ARTICLE: Draft & Follow Candidates for 2006

[Brian the Automator]

www.brewerfan.net/ViewArt...icleId=233

 

Patrick Ebert takes a look at the players from the 2005 draft that are eligible for the Draft & Follow process.

[heresrobin]

Thanks for the article. Tim Smith seems like a great DFE to follow. Otherwise, a good handful of tall pitchers.

 

On your link to your 2001 DFE article it is interesting to see Tim Dilliard as one of the DFEs and he's listed as a catcher.

 

What are the advantages or reasons as to why the Brewers are using the DFE process on so many Canadians? I know there are some Canadians in our front office, but the Brewers had to have set a record last year for most Canadians drafted.

[brettac1]

Canada is still a underscouted region, there's only a few teams that scout heavily there, like the Brewers, Twins, and maybe a couple more. I guess the real advantage of DFE is to be able to watch a player develop for a year without having to pay him.

 

This class looks better than last year's, as Smith could really develop into an impact hitter.

[colbyjack]

Here is a snippet from my '05 draft recap/early '06 draft preview story:

 

With visa restrictions as they are, more and more teams are scouting Canada less and less, choosing to use their limited visas on Latin American and international signees. With the Brewers closing down their Dominican and Venezuelan camps, choosing to stress quality over quantity in their Latin American scouting efforts, the Brewers have more visas to use for their Canadians draftees than most teams have. It is a pro-active effort to find a niche in an attempt to take advantage of an area that may not be scouted as much as it should be.

 

The DFE process can be really, really beneficial to teams that use it well (like the Brewers). Brett already pointed out some of it's advantages, but specifically related to Canadians, since visas are already at a premium, the DFE process allows them to whittle down the list even further.

 

And I agree, I'm more excited about this year's class than last year's. While Tim Smith is already a proven hitter, it always seems to be the pitchers that make or break a DFE draft class. Zach Braddock and Michael Ramlow in particular have very high ceilings for lefties.

[DHonks]

thanks Colby. Anyone who jumps out at us like Dana Eveland or Manny Parra did? Do you see any of these guys likely commanding 7 figures?

[colbyjack]

Zach Braddock, as I pointed out in the story, has a very high ceiling. He is not currently with the Chipola team, and his coach (Jeff Johnson) recently pointed out to me that Braddock is addressing an unspecified family issue and hopes to get Braddock on the mound later this spring. I'm not sure how much he'll get to pitch, if at all, but no other candidate excites me as much as Braddock does. If he were playing the entire season he is probably the only guy that has the potential to explode into the type of DFE candidate that could seek a seven-figure bonus.

 

Toby echoed my interest in Michael Ramlow in the DFE resource thread. His size alone makes him intriguing, and his coach was pretty confident that his high-80s fastball would reach the low-90s this spring. He was also a little baffled why Ramlow didn't draw more draft interest, although some seem to be really concerned about his lack of weight (he is really, really skinny). Consistent improvement is always a good sign.

 

With the rest of the pitchers, it's really hard to say. There are some really good arms in the mix, from Core to Barnes to Vendette to Kjeldgaard. Core's & Kjeldgaard's seasons don't start until next month, so we'll have to wait to hear anything on those two.

 

It's hard not to like what Tim Smith has done. I think he's a lock to be in the organization come June. I've always felt the DFE process helps pitchers more than hitters, but you never know. He won't sniff seven-figures, but $500,000 wouldn't be surprising.

 

Taylor Green is a good natural hitter, and would already be in the pro's if scouts felt he could stay at SS. Of course, there's nothing wrong with a sweet-hitting 2B, but you do have to use a visa to allow him to play in the states, which is probably his biggest hold-up.

 

I'm skeptical of the 1B/corner OF types like Murray, Lennerton & Regan. Guys that are followed for their bat alone should have already shown your scouts enough to know whether or not they can hit. I guess I don't see guys like this being late-bloomers, you tend to see that more with more toolsy type players.

 

Pennington is a little different since he pursued football first, and may be somewhat slow getting back to baseball. Pennington's bio and measurables are actually really similar to those of Gabe Gross.

 

The toolsy type players are Chris Hopkins and GW Washington, both of whom I am relatively excited about. Brad Miller excels both as a hitter and as a pitcher, and could very well be the next Justin Barnes.

 

And of course I have to mention Kyle Eveland http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .