2006 MLB 1st round Draft Review

[molitor fan]

I was bored tonight, so I scoured the baseball cube and came up with my own draft review for the first round.

 

1.        KC Royals ? P - Luke Hochevar ? Did quite well in short stint at Low A Burlington. 15 innings - .65 WHIP, and just 2 earned runs, while notching just over a k an inning. He turned 23 recently, so expect a quick move ? possibly AA at the start of next year.

 

2.        Colorado ? P -Greg Reynolds ? The former Stanford Cardinal went to Hi A Modesto after signing and compiled a 3.33 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 49 innings. His strikeout rate was very low ? at 5.36 per 9. A repeated level would not shock me.

 

3.        Tampa ? 3B - Evan Longoria ? The Devil Rays got their future 3rd sacker, as Longoria made a huge impact. He compiled a .957 OPS at three level, as he started at Low A at ended helping his AA team to the championship. Primary negative was 1/20 w/k rate once he got to AA. AA or AAA to start 2007.

 

4.        Pittsburgh ? P- Brad Lincoln ? A couple nice appearances at rookie ball were followed by Lincoln getting mauled in class A Sally League play. A nearly 2 WHIP, 6.75 ERA, and 5.36 K rate show that Lincoln would be best served to stay at Low A for a little while at least.

 

5.        Seattle ?P - Brandon Morrow - The Cal Bear was brought along slowly due to injury, and pitched only 16 innings, mainly in rookie ball. He did alright ? missing bats at a k/inning with 10 hits and 9 walks in 16 innings. Look for Morrow at Hi A, as the Mariners like to skip Apple-ton with their top guys.

 

6.        Detroit ? P - Andrew Miller ? The 21 year old Miller signed late and mustered only 5 innings in his Hi A FSL appearance. He was dominant in his 5 innings ? getting 9 k?s and allowing 2 hits and 0 runs. I think he will be a fast flying guy next year.

 

7.        LA Dodgers ? P - Clayton Kershaw ? The young Kershaw (1http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/glasses.gif was super in his rookie league debut ? in 37 innings he allowed only 33 base runners, and k?d 54 men with a 1.95 ERA. The excellent Dodger system has another one at the lower levels to watch.

 

8.        Cincinnati ? CF - Drew Stubbs ? Stubbs did OK in rookie ball, but his ,768 OPS sure paled in relation to Gillespie at the same age in the Pioneer League.

 

9.        Baltimore ? 3B - William Rowell ? Rowell is a pure hitter that just turned 18 in September. Yet at two levels, rookie and Low A, he compiled a .918 OPS, with a high K rate the only negative.

 

10.        San Fran ? P - Tim Lincecum ? 32 innings (almost all at Hi A), with 26 base runners and 58 k?s. WOW. Add in a 1.95 ERA, and I am guessing this 22 year old will be moving fast ? perhaps starting at AA in 07.

 

11.        Arizona - Max Scherzer - P - Did not make his pro debut in 06.

 

12.        Texas ? P - Kasey Kiker ? The 18 year old Kiker had a rough beginning ? though not as bad as his 0-7 record would suggest at low A. A 4.13 ERA and 1.5 WHIP were OK for the young pitcher, as was the nearly k per inning he put up. A low A start in 07 is expected.

 

13.        Cubs ? LF - Tyler Colvin ? Colvin was a bit of a shock at this spot, but he put up decent numbers at Lo A ? getting 29 extra base hits in 265 at bats, with nearly an .800 OPS. His 17/55 w/k rate will need to improve. A Hi A start would be a good bet next year.

 

14.        Toronto ? RF - Travis Snider ? The 18 year old raked at rookie ball with a .979 OPS with good ratios and a bit of speed. Lo A will be the next step in 07.

 

15.        Washington ? 3B - Christopher Marrero ? Another 18 year old, Marrero flashed no real power while compiling a .794 OPS. The young corner infielder will look to increase his power numbers at low A ball.

 

16.        Milwaukee ? P - Jeremy Jeffress ? Jeffress, who turns 19 in a week, averaged nearly 10 k?s per 9 innings, but with a 1.63 WHIP and 5.88 ERA in rookie ball, he has a lot of room for growth. 13 wild pitches in 33 innings show a wildness that will need to be harnessed in Helena next year.

