Draft Thoughts
I've made no secret that I am a fan of baseball's amateur draft. It should be no surprise then, that I was extremely disappointed when I found out that I would be out of town on business (and subsequently unable to access the internet) during the two days of the draft. In the past, I have listened to the draft live as it was broadcast over MLB.com. Not this year.
Truth be told, I probably didn't miss much. Major League Baseball's draft has all of the ambiance of your typical office conference call. It is perhaps the least glamorous draft in professional sports. Heck, even the Canadian Football League has more glitz than the baseball draft.
That being said, I am still disappointed I was not able to listen to the proceedings live. A couple of years ago, I listened as the Bucs selected John Van Benschoten with their first round pick. It wasn't a terrible surprise (several sources had predicted it), but announcing that the team had selected pitcher John Van Benschoten was. That was the first indication that the organization had bigger plans for JVB's arm than his bat. It was a controversial decision, and I was there.
Okay, so maybe that's not such a big deal, but it is to me. That's the fun of listening to the draft. And this year, I missed that fun.
Still, don't cry for me. While I find it interesting to listen to the draft live, the important thing is still who the team picked. Going into this draft, I was hoping that the Bucs would look towards bringing in some potential impact bats into the system. I am tired of the organization selecting light-hitting middle infielders with high picks. I am tired of the organization selecting players with questionable upside just because they felt he possessed minimal risk. I am tired of losing. The draft is where winning starts.
As expected, the Bucs took Florida high schooler Andrew McCutchen with their first pick. What I know about McCutchen comes from Baseball America and a handful of other sources. The scouting reports out there are encouraging. BA voted McCutchen the third best 5-tool talent among this year's high school crop, as well as the second best pure hitter, the second fastest baserunner, the fifth best defensive player, and the second closest to the majors. Pretty impressive. The only thing that worries me about McCutchen is his size. Now, I am not one of those guys that judges a prospect by how well they look in a uniform, but I still find myself weary of McCutchen's slight frame. Take a look at the video of McCutchen at MLB.com's Draft Central. The guy looks tiny. In all likelihood, McCutchen will grow into his body, but I doubt he will ever be a big masher. Still, he's got the tools to mature into a heckuva ballplayer.
I'll be curious to see how McCutchen's development mirrors Jay Bruce, the guy selected right after him. Bruce, a high school outfielder out of Texas was selected by the Reds with the 12th pick. Like McCutchen, Bruce is a toolsy outfielder. But where McCutchen has some growing to do, Bruce has the major league look now. He's a big guy who has drawn comparisons to Larry Walker. It will be interesting to see how each of these players develop, and who will end up maximizing their potential.
After McCutchen, the Bucs seemed to get a bit antsy. They took a flyer on Mississippi State outfielder Brad Corley with their second pick. Corley was once considered a first round pick, but his stock dropped with a disappointing junior season. Some projections had Corley being drafted much later. It will remain to be seen whether the Pirates' seriously over-drafted him. Personally, I was hoping that the team would take Ole Miss first-baseman Stephen Head with their second pick. Like Corley, a sub-par season this year dropped Head's draft standing, but there seems to be a feeling that Head has a better chance to bounce back than Corley. Time will tell.
And that's the thing to remember with any draft -- time will tell. How a player is perceived now can totally change once they get their feet wet in the professional ranks. Some for the better. Some for the worst. Hopefully, this draft will have more of the former.
For a more extensive (and a far more informative look) at the Bucs' draft, take a look at Wilbur Miller's draft recap.