2005 DFE resource thread

[colbyjack]

DFE Darren Ford has signed with the Milwaukee Brewers. Courtesy of BA's draft blog:

 

Checking in from Marianna, Fla., Chipola Junior College coach Jeff Johnson says that Brewers' 2004 daft-and-follow Darren Ford has agreed to sign for $200,000. The 18th-round pick just completed a .306-1-32 season with 45 stolen bases for the Indians. Ford's speed is no secret, as the Major League Scouting Bureau rates him as an 80 runner on the 20-to-80 scouting scale.

 

Once again we're treated to bonus information. That's no typo, Ford's speed is legtimately ranked a 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale.

[DHonks]

What all do we know about Ford? Does he play good defense? IS he a smart basestealer (anti-Alex Sanchez)? Or is he raw but with tons of speed, like the Dbacks Marlond Williams (aka, "smoke")?

[colbyjack]

2005 DFE candidates

 

2. Darren Ford (18) -OF-Chipola JC (FL)

Ford is a smaller (5'10", 180) outfielder that has one outstanding tool: Speed. Here is what his head coach at Chipola, Jeff Johnson, had to say about him: "Darren is probably the fastest college player in the country. He consistently runs the 60 yard dash in the 6.25 range. He is still a little raw on the bases but has blazing speed. The thing that surprised me about Darren is his improvement and pop at the plate. This fall he was probably our most consistent hitter and did not get thrown out all fall trying to steal. He has average arm strength and a great willingness to learn. I would be very surprised if Darren does not have an outstanding spring for us and signs with the Brew Crew." Ford could be a similar prospect as Hasan Rasheed, a DFE candidate from a year ago. Similar to Rasheed, look for Ford to be added to the system later this spring.

 

He's raw, and like all raw players, he needs to improve in many of the finer aspects of the game. I know when I talked to his head coach Jeff Johnson earlier this spring via email he sounded incredibly impressed with Ford's progress up to that point in time. Without a doubt, the Brewers are paying for that raw speed, but he at least has shown the propensity to learn and get better.

 

Edit: emoticon

[Mass Haas]

What all do we know about Ford? Does he play good defense? IS he a smart basestealer (anti-Alex Sanchez)? Or is he raw but with tons of speed, like the Dbacks Marlond Williams (aka, "smoke&quothttp://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif ?

 

He should be faster than his major league grandfather Ted Ford, who was a first round pick back in 1966.

 

www.baseball-reference.co...te01.shtml

 

Colby, why is it college baseball "head coach" yet professional baseball "manager"?

[Mass Haas]

We had darn well hear about a signing in the next couple of days...

 

Deik Scram (.458 average, nine homers, 51 RBI, 30 SB's) was named Most Valuable Player within his division, as his season just ended.

 

The loss ends Cowley?s season with a record of 47-14.

 

?Going 47-14 is pretty impressive, but we are not measured by 47-14, we are measured by going to the (NJCAA) World Series,? Burroughs said. ?We will turn the page and move on, and try to do it again next year.?

 

Scram went 2-5 against Hutchinson, and had a spectacular postseason tournament as he went 9-for-17 with eight runs scored, eight runs batted in, six walks, and seven stolen bases. Scram started nearly every game during his two years at Cowley.

 

http://www.arkcity.net/images/031005/lphoto2.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Vermont LHP Derek Miller with his fifth complete game of the season today, putting his team into the American East Conference postseason tournament.

 

Box score link:

 

www.uvm.edu/athletics/bas...520051.htm

[batman]

From McCalvy:

 

The Brewers signed two more "draft-and-follow" players in the build-up to the June 7-8 First-Year Player Draft. The players were 18-year-old right-hander Matt Kretzschmar, Milwaukee's 22nd-round pick last year, and 20-year-old right-hander Josh Louis, the team's 42nd-round pick.

 

EDIT:

 

Here's an interesting article from the Los Angeles Times profiling Kretzschmar from almost exactly a year ago to the day. At the time, he was a prep star at California's San Pedro High School.

Quote:

---

"He's King of the Hill in San Pedro"

By Eric Sondheimer, LA Times (05/23/2004)

 

If everything proceeds according to the likely scenario, Matt Kretzschmar of San Pedro figures to be the pitcher standing in the way of Chatsworth's finishing unbeaten and winning a second consecutive national championship in high school baseball

 

Kretzschmar, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound senior right-hander, didn't even play last season, unless you call Wiffle ball a sport. He was home-schooled so he could make up units denied him when he transferred from a small private school after his freshman year.

 

Now he's throwing 91-mph fastballs, has a 10-0 record and 2.01 earned-run average, and is the ace of a San Pedro team that has won 23 consecutive games. The Pirates (28-3) should be the No. 2-seeded team behind Chatsworth (31-0) when City Section playoff pairings are determined Monday.

