November 5, 200519 yr FLORIDA MARLINS Best Pro Debut: After sitting out the spring with a suspension at the University of Miami, 3B Gaby Sanchez (4) won the short-season New York-Penn League batting title with a .355 average. He also showed enough promise as a catcher that the Marlins will give him more time there. RHP Chris Volstad (1) ranked as the best pitching prospect in both the NY-P and the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, going a combined 4-3, 2.22. OF Matt Kutler (24) made the GCL all-star team by hitting .337-1-25, then batted .448 in eight NY-P games. Best Athlete: 3B/OF Kris Harvey's (2) most obvious tool is his power, but he also has above-average speed and arm strength. As a two-way player at Clemson, he showed a mid-90s fastball in relief. He has drawn comparisons to Jason Bay. Best Pure Hitter: The Marlins were impressed Sanchez hit so well after his long layoff. Not only did he hit for average, he made very good contact and showed some power potential. Best Raw Power: Harvey, whose 25 homers were one short of the NCAA Division I lead. The ball jumps off his bat. Fastest Runner: Harvey has plus speed, though he's better underway than out of the box because he takes a big swing. Best Defensive Player: C Brett Hayes (2) is very athletic behind the plate and delivers consistent 1.9-second pop times to second base. Best Fastball: The Marlins had five picks before the second round and used them all on pitchers, so they landed some quality arms. RHP Ryan Tucker (1) has the best velocity, sitting at 92-95 mph and topping out at 97. Volstad can reach 94 mph and has nice sink. Six-foot-8 LHP Sean West (1) has a swing-and-miss fastball that runs from 90-94 mph. RHP Jacob Marceaux (1) has a 92-93 mph two-seamer and a 94-95 mph four-seamer. RHP Chris Leroux (7), who had Tommy John surgery before the draft, hit 96-97 mph in the Cape Cod League in 2004. Best Breaking Ball: LHP Aaron Thompson's (1) slider is a little better than that of Marceaux, who learned his from former big leaguer Mike Henneman in the Texas Collegiate League in the summer of 2004. Most Intriguing Background: Harvey's dad Bryan saved 45 games for Florida and was an all-star in the franchise's inaugural 1993 season. RHP Rafael Galbizo (20) is a Cuban defector. Closest To The Majors: Though he didn't turn 19 until after the season, the Marlins believe Volstad could win their race to the big leagues. He's very mature for his age and has unusual command for a 6-foot-7 pitcher. Best Late-Round Pick: Galbizo, who's believed to be 19, has a fastball that can reach 92-93 mph to go with a good curveball. Kutler, the Ivy League's all-time hits leader, came back from missing the entire 2004 season with a torn ligament in his thumb. Florida hopes to turn 3B Andy Jenkins (11), the co-MVP of Oregon State's College World Series team, into a catcher. OF Jeff Van Houten (14) may be just 5-foot-9, but his bat plays bigger than that and he hit .283-7-36 in the NY-P. The One Who Got Away: The Marlins signed their first 12 picks but couldn't come to terms with North Carolina State 1B Aaron Bates (8), who won the home run derby at the Cape Cod League's 2005 all-star game. Assessment: The Marlins didn't plan on stockpiling pitching but couldn't pass up the arms that kept falling to them. All five of their first-round pitchers have huge ceilings. http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/2005...051101drc2.html BEST DRAFT 1. Marlins 2. Red Sox 3. Diamondbacks 4. Cardinals 5. Athletics BEST PRO DEBUT College Players 1. Ryan Zimmerman, 3b, Nationals (1) 2. Ryan Braun, 3b, Brewers (1) 3. Nolan Reimold, of, Orioles (2) 4. Kevin Slowey, rhp, Twins (2) 5. Nick Stavinoha, of, Cardinals (7) Junior College Players 1. Josh Flores, of, Astros (4) 2. Aaron Cunningham, of, White Sox (6) 3. Matt Gamel, 3b, Brewers (4) 4. Clay Buchholz, rhp, Red Sox (1) 5. Donald Veal, lhp, Cubs (2) High School Players 1. Jeff Bianchi, ss, Royals (2) 2. Chris