2007 Draft Class

[UK1679666180]

I might have go to the ESPN Zone in Chicago to watch the draft.

[imb]

Ahh man, I wanted Kozma.

[RammyFanny]

I think it's about time we realize Jarrod Parker is a legit possibility at 3. Phil Rogers wrote a few days ago that we were scouting him hard (along with Vitters and either Moustakas or Dominguez...I can't remember), and Parker is most likely giving our scouts something to salivate over with his last outing:

 

Parker, figured to go early in the upcoming major league draft, generated the finest pitching exhibition of his senior season for the NHS regular finale.

 

“This was probably his best performance,” Weybright praised as Parker needed just 74 pitches, had only one three-ball count and was clocked on radar in the last inning in the 98 miles per hour range.

 

He struck out 10, walked no one and hit a batter.

 

The only hit Parker surrendered came in the second inning and was a questionable scorekeeper ruling.

 

“He (Parker) was very efficient,” Weybright noted of the meager pitch total, some of which he attributed to Huntington North’s aggressiveness early in the count. “He wasn’t boring, he worked quickly and he and Rhett (Goodmiller) are so in sync with their spots and pitches.”

[dmoore]

there's an article up on baseballprospectus.com that discusses the high school talent in this draft class, you have to be a subscriber to read the whole thing, but I thought you guys might find this section interesting.

 

Vitters is the top position player in the draft, and will either go second overall to the Royals or third to the Cubs. He has top-line bat speed and hand-eye coordination, drawing one comparison to Howie Kendrick, but with more size and pop. His defense is solid but unspectacular. He's just part of the best high school hot corner group in recent memory, one that includes at the very least two more first-round picks.

[Outshined_One]

there's an article up on baseballprospectus.com that discusses the high school talent in this draft class, you have to be a subscriber to read the whole thing, but I thought you guys might find this section interesting.

 

Vitters is the top position player in the draft, and will either go second overall to the Royals or third to the Cubs. He has top-line bat speed and hand-eye coordination, drawing one comparison to Howie Kendrick, but with more size and pop. His defense is solid but unspectacular. He's just part of the best high school hot corner group in recent memory, one that includes at the very least two more first-round picks.

 

Even though you've been lurking awhile, welcome aboard!

[don_kessinger_was_good]

Well, talking shop with a local a couple days ago, I got new reinforcement of my earlier info that the Royals are definitely leaning towards a bat. Wieters, Vitters, Moustakas are all three getting their heaviest scouting. So I again believe that Tampa is the key--they take Wieters, we'll get Price; they take Price, we'll get Vitters. IMO.

[illiniguy]

Well, talking shop with a local a couple days ago, I got new reinforcement of my earlier info that the Royals are definitely leaning towards a bat. Wieters, Vitters, Moustakas are all three getting their heaviest scouting. So I again believe that Tampa is the key--they take Wieters, we'll get Price; they take Price, we'll get Vitters. IMO.

I don't think Dayton Moore, who has went on record saying he wants to emulate the Braves by adding pitching will pass on Price.

[cuubs4life]

what's the scouting report on price? I nice full one would be great.

[RammyFanny]

This isn't a huge one, but here's my personal one.

 

-Lefty.

-Fastball sits around 92-94 and can get as high as 98.

-Delivery is a little wierd but most likely won't be a huge concern. May get ironed out in the minors though.

-Slider is nasty, definately his out pitch.

-Change-up is above average with potential to get even better.

-Control is very good. I wouldn't say it's great yet, but it's definately something that will be classified under the positives section when he's in the show.

-Main negative is that Vandy throws him hard. His pitch totals have been known to get up there pretty high, so it leads some to question his future durability, even though it hasn't harmed him whatsoever so far.

[RammyFanny]

May be wrong, but didn't BA do a piece on the California talent today? Vitters scouting report anyone?

 

...(if it was in fact today)

[TruffleShuffle]

Vandy had a dramatic run to the SEC title. Price's last outing:

 

9 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 11 K, 114 pitches

 

 

he's a hoss

[Guest]

Vandy had a dramatic run to the SEC title. Price's last outing:

 

9 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 11 K, 114 pitches

 

 

he's a hoss

 

Too bad we can't trade draft picks.

