2012 Baseball Draft: Update on the 17th Round

2012 Draft: Update on 17th Round Picks

Here is an update on players drafted in the 17th round of the 2012 baseball draft and how they performed in their pro debuts.

519) Aaron West, RHP, Houston Astros: From University of Washington, low-90s fastball, good slider, excellent for Tri-City in the New York-Penn League, 2.04 ERA with 59/9 K/BB in 62 innings. Significant sleeper. There are erroneous reports that he had Tommy John surgery in college, but in fact the procedure was far less serious.

520) D.J. Hicks, 1B, Minnesota Twins: First baseman from Central Florida, hit .270/.382/.435 with 19 walks, 37 strikeouts in 115 at-bats for Elizabethton in the Appalachian league. Needs more than that at higher levels.

521) Isaiah Yates, OF, Seattle Mariners: High school outfielder from California, signed for slot, hit .240/.364/.404 with 30 walks, 49 strikeouts in 171 at-bats. Controls the zone well, tools are average, didn't turn 18 until late August.

522) Nick Grim, RHP, Baltimore Orioles: Typical college arm from Cal Poly with low-90s fastball, shut down in late July after giving uup 12 hits and nine walks in 7.2 innings in rookie ball.
523) Ariel Estades, OF, Kansas City Royals: Puerto Rican high school outfielder, hit .250/.330/.315 with 11 walks, 31 strikeouts, 8-for-10 in steals in 92 at-bats for Arizona League Royals. Too soon to tell much here.

524) Nathan Dorris, LHP, Chicago Cubs: Home state college guy from Southern Illinois, posted 1.88 ERA in 24 innings between AZL and Boise in the Northwest League, 21/11 K/BB, 2.43 GO/AO. Tough on lefties, future LOOGY type.

525) Joe Church, RHP, San Diego Padres: College senior from Marshall, 3.54 ERA with 35/15 K/BB in 28 innings for Eugene in the NWL, 24 hits. Roster-filler at this point but you need those guys.

526) Hayden Hurst, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates: Overslot high school guy from Florida, signed for $400,000 away from Florida State, Tommy John history, velocity and command are erratic, didn't pitch yet in pro ball. High risk property with upside.

527) Bubba Keene, OF, Miami Marlins: Raw football type from high school in Mississippi, went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts in rookie ball, already 19. Good tools, no evidence he can play baseball.

528) Jason Stolz, INF, Colorado Rockies: College infielder from Clemson, hit .260/.320/.373 with 14 walks, 46 strikeouts in 204 at-bats for Grand Junction in Pioneer League. Utility profile if he hits enough.

529) Tyler Olson, LHP, Oakland Athletics: College pitcher from Gonzaga did not sign.

530) Stefan Sabol, OF, New York Mets: Former hot prospect, slowed by injuries, signed for slot money out of Orange Coast JC. Hit .241/.343/.395 with 30 walks, 58 strikeouts in 220 at-bats for Brooklyn in the NY-P. Some scouts really liked him in high school but injuries and lack of clear position have taken their toll.

531) Sammy Ayala, C, Chicago White Sox: High school catcher from California, signed for overslot ($258,800), hit .202/.261/.274 with five walks, 23 strikeouts in 84 at-bats for Bristol in the Appy, threw out just 15% of runners. Very raw but has both offensive and defensive tools.

532) Jose Ortiz, C, Cincinnati Reds: High school catcher from Puerto Rico, quick start in a small sample, hit .359/.469/.538 with eight walks, 10 strikeouts in 39 at-bats in the AZL. Made four errors in nine games. Interesting, will have to track him.

533) Andrew Calica, OF, Cleveland Indians: High school outfielder from California didn't sign, going to school at UC Santa Barbara.

534) Blake Schwartz, RHP, Washington Nationals: College senior from Oklahoma City University, originally from Minnesota, performed well in pro debut with 3.05 ERA, 41/11 K/BB in 38 innings, 39 hits in the South Atlantic League. Considered a sleeper by some Midwestern scouts due to his command.

535) Shane Dawson, LHP, Toronto Blue Jays: Lefty from Lethbridge Community College in Alberta, performed well in Gulf Coast League, 2.35 ERA with 35/10 K/BB in 31 innings, 33 hits. Strong reverse platoon split so maybe not a LOOGY type.

536) Kevin Maxey, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers: High school outfielder from California did not sign.

537) Yency Almonte, RHP, Los Angeles Angels: High school pitcher from Miami, signed overslot ($250,000), athletic and projectable, brother of tooled-up Mariners farmhand Denny Almonte. Pitched just three innings in rookie ball, and had pre-draft questions about his health.

538) Chris Johnson, RHP, San Francisco Giants: College pitcher from University of Portland, posted ugly 6.84 ERA for Salem-Keizer in the Northwest League, gave up 56 hits in 49 innings but also had a solid 47/11 K/BB and a 1.82 GO/AO. Worth tracking despite the ERA.

539) Chase Anselment, OF, Atlanta Braves: College guy from University of Washington, hit .218/.292/.388 with 17 walks, 40 strikeouts in 165 at-bats for Rome in the Sally League. Big jump to Low-A from college did not pan out. Has some pop but also contact issues.

540) Chris Perry, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals: College pitcher from Methodist in North Carolina. He didn't pitch in pro ball after signing, but was a strong performer in Division III, with 132/23 K/BB ratio this year, 2.14 ERA.

541) Willie Ethington, RHP, Boston Red Sox: Overslot ($200,000) high school pitcher from Arizona, threw nine innings in rookie ball with 8/3 K/BB, 14 hits, three runs allowed. Low-90s fastball, curve has promise, an interesting property but need more data of course.

542) Ryan Dunn, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays: College infielder from Oregon State, played shortstop in New York-Penn League, utility profile up the ladder if he hits enough, batted .278/.366/.363 with 27 walks, 25 strikeouts, 8-for-10 in steals in 223 at-bats.

543) Yogey Perez-Ramos, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks: Cuban defector, already 24 at least, drafted from Miami-Dade JC. Hit .285/.336/.365 with 10 walks, 14 strikeouts in 137 at-bats for Yakima in the NWL. Age and lack of power are the biggest problems.

544) Slade Smith, RHP, Detroit Tigers: College pitcher from Auburn relies on sinker, posted 3.59 ERA with 34/15 K/BB in 48 innings for West Michigan in the Midwest League, 60 hits, 3.50 GO/AO. Lots of grounders, but hittable.

545) Alfredo Rodriguez, SS, Milwaukee Brewers: College infielder from Maryland, hit .281/.379/.356 with 34 walks, 45 strikeouts in 267 at-bats for Helena in the Pioneer League. Good approach at the plate, but error-prone at shortstop and lacks distance power.

546) Chuck Moorman, C, Texas Rangers: High school catcher from California, signed for slot money, hit .207/.343/.241 with 10 walks, 13 strikeouts in 58 at-bats in rookie ball, with eight passed balls and three errors in 19 games. Quite raw obviously.

547) Tim Flight, LHP, New York Yankees: College guy from Southern New Hampshire University, 5.20 ERA with 37/21 K/BB in 45 innings for Staten Island in the NY-P, 52 hits. Shuts down lefties (.184) but right-handers eat him up (.315).

548) David Hill, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies: High school pitcher from California, didn't sign, going to Long Beach State.