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Interesting tidbit on Andrew Brackman...

I'm absolutely in shock that he's not pitching up to form.  His numbers looked so good.  Here is what Allan Simpson had to say about him:

"Entering the 2007 season, North Carolina State junior Andrew Brackman, another pitcher with a limited pitching background, was touted as the college righthander with the best fastball. The 7-foot, 240-pounder was clocked at 99 mph last summer in the Cape Cod League. He was expected to continue his evolution into full-time pitcher this spring after abandoning his basketball career with the Wolfpack, but hasn't dominated as expected.

Brackman (4-2, 3.79, 40 IP/38 SO) pitched to expectations his first two or three times out, but has deteriorated with each outing since. Against Wake Forest in his most recent outing, he was the losing pitched as the Wolfpack was beaten 16-3. Brackman worked the first four innings, allowing nine hits and six runs (five earned).

"His velocity was consistent with most of his other appearances, meaning he sat between 93-95 mph for the most part with some higher readings thrown in," a scout said. "He had no command of his off-speed pitches, however, and Wake's hitters were sitting dead red. By the fifth, Andrew's pitch count was up around 85 and the command of his fastball waned to the point that he started leaving pitches out over the plate instead of on the corners. And the Deacons crushed them."

With Brackman not pitching to his potential, it has left a widening void in the crop of college righthanders in this year's draft. At this point, only Brackman is assured of going in the first round."

Bbbbbut...he looks so good on the mound and he can throw 99.

http://pgcrosschecker.com/2007/columnists/allansimpson/weeklycolumn/week8_32807.aspx

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Please
You gotta hope that Andrew and his girlfriend Temple kiss and make up soon....
"Strikeouts are good...groundballs are better. Home runs are okay...but walks SUCK!" Mike Caldwell

by Torncuff on Mar 28, 2007 7:56 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I think
That Andrew has been kissing Temple's girlfriend, a LOT!  And maybe killed his dog, too.  

by drwmsu1 on Mar 28, 2007 9:07 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Draft
I kind of agree.  Gotta love the upside, but I'm always leery of "toolsy" or "projectable" college guys.  There's just too short a development window before they reach the proverbial AAAA player status.  If he remains healthy, but with poor or inconsistent numbers, I'd take a chance on him as a late first rounder or supplemental rounder, in which case, he may decide to stay in school another year.  No way would I take him in the top 10.  You just want a higher percentage return on your investment that high up.

OTOH, with or without Brackman, this is looking like a very exciting draft.  All those LHP's, great looking HS RHP and lefties. The article didn't even touch on a very strong draft for HS position players, Burgess, Heyward, Vitters, Jackson, etc.

I am really looking forward to the mock draft discussions on this site.

by DrBGiantsfan on Mar 28, 2007 8:07 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

brackman
i don't know why you would take brackman when you could get a high school guy that also has big time stuff plus 3 extra years to refine it.  porcello, harvey, beaven, main, and aumont all have stuff that is right up there with brackman.

by fewgoodcards on Mar 28, 2007 9:08 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Agreed
Just too many high upside HS players, including RHP's.  All those you mentioned I'd take before Brackman.

by DrBGiantsfan on Mar 28, 2007 10:00 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

+1
The HS players, and the HS pitching in particular, is going to be the story of this year's draft.  Porcello and Harvey will challenge for the top 5, and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the Royals nab one of them with the 2nd overall pick.  

by eazyb81 on Mar 29, 2007 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Now...
that we know Porcello and Harvey are Boras clients, it should be interesting to see what that does to their stock. Boras is notorious or advising his high school pitchers to go to college in lieu of the pros.  However these are obviously talents that might be too good to let monetary demands get in the way.

It will also be interesting to watch if the new MLB draft rules allow teams to get more aggressive with these types of players, knowing that they will recover an equal spot in the 2008 Draft.  