Volstad, rhp, Marlins (1) 3. Andrew McCutchen, of, Pirates (1) 4. Travis Wood, lhp, Reds (2) 5. Tommy Mendoza, rhp, Angels (5) Second-Day Picks (Rounds 19-50) 1. Kenny Holmberg, 2b, Brewers (22) 2. Mike Madsen, rhp, Athletics (21) 3. Jeff Natale, 2b, Red Sox (32) 4. Jeff Hahn, rhp, Tigers (35) 5. Brad Kilby, lhp, Athletics (29) BEST ATHLETE 1. Justin Upton, ss, Diamondbacks (1) 2. Cameron Maybin, of, Tigers (1) 3. C.J. Henry, ss, Yankees (1) 4. Austin Jackson, of, Yankees (8) 5. Andrew McCutchen, of, Pirates (1) BEST PURE HITTER 1. Justin Upton, ss, Diamondbacks (1) 2. Alex Gordon, 3b, Royals (1) 3. Ryan Braun, 3b, Brewers (1) 4. Ryan Zimmerman, 3b, Nationals (1) 5. Travis Buck, of, Athletics (1) BEST RAW POWER 1. Henry Sanchez, 1b, Twins (1) 2. Jeff Clement, c, Mariners (1) 3. Alex Gordon, 3b, Royals (1) 4. John Mayberry Jr., of, Rangers (1) 5. Ryan Braun, 3b, Brewers (1) FASTEST RUNNER 1. Justin Upton, ss, Diamondbacks (1) 2. Trayvon Robinson, of, Dodgers (10) 3. Andrew McCutchen, of, Pirates (1) 4. Josh Flores, of, Astros (4) 5. Brett Gardner, of, Yankees (3) BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER 1. Ryan Zimmerman, 3b, Nationals (1) 2. Taylor Teagarden, c, Rangers (3) 3. David Maroul, ss, Giants (23) 4. Cliff Pennington, ss, Athletics (1) 5. Yunel Escobar, ss, Braves (2) BEST FASTBALL 1. Craig Italiano, rhp, Athletics (2) 2. Mark McCormick, rhp, Cardinals (1) 3. Mark Pawelek, lhp, Cubs (1) 4. Mike Pelfrey, rhp, Mets (1) 5. Nick Webber, rhp, Cardinals (2) BEST BREAKING BALL 1. Craig Hansen, rhp, Red Sox (1) 2. Joey Devine, rhp, Braves (1) 3. Chaz Roe, rhp, Rockies (1) 4. Matt Torra, rhp, Diamondbacks (1) 5. Michael Bowden, rhp, Red Sox (1) MOST INTRIGUING BACKGROUND Baseball Relative Division 1. Koby Clemens, 3b, Astros (8) 2. Justin Upton, ss, Diamondbacks (1) 3. John Mayberry Jr., of, Rangers (1) 4. Wilfrido Pujols, of, Cardinals (6) 5. Scott Van Slyke, of, Dodgers (15) and A.J. Van Slyke, of, Cardinals (23) Non-Baseball Relative Division 1. Trevor Bell, rhp, Angels (1) 2. Josh Outman, lhp, Phillies (10) 3. Derek Mitchell, ss, Phillies (23) 4. Matt Cunningham, of, Astros (36) 5. Brandon Stricklen, rhp, Astros (42) CLOSEST TO THE MAJORS College Players 1. Joey Devine, rhp, Braves (1) 2. Ryan Zimmerman, 3b, Nationals (1) 3. Craig Hansen, rhp, Red Sox (1) 4. Alex Gordon, 3b, Royals (1) 5. Cesar Carrillo, rhp, Padres (1) High School Players 1. Justin Upton, ss, Diamondbacks (1) 2. Chris Volstad, rhp, Marlins (1) 3. Andrew McCutchen, of, Pirates (1) 4. Brandon Snyder, c, Orioles (1) 5. Tommy Mendoza, rhp, Angels (5) BEST LATE-ROUND PICK 1. Omar Aguilar, rhp, Brewers (30) 2. Brian Kirwan, rhp, Twins (11) 3. Anthony Varvaro, rhp, Mariners (12) 4. Kenny Maiques, rhp, Cardinals (37) 5. Michael Hollimon, ss, Tigers (16) THE ONE WHO GOT AWAY College Players 1. Luke Hochevar, rhp, Dodgers (1) 2. Tim Linecum, rhp, Indians (42) 3. David Huff, lhp, Phillies (19) 4. Aaron Bates, 1b, Marlins (8) 5. Doug Fister, rhp, Yankees (6) High School Players 1. Jordan Danks, of, White Sox (19) 2. Cody Satterwhite, rhp, Indians (37) 3. Reese Havens, ss, Rockies (29) 4. Justin Bristow, ss, Royals (22) 5. Justin Smoak, 1b, Athletics (16) BEST DRAFT-AND-FOLLOW SIGNINGS 1. Lorenzo Cain, of, Brewers (17 in 2004) 2. Michael Saunders, of, Mariners (11 in 2004) 3. Stephen Marek, rhp, Angels (40 in 2004) 4. Kyle Blanks, 1b, Padres (42 in 2004) 5. Eduardo Baeza, rhp, Diamondbacks (47 in 2004) BEST DRAFT-AND-FOLLOWS FOR 2006 1. Bryan Morris, rhp, Devil Rays (3) 2. Sean O'Sullivan, rhp, Angels (3) 3. Tommie Hanson, rhp, Braves (22) 4. Brad Barragar, rhp, Rangers (8) 5. Brian Needham, rhp, Astros (18) http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/2005...105drcwrap.html
November 6, 200519 yr Not surprising that the Marlins were given such high marks for the draft. We have some nice talent down in the farm now. I wouldn't be surprised to see Volstad do a Jason Vargas and get up to the big league team this coming year. His stuff is that good.