[Mephistopheles]

May be wrong, but didn't BA do a piece on the California talent today? Vitters scouting report anyone?

 

...(if it was in fact today)

 

It's the same scouting report that was in the Top 200, I believe someone already posted it. Anyways for the interested here are the rankings for Cali

 

1. Josh Vitters, 3b, Cypress (Calif.) HS

2. Mike Moustakas, 3b/1b, Chatsworth (Calif.) HS

3. Matt Dominguez, 3b, Chatsworth (Calif.) HS

4. Aaron Poreda, lhp, San Francisco

5. Nick Noonan, 2b, Parker HS, San Diego

6. Ryan Dent, ss/2b, Wilson HS, Long Beach

7. James Simmons, rhp, UC Riverside

8. Travis d'Arnaud, c, Lakewood (Calif.) HS

9. Kyle Blair, rhp, Los Gatos (Calif.) HS

10. Wes Roemer, rhp, Cal State Fullerton

11. Danny Duffy, lhp, Cabrillo HS, Lompoc Calif.

12. Gary Brown, of/2b, Diamond Bar HS, Walnut, Calif.

13. Barry Enright, rhp, Pepperdine

14. Matt Thompson, rhp, Santa Rosa (Calif.) JC

15. Victor Sanchez, 3b/c, Gahr HS, Norwalk, Calif.

16. Nicholas Barnese, rhp, Simi Valley (Calif.) HS

17. Grant Desme, of, Cal Poly

18. Danny Worth, ss, Pepperdine

19. Austin Romine, c, El Toro HS, Lake Forest, Calif.

20. Freddie Freeman, 1b/rhp, El Modena HS, Orange, Calif.

21. Christian Colon, ss/2b, Canyon HS, Anaheim

22. Kyle O'Campo, rhp, Poly HS, Riverside, Calif.

23. Rob Rasmussen, lhp, Poly HS, Pasadena, Calif.

24. Scott Alexander, lhp, Cardinal Newman HS, Santa Rosa, Calif.

25. Mike Stanton, 1b/of, Notre Dame Academy, Sherman Oaks, Calif.

26. Thomas Eager, rhp, Cal Poly

27. Tyson Brummett, rhp, UCLA

28. Marc Rzepcynski, lhp, UC Riverside

29. Andrew Lambo, 1b/of, Newbury Park (Calif.) HS

30. Leroy Hunt, rhp, Sacramento CC

31. Brad Meyers, rhp, Loyola Marymount

32. Evan Reed, rhp, Cal Poly

33. Adrian Ortiz, of, Pepperdine

34. Eric Farris, 2b/ss, Loyola Marymount

35. Justin Snyder, of, San Diego

36. Matt Clark, 3b, Riverside (Calif.) CC

37. David Dinelli, rhp, Sierra (Calif.) JC

 

Other Prospects Of Note

 