 

For Kretzschmar to get his chance to face Chatsworth, it probably will have to come in the City final on June 8 at Dodger Stadium.

 

"It would be interesting," he said. "There's a lot of buzz going around about San Pedro and Chatsworth, and I think I can compete. It would prove how much I've come from last year."

 

San Pedro Coach Grady Sain said Kretzschmar has become a legitimate strikeout pitcher.

 

"His velocity is overpowering," Sain said. "We want him to come after guys, and that's what he's done."

 

Friends on the team were disappointed Kretzschmar couldn't play last season, but it was his choice to work on academics so he'd be able to graduate next month with his senior classmates.

 

He didn't resume pitching until showing up for a summer open tryout organized by the Milwaukee Brewers. That's when he learned he was throwing better than 90 mph.

 

"I didn't even know I threw that hard," he said. "I had my girlfriend sitting in the stands, and she was watching the radar gun. I was surprised."

 

Kretzschmar was invited to the Area Code games in Long Beach and began to draw interest from scouts.

 

"I think I can prove myself at whatever competition level comes," he said. "I did well at the Area Code games, and that's the best high school players around. And I'm pretty confident I can hang in there with anybody."

 

The first day of the June amateur draft is June 7, one day before the City final. San Pedro players are already talking about meeting Chatsworth, but their coach has a warning.

 

"To be thinking about Chatsworth right now is irrelevant," Sain said. "You have to get to Dodger Stadium first."

---

~Bill

[Mass Haas]

The more, the merrier!

 

He didn't resume pitching until showing up for a summer open tryout organized by the Milwaukee Brewers. That's when he learned he was throwing better than 90 mph.

 

You see these "open tryouts", hosted by Brewer scouts in their territory, announced from time to time. Very cool that some talent was not only identified but eventually drafted and signed via one of these sessions.

[batman]

Cool article about the D+F process from Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com:

 

milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com...;fext=.jsp

 

It includes a tiny little Darren Ford mention, too.

 

~Bill

[Mass Haas]

Little doubt as to who your "advanced college starting pitcher" signing might be -- colbyjack had indicated that Derek Miller had moved into 5th-10th round territory even before his dominating stretch as of late.

 

And the Brewers will sign him...

 

Link to photo and additional text:

 

www.uvm.edu/athletics/bas...oryID=6426

 

Miller Pitches Two-Hit Shutout as Cats Advance in America East Baseball Championship

 

BURLINGTON, Vt. - Vermont senior LHP Derek Miller (Pelham, N.H.) tossed a two-hit shutout to lead the Catamounts past # 4 Binghamton, 2-0, in the America East Baseball Championship at Centennial Field. The Catamounts advance to face the loser of the Northeastern/Maine contest (3:30pm), at 7:00 pm Friday night.

 

Miller needed just 97 pitches to record his sixth complete game of the season and improve to 7-3. He walked just one and struck out six as no Bearcats runner reached second base. He allowed a first inning, leadoff single to Keith Ford, who was erased by a double play, and an infield hit to Matt Fernandez in the sixth.

 

With a strikeout of America East Player of the Year Mathieu Bergeron in the fifth, Miller became the first Catamount hurler to record 100 strikeouts in a season. UVM Hall of Famer Dick Cassani '63 held the previous record of 99 Ks in one year. In 88 innings this season, he lowered his ERA to 2.35 and now has 103 strikeouts while walking only 25 batters.

