2015 Draft Pick Discussion, Rounds 6-20

[brwrsfan]

Brewers draft David Lucroy a second time...

[Mudville9]

Does this mean Lucroy will not be traded????

 

If we do, hopefully his brother signs first.

[Baseballneazy32]

that michael petersen kid really intrigues me.. 6"6 long and skinny with a good frame to fill out and can already get up to 96..some control issues but still thats a high upside pick.. brewers are going with a lot of college kids this year

[CheezWizHed]

Brendan Hayden, taken by the Phillies out of Virginia Tech, comes from Twin Lakes, WI. Followed 2 picks later by a UW-M guy.

 

Hmmm.. I used to live right down there, but the name doesn't ring a bell.

[fondybrewfan]

So is Tyrone Perry basically another David Denson? Meaning they both have huge power potential but are probably pretty raw.

[DHonks]

I knew Zach Taylor sounded REALLY familiar (besides seemingly 4 boys per class being Zach's and 2 girls AND 2 boys per class being Taylor's). Taught him in HS just a couple years ago...nice kid.

[Mass Haas]

Drafted as a first baseman (RH bat) -- so I guess we now know what the focus is on at The Master's College, not that there's anything wrong with that...

 

Masters Steve Karkenny Drafted by the Brewers

 

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – Steven Karkenny, a cornerstone of The Master’s College baseball team for the past four years, was selected in the 19th round of the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday morning. Karkenny was the 571st overall pick in this year’s MLB draft.

 

“I’m very excited and very thankful that the Lord has provided this opportunity,” commented Karkenny. “I’m thankful for my time playing at The Master’s College and for coach [Monte] Brooks being there to help develop me as a baseball player and become a man of the Lord. I’m very excited to see what the Lord has planned for this next stage of my life.”

 

In 2015, Karkenny, a three-time All-GSAC selection, paced the club in six offensive categories: runs (57), home runs (11), slugging percentage (.669), on-base percentage (.488), OPS (1.157) and stolen bases (30). The righthander also distinguished himself on the mound, notching a staff-high eight saves to go along with a miniscule 0.59 earned-run average.

 

The Mustang outfielder etched his name in TMC’s baseball record book over the past four years, becoming the program’s all-time leader in hits (255), total bases (430), RBI (187), doubles (64), hit by pitches (54), and at-bats (751). Karkenny is also No. 2 on TMC’s career home run list with 33 roundtrippers (Brett Jaime 34, 2002-05).

 

Academically, Karkenny earned GSAC & NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors for the last two years. In addition, Karkenny was recently named to the 2014-15 Capital One Academic All-America College Division Baseball Team and was a two-time recipient of the Capital One Academic All-District Baseball team award (2013, 15)

 

Karkenny will be eagerly awaiting his assignment in the Brewers’ minor league organization.

 

“Working through the minor leagues will be a lot of work, but I’m excited as it will be worth it to see what God has planned. It’s all about giving everything you got, working hard, honoring the Lord with your efforts, and letting Him take care of the rest.”

 

TMC baseball head coach Monte Brooks commented on Karkenny by saying, “Steven is a tremendously gifted athlete and one of the greatest baseball players to come out of The Master’s College and the Golden State Athletic Conference. He is a diligent worker, an intelligent player, and a man of great faith in his Lord Jesus Christ. We are thrilled for Steven’s opportunity to be a part of the Milwaukee Brewers organization.”

 

Notably, Karkenny’s signing now lifts TMC’s number of baseball players who have received professional contracts over the years to 37.

[Mass Haas]

Conor Harber drafted by Milwaukee Brewers in 16th round

By Tyson Alger | The Oregonian

 

http://imgick.oregonlive.com/home/olive-media/width620/img/oregonian/photo/2015/06/10/18058575-mmmain.jpg

 

FILE PHOTO - Oregon Ducks pitcher Conor Harber (#11) (RHP, R/R, 6-2, 195, Jr., Astoria, Ore. / Western Nevada College / Astoria HS) against Oregon State on May 19, 2015.

 

At this point, Conor Harber has got to be used to this.

 

Harber was drafted for the third time in his career, hearing his named called in the 16th round of the MLB Draft on Wednesday by the Milwaukee Brewers. Harber was the 481st overall selection.

 

Harber was previously drafted out of high school (38th round, Orioles) and after his freshman year at junior college (40th round, Tampa Bay Rays).