 

17.        San Diego ? 3B - Matt Antonelli ? A .768 OPS with no homers for a 21 year old in Lo A ball is not optimal for a corner infielder, so I would expect a Fort Wayne appearance for Antonelli in 07.

 

18.        Philadelphia ? P - Kyle Drabek ? Drabek suffered even worse results than Jeffress in rookie play, as Drabek?s low K rate of 5.4 matched up with nearly a 2 WHIP and 7.71 ERA.

 

19.        Florida ? P - Brett Sinkbeil ? Sinkbeil at an average debut in his 2 levels of Lo A ball with a 1.32 WHIP and 3.68 ERA. The 21 year old will spend time in A ball to improve upon his pedestrian 06 K rate.

 

20.        Minnesota ? RF - Christopher Parmelee ? The 18 year old was mainly at rookie ball in 06, where his .901 OPS was a nice start. A full season at Beloit is a good possibility next year.

 

21.        Yankees ? P - Ian Kennedy ? The USC Trojan transitioned to pro ball with just a couple of scoreless innings, as he signed late. Lo A ball will be where he starts in 07.

 

22.        Washington ? P - Colton Willems ? The 18 year old through 16 rookie ball innings, with an odd 3/8 w/k ratio and a bunch of hits to go with a nice 3.38 ERA. Lo A ball will be a good guess in 07.

 

23.        Houston ? C - Maxwell Sapp ? The catcher really struggled at Lo A, with a .618 OPS and only 1 dinger in 166 at bats. A 22/37 w/k ratio was not too bad, but a level repeat is still in order, as it was an aggressive push for Sapp in 06.

 

24.        Atlanta ? RF - John Johnson ? The 18 year old did not accumulate any pro appearances in 06.

 

25.        LA Angels ? C - Hyun Choi Conger ? Hank Conger showed well in his 69 rookie ball at bats, getting a .904 OPS and showing speed with 4 triples. Lo A in 07 would be a good thought.

 

26.        LA Dodgers ? P - Avery Morris ? Morris did not accumulate any pro appearances in 06.

 

27.        Boston ? RF - Jason Place ? A .828 rookie ball OPS showed that Place?s place may be at a higher level in 07.

 

28.        Boston ? P - Daniel Bard ? Bard signed recently, and thus has no results this year in pro ball.

 

29.        White Sox ? P - Kyle McCulloch ? An aggressive push to Hi A ball after a 1.61 ERA in 22 rookie ball innings produced a just ok results as he had a 17/21 w/k ratio and 4.08 ERA in 35 Hi A innings. A repeat of Hi A is a good bet in 07.

 

30.        St. Louis ? P - Adam Ottavino ? The last pick of the regular first round of the 06 draft did not make his pro debut in 06.

 

       

[molitor fan]

Colby let me know that the baseball cube is not always the best for complete stats, and because he is the guru that he is, added some of the following notes on players to help make the list more complete:

 

 

......Luke Hochevar finished the season at AA in the Texas League playoffs. There is some talk of him starting next year with the Royals.

 

....Scherzer still hasn't signed. I believe he's the only unsigned first-rounder.

 

....The Nationals have already moved Marrero to right field due to the organizational presence of Ryan Zimmerman.

 

....Sapp made the NY-Penn League All-Star Game despite not putting up big numbers, and hit big hit after big hit in a league full of college draftees. I think he might have been bumped up a level for the playoffs.

 

....The Braves' Josh Johnson is actually Cody Johnson, and he didn't fare very well in his pro debut.

 

.....Conger's debut was cut short after breaking his hamate bone.

 

.....Avery Morris, better known as Bryan, had 14 starts for Ogden in the Pioneer League.

 

.....Ottavino also had 14 starts, although between two levels, finishing the year in the Midwest League.

 

 

Thanks Colby for the added information.

[And That]

Conger's debut was cut short after breaking his hamate bone.

 

Well, now I'm glad we didn't draft him. Obviously many have recovered from hamate injuries, but the spectre of Brad Nelson's struggles looms whenever I hear about that injury.

[DHonks]

Miller (Det) is in the big leagues, too