Former Brewers draftees

[colbyjack]

I thought a separate thread dedicated to some of the more notable players that the Brewers have drafted but didn't sign might be appropriate, particularly since some of them are expected to make significant contributions to their teams this season.

 

It has been brought to my attention that LHP Chad Bell has left Memphis and transferred to Walters State, a JC in Tennessee, joining 3B Cody Hawn, who was originally committed to Arkansas. Both were drafted by the Brewers last year and both are eligible for the draft again this year. Don't be surprised to see either one drafted again as somewhat of a pseudo-draft-and-follow, while big things are expected for the Walters State program this spring.

 

Chase Reid, another unsigned prep player from a year ago, honored his commitment to Vanderbilt and is expected to start the year as the team's closer. Replacing the 8th overall pick from last year, Casey Weathers, will be no easy task. Unsigned OF Jonathan White is also back with Vandy, although he is expected to serve in more of a reserve role.

 

Richard Hague is going to start his college career as Rice's starting SS. I currently have Rice as my #1 college team, as Hague should be polished, poised and mature enough to handle such a role while making an early impact.

 

Stewart Ijames attended Louisville, and he too will be looked upon to make significant contributions early in his college career. He is joining fellow former Brewers draft picks Andrew Clark (who transferred from Ole Miss) and Alec Lowrey.

 

Ben Feltner and Joe Scott are back with Texas A&M and Cal State Fullerton respectively.

 

Alexander Koronis had TJ surgery and is going to miss the 2008 season for the Hurricanes.

 

Jordan Lennerton and Chris Hopkins are expected to provide a lot of veteran leadership while starting everyday at first base and centerfield respectively for the defending national champion Oregon State Beavers.

 

Other former unsigned DFEs include Matt Peck, who transferred to Oklahoma State from Cowley County, Todd Fitzgerald, now at Cal, Aaron Johnson, who continues the Canadian catcher pipeline at Illinois, and Matt Coburn, who transferred to TCU.

 

Jemile Weeks should be fully healthy to open the season at Miami, while Ryan Babineau is expecting a big year at the plate for UCLA (who opens the season ranked as BA's #1 team in the country).

 

Onto some former DFE candidates, Perfect Game Crosschecker recently ranked the top 200 juco players in the nation. Here's how they stand: #14 Aaron Tullo (St. Petersbug), #39 Chad Bell, #49 Cody Hawn, #115 Donald Jordat (Miami-Dade), #163 Mehdi Djebbar (Seminole State - OK).

 

One other notable player mentioned among some of the top teams in the country but not ranked in the top 200 include Clay Jones of Shelton State (AL).

 

Not entirely related to this conversation, since he wasn't drafted by the Brewers, but Neenah native Ben Ihde of Wabash Valley (IL) was also mentioned as one of the players expected to make significant contributions to one of the better jucos for this spring. Another former Brewers draftee with Wisconsin ties is Wes Munson, who is at UWM despite originally starting his career at Mizzou.

 

Feel free to chime in on any other former Brewers draftees that are still playing at the college/juco level.

[Mass Haas]

June 7, 2006

 

Dragons' Clark: No thanks, Brewers

New Palestine first baseman, unhappy with draft position, says he'll go to college

IndyStar news service report

 

The call came too late to interest him now but just in time to motivate him for 2009.

 

New Palestine High School senior Andrew Clark was selected by Milwaukee in the 18th round Tuesday, one of 13 players with state ties taken on the first day of the annual baseball draft.

 

"I've already talked to people and told them I'm going to go to Ole Miss for three years and see what happens," Clark said. "I'm going to prove to people I'll be a first-round pick (in 2009)."

 

Clark, a first baseman who had heard he might go as early as the third round, monitored the early rounds before spending the afternoon with friends. He said he talked to a Brewers scout soon after he was selected.

 

"He could tell I was kind of upset," Clark said. "He just told me to calm down. I'm determined to go down there (Ole Miss) and show them something."

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

So now Clark's at Louisville. Does that mean he sat out a season as a transfer and won't be eligible until 2010? Wonder if he now has second thoughts, he seemed bitter in those 2006 quotes.

[colbyjack]

In college baseball, at least up to this point in time (meaning this will change for next year) players could transfer to other programs, as long as they had the blessing from their previous coaches, without needing to sit out a year before participating. So Clark will be playing for Louisville this year.

