Jack Zdurencik with JP on pregame

[squarepusher]

there'll be a long interview with Brewers scouting director Jack Z on Brewers pre-game with Jim Powell today....

 

If someone could take notes, they'd be the coolest.

[Member]

Some notes from Jack Z and Jim:

 

- Overview

-- Got guys who are good athletes, particularily guys who can run

 

- Weeks

-- Happy with Weeks drafting, wouldn't say if he like Young better (obviously)

-- Weeks can play CF, SS or 2B, will probably stick at second

 

- Anthony Gwynn

-- Good instincts (bloodlines)

-- Very athletic

-- Best player on the board (not a need pick)

 

Part II

- Louis Palmisano

-- Very athletic

-- Good frame, strength and power

-- Combination need/best player available

 

 

- College Players with top three

-- Not a factor

-- Some players will move quickly to AA

 

- Charlie Fermaint

-- Plays LF and CF

-- Very athletic

 

- Brian Opdyke

-- Very solid

 

- Pitching

-- Difficult to get good position guys later in draft

-- Easier to get pitchers later

 

I missed the remainder of the discussion due to work stuff, including a discussion on Draft and Follow signings and potential Draft and Follows for next year.

 

Jack Z also seemed go not want to praise the players too much for fear it might increase their barganing position.

 

Interesting conversation overall.

[mneskarous]

- The signing period is a hectic time (no news there)

 

- They focused on getting athletes that were baseball players in this draft.

 

- About Weeks - Great athlete that can do a lot of different things. Long range plans are at 2B.

 

- About Gwynn - "Extremely instinctive." Understands the game offensively and defensively. Runs the bases quickly.

 

- About Palmisano - Athletic kid. Great frame - Strength and power. Jack Z said that he actually liked the group of catchers in this year's draft.

 

- About Fermaint - Athletic - can really run

 

- About Opdyke - Doesn't have anything that's tremendous, but does everything pretty well behind the plate.

 

- Jack Z believes its harder to get position players than pitchers later in the draft.

 

- About DFE's from 2002 draft

- Dillard - Will go to rookie league. Has a live arm and is a groundball pitcher.

- Eveland - Good arm. Throws 4 pitches. Can throw in the mid-90's.

 

- Jack Z said that they'll definitely take a look at some of the 2003 draftees as DFE's - no surprise there.

 

If I missed anything, feel free to correct or add anything

 

------------------------------

Mike Eskarous

[SoCalBrewfan]

I think that's a consistent theme of Jack Z drafts...good pitchers can come out of the middle rounds. And it's hard to argue with the track record (Wilhelmsen, Sarfate, Yeatman, etc). It's also consistent with the story from BP I posted earlier. They got some interesting arms in rounds #5 - 10...would love to see one turn into this year's version of Tom Wilhelmsen or Ben Hendrickson.

 

I have to say, the guys who can run scare me...I'd rather have some guys who can hit. I'm fearful of Fermaint and all the raw speedster types. Someday maybe one of those guys will work out...but a lot just never hit enough.

[SoCalBrewfan]

welcome mneskarous, and thanks for your summary!

 

Jack Z said that he actually liked the group of catchers in this year's draft.

 

I guess that's good news since he drafted 2 in the first five rounds, three or four in the first fourteen (depending on Corporan), and then two more on the second day.

[mneskarous]

Yeah, I've been here pretty much since the beginning, but have been really just a lurker, getting lots of info from everyone. This is an awesome site!

[deeswan]

I have to say, the guys who can run scare me...I'd rather have some guys who can hit. I'm fearful of Fermaint and all the raw speedster types. Someday maybe one of those guys will work out...but a lot just never hit enough.

 

Listening to Jack Z. I got the feeling that they didn't feel great about there being a lot of true position 'baseball players' in this draft, so they went with a lot of athletes. I sort of agree with you on the speed vs. hitting thing, but Krynzel and Hardy have been touted as very athletic after they were drafted and they seem to be working out.

 

I'm a little nervous over Jack Z. emphasizing to Powell that Weeks hasn't signed yet (he mentioned it a couple times). Maybe he was just being restrained, but I don't remember hearing comments like this last year with Fielder.

[colbyjack]

Listening to Jack Z. I got the feeling that they didn't feel great about there being a lot of true position 'baseball players' in this draft, so they went with a lot of athletes.

 

That's a pretty good call deeswan. Jack did say that the talent available was pretty disappointing, so when in doubt, why not focus on taking a bunch of athletic guys? With the law of averages, you should be able to get a major leaguer or two from this group if their production catches up with their skills. Of course, that's a big if, but as you noted focusing on athletes has worked for guys like Krynzel, Hardy & even Hart.

[xisxisxis]

Listening to Jack Z. I got the feeling that they didn't feel great about there being a lot of true position 'baseball players' in this draft, so they went with a lot of athletes.

 

Well it's always been my feeling that when things are tight or there is less talent then if you are smart and know what you are doing then you have an advantage because you should be able to pick the better ones. If all of this is just a crap shoot then it doesn't matter as much. Given that the Bando era was so bad and the Jack Z era seems to be a lot better then I don't think it's a crap shoot. In lean times you have to work harder, but if you know what you're doing that gives you an edge over Cam Bonifay. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

And I am still not happy with this draft unless some mathematician/statistician can explain to me that it is highly likely that the best player available was a position player in rounds 1-5, a pitcher in rounds 6-10, a position player in rounds 11-15, and a pitcher in rounds 16-20.

[squarepusher]

[ And I am still not happy with this draft unless some mathematician/statistician can explain to me that it is highly likely that the best player available was a position player in rounds 1-5, a pitcher in rounds 6-10, a position player in rounds 11-15, and a pitcher in rounds 16-20. ]

 

It's the classic sine wave approach...

[igor67]

It's hard to argue that the best player available fit that pattern, but I could argue that at a certain point best player available becomes something of a red herring. Is your best pitcher in that round that much worse of a prospect than your highest position guy? I still tend to think there's more to developing players as an organization than there is in drafting them.

[950opsLHcatcher]

That's an interesting point Igor, and something I beleive in. Not to belittle the draft process at all, because getting the right guys into the system is about 30-40% of the battle. The bigger part, IMO, tho, is getting those guys to succeed, which, also IMO, is tougher than the draft process. For all the hours of work that go into drafting players, there are that many more hours spent in tutilege of the players drafted, trying to get them to suceed and become major league contributors.

 

But, I guess that's what makes me a player development guy and Patrick a scouting guy http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[colbyjack]

But, I guess that's what makes me a player development guy and Patrick a scouting guy.

 

Scouting is everything http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

[950opsLHcatcher]

Scouting is everything

 

At this point, I'm a better scout than a teacher, and I'm guessing that's going to continue, so for my sake with a possible future in the business, I hope you're right http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif