Rounds 11-15: LeClerq, Albers, Ayala, Richardson, Johnson

[950opsLHcatcher]

Peter Bergeron sucks.

 

Round 11: Lenny LeClerq, HS Shortstop, Terra Haute, IN

 

Round 12: Andrew Albers, HS LHP, 6'1, 170, North Battleford, Saskatchewan

 

Round 13: Angel Ayala, HS First Baseman, L/R 6'2" 208 1986-07-24, Vega Baja, PR

 

Round 14: Grant Richardson, College First Baseman, Richland, WA

 

Round 15: David Johnson, College RHP, Manhattan Beach, CA

[nikip43]

any big names leftover from the first 10 rounds who could be taken in this range or any guys falling bigtime due to signability whom the Brewers might take interest in? Any local boys projected to go in this range?

[panthernick]

Maybe Bergeron can teach some of todays draft picks how to hit .210 in the majors. This is the type of teacher we need in our minor league system. H*ll send Clark down there too and we will have a real one two combo

[jwaltz]

While we're at it we should sign Jeffrey Hammonds to teach them how to get injured and not live up to expectations.

[mls4]

"any big names leftover from the first 10 rounds who could be taken in this range or any guys falling bigtime due to signability whom the Brewers might take interest in? Any local boys projected to go in this range?"

 

Endl just got taken but I'm surprised I haven't seen Beranek's name yet? Is he still on the board or am I mistaken?

[jwaltz]

Is Luke Cannon still available? If so, I wonder if the Brewers will select him again?

[colbyjack]

Another Canuck, surprise surprise.

 

David, do you still think Melvin has nothing to do with the draft http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ?

[madbad2000]

Albers a recruit of the University of Kentucky

 

kykernel.com/dynakernel/story.php?id=1440

[nikip43]

Brewers are showing their canadian scouts a lot of respect...this guy (Albers) was rated the 19th best canadian prospect by Slam baseball. Their previous pitcher from Canada wasn't rated too highly either. Im hoping for the best from these two but not a lot of information on either.

[xisxisxis]

David, do you still think Melvin has nothing to do with the draft ?

 

It's that other Canadian Bastard (Gordo)! Maybe Jack's throwing the boss a bone to shut him up? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smokin.gif

[madbad2000]

Angel Ayala

 

LARGE FRAME. BIG KID, BUT GOOD OVERALL STRENGTH. WIDE BODY. STRONG FACIAL FEATURES. BROAD SHOULDERS. BARREL CHEST. SLIGHTLY CLOSED STANCE, WEIGHT ON BACK LEG, LONG STRIDE. SLIGHT UPPERCUT SWING W/STRENGTH FOR AVG PWR. AGGRESSIVE HACKS, WANTS TO HIT. BALL JUMPS OFF BAT. PULL PWR. AVG ARM STRENGTH W/ PROPER ROTATION & CARRY THROWS. PLAYED SOME GAMES IN RF THIS SEASON. ALSO HAS CATCHING & PITCHING EXPERIENCE. POTENTIAL FOR PWR.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

I say it's time to take another Anchorage kid.

 

Start a trend I say! Don't make me sing the flag song again!

 

Juan Buck: CF East Anchorage H.S.

 

COMMENT: TALL, LARGE FRAME. WELL PROPORTIONED, ATHLETIC BUILD. SUPPLE. BROAD SHOULDERS. THICK THROUGH CHEST. EXRA-LONG ARMS. BIG HANDS. STRONG LEGS. NEAR PHYSICAL MATURITY. SIMILAR TO ALBERT PUJOLS. SLIGHTLY CLOSED, UPRIGHT STANCE. SLIGHT UPPERCUT STROKE. VERY QUICK THROUGH ZONE. GOOD EXTENTION & FOLLOW THROUGH. BALL JUMPS & CARRIES OFF BAT. PLUS HR PWR POTENTIAL. POWERFUL STRIDE, 4.25-1B, 6.90-60 YD. TRACKS BALL WELL IN OUTFIELD. PHYSICALLY IMPRESSIVE. STRONG. BAT CHANCE TO BE SPECIAL. RUN PRODUCER POTENTIAL. BIG UPSIDE.

