Chisoxfn Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 2004 Draft Preview: Compensatory Round By Jason Gage May 31, 2004 FutureSox.com This off-season the focus on the White Sox was on who they lost, but this draft the focus will be on who they gain. The losses of Bartolo Colon (Anaheim) and Tom Gordon (Yankees) gave the Sox an additional four draft picks. The first of which are sandwich picks. It is quite possible that with these sandwich picks (34th and 38th overall) that the Sox could reach for a player slotted a little lower for signability purposes. With so many early picks the White Sox will want to ensure they can get the players signed and they may not be willing to pay huge money in bonuses for all of their players. The good news is that for a second consecutive year, it is likely that the average bonus will drop. Now lets take a look at some players that could be available when the Sox are on the board at 34 and 38: Jason Vargas – LHP – Long Beach State (Junior) The White Sox had recent success drafting a Dirt Bag (ie, Jeremy Reed) and Vargas would help fill the lack of top pitching prospects in the organization. Vargas started his college career as a freshman at LSU but then transferred to junior college to become draft eligible and eventually found himself a Dirt Bag. He also plays DH and is one of Long Beach State’s best offensive players, however, his future is as a pitcher. Vargas is still a little raw, but would be a Friday starter if it wasn’t for Jared Weaver. Vargas features a good fastball that has been clocked as high as 95 MPH, but sits consistently in the 89-93 MPH range. Vargas also features a good overhand curveball and has recently started to throw a changeup. Occasionally Vargas struggles with his command but he has been making tremendous strides as the season wore on. He is 7-5 with a 3.57 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 88 innings. J.P. Howell – LHP – Texas (Senior) J.P. Howell was one of the top pitchers in the country last year and this season he’s done even better. Howell should also be well equipped to move up the minors quickly because he plays in a strong baseball conference (Big 12) and also plays a tough non conference schedule. Howell flat out knows how to pitch and has a tremendous curveball. He also features a upper 80’s fastball, slider, and changeup. This season he has had much better command of his fastball. Howell was drafted in the 2nd round out of high school by the Atlanta Braves but chose to go to USC instead. He left USC his freshman year and ended up a Longhorn. This season he is 11-2 with a 1.79 ERA with 126 strikeouts and 58 hits in 101 innings of work. Howell’s curve has been compared to Barry Zito’s. Brett Smith – RHP – UCI (Junior) Brett Smith has been one of the Anteaters best since joining the recently restarted program. This season he has gone 7-3 with a 2.02 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 94 innings of work. Smith was originally rated as a 2nd to 3rd round pick, but has seen his stock rise as his pitching has helped carry a resurgent UCI squad that is becoming one of the better programs in the country. Smith features a good fastball (90-93), a hard slider (86-88) and a developing changeup. He has a very strong build (6’5, 215 lb) and could turn into an absolute workhorse at the major league level. Mark Trumbo – RHP – Villa Park High School (Orange County, California) Mark Trumbo is one of three talented Orange County high school pitchers (Huges, and Meyers are the others) that should go within the 1st two rounds of the draft. Trumbo has tremendous size for a youngster (6-5, 220) and should still add a little more muscle and velocity. Trumbo already features a very good fastball that gets as high as 94 MPH, but is usually in the 89-92 range. Trumbo also throws a good curveball and outdueled Mission Bay high school stud Matt Bush. Bush is one of the top prep shortstop prospects in the draft and will likely go top 10. He also is one of the best high school pitchers in the country and can hit 96 MPH on the gun. Brad Meyers – RHP – Servite High School (Orange County, California) Brad Myers helped lead his high school to the CIF playoffs and he may have the potential to help lead a major league team to the playoffs. Myers plays for one of the better programs in the Southern California area and has been dominate. This season he is 8-1 with a .96 ERA with 87 strikeouts in 65 innings. Myers is one of the more projectable players in the draft who already features a low 90’s fastball (90-93). His fastball should add a few MPH as his body fills out. Right now he is tall, but slender at 6-6, 180 pounds. He has also flashed a good curveball at times. Kurt Suzuki – C – R/R - Cal State Fullerton (Senior) Kurt Suzuki has quickly emerged as one of the best catchers in college baseball. Prior to the season he was just a good catcher, but this season he took over the catchers duties full time at Fullerton (he had been splitting them) and has excelled both offensively and defensively. Suzuki has commented that he learned a tremendous amount about calling a game this season, while working with a young and erratic Fullerton pitching staff (due to injuries of Jason Windsor and Dustin Miller). Fullerton eventually got things together and ran away with the Big West with Suzuki earning Big West Player