colbyjack

BA's college early draft preview is up on their homepage today. All of the college-related features are subscriber based, but here's a nice picture of Andrew Miller: http://www.baseballamerica.com/images2005/amiller450350mw.jpg

I'm going to breakdown a pair of pitchers next, since they are scheduled to duel one another Friday night as Long Beach State hosts USC in a home-away-home series. Those two pitchers are righties Jared Hughes and Ian Kennedy. For those of you with interest in college baseball, and/or those itching to listen to baseball any way you can get it, Long Beach State broadcasts many of their games for free. Follow this link (gametime Friday is 8:30 CST, and Mac users will be happy to know that the radio broadcast uses Quicktime, not some stupid archaic Windows-only program http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ): www.longbeachstate.com/gen/thisweek.html I forgot to mention that the matchup is even more intriguing, as it is a non-conference, cross-town rivalry that features two preseason top-25 teams according to Baseball America (USC-17, LBSU-22). ____________________________________________________________ Jared Hughes-RHP-Long Beach State Freshman Year, UC Santa Clara, 2004: 0-1, 4.79 ERA, 20.2 IP, 21 H, 12 K, 13 BB Sophomore Year, Long Beach State, 2005: 8-3, 2.83 ERA, 15 games (14 starts), 89 IP, 67 H, 87 K, 23 BB Summer of 2005, Cape Cod League: 7-0, 1.62 ERA, 8 games (7 starts), 50 IP, 37 H, 54 K, 11 BB Cumulative Statistics: 15-4, 2.71 ERA, 23* games/21* starts, 159.2 IP, 125 H, 153 K, 47 BB * Did not have full statistics from freshman season at UC Santa Clara. I'm also not sure where (and if) he played during the summer of 2004. Hughes was extremely well known coming out of high school, and was projected as an early first-round pick entering the spring of 2003. His status as a prospect slipped a little bit that year, but was still considered a late-first or early-second-round pick. However, rumors of lofty bonus aspirations caused him to fall to the 16th round. In high school Hughes received those high marks with his initimidating frame at 6'7", 230 pounds, and equally intimidating stuff. He threw in the mid-90s, touching a little higher than that on occasion, with a wicked slider. His stuff isn't quite the same now, but he stills lives in the low-90s, but he has learned how to pitch in that time. As shown by his statistics above, he limits baserunners, via hits and walks, and he has struck out nearly one batter an inning during his college career. He shows that he knows how to pitch, and his style will likely transfer well to the professional level. He tends to work outside early in the count, trying to see just where the umpire's outside corner is. When he finds it, and he starts to induce some clumsy swing, he'll come inside to jam hitters and break a lot of bats, which makes his low-90s fastball look a lot faster. His fastball also has good movement on it, which induces a lot of groundballs, and he pitches like a prototypical sinker/slider pitcher working down and out predominantly. Hughes was a starter for the Cape Cod League All-Star Game last summer, and he was named the Cape's 18th best prospect according to Baseball America. Jack Zduriencik was rumored to be scouting Hughes pretty hard in high school, and you can be sure he hasn't forgotten about him. Ian Kennedy-RHP-USC Freshman Year, USC, 2004: 7-2, 2.91 ERA, 16 games (15 starts), 92.2 IP, 86 H, 120 K, 31 BB Summer of 2004, Team USA: 3.81 ERA, 26 IP, 40 K Sophomore Year, USC, 2005: 12-3, 2.54 ERA, 18 games (17 starts), 117 IP, 85 H, 158 K, 38 BB Summer of 2005, Team USA: 4-1, 2.89 ERA, 5 games (all starts), 28 IP, 11 H, 35 K, 10 BB Cumulative Statistics: 23*-6*, 2.83 ERA, 39* games/37* starts, 263.2 IP, 182* H, 353 K, 79 BB * Represents incomplete statistics since I could not find full line from his 2004 TUSA stint, although keep in mind ERA, innings pitched and strikeouts are complete. Just look at Kennedy's stats and you'll walk away impressed. He strikes out more than 12 batters on average per 9 innings pitched, throughout his entire collegiate career. He became USC's staff ace as soon as he stepped on campus. Like Hughes, Kennedy was a well-known commodity coming out of high school, but an injury and smallish stature (along with rumored advisement by Scott Boras) caused him to fall. He was teammates, and good friends, with Ian Stewart in high school. While Kennedy doesn't have the greatest size at 6'1", 195 pounds, nor stuff (he usually works in the low-90s), he has a very good curveball, a pretty good changeup and he commands the strike zone extremely well. His best asset is his aggressiveness, as he constantly is on the attack, which leads to his high strikeout totals. He has a compact delivery, and his pitching style is similar to the Brewers' Ben Sheets. Kennedy is poised for a huge season at USC, since he already has had two very good years both at USC and for Team USA. His name & number have already been retired, and he's already labeled the next great USC ace, following in the footsteps of big-league pitchers like Mark Prior and Barry Zito. If he doesn't scare teams away with his rumored Scott Boras affiliation and stays healthy, Kennedy should be taken very very early in the draft this June.

colbyjack, can you update us specifically as to what Smith is all about? Thanks. Since you asked nicely, I provide you with Tim Smith's snippet from my DFE story, which is just a few profiles away from being ready for the homepage: 1. Timothy Smith (17-draft round), RF (Midland College, TX) Smith is a powerfully built outfield prospect at 6?2?, 225 pounds from Toronto. He set the single season batting average record at Midland College during his freshman year (.468) as well as the single-season mark for on-base percentage (.553). Smith, a left-handed hitter, has proven to hit for power with a wood bat, as Canadian prep players don?t use aluminum bats. He was a 21st round draft pick by the New York Mets coming out of high school in 2004, and was a member of the Team Canada Junior National Team for two years. Given how high the Brewers drafted Smith it is likely he will be in the organization by June with another good year at the plate. I heard from a Mets fan that Smith not signing had more to do with visa issues than lack of talent, and I'm guessing that's why he isn't already in the Brewers system. The Brewers have shown that they're likely to sign the DFE candidates drafted early (Lorenzo Cain, Darren Ford, Joel Rivera, Justin Barnes, Dana Eveland & Adam Mannon being the notable examples), which means that it's likely Smith and even Zach Braddock, in my mind the most talented of all of the Brewers' DFE candidates, are good bets to be in the organization come June. By the way, I just picked up a book entitled "The Northern Game-Baseball the Canadian Way," by Bob Elliott, the writer of the story shown in the link Mass Haas provided. It's two books away from being read, but I wanted to read it with particular interest in Team Canada.

Blair Erickson-RHP-UC Irvine Freshman Year, UC Irvine, 2004: 1-3, 4.10 ERA, 30 appearances (all in relief), 17 saves, 37.1 IP, 16 H, 52 K, 22 BB Sophomore Year, UC Irvine, 2005: 1-2, 1.80 ERA, 28 appearances (all in relief), 10 saves, 35 IP, 16 H, 52 K, 22 BB Cumulative Statistics: 2-5, 2.99 ERA, 58 appearances (all in relief), 27 saves, 72.1 IP, 49 H, 103 K, 43 BB Erickson also pitched for Team USA during the summer of 2004, but those statistics were not available. Despite trying out for TUSA for the summer of 2005, he did not make the team, and I could not find where he played last summer, if anywhere. Just look at Erickson's cumulative statistics and you can see his dominance. The walks need to come down, but the hits allowed and the strikeouts/inning ratios are very impressive. While he opened most observers' eyes after recording 17 saves as a freshman, he posted much better ratios as a sophomore despite saving only 10 games, still a lofty total for a college closer. And that is how Erickson profiles at the next level. There are no plans to move him to the starting rotation, at UC Irvine for his junior year or upon his arrival to professional baseball as he readily admits he has problems pacing himself. With a stocky and strong 6'1", 210 pound frame, fastballs explode out of Erickson's fluid delivery. His fastball is consistently clocked in the low-90s, touching the mid-90s with nasty, late movement. His low-80s slider makes him virtually unhittable. Erickson stands to be the next college closer poised to rise to first-round considerations, following a growing trend of such players that includes Chad Cordero, Huston Street and Craig Hansen. Like those three pitchers, Erickson just might find himself pitching out of a big-league rotation come September of this y[/i]

