Draft Pick Discussion Thread, Rounds 6-20

[Mass Haas]

Also posted in the "Official Draft Pick Thread", Round 13 --

 

Schoolmates picked by Brewers, White Sox

 

Jim Parker

Windsor Star (Ontarion, Canada)

 

Saturday, June 09, 2007

 

Major League Baseball came knocking for a pair of local prospects Friday.

 

The Milwaukee Brewers grabbed catcher Chris Dennis of Windsor in the 13th round of the draft while Villanova schoolmate Mitch Delaney of LaSalle went to the Chicago White Sox in the 21st round.

 

Both are teammates with the London Diamonds of the Inter-County Baseball League and quickly had to put the celebration on hold to pack up and head for a game.

 

"I'm excited," Dennis said. "It's right where they projected me to go. I'm just glad I didn't drop down."

 

The 18-year-old Dennis was a 38th round pick by Tampa Bay last year, but turned down a $15,000 U.S. signing bonus to go back in the draft.

 

He was rewarded by going in the 13th round and 728 picks higher than a year ago.

 

"I have to talk to the Brewers and see what their plans are for me, but (with where he was taken) they'll definitely be offering (a deal) I can sign," Dennis said.

 

FAMILY SACRIFICES

 

The six-foot-one, 215-pound Dennis is known more for his left-handed bat. A member of Canada's bronze-medal winning world junior team a year ago, Dennis has an offer to attend Connors State College in Warner, Okla., if he doesn't sign.

 

"I was happy I got drafted last year, but I wasn't happy with where I went," Dennis said.

 

"My family's sacrificed a lot and it's been a lot of hard work the last year.

 

I went out and got bigger and stronger."

 

Unlike previous years where teams had until the start of the school year in September to sign a player, Major League Baseball clubs are under a much tighter deadline this year.

 

Clubs must sign draft picks by Aug. 15 or they go back in the draft next year.

[Mass Haas]

Also posted in the "Official Draft Pick Thread", Round 10 --

 

Link to CSTV.com

 

"I am real excited about the opportunity to perform at the next level," said Fryer. "A lot of hard work went in to getting to this point. I want to thank Coach (Bob Todd) and the coaching staff for helping me grow as a player. I was pretty raw when I got to Ohio State and the coaches refined my skills and helped me tremendously."

 

Fryer was tied for fifth on the team in hitting at .322, first in doubles (16), second in RBI (50) and third in hits (74). He started 61 of 62 games on the year and was a second-team All-Big Ten choice this season. Fryer was a second-team All-Big Ten and All-Mideast Region pick as a sophomore.

 

***

In the Dugout with Eric Fryer - May 22, 2006

 

Before every game sophomore catcher Eric Fryer always checks the stands for his biggest fans: his grandparents, his mom, his dad and his two younger brothers. They have always been a driving force, not only in his baseball career, but all through his life. Every time he sees his family at his games, he always wants to do everything he can for them. Fryer's strong family life has helped him become a leader for the Buckeyes and help the team out in what ever way he can. When the Reynoldsburg, Ohio, native steps on the field, he never forgets how lucky he is to be living his dream of playing for Ohio State. He always is reminded by his family in the stands who are always there to watch him.

 

What other sports did you play when you were growing up?

"In high school I played baseball and basketball. I only played basketball through my sophomore year. In middle school I played basketball, baseball and football. Baseball is it for me though, I trained all through the winter for it and played in spring and summer leagues."

 

What made you choose baseball?

"Well I was better at baseball then anything else. The camaraderie is great. The guys in the locker room are great and you get to know your teammates a lot more than in other sports because it is a longer season.

 

What is the toughest position for you to play?

"It would have to be DH. I would much rather be out on the field playing catcher or first base. It is very different from anything else. If you have a bad at bat you don't get the chance to make it up in the field. When you have a bad at bat it will stick with. I would say in some ways it is even harder than playing in the field. You have to be really mentally tough because not being on the field can sometimes take you out to the rhythm of the game and keep focused all the time."

 

Is there any special reason that you wear No. 33?

"I wore No. 11 all through high school, but when I came here it was already taken. So first they gave me (No. 3) to wear but I had to change my number again for whatever reason. I looked at it and I did like the '3' I had been wearing but I still had a thing for an odd repeater, so I went with 33 and have been wearing it ever since."

 

What do you like to do away from baseball?

"I like to hang around with the guys (on the team) the most. I really like to go bowling. I used to go a lot in high school and I was pretty good I bowled about 215-220 most of time. However I really haven't gone in a while now so I'm probably pretty awful now. Also in the summer, my family and I always go up to Michigan and go hunting and fishing."

