Official Draft Discussion Thread (Rounds 1-4)

[And That]

Is it wrong for me to like Gamel a little more than Braun?

[clancyphile]

I like both Gamel and Roberts.

[Katuluu]

No Toby, cause I do too.

[YutakaEnatsu]

"Wow, this is exciting."

 

Lasorda = priceless. At this point, he's the only thing to listen for besides the Crew's picks...

[SoCalBrewfan]

Nothing wrong with having both guys...I'm not sure I would have taken Braun, but at least he's athletic enough that there are some possibilities with him...sounds like he could be a good OF defender if it comes to that. Of course it all depends on the bat...I gotta hope they liked his bat and didn't reach for a 3b...I guess we'll know soon enough.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

The A's have taken 4 HS pitchers.

 

Whaaaaa???

 

Methinks he doesn't plan on signing a few of them and saving a little money ala the Reds and Stauffer a few years ago.

[jwaltz]

According to MLB.com the Nationals have already signed Zimmerman to a contract. He signed a minor league deal worth $2.975mil with $800k up front as a signing bonus.

[Bucky Rules]

Well... suffice it to say that I'm not thrilled with the 1st pick. Braun may turn out to be great, who knows... but it seems to me that they drafted need instead of best player available.

 

There seems to be some doubt whether or not Braun can actually play 3B in the majors. If he turns out to be an OF, then we just drafted the 2nd or 3rd best OF available. I'm not a big fan of taking anyone that isn't the obligatory "best player available".

 

Here's to Ryan proving me wrong.

[colbyjack]

Time to add my thoughts...

 

As I said leading up to the draft, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed unless the Brewers completely went a different and surprising direction. The players available and rumored to go with our pick were all players I liked, including Braun. The only concern I have about Braun is that the Brewers may have reached for a need after spending years of sticking by their BPA guns. According to BA's draft blog, as noted by someone much earlier today, the Brewers asked Tulowitzki if he was interest in playing 3B, so it seems clear they were hell bent to address their 3B of the future. I can only hope they weren't blinded by that desire.

 

Back to Braun, who is still a solid hitter. He has a very quick bat and strong hands which should allow him to adjust well at the plate. As I have noted in the college player update threads, Braun's error total tapered off significantly as the season wore on. He has the tools to play 3B, that's for sure.

 

Inman was a surprise, and reminded me of the Packers draft. After you spend so much time studying different players, all of the sudden you face a guy and ask "who?" While some are grumpy about the fact that they took a prep pitcher, for his size, stature and stuff he doesn't profile as your prototypical boom or bust, projectable high school arm. I think stat-minded folks will be pleased that he set the all-time K record in Virginia, as much as high school stats don't mean a hill of beans.

 

Matthew Gamel certainly sounds interesting, and seems to be this year's board favorite (past Jemile Weeks) comparable to Salome from a year ago. I enjoyed the comment about him platooning with Braun.

[Never Outhustled]

I'm ecstatic the Brewers selected Braun. He was the second best collegiate hitter this year behind Gordon and he's extremely project-able. His 51 at-bat stint at the Cape Cod league is so overblown. He was still recovering from a ribcage strain at the time. The scouts that questioned his defense were obviously too lazy to re-scout him in the second half of the season when he played near errorless ball. I think his athleticism will allow him to be a better defender than Alex Gordon, and he's already a much better hitter then Zimmerman. Getting the 2nd best 3B in the draft is no reach, its a very lucky pick at #5.

[bjkrautk]

I don't know if anyone heard the Jim Powell interview with our first round pick, but he came across very well. I don't know if 'charismatic' is the word, but his interview was practically conversational. Very well spoken.

 

Nice to know the team didn't have to sacrifice brains for Braun. (I've been working on that line for nearly 3 hours now....could you tell?)

 

He said that, once he's done with the college season (Miami will show down with Alex Gordon, Dustin Timm, and the rest of the Cornhuskers in the Super Regionals), he wants to sign quickly and get to work....which is music to my ears.

[And That]

Here's a thought:

 

Gamel makes it as a Mueller-esque third baseman. Braun is a pretty groovy right fielder. Hart finally embraces a position, and it is first base. He gets traded. Nelson Cruz on the other hand, is a Gold Glove-caliber LF and hits like a mother, striking out just enough to keep Branyan, now the hitting coach, happy.

 

In other words:

C: Moeller and Mosquera, all the way!