November 6, 200519 yr I wouldn't be surprised to see Volstad do a Jason Vargas and get up to the big league team this coming year. I would be, Vargas did go to college, something Volstad didn't do...
November 9, 200519 yr Woah...so BA rated our draft as #1 overall??? Amazing! Any word from the skeptics who voiced their disappointment after draft day? :mischief2
November 9, 200519 yr If you read into it, BA gives more credit to the amount of high draft picks than the choices made.
November 9, 200519 yr This kid Kris Harvey sems to be turning some heads. I need to read more on him.... :mischief2
November 9, 200519 yr If you read into it, BA gives more credit to the amount of high draft picks than the choices made. So you're saying it's quantity not quality as far as our 2005 draft goes?
November 9, 200519 yr If you read into it, BA gives more credit to the amount of high draft picks than the choices made. So you're saying it's quantity not quality as far as our 2005 draft goes? Here's what BA said when handing out their evaluation: For most categories, only players who have signed are eligible. The exceptions are Most Intriguing Background and The One Who Got Away. Because first-round picks Justin Upton (No. 1, Diamondbacks) and Mike Pelfrey (No. 9, Mets) are still negotiating and expected to sign, we did consider them in other categories. Best Late-Round Pick is limited to players selected in the 10th round or later. We don't slap letter grades on drafts because it's just way too soon to evaluate them with that much precision. But we do feel confident enough to rank the players in the overview below. For much more detailed information by club, please see the other five pages. Numbers in parentheses indicate the round in which a player was drafted. http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/2005...105drcwrap.html So, yeah, I think it's safe to say that our quantity of first round picks may have boosted us over the Red Sox and D'Backs draft who ended up walking away with better potential major leaguers. It's kind of a which would you rather have: three in the top 50, but no higher than 15, or one in the top 5 and no one else above 40? Plus, given our organizational depth (and lack thereof in some positions) I would have given our draft a failing grade. Not to say I don't think these guys have bright futures, it's just that for the club, Hanson and Teagarden would have been much smarter picks...
November 10, 200519 yr Woah...so BA rated our draft as #1 overall??? Amazing! Any word from the skeptics who voiced their disappointment after draft day? :mischief2 still here
November 10, 200519 yr Plus, given our organizational depth (and lack thereof in some positions) I would have given our draft a failing grade. Not to say I don't think these guys have bright futures, it's just that for the club, Hanson and Teagarden would have been much smarter picks... So Baseball America ranks us #1 and you give us an F??? Gee, there seems to be a fairly wide disparity between opinions. Don't you think we deserve at least a C-? As for Hanson I seem to recall we made a strong run at him...I believe there was some sort of contractual issues. Which agent represents Hanson & Teagarden? :mischief2 Woah...so BA rated our draft as #1 overall??? Amazing! Any word from the skeptics who voiced their disappointment after draft day? :mischief2 still here You're still here? I thought for sure you'd be in LA or Boston by now. Aren't they looking to replace their wunderkind GM's??? :notworthy
November 10, 200519 yr Plus, given our organizational depth (and lack thereof in some positions) I would have given our draft a failing grade. Not to say I don't think these guys have bright futures, it's just that for the club, Hanson and Teagarden would have been much smarter picks... So Baseball America ranks us #1 and you give us an F??? Gee, there seems to be a fairly wide disparity between opinions. Don't you think we deserve at least a C-? As for Hanson I seem to recall we made a strong run at him...I believe there was some sort of contractual issues. Which agent represents Hanson & Teagarden? :mischief2 Look, our 2009 rotation figures to be: Beckett, Willis, Johnson, Volstad and Olsen, so where the hell to you fit in Thompson, Marceaux, West, Vargas, Tankersly, or even Allison? Conversely, in 2009, we figure to have a need for a catcher, centerfielder, left-fielder, and maybe second baseman. Teagarden could have filled one of those voids. We could have taken him with the 100th overall pick, for the love of God, I don't care if Boras is his agent, use that second rounder and try your best to sign him. Hansen was good enough to be ranked #1 on a few organizations draft boards, and given the lack of bullpen depth in our organization and our inability to be serious players in the free-agent closer's market, Hense for the $2.5 million he signed for would have been a smart signing given that we're going to have to offer more than that for just one year of Jones, and to be honest, I think Hansen will be a better pitcher in '06 than Jones. I'm evaluating the draft based on who we passed on, and loading up on starting pitching which was already a position of strength in the organization. BA was basing it on us taking 5 starting pitchers with high-cielings, but they ignored the fact that only one of those figures to make the rotation given the presence of all our other starters. With all of the first round picks we had, it's hard to not walk away with good players, the problem is, we could have walked away with even better players, and we certainly could have made our organization deeper.