 

And even if he did have to sit out, he would still be draft-eligible in 2009, as he technically would be a redshirt sophomore, and likely would be 21 years old within 45 days of the draft anyway.

[Gopher74]

Man, I had a feeling we were going to regret not getting the deal done with Weeks when he was an 8th rounder for us a couple years ago. He sounds like he could be a great CF prospect for us, and it certainly would seem like it might be a reason to entice Rickie to stick around?

 

Who knows, maybe he'll be around for one of our supplemental picks this year? It'd be nice to have him in our system.

[colbyjack]

Since there's no DFE process, I'm probably going to be following a few of the guys that got away from last year's draft more than usual. Cody Hawn and Chad Bell will be easy to follow since they play on the same team.

 

Both chip in early during the team's first series:

 

http://www.wscc.cc.tn.us/athletics/news/Baseball/Baseball%20News%2008/Diamond%20Senators%20Post%20Twinbill%20Sweep.htm

 

Hawn hit the game-winning HR in game one of a Saturday DH while Bell pitched very well (5.2 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 8 H, 8 K, 1 BB) starting the first game of the season for Walters State.

 

In Sunday's game Hawn went 2 for 5.

[colbyjack]

I'm going to turn this thread into somewhat of a JUCO follow thread since the lack of the DFE process has increased my interest on the JC level.

 

There's a very big tournament this weekend, the Rahal-Miller JUCO National Classic, hosted by Chipola, with Walters State, the CC of Southern Nevada and St. Petersburg taking part. These four teams are currently among the top five ranked teams in the country according to PGCC with a very nice collection of pro-level talent (15 of the top 50 juco prospects, again according to PGCC).

 

Former Brewers draftees taking part include Cody Hawn and Chad Bell of Walters State and Aaron Tullo of St. Petersburg. It will be interesting to see what these three can do playing against some of the top juco teams in the country.

[colbyjack]

Both Cody Hawn and Chad Bell are off to fine starts with Walters State.

 

Hawn is hitting .367/.435/.667 with 5 HR over 60 ABs. He has been hitting in the 2 hole all season long and is also scoring a bunch of runs (20).

 

Bell is 3-0 with a 3.28 ERA. In 24.2 IP he has allowed 27 hits, 9 BB while striking out 26.

[colbyjack]

Allan Simpson's JUCO notebook this week at PG Crosschecker has some comment about Cody Hawn, Chad Bell and the Walters State program. Specifically we find out that Bell is pitching in the 86-89 range with good command of his fastball, a good change and an improving breaking ball. The story is free for all to enjoy:

 

http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/juco/2008/notebooks/notebook_3508.aspx

[Mass Haas]

Very nice story on Jemile Weeks from ESPN and how close the Brewers were to signing him

[TooLiveBrew]

That's a great story! My favorite part...

 

 

"No doubt his entire family will be watching -- and listening.

The elderly blind man who sits in the stands next to Richard Weeks at Mark Light Stadium is the patriarch of baseball in the Weeks family. Victor Weeks, Jemile's grandfather, was an outfielder for the Negro League's Newark Eagles in the late 1940s. Last Christmas, Jemile and his brother unwrapped books on the history of the Negro League.

"He's a real inspiration to me," Jemile said. "Just having that in your background, and understanding and listening to the stories, it inspires you even more."

For more than 30 years, Jemile's grandfather has been able to see only shadows because of his severe glaucoma, but that hasn't stopped him from following every pitch."

 

 

Holy crap - sure, it's not very incredible to discover that the Weeks boys' father & grandfather were ballplayers, but this angle is completely fantastic! There's such super potential for an amazing news-piece to come out of this... please, Anthony Witardo, make a ridiculously-awesome interview/article happen!

[ILuvDaBush]

The Boones, Bells....Weekses???

[colbyjack]

Heading into the weekend, Jemile Weeks is hitting .425/.482/.849 in 73 AB. He's leading an incredibly potent Hurricanes team in batting, slugging, runs (27), hits (31), doubles (7), triples (3), homers (6), RBI (26) and total bases (62), and his 7 stolen bases (in 8 tries) are second on the team to Blake Tekotte. As a team the Hurricanes are hitting .341/.443/.580, leading Miami to a 19-2 record.

 

Yonder Alonso has heated up in recent weeks, and Dennis Raben has recently returned to the field after an injury, so Weeks may not be the team leader in so many key offensive categories for long, but he certainly is showing once again what he is capable of when healthy (that sounds familiar). He remains one of the most dynamic players available for the 2008 draft.