Let's get back to the player profiles... Ryan Zink-RHP-UIC Freshman Year, UIC, 2004: 9-3, 3 saves, 2.07 ERA, 19 games (11 starts), 95.2 IP, 76 H, 92 K, 15 BB Summer of 2004, Northwoods League: 4-5, 2.03 ERA, 75 IP, 49 H, 75 K, 14 BB Sophomore Year, UIC, 2005: 8-6, 3 saves, 3.78 ERA, 22 games (16 starts), 119 IP, 129 H, 74 K, 32 BB Summer of 2005: Did not play Cumulative Statistics: 21-14, 6 saves, 2.77 ERA, 41 games* (27 starts*), 289.2 IP, 254 H, 241 K, 61 BB * Represents incomplete statistics since full stats from summer league were not available Ryan Zink may be a familiar name, as a Madison native and former 47th round draft pick of the Brewers from the 2003 draft. He was rated the best Wisconsin draft-eligible prospect that year, and the Gatorade High School Player of the Year for Wisconsin. As you can tell by his stats, he didn't miss a beat when stepping on UIC's (Illinois-Chicago) campus. His stats weren't as dominant during his sophomore season, but we worked a lot of innings, not only serving as the staff ace, but also working on short days rest and making several relief appearances. He looked extremely good during his time spent with the Madison Mallards during the summer of 2004 in the Northwoods League, in which he was named the league's #3 prospect according to Baseball America. That ranking put him behind Lance Broadway, a RHP from TCU that was a first-round pick last June, and Max Scherzer, who currently is my 2nd-best draft-eligible prospect for this June. Zink has a large frame that is expected to carry the burden of a heavy workload at 6'5", 225 pounds. Despite that frame he's not a flamethrower, as he works in the 88-90 range with his fastball touching 92. His slider is a strikeout pitch, and he also commands a changeup pretty well. He's at his best changing speeds with all three pitches, working up, down, inside & out of the strike zone. He has shown an uncanny ability to pitch since high school, and has continue that pitching savvy during his first two years at UIC. Given his lack of ideal stuff, he's not ranked high amongst his peers by Baseball America, but with another big spring, one that mirrors his freshman season more than his sophomore campaign, he could easily be a top 3 round selection.

I have Kiker currently ranked 30th overall, so he's a first-rounder in my mind. That's not saying Cory isn't, especially if he carries his 97 mph fastball over into the spring, not to mention his killer curveball. I mentioned on another thread that I tried to find a way to get Rasmus in the top 30, and noted that he likely will be rated there at some point this spring (probably sooner than later). Given your board name, I'm guessing you know all about both of them http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . And if you haven't seen it, check out my interview with Tony Rasmus, Colby & Cory's father and their high school head coach, at Perfect Game: www.perfectgame.org/2005/...rasmus.cfm

I have Marrero ranked #9 overall, and BA has him ranked as their 2nd or 3rd best prep player, so as of right now he would seem to be a good bet to go in the top 10-15 picks.

I'm pretty sure there are no videos with those players. None of them participated at the WWBA to my knowledge, at least not as pitchers, and none of them went to the World Showcase earlier this month. There will probably be videos of them as the spring progresses. Try to get your hands on a tape of the Aflac game to see all of those guys pitch. I would suggest contacting Fox Sports Net since they're the ones that covered the event, or even try contacting someone from the Aflac All-American Classic (check their website for contact information). If you talk to the right person they often will send you a tape for $20 or so (I've done this before with other events).

