16. Tom Davis, RHP, Fordham U - A good strike-thrower, Tom mixes a 91 mph fastball with a slider and a changeup. He attacks the zone with all of his pitches and forces the opposition to put the ball in play. Tom finished the year with a 1.90 ERA in 90 innings.
17. Derek Shunk, SS, Villanova U - A big, physical SS at 6'2" and 215 lbs, Derek just finished a stellar college career that saw him hit over .300 in each of his four seasons including over .350 in each of the past two.
18. Nick Vincent, RHP, Long Beach St - Nick has had a very good year for a talented Long Beach St squad, posting a 1.91 ERA out of the pen. Nick's fastball has both sinking and cutting action, so hitters have a difficult time squaring it up with any consistency. He complements the fastball with a good slider and an occasional changeup.
19. Robert Lara, C, U Central Florida - Robert is a strong defensive catcher with very good catch and throw skills. As an offensive player, he consistently puts up good at-bats and is a tough out. Importantly, Robert has a take charge personality behind the plate.
20. Jason Codiroli, CF, West Valley College - The nephew of former big leaguer, Chris Codiroli, Jason has the tools to play CF and be a leadoff type hitter. He is currently signed to attend Cumberland U in the fall.
21. Joseph Railey, 2B, U San Francisco - A scrappy and strong player, Joseph is a top of the lineup type that handles the bat very well. Though not a power guy, Joseph has always done a good job of getting on-base, posting a .400+ obp in each of his past three season at USF and also a .377 obp in the Cape last summer.
22. Chris Wilkes, RHP, Dr. Phillips HS, FL - A 6'4", 235 lb 19 year old, Chris has a future plus fastball. This isn't surprising because he has a scholarship to be a QB at Ole Miss in the fall. Chris also has a good feel for his secondary pitches. Given his size, arm strength, and feel, there is some projection left for Chris.
23. Nich Conaway, RHP, No School - Nich was the closer for U Oklahoma last spring during which he had a dominant season. His fastball has reached 97 mph, and he compliments it with a power curveball. Nich had shoulder surgery last fall and left school in the middle of the year, so he didn't pitch this spring. Neverthless, his big fastball and 85 k's in 63 innings last year enticed our scouts to keep in touch with him this spring.
24. Eric Gonzalez, RHP, U South Alabama - A senior starter, Eric previously pitched for Spain's National Team. Eric throws a fastball, slurve, and changeup, and his changeup in his go-to pitch. A great competitor, Eric has walked just 39 and struck out 136 in his past two college seasons.
25. Logan Power, OF, U Mississippi - The #3 hitter for Ole Miss, Logan has a short compact swing that helped him to a .329/.425/.502 line this spring. Logan has the ability to play all three OF positions, as he gets good jumps and is a fundamentally sound outfielder.
26. Dean Anna, SS, Ball St - Known as a hard-nosed and disciplined player, Dean put up a terrific junior season at Ball St. A tough out, Dean's strike zone discipline is outstanding, as he walked 46 times compared to just 17 strikeouts. Dean also banged 30 extra base hits, so he's also a threat with the bat.
27. Aaron Murphree, OF, U Arkansas - At 6'5" and 235 lbs, Aaron has big power. This season he launched 14 home runs in just 129 ab's.
28. Nick Schumacher, RHP, Wayne St College - A 6'4" right-hander, Nick throws up to 94 mph. He also throws a slider and a changeup and is a terrific competitor.
29. Omar Gutierrez, RHP, Texas A&M, Corpus Christi - Omar throws his fastball right around 90 mph, though it can go as high as 93. He also throws a curveball, slider, and changeup. We feel that Omar has a nice, loose arm that may have room for even more as a pro.
30. Robert Verbick, OF, Sam Houston St - A senior at Sam Houston, Robert has a good eye at the plate but is aggressive when he decides to swing the bat. This season Robert hit 14 homers on his way to slugging .630.
31. Sean Gilmartin, OF, Crespi HS, CA - A 6'2", 190 lb outfielder, Sean is currently committed to attend Florida St in the fall. Sean shows very good hitting hands and does a nice job covering the entire strike zone. Defensively, Sean has a strong arm that is playable anywhere in the OF.
