Blogger mock draft

[colbyjack]

I just made the pick for the Brewers as part of a bloggers mock draft:

 

http://mlbloggermockdraft.wordpress.com/2008/05/27/welcome-to-the-first-ever-united-baseball-blogger-collaborated-mock-draft/#comment-16

 

I ended up selecting Brett Lawrie, which was a tough call between him, Zach Collier and Anthony Hewitt. Even having Shooter Hunt still on the board was tough to pass up, and I know some would make some noise for Joshua Fields here, but I think the Brewers are thinking bat with their first pick and will load up on arms with their supplemental selections, saving possibly their last 2nd rounder for a catcher like Nieto or even Antonio Jimenez.

 

That said I still think Lawrie goes to the Twins a few picks ahead and the Brewers end up with Hewitt.

[lonestar]

I hope you're right about the Twins drafting him. He's at the top of my board - that is, of players I think will be available at 14. [i can't get over how much my board has changed.]

 

Would you try him at catcher or move him to another position? I would go straight to 3B - in part because of Joe Mauer (morphing into Jason Kendall). But in part because catching would slow his progress and limit his production (due to fatigue, wear & tear, nagging injuries).

 

Do you know why BA describes his arm as only "at least average"?

[Gopher74]

Why do you think the Brewers are leaning toward a bat? I'm just curious because looking at the Brewers needs...a terrible way to draft in and of itself, but something that must be considered, the Brewers appear to have a desperate need for a close that they can develop. Of course we've got Aguilar, Pena and company(actually...that's it really) but throw Fields into that mix and you've got three fantastic arms for the long term future.

 

Of course you seem to be one of the few guys who actually has some actual inside knowledge, or at the very least connections that may give you some greater insight. So, is this just your guess, or is that the "vibe" the Brewers are giving off?

[TheCrew07]

I hope they are leaning that way because they make very good selections when they go positional players. I'll grudgingly admit that they reached on Rogers in hindsight, though I'm still holding out hope that he can pitch again. X's idea of continually drafting bats and flipping them for pitching is something that I think can have quite a bit of merit. It's so difficult to get quality pitching through a system healthy, let other teams flame out the arms and trade for the best of what's left.

[colbyjack]

Consider me thinking that the Brewers will take a bat with their first pick a "hunch." Keep in mind that my hunches have not been that reliable in past years, which says a lot about how quietly the Brewers scouting department goes about their business.

 

As for the mock draft as mentioned above, some people may not like the idea of taking three prep players, much less two prep pitchers, with the team's top three picks, but after Lawrie I have taken Jake Odorizzi and Ross Seaton at #32 and #35. I don't expect both of those players to be there, as they are just too good (BPA theory) to pass up at that point in time.

 

I'm pretty sure this draft wraps up at the end of the supplemental round, otherwise my focus would probably shift to a mix of college arms and bats with the second rounders.

[colbyjack]

First, I want to add that I wouldn't be surprised to see the Brewers take an arm with their first pick, as nothing really surprises me anymore, especially after last year. If Brett Lawrie is gone and the team doesn't believe in Hewitt's hitting ability, they may very well go wtih an arm at #16, with Ethan Martin getting a lot of love as the best prep pitcher available that could be available at that spot.

 

Anyway, I rounded out the blogger mock draft taking Lonnie Chisenhall and Chris Carpenter with the back-to-back second rounders and Carlos Gutierrez with their own second rounder, pretty much how I aligned it in the draft prediction thread. After thinking about those picks some more, they obviously would be taking a lot of risk by drafting two prep arms and two college arms with past injury concerns. The reward obviously is through the roof.