I want to preface my response by saying I'm not a pitching coach, and I don't claim to know anything that would lead to a pitcher cleaning up his delivery, such as lowering their arm angle or using more hip rotation, etc. I do look for fluidity, and I like a pitcher that can repeat their delivery with ease. Brett Anderson is the most fluid prep pitcher available, and he also shows the most pitching savvy. I have a hard time believing that he won't be successful at the next level. Dellin Betances is surprisingly smooth on the mound, despite a 6'9" frame. I typically shy away from extremely tall pitchers, since there is so much body for them to control. You just don't see too many super-tall pitchers succeed, although everyone seems to think the taller the better. Betances' delivery did not give me one ounce of concern. Walden's is pretty compact, and he has a very athletic build. Latos has long limbs, and somewhat of an exaggerated delivery. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that, but again, his style of pitching doesn't catch my eye as much as others. Jason Stoffel like Walden has a compact, no-nonsense windup and throwing motion. While the ball explodes out of Drabek's hand, his delivery is a little on the violent, max effort side, and he looks as though he overthrows a little bit. I've commented on this before, with the mention that being the son of a former Cy Young Award winner I'm sure his pop would tell him if he was doing something wrong, so I'm not going to worry about his delivery too much. Colton Willems and Chris Tillman both control their tall, rangy bodies pretty well. Kasey Kiker throws a little too much over the top for my tastes, but his delivery does resemble Ben Sheets' somewhat, although as a left-hander. Have you checked out BaseballWebTV.com yet? Right now there is a short video clip of Walden from the Aflac game off of the homepage (towards the bottom, on the right, the one talking about recruiting classes): www.baseballwebtv.com/ Also, have you read my draft assessment story? I know with Logan White you have confidence that he'll be able to draft and ultimately develop a pretty good prep arm, but with such a high pick (and we Brewers fans speak from experience) I would tend to look somewhere else. If you want to know who I would take at #7 overall, it wouldn't be a prep pitcher, but if it were it would probably be Anderson followed by Drabek, Betances and Walden, not necessarily in that order. I know I have Anderson ranked the lowest of the four, as he doesn't have as high of a ceiling as the other three pitchers, but in my mind he's the best bet of making a difference as a pro.

BA has released their early draft preview, starting with the high school prospects. The info is a little hidden at this point in time, but if you access their homepage and then click on high school on the left panel you can see their coverage: www.baseballamerica.com/t...index.html The top 100 prospect list and the top tools rankings are for subscribers only, but you can check out a look back on the '03 draft as well as a feature on slugging outfielder Cody Johnson: www.baseballamerica.com/t...sof03.html www.baseballamerica.com/t...hnson.html Cody Johnson http://www.baseballamerica.com/images2005/cjohnson450350di.jpg

BA did award Jordan Walden with their pitching prospet of the year award at the Aflac awards banquet, so they're going to stick by their guns with him as much as they can. That doesn't mean he's not deserving of a higher ranking. Cody Johnson's power is going to be hard to pass on. BA did note in the story (which I didn't see until you pointed it out, their early draft coverage is hidden a little bit under the high school section, but I'll start a new thread to point that out) that Johnson's 2nd half summer slide hurt his rating a little bit, but I know Perfect Game still ranks Johnson very high. There were quite a few players who didn't perform the best over the summer, as Walden and Latos tailed off as well (and Chris Parmelee didn't hit much last summer, before exploding at the WWBA tourney). My guess is that Johnson bounces back this spring and re-establishes himself towards the top. Keep in mind that BA's (and my) rankings should only be used as a reference. Just because they have Johnson slipping doesn't mean that he actually is in the eyes of scouting directors.

Welcome GagneCy03. Walden vs. Latos is a hard call right now. There stuff is practically equal. I personally like Walden better because I like his body type better, although there is nothing wrong with Latos' frame. Last summer I'm pretty sure they both touched 97 and they both flashed an impressive curveball. Right now, you can't say one has better stuff than the other. Colton Willems' stock could definitely rise. He hit 94 in the Aflac game (the scoreboard clock registered 96 for Willems, but that gun was very erratic), and showed a very impressive curveball. He's a nice, grounded young man as well, which always is a plus to me. I saw at other events last summer he was in the 95-96 range.

I think Stubbs is going to need a couple of years in the minors, at least one more than the guys I have already listed. While he has a very good tool set, his plate disciplined is still pretty raw, and I'm guessing there will be an adjustment period needed.

The college baseball season starts today, with just a couple of games ticketed for the weekend. Check out BA's college weekend preview: www.baseballamerica.com/t...eview.html EDIT: I want to point out that Jemile Weeks started his collegiate career by going 2-3 with a run, a double and a HBP in his collegiate debut versus Florida International. Jon Jay, whom I recently profiled, went 2-2 with a walk, a HBP and a grand slam. I'm telling you, watch Jay this year...