Also, FTR, everyone who goes to Seton Hall Prep is a Yankees fan.  Everyone.  

by templeUsox on Mar 29, 2007 8:59 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Well
Mark Pawalek was a Boras client but the Cubs had little trouble signing him.  Boras is not nearly the bad guy everyone thinks he is, unlike that football twerp, Drew Rosenhaus  ...  Mahalo
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.

by WayneCampbell05 on Mar 31, 2007 12:35 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Youre implying
that having hard to sign clients makes you a bad guy..

by nms on Mar 31, 2007 12:46 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I know...
Boras has had clients who go from high school to the pros.  Mike Rozier is another one.  But he has said repeatedly that he advises his pitchers to go to college.

by templeUsox on Mar 31, 2007 1:40 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Nah
It's his tireless self-promotion to the detriment of his clients that bothers me.  Drew is on TV more than that GEICO duck.  BTW, yes, I am a Bears' fan.
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.

by WayneCampbell05 on Mar 31, 2007 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I really like the LHP in this draft.
From Hs or College, the LHP in this year's draft is superb and hopefully the yankees can get Daniel Moskos or Aaron Poreda or Josh Smoker or Tanner Robles.

by NYYLover1000 on Mar 28, 2007 10:04 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

moskos
i feel pretty confident in saying you have no chance at moskos.  unless he goes absolutely crazy on bonus demands, there is no way he is there at 30.

i'm not very high on poreda.  sure he is a 6'6" lefty that throws 95 and doesn't walk anyone, but he has no secondary stuff and doesn't strikeout very many either (45.1 IP, 7 walks, 37 strikeouts).  if i am taking a big lefty that throws mid 90's and doesn't have much of a breaking ball, it is madison bumgarner.

i agree on robles.  he is 6'4" with a ton of projectability and already throws mid 90's and has a pretty good curve.  the thing i don't like about him is that stiff landing leg.  if you could change his mechanics around a little and maintain that stuff he will be a very good pitcher.

smoker is another solid high school lefty with good stuff.  maybe not the upside of some of the other guys, but a very good pitcher.

by fewgoodcards on Mar 28, 2007 10:23 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I would love to get Bumgarder,
but I think he won't be there at 30. I was thinking of Brett Cecil because of his fastball/slider combo is so damn good that if he can develop a change up, I think he can start. Again, Like Tanner Robles alot as well. As for Poreda, I understand he doesn't have great secondary pitches but his fastball is so good and he throws with ease as well that you got to like that. Plus, he's lefthanded and 6"6 as well. Basically if you think about it, Poreda is a lefthanded version of Daniel Bard. Personally I like Poreda and I think if he can develop a plus breaking ball and change, he can be pretty special.

by NYYLover1000 on Mar 28, 2007 10:37 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

poreda
bard's not a bad comp as he didn't strike out many either and had questionable secondary stuff.

i agree that bumgarner most likely won't be there at 30.  some of us cardinal fans are hoping we take him at 18, but if he is the top high school lefty on the board he will probably be gone by then as well.

cecil would be a solid choice.  i don't know if you want him starting or not, but he could do it.  he is said to have both a change and a splitter plus a curveball as well i think.  if you could get him to drop two of those pitches and just concentrate on say a split or a change he should be able to have a solid 3 pitch mix.

by fewgoodcards on Mar 28, 2007 10:47 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

It's funny because
the things that you said about Poreda that you didn't like, is pretty much the same stuff I said why I didn't like Daniel Bard last year so I am pretty much a flip flopper in that regard. Nevertheless, I understand he's somewhat raw even though he's a college pitcher but the potential is there. I do have a gut feel that Moskos might drop but I doubt he drops to the yankees. All and All, I know in general what I want, which is a high upside LHP but I don't know which specific LHP I want yet. Again, I like Cecil alot and I think his upside is just as good as Moskos or who knows maybe better but I don't want to waste the 30th pick on a closer who you want to convert into a starter.

by NYYLover1000 on Mar 28, 2007 10:59 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Brackman
The lack of poise really contrasted with the composure of Wake's starter, Greg Maddux.

A projectable pitcher isn't ready to pitch in the majors?  Stop the presses!  This requires TWO posts!

by limozeen on Mar 29, 2007 4:00 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Projectable
Not denying that Brackman has the potential to end up as the best player in the whole draft, but you could say that about a lot of players in this draft.  

Not sure Brackman's size makes him more projectable than other hard throwing pitchers in the draft, it may actually work against him.

If I'm drafting a college pitcher in the top 10 of the draft, I'm looking for someone  with Brackman's ceiling plus advanced development, David Price, for example.  Otherwise, I'd rather draft a high upside HS pitcher like Porcello, Harvey, Main, Beavan, etc.  Better yet, I'd rather draft one of the high upside HS hitters like Burgess, Heyward, Vitters, et al.  You have more development time with them plus they appear to possibly be already closer to being MLB ready than Brackman.

by DrBGiantsfan on Mar 29, 2007 7:23 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

+1!
The "cream of the crop" doesn't always rise to the top.

by indiansfan on Mar 30, 2007 2:06 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

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