Draft Pick Discussion, Rounds 1-5

[jjfanec]

John Sickels on Josh Prince.

Josh Prince, SS, Tulane

Hitting .363/.481/.534 with 30 steals in 35 attempts, Prince has overcome injuries and a subpar 2008 to re-emerge as an interesting prospect this year. He was very successful as a freshman at the University of Texas in '07, before transferring to Tulane. Very reliable defensively, he has been projected as a pick in the fourth to sixth round range, but if his bonus demands are reasonable he could go higher than expected due to his speed, defense, and decent strike zone judgment.

[1992casey]

MLB's Draft Tracker lists Josh Prince's height as 6'0". Tulane's Prince page lists it at 6'3". Is there a tiebreaker out there?

[Never Outhustled]

For giving up LaPorta and Brantley in the Sebathia deal, the Brewers get comp picks they use to ironically pick a power hitting LF (Walla) and a LF/CF tweener (Davis).

[LouisEly]

The Brewers love bat speed, and he has a ton of it.

Hopefully he comes with "double sheaths" on his tendons.

And no violent waggle of the bat.

 

The Good: The fastest riser among college arms, he generated an enormous amunt of buzz over the last month with his massive frame, 95 mph fastball, and plus slider; he repeats his mechanics well, and he has outstanding stamina.
The Bad:He rarely throws a changeup; the slider can become inconsistent at times; there is some concern over his lack of a track record, as this was his first successful year.
In A Perfect World He Becomes: A durable, above-average innings-eater.

 

So he sounds somewhere between Ben Sheets and Cal Eldred. If that ends up being the case, not a bad pick at all, especially at #26. I'm sure they'll have him working on an offspeed pitch right away, which will make his minor league numbers look deceptively mediocre.

 

X, good call on the LaPorta/Brantley comparison. Davis and Walla - both lefties. Like that a lot.

[colbyjack]

After day one, the Brewers have drafted two big pitchers, two big bats, and a promising catcher and shortstop, with a four to two college to high school ratio. That's a very nice first day haul.

 

I'm pretty excited about this draft after writing the profiles in the official pick/signing thread.

[battlekow]

Cal Eldred (yes, him) says that Arnett's breaking ball is more of a curve than a slider.

[danzig6767]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=1141#more-1141

 

With their second-round pick, the Brewers drafted Albuquerque (N.M.) Academy outfielder Max Walla, a player we noted had helium yesterday.

Walla was having a party and talked about his reaction to being selected 73rd overall.

"I'm freaking pumped man, it's ridiculous," he said. "I mean, I was sitting there with the computer on my lap and my mom had another computer on her lap and we were on opposite sides of the room because we have a bunch of friends and family over. Her computer was two seconds ahead of mine and they started going crazy. My mind started going blank and everyone started dog piling on me . . . it was ridiculous."

For Walla, it was his second dog pile over the past couple weeks. He led Albuquerque Academy to a New Mexico state championship last month.

The draft pick comes after Walla had a great workout for the Brewers in Milwaukee.

"We were in Miller Park and I hit two balls in the upper deck and I hit three other home runs besides that," Walla said. "I think I was the only one to hit two into the upper deck. A couple other kids hit one. So, I'm sure that had something to do with it and I'm glad it ended up working out. I really like their organization. I think six of their nine starters in the major leagues right now have come up through their organization. They have a great organization, they treat their players well and I'm very excited."

Walla sounded confident that he will be headed to pro ball.

"I like Oklahoma State, but I talked to the Brewers and we have a dollar figure in mind," Walla said. "I'm going to talk to my adviser and my parents but, at this point, I'm 99.9 percent sure I'm going to sign."

[battlekow]

Pitchers picked to boost farm

By Tom Haudricout

It makes a scouting director smile when organizational need merges with the top name left on his draft board.

That convergence led the Milwaukee Brewers to select Indiana University right-hander Eric Arnett with the 26th pick in the first round of the June draft Tuesday evening. Arnett, 21, was the first college pitcher taken by the Brewers in the first round since Ben Sheets in 1999.

"I feel with the selection of Eric Arnett, we took the best player available," said scouting director Bruce Seid, conducting his first draft for the Brewers. "He is someone that will be a great fit in our organization and will make us better as a whole."

It's no secret that the Brewers are thin in pitching prospects at the top levels of their farm system. Right-hander Jeremy Jeffress, rated as the top pitcher in the system, was demoted from Class AA Huntsville to Class A Brevard County a few weeks ago because he couldn't command his pitches.

To help ease that deficit, the Brewers added another college arm in the supplemental first round when they took hard-throwing right-hander Kyle Heckathorn from Kennesaw (Ga.) State with the 47th pick.