 

Harber's selection came ahead of where he was projected. The hard-throwing right-handed starter wasn't listed in Baseball America's or Perfect Game's Top 500, and his 14-round improvement from a year ago came despite a rocky 2015 debut-season with Oregon.

 

The Astoria native's first year with Oregon was an up-and-down affair. He started hot out of the bullpen, pitching lights out in relief of Cole Irvin back when Irvin was on a pitch count. But when Harber was transitioned into a starter, his season took a turn. Harber was shelled during the midseason and was replaced in the rotation by Josh Graham. He ended his season on a positive note, though, getting the start in Oregon's 12-6 win over Canisius in the Springfield Regional elimination round. Haber struggled with his command, but still featured a lively fastball that sat in the 93/94 MPH range.

 

An American League scout told The Oregonian that Harber has the type of arm that is attractive to many big league clubs.

 

"Yeah, he struggled from a command standpoint, was probably being a little too fine and had some trouble getting his breaking ball over consistently for strikes. But the reality of it is he's a really good athlete and he has the velocity. There are a lot of clubs up there that I'm sure would love to have him," the scout said.

 

Harber was the fifth Duck drafted this week, coming behind Garrett Cleavinger (3rd round, Baltimore), Josh Graham (4th round, Atlanta), Mitchell Tolman (7th round, Pittsburgh) and Scott Heineman (11th round, Texas).

 

Players chosen after the first 10 rounds of the draft may not receive a bonus of more than $100,000 without the additional amount behind deducted from the team's total bonus pool.

[Mass Haas]

LINK: Brewers 18th round Florida HS RHP Gentry Fortuno is headed to play JUCO ball in the fall, per his HS coach

[colbyjack]

PG reports on some of the picks:

 

410. Jose Cuas, 3b, Maryland (JR)

R-R, 6-2/190, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Previously Drafted: Blue Jays ’12 (40)

 

Physically, Cuas is how you would draw up a player; long, loose, and full of athleticism. Cuas may end up being selected a good bit higher than this ranking due to his overall package on both sides of the ball. A well above average defender at third base who makes the hard play look routine with plenty of arm strength, Cuas is able to put on a show in batting practice with plus raw power to all fields. He’ll have to become more consistent with the barrel in game action, and if he does, he has the overall package to make you say “wow.”

 

 

454. Max McDowell, c, Connecticut (JR)

R-R, 6-1/208, North Huntingdon, Pa.

Previously Drafted: Never Drafted

 

A solid athlete with loose and flexible actions behind the plate, McDowell put together a nice overall year on both sides of the ball while showing off his strong catch-and-throw skills. At the plate McDowell is a righthanded hitter who is capable of putting together quality at-bats and get on base thanks in part to his quality two-strike approach (24 walks, 20 hit-by-pitch, 27 strikeouts). With a short and quick swing and a feel for the barrel, McDowell ended up tied for second on the team with seven home runs while driving in 45 runs.

 

 

279. Tyrone Perry, 1b, Lakeland Senior HS,

L-L, 6-1/270, Avon Park, Fla.

College Commitment: Florida State

 

Perry has some of the biggest raw power in the draft class. He often receives some Dan Vogelbach comparisons, as he’s a very large, burly hitting first baseman that hits from the left side. He’s been able to translate his raw power into game action, but at times he can get too pull happy which leads to some swing-and-miss tendencies. Still, he has very good hands and performs best when he stays within himself and utilizes the entire field. He’s a decent athlete for his size and he has a strong throwing arm. The Florida State commit has been scouted a fair amount, and while he isn’t expected to be selected nearly as early Vogelbach did back in 2011 (second round), it will be interesting to see where he’ll land this summer.

 

Photo of Perry hitting a bomb in Jupiter that I took last October:

 

https://www.facebook.com/Perfectgameusa/photos/a.10152725674034718.1073741843.134432214717/10152725680479718/?type=1

[1992casey]

Thank you for all the reports, Patrick.

[Mass Haas]

BROOKLYN BOYS

Maryland baseball's Jose Cuas and Kevin Martir used the sport as their way out of East New York

 

What a great read -- Third baseman Cuas was the Brewers' 11th round pick, Martir, a catcher, went in the 18th round to Houston

[Mass Haas]

By Ray Beasock, Lakeland (FL) Ledger

 

They had to wait a couple days, but five more baseball players with Polk County ties got to hear their names called during the 2015 MLB Draft on Wednesday.

 

Lakeland High School infielder Tyrone Perry, former Lake Wales High School star pitcher Taylor Cockrell, current Polk State College pitcher Maikor Mora, former Fort Meade High School star D.J. King and Bartow's Josh Delph were all selected during the draft's third and final day.

 

Perry was first off the board on Wednesday, going to the Milwaukee Brewers in the 14th round (421st overall).

 

For Perry, who hit .319 with six home runs for Lakeland last year, it signified the end what was turning into a frustrating day. Perry expected to go earlier in the draft but by the time his name was called, he was filled with relief.

 

"Everything was going sideways," Perry said. "I was projected to go earlier but everything worked out well."

 

Lakeland High School baseball coach Bob Gendron said it was Perry's power that the pro scouts were zeroed in on.

 

"I've been around for a long time and I haven't seen a whole lot of guys with the power he has," Gendron said. "That's the one plus tool that they were looking at and that ­impressed them."

 

Perry said he will forgo playing for Florida State and enter the professional ranks. Negotiations for a signing bonus were still being worked out.

[Mass Haas]

Jose Cuas among 8 Maryland baseball players drafted

 

Third baseman Jose Cuas, meanwhile, was in New York City, where he also watched the draft alongside family members. When the Milwaukee Brewers selected Cuas in the 11th round Wednesday, the texts and calls poured in from former coaches, teammates and friends.

 

Terps left-hander Jake Drossner was among those who reached out, but his message was different from the rest. Tuesday, a day before Cuas was drafted, the Brewers selected Drossner in the 10th round.

 

“We’re going to be teammates again,” Drossner told Cuas. “I’m so excited. I’m pumped.”

 

Cuas added: “We’re going to be in a new environment where things are going to be a lot different than College Park, so it’s good that we have somebody that we know we can trust.”

 

The lanky third baseman won’t continue playing with Terps catcher Kevin Martir, though, who he grew up with in Brooklyn. The Houston Astros selected Martir in the 18th round yesterday, meaning he and Cuas won’t be on the same team for the first time since they were 10, unless they both return for their senior season.

[Mass Haas]

LINK: Brewers 18th round Florida HS RHP Gentry Fortuno is headed to play JUCO ball in the fall, per his HS coach

 

Well, that changed quickly, as Fortuno now tweets these photos, indicating he's joining the Crew, nice!

[CheezWizHed]

Perry said he will forgo playing for Florida State and enter the professional ranks. Negotiations for a signing bonus were still being worked out.

 

Hmmm... its normally better for the negotiating if you reverse the order of those steps.

[Mudville9]

Woohoo! Fortuno, Clark and Perry already. Anyone have any idea what these guys are signing for? I'm curious to see if we are saving money to try and sign one the big name guys later on or if we are just trying to get everyone playing baseball as soon as possible. Maybe this is a question for another thread....

[splitterpfj]

The Brewers will bring Clark to Miller Park, for the dog and pony show before they officially announce his signing. He'll do bp, meet the team, put the Brewers cap on for the cameras, etc.

 

Numbers won't come out for a bit, but some of these guys already know where they've been assigned...I'll take that as a pretty good clue as to who has agreed to terms.

 

This morning, Ray Montgomery said, "It's a pretty safe bet that he, (Clark), will be part of the family."

[Mass Haas]

279. Tyrone Perry, 1b, Lakeland Senior HS,

L-L, 6-1/270, Avon Park, Fla.

College Commitment: Florida State

 

Perry has some of the biggest raw power in the draft class. He often receives some Dan Vogelbach comparisons, as he’s a very large, burly hitting first baseman that hits from the left side. He’s been able to translate his raw power into game action, but at times he can get too pull happy which leads to some swing-and-miss tendencies. Still, he has very good hands and performs best when he stays within himself and utilizes the entire field. He’s a decent athlete for his size and he has a strong throwing arm. The Florida State commit has been scouted a fair amount, and while he isn’t expected to be selected nearly as early Vogelbach did back in 2011 (second round), it will be interesting to see where he’ll land this summer.

 

Photo of Perry hitting a bomb in Jupiter that I took last October:

 

https://www.facebook.com/Perfectgameusa/photos/a.10152725674034718.1073741843.134432214717/10152725680479718/?type=1

 

You wouldn't think so, but 5'11", 170 lb. Dee Gordon of the Marlins is Perry's cousin, as per this article.