No position player is going to have a Ryan Zimmerman climb, that much I can say for certain, although while I thought Zimmerman would move fast, I didn't think he would move that fast. College closers always move the quickest, as shown by the ascent of Chad Cordero, Ryan Wagner, Huston Street, Joey Devine & Craig Hansen. Blair Erickson (UC Irvine), Brandon Morrow (Cal), Mark Melancon (Arizona) & Chris Perez (Miami) represent the best college closers, although Morrow & Melancon are going to be used as starters this spring. My money is on Erickson to move the quickest, and he might just see the big leagues towards the end of the '06 season. For the starters, Ian Kennedy is my pick to move the quickest, although it will depend on when he signs. His game and style of pitching is about as big-league ready as you're going to find. Texas' Kyle McCulloch should also move fast for the same reasons. Colin Curtis will probably move faster than any other college hitter, but similar to Kennedy, another rumored Boras advisee, it depends on when he signs. Jon Jay and Wes Hodges could also move quickly. Matt LaPorta may slug his way to the big-leagues fairly quickly a la Mark Teixeira & Pat Burrell. For the prep players, Blazer and I both seem to agree that LHP Brett Anderson is the best pure pitcher, which would allow him to move fast. RHPs Dellin Betances and Jason Stoffel also know how to pitch on top of having very good stuff. Chris Parmelee is the best bet to move fast among the prep hitters.

Sorry Brett, nothing to share above and beyond what I have already on Longoria. I tend to get more news on the prep players. I can tell you that he was the MVP of the Cape League by hitting .299/.331/.500 with 16 extra-base hits. That alone is mighty impressive, and for me speaks louder than his lack of ideal plate discipline at this point in time. Without looking at the numbers, Troy Tulowitzki wasn't the most disciplined hitter either IIRC. Longoria is poised for a big year, much like Tulo was a year ago.

What do they mean by having a soft body? Injury prone? And if he has a strong arm, wouldn't 1st base negate that skill? DHonks explained it well, and really, if the player has shown that he can handle the position it really doesn't matter what their body type is. But scouts are trying to project what the future has in store for players. Keep in mind, when you say "they" you mean me, since I wrote the report. When I saw Sapp I couldn't help but marvel at his bat, but he doesn't have the perfect body type. When I talked to scouts in the stands they said basically the same thing, something along the lines of "I wish he were more athletic." But really nothing right now is forcing him to move elsewhere. His body is just more mature than most high schoolers, and some worry that if he continues to "mature" he may just grow right out of the position. You can kind of see his body type in the picture that I provided of him that I took at the Aflac game: http://www.brewerfan.net/images/playerpix/amateur/max_sapp.jpg And he had an outstanding defensive performance at the WWBA tourney that opened quite a few eyes and likely dispelled a few concerns that he would have to move to another position. His bat is legit, and he is one of my faves for this year's draft (which you can tell by my rankings, as most people don't project him to be a first-round pick at this point in time). As for his arm strength relative to 1B, there's nothing wrong with having a strong arm at the position. While you would rather have that arm at 3B or RF for instance, Sapp probably doesn't have the lateral quickness nor the footspeed to play at either one of those positions. Just my humble opinion, but if he can't stick at catcher, he's likely a first baseman, and he may hit enough to justify that move (a la Daric Barton).

I agree with almost everything Blazer said. This year's draft will likely reflect the 2004 draft, a year in which 19 pitchers were taken in the first round and where two Boras advisees drastically effected the players taken at the very top (Weaver & Drew). Max Scherzer and Ian Kennedy in my mind are the 2nd and 3rd best prospects, just behind Andrew Miller, and both are advised by Scott Boras. I just read recently that Daniel Bard, the 4th best college arm, is also advised by Boras, but I need to confirm that. As we well know that affiliation more than likely will effect the draft order once again. And similar to the high school players, there is uncertainty with the college players as well. Baseball America recently ranked Drew Stubbs ahead of Andrew Miller, which I found somewhat surprising, but it shows you that not all scouting directors are sold on Miller (or Stubbs), and I will point out that both have their flaws despite offering the most exciting collection of tools of any two draft-eligible players. Blazer's best point was the uncertainty about the prep pitchers. Jordan Walden and Matt Latos are typically ranked as the top prep players, but when I saw Kyle Drabek, Dellin Betances and Brett Anderson, I liked the way each pitched a lot better than Walden & Latos, and you didn't lose that much in regards to stuff (Drabek's stuff was better). I will admit that Walden and Latos weren't at their best the days I saw them, based on the comments from the others around me, but I'm sure their performances left the same impression on others as it did me. Where I differ from Blazer's comments about taking more pitchers, deemed as more "safe" picks because they throw 94-95, I do the opposite. I start looking for the player that pitches or hits the best in a weak group, not necessarily the one that throws the hardest in a weak group. I know that is not necessarily his philosophy, just noting how teams historically have handled their picks in this fashion (like in 2004) and how I find flaws in that logic. While the draft at this point in time definitely misses that clear-cut #1 position prospect, as last year's draft had three (Upton, Gordon & Maybin), I will say that I think Matt LaPorta could be this year's version of Pat Burrell, who was considered a no-brainer #1 overall pick in 1998. The Royals have already said that they intend to take a pitcher with the first overall pick, although things can and most certainly will change between now & June.