 

What influence has your family had on your baseball career?

"We have all been real big Buckeye supporters throughout. My dad and I used to play baseball in the backyard growing up. My mom would travel around with me to all my games and they would bring my two little brothers, Matt and Tim, along with them. Matt is a great baseball player and Tim is very good at football. My parents never pushed me though when it was time to pick a school. Ohio State was just a great fit for me and it was the place I always wanted to go to when I was growing up."

 

Do think being an older brother has helped you become a leader in the club house?

"When I was back home, I'm not so sure if I was leading them more or less than I was bossing them around. Sometimes I think I was a little tough on them. Now, though, it is fun to teach them what I know and help raise them a little. I really enjoy teaching Matt what I know about baseball. Tim has really always been into football and I have really never had to help him out. He is really good about working things out himself. Leadership really comes from just being with the guys over the summer and just letting that carry over into the spring."

 

Does your family come to a lot of your games?

"They come out all the time they come out as much as they can. When my brothers get done with practice or a game they come on over and watch me play. My dad coaches my brother Matt so sometimes for the bigger games, Matt's practice might end a little early so they can make it to the stadium to see most of my game. I get really pumped up to see them in the stands. My mom and my grandparents make it to just about everyone of my games but when I see them in the stands it is all the motivation I need to go out there and do my best."

[Mass Haas]

Bet these battery mates from the Cape Cod League last summer didn't realize they'd be draftmates for the Crew in 2007 -- here's 6th round LHP Dan Merklinger and 10th round catcher Eric Fryer. Below is a link to a cool article and photo montage on a day for Merklinger while on the Cape.

 

http://www.capecodlife.com/articles/livingthelife/DAY_000A.jpg

 

A Cape League Player Has His Day in the Sun

 

I keep telling colbyjack that my family would entertain his during any visit he makes out to the Cape -- some day, Patrick...

[brewswinga2]

Didn't see this posted anywhere, but our 18th round pick is on the front page of Baseball America today...

 

Link

[Bambis Bombers]

More info on 11th round pick Cody Scarpetta.

 

LINK

 

High hopes for draft picks

 

By Matt Trowbridge

ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR

Click here for more information about Matt Trowbridge

ROCKFORD ? Cody Scarpetta won Rockford Guilford?s biggest baseball game of the season, in front of more than two dozen scouts and 1,000 fans. When the game ended, the scouts remained. They hung by the fence to watch Scarpetta?s dad throw to Scarpetta?s arch rival on Scarpetta?s home field.

 

Jake Smolinski, who would lead Rockford Boylan to the NIC-9 title, pounded one home run after another far over the fence. With a wood bat. Off Scarpetta?s dad.

 

Cody Scarpetta loved it.

 

?Jake was putting them over the trees,? Scarpetta said. ?I don?t know how it?s possible, but he?s put on even more muscle mass over the winter.?

 

Scarpetta and Smolinski are more than rivals. They are friends. Great friends. And peers.

 

?I can only think of a couple of other guys who love baseball like we do,? Smolinski said.

 

Baseball loves them back. Smolinski is expected today to become the NIC-9?s highest baseball draft pick since left-handed pitcher Dan Scarpetta ? Cody?s dad ? was taken in the third round by the Milwaukee Brewers 25 years ago. Freeport?s Matt Vorwald (seventh-round in 2001) is the NIC-9?s only other pick in the top 10 rounds in the last 35 years.

 

Cody, a right-handed pitcher, could also go in the first 10 rounds today. Scarpetta is listed by Baseball America as a four-star player. According to the magazine, a 4-star player is one who projects to have the physical ability to be drafted in the top 10 rounds.

 

Smolinski is listed by Baseball America, but has not been rated.

 

Rock Falls right-handed pitcher Seth Blair, according to Baseball America, is a five-star player. A five-star player is one who projects to have the physical ability to be drafted in the top two rounds of the draft.

 

?Everything is unpredictable in baseball, especially in the draft world,? Scarpetta said. ?I have no expectations. Jake and I will both get drafted. That?s all I can say.?

 

Smolinski (Clemson), Blair (Arizona State) and Scarpetta (Creighton) all have scholarships lined up with perennial baseball powers if they decide not to turn pro.

 

?It?s a win-win situation,? said Scarpetta, who is sidelined for another two months with a finger injury. ?If I don?t sign, I will go to Creighton for three years and hopefully come out a first-rounder. We have plenty of options.?

