A Look Back at the 2007 1st RoundWith the MLSB draft class being finalized on Opening Day, I wanted to take a look back at the 1st Round of the 2007 Draft and see how everyone was doing.
1. Tampa Bay Devil Rays - 2B Pat Bentley
Bentley progressed from Short A ball in the Tampa Bay system up to A ball in his first season at a relatively quick pace. He earned himself a AAA promotion to Durham in 2008, and eventually earned a callup to the big club where he batted .480 and had an OPS of 1.182 in 13 games with the Rays. His reward? To be shipped off to St. Louis in a 13 player deal that acquired 3B Alex Rodriguez. Bentley finished out a decent year for the Cards, and has been on a tear in six games this seasons for the Cards, batting .480 with a homer and 5 RBI.
2. Kansas City Royals - 2B Raul Reyes
Reyes had very good seasons with the Royals rookie and AA squads, highlighted by him hitting 25 bombs last season for AA-Wichita while driving in 78 on 141 hits. He had his sights on playing 2B everyday for the Royals within the next two seasons, but was sent to Colorado in a trade that netted the Royals closer Chad Cordero. Reyes is currently in the Rockies AAA level.
3. Chicago Cubs - SP Alex Rodriguez
The Cubs getting this kid at #3 is the coup of the draft. Rodriguez only pitched 47 innings in R-ball before making the jump to AAA where he had 23 solid starts. He earned himself a promotion to the big club, where he went out of his mind to the tune of 10-1 record in 19 starts with a 3.94 ERA at the tender age of 22. He is a legit NL Cy Young candidate this year.
4. Pittsburgh Pirates - SP Pat Briggs
Briggs was sent to A-ball by the Pirates as soon as he was drafted, and compiled a 4-1 record in 8 starts there. He earned a callup to AA Altoona, and in 22 starts, pitched to a 9-8 record. However, it's from here that I think the Pirates have rushed him. He was called up to AAA later on last season, and had a horrible run of starts that led to him being 0-9. This year has started no better as his first start only lasted 2 outs, and he gave up 5 runs on 4 hits. At this point, a demotion would signal a vote of no confidence. He'll have to travel the rough road at AAA until he's ready.
5. Baltimore Orioles - C Julian Sanchez
Sanchez has literally had an up and down career with the Orioles, starting in R-ball, getting promoted to A-ball, seeing himself sent back to R-ball, and finally settling back at Baltimore's A-ball team. In that span, he's proved himself to be a very good defensive catcher who calls a solid game. He's very good at hitting to the gaps, but his lack of speed will keep him from legging out a lot of doubles.
6. Washington Nationals - CF Elijiah Roberts
"Big E" has had two very good seasons at the Nats A and AA levels, batting close to .300 in 131 games combined at both levels. Scouts are saying that Roberts could play in the MLSB right now with his power to the gaps and penchant for avoiding the strikeout.
7. Milwaukee Brewers - SP Cristobal Lopez
The Brewers' Lopez has pitched well at all three levels of minors where he's been assigned, from A-ball to AA, all the way up to AAA. He made his ML debut in 2008 pitching 11 innings with the Brew Crew and going 2-0 with a 5.73 ERA. He's up in the rotation again this year, but the 24 year old Chilean lefty still needs to work on the command of his pitches before he's a viable option for Milwaukee.
8. Colorado Rockies - OF Julian Gonzales
Gonzales has become a fan-favorite in Modesto, the Rockies A-ball city, where his solid defense (zero errors in over 500 innings in the outfield there) has fans not even watching the ball when it's hit to right. He hit 12 homers last season while posting a near .800 OPS. However, he still needs to work on his eye a bit more, and with that we'll see his ability to avoid strikeouts come up as well.
9. Arizona Diamondbacks - C Jed Gardner
Fans in Arizona should be very excited about the 23-year-old catcher, despite the fact that the Dbacks already have a 25-year old catcher in Miguel Montero starting in the majors. Gardner hit 26 homeruns and drove in 92 runs last year at A-Visalia, and earned a call-up this year to AAA-Tuscon. If he continues to perform and develop, Montero may be out of a job.
10. San Francisco Giants - SS Shawn Walker
Walker had a short stint in the minors for San Francisco (72 games) before jumping right to the big club for 88 games in 2008. He batted near .300 in those games with an OPS just over .800 with the Giants. The one knock on the kid though is his defense, although he only had two errors for the Giants in 08, scouts say he was lucky to have that few. His range and arm are decent, but his overall defensive ability is lacking. Luckily for SF, he's got great upside at the plate.