I've always liked Francoeur, as he was one of my faves leading up to the '02 draft. He had a heavy commitment to play both football & baseball and Clemson, and was considered a tough sign so I didn't make more of a fuss about him. To me, he's one of those guys whose athleticism is going to make up for any deficiency, meaning, he'll hit even though his plate discipline is far less than ideal, which we saw last year and throughout his minor league career. But we saw that he overcame that deficiency with some pretty impressive numbers, and I don't think it's a fluke since that is how I have felt about him for several years now. I just think he's the next star for the Atlanta Braves that will characterize that organization much like Chipper Jones has over the last decade. It is a tough class to pick from though, as I realize I'm probably in the minority picking Francoeur over some of those other guys. Upton, Fielder and Hermida are all going to be more patient run producers, while Kazmir will only continue to improve upon his dominating rookie season. I guess that shows you just how good I think Francoeur will become.

Why is there no "Pick of the 2002" or "2001" draft? At least there it gives us a good sample size. I'll bite...going back 4 more years: 2004: Stephen Drew (other candidates include Justin Verlander, Jeremy Sowers & Thomas Diamond) 2003: Delmon Young (other candidates include Rickie Weeks, Lastings Milledge, Conor Jackson, Chad Billingsley, Chad Cordero, Brandon Wood and Jarrod Saltalamacchia) 2002: Jeff Francoeur (other candidates include B.J. Upton, Adam Loewen, Zach Greinke, Prince Fielder, Jeremy Hermida, Khalil Greene, Scott Kazmir, Nick Swisher & Joe Blanton) 2001: David Wright (other candidates include Joe Mauer, Mark Prior, Mark Teixeira, Bobby Crosby, Jeremy Bonderman, Noah Lowry and J.J. Hardy)

Thanks for the feedback frog. I want to point out a snippet from the story that relate to your comments: As you can see, of all of the draftees taken out of the high school ranks, there was a 52.6% chance that they would never have even a marginal impact at the big-league level while they had a 34.3% chance of being productive, long-term big-leaguers. The college draftees only had a 43.2% of burning out and a 39.4% of succeeding long-term. Even if the percentage of succeeding between the high-school players and the college players is relatively close, the percentage between burning out and succeeding is significantly less for a college draftee. I do think the high flameout risk is something to consider when evaluating what players to take. I firmly believe that the best teams with the best talent from top to bottom recognize how to use that talent most effectively. A player that flames out quickly has almost zero value to a team. A player that maxes out as a "4" may have some perceived value to a team, particularly when it comes to trades. While their eventual value isn't as great, they may be able to garner the team a player of even greater value, something a player whose career doesn't last past the low-A level does not have. And while a 5 by definition helps the Major League team more than a 4, your criteria says that these players are interchangeable. So again, I think these players are easy enough to find that you don't need to worry about drafting them in the firs No, you don't need to worry about drafting these kinds of players, but teams don't view it this way. No one drafts a player thinking they can get a reserve player, and one point I should have stressed more was the importance of developing Major-Leaguers, no matter what their impact is at the big-league level. Being able to develop your own bench at times is just as important as developing players deemed to have more impact. You hope you get more from a first-rounder, but it's better to get a short-term reserve than a player that never sniffs the big-leagues. I would argue that your analysis shows that college picks are less likely to flame out at the lower levels, but not necessarily more likely to make an impact on a Major League team. And I think helping the Major League team is what ultimately counts. I agree 100%, but again, a player that flames out quickly isn't very likely to bring your organization any value, either by himself or any other way, such as in a trade. A player that does continue to have success in the upper levels of the minor leagues may just bring something bigger and better to the organization, and I would imagine that the teams that prefer to draft college players are taking this into consideration as well. I also noted that in the story as soon as you start living by these ratios you're going to pass up players like Jeter, Chipper Jones, Arod, etc., so you still need to analyze each player indiividually, which is something I have strongly believed for quite some time. The only 2B to be drafted in the first round in the 90s was Todd Walker. Two notable 2B were drafted in the first rounds of this decade already: Chase Utley and Rickie Weeks. Utley has already proven his value, while Weeks seems poised to do the same. I had a separate paragraph in one of my original drafts that talked solely about 2B, but decided to delete it since I felt the story was already getting too wordy. When a 2B is good enough to be drafted in the 1st-round, without a doubt it has to do with their bat, and when positional prospects are drafted for their bat first and their other tools second, I feel they have a much greater chance at succeeding (like a pitcher being taken for their ability to pitch effectively first and how hard they throw second).