[emunney]

Strong facial features?

[gregmag]

I have to think "strong facial features" gets the prize for dumbest scouting quote thus far.

 

I can't find the "general ********" thread, so I'll just take this first opportunity after my return from six unwired days to say that I think this draft is a disaster. The HS arms will break down, or they won't develop. Taking HS pitchers with high draft picks is like gambling without any information, when you have the alternative of gambling with lots of information. To me, this draft says "the team is for sale, we really don't think we're going to contend in three years, so let's just forget about trying to get better." I love Jack Z, and I'll be rooting for these guys, but my optimism about the Brewers' future has just been cut in half.

 

Of course, I could just be in a bad mood because I've had to look at Ronald Reagan in a cowboy hat all day, grinning smugly from every airport newsstand kiosk from here to Columbus. But whatever. I'm in a serious bad mood, and this draft is still around to blame for it.

 

Greg.

[bjkrautk]

No Baseball America information on LeClerq.

 

Pick # 12: no profile; listed as 17th best player in Canada.

 

Pick # 13: no info.

 

Pick # 14:

Quote:

---

1B Grant Richardson led the Cougars in homers (12) and RBIs (63), and should be a fringe draft.

---

 

Pick # 15: no info.

 

Not exactly what you're looking to hear about mid-round picks.

[Vgmastr]

Richardson's profile:

 

wsucougars.collegesports.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/richardson_grant00.html

[batman]

Strong facial features?

 

He's got the good face. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/laugh.gif

 

It's funny because it's true.

 

~Bill

[nikip43]

for some reason I thought they read of Grant Richardson as a pitcher...as a first baseman I don't see much hope for him but maybe he's got an arm that the Crew will try and develop. Either that or they misread it on the broadcast or I misheard it.

 

Last few rounds have been kind of iffy after a really solid start to the draft and close with the 10th rounder

[SoCalBrewfan]

Well, 14 is a fringe draft...they're into the DFE and roster guys now. Presumably he'll sign and anchor the batting order for Helena...but he'll have to hit his way up the ladder. As of today, they all have a chance to succeed.

[emunney]

I'm just wondering how much falls into baseball scouting. How ridiculous can it get? I'm hoping for "FAST KNUCKLES" or "UNDENIABLY MAJOR LEAGUE QUALITY FINGER NAILS" or "EARLOBES EVOKE COMPARISON TO RANDY JOHNSON".

[colbyjack]

I can't find the "general ********" thread, so I'll just take this first opportunity after my return from six unwired days to say that I think this draft is a disaster. The HS arms will break down, or they won't develop. Taking HS pitchers with high draft picks is like gambling without any information, when you have the alternative of gambling with lots of information. To me, this draft says "the team is for sale, we really don't think we're going to contend in three years, so let's just forget about trying to get better." I love Jack Z, and I'll be rooting for these guys, but my optimism about the Brewers' future has just been cut in half.

 

I know you mentioned that you're in a bad mood greg, but your stance is rather extreme. While HS pitchers are risky, it's a big leap to just say that they won't ever develop and that the Brewers are basically rolling over because the team is for sale.

 

Last few rounds have been kind of iffy after a really solid start to the draft and close with the 10th rounder.

 

That happens every year because we just don't know much about these guys. Plus, most MLB talent is taken in the top 10 rounds. A few of these guys will be DFE candidates, while a few others likely are organizational soldier types. Nice to see a couple of powerful bats added in Richardson & Ayala, who might be the perfect players for High Desert, although I doubt the Brewers will be affiliated with HD long enough for us to find out.

[MassBrew]

On SS Lenny Leclercq, who has a baseball commitment to Indiana University as a fallback:

This from tribstar.com...

 

Swinging and sprinting away

West Vigo's Lenny Leclercq

Two-sport star finds dual way to showcase speed, athleticism

By Andy Amey/Tribune-Star

May 20, 2004

 

Lenny Leclercq remembers it as a quest for discovery.

 

Steve DeGroote recalls it as a bid for credibility.

 

Bill Petscher doesn't care. He's just happy the idea was born that Leclercq -- West Vigo High School's potential all-state shortstop -- also try his hand at running track this spring.

 

"Last year, after a baseball game, we went over and watched a track meet," Leclercq said recently, "and Coach DeGroote said he would like to see how I'd do [against the sprinters in that meet]. This year I took [the suggestion] more serious."

 

DeGroote was just happy to have another stopwatch record his shortstop's sprinting ability, the Viking baseball coach said.

 

"I'd been telling the scouts how fast [Leclercq] was," he noted, "but they had a hard time believing it."

 

So this week Leclercq's schedule has included baseball games against Class 3A's top-ranked Sullivan Golden Arrows for the Western Indiana Conference championship, then the boys track sectional today at Terre Haute North.

 

He was a key player in the baseball games, as befitting a player who has already agreed to a scholarship to play for Indiana University (unless a major league draft selection is more promising).

 

Perhaps the surprising part is that he'll also be a key player in the track sectional, a threat to win in the sprints and long jump despite having zero experience in the sport prior to this spring.

 

"I figured I'd do all right [in track]," said Leclercq, "but I didn't figure to have some of the top times in the Wabash Valley."

 

"Due to his abilities, [Leclercq and DeGroote] thought [track] would be a good thing to try," said track coach Petscher, "and obviously the decision proved to be a good one."

 

Leclercq won the long jump and the 100-meter dash and anchored a winning 400-meter relay team for the Vikings in last week's Western Indiana Conference meet, for example. He has the West Vigo school record in the 100, and he and his teammates set a school and conference record in last week's relay.

 

Not bad for an athlete who has basically been a once-a-week track participant.

 

Leclercq is usually available for track meets on Thursdays. Other afternoons he practices or competes with the baseball team.

 

"He comes in in the mornings [before school] and works on exchanges and in the [starting] blocks," Petscher explained. Long jump practice usually comes on the Thursday's prior to the meets, assistant track coach Jeff Bond added.

 

"He's more than fulfilled expectations," Petscher added.

 

"It's fun; I like running," said Leclercq. "It makes me in better shape ... and it could get me a better jump on the basepaths."

 

"It's been fun, and he's enjoyed it," said DeGroote. "I think we can work around things like [occasional track meets], and it's been good for him.

 

"It's kind of a cross-training thing," the baseball coach continued. "Those guys [Petscher and Bond] know how to teach proper [running] technique. It's definitely improved his running speed."

 

Viking baseball opponents probably figured Leclercq was fast enough already. He went into last weekend batting .611, as of Tuesday he had 11 homers and a school-record 50 RBI, and he's also a strong-armed defensive standout.

 

None of this surprises DeGroote, for the same reason the baseball coach isn't surprised by Leclercq's early-bird track practice.

 

"He's one that does beat me [to school] several times," said DeGroote, who opens the gym and his batting cages at 6 a.m. daily. "I'll open the door, but you're the one who has to step in and do something."

 

FIRE TO FIRST: West Vigo shortstop Lenny Leclercq fields a ball and fires to first base for the out during Wednesday's game against Sullivan. The Vikes won 3-2. (Tribune-Star/Bob Poynter)

 

http://www.tribstar.com/content/articles/2004/05/20/sports/sports01.jpg

[MassBrew]

More on Leclercq:

 

His plans to attend Indiana University probably won't change even if he'd be drafted this spring, he added. "I'll probably still go to college [if drafted] ... unless there's [an offer] that's real awesome."

 

Viking's Leclercq goes to bat for Indiana

By Andy Amey/Tribune-Star

November 19, 2003

 

West Vigo shortstop Lenny Leclercq made sure he got to the mailbox on time Tuesday morning, because he had an important letter to send.

 

The Viking senior mailed his national letter of intent to Indiana University, where he'll join the Hoosiers for the 2005 season.

 

Leclercq, who was also recruited by Indiana State and the University of Iowa, said the Indiana coaches have a simple expectation of him.

 

"They want me to come in and grab the bull by the horns, take advantage of the situation I've got," Leclercq said. "Their shortstop now is a senior, and he got drafted [by a major league team] last year [without signing]."

 

The opening in the infield is an opportunity for Leclercq. "There's a chance," he said, that he could be a starter for IU as a freshman.

 

Following in the footsteps of the current Indiana shortstop in the other way is something that he would like to do too, Leclercq added.

