2007 Draft Order

[colbyjack]

Every time I see Bakker's name I remember when we were following his name on draft day, as he was a popular candidate for the team's 2nd (or beyond) round pick. I seem to remember him falling to the 17th round or something like that after his velocity had gone from the low-90s to the low-80s. I'm not sure what happened to him, but his career seemed to have peaked during his sophomore year in college. Nothing wrong with that of course, but still, much bigger and better things were expected from him, even on draft day '03.

[GagneCY03]

CJ, thanks for posting the 2007 Top 30. Question: How does Vitters compare to Billy Butler?

[colbyjack]

I didn't even know the top 30 was up. It actually isn't, but you're apparently clever enough to have found it http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . I will make the official announcement of the top 30 in the next week or two when a few final programming details are worked out.

 

Josh Vitters vs. Billy Butler

I suppose they could compare favorably since they both offer polished bats at a similar stage in their careers. I see Vitters having a bat more similar to a Ryan Zimmerman, or possibly a Jeff Cirillo in his prime, groomed more for contact and doubles than over the fence power. Zimmerman has shown that his contact bat was good enough for 20 home run power, something Cirillo never sniffed, and something I think Vitters should approach some day should he continue to progress.

 

I view Butler as more of a true slugger, more along the lines of a Pat Burrell. Like Burrell, Butler will never has a true defensive home, since he was drafted as a 3B and was quickly moved to LF and might end up at 1B. Vitters on the other hand should begin his career at 3B and for the time being I see no reason for him to be moved anywhere else. As I believe I mentioned in his profile, he could end up in LF, but wherever he ends up playing he should be twice the defender that Butler will ever be.

[lovehate]

I have a couple quick questions if you don't mind Colby (or anyone who has an opinion). How does David Price compare right now to Andrew Miller one year ago.

 

And is Wieters sure to stay at catcher ? If we knew right now that hw would be a LFer or 1st baseman, would his bat still be top 5 pick good ?

 

thanks

[colbyjack]

I believe Jim Callis broke down David Price vs. Andrew Miller in a recent Ask BA column. If it wasn't Callis, it was someone over at BA.

 

Price is ahead of Miller at a similar stage. He is a much more polished pitcher, one that knows the importance of changing his tempo and he commands his pitches much better and throws them all for strikes. Miller has had his bouts with wildness, while Price is just a more efficient hurler. He has the size, stuff and moxie that has made me compare him to a left-handed version of Mark Prior at similar stages of their careers. Prior actually started his college career at Vanderbilt.

 

Miller's stuff at its best may be a tick better than Price, but Price can still reach the 95-97 range and pitches comfortably at 91-93 while mixing in a pretty good slider and solid changeup.

 

Whether Wieters can play catcher or not is going to be a popular subject between now and next June. I've seen him play several times now, and I have seen nothing that would move him to another position. The main concern about him catching is his size, but as we already talked about on a different thread, Joe Mauer is 6'5" or so and there aren't any concerns about his ability behind the dish. Wieters, like Mauer, has that kind of uncanny athleticism for his big frame.

 

And even if Wieters had to move to another position, yes, I do think he would be able to hit enough to justify such a switch and be a legitimate top 5 pick. He's a similar hitter and overall player to another GT catcher, Jason Varitek. If he had to move, I don't think 3B would be out of the question.

 

And Wieters could be a 1st-rounder as a closer.

 

Check out my breakdown of both Wieters and Price in this thread:

 

p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...=918.topic

[GagneCY03]

Thanks for the reply, CJ. I was looking at two not-too-athletic 3B coming out of HS with polished bats, but it does seem like Butler should hit for more power. Still, I see Vitters in the 25-30 HR range if all goes well. He has a great ability to adjust and turn on good fastballs. Plus I love how simple his swing is.

 

As for Wieters, if he stays behind the plate, he's Jason Varitek. If he moves to first, he's Mark Teixeira. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[colbyjack]

Keep in mind that Vitters has played SS, following a line of talented Cypress HS SS that includes his older brother Christian (now with the A's) and Scott Moore (now a 3B with the Cubs). Butler played 3B in HS, and everyone knew he would be moved to either 1B or LF immediately upon entering pro ball. So, it's not really a fair comparison to call Vitters a not-so-athletic 3B in the mold of Butler.

 

I agree with you on Vitters' swing. Not only his swing, but his approach is fun to watch. Here are some impressions I had on the Aflac All-Americans that stood out the most to me over at PG:

 

www.perfectgame.org/crack...pressions/

[GagneCY03]

Vitters looks stiff on the infield and doesnt run well, so that's where the athleticism comment comes from. I love how you mentioned his first inning at bat against Main. I thought that was probably the best at bat in the game. The way he adjusted at the last second to a 2-2 curveball, just flicking his wrists enough to foul the ball off really impressed me. He launched some tape measure foul balls as well before he doubled off the wall. I'd love to see him there at #22, but I doubt he falls out of the Top 20.

 

Also, ESPN is reporting that the player's union and the league are close to reaching a new labor agreement and it looks like no major changes will take place. Here's a link:

 

sports.espn.go.com/mlb/ne...id=2632636

[colbyjack]

Be sure to check out the pinned thread at the top of this forum, as I have officially released the top 30 draft eligible prospects for 2007 and have re-named this forum 2007 June Draft.

[colbyjack]

I wanted to bump this thread up given IheartRYount's comments about the new draft-pick compensation. I actually have included the changes of the draft order in this thread:

 

p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...mp;stop=60

 

The Brewers second overall pick (which is actually in the 3rd round since they signed Jeff Suppan, a type A free agent) will be around the 100th overall pick. In that thread I noted that Cole Gillespie, the Brewers 3rd-round pick last year, was the 92nd overall selection, although it should be noted that the Brewers had the 16th overall slot last year as opposed to the 7th overall slot for 2007. That basically means with the added compensation picks an extra half-round has been added to the draft.

 

And that won't continue into next year. The percentage classification of both Type A and Type B free agents is going to decrease, meaning fewer free agents will fall under these classifications. I noted in the above thread that I think MLB made a mistake not corresponding those changes to this year's draft, or they should have just waited to make all of the changes for the 2008 draft. It is what it is, as the 2007 draft will be a one-year anomally so to speak.

 

You can take some comfort in the fact that one of the Brewers stronger drafts under Jack Zduriencik came in 2005, when the team didn't have a 2nd round pick after signing Damian Miller, and landed Will Inman with their 3rd rounder. Meaning, the talent is still there to be had if the scouting department does their due diligence.

[highheatnaz]

Can anyone tell me where I can find the updated draft order through the 3rd round???

[colbyjack]

Scroll down the page in this thread for the most updated draft order changes. You'll have to do a little math to figure out what teams pick where in the 3rd round given the changes that are noted:

 

p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...mp;stop=60