Rounds 11-20; Latest: Local Newspaper Stories

[950opsLHcatcher]

Round 11:

Adam Heether, College 3B, R/R, 6'0, 200, 21

 

Round 12:

Carlos Corporan, College 1B, S/R, 6'3, 210, 19

 

Round 13:

Luke Cannon, College OF, L/L, 6'1, 195, 18

The new Mr. Cannon?

 

Round 14:

Garrett Bussiere, HS C, R/R, 6'3, 178, 17

"Large frame. Long and lean. Slight uppercut swing, occasional pull power. Arm works right. Sure hands. Physical maturity will bring future development. Defensive skills will be strong suit."

 

Round 15:

Joel RIvera, HS OF, R/R, 6'1, 165, 17

 

Round 16:

Mitch Stetter, College LHP, L/L, 6'4, 195, 22

 

Round 17:

Tommy Hawk, HS RHP, R/R, 6'2, 215, 18

 

Round 18:

Oscar Montes, HS RHP, R/R, 6'3, 220, 18

 

Round 19:

Ty Taubenheim, College RHP, R/R, 6'5, 235, 20

 

Round 20:

Nick Slack, College RHP, R/R, 6'1, 215, 20

"Very animated on mound, but will get after it. Threw w/better vel in fall. Mech need work."

 

Well, that ends that for today. Discuss.

[SoCalBrewfan]

BA on Heether, #53 in SoCal:

 

Adam Heether, drafted twice at Modesto JC, has the best raw tools on the 49ers roster. He is an athletic third baseman with an above-average arm, but might not have the power to play on a corner. He may be better suited at second, or even behind the plate.

[bjkrautk]

I'll try and sneak this one in before SoCal:

 

BA:

#27 in S. California-

RHP Tommy Hawk has a four-pitch repertoire and improved his stock this spring by bumping up his velocity to 93 mph. He is physically mature at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds and still projectable. Hawk, a possible sixth- to eighth-rounder and considered signable if he is drafted in that range, has committed to Cal State Fullerton.

[squarepusher]

Whew.... i'm exhausted. That is all.

[edod]

1.54 era 8-1 70ip 16r 12er 47h 21bb 67k

[SoCalBrewfan]

Whew...beat me my a few hours there, ben...but then i had to do a rush-the-baby-to-the-non-emergency-doctor -visit...nothing serious thankfully.

 

So I missed all of rounds 12 to 20...sigh.

[950opsLHcatcher]

Me on Garrett Bussiere after watching the scouting video:

 

Tall, lanky frame that moved well behind the plate. Has a weird stance somewhat reminiscent of Benito Santiago, with his left foot well in front of a lowered back foot. Made pretty accurate snap throws to second, and moves well with gear. Has a wobly stance at the plate. He begins the pitch in the back of the box, has a high leg kick, then winds up in the front of the box, sometimes causing him to hop a little after he lands. Big, long swing with some bat speed. Defense much more advanced than offense.

 

Compare to: Brian Foster.

[950opsLHcatcher]

Me on Robbie Wooley after watching the scouting video:

 

Consistent 89-91 on decent fastball, with a high effort top end in the middle 90's. Sharp curveball that breaks mostly down and looks to be especially effective on lefties with a jamming motion to it. Changeup is just OK. Throws fastball and change from a slightly different arm angle than the curve, which needs to be fixed. There is also wasted motion on the delivery where his delivery arm brushes past his low thigh, causes him to straightarm the ball more than necessary. More velocity could be added with smoother mechanics. Pitching from the stretch seems to come more naturally than from the windup.

[950opsLHcatcher]

Me on Charlie Fermaint after watching the scouting video:

 

Smooth, quick swing with some upward motion towards the end. Really gets hands around on the ball. Prepitch gyrations settle into a snap still instantly before the swing, showing quick twitch. Moves legs well out of box. Looks the part of a corner OF. Bounds around in the outfield and puts his enitre body into the throw, which is generally accurate, though not overly strong.

[MassBrew]

How in the world did the Braves not draft our 17th rounder, California high school LHP Tommy Hawk?

 

I can see it now -- batters hacking at his pitches doing the "Tommy Hawk-Chop" !!!

 

I hope to find local newspaper stories on Hawk's selection and some of the others later today...

[MassBrew]

From Brewerfan.net's Draft Coverage:

 

19th round. Ty Taubenheim - RHP - Edmonds CC - WA

Lean, projectable RHP with a nice, easy athletic motion that throw in the upper 80s. Can touch 90, and his size suggests that he might be able to add velocity with polish & maturity. A 44th round pick by the A's in 2002.

 

Taubenheim has inked his deal and has been assigned to the Arizona Brewers roster for now.

[MassBrew]

Signed, sealed, and delivered to Helena:

 

16th round. Mitch Stetter - LHP - Indiana St - IN

 

From Brewerfan.net's Draft Coverage:

 

Nice sized lefty with pretty good stuff. Could be a sleeper pick if he has indeed fully recovered from his back injury. I'll let his coach Tom Warn do the rest of the talking: "An outstanding young man and a great talent. Throws four pitches for strikes, rarely ever gets hit. Opponents have a .198 batting average against him. Pitched in a limited number of games all in relief this past season due to back injury. Is fine now. He was freshman all-american his first year of school. 6'4" frame with potential to get even stronger weighing only 200 lbs. Has a great upside for the Brewers."

[MassBrew]

SIGNED TWO MORE WITHIN THESE ROUNDS:

 

Corporan to Arizona; Slack to Helena...

 

12th rounder Carlos Corporan - 1B - Lake City CC - PR

 

Versatile switch-hitter that played SS in high school, was drafted as a 1B by the Angels in 2001, and played most of this season behind the plate. While technically drafted as a first baseman, the Brewers likely intend to keep Corporan behind the plate to take advantage of his potential. He was converted into a catcher in the fall of 2002, so he is going to need a lot of work. However, he has all of the tools to succeed defensively, with a strong arm, good footwork & soft hands. Shows nice power from both sides of the plate, as the ball jumps off of his bat. Possibly his best attribute is that he carries a strong desire to play the game with great enthusiasm. He's an extremely hard worker that has done a good job putting on muscle while at Lake City CC to get bigger & stronger while also learning a new & more demanding defensive position. Brother of Yankees' 3B prospect Elvis.

 

20th rounder Nicholas Slack - RHP - Lake City CC - FL

 

Former walk-on that made the team as a freshman as a starting pitcher. Served as his team's closer this year as his fastball jumped from the mid-80s to the low-90s. Had 11 saves this season while striking out 54 & walking only 7 in 41.1 innings pitched. Does a good job throwing strikes as exhibited by his low walk total, and can also throw a curveball, slider, changeup & splitter. Fiery, competitive ballplayer that wants the ball at all times, and seems to get better the more work he gets. A player on the rise with a strong & durable frame & arm.

[Al the Thinking Man]

Adam Heether, drafted twice at Modesto JC, has the best raw tools on the 49ers roster. He is an athletic third baseman with an above-average arm, but might not have the power to play on a corner. He may be better suited at second, or even behind the plate.

 

Adam was on ESPN last night about 2AM, and hit a HR in a college playoff game. I just saw him after contact and on the replay, but he looks to be a good athlete, still plenty of room to grow. Very quick bat, hit an inside fastball right down the LF line for a HR.

[colbyjack]

11th rounder 3B Adam Heether signed today, and has been assigned to Helena.

 

That's now 20 signed draft picks.

[MassBrew]

Another local draft day / signing story, this one on 16th round LHP Mitch Stetter, out of Indiana State -- his profile is discussed earlier in this thread...

 

www.myinky.com/ecp/local_...01,00.html

 

Not sure how long local links will remain valid, but for now, each can be added to the main Brewerfan Draft page.

 

Mitch Stetter will head for Big Sky Country on Sunday.

 

Stetter, a Southridge High School graduate who recently completed his senior season at Indiana State University, has signed a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. The 6-foot-4 lefthander, who was drafted by the Brewers in the 16th round of the Major League First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday, will be assigned to their rookie league affiliate in Helena, Mont.

 

"I will be going to a five-day or seven-day camp and start up the 17th in short-season rookie league ball," Stetter said.

 

A muscle strain kept him sidelined most of his senior year, but he came on to post 1-0 record with a 3.38 earned run average in 12 appearances, all in relief.

 

He considered redshirting, but he wanted to go out with seven other seniors and hoped to play in the NCAA Tournament. Although the Sycamores finished 36-22 overall, they ended just 15-17 in the Missouri Valley Conference.

 

"I probably had the best stuff since I had been at school the second half of the year," said Stetter, who was upset he wasn't selected in the 2002 draft. "It worked out for me."