[Mass Haas]

Perfect Game report:

 

454. Max McDowell, c, Connecticut (JR)

R-R, 6-1/208, North Huntingdon, Pa.

Previously Drafted: Never Drafted

 

A solid athlete with loose and flexible actions behind the plate, McDowell put together a nice overall year on both sides of the ball while showing off his strong catch-and-throw skills. At the plate McDowell is a righthanded hitter who is capable of putting together quality at-bats and get on base thanks in part to his quality two-strike approach (24 walks, 20 hit-by-pitch, 27 strikeouts). With a short and quick swing and a feel for the barrel, McDowell ended up tied for second on the team with seven home runs while driving in 45 runs.

 

His tweet / my reply:

 

13th round catcher Max McDowell headed to Cape Cod League

[splitterpfj]

When asked directly, McDowell indicated he has not decided whether or not to sign with Milwaukee, and now we see he's still going to the Cape Cod League.

[Mass Haas]

Perfect Game report:

 

454. Max McDowell, c, Connecticut (JR)

R-R, 6-1/208, North Huntingdon, Pa.

Previously Drafted: Never Drafted

 

A solid athlete with loose and flexible actions behind the plate, McDowell put together a nice overall year on both sides of the ball while showing off his strong catch-and-throw skills. At the plate McDowell is a righthanded hitter who is capable of putting together quality at-bats and get on base thanks in part to his quality two-strike approach (24 walks, 20 hit-by-pitch, 27 strikeouts). With a short and quick swing and a feel for the barrel, McDowell ended up tied for second on the team with seven home runs while driving in 45 runs.

 

His tweet / my reply:

 

13th round catcher Max McDowell headed to Cape Cod League

 

***

 

The Brewers have not signed any of their Cape League draft picks, there's only been three, I believe, since Brewerfan's 2001 inception. Does McDowell think he can do better as a senior sign next year? The coach McDowell mentioned in his tweet was the 2014 UConn captain as a pitcher.

 

I'm pretty sure the Brewers are surprised about McDowell's decision.

[Mass Haas]

Drossner 'ready to get started'

By Vince Rodemer, Bucks County Courier Times (PA) Correspondent

 

Former Council Rock North standout Jake Drossner is ready to be a professional baseball player.

 

The 6-foot-3 left-handed pitcher, who was drafted in the 10th round (No. 301 overall) of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft late Tuesday night by the Milwaukee Brewers, signed a contract on Friday and will forego his final year of eligibility at the University of Maryland.

 

"I think I was ready," Drossner said minutes after signing with the Brewers. "Mentally and physically, I was ready to play professional baseball. I felt like Maryland gave me a great opportunity to get to where I am today and learn all things that go into how to prepare yourself.

 

"I just felt like I was ready to start my career. This is something that I wanted to do. It was an exciting time; now I'm just glad it's all done. I'm just ready to get started."

 

Things started for Drossner on Tuesday morning when the second day of the draft kicked off. He started getting calls from 12 to 15 different teams and he just kept going over things throughout the day before the Brewers reached out to him.

 

"The Brewers called me in the eighth round and asked me if I wanted to be a Milwaukee Brewer and, the next thing you know, they took me in the 10th round," Drossner said. "That was it. It was a pretty exciting moment, to know a little bit ahead of time and see it on TV. It was cool."

 

Then came the moment when his name flashed across the screen on MLB Network, and the dream became a reality.

 

"It was unbelievable. I was speechless," Drossner said. "I knew all the hard work and all the time that I was putting into this was coming to an end.

 

"It happened. It was a dream. It was emotional. I was so excited and so fortunate to have an organization like the Brewers give me an opportunity to go play."

 

It wasn't the first time Drossner had this feeling. He was drafted coming out of high school in 2012 in the 23rd round by the Chicago Cubs. But he wasn't ready at that point.

 

Drossner needed three years at Maryland that included two years in the pitching-rich Atlantic Coast Conference and his final season in the improved Big Ten to mature and find out what it takes to play at the highest level.

 

"I think coming out of high school, I wasn't physically and mentally ready to play professional baseball," Drossner said. "As an 18-year-old, you know you're playing professional baseball, but you don't really know the full logistics of it.

 

"Going into college and maturing a little bit and knowing what professional baseball is all about (helps). It's a great opportunity for me. It's now time for me to step my game up and go for it. I'm ready."

