Vitters

[MGrage]

Goes to the Cubs at #3. *whew* Mahalo

Matt

[Demreb]

What's your take on it, Matt? The *whew* implies that you're happy they got him. But I seem to remember an e-mail or post in which you were hoping they would go in another direction.

I didn't catch any of it on ESPN2 yesterday, but I am frustrated that the draft was majorly influenced by an agent (Boras) more so than the talent of the players available.

Hopefully Vitters can get signed and start making his way to Wrigley so he can replace the lazy Ramirez when AR's contract expires.

[MGrage]

The *whew* was for the fact that the Royals didn't draft him as what was being reported overnight Wednesday. Then it came out hours before the draft that KC settled on Moutsakas instead. I would have actually preferred that the Cubs had picked Wieters, the slugging catcher from Georgia Tech instead of Vitters. He would have filled a big need for the team and was the best hitter in college this year. I'm also glad they didn't draft a HS pitcher like Porcello or Parker there too. Our recent experiences with early 1st round picks there haven't done too well staying healthy.

But I am happy that Vitters is a Cub. He might have only been the second best choice to me, but they still got the top HS hitter in the draft. Here's a scouting report taken from Baseball America:

"He has tremendous feel for getting the fat part of the bat to the ball, and with his tremendous bat speed and barrel awareness, he drives the ball more consistently than any hitter in the class. Scouts describe him as the rare righthanded hitter with a pretty swing, and he's shown the ability to handle different velocities and different styles of pitching with ease. Vitters' his hand-eye coordination and ability to make contact are almost too good, because at times he swings at pitches he should let pass, rather than waiting for one he can punish with his all-fields power."

The only question is if he can handle 3rd base. Opinions are mixed but nearly everyone agrees that he is still better than Moutsakas defensively too. Mahalo

Matt

PS. Yes, I watched the draft at home yesterday. I'm a nerd.

[kenndoza (archived)]

Did any players in the CFCL get drafted?

[MGrage]

Well, Paul lost David Price when the D'Rays picked him first, but everybody knew that was going to happen, except for Paul. I couldn't find any Ryan Flaherty's in the MLB Draft Tracker so I don't know if he was drafted or draft eligible.

BTW, Minnesota shocked the world at the end of Round One by picking their own personal Alejandro De Aza. Some waterbug by the name of Ben Revere. He's 5' nothing, like 130 pounds, but he's an 80 speed guy so maybe he can return kickoffs. Mahalo

Matt