 

He participated in a predraft camp at Miller Park the Saturday before this year's draft.

 

"Each pitcher would throw for three outs and I got a couple of strikeouts," Stetter said. "That went well, for sure. I was happy with the chance to go the first day (of the two-day draft). I'm real pleased. I felt it would be a second-day deal."

[MassBrew]

19th round pick RHP Ty Taubenheim Local Story:

Assigned to Arizona Rookie, profile discussed above...

 

news.bellinghamherald.com...3366.shtml

 

Looks like the archive is available for two weeks, so here's the cut-and-paste:

 

Mike Allende, The Bellingham Herald

 

Ty Taubenheim hasn't swung a bat in a couple of years, but he may want to get to a batting cage in the near future.

 

Taubenheim, the former Lynden High School three-sport star, was drafted by the National League's Milwaukee Brewers in the 19th round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft Tuesday. By 6 p.m., he had already signed with the club.

 

"It's very exciting," said Taubenheim, a 6-foot-5, 235-pound 20-year-old right-handed pitcher. "It's just awesome. It's really an honor and I'm greatful to have this opportunity."

 

Taubenheim, who led Edmonds Community College to two straight Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges championships, was the 549th player selected.

 

It's not a surprise that it was Milwaukee that called his name. Brandon Newell, a former Nooksack Valley High star who served as the Bellingham Bells' pitching coach the last three seasons, is the area scout for the Brewers. Newell called Taubenheim at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday with the news.

 

"We knew he wanted to play, and we felt he was physically ready to play," Newell said. "When parties keep the line of communication open like we did, things go smoothly."

 

Two other former Bells were drafted Tuesday, the first day of the draft. Emerson Frostad, a third baseman from Lewis and Clark State, was taken in the 13th round, 376th overall, by the Texas Rangers, and right-handed pitcher Joe Carque of San Diego State was taken in the 20th round, 606th overall, by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

 

Taubenheim starred in football, basketball and baseball at Lynden, and accepted a scholarship to the University of Washington, prompting teams to pass on him when the draft came up in 2001. A mixup with a class he had taken at Lynden led Taubenheim to be declared ineligible at the UW, and he went to Edmonds, where he was the winning pitcher in last year's NWAACC title game.

 

Following last season, the Oakland Athletics used a late-round pick on him, but he chose not to sign. Instead, he spent the summer pitching for the Bells. Oakland retained his rights until last week.

 

"They didn't really have any intention of signing me, and I didn't have any intention of signing," Taubenheim said. "It was more a draft-and-follow situation."

 

After another solid year, Taubenheim's stock grew. He is valued for his body size (ideal for a pitcher) and his athleticism.

 

"You look at his frame and athleticism, that's the first thing that catches your eye," Newell said. "And he competes really well on the mound.

 

"But what I really like to know is what makes a guy tick. I like to know how they react when they're struggling, and how they react when things are going well.

 

"He's going to be playing more baseball than he's ever played now, and there will be times when he's tired, and it's 100 degrees out, and he won't feel like pitching. I want to know that he'll get through that and go out there and compete. Ty has that; he has a real fire."

 

Newell wouldn't discuss financial terms of Taubenheim's contract, saying only that it was fair money for a 19th-round pick. As part of the contract, Taubenheim receives a scholarship to any in-state school he wants. Newell expects Taubenheim to be sent to either the Helena Brewers, a rookie-league team in Montana, or the Beloit Snappers, a Class A team in Wisconsin. First, Taubenheim will report to the Brewers' mini-camp for early signees in Arizona, probably next week.

 

"It's a good place for kids to go to learn the organization and become acclimated to what life is going to be like," Newell said. "I think that Ty is physically and emotionally ready to make that step."

 

So does Taubenheim.

 

"I always felt like I'd get to this point, I just didn't know when," he said. "I've been given this opportunity, and I want to go for it. I'm anxious to get on with it."

[MassBrew]

Looking at last year's 24 draft signees not including DFE's, I believe all were signed prior to the start of the Pioneer League season except Tom Wilhelmsen. I'm pretty surprised that after that initial push to get 20 signed, things have come to a complete stop. We know the Weeks and Gwynn deals will get done eventually, but six others from the first 15 rounds also remain. Let's go, Doug!

 

Still no word on young 15th rounder HS outfielder Joel Rivera:

 

www.nj.com/search/index.s...journal?sv