Rated as the 13th-best pitcher available by Baseball America magazine, Arnett went 12-2 with a 2.50 earned run average during his junior season at Indiana, with 39 walks and 109 strikeouts in 108 innings. He tossed six complete games and held opponents to a .212 batting average.

At 6 feet 5 inches and 225 pounds, Arnett is a power pitcher whose fastball has registered consistently in the mid-90s. He has a sharp slider in the mid-80s that also serves as a strikeout pitch and a developing changeup.

Arnett was a workhorse at Indiana, averaging nearly eight innings per start and completing six games. He was named Big Ten co-pitcher of the year and first-team all-Big Ten, and second-team All-American by Louisville Slugger and Collegiate Baseball News.

A native of Pataskala, Ohio, Arnett was an outstanding all-around athlete at Watkins Memorial High School, where he also played football and basketball. He was a wide receiver/safety as well as a power forward but decided to concentrate on baseball when Indiana offered a scholarship.

As it turns out, the Brewers had an unofficial scout at Indiana in basketball coach Tom Crean, who left Marquette to take over a Hoosiers program left in tatters by the recruiting scandal of Kelvin Sampson. Short of players, Crean had Arnett work out with the team and travel as a practice player but he never suited up for games.

"He's been awesome, calling people and using him as a reference," Arnett said in a conference call later in the evening. "He knew (general manager Doug) Melvin with the Brewers, and some scouts."

Arnett attended a workout Saturday the Brewers held for several draft-eligible players, so he knew Milwaukee was interested in him.

"I felt if I got there (to No. 26), I knew I had a good chance of going to Milwaukee. I knew I was a potential prospect for them."

The Brewers always place a premium on "signability" of draft picks and Arnett seemed eager to get his professional career going.

"I'm looking forward to signing as soon as possible," Arnett said. "I'm a fairly 'signable' guy. I don't think it would take too long."

Two of Arnett's Indiana teammates were selected in the supplemental first round: catcher Joshua Phegley (Chicago White Sox) and right-hander Matt Bashore (Minnesota).

"Indiana hasn't always been so great in baseball," Arnett said. "We were able to get Indiana back on the map and make some noise."

With their first supplemental first-round pick (No. 39), the Brewers selected University of Tennessee outfielder Kentrail Davis, a sophomore-eligible player whose performance didn't match his talent on a poor team this year. Compact and strong at 5-9 and 200 pounds, Davis batted .308 with nine home runs and 30 RBI.

Davis has been timed at 6.6 seconds in the 60-yard dash but stole only four bases. He is considered an average defender in center and might have to move to left field.

Though Heckathorn played at a small college, he has a big arm. Large (6-6, 240) and strong like Arnett, he throws his fastball in the mid- to high 90s with a hard slider, with command issues at time. Some scouts project Heckathorn as a reliever at the major-league level.

With the Nos. 73 and 74 picks in the second round, the Brewers selected two prep players, outfielder Max Walla of Albuquerque (N.M) Academy and catcher Cameron Garfield of Murietta (Calif.) High School.

Walla, only 5-11 and 195 pounds, nevertheless packs a big punch in his swing. The left-handed hitter was a sensation during workouts with several clubs, including the Brewers, showing lots of power and climbing up draft boards. In 72 at-bats during his senior year, Walla compiled 10 doubles and 12 home runs.

Garfield had a disappointing year on offense but is rated a strong defensive catcher with the promise of power in his bat.

In the third round, with the No. 105 pick, the Brewers selected Tulane shortstop Josh Prince.

http://media.journalinteractive.com/images/eric60909b.jpg

 

The Brewers drafted Indiana right-hander Eric Arnett with the No. 26 pick in the draft Tuesday.

(Herald Times)

 

 

[BrewPackBuck]

So are the Brewers going to use Heckathorn as a reliever or a starter?

[sbrylski]

Any chance Arnett goes straight to Appleton once he signs? Last few years I can't think of any pitchers that have gone straight to A-ball, guys drafted early anyway. (Not all that many to choose from.)

[Menace II Sobriety]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=1141#more-1141

 

With their second-round pick, the Brewers drafted Albuquerque (N.M.) Academy outfielder Max Walla, a player we noted had helium yesterday.

Walla was having a party and talked about his reaction to being selected 73rd overall.

"I'm freaking pumped man, it's ridiculous," he said. "I mean, I was sitting there with the computer on my lap and my mom had another computer on her lap and we were on opposite sides of the room because we have a bunch of friends and family over. Her computer was two seconds ahead of mine and they started going crazy. My mind started going blank and everyone started dog piling on me . . . it was ridiculous."

For Walla, it was his second dog pile over the past couple weeks. He led Albuquerque Academy to a New Mexico state championship last month.

