/pitchers and the updated standings for the league. All of this info will be readily available at minorleaguebaseball.com, but this might save you a click or two. If it doesn’t look the way I intend it to, I may just remove it, but I want to give it a shot. So, you’ll see 6 new posts now, one for each level, and they will then be permanently accessible on the left side under the navigation.

Once players are assigned, please check in and see if I’ve missed anyone, then it can be kept as up to date as possible.

Baseball America Phillies Chat Wrapup

ESPN/BA/BP Mentions

Today, Chris Kline at Baseball America took questions on the Phillies Top 10 list for the better part of 2 hours. I won’t be posting his comments exactly, I’ll just comment on a few of his more interesting revelations. The gist of what Chris said will be in italics, my comment will follow
Scouts are really split on Costanzo. Some love him, some think he doesn’t go all out all the time and won’t succeed at higher levels.

This doesn’t really surprise me. As I wrote up in my top 10 list, Costanzo seems to run hot and cold. He has good stretches where he shows good plate patience and some pop, but then goes cold for a month or two. The defense is there, but if he can’t hit, he’s nothing more than a backup at 3B and 1B.

Lou Marson struggled with the bat, but handled the Lakewood staff well, and should continue to progress. 

Marson is a name that sometimes gets lost in the mix. If I did a top 30 list, I’d probably put him around 25. We won’t know more until he continues to climb the ladder. If he’s solid defensively, they’ll keep giving him chances, but if he can’t hit at all at the higher levels, he probably doesn’t have much of a big league future.

Still hope for Brad Harman, solid defensively, Phillies still think he’ll hit.

The organization is still high on Harman, and he’s always been young for his league. He’ll start at Clearwater in 2007, and it’s a big year for him in terms of his future.

Carrasco and Drabek are close, but Carrasco is further along and has more consistency with his fastball.

Can’t really disagree there. Drabek has more velocity, but Carrasco has better command of his fastball at this point, and that comes with 2 more years in pro ball than Drabek. He also commented that Drabek seemed to take to instruction well in the FIL, which is a good sign.

James Happ has added a few MPH to his fastball, which has evelated his stock a bit. Still needs to sharpen his slider/curve.

This was one of the best revelations in the chat. Happ’s fastball was in the 88-90 range before this season and through much of 2006, but if he is in fact pitching more in the 90-92 range, hitting 93, it definitely improves his chances of future success. Kline likes his changeup quite a bit already, and says his curve/slider will develop more as he throws it more. Great news on Happ.

Cardenas will be moved from SS to 2B and maybe eventually to the OF. He’ll play 2B at Lakewood with Donald at SS.

Not surprising, though I’d have liked to see him tried at 3B. Scouts apparently don’t feel he has the arm for 3B, which means he’s probably going to either end up at 2B or LF.

Baez still has promise as a defensive 3B, but he’s only hit in Instructional League and hasn’t been able to translate it to full season ball. Jim Ed Warden has the best chance to stick out of the Rule 5 guys. 

Baez was ranked 5 last year and really saw his stock drop this year. He was atrocious at the plate at Lakewood, but can still play defensively. 2007 is an important year in terms of figuring out what’s there. Warden’s fastball/changeup combo should help him, and Kline thinks he’s got a good chance of sticking. See my piece on Warden for a full writeup of his offerings.

D’Arby Myers has 5 tool potential and looks like a potential star in CF. 2007 is a make or break year for Golson

Right on. I’m disappointed Golson made the top 10 over him, but if he has a strong 2007, he should move into the top 10, and possibly even the top 5. Likely will start at Lakewood, Golson likely to start back at Clearwater.

Jason Jaramillo really struggled defensively and scouts in the Arizona Fall League rated his defensive ability much lower than in the past.  

This was the one thing in the chat I really couldn’t figure out. Jaramillo was always thought of as a defense first guy who wouldn’t hit much at the big league level, but Kline seemed to say the opposite here. Maybe he just wasn’t focused in Arizona? Maybe he got some bad info? Not sure what to make of that.

That about sums it up. If you have anything to add, please do so in the comments section.