38. Michael Taylor, of, Stanford

39. Adam Olbrychowski, rhp, Pepperdine

40. Johnnie Lowe, rhp, Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.)

41. Justin DeFratus, rhp, Ventura (Calif.) JC

42. Cole Cook, rhp, Palisades Charter HS, Pacific Palisades, Calif.

43. Bobby Coyle, of, Chatsworth (Calif.) HS

44. Michael Southern, rhp, West Hills (Calif.) JC

45. Jordan Abruzzo, c, San Diego

46. Justin Baum, 3b, Pacific

47. Nolan Gallagher, rhp, Stanford

48. Dan Runzler, lhp, UC Riverside

49. Brant Rustich, rhp, UCLA

50. Erik Goeddel, rhp, Bellarmine Prep, San Jose, Calif.

51. Charles Nolte, rhp, San Diego State

52. Paul Koss, rhp, Southern California

53. Adam Reifer, rhp, UC Riverside

54. Sequoyah Stonecipher, of, Righetti HS, Santa Maria, Calif.

55. Aaron Westlake, 1b, La Mirada (Calif.) HS

56. Daniel Descalso, 3b/2b, UC Davis

57. Bryan Petersen, of, UC Irvine

58. Deryk Hooker, rhp, Mira Mesa HS, San Diego

59. Martin Viramontes, rhp, Bullard HS, Fresno, Calif.

60. Donnie Hume, lhp, San Diego State

61. Clark Hardman, of, Cal State Fullerton

62. Blair Erickson, rhp, UC Irvine

63. Jameson Smith, c, Fresno CC

64. Dan Berlind, rhp, Pierce (Calif.) JC

65. Matt Cusick, 2b/3b, Southern California

66. Tony Kirbis, rhp, Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.)

67. Dan Renken, rhp, Orange Lutheran HS, Orange, Calif.

68. Matt Mitchell, rhp, Barstow (Calif.) HS

69. Shane Buschini, of, San Diego

70. Bruce Billings, rhp, San Diego State

71. Jeff Grijalva, rhp, San Clemente (Calif.) HS

72. Tyler Hess, rhp/c, De La Salle HS, Concord, Calif.

73. Brandon Glover, of, San Diego State

74. Steven Hirschfeld, rhp, San Diego State

75. Jaime Pedroza, ss, UC Riverside

76. Brian Guinn, ss, Berkeley HS, El Sobrante, Calif.

77. Ben Petralli, c, Sacramento CC (CONTROL: Tigers)

78. Steve Morlock, rhp, UC Santa Barbara

79. Lucas Duda, 1b, Southern California

80. Jeff Dunbar, c, UC Riverside

81. Nick Longmire, of, Grossmont (Calif.) HS

82. Frank LoNigro, c/of, San Diego State

83. Evan McArthur, 3b, Cal State Fullerton

84. Lance Sewell, lhp, San Diego State

85. Stephen Vogt, c/1b, Azusa Pacific (Calif.)

86. Michael Watt, lhp, Capistrano Valley HS, Mission Viejo, Calif.

87. Stephen Penney, rhp, UC Riverside

88. Stephen Yarrow, ss, South Tahoe (Calif.) HS

89. Dan Klein, rhp, Servite (Calif.) HS

90. B.J. Salsbury, rhp, San Jacinto (Calif.) HS

91. Brian Susdorf, of, Fresno State

92. Luke Sommer, of/rhp, San Francisco

93. Brett Krill, of, Aliso Niguel HS, Aliso Viejo, Calif.

94. Tommy Peale, rhp, San Francisco

95. Addison Reed, rhp/1b, Los Osos (Calif.) HS

96. Kolby Moore, rhp, Centennial HS, Corona, Calif.

97. Troy Hanzawah, ss, San Diego State

98. Daniel Morales, rhp, San Francisco

99. Alex Rollin, rhp, California

100. David Flores, 3b, Sacramento State

101. David Freitas, c/rhp, Elk Grove (Calif.) HS

102. Chuck Higgins, lhp, UC Santa Barbara

103. Reggie Williams, 3b, Bellflower (Calif.) HS

104. Logan Schafer, of, Cal Poly

105. Jake Johnson, c, Mission Bay HS, San Diego

106. Chris Jones, of, Cal State Fullerton

107. Nick Akins, ss, Riverside (Calif.) CC (CONTROL: Dodgers)

108. Cameron Johnson, of, San Diego State

109. Donald Brown, of, Pepperdine

110. Adam Jorgensen, rhp, Cal State Fullerton

111. Bryan Castro, rhp, Poly HS, Riverside, Calif.

112. Ryan Royster, of, UC Davis

113. John Curtis, c, Cal State Fullerton

114. Cory Vaughn, of, Jesuit HS, Elk Grove, Calif.

115. Omar Arif, lhp, Long Beach State

116. Brian Juhl, c, Stanford

117. Josh Satin, 2b/of, California

118. Ozzie Lewis, of, Fresno State

119. Jeff Kaplan, rhp, Cal State Fullerton

120. Cody Cipriano, 2b, UC Irvine

121. Devin Lohman, ss, Shasta HS, Redding, Calif.

122. Erik Davis, rhp, Stanford

123. Rob Blauer, 1b, UC Santa Barbara

124. Danny Carroll, of, Valley View HS, Moreno Valley, Calif.

125. Andrew Liebel, rhp, Long Beach State

 

I took the liberty of bolding some guys I'd like us to take.