November 10, 200519 yr Plus, given our organizational depth (and lack thereof in some positions) I would have given our draft a failing grade. Not to say I don't think these guys have bright futures, it's just that for the club, Hanson and Teagarden would have been much smarter picks... So Baseball America ranks us #1 and you give us an F??? Gee, there seems to be a fairly wide disparity between opinions. Don't you think we deserve at least a C-? As for Hanson I seem to recall we made a strong run at him...I believe there was some sort of contractual issues. Which agent represents Hanson & Teagarden? :mischief2 Look, our 2009 rotation figures to be: Beckett, Willis, Johnson, Volstad and Olsen, so where the hell to you fit in Thompson, Marceaux, West, Vargas, Tankersly, or even Allison? Conversely, in 2009, we figure to have a need for a catcher, centerfielder, left-fielder, and maybe second baseman. Teagarden could have filled one of those voids. We could have taken him with the 100th overall pick, for the love of God, I don't care if Boras is his agent, use that second rounder and try your best to sign him. Hansen was good enough to be ranked #1 on a few organizations draft boards, and given the lack of bullpen depth in our organization and our inability to be serious players in the free-agent closer's market, Hense for the $2.5 million he signed for would have been a smart signing given that we're going to have to offer more than that for just one year of Jones, and to be honest, I think Hansen will be a better pitcher in '06 than Jones. I'm evaluating the draft based on who we passed on, and loading up on starting pitching which was already a position of strength in the organization. BA was basing it on us taking 5 starting pitchers with high-cielings, but they ignored the fact that only one of those figures to make the rotation given the presence of all our other starters. With all of the first round picks we had, it's hard to not walk away with good players, the problem is, we could have walked away with even better players, and we certainly could have made our organization deeper. I certainly see your point...I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. I think the Marlins opted for the "best signable player available theory" in their picks. Their rationale was obviously to stock pile arm with high ceilings with the potential for making future deals to strengthen other areas of weaknesses. Only time will tell if this philosophy was sound. Saying that the draft was a "failure" is a bit extreme no matter your perspective. :thumbup
November 10, 200519 yr Plus, given our organizational depth (and lack thereof in some positions) I would have given our draft a failing grade. Not to say I don't think these guys have bright futures, it's just that for the club, Hanson and Teagarden would have been much smarter picks... So Baseball America ranks us #1 and you give us an F??? Gee, there seems to be a fairly wide disparity between opinions. Don't you think we deserve at least a C-? As for Hanson I seem to recall we made a strong run at him...I believe there was some sort of contractual issues. Which agent represents Hanson & Teagarden? :mischief2 Look, our 2009 rotation figures to be: Beckett, Willis, Johnson, Volstad and Olsen, so where the hell to you fit in Thompson, Marceaux, West, Vargas, Tankersly, or even Allison? Conversely, in 2009, we figure to have a need for a catcher, centerfielder, left-fielder, and maybe second baseman. Teagarden could have filled one of those voids. We could have taken him with the 100th overall pick, for the love of God, I don't care if Boras is his agent, use that second rounder and try your best to sign him. Hansen was good enough to be ranked #1 on a few organizations draft boards, and given the lack of bullpen depth in our organization and our inability to be serious players in the free-agent closer's market, Hense for the $2.5 million he signed for would have been a smart signing given that we're going to have to offer more than that for just one year of Jones, and to be honest, I think Hansen will be a better pitcher in '06 than Jones. I'm evaluating the draft based on who we passed on, and loading up on starting pitching which was already a position of strength in the organization. BA was basing it on us taking 5 starting pitchers with high-cielings, but they ignored the fact that only one of those figures to make the rotation given the presence of all our other starters. With all of the first round picks we had, it's hard to not walk away with good players, the problem is, we could have walked away with even better players, and we certainly could have made our organization deeper. I certainly see your point...I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. I think the Marlins opted for the "best signable player available theory" in their picks. Their rationale was obviously to stock pile arm with high ceilings with the potential for making future deals to strengthen other areas of weaknesses. Only time will tell if this philosophy was sound. Saying that the draft was a "failure" is a bit extreme no matter your perspective. :thumbup Given that the Marlins may never have as many first round picks and sandwich picks as they did last season, not fully taking advantage of such a situation is, at least in my mind, a "failure."