 

His coach doesn't disregard that possibility at all.

 

"You take his size [6-foot-2, 170 pounds], and you add his God-given abilities of tremendous speed and quickness of his hands and feet, plus his power and his arm strength," Steve DeGroote said Tuesday, "and I don't think people can even daydream about what he can accomplish."

 

DeGroote has called Leclercq the fastest Viking baseball player ever, in fact. The shortstop said Tuesday he's been clocked at 6.5 seconds for 60 yards and at 3.8 or 3.9 seconds from home to first base -- eye-opening numbers for major league scouts -- and his other tools have earned him all-Vigo County and all-Western Indiana Conference awards in the past two seasons.

 

"It would be nice to get drafted [by the major leagues]," Leclercq agreed Tuesday, "but at least I'll know I tried."

 

His plans to attend Indiana University probably won't change even if he'd be drafted this spring, he added. "I'll probably still go to college [if drafted] ... unless there's [an offer] that's real awesome."

 

Leclercq's work ethic will determine how far he can go, DeGroote said, and that's another point in his favor.

 

"He's worked hard [to get] where he's at," the coach said. "All those early mornings have paid off."

 

In the meantime, however, there's still a West Vigo season to play, and Leclercq's thoughts on that are simple.

 

"Win a state championship," he said emphatically. Asked about individual goals, he continued, "I just want the [state-championship] ring. If I break a record or something, I break a record -- but I'm not going to try [to do that]."

 

DeGroote is happy to contemplate what his shortstop can accomplish.

 

"I look forward to this year," the coach said, "and years to come."

[gregmag]

Yes, Patrick, you're right -- I have very extreme views about this draft. I respect and appreciate that you and lots of other very smart and knowledgeable people have defended the practice of using high draft picks on HS pitchers. I don't intend disrespect toward anyone with that point of view, but I really, strongly, completely disagree with it. Having that opinion, when I look at a draft chock full of premium college arms and see my team focusing on HS pitching in the early rounds, I can't help but conclude that they're throwing away the best resource they have. When I consider the financial situation of the team, what already look to me like bad choices take on an aura of surrender.

 

I'm still waiting for a high school pitcher drafted by the Brewers to help the team. I'm not saying it's a low-percentage strategy -- I'm saying, based on this organization's longtime experience, that it's flushing high draft choices down the toilet. Two highly regarded HS arms in the first two rounds . . . wow, will we end up with Henderson and Hill, or Gold and Neugebauer? I know Jack Z is a genius, but his rep is a lot more about the position prospects he's found than the arms.

 

So yeah, I'm in a crap mood to begin with, but my belief that this draft is a train wreck isn't a fit of pique; it's a strong conviction. I'm not in this to get to say I told you so; I hope I'm wrong about the results, and if I am then I must be wrong about the organization's mindset, and I'll happily take my whacks from anyone who wants to say they told me so.

 

BTW, thanks for leading the charge to provide us all with so much info and insight up to and through this draft.

 

Greg.

[colbyjack]

Greg, I too have concerns about taking 2 prep pitchers with our first two picks. But your initial comments about the Brewers basically throwing away their picks as if they had nothing to lose was on the opposite side of the spectrum of pencilling in Rogers & Gallardo as our #1 & #2 starters in 2008. I tried to shy away from pumping up Sowers too much as the spring wore on, as he still remained my hopeful favorite for our #5 pick, and really is the exact opposite of Mark Rogers. Heck, I even suggested that the Brewers should reach for a player with their first-rounder given the notion that the draft wasn't exactly stacked with quality players. The player I had in mind all along was Blake DeWitt, and I think the Dodgers got a steal by nabbing him late in the first round.

 

Such is the drama of the draft. I suppose I have cooled since getting upset with picks like Mike Jones & Prince Fielder (I may have been right about Jones, another prep pitcher, and I obviously was wrong about Fielder, although I always recognized his potential at the plate).

 

And while I like Josh Baker, I'm bummed that the Indians picked up Chuck Lofgren in the 4th round right after our pick. I'm not sure why he fell so far, maybe there are signability issues, but I truly believe that Lofgren could be a special hitter as a pro.