[Guest]

I wouldn't mind taking a flier on Ortiz again either.

[Mephistopheles]

Hell no. He's like Freddy Bynum but with less power, if you can imagine that. He's a defensive replacement outfielder, at best. Put him with an organization like ours and he's Juan Pierre starting when he should be Kerry Robinson.

 

/rant

[don_kessinger_was_good]

Sequoyah Stonecipher, now THAT'S a name, LOL

[Mephistopheles]

hmm what do i know....notice the ranking of vitters relative to wieters and a special someone else. latest ba draft tracker

 

1. David Price, lhp, Vanderbilt (1)

Price should look good in green . . . His lone outing in the Southeastern Confernece tournament was customarily dominant--(9 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 11 K) as shut down Mississippi State.

2. Rick Porcello, rhp, Seton Hall Prep, West Orange, N.J. (3) Up

Porcello's second-ranked Seton Hall Prep team defeated East Side High (Newark) 5-1 in Newark Saturday, and Porcello went the distance, allowing an unearned run on five hits with a walk and10 strikeouts.

3. Matt Wieters, c, Georgia Tech (4)

Wieter's college career ended on a down note, as his Yellow Jackets were denied a bid to the NCAA tournament. He was 3-for-13 with three RBIs in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, though an American League scouting director said, "I thought he had a good tournament. Line him up against the other position players and he should go good. If he doesn't it's strictly because of financial concerns."

4. Mike Moustakas, 3b/1b, Chatsworth (Calif.) HS (6) Up

In a second-round playoff win last weekend, Moustakas had a first inning single, was hit by a pitch, stole a base and scored two runs.

5. Josh Vitters, 3b, Cypress (Calif.) HS (2) Down

Vitters' season ended in a playoff loss to Vista Murrieta High last week, but in appropriate fashion, he homered in the loss, slamming a three-run shot to the opposite field, his ninth this season. "I think he's going to go 4 to the Pirates," said John Weber, Vitters' coach. "If I were a betting man, I think that's where he winds up." One of Vitters' workouts recently was for the Devil Rays; he also worked out for the Cubs, taking live BP directly from Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken.

6. Jason Heyward, of, Henry County HS, McDonough, Ga. (11) Up

Heyward's season came to an end in the Georgia playoffs, and he capped his career successfully. "I was at his last two series and he played his best he has all season," a National League scout said. "He drove the ball, and took a pitch up and away out for a home run to the opposite field and doubled off a breaking ball."

[Guest]

So now Vitters isn't the best HS hitting prospect?

 

Norman (NY): I've heard rumors that the Brewers will take Mike Moustakas if he is available. Is this true and how does he fit into their future plans, do they move Braun to the outfield?

 

Jim Callis: Moustakas is the best high school hitter in the draft . . . and also advised by Boras. The Brewers reportedly are willing to open their wallet this year, but it remains to be seen what Moustakas' asking price is. He's not a lock to move to third base, could be a catcher even, could move to an outfield corner.

 

Charlie (DC): Moustakas is a better hitting prospect than Josh Vitters?

 

Jim Callis: Yeah, it's a tough call, but that's my gut feel based on everything we're hearing. They're so close, think you have to give the tie to the guy who hits lefthanded.

 

Meh, just stay away from Vitters. I'd prefer Heyward amongst the HS hitters.

[RichHillIsABeast]

hmm what do i know....notice the ranking of vitters relative to wieters and a special someone else. latest ba draft tracker *snip*

 

Supposedly the Cubs aren't allowed to go above slot this year, so Wieters is just flat out of it based on financial reasons. At least that's what I thought Callis said in his latest chat.

 

Seriously, the only thing I've heard "bad" about Vitters is that some think he's good for 30+ HR and others think 20 is more likely.

 

I'm not going to complain about any of the picks I've heard the Cubs are interested in. No Ryan Harvey or Dopirak this year, thank god.

[RichHillIsABeast]

So now Vitters isn't the best HS hitting prospect?