11. Seattle Mariners - CL Chad Gordon
Gordon climbed through the M's minors relatively quickly, going from R-ball to the majors in just a year. He pitched 28 innings for the Mariners in 2008, saved 14 games, and had an ERA of 3.71 in that time. This kid has great stuff, and should only get better has he develops more movement and control on his slider and fastball. He has 3 saves already for the upstart M's, who after a last place finish in the league last season, currently lead the AL West.
12. Florida Marlins - RF Miguel Angel Marin
Marin has had a semi-rollercoaster-like career with the Marlins as he's bounced up and down between AA and A twice, finally reaching AAA last season. The problem? He's struggled for the most part in his entire career so far. Scouts say his is always going to strikeout a lot (he hasn't batted over .205 in a bit), but that his power could be in the neighborhood of 30-40 homers when developed. Don't sleep on his speed either, and his coaches should give him the green light more often.
13. Cleveland Indians - SP Cris Rodriguez
The 21-year-old Cuban lefty had a decent career at Cleveland's A-ball affiliate, 7-12 with a 4.60-ish ERA in 28 games. He saw 3 innings of work at AAA Buffalo before being shipped off to Baltimore in exchange for SP Chuck Lofgren. Surprisingly, Rodriguez shows major-league level stuff and movement on his pitches, but spent last season in Baltimore's R-league level. Even now, the lefty is idling in SA-Aberdeen. How does GM Tommy Moore not have this kid as the #2 starter for the AAA-Norfolk Tides?
14. Atlanta Braves - SP Hector Romero
Another player who deserves to be higher in the organization than he currently stands, is Romero. Romero went 19-12 with a 2.77-ish ERA in his career at A-Rome, and might be too developed to be playing only at AA-Mississippi. Surely he should be in AAA starting instead of 30-year-old Buddy Carlyle. Scouts say he's probably topped out pitching-wise, with the only room to improve being his control. We should see him pitching in Richmond soon.
15. Cincinnati Reds - SP Alex Holguin
It's safe to say that Holguin has struggled in his career in the Reds organization. Holguin, 20, pitching himself to an 8-15 record, with a 5.67 ERA at R-ball. In the 27 games he's started there, his WHIP remains a high 1.45. Personally, I think he'd benefit morale-wise by a good faith call-up to somewhere around AA. He's got the tools to pitch well, but I think wallowing in R-ball might be doing something to his psyche.
16. Toronto Blue Jays (from Rangers for type A Catalanotto) - CF Manny Diaz
Diaz's potential at the plate was great value for Toronto in the middle of the 1st two years ago. He hit very well at A and AA levels, having an OPS over .800 in both stints in a combined 153 games. He's struggled somewhat in 42 games between this year and last with AAA-Syracuse though. Diaz has solid defensive skills, will K more often than not, but has above-average power to the gaps, and overall, combined with a solid eye. So he has the ability to run counts deep, but is still vulnerable to the K. Look for that to get better as his pitch selection gets better.
17. Texas Rangers (from Astros for type A Lee) - MR Clarence MacOnaghy
"Little Mac" may stand only 5'9" tall, but his 31 saves in AAA-Oklahoma make him a bigger talent than most. But when Texas had a deal develop that allowed them to move the contract of SP Kevin Millwood, MacOnaghy was traded to KC for a pair of very good young reliever prospects. KC has slotted him in their bullpen for this young 2009 season. In his six innings of work at the major league level, he's given up 4 hits and no runs, holding opponents to a .190 BA. The scary thing, he's probably only half way to his potential in terms of his control.
18. St. Louis Cardinals - MR Pete Powell
Powell has spent his entire career in the Cards organization with AA-Springfield, and his 98-100 MPH heat allowed him to save 34 games for the team last season. With a good defensive behind him, this kid could become near-unhittable with the groundballs he induces. The 23-year-old lefty already has pretty good stuff, but scouts say he still has room to improve there, and get this, he's still got a ways to go to develop the movement on his pitches before he tops out.
19. Philadelphia Phillies - SP Willie Kendrick
Kendrick, 20, features 4-pitches that he can throw for strikes, including a pair of good change-ups. He pitched very well at the R and A-levels, and has struggled a bit in his time at AA this year. He's been tagged for 8 runs in 10 innings, but when his control comes up to where it could be, his ERA will drop to where it should be.
20. Los Angeles Dodgers (from Red Sox for type A Lugo) - SP Artie Vickers
Vickers pitched well in his R-ball debut season, logging 88 innings and putting up a 3.55 ERA. In his subsequent time at A and AA however, he's been getting hit. A 9-12, 5.13 ERA season at A-ball might have messed with his head a bit, but the Dodgers promoted him to AA-Jacksonville anyway. In three-starts there, he hasn't hit his stride yet, but he's still got room, and time at 21, to grow.