Already thinking about it Kat, but thanks. I'm probably going to wait until the spring though, unless Brian tells me otherwise.

Rasmus and Parmelee just missed. I should note that this order was established in October, with a few players moving up & down (Matt LaPorta in particular). I like Rasmus, who not only possesses a very good fastball but has one of the best curveballs of any prep pitcher. He topped out at 94 at the Aflac game, and worked 92-94 (although over one inning of work), which surprised me based on previous reports, and then he obviously outdid that performance at the WWBA by touching 97. That said, I'm always skeptical of prep pitchers, and already feel like I have too many in the top 30 as it is, and didn't want to remove the guys I had (Chris Tillman actually fell out of the top 30, who has one of the best FB/CB combos in the nation). Plus, Rasmus' body to me works against him, although I don't get as much into projectability as long as the pitcher shows me he knows how to pitch. Parmelee obviously was huge at the WWBA, and is one of the best pure hitters from the prep ranks. I've heard from a few people (including you) that his future position may be in question, as he may not have enough power down the road to be considered a legitimate 1B and might not have the wheels to play RF. Unfortunately he didn't hit much when I saw him, although you could tell that his bat was for real in BP. At this point in time while neither is in the top 30, I fully recognize that both probably will be the next time I update the list. Jason Place also just missed the cut, and is a name to remember this spring as he's a prime candidate to soar up draft boards (Colin Curtis just missed from the college players). As for the prep infielders, I actually like Nathan Bridges a lot more than Adams & Green. Bridges showed me that he knows how to hit, right now, has done it with a wood bat against tough pitching and in big-game situations, and I also like him better at SS. I have a feeling that Bridges is going to get underrated this spring and will likely attend Cal State Fullerton, only to be a high draft pick in 2009 in the mold of Khalil Greene. If it were up to me, I would take him in the 2nd round without blinking if he's still there. I know some people around here will laugh at the terminology, but he's a gamer.

I wanted to point out that the 2006 draft coverage is now the default page when you click on "draft" either at the top or off of the homepage on the left-hand side. You can check out Brewerfan.net's top 30 draft eligible prospects as well as their scouting reports, as well as being able to access the raw draft order the DFE candidates and coverage from past year's drafts. I'm curious to get people's thoughts on the feature currently on the homepage.

As BA's college preview winds down, there's not too much to share concerning the small colleges & JC's. Their feature story is on Jeff Maier, who is the guy who interfered with a ball in play in the 1996 ALCS. DFE candidate Tim Smith was named to the preseason JC All-American team as an outfielder, after he hit .468 with 8 HRs & 55 RBIs a year ago, but he was not named as one of the top prospects from the junior colleges. Waukesha native Tyler Beranek was also named to the team after transferring to Lake City CC (FL) from UNLV. Speaking of Lake City, they are listed as the preseason 7th best JC in the nation, which is of interest since DFE candidate Stephen Barnes fronts their rotation (Brookfield native Brandon Hall is also on the team). St. Petersburg College (FL) won the Florida JC tourney last year, and are listed as the #2 preseason JC in the nation. DFE candidate Ulrich Snijders, a catcher, attends St. Petersburg.