 

?It?s every kids dream to be a Major League baseball player,? said Blair, who boasts a 94 mph fastball and was a second-team Rawlings preseason All-American. ?But it?s not always the right situation out of high school, if you don?t get paid the right amount of money. But if you get paid enough, then you go.?

 

Blair has dreamed of this day since he pitched for USA Baseball?s Junior Olympic team after his sophomore season with Rock Falls.

 

?I knew then it was a real possibility to happen in two years,? Blair said. ?That puts a lot of pressure on you, but good players thrive on pressure.?

 

National audition tour

Smolinski prepped for the draft by going 4-for-4 with a long home run and a double off Blair, who struck out 14, in his final game Saturday, a 9-3 loss to Rock Falls in the Class AA sectional finals.

 

?Stuff like that doesn?t hurt at the last minute,? Smolinski said.

 

Smolinski has been on a last-minute whirlwind tour of auditions. The state?s Gatorade Player of the Year had to back out of Monday?s national PlayStation all-star game in Arizona because Boylan reached the sectional final. But he has flown to Texas and Pittsburgh for workouts at the Ballpark in Arlington and PNC Park. Tuesday, he took batting practice in front of White Sox scouts at U.S. Cellular Field and Wednesday he flew to Washington to audition for the Nationals at RFK Stadium.

 

?The area scout has to talk to his superiors and say this is why I like this kid,? Smolinski said. ?This gives everybody ? the general manager, the scouting directors, the scouts ? a good chance to see you in person.

 

?The weirdest part is hitting and fielding on the field. You see the huge stadium all around you, and the amazing fields you are playing on. I can?t describe it.?

 

Rivals as workout partners

Smolinski is used to being poked and prodded. After many of his games, scouts would line up to watch him take batting practice off Dan Scarpetta with a wood bat.

 

?Whether I had three walks in a game and didn?t get much to hit, or even if I was 4-for-4, they would want to see me hit after the game,? he said. ?It?s been a busy year, but it?s been fun.

 

?After the same guy has seen you 10 or 15 times, you wonder what else he is looking for. What haven?t I shown him??

 

Smolinski doesn?t wonder much. When the scouts ask, he hits. But then, he always hits.

 

Smolinski and Scarpetta, friends since age 9, worked out all winter together. ?We?ve always played baseball either with or against each other,? Smolinski said.

 

At Triple Play?s indoor facility, Scarpetta would throw to Smolinski, but only batting practice-type pitches. ?I couldn?t show him too much,? Scarpetta said. The only time Smolinski saw Scarpetta?s good stuff was when the Boylan shortstop ? projected to be a corner outfielder or third baseman in the future ? served as Scarpetta?s catcher. ?He?s good at every position he plays,? Scarpetta said.

 

When Cody and Jake weren?t helping each other, Cody?s dad lent a hand.

 

?Dan threw to me quite a bit this winter,? Smolinski said. ?He starts off real nice and easy to hit. After awhile, that competitive edge comes out in him, and he?s throwing 70 miles an hour from 40 feet away, with curveballs and change-ups and whatever else.?

 

?Everybody,? Cody said, ?asks Dad to throw (batting practice) for them. Jake loves his BP. My dad is about trying to get people to the next level. He is never about just his own kids or his own players.

 

?And Jake and I are best friends.?

 

Now those friends, who dream of playing on the same minor league team together, await a phone call that could change their life. So does Blair and two other Rawlings All-American pitchers from just outside the area ? Maple Park Kaneland?s Casey Crosby and LaSalle-Peru?s Brett Zawacki ? in an unusually talent-laden year for northern Illinois.

 

?We?ll see how it plays out and go from there,? Smolinski said. ?The draft is just so crazy. It?s got a mind of its own. No matter how good you do during the season or in workouts, things have to fall into place for you.?

 

Assistant sports editor Matt Trowbridge can be reached at 815-987-1383 or mtrowbridge@rrstar.com.

[Bambis Bombers]

More on 11th round pick Cody Scarpetta - it sounds like the Brewers are going to wait and see how his finger heals before putting an offer on the table. Scarpetta feels the Brewers drafted him in the 11th round to give the team more flexibility with a potential signing bonus.

 

 

 

LINK

 

Brewers pick from Scarpetta tree again

By Matt Trowbridge

ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR

Click here for more information about Matt Trowbridge

ROCKFORD ? His dad?s team is now Cody Scarpetta?s team. The Milwaukee Brewers picked Scarpetta, a right-handed power pitcher from Rockford Guilford, in the 11th round Friday of the First-Year Player Draft, 25 years after they chose Dan Scarpetta, a left-handed pitcher from Rockford Auburn.