21. Toronto Blue Jays - LF Curt Jeffs
Jeffs has the potential to be a very productive bat in the Jays lineup in the future, even though he'll be a slight liability in the field if they don't DH him. He's hit very well up through the Toronto organization, and is starting his second season at AA now. At 24 though, I think it's time for the Jays to give him his shot at AAA, as his bat is likely good enough at this point to put up some decent numbers there.
22. San Francisco Giants (from Dodgers for type A Schmidt) - 1B Victor Rodriguez
Rodriguez is more of a DH-type, and that may hurt his chances for playing time in SF. Even though he has the potential to hit 35 homers eventually, his eye isn't very good, so his K:BB ration will be interesting to follow. But his lack of defense and speed leads me to believe that the Giants would benefit from shopping this big bat around, either for a starting pitcher, or someone who actually knows how to use his glove in the field.
23. San Diego Padres - 2B Norm Elliot
Elliot, 21, is a slick-fielding 2B who only lacks an arm defensively. He was great value at 23 though for San Diego, since his upside at the plate and his speed on the bases make up for the lack of arm. Elliot should develop into a very good gap hitter who K's very little. Stats-wse though, he's struggled to get himself out of a huge funk, having trouble batting above .200 in 147 games. Jury is still out on him.
24. Texas Rangers (from Angels for type A Matthews) - 2B Doug Bell
Bell has hit very well in his career in the Rangers organization and could develop into a good contact hitter, but will struggle with Ks, won't draw many walks, and although his range factor is very high in the field, has pedestrian skills with the glove, at best. He's off to a good start though in AA this year, with 4 homeruns in 10 games.
25. Chicago White Sox - CL Jerry Woods
Woods was a steal this late in the 1st round, and has pitched very well throughout his career in the ChiSox minor leagues. The 21-year-old has pinpoint control, and has pitched himself into a setup role for Bobby Jenks up with the big club. He should be a staple in Chicago's pen for years to come.
26. Oakland A's - LF Monty Shaffer
Shaffer, 23, had a decent 2007 between AA/AAA for Oakland, and broke out with AAA-Sacramento in 2008, hitting 13 bombs, driving in 71, and hitting .318 before being called up for 10 games where he managed 8 hits. However, he was shipped to TB in the deal in which Oakland acquired Big Papi and Chris Carpenter. He's up with Tampa Bay now and getting some at-bats at the major league level. He's got good contact ability, and will stay away from striking out. He could be a decent 4th OF option for the Rays at this point.
27. Detroit Tigers - CL Thom Hayes
Hayes has been slow to develop so far in his career in the MLSB minor leagues, he started with Detroit, and was traded for a SP from Florida in his career. He's seen himself start at R-ball, make it up to AAA, and currently A-Greensboro in the Marlins organization. He's only pitched 66 innings though since he was drafted, so the jury is still out on this kid, but he should eventually be a decent option in reflief for the Marlins.
28. Minnesota Twins - SP Julian Trujillo
Trujillo, 24, has become a fan favorite in Minnesota, after climbing from R-ball right to AA, and skipping AAA altogether to start this 2009 season in the Twins bullpen. He's more of a Greg Maddux-style pitcher, who prefers to nibble at the corners and fool you with his slider, sinker, and curveball, since his heat rarely tops 90. He's one of the hardest workers in the Twins organization though, which is probably why the fans like him so much.
29. San Francisco Giants (from Mets for type A Alou) - CL Ruben Colon
This 23-year-old lefty will eventually be a staple in the Giants bullpen, as he saved 28 games last season for the SF-AAA club Fresno. He's got to work on getting guys out though, as his WHIP was very high at 1.83 in 44 innings pitched last season, with opponents batting .324. His BABIP of .394 though, points at opponents getting very lucky against him.
30. New York Yankees - 1B Hal Waddell
Waddell probably thought he was primed to eventually don the pinstripes, which he still will, except not with the Yankees. GM Justin Mandaro shipped him off to Colorado for in least in my mind, is a lesser spect at 1B in Artie Sexson. Mandaro is famous for being fickle with his players and their performances, and it's likely that Waddell's potential was overlooked for some reason, in favor of Sexson's successes at...R-ball?
That's your first round. I'm sure the 2009 draft will be just as exciting. Maybe we'll look at how the guys picked this year in the 1st-Round are faring in 2011.
As always, thanks for reading, and continually coming back to the #1 source of non-juvenile MLSB news.
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