 

His final season at Maryland ended about as well as it could for the junior.

 

After knocking off Mississippi in the opening round of the NCAA Regionals, the Terrapins defeated No. 1 overall seed UCLA in a three-game series, including a 2-1 win in the deciding game at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles, before falling to 2014 NCAA runner-up Virginia.

 

"It was phenomenal, the experience that this team had with that," Drossner said. "We were kind of the underdog going into a bunch of these tournaments and this season.

 

"To be able to knock off the No. 1 team in the country (UCLA) … we believed it and, if we believed it, we knew we could get it done. It was unbelievable to see it actually happen. We put ourselves in a great position to do something like that and we actually did. It was awesome."

 

Three days after the school-record 42-win season ended was when Drossner heard his name called as one of a record eight Terps drafted.

 

Now comes the next step for Drossner and his fellow draftees — life on buses and in small towns throughout the U.S.

 

For Drossner, a Richboro native, it will be a couple of weeks in Arizona, where he can throw regularly and get a routine down, before moving to the Brewers' short-season Class A affiliate in Helena, Montana.

 

"It's was phenomenal to have all those guys get drafted and see their dreams come true," Drossner said. "It was just tremendous for us, because we worked so hard for it. We knew that a lot of the guys were going to get this opportunity. It doesn't happen a lot where this many guys get drafted, but it's such an exciting time for me and everybody else.

 

"I think everybody is prepared for it. We're looking forward to seeing everybody and following everybody as we move forward. I'm looking forward to having one of my teammates, Jose Cuas, in Milwaukee."

 

Drossner was drafted at a position of need. The Brewers have just two left-handed pitchers in their top-30 prospects (Kodi Medeiros and Hobbs Johnson), so he will have the chance to fill that void.

 

Now, he's ready to do it.

[TheCrew07]

I heard an interesting story from the Northwoods League this week... a position player was told by the Rays that they'd draft him in the 4th round but it happened a pitcher they had rated higher was unexpected still on the board to they took him instead. When they called back and offered 500K to their original 4th round target in the 7th the kid and the family told them no way because they "lied" and didn't take him in the 4th. So even though the Rays offered exactly the same money, a bit more actually, because the family didn't understand the draft process they walked away and the Rays ultimately spent that money on their 11th round pick that year.

 

Obviously the young man is extremely confident he'll perform well enough to get drafted higher and get a better a signing bonus as a junior and maybe he will. However had he performed right away as a professional he'd likely be in A ball in first full season as the Rays push their prospects, or at the very least he'd be in A ball the following year, and in A+ the year after when he'd be getting redrafted. Taking the money right away he would have been set to start the AA the year after he'll be drafted again where he's just an injury away from fulfilling his dream, but in reality he'll likely be all the way back in A ball at the same point in his career coming out of college. Signing bonuses are great, but they aren't the real money in baseball, and if this young man makes it he will have reduced his peak earning potential by 2 years over pure silliness.

 

It seems to me as a neutral observer that the Rays had a player fall in their lap, then went with 2 senior signs, then went back after this young man offering the same money they originally promised when they were sure they would have the pool money to make it happen. I don't see any dishonestly on the part of the team in this case, and ultimately who cares it was the 4th or 7th round if the money is the same? However this family is convinced the Rays cheated them which makes me wonder who was actually advising this kid and what he was saying?

 

There's a whole lot of crazy out there, you just never know...

[igor67]

I agree with the main part of the story, but when it comes to weighing the value of the signing bonus, I think it is important to measure its value against the earnings penalty they take to play minor league ball. As you indicated the Rays tend to move their players quick, so that is less of an issue, but a bonus doesn't have to get too much smaller than 500K for playing pro-ball to be a less than obvious 'investment'. A big issue would have to be that by getting paid out in a lump sum they get taxed at a much higher rate for the first year, which leaves a lot less to divide up among their other underpaid years in the minors (again compared even to other entry level jobs with a diploma). Without running a full spreadsheet I'd wager that a typical college senior hits the break even mark with about a 200K signing bonus. Obviously if he makes it to the majors that's a different story, but it's worth recognizing that some of these seniors or others may in fact be paying 10's of thousands of dollars for what amounts to a lottery ticket. It's harder to think about, but a second important cost is the impact of delaying starting a real career until your late 20's. It's not hard to accumulate a lifetime of lost income in that situation where you are always earning less than a similarly aged peer because you have less experience, make it to management later etc.