 

?That?s what we?ve been talking about ever since it happened,? Cody Scarpetta said. ?It?s so ironic. And so exciting. He?s still got his jersey from when he played.?

 

Before this year, only five NIC-9 players in the draft?s 42-year history had been picked in the first 11 rounds. Now it?s seven, with Scarpetta joining Rockford Boylan shortstop Jake Smolinski, a second-round pick Thursday.

 

Scarpetta thinks he might have even gone a round or two higher if Commissioner Bud Selig hadn?t tightened his recommendations for slotted bonus money to be paid to picks in the first 10 rounds.

 

?The commissioner put a lock on the top 10 rounds,? Scarpetta said. ?After that, it gets more flexible. That?s what held me back a little bit, but the 11th round isn?t bad, either. I?m excited.?

 

Rock Falls right-hander Seth Blair, a member of USA Baseball?s Junior Olympic team two years ago, was selected in the 47th round, 1,388th overall, by the Oakland Athletics. He paid little attention to the draft after he wasn?t picked in the first few rounds. He told scouts before the draft he would honor his scholarship at Arizona State unless he received ?a million-plus.?

 

?I was going to need first-round money, or I was going to go to college,? Blair said. ?Teams didn?t want to pay up. That?s OK with me.?

 

He said he?d rather scare teams off than be drafted and not sign.

 

?Area scouts lose their jobs because of that,? Blair said. ?There?s no reason for me to have a big ego just for a couple of days and have someone lose their job they?ve earned.?

 

While Blair stopped following the draft, Scarpetta was acutely interested.

 

?It was definitely one of the best times in the Scarpetta household,? Cody said. ?We were sitting around the computer, waiting, waiting, waiting and waiting. Then my name popped up, and we all clapped. Clapped and hugged. I?ve been getting a bunch of phone calls from my friends. It?s a good feeling.?

 

The baseball draft is the most unpredictable of all major professional sports drafts, and Scarpetta had added anxiety because he can?t throw for two more months after an injury in late April. He tore the flexor tendon in his right index finger in a ballyhooed matchup against LaSalle-Peru?s Brett Zawacki, a 12th-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals. Scarpetta had surgery two weeks later.

 

Scarpetta said he?s been healing slightly ahead of schedule. He will have the splint removed a week from Monday.

 

?Things are moving and grooving,? he said. ?Today, I was squeezing a fist and straightening it out.

 

?I didn?t know what was going to happen with the draft. You wish you could know what was going through their heads when they make the pick. Fortunately, everything worked out in the 11th round. Anticipation was the biggest anxiety I had. It?s a dream. It?s what you?ve always wanted to do, but you have no control over it.?

 

Scarpetta was surprised to be picked by the Brewers, who had little contact with him before the draft. But he thinks Milwaukee is a great spot for him as the Brewers are loaded with promising, young home-grown players.

 

?They like to take care of their own players, develop them and stick with them until they make the big leagues,? Scarpetta said. ?That?s a good sign that an organization treats their kids well.?

 

Scarpetta, Smolinski and all draftees face an Aug. 15 signing deadline. Smolinski is almost sure to give up his scholarship with Clemson and sign. Scarpetta?s signing may depend on his finger. If he doesn?t recover quick enough, or get offered enough money, he?ll keep his scholarship to Creighton.

 

?With my injury, the Brewers said they want to track my progress throughout the summer,? Scarpetta said. ?If everything is well with my hand, they want me to sign. But I?m not going to rule out college.?

 

Assistant sports editor Matt Trowbridge can be reached at 815-987-1383 or mtrowbridge@rrstar.com.

[splitterpfj]

Another bit of fun news on Dan Scarpetta, Cody's father - Dan never appeared in the majors, but he was traded by the Brewers, to the Texas Rangers in the deal that brought Jim Sundberg to Milwaukee.

 

The other player in the deal...Ned Yost.

[Kaukauna]

BREWERS ANNOUNCE ADDITIONAL DRAFT SIGNINGS

 

28 of 46 Picks Have Signed With Organization

 

MILWAUKEE â?? The Brewers announced two additional signings today from the 2007 First Year Player Draft and have now signed 28 of the 46 players that the team selected, it was announced by Jack Zduriencik, Special Assistant to the General Manager/Director of Amateur Scouting. Of the first ten picks by the Brewers, eight have now signed.

 

Today, the Brewers announced the signing of sixth round pick (191st overall) LHP Dan Merklinger from Seton Hall University and 12th round pick (371st overall) RHP Wes Etheridge from University of California-Irvine. Etheridge was a member of a California-Irvine team that just finished its first-ever run in the College World Series.