32. Kyle Heyne, RHP, Ball St - A sidearming bullpen arm, Kyle has great sinking life on his fastball which he commands well. He also throws a slider and changeup, but his bread and butter is the sinker. He was drafted last year by the Twins but elected to return to school.
33. Daniel Robertson, OF, Oregon St - A real gamer, Daniel has a plan at the plate, will take a walk, and sprays line drives around the field. Defensively, he can play either corner OF position and has surprising arm strength. An intense competitor, his energy rubs off on his teammates.
34. Matt Gaski, SS, UNC Greensboro - A knowledgeable player with very good instincts for the game, Matt always seems to be in the right spot at the right time. He has terrific hands to take advantage of those instincts. Matt also walked more than he struck out this year and is a tough out at the plate.
35. Jacob Shadle, RHP, Graham-Kapowsin HS - At 6'3" and 180 lbs, Jacob is a projectable RHP. He has some deception in his delivery, and his fastball seems to jump on the hitter. Jacob's main secondary pitch is a hard slider.
36. Mathew Means, LHP, Sonoma St - A left-hander who can really pitch, Mathew keeps hitters off balance by throwing all of his pitches (fastball, slider, changeup, and split-finger) for strikes. Mathew posted a 1.39 ERA this spring in 51.2 innings.
37. Zachary Herr, LHP, U Nebraska - Though just 5'9" tall, Zach has a no-nonsense demeanor on the mound and goes right after hitters. His 2-seam fastball has nice tailing action, and his late-biting slider is very tough on left-handed hitters. Zach struck out 49 batters in just 34 innings this spring.
38. Gary Poynter, RHP, Lubbock Christian - A physical right-hander with a three pitch mix, Gary was drafted by the Texas Rangers last spring but decided to return to attend Lubbock Christian. This spring he compiled a 14-2 record.
39. Colin Lynch, RHP, St. John's U - A closer in college, Colin throws his fastball between 89 and 93 mph, and his slider is his main secondary offering. Colin approaches the game as a typical closer, attacking the zone with high intensity while remaining cool under pressure.
40. Zach Dascenzo, C, Laurel Highlands HS, PA - A member of the Padres East Coast Showcase team last fall, Zach showed solid catch and throw skills behind the plate. A very hard worker, he has the makeup we look for from a catcher.
41. Brad Brach, RHP, Monmouth U - A big, physical right-hander, Brad pitches aggressively with all three pitches (fastball, slider, changeup). Brad pitches to contact, allowing his defense to make the plays behind him, though his changeup can be an out pitch against left-handed hitters. He'll throw any pitch in any count, which keeps hitters off balance.
42. James Tunnell, SS, Oklahoma City Broncos - Son of former Major Leaguer Lee Tunnell, James has solid tools across the board, including legitimate power. A versatile defender, Lee could easily play the outfield as well as the infield.
There it is - 42 rounds and 45 selections. We won't sign all of these players, as we don't even have enough places in the minors for all of them to play. However, we will be making offers to many of them in the coming days, and we're optimistic about getting a number of them into Padres uniforms and out playing for our affiliates in the near future.
Time to get some sleep.
18 comments:
Great stuff. Immediate draft analysis from one of the people instrumental in drafting the very players drafted. Would that my team had such a blog.
Thanks so much Paul. This has been a really cool way to open up the draft to fans. It also seems to have diminished some of the criticism that baseball drafts are sometimes open to. It's great to get the rationale directly from the proverbial horses mouth.
Thanks, Paul. Great work and my question about organizational need at shortstop was answered. One question- MLB.com lists Logan Gelbrich of USD- C -on the list but you don't mention him. Did you draft him or did the draft tracker make a mistake?
Good sleep and we will all be interested in who signs.
Paul,
Thanks for all your work with the blog. It provides great insight on how the front office works.
You say that:
We won't sign all of these players, as we don't even have enough places in the minors for all of them to play.
Are you saying that after drafting a player the organization is not obligated to offer a contract? Or are you just talking reality since some of your draftees will elect to go to college? Theoretically, what if none of the players wanted to go to college and wanted to sign a contract? Would you just find a way to shoehorn them all into your rookie and single A teams? Or, does baseball allow teams to decline to offer contracts to players they have drafted...essentially relinquishing their draft selection.
I know this is all probably minutia...but I am curious.
Thanks.
Stanford just beat Fullerton St to take the Super Regional … Padres’ draft pick Erik Davis got knocked out of the game in the 3rd inning … but unless Staford goes 2-and-out at Omaha, it seems likely we’ll see Davis pitch in the CWS …
Logan Gelbrich!!!
I apologize for somehow missing that one in the summary - thanks for pointing it out. Logan is a senior catcher for the University of San Diego. He is a solid receiver who has been catching some of the best pitching in college baseball over the past few years including Brian Matusz, Josh Romanski, and Kyle Blair. His experience will be very helpful to some of our younger pitchers.
gus,
We're not obligated to sign all of the players we draft. Before the rule change last year which requires all signings to be completed by August 15, teams would draft a whole slew of players just to follow them for the next year (hence the term "draft & follow"). Now, however, we can only "follow" players until Aug 15 before a final decision must be made.
Paul, thanks again for the blog. I was curious - now that draft-and-follows have been eliminated, starting at which round does the team begin to look at bringing in organizational guys? The players that fill minor league rosters but that you don't expect to come close to making the majors. 16? 20?
Paul,
I'm intrigued by the Darnell selection, and was wondering if he will be moved off 3B to start his pro career, given organizational needs in the OF and his ability to make the transition. I read BA's synopsis of his game and he seems to profile offensively similarly to Khalil Greene, power potential but inconsistent with offspeed stuff away. Does this comparison hold water for you?
hey paul,
i'm curious about your post on having missed most of the pitching you really wanted for the early rounds.
If you are allowed, can you let us in on the pitchers you were most interested in for the early rounds that were picked before you could grab them and why?
just curious
Hey Paul,
really hope you sign that Nick Vincent kid. I used to go to HS with him and some friends of mine watched him at LB State and man that kid can pitch! But you probably already knew that. Anyway, lovin the blog, keep up the good work and make sure Nick Vincent stays in San Diego!
joe dodger,
I'll tell you who they were in about five years. :-) In all honesty, I probably shouldn't divulge that. It was only a few. One we never had a shot at, and a couple of others we behind our top position players in terms of priority.
Mike,
I hear you on the Khalil comparison. However, this was part of Baseball America's scouting report on Khalil before the draft in 2002:
"He has a good two-strike approach and is patient enough to take walks. While there's some thought he might lack the range to play shortstop as a pro, he maneuvers well there and has an accurate arm. At worse, he'll be an offensive second baseman."
First of all, kudos to Baseball America for keeping their draft archives back to 2000 accessible. I honestly can't say how much I appreciate that type of voluntary accountability. It's way too rare. BA is certainly right more often than they're wrong, but this is a perfect example of every single one of us just not knowing exactly how things will eventually turn out.
As for Darnell, he had a much better sophomore year than junior year - he walked more, struck out less, and still hit for the same power - so I'm not sure I know exactly what he's going to be. Bottom line is that we really like his athleticism, his power, and his energy on the field. Our player development people will be very excited to work with this type of player.
Are you going to keep us posted on when these guys start to sign? I don't know of any site that tracks draft pick signings and I somehow doubt the later round guys will merit a mention in the paper if they sign.
Not a draft question but it somewhat relates because it is about a prospect. How much more time do you give Antonelli in Portland before sending him down to San Antonio? Do you have a performance level that he has to dip below (if his average drops below .150)? Or do you give him a certain performance level (he has to get 5 hits in the next week)? Given that he's only played 49 games in Double A before this season, I'd assume that you aren't too worried about sending him down.
Baseball America has done a good job for many years of tracking and reporting on draft signings ... here's a link to their 2008 Draft Database for the Padres ... as players are reported signed, their name will be changed to a bold font ...
http://www.baseballamerica.com/draftdb/2008xteam.php?team=1016
And there’s also pages on mlb.com … here’s a link to the 2007 draft results …
http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com.....mp;year=07
… which includes “date signed”.
Question for Paul ... when do you expect the first signing to happen?
Lara was 3-for-3 today for the AZL Padres ...
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_24_brrrok_pdrrok_1
... plus caught 2 of 3 base stealers!
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