[clancyphile]

What pick do the Brewers have in the 2008 draft?

[lonestar]

What do you think of what Kevin Goldstein wrote at BP:

 

Another up-the-middle college player making some noise this spring is Miami second baseman Jemile Weeks, the younger brother of Rickie. After hitting six and then five home runs in his first two seasons with the Hurricanes, Weeks already has six this year, which is part of an impressive .400/.459/.765 line in 23 games, giving him more home runs and RBI than teammate Yonder Alonso. While the relation to the budding Brewer star is a good one, the two are very different players. "If you think he's going to be Rickie, you're mistaken," said one scouting director. "It's a totally different body type. Jemile is more agile, Rickie more powerful," he added, and it should be noted that the elder Weeks is listed at 215 pounds, while Jemile is a more lithe 180.

 

Another scouting director gave what basically amounted to a full scouting report. "He has a very erect set-up and his hands are very high and he doesn't really have any trigger for his swing. So he has this minimal stride and kind of dead hands--that makes me worried a bit about hitting with the heavier wood bats. Still, he might not be big, but he's strong." Like most sources spoken to, there are still major questions about Weeks defensively. "He needs a lot of work at second base," continued the scouting director. "He's such a good athlete that he plays the position and gets it down, but there's a lot to clean up there with his footwork, hands, instincts and mechanics." A plus-plus runner, teams who think Weeks can play second or maybe even give him a shot a center field could take him in the first round. Yet another scouting director summed up Weeks' upside succinctly: "If he hits, it's not going to matter where he plays."

[splitterpfj]

What pick do the Brewers have in the 2008 draft?

 

 

http://forum.brewerfan.net/viewtopic.php?t=11699

[Never Outhustled]

"He has a very erect set-up and his hands are very high and he doesn't really have any trigger for his swing. So he has this minimal stride and kind of dead hands--that makes me worried a bit about hitting with the heavier wood bats

They said the same things about Rickie in college. The Brewers added a trigger mechanism to his swing. It worked out fairly well, and I'm predicting we'll be saying extremely well by draft time. Hopefully we'll get a chance to do the same with Jemile, grabbing him either at 16 or 32.

I just hope $150 K doesn't get in the way of signing a 1st round talent this time. It really sucks they didn't get this done in 2005, he'd look nice with that AA group.

[colbyjack]

Jemile Weeks is now hitting .403/.463/.723 in 119 AB. He leads the Hurricanes powerful offense in hitting, slugging, RBI (39), total bases (86) and is tied for first in triples (3). He has 11 doubles and 7 home runs, a 13 to 18 walk to strikeout ratio and has stolen 11 bases in 12 attempts.

 

I have updated the pair of '07 draftees that are currently at Walters State in a while.

 

LHP Chad Bell is 9-1 with a 3.32 ERA. In 65 IP e has allowed 75 hits and 22 walks while striking out 64.

 

Left-handed hitting 3B Cody Hawn is hitting .421 with a .757 slugging percentage over 152 ABs. He has 12 2B, 13 HR and 50 RBI, leading the regulars for the Walters State program in hitting and RBI.

 

I've noted before that I would not be surprised one bit to see one or more of these players re-drafted by the Brewers. Hawn in particular fits an organizational need as both a third baseman and as a left-handed hitter.

[Never Outhustled]

I think Weeks has become my early favorite for #16. He would advance quickly, and allow us to move Rickie to the OF. Making room for his little brother would take the string out of asking Rickie to switch positions. Jemile just seems like such a safe pick with his character, work ethic, athletism, and outstanding production, even including some power.

[brwrsfan]

I'd be just fine taking him at #16 or #32, but it really sucks that we couldn't pony up the dough a couple years back. We'd already have him in the fold and wouldn't be using one of our better draft picks to "redraft" someone.

[TooLiveBrew]

He would advance quickly, and allow us to move Rickie to the OF.

 

Not according to that scouting report, he wouldn't:

 

"He's such a good athlete that he plays the position and gets it down, but there's a lot to clean up there with his footwork, hands, instincts and mechanics."

 

Sounds a lot like his older brother, who's still fighting an uphill battle to get to just 'average' defensively.

[Never Outhustled]

Not according to that scouting report, he wouldn't:

 

"He's such a good athlete that he plays the position and gets it down, but there's a lot to clean up there with his footwork, hands, instincts and mechanics."