November 10, 200519 yr There was no signability issue. The players that were selected were high schoolers and underclassmen, who have options to signing. The team paid these players well to add to an already deep pitching corps. Marlins2003 and others pointed out a good reason for selecting all these pitchers, that pitching is a precious commodity (I don't think that's quite as true, the same needs for hitters are every bit as desperate) and teams are willing to trade for them. However in practice, as we've seen in recent trade negoations, our minor league pitching hasn't been too enticing to other clubs.
November 10, 200519 yr There was no signability issue. The players that were selected were high schoolers and underclassmen, who have options to signing. The team paid these players well to add to an already deep pitching corps. Marlins2003 and others pointed out a good reason for selecting all these pitchers, that pitching is a precious commodity (I don't think that's quite as true, the same needs for hitters are every bit as desperate) and teams are willing to trade for them. However in practice, as we've seen in recent trade negoations, our minor league pitching hasn't been too enticing to other clubs. You're point is valid. I was more or less referring to the team's passing on Hanson & Teagarden.
November 10, 200519 yr Plus, given our organizational depth (and lack thereof in some positions) I would have given our draft a failing grade. Not to say I don't think these guys have bright futures, it's just that for the club, Hanson and Teagarden would have been much smarter picks... So Baseball America ranks us #1 and you give us an F??? Gee, there seems to be a fairly wide disparity between opinions. Don't you think we deserve at least a C-? As for Hanson I seem to recall we made a strong run at him...I believe there was some sort of contractual issues. Which agent represents Hanson & Teagarden? :mischief2 Woah...so BA rated our draft as #1 overall??? Amazing! Any word from the skeptics who voiced their disappointment after draft day? :mischief2 still here You're still here? I thought for sure you'd be in LA or Boston by now. Aren't they looking to replace their wunderkind GM's??? :notworthy I already sent out my apps
November 22, 200519 yr Look, our 2009 rotation figures to be: Beckett, Willis, Johnson, Volstad and Olsen, so where the hell to you fit in Thompson, Marceaux, West, Vargas, Tankersly, or even Allison? First of all, Olsen needs to prove himself on the major league level before we give him a spot in our future rotation. Johnson obviously has the stuff to be a stud, and Volstad--well ya, he's the second coming of Beckett (talent-wise). Secondly, I think Vargas will be a fixture in this rotation for a few years (at least until '09). West is the most intriguing out of the group you left out. His potential is there and I like what I've heard about him. Reports show that he's a solid pitcher. Tank will fit in the pen, methinks. Allison too (unless he surprises some people) So now that we're down to Willis + whoever, who does make the roster...next year, even? Willis, Vargas, Johnson, Olsen, ...?
November 22, 200519 yr Look, our 2009 rotation figures to be: Beckett, Willis, Johnson, Volstad and Olsen, so where the hell to you fit in Thompson, Marceaux, West, Vargas, Tankersly, or even Allison? First of all, Olsen needs to prove himself on the major league level before we give him a spot in our future rotation. Johnson obviously has the stuff to be a stud, and Volstad--well ya, he's the second coming of Beckett (talent-wise). Secondly, I think Vargas will be a fixture in this rotation for a few years (at least until '09). West is the most intriguing out of the group you left out. His potential is there and I like what I've heard about him. Reports show that he's a solid pitcher. Tank will fit in the pen, methinks. Allison too (unless he surprises some people) So now that we're down to Willis + whoever, who does make the roster...next year, even? Willis, Vargas, Johnson, Olsen, ...? dont forget Ungs I think he might wander his way to the majors after the Us olympics and this year and all. Lets see what Davy johnson does with him.
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