The draft pick comes after Walla had a great workout for the Brewers in Milwaukee.

"We were in Miller Park and I hit two balls in the upper deck and I hit three other home runs besides that," Walla said. "I think I was the only one to hit two into the upper deck. A couple other kids hit one. So, I'm sure that had something to do with it and I'm glad it ended up working out. I really like their organization. I think six of their nine starters in the major leagues right now have come up through their organization. They have a great organization, they treat their players well and I'm very excited."

Walla sounded confident that he will be headed to pro ball.

"I like Oklahoma State, but I talked to the Brewers and we have a dollar figure in mind," Walla said. "I'm going to talk to my adviser and my parents but, at this point, I'm 99.9 percent sure I'm going to sign."

This guy says he was at the tryout in Anaheim, I don't know if it is legit or not but I have a hard time seeing anyone hitting 38 out of 60 out of the park. Prince or Hamilton couldn't do that.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=967

 

Look in the comments section. By Walla's own admission he hit 5 at Miller Park. I love the pick that is not my point, my point is the author himself admits to overindulgences in quotes before the draft. Either way I am happy to have a quality prospect on board who is looking forward to being in Milwaukee.

 

I was at the anaheim workout. My brother was invited. A right handed hitter from arizona had 5 Hrs, the davidson kid had 4 and walla had 2. Come on…you need to have much better reporting than that. Did his agent pay you off or something?

[battlekow]

Shortstop Josh Prince helps Tulane turnaround in baseball

Ted Lewis

Josh Prince can see clearly now -- literally and figuratively.

Literally, because Prince, a Tulane junior shortstop, is wearing glasses when he bats. That has enabled him go from a disappointing .236 average last season -- his first at Tulane after transferring from Texas, where he had been a Freshman All-American -- to .363 going into this weekend's Conference USA series against Memphis.

Figuratively, because he and his teammates seemingly have put aside the sometimes unfair expectations put on the program, resolving to relax and enjoy themselves the rest of the season, regardless of how things wind up. The result: seven victories in the past eight games that have kept the Green Wave (24-17, 5-7 C-USA) in the discussion for its 13th NCAA Tournament berth in 16 seasons.

"When you play for Tulane, it means something, " Prince said. "I think we were all feeling that pressure and putting too much on ourselves, especially when we'd lose a close game.

"We had a team meeting (after a 4-2 loss at Central Florida on April 10) and decided it was time to go back and play like when we were kids and you didn't worry about things like that. Now, whatever happens, happens, and things are going right for us."

Prince is the epitome of that change in attitude.

Batting leadoff, he has he hit safely in all eight games since the team meeting. And, he shook off two errors in last Saturday's loss to East Carolina with two spectacular plays in Sunday's 4-3 victory against the No. 23 Pirates, one that resulted in an out.

On that play, he went four steps to his left, made a diving stop, got up and made the throw to first just in time for a crucial out in the ninth inning.

On the play that didn't result in an out, he went even deeper into the hole, scooped up the ball, pivoted off his left foot and made a Derek Jeter-like throw off his right foot, although this one wasn't quite in time.

Still, it had the crowd buzzing.

"I've been practicing that throw since I was a kid, " said Prince, who did get the out on a similar play earlier this season against Northern Colorado. "Every shortstop wants to be able to make it."

Tulane Coach Rick Jones said Prince's skills compare to two of his outstanding shortstops of recent years -- Andy Cannizaro and Tommy Manzella.

"Josh has terrific range, " he said. "And he's got all of the other tools and instincts he needs to have a good shot at making the big leagues."

Such was predicted for Prince out of Barbe High School in Lake Charles, where he also was a Class 5A All-State cornerback in football. He fulfilled those predictions as a freshman at Texas, where he hit .370.

But after transferring to Tulane last year, Prince struggled, at first because he was recovering from elbow surgery, and then because of an astigmatism he found out about later.

"It got to the point where all I could see was a white spot coming at me, so I knew something was wrong, " he said. "I couldn't pick up the spin of the ball at all. That created some bad habits for me. Now I can see the laces coming at me."

With his batting touch restored and his fielding ability never in question, Prince is likely playing his final season at Tulane. But he's less concerned about improving his draft prospects than helping the Wave continue on its roll.

"I've had a pretty good year, and my ultimate goal is to play Major League Baseball, " he said. "But that's not what I play for. I play to win, and if we don't win, who cares if I've had a good game or not? We haven't won as many games as we could have, but we're on the right path now, and that's what's important."

[battlekow]

Bruce Seid audio on the first day's picks. The two most notable things I heard is that "it's possible" that Davis might stick in center, and that Heckathorn will indeed begin as a starter.

 

Nice little video interview of Max Walla. He's clearly really excited, and it's cool to see.

[battlekow]

Davis certainly comes off here as if signing is a possibility:

Former Theodore High star Kentrail Davis drafted in the first round by Milwaukee Brewers

Mike Herndon

After bypassing a shot at the pros two years ago when he was drafted in the 14th round out of high school, former Theodore standout Kentrail Davis was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 39th selection in the Major League Baseball draft Wednesday.

 

The 5-foot-9, 200-pound outfielder was a compensatory pick at the end of the first round and the first player from the state of Alabama to be selected in Tuesday's draft.

He's played the last two years at Tennessee and said Tuesday's selection validates his decision to go to college.

 

"Obviously, it paid off," he said Tuesday night. "I got my stock up a little bit more and matured as a player. I would encourage every high school player to get in a couple years of college. I'm really happy with my decision."

[ILuvDaBush]

All these picks excite me, but I have to say, Davis is the one who excites me the most. Walla and Heckathorn are up there, but Davis is the player that in five years, we're going to say made this draft. I love the Arnett pick, just because he could be put in the bullpen, fast-tracked, and probably begin next year as a reliever in the ML bullpen. Walla and Heckathorn are the high upside picks that could also make this the best draft of this year. And Prince looks to me like a player that should have been picked earlier. The kid was a Freshman All-American. Going along with the eye questions, how long until Billy and Jason talk him into Lasik?

[Never Outhustled]

Something that might make Davis more signable is Tennessee is gutting there entire program and starting over after a terrible season. Another Vols draft eligible sophmore, Bryan Morgado, was said to be very signable because of this.

 

Going along with the eye questions, how long until Billy and Jason talk him into Lasik?

No need, Prince had it done before his jr. season.

[JohnBriggs12]

Cal Eldred (yes, him) says that Arnett's breaking ball is more of a curve than a slider.

 

I think he will be compared to Eldred a lot. Big right hander from the Big Ten. By the way, Eldred started his career at Beloit.

[jjfanec]

Davis certainly comes off here as if signing is a possibility:

Former Theodore High star Kentrail Davis drafted in the first round by Milwaukee Brewers

Mike Herndon

After bypassing a shot at the pros two years ago when he was drafted in the 14th round out of high school, former Theodore standout Kentrail Davis was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 39th selection in the Major League Baseball draft Wednesday.

 

The 5-foot-9, 200-pound outfielder was a compensatory pick at the end of the first round and the first player from the state of Alabama to be selected in Tuesday's draft.

He's played the last two years at Tennessee and said Tuesday's selection validates his decision to go to college.

 

"Obviously, it paid off," he said Tuesday night. "I got my stock up a little bit more and matured as a player. I would encourage every high school player to get in a couple years of college. I'm really happy with my decision."

You are right battlekow. He sounds very signable and almost happy to go where he did. If he signs without a problem this was a great first day in my mind, but I do not really follow these guys and am basing that off other people's reports.

[Invader3K]

Some people were complaining last night in the chat about him being a Boras client, but I don't get the feeling it's going to be much of an issue.

[Tbadder]

Davis is the only guy who concerns me, especially with Skaggs left on the board. It smacks a bit of a need pick (never a good strategy) but of course I could be completely wrong about this, they might have had him rated mid-1st round which makes this a steal. But I don't like the wrist injury at all; I don't like the tweener talk, and I don't like the pick recognition talk either--no amount of bat speed is gonna make up for poor eyes. I know I'm nit-picking, and I only know what I read, so I'm far from an expert, but this one makes me uneasy on an otherwise great first day.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

"I like Oklahoma State, but I talked to the Brewers and we have a dollar figure in mind," Walla said. "I'm going to talk to my adviser and my parents but, at this point, I'm 99.9 percent sure I'm going to sign."

 

Man I love this kid already. I may have a new favorite.

[colbyjack]

Max > Chuck?

[EdgarDiazRocks]

Chuck of the Hagerstown Suns?

 

Max better sign and then get a lot of accidental triples in AZ.

 

Man crushes die hard.

 

On Walla's side, his girlfriend IS pretty cute in that video.

 

But how well does he look in a chef's hat? The world wonders.

 

Edit: DUDE!!! Chuck's on Facebook. He's still the coolest.

 

Edit Edit: Then again, so's Max . . . . and he's already got a Brewers logo up.

[Vgmastr]

Brooks Hall, a RHP from T L Hanna HS in South Carolina is the Round 4 pick.

 

Perfect Game USA Profile

 

Article about a him pitching a perfect game this season.

[yoshii8]

Sounds like Brooks Hall could become a very promising prospect, he is 6-5 has a great slider and throws his fastball in the 90's. I like the pick.