 

Norman (NY): I've heard rumors that the Brewers will take Mike Moustakas if he is available. Is this true and how does he fit into their future plans, do they move Braun to the outfield?

 

Jim Callis: Moustakas is the best high school hitter in the draft . . . and also advised by Boras. The Brewers reportedly are willing to open their wallet this year, but it remains to be seen what Moustakas' asking price is. He's not a lock to move to third base, could be a catcher even, could move to an outfield corner.

 

Charlie (DC): Moustakas is a better hitting prospect than Josh Vitters?

 

Jim Callis: Yeah, it's a tough call, but that's my gut feel based on everything we're hearing. They're so close, think you have to give the tie to the guy who hits lefthanded.

 

Meh, just stay away from Vitters. I'd prefer Heyward amongst the HS hitters.

 

He gives the tie to the LH hitter? lmao. good reasoning. why not use shoe size next time. That's a pretty lame reasoning, IMO.

 

Heyward and Moustakas would be fine picks at 3 though.

Edited May 31, 2007 by RichHillIsABeast

[don_kessinger_was_good]

If the trend is towards Wieters being available to us at #3, then count me happy. The sooner Wieters is on-board, the sooner the Cubs can jettison the miserably bad Michael Barrett. Yes, I realize Wieters is also defensively-challenged behind the plate, but it is unlikely he is also mentally-challenged like Barrett; and Wieters certainly projects as a better hitter.

 

Wieters please.

[TruffleShuffle]

If the trend is towards Wieters being available to us at #3, then count me happy. The sooner Wieters is on-board, the sooner the Cubs can jettison the miserably bad Michael Barrett. Yes, I realize Wieters is also defensively-challenged behind the plate, but it is unlikely he is also mentally-challenged like Barrett; and Wieters certainly projects as a better hitter.

 

Wieters please.

 

Two areas that Wieters has improved in are his hitting from the right side and his receiving skills.... Wieters’ defensive skills are increasingly smooth and polished, particularly for a tall and long-limbed catcher.... Comparisons with Joe Mauer have become more commonplace; each plays the game with athletic ease and plus intangibles, and excel both offensively and defensively.

 

 

 

With all due respect to Tim Wilken and his track record, it's a mistake if Wieters is available at the third pick and we don't grab him. Great patience, plays a position the Cubs need, low risk factor, and isn't far from being major-league ready.

[RichHillIsABeast]

With all due respect to Tim Wilken and his track record, it's a mistake if Wieters is available at the third pick and we don't grab him. Great patience, plays a position the Cubs need, low risk factor, and isn't far from being major-league ready.

 

Supposedly he wants 10MM and a ML contract. We can't exceed slot according to Callis. What do you want the Cobs to do?

[TruffleShuffle]

With all due respect to Tim Wilken and his track record, it's a mistake if Wieters is available at the third pick and we don't grab him. Great patience, plays a position the Cubs need, low risk factor, and isn't far from being major-league ready.

 

Supposedly he wants 10MM and a ML contract. We can't exceed slot according to Callis. What do you want the Cobs to do?

 

I don't really believe that. I've heard that said a lot, but I'd like to see the actual quote from Callis.

 

Haven't the Cubs said that Hendry has authority to add a little more salary to this year's team? If so, it doesn't make sense that they wouldn't allow him to go over slot money. Besides, slot money for that position is around $4M, which would mean the Cubs would be shelling out about $6M more than necessary. Then spread that out over the length of the contract. That's such a small amount of money for a team with a $100M payroll.

 

 

It would be just like the Cubs to shell out $16.5M on a player with marginal first round talent, and then not give a $10M to a guy with consensus top-five talent.

[NCCubFan]

hmm what do i know....notice the ranking of vitters relative to wieters and a special someone else. latest ba draft tracker *snip*

 

Supposedly the Cubs aren't allowed to go above slot this year, so Wieters is just flat out of it based on financial reasons. At least that's what I thought Callis said in his latest chat.

I assume you mean they're not allowed by the Trib, as opposed to MLB. I don't think baseball could prohibit it because the slot figures are recommendations, not enforceable rules (unless the new CBA contains such a rule, which I don't think it does).