American League West MOCK DRAFT Comments

by John Sickels on Jun 5, 2006 1:49 PM EDT in News Comment 5 comments

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

Los Angeles Angels

Chris Marrero, 3B, Florida HS
Zech Zinicola, RHP, Arizona State University
Nate Culp, LHP, University of Missouri
Quintin Berry, OF, San Diego State University

COMMENT: Mixed opinions about Marrero. He looks great in uniform and has strong power potential, but he has problems making contact and there are questions about his defense. If everything works out he could be a Troy Glaus type but he needs more polish. The Angels scouting director dropped out after the first pick, so I wasn't exactly sure what the strategy should be after I took over the picks as commissioner. I tried to mix things up. Zinicola has one of the more lively college arms available. Culp is more of a finesse guy but might help quickly. Berry is a speedy contact hitter who seemed to mesh well with the general philosophy of the Angels system.

Oakland Athletics

Milton Loo, 3B, Yavapai JC
Matt Long, RHP, University of Miami-Ohio
Cyle Hankerd, OF, USC
Brad Mills, LHP, University of Arizona

COMMENT: Loo is very toolsy but has had problems staying healthy. He could be excellent and offers good upside at 66, though he will need time to develop. Unfortunately he signed with the Reds as a draft-and-follow in real life, but for purposes of the Mock Draft here he is. Long is a polished college pitcher with a live arm, and represents excellent value at 98, a definite Oakland-style pick. Hankerd is a solid hitter with defensive limitations that kept him out of the first two rounds. Mills is a solid college finesse lefty, typical of the class. Not a bad haul at all for not having a first round pick. It will be interesting to see if the Athletics adopt a similar approach.

Seattle Mariners
5) Brandon Morrow, RHP, University of California
49) Adam Ottavino, RHP, Northeastern University
81) Wade Kapteyn, RHP, Illinois HS
111) Chad Lee, RHP, Barton County CC
141) Shawn Scobee, OF, University of Nevada
COMMENT: Quite strong class of righthanded pitching. Morrow is totally legit at number five given his arm strength and improved feel for pitching this year. Ottavino is one of my very favorite pitchers in the draft. He could be a first round pick if he'd gone to a warmer weather school. Kapteyn is an attractive pick as a cold-weather projectable high school arm. Lee throws hard but injuries hurt his status this spring. Scobee has problems with contact, but has plus power potential. He could be a big bust but he also has more upside than most fifth round college picks. Overall, I like this group a lot, due to the mixture of pitchers with different backgrounds.

Texas Rangers

Max Scherzer, RHP, University of Missouri
Justin Reed, OF, Mississippi HS
Jordan Craft, RHP, Dallas Baptist University
Garrett Olson, 3B, Franklin Pierce College

COMMENTS: Reasonable draft. Scherzer would be a top five pick if not for doubts about his health and Scott Boras. Reed is toolsy with good speed and power potential, but will need time to learn baseball skills. Craft is a bit raw but has more projection than most college pitchers and is a decent risk at that slot in the draft. Olson dominated cold-weather college competition and is a fine choice in the fifth round, a possible Ian Kinsler type.

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Loo signed with Reds

Not to be redundant (put it in one other thread as well, but Cincinnati gave Milton a $220k bonus to sign right after Yavapai was eliminated in the JC World Series.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060605/SPORTS07/606050344/1052/SPORTS

by Doc Scott on Jun 5, 2006 1:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I looked everywhere

and could find no report of him signing. even this article looks like a monday article. Oh well....

by novaoakland on Jun 5, 2006 2:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

loo

I didn't see Loo on the draft-and-follow signing list. Oopps!

by John Sickels on Jun 5, 2006 2:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

A's reasons for picks

Milton Loo, 3B, Yavapai JC -- Our scouts loved him and coudl not resist. Matt Long was who GM really wanted at 66 but made the calculated risk he would still be around.

Matt Long, RHP, University of Miami-Ohio -- Like the guy at 66 loved him at 98. He will be given a shot at starting but we are not afraid to ditch that idea and fast track him as an RP.

Cyle Hankerd, OF, USC -- Sucesses with the wood BAT really sold me on him. I wonder if any reports exist on sucess in cape Cod leagues compared with majors.

Brad Mills, LHP, University of Arizona
Like the results, the fact that he improved everyyear, and the talk about a strong work ethic.

by novaoakland on Jun 5, 2006 2:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Ranger picks

Max Scherzer, RHP, University of Missouri- As John said, a top college arm whose stock has slipped a bit due to injuries and the Scott Boras factor. Given that the Rangers have no second round pick (and aren't afraid to deal with Boras) I didn't see signability becoming an issue. I was a bit surprised Jeffress went before the 12th pick- he was the guy I had locked in on, with Scherzer as the fallback option. Not that I'm unhappy with the pick.

Justin Reed, OF, Mississippi HS- Given Texas' heavy emphasis on pitching in the last few drafts, the farm is pretty weak on possible impact position players. Reed will need plenty of development time, but I liked the upside here, as well as the positive comments about his work ethic and the comparisons to Matt Lawton.

Jordan Craft, RHP, Dallas Baptist University- Texas likes to take local products, and Craft's sinker/slider combo made him an attractive option here. Again, a player who is raw, but with the projectability and pitch repertoire the Rangers like.

Garrett Olson, 3B, Franklin Pierce College- Gotta like a guy who has not only had some success with wood bats, but has played all over the field. At worst, he looks like a good utilityman candidate. The more I read about Olson, the more I liked him. Other than Scherzer, he was the pick I felt most positive about.

by RCCook on Jun 5, 2006 3:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs