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2007 MLB Amateur Draft Thread


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QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Jun 8, 2007 -> 05:18 AM)
According to that article Poreda was the target all along. And for some reason they all thought he had a chance of being taken before us too. Kind of odd since he wasnt on anyones mock to even be in the 1st round or supplemental draft for all I know. Why is it we get all excited for lame pitching prospects. Although atleast this time it seems like we took a guy with top of the rotation potential if everything goes right.

Lip service from Reifert. Doesn't the feeling on Poreda sound familar to you?

 

The White Sox selected left-handed pitcher Aaron Poreda of the University of San Francisco with the 25th pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. (see our press release on whitesox.com for details).

 

Aaron was our guy, and the room was filled with excitement and congratulations after the pick.

 

Last year's draft:

 

Now the behind-the-scenes stuff ...

 

McCulloch was our player all along. Our scouting staff was hoping he would still be available and on the board when we picked, late in the first round, at 29.

Everyone in the conference room, about 20 people in all, including Ken Williams, Rick Hahn and Duane Shaffer, held their breath late in the first round, especially when the Red Sox had back-to-back picks at 27 and 28.

 

"Congratulations," Williams said to Shaffer once it was clear we got our guy.

Twice during the 30 minute wait, Williams called Shaffer and assistant general manager Rick Hahn into private conferences to discuss the team's options.

 

 

http://whitesoxpride.mlblogs.com/inside_th.../draft_day.html

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So with Shaffer on the outs, we saw more power pitchers being taken today;

 

With Williams taking more control of the draft, expect a better return than there has been under Duane Shaffer, the senior director of amateur scouting. Williams put Shaffer on notice during the offseason, and now it seems his only decision-making will be about which doughnuts to bring to the ''war room.''
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So this was the draft of guys with a fastball and nothing else. Maybe next year we take a step further and get guys with a fastball and actual secondary stuff :P .

 

But like I said earlier our organization seems very good at teaching 2 pitches in particular with the changeup and cutter. Maybe if they work with Poreda he can develop both those pitches and since he is relatively new to baseball we might even see a better fastball than advertised by the time he reaches the majors.

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Just got caught up with this thread this morning.

 

Some thoughts:

* Getting Poreda isn't the end of the world....a power throwing lefty with projectibility and some polishing could equal quite a draft pick. Yep, Porcello was also available at a price that maybe Jerry and KW just couldn't justify with. Some say you gotta have the cajunas to draft a guy like Porcello; I'll say that sometimes you have to have the cajunas for NOT drafting Porcello for that same reason. The Sox, after all that in the first round, still got a first round talent with upside; WHICH IS WHAT EVERYONE WAS LOOKING FOR.

 

*Nice to see the Sox drafting players like Griffith and Ely - hopefully they can sign Griffith but from what I've read from FS, this should not be too much of a concern....Ely looks like a future closer, however IMO if he ever polishes his secondary pitches, he might just have enough stamina to make a back-of-the rotation starter.

 

*Will the Sox EVER draft a position player in the 6th - 10th rounds???

 

*Who is left on the big draft board, position or pitcher wise, that would make the Sox look like geniouses???

 

Thx.

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I have had time to step off the ledge. I was initially freaking out over the pick. I still dont like the Poreda pick very much, I think that we have pretty decent pitching depth in the organization and that a college player with one pitch like Poreda has a low ceiling. I think if we are going to be drafting college players they should be position players to add depth to the system, for pitching I think at this point we need to aim for high ceiling projectable guys. Our organization is flooded with middle of the rotation starters, but we lack a true ace type prospect anywhere. I like the pick of Griffith for that reason, but I dont think he projects quite that high.

 

To me I project our five guys this way:

 

Poreda: 4-5 starter with a good possibility of taking Thorntons place in the pen

Griffith: 3-5 starter

Ely: 4-5 starter or middle relief

Hunt: MR/SU

Jones: This one is a head scratcher, he seems to have some control problems throwing nine WP's last year I dont think he projects as a major leaguer at all at this point by checking his stats.

