The Nugget Miner vs. The Wizard of Z

[batman]

This is pretty funny:

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"I think there was this perception that Jack and I get in a room and fight over high school and college (players)," said Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, whose Texas Rangers clubs in the 1990s tended toward college draft crops. "I have to tell you that that's somewhat comical. Listening to the scouts talk about Mark Rogers, I have no problem with him."

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Thanks to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.

 

~Bill

[batman]

Here's an interesting tidbit from CBS Sportsline about the Brewers' selection of a high school pitcher.

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General manager Doug Melvin and virtually everyone under him in the organization has read the bestseller "Moneyball" and knows the dangers of drafting high school pitchers.

 

From 1990 through 2000, 52 pitchers were taken among the first 10 selections in the draft. Thirty-one came out of college and 20 out of high school. (Cuban refugee Ariel Prieto was not in school when Oakland drafted him in 1995.)

 

Of the 31 college pitchers, 28 made it to the big leagues for at least a brief period. Only seven of the 20 high school pitchers advanced to the majors.

 

The Brewers knew the odds when they drafted high school pitcher Mark Rogers from Maine with the fifth selection in the first round. But they also thought that Rogers has a higher ceiling than any college pitchers left on the board when they drafted.

 

"We took a look at (the issue of college pitchers vs. high school pitchers), and our numbers showed something different," Melvin said. "It showed there was risk involved in getting high school pitchers to the majors, but when they get there you often have a higher level of player.

 

"It's a risk/reward thing. The risks are higher but the rewards can be higher."

 

Melvin is hoping that Rogers can excel like Kerry Wood and Josh Beckett, who came out of high schools in Texas. Wood was chosen fourth by the Cubs in 1995; Becket was taken second by Florida in '99.

 

"We know there are risks with high school pitchers," said Melvin. "If the right college guy was there, we might have taken him.

 

"Sometimes, I wonder if part of the problem is the way we develop pitchers. We can be impatient at the big-league level in developing them. There are only a couple of rookie starters this year that have been in rotations since the start of the season. That tells you something."

 

Oakland general manager Billy Beane, the central figure in "Moneyball," is a staunch advocate of bypassing high school players and drafting from the college ranks. Of the 44 players taken this year by the A's, only five came from high school.

 

"I give Billy Beane and the A's credit," said Melvin. "They have a philosophy and they stick to it. We'll have to wait a few years to see how it all works out."

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It's good to hear that the Brewers actually read the book and have at least given it some thought. It would also appear that Melvin has undertaken research projects to help figure out an optimal draft strategy. Right or wrong, that's a good thing.

 

www.sportsline.com/mlb/te...IL/7427585

 

~Bill