1B: Fielder

2B: Weeks

SS: Hardy

3B: Gamel

LF: Cruz

CF: Kryznel

RF: Braun

[Big Reed]

what's wrong with spending a lot of money and actually drafting and signing a Scott borass client? The cubs drafted and signed a boarss client on the same day- a record for borass. I recall three different teams tried to sign Jason Varitek and refused to pay him the money he wanted. Their loss if you ask me. however, we all forget about the past, as Jason's now a beloved all star. all those other catchers who signed for little money are still making little money because they're still in the minors or became fringe major league players!

 

What was wrong with opening our pocketbook and going after a catcher like Teagarden? Sure, he wanted a ton of money. so what? Save some money by going with Geico insurance for all employees. put more water in the beer. Charge more for tailgating. have a car wash and a bake sale at each game. In 3 years, when he becomes a starting MLB catcher, and in 5 years when he becomes a perenial all star, he will be worth every single penny invested in him - just like Varitek.

 

it appears as if yesterday's draft went back to the old ways of brewers drafts - we drafted people we could afford to sign verses those with bonified talent. I thought we had learned our lesson of drafting players we could afford verses drafting the best available talent.

 

I guess we don't need a catcher either. We've got some tremendous ones already in our system.

[ja002h]

I asked Callis about our pick:

 

Jeremy (Ann Arbor): Jim, would you have picked Braun over Maybin? (thanks for all the kind words about brewerfan.net!)

 

Jim Callis: With no other consideration, yes, I would have taken Cameron Maybin (our No. 3 overall prospect) over Ryan Braun. But if I were the Brewers, the fact that Braun has a more advanced bat, could help me at least two years sooner than Maybin and may plug one of my biggest needs (3B), Braun would make a lot of sense. No problem on brewerfan.net, which is just an unbelievable site. It's going to get better for you Brewers fans, keep the faith!

[BillScottCanRake]

I hope Braun does well, and the fact that he could be in Milwaukee by 2008-9 is encouraging, but I still would have liked to see them take Maybin, even if he is got more risk associated with him.

 

I full blame Colby for setting me up to have my heart broken. If it weren't for his work, I wouldn't have know Maybin from Mayday.

[colbyjack]

I full blame Colby for setting me up to have my heart broken. If it weren't for his work, I wouldn't have know Maybin from Mayday.

 

You mean Maday? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

Good pic of Braun on BA's homepage:

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/images2005/rbraun450325bm.jpg

[CC Badger]

5. Brewers: Ryan Braun, 3b, U. of Miami

Braun has a hitch in his swing and a high, unconventional finish, but his hands are quick enough to make it work, and he?s athletic enough to repeat his stroke and drive pitches to all parts of the field. His future position will be the main source of concern for pro teams. He came to college as a shortstop and now plays third, but he has struggled with errors at both spots. Some scouts doubt his infield actions and footwork and say he'll have to move to an outfield corner, where his plus arm and speed could allow him to be an above-average defender in time.

 

Sounds a bit too much like a right handed Jenkins.

 

Geoff Jenkins junior year stats at USC

.399/ 23 HR/ 78 RBI/ 75 Runs. 103 hits in 258 AB

 

Ryan Braun's stats through June 6th

.396/ 18 HR/ 75 RBI/ 70 Runs. 84 hits in 212 AB

 

Interesting that Jenkins and Braun's numbers are pretty similar, although that means absolutely nothing for future performance in the show. It does sound as though Braun is faster and more athletic than Jenks is and has the ability to play various positions. I was hoping Maybin would have been the choice but I have faith in Jack Z. and here's hoping that Braun reaches the show and has a long distinguished career with the Brewers.

 

I believe Braun has a showdown with Nebraska and Alex Gordon this coming weekend. Should be a great game to watch.

 

By the way, thanks to everyone for all of your hard work. Following your draft coverage was a lot of fun!

[H0FFY]

I like this little blurb from baseballamerica scouting preview of Miami in the National Titles.

 

"If you get guys on in front of the Braun kid, he's a professional hitter, and he'll figure out what you're doing to him. If you make mistakes, he's going to hammer you. He's tough, you have to pound him in. (Danny) Valencia, he hit some mistakes, and that right fielder (Brendan Katin) is gigantic with crazy power. Jon Jay can really hit, but you can hold him down some if you pitch him all away and play him that way."

 

Of course the gigantic guy with crazy power interested me, so I looked where he was drafted... in the 23rd round... by US!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mass Haas]

Baseball America now lists 5th round RHP, Kevin Roberts out of the University of Houston, as signed:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/d...p?team=MIL