 

So I think we have some solid guys, but we have a lot of solid guys already with the Broadways and McCullochs of the world we need to try and get some premier guys, I know that a lot of them bust, but we have solid players now that can fill in.

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After a day I like our first 2 picks even if Poreda was a bit of a reach but the last 3 I think are all career minor leaguers. It seems guys are adding changeups/cutters/etc. all the time now and having them be good pitches, and I think our organization has some excellent pitching coaches which definitely helps. I think the first thing is they are going to have Poreda pitch more upright which will naturally help his secondary pitches and than who knows the possibility.

 

As for the 2nd pick he is the guy I really like. I think he will be a near top of the rotation guy if all goes well and who knows he is a highschool guy so his fastball might add some more velocity as he fills out more. Actually both our first 2 picks might improve their fastballs since Poreda is relatively new to baseball and once he learns how pitching with an upright arm angle might help.

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QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Jun 8, 2007 -> 10:04 AM)
After a day I like our first 2 picks even if Poreda was a bit of a reach but the last 3 I think are all career minor leaguers. It seems guys are adding changeups/cutters/etc. all the time now and having them be good pitches, and I think our organization has some excellent pitching coaches which definitely helps. I think the first thing is they are going to have Poreda pitch more upright which will naturally help his secondary pitches and than who knows the possibility.

 

As for the 2nd pick he is the guy I really like. I think he will be a near top of the rotation guy if all goes well and who knows he is a highschool guy so his fastball might add some more velocity as he fills out more. Actually both our first 2 picks might improve their fastballs since Poreda is relatively new to baseball and once he learns how pitching with an upright arm angle might help.

 

From what I've seen of Ely and Hunt, and I must admit it's very little, I'm not too cynical about them. Ely throws the hell out of the ball which I really like, and Hunt has the makings of Jason Grimsely in his prime. Hunt's mid 90s heat from the right with good sink and run should eat up right-handers, but he's going to have to locate it very well inside to left-handers to stay as a starter.

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Sox take Johnnie Lowe - RHP from Point Lowe Nazarene U

 

Should be on the front page. If it doesn't show on the player, look for listen to the 2007 draft or something similar.

Edited by Cerbaho-WG
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Point Loma Nazarene has two pitchers who could be single-digit picks in 6-foot-6 righthander Johnnie Lowe and Albany transfer Tony Kirbis. Lowe, raw and inexperienced on the mound, first garnered attention last year at Grossmont (Calif.) Junior College, and had touched 95 mph this spring with his fastball. He usually sat in the 91-93 mph range and complemented it with a solid split-finger fastball. He's a physical specimen with a quick arm and athletic ability. He throws a changeup and curveball but both need work, and he's worked on a slider in predraft workouts, showing some aptitude for the pitch. He didn't dominate NAIA as he probably should have with his stuff, and at 22 has yet to develop a true strikeout pitch or bulldog mentality. Still, in a year with few college power arms, he figures to go off the board in the first eight rounds. Kirbis, with a solid pro body at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, throws harder more consistently in the 92-94 mph range. A fan of pitching guru Tom House, he came to San Diego to meet with House and decided to transfer nearby, walking on. He throws a decent curveball but needs to locate it better. He led the team in wins and had a better season than Lowe (8-2, 3.08 vs. 4-5, 3.65).

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Rivalries on Tobacco Road aren't as spirited in baseball as they are in basketball, but this year Duke does have two players who will generate interest in the top 10 rounds of the draft. Like Fronk, Jimmy Gallagher is somewhat of a 'tweener. He does not show enough range and speed to play center field in pro ball, and his fringy arm plays best in left field. He'll have to make the most of his solid-average bat speed and sound feel for hitting in order to play his way to the big leagues as a left fielder.

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prof23.jpg

 

POSITION OF

YEAR FR

HEIGHT 6'3"

WT 195

B/T R/R

HOMETOWN Bellevue WA

HIGHSCHOOL Sammamish

Drafted by the Pirates in 2005 out of Sammamish H.S. Big time physical tool player, who can run, throw and hit with some power. Developing plate awareness is the key. With some time and experience, he should be a force in the league. He will play CF or LF, giving us flexibility against lefties.

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