 

Sounds a lot like his older brother, who's still fighting an uphill battle to get to just 'average' defensively.

True, but according to the majority, including BA and PGCC, Jemile's defense is an asset. Thats not suprising, as Jemile is much smaller and more agile than Rickie. Rickie is considered a great athlete because of his explosiveness rather than his body control.

[colbyjack]

Jemile has always been considered more of a true second baseman and leadoff man that Rickie is. I've seen Jemile numerous times over the years, and a little bit in high school, and I honestly don't think his defense will pose a problem. I've been reading more concerns about his bat, citing that while he has some pop at the college level, scouts are concerned how much he'll hit as a pro. Shorter players often draw these kinds of concerns, as Jemile was equally explosive playing for Team USA, while using a wood bat, during the summer of 2006 after his freshman year.

[tbbrewers]

Hawn in home run heaven at Walters State

Ex-South-Doyle star back after torn ACL

BY ADAM GREENE, sports@knoxnews.com

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

http://media.knoxnews.com/kns/content/img/photos/2008/05/13/051408hawn_t220.jpg

Hawn

MORRISTOWN - The Walters State baseball team has an offensive firepower that seems almost unfair. Especially because one of its top three hitters should be batting somewhere else.

Instead fate stepped in for freshman third baseman Cody Hawn, who has given the No. 2-ranked Senators (52-7) and their power-hitting recruiting class, one more weapon.

"We got him (Cody) late and he fit in perfect with the team," Walters State coach Ken Campbell said. "He started out on fire and carried us for a while. He was red hot."

Walters State plays at Young Harris College (50-11) on Friday in the opening game of the Eastern District Championship. The winner of the best-of-three series advances to the juco World Series in Grand Junction, Colo., starting May 24.

If Hawn's senior year at South-Doyle High School had gone as planned, the Tennessee Junior Community College Athletic Association Player of the Year would be at Arkansas. Instead, a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee forced Hawn to watch South-Doyle's title run from the dugout during his senior season.

"It feels so good to be back on a team and on the field," Hawn said. "I was part of the South-Doyle team, but it's no fun to sit there and watch. It doesn't compare to playing."

With the choice of redshirting as a freshman for Arkansas while his knee healed or joining the Senators and contributing, Hawn's decision was easy. He wanted to play.

"It's changed my life," said Hawn, who was drafted last June by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 23rd round with the 701st pick overall. "I've been put in a great position. I've got great hitters around me and get to see a lot of fastballs. I'm at a good spot in the lineup to produce."

Hawn has produced 20 home runs. He is one of three Senators, along with Kyle Koeneman and Dylan Pratt, ranked in the top 10 in the country. The Senators have hit 151 home runs this season and sent car insurance premiums skyrocketing on the Walters State campus.

"Everybody on the team was a 3-hole hitter in high school," Hawn said. "We've knocked a couple of windshields out this season. You don't want to park your car around our field."

Hawn hasn't looked back since joining the Senators. The playing time has paid off. He has not only fully recovered from his injury, but grown as a player.

"This was the best decision I could have made," Hawn said. "I had some struggles. The pitchers are a lot smarter, and I needed to develop a better approach at the plate. It's really helped me adjust to the mental and physical part of the college game."

Walters State's 2007 season ended in disappointment, but the Senators are just a year removed from a World Series championship.

"These kids are the same type of team we had in 2006," Campbell said. "This is what we've been working for all year. Our hitters are confident, but we're going to need to raise our game to another level."

Hawn agrees. It's difficult to miss the signs and banners touting the 2006 Senators, along with the championship rings owned by the coaching staff.

"We're all hyped up," Hawn said. "It can get kind of scary, but when you look at statistics, I think we're very similar to that 2006 team that won it all. We think we're one of the top two or three teams out there. Everyone here can change a game with one hit. I don't know if any other team has that kind of arsenal."

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/may/14/hawn-in-home-run-heaven-at-walters-state/

[colbyjack]

Thanks a lot for sharing that tbbrewers. I know the Brewers liked Hawn quite a bit a year ago (as well as Bell), and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see either one re-drafted by the team this year.

[colbyjack]

Cody Hawn has transferred to the University of Tennessee.

 

Chase Reid is going to be draft eligible as a sophomore since he turns 21 next May. He could go in the early rounds as a RHP out of Vanderbilt.