Nightly Roundup, 1/9/07

Other Stuff

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According to this nugget in Baseball America, the Phillies have signed Landon Jacobsen to a minor league contract. No mention of it on Phillies.com yet, to my knowledge. Jacobsen appears to be filler for the Ottawa rotation. He’s 28, so he isn’t a prospect, and his numbers aren’t very impressive overall. He’s experienced fluctuating strikeout rates, but his numbers have dipped in that category at higher levels. He doesn’t walk a ton of batters, but gives up about one hit per inning, though he does keep the ball in the park. He could be this year’s Brian Mazone, pitch well, and position himself to come up in an emergency situation. Or, they plan to give him a chance at a bullpen spot. His numbers were nearly identical against lefties and righties last season, .699 OPS against LHB, .689 OPS against RHB, and he has extreme groundball tendencies, inducing 263 groundballs to 166 flyballs.

2002 Draft Report Card, Part 4

2002 Draft Review

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Today, we’ll look at rounds 21-30 and give them a grade. For my grading guidelines, please see Part 1. If you haven’t already, read the first three installments to figure out what I’m doing here. Lets get on with the picks.

Brett McMillian, 3B
Brad McCann, INF
Jason Fletcher, RHP
James “Whit” Bryant, LHP
Zach Minor, RHP
Erik Winegarden, C
Brad Busbin, RHP
Derek Brewster, RHP
Adam Steen, RHP
Ryan Wardinsky, SS

Ok, first things first. Of the ten picks, one was a high school player (McMillian), two were JuCo players (McCann and Fletcher), and the other 7 were all four year college guys. The Phillies failed to sign McMillian, Fletcher and McCann, the next 7 all signed. Position breakdown, they drafted three infielders, one catcher, five right handed pitchers and one left handed pitcher. All of the four year college players selected were seniors, hence, they had little choice but to sign. McMillian went to UCLA, McCann went to Clemson, and Fletcher remained at Indian River CC in 2003.

Now, the results…..it’s not good. McCann might be the only name on the list you’d recognize, and it’s for being the less talented brother of current Braves catcher Brian McCann. I’ll always remember Whit Bryant, because he went to Elon and I got to see him pitch quite a bit while I was in school. He was a warrior on the mound, but never had dynamite stuff. I was happy for him that he got picked, and even more excited he was picked by my team, though I knew the chances of him making it weren’t great. Sure enough, he went on the voluntarily retired list in the spring of 2003. Minor only lasted till the end of 2003, pitching well at Batavia, but bombing both times he was promoted to Lakewood. He ended up with Bluefield, the Orioles affiliate in the short season Appalachian League, but his 8 innings in 2005 appear to be his last.

Winegarden struggled in the GCL and at Batavia in 2002, then missed all of 2003. He was assigned to Lakewood in 2004, where he put up a .674 OPS in 185 AB, and hasn’t been seen since. Busbin pitched well in 2002 upon being drafted, posting a 1.80 ERA in 20 IP, but for some reason (that I don’t remember), he was released prior to the 2003 season. Brewster was a similar deal, pitching only 4 innings after being drafted, then released prior to the 2003 season. I can’t find any reference to Adam Steen pitching after his brief 22 inning cameo at Batavia in 2002, and he was more than likely released in 2003. Wardinsky was awful from the get-go, and his .527 OPS at Clearwater in 2003 signaled the end of his run with the Phillies, and in pro ball all together.

The good news, if you can call it good, is that we didn’t miss much in terms of players we could have drafted. Travis Ishikawa was taken by the Giants in the 21st round after we had picked, and he is the highest profile guy to sign in these 10 rounds worth of picks. Jacoby Ellsbury and Travis Buck both were drafted, but both chose college, and are now in the Boston and Oakland organizations respectively.

It’s really tough to grade anything after the first 20 rounds because teams will begin to draft guys they think slipped due to signability issues, and most of these guys never sign. Also, teams begin to take four year seniors to fill our their rosters, and as in the Phillies case, many of these guys don’t stick. You get the rare gem (Ishikawa for the Giants), but for the most part, you aren’t drafting guys who are going to impact your system in these rounds, therefore, it’s tough to really punish teams for taking guys that never amount to anything. Because the Phillies first three picks in the round didn’t sign, I’m deducting points, and because three of the guys they did sign debuted well but were released, I’m deducting minimal points. No steals in this section, no guys even in the organization anymore, and in fact, no guys even playing pro ball anymore, period. Grade: C- My first instinct was a D, but really, this is probably par for the course for most teams every year. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt because they didn’t miss much talent here, but I will penalize them for not at least drafting one guy capable of being organizational filler for 3 years.

We’ll finish the last 20 picks tomorrow. And just a heads up, it’s not going to be good.