 2005 America East Baseball Championship Vermont at Binghamton May 27, 2005 at Burlington, Vt. (Centennial Field) Vermont 2 (27-18) Binghamton 0 (23-26-1) Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- Rossi, Frank dh/lf......... 4 0 0 0 Ford, Keith lf............. 4 0 1 0 Carey, Jason lf/dh......... 4 1 2 0 Simek, Matt dh............. 4 0 0 0 Magrass, Miguel 3b......... 3 1 2 0 Hitchcock, Brendon 1b...... 3 0 0 0 Brault, Kyle rf............ 4 0 2 1 Bergeron, Mathieu 3b....... 2 0 0 0 Iannoni, Jay 1b............ 4 0 1 0 Smucker, Justin ss......... 3 0 0 0 Chapman, Jim 2b............ 4 0 0 0 Monaco, Jeff rf............ 3 0 0 0 Massie, Kyle cf............ 3 0 0 0 Davis, Aaron cf............ 3 0 0 0 Naimoli, Matt c............ 3 0 0 0 Fernandez, Matt 2b......... 3 0 1 0 Montanez, Raymond ss....... 3 0 1 0 Darling, Chris c........... 3 0 0 0 Miller, Derek p............ 0 0 0 0 Diamond, Scott p........... 0 0 0 0 Shatkun, Adam p........... 0 0 0 0 Totals..................... 32 2 8 1 Totals..................... 28 0 2 0 Score by Innings R H E ------------------------------------------- Vermont............. 000 000 002 - 2 8 0 Binghamton.......... 000 000 000 - 0 2 1 ------------------------------------------- E - Diamond. DP - Vermont 1. LOB - Vermont 4; Binghamton 2. 2B - Carey(11); Montanez(4). CS - Carey; Magrass. Vermont IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Miller, Derek W,7-3....... 9.0 2 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 28 29 9 11[/b] Binghamton IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Diamond, Scott L,4-6...... 8.2 8 2 1 1 4 0 0 0 1 31 32 8 11 Shatkun, Adam ............. 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 Inherited runners/scored: Shatkun 2/0. Strikeouts - Carey; Brault; Massie 2; Bergeron; Smucker; Monaco 2; Fernandez; Darling. Walks - Magrass; Bergeron. Umpires - HP: Joe Cacciatore 1B: Lou Petrucci 2B: Nick Zibelli 3B: Don January Start: 12:00pm Time: 2:07

[plowjockey]

You guys covered this in another thread, but maybe it should be added to this one for clarification: Players whose college season extends past the signing date can still be signed as DFE's. Teams have 48hrs after a player's season ends to sign them. So Timm can still be signed after Nebraska finishes their season.

[colbyjack]

So Timm can still be signed after Nebraska finishes their season.

 

Not true. While teams are given a 48 hour window to sign DFEs whose season hasn't ended, their season still has to end before the draft takes place. Since Nebraska's season likely is going to go deep into June, the Brewers would have to re-draft Timm if they want to add him to their system.

[batman]

The Brewers successfully inked Derek Miller!

 

SIGNINGS: Today, the Brewers announce the signing of LHP Derek Miller, the 47th round draft pick from 2004 . . . Miller just completed his senior season at Vermont University where he went 7-3 with a 2.35 ERA in 88 ip . . . he allowed just 62 hits, issued 25 walks and struck out 103 . . . the left-handers stands at 6-1 and weighs 210 pounds . . . Miller was signed to a contract with the Helena Brewers, and will report to Phoenix and join the extended spring training program.

 

That's from today's media notes. Sweet!

 

~Bill

[nikip43]

That is sweet news.

 

Expected from colbyjacks statements, but good to hear. He definatly had a good follow-up season. I am curious as to how much it took to sign him though.

 

Anyone out there besides Burriff and Scram that we are really waiting on?

[colbyjack]

Good news. I have a feeling we'll hear about Scram at some point tomorrow.

 

With 88 innings pitched this spring, I wouldn't be surprised if they handled Miller similar to Eveland the summer after he signed. Meaning, he could be Helena's closer this season, although I think he may move faster if he's groomed in the bullpen right off the bat anyway.

 

EDIT: I forgot to mention that Scram is currently ranked the 17th best prospect from Kansas in a down year for the state according to BA's state-by-state pre-draft rankings. So, while he had a big season for Cowley, it doesn't seem as though the scouts are high on him.

[colbyjack]

The DFE signings are as follows:

 

Lorenzo Cain

Darren Ford

Matthew Kretzschmar

Joshua Louis

Derek Miller

 

No Scram, but I have been told that the Brewers signed all of the players they wanted to, meaning, they didn't have interest in signing Scram at this point in time. It seems as though his ranking as noted just above in the eyes of scouts holds more truth about his abilities than his gaudy stats this spring.

 

As we've seen in past years, we may see a few of these players re-drafted next week so they may continue to be followed by the Brewers through next spring.

 

Depending on how the teams fare in the NCAA tournament/regionals this weekend, there may be one more signing before the draft. I'm guessing that would be either Timm or Prettyman, although I wouldn't count on either Nebraska or Cal State Fullerton being eliminated so quickly.

[colbyjack]

Nothing new, but BA adds their complete DFE coverage:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...02dfe.html

 

Juco players who get significant signing bonuses frequently have one significant tool, such as Chipola (Fla.) Junior College outfielder Darren Ford, who signed for $200,000. The Brewers' 18th-round pick in 2004 completed a .306-1-32 season with 45 stolen bases for the Indians. Ford's speed is no secret, as the Major League Scouting Bureau rates him as an 80 runner on the 20-80 scouting scale.

[Mass Haas]

UVM press release indicates that 23-year-old Derek Miller will likely see West Virginia before the summer's over:

 

www.uvm.edu/athletics/bas...oryID=6435