[Bambis Bombers]

Here's the latest on 11th round pick Cody Scarpetta. He informed Creighton that he does not plan to attend the school this fall. He's either signing with the Brewers or going the JC route.

 

Here's the article from yesterday's Omaha World-Herald.

 

Pitcher Cody Scarpetta won't be a Bluejay. Catcher Joe Servais will be.

 

The loss of Scarpetta and the addition of Servais are recent developments affecting Creighton's baseball roster for next season.

 

A highly regarded recruit, Scarpetta was an 11th-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in the June draft. Although the right-hander from Rockford, Ill., has not signed with the Brewers, Creighton coach Ed Servais said there's no chance he'll wind up at Creighton.

 

"He's definitely not coming," Servais said. "He's either going to sign with the Brewers or he's going to sign with a junior college. His injury is still a hang-up, but if he doesn't sign with the Brewers, he wants to be able to pitch next year and be able to get back into the draft."

 

Scapetta suffered a finger injury in April that some draft observers said dropped him from possibly being taken in the first five rounds. The Brewers have until Aug. 15 to sign him. If Scarpetta enrolled at Creighton, he would have to wait until after his third season in the program to be eligible again for the draft.

 

Elliott Soto, another Creighton recruit who was drafted in the 13th round by Minnesota, has told the Twins that he intends to go to college.

 

Soto, from Algonquin, Ill., is expected to contend for the starting job at shortstop. Joe Servais also will put himself into the mix for the No. 1 catching job after deciding to transfer from Kansas to play his final collegiate season for his father.

 

Joe Servais, an Omaha Skutt graduate, played for two seasons at Garden County (Kan.) Community College before heading for Kansas. He started 26 of the 36 games last season, hitting .247 with one homer and 11 RBIs.

 

Servais, who also can play in the outfield, said a number of factors contributed to his transfer.

 

"There wasn't one major thing that made me say that I didn't want to go back there," he said. "The nucleus of the team was juniors who had been together for three years, and it made it hard for another junior to mesh with them. I didn't feel like I had any close friends on the team, and I never felt 100 percent comfortable.

 

"I didn't get to play as much I would have liked, and I knew the situation at Creighton that there would be some openings at catcher and in the outfield next season."

 

The Bluejays lost starting catcher Chris Gradoville and outfielders Ross Sinclair and Andrew Small from the team that posted 45 wins and made it to the NCAA tournament. Meanwhile, Kansas went 28-30 and failed to qualify for the Big 12 tournament.

 

"It was difficult to watch them have so much success," Servais said, "while we weren't having very much success."

 

Servais picked Kansas over Creighton, in part because son and father wanted to avoid the dynamics that sometimes go along with such a baseball relationship. Ed Servais was particularly reluctant in possibly tainting his son's collegiate experience.

 

"I just wanted him to have a good experience and be happy," Ed Servais said. "I've coached him before, but the stakes are much greater at this level.

 

"It's not like 13-14 (age-group) baseball where you rotate players in and out. I didn't want anyone thinking that the only reason he was playing here was that I was the coach.

 

"As it turned out, Joe just felt like Creighton would be a better fit for him. Our style of play is going to be a little more conducive to his style, and there could be more of an opportunity for him here."

 

Joe Servais is playing for the Wausau, Wis., Woodchucks in the summer Northwoods League. Four of his future Creighton teammates - pitchers Zak Moore and Pat Venditte, first baseman Darin Ruf and third baseman Steve Winkelmann - also are playing for the Woodchucks.

 

"I was a little nervous at first, not knowing how it was going to be with those guys with my dad being their coach and everything," Joe Servais said. "But they've been really great, and they're going to make the transition a lot easier. I'm really pumped about this."

 

So is his dad, to a point.

 

"I'm not sure how this is all going to play out," the coach said. "I don't want anything to affect the tremendous chemistry that we had with this team last season. I'm glad Joe is coming back here, but I'm also a coach. It's my job to worry about things."

 

? CU NOTES: Casey Schmidt, who earned freshman All-America honors last season after compiling a 6-1 record and a 3.12 ERA, suffered an elbow injury this summer. "They're worried that there could be some ligament damage," Servais said. "He's back home in Denver getting it taking care of. Other than Casey, everyone else is healthy." . . . Servais said there is a possibility that Creighton could add another player to the roster in the coming weeks. In addition to his son, Servais signed Nebraska transfer Mike Nihsen earlier in the summer.