of the Year Honors and was named as a 2nd Team All American. Baseball America recently rated Suzuki as having the best strike zone judgment of all draft eligible players and he was ranked as the 3rd best defensive college player. Suzuki is good behind the plate and has a strong arm. Offensively he has a level, line drive swing that is showing a little bit of power (11 HR). He is hitting .439 with 11 HR, and 68 RBI. Like J.P. Howell, Suzuki has played against some of the top programs in the country, which should make him better prepared for the minors. Dustin Pedroia – SS – Arizona State University (Junior) Dustin Pedroia stands out on the baseball field for both the right and wrong reasons. At 5’8 165 pounds (he’s listed at 5-9, but is shorter) he just doesn’t fit the bill for a shortstop, not when you see guys like Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and company playing shortstop at the major league level. However, take away the size and all Pedroia does is flat out play. He started for Team USA’s team the past two summers and was Co-Conference player of the Year last year and will likely be the Pac-10 player of the year this season. He hit .411 with 8 HR, 22 doubles, 43 RBI, and 6 steals this season. Pedroia has tremendous makeup and will be a good major leaguer. He is a good defensive shortstop with a smooth stroke. He should hit and hit at every level, even though he doesn’t have the “tools” scouts love. My Picks: Jason Vargas/Dustin Pedroia Vargas looks like one of the better left handed pitching prospects in the country. He is still a little raw, but has a tremendous arm and his secondary pitches are coming along very quickly. Vargas has played against great competition in college and should be an easy sign. Pedroia may end up sliding into the 2nd round, but this would be a good player for the Sox to draft a little early for signability purposes. He has the ability to move through the system quickly and while the White Sox have a good shortstop prospect in Robert Valido, you can never have too many middle infield prospects, especially good ones. However, if the Sox want to go with more pitching, I would look at J.P. Howell or Brett Smith. Howell may be available when the Sox pick in the 2nd round. Kurt Suzuki would also be a tremendous pick, but Landon Powell, who will be talked about later in the week, is projected to go in the 3rd to 5th round and has just as much ability as Suzuki and has a whole lot of upside. Check back on Tuesday when I highlight some potential second round picks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 Jason, did you forget they have some pretty good players in the South? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHarris1 Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 That Howell guy sounds interesting. Once again, great read, Jas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted May 31, 2004 Author Share Posted May 31, 2004 Jason, did you forget they have some pretty good players in the South? Lol, does Landon Powell count as a guy from the South, cause I'm gonna be writing something up on him as one of the guys I like for the 3rd to 5th round. I also like Sowers but he won't be falling to the Sox. Zerinque or whatever his name is from LSU is good, but I didn't see many southern guys being slotted in that area. Of course FS may end up being known for a West Coast Bias just to make up for the networks east coast bias Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted May 31, 2004 Author Share Posted May 31, 2004 That Howell guy sounds interesting. Once again, great read, Jas. I really like Howell. You could make a case for him being one of the college pitchers of the year. His fastball may not dazzle you, but you watch him pitch and he flat out knows how to pitch and his hook is outstanding. He doesn't use his slider and change too much, which is something to look out for, but the fact that he has them is a good sign that he could be taught to better use them at the minor/major league level. You'll get an opportunity to see him cause Texas is one of the top top teams in the country and will get a few more games nationally televised by the time the season is done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JimH Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 And they already picked Zeringue once and couldn't get him signed. He was a catcher, MnSoxfan correctly pointed out recently he's become an outfielder now. Seeing as OF is not the most needed position for the Sox in terms of depth, I'd say they'll go for pitching or catchers in the comp round and 2nd round. Just a hunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted May 31, 2004 Author Share Posted May 31, 2004 Plus if they are going to take an outfielder, you gotta go with Szymanski...the guy is a total stud, imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redandwhite Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 Landon Powell is my star catcher prospect in my ootp league, he rocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWSGuy406 Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 That Howell guy sounds interesting. Once again, great read, Jas. Exactly what I was thinking (great minds must think a like ). A curveball compared to Zito's is pretty good... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHarris1 Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 Exactly what I was thinking (great minds must think a like ). A curveball compared to Zito's is pretty good... Yeah, I always wanted a pitcher with a pitch that has sweet movement. That, and he sounds good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWSGuy406 Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 Yeah, I always wanted a pitcher with a pitch that has sweet movement. That, and he sounds good. Yeah, my brother subscribes to Baseball America, I was just looking around and he's like their 44th overall rated prospect. He had a 1.78 ERA, in what is believed to be (well, that's what I heard) a tough Big 12 Conference. That's solid to me - add a Zito-like curve, and I'd love taking him with one of those "sandwich" picks. BTW, What kind of picks (Overall picks) would Maggs get if we offered him arbitration and he declined? They'd be better than those sandwich picks (around the mid-30th overall picks), right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasox24 Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 I'd love to get any of those players, but Howell would be my first choice with Meyers, Trumbo, and Suzuki after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWSGuy406 Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 Hmm - is Pedroia the only middle infield prospect who would be worth taking at that time? I was hoping that we could load up on pitching and middle infield in this draft... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHarris1 Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 If you want some more info on prospects use the draft tracker on here... http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/draftday/y2004/index.jsp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 Yeah, my brother subscribes to Baseball America, I was just looking around and he's like their 44th overall rated prospect. He had a 1.78 ERA, in what is believed to be (well, that's what I heard) a tough Big 12 Conference. That's solid to me - add a Zito-like curve, and I'd love taking him with one of those "sandwich" picks. BTW, What kind of picks (Overall picks) would Maggs get if we offered him arbitration and he declined? They'd be better than those sandwich picks (around the mid-30th overall picks), right? It would depend on who ultimately signed him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted June 1, 2004 Author Share Posted June 1, 2004 It would depend on who ultimately signed him. Ya to further that, if a team has a really bad record you don't get their 1st round pick. However, if they are in like 15th and above (its something like that) then if the Sox offered Maggs arb they would get that teams 1st round pick and then a sandwich pick. However, if that team signed another free agent, rated higher then Maggs, then it would shift down and we would get their 2nd round pick. IN the Angels instance, they picked too early so instead we get their 2nd round pick. In the Yankees instance, Paul Quantrill (or Sheffield, I don't remember) were rated higher then Gordon so once again they got a 2nd rounder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted June 1, 2004 Share Posted June 1, 2004 Quantril......... And 16th is the cutoff...... Top 15 teams always keep their 1st round pick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshPR Posted June 1, 2004 Share Posted June 1, 2004 A lot of crappy draft picks through out the years... http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/history/...jsp?feature=cws Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
th0mas35 Posted June 1, 2004 Share Posted June 1, 2004 I have a baseball card of Scott Christman..Sox 1st round pick in 92. I don't think he made it above double-a if that? Did he get hurt or just stink? same with Eddie Pearson....anyone know anything about him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MnSoxFan Posted June 1, 2004 Share Posted June 1, 2004 Christman got hurt and stunk besides. Eddie Pearson was a horrible pick, he never got close to making it either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nokona Posted June 1, 2004 Share Posted June 1, 2004 1990 Alex Fernandez, rhp 4 1989 Frank Thomas, 1b 7 1988 Robin Ventura, 3b 10 1987 Jack McDowell, rhp What were the Sox thinking with those four? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Honda Civic Posted June 1, 2004 Share Posted June 1, 2004 1990 Alex Fernandez, rhp 4 1989 Frank Thomas, 1b 7 1988 Robin Ventura, 3b 10 1987 Jack McDowell, rhp What were the Sox thinking with those four? Yeah look what happens when you pick in the top 10 --- Something we haven't done since then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshPR Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 1990 Alex Fernandez, rhp 4 1989 Frank Thomas, 1b 7 1988 Robin Ventura, 3b 10 1987 Jack McDowell, rhp What were the Sox thinking with those four? Outta all those picks in the link i posted i think those where the 4 best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperSteve Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 Outta all those picks in the link i posted i think those where the 4 best Damn, our picks have sucked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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