With last year's #1 pick Jeff Clement riding the pine while nursing knee and elbow injuries, the Mariners system sure could use a new guy follow and analyze relentlessly. With weeks of speculation, the only conclusion everyone has come to is this: we don't know who's going where. So, today we find out. Thank God.
The draft beings at 10:00am PDT and can be heard on MLB Radio or followed pick-by-pick with Draft Tracker on MLB Draft Central.
Just like last year, I'll be following the draft real-time and posting the selections here. Use this thread to praise, berate, act ambivalent toward any picks the Mariners make. I'll be posting the selected player's statistics and scouting report (if available). If you have some pertinent auxiliary information on a pick, post it in the comments and chances are I'll throw it up on the main post. Feel free to discuss picks by other teams as well. If it's draft related, it can go into this thread.
Day One will finish at the conclusion of the 18th round.
Mariner selections:
Round 1 (5): Brandon Morrow - RHP, 6'3" 190, 21 y.o., University of California
2006 Season: 14 GS, 7-4, 96.2 IP, 72 H, 34 R, 22 ER, 97 K, 39 BB, 2.05 ERA
Thanks to the depressing fact that Andrew Miller and Tim Lincecum were both still on the board, I'm not even going to bother analyzing this pick right now. Early impression: dumb.
Round 2 (49): Christopher Tillman - RHP, 6'5" 195, 18 y.o., Fountain Valley HS (CA)
2006 Season: 10 G, 5-5, 67 IP, 53 H, 32 BB, 98 K
It's not going to make up for passing on Andrew Miller, but this isn't a bad pick at #49. He's a high schooler, yeah, but he's projectable and looks like he has the stuff that can turn him into a nice arm. Tillman possesses a good looping curve and a low-90's fastball. Should be fun to watch progress.
Round 3 (81): Anthony "Tony" Butler - LHP, 6'7" 205, 19 y.o., Oak Creek HS (WI)
2006 Season: Not currently available.
Staying with the high school trend, the Mariners go with a tall, lanky lefthander who apparently turns heads in the Milwaukee area. His school doesn't have a spring ball team, only a summer ball team that has won the state summer championship the past three years. His fastball has been clocked as high as 91 MPH and he mixes that in with a good curve and above average change. He's committed to Arkansas, so we'll see how easy he signs.
Round 4 (111): Enrique "Ricky" Orta - RHP, 6'2" 195, 21 y.o., University of Miami
2006 Season: 17 G, 5 GS, 2-2, 51.0 IP, 58 H, 38 R, 35 ER, 45 K, 22 BB, 6.18 ERA
A stud in high school, Orta hasn't been real impressive since suiting up as a Hurricane. Started in only five games this season but did manage nearly a strikeout per inning. Raw, rough and obviously not polished, Orta is said to have four pitches, one of them being a zooming fastball. He's a longterm project at this point.
Round 5 (141): Nathan Adcock - RHP, 6'5" 190, 18 y.o., North Hardin HS (KY)
2006 Season: 6-1, 48 IP, 89 K, 13 BB, 0.59 ERA
A young, hard-throwing righty who is beginning to develop an out-pitch to go along with his fastball. He's tied his high school record for strikeouts in a game of 17 - three times. He's also had a 16 K start this season. Looks like he could be something to keep an eye on if he doesn't attend Louisville.
Round 6 (171): Adam Moore - C, 6'3" 215, 22 y.o., University of Texas - Arlington
2006 Season: .350/.445/.563/1.008, 254 AB, 89 H, 22 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 50 RBI, 31 BB, 37 K, 3 SB
He can hit. He's proven that wherever he's gone and had a great campaign after not playing in 2005 and transferring from Nebraska to UT-A. He's not going to stay behind the plate, but I guess we'll see if his bat can carry him in the minors.
Round 7 (201): Douglas Fister - RHP, 6'8" 200, 22 y.o., Fresno State University
2006 Season: 24 G, 5 GS, 8-6, 116.1 IP, 118 H, 67 R, 53 ER, 108 K, 47 BB, 4.10 ERA
Taken last year by the Yankees in the sixth round, he looks like a mediocre arm at best. Only started five games, so he could be in mind as a potential reliever. He strikes a lot of guys out, but he get hit pretty well too. He's huge at 6'8", but that seems to be just a novelty that the M's are mysteriously attracted to this year. Meh.
Round 8 (231): Steven Richard - RHP, 6'3" 240, 21 y.o., Clemson University
2006 Season: 21 G, 0 GS, 0-1, 23 IP, 29 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 14 K, 9 BB, 4.30 ERA
Round 9 (261): Justin Souza - RHP, 6'1" 185, 20 y.o., Sacramento CC
2006 Season: 13 G, 12 GS, 6-4, 89.2 IP, 65 H, 35 R, 21 ER, 95 K, 20 BB, 2.11 ERA
Round 10 (291): Christopher Minaker - SS, 6'0" 195, 22 y.o., Stanford University
2006 Season: .363/.401/.598/.999, 251 AB, 91 H, 20 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 68 RBI, 17 K, 15 BB, 5 SB
Round 11 (321): Aaron Solomon - RHP, 6'2" 205, 20 y.o., Cumberland University
2006 Season: 9 G, 8 GS, 3-4, 39.1 IP, 35 H, 34 R, 25 ER, 53 K, 32 BB, 5.72 ERA
Round 12 (351): Gavin Dickey - CF, 5'11" 200, 22 y.o., University of Florida
2006 Season: .304/.366/.547/.913, 181 AB, 55 H, 7 2B, 2 3B, 11 HR, 41 RBI, 42 K, 6 BB, 8 SB
Round 13 (381): Joesph Kantakevich - RHP, 6'1" 195, 22 y.o., College of William and Mary
2006 Season: 25 G, 5 GS, 4-3, 70.1 IP, 71 H, 41 R, 35 ER, 61 K, 28 BB, 4.48 ERA
Round 14 (411): Jared Baehl - 3B, 6'2" 200, 18 y.o., North Posey HS (IN)
2006 Season: Not currently available.
Round 15 (441): Andrew Fiorenza - RHP, 6'2" 210, 21 y.o., Clemson University
2006 Season: 12 G, 0 GS, 0-0, 15 IP, 18 H, 11 R, 11 ER, 15 K, 5 BB, 6.60 ERA
Round 16 (471): Austin Bibens-Dirkx - RHP, 6'2" 190, 21 y.o., University of Portland
2006 Season: 26 G, 5 GS, 1-5, 68.2 IP, 64 H, 37 R, 32 ER, 61 K, 27 BB, 4.19 ERA
Round 17 (501): Daniel Runzler - LHP, 6'4" 210, 21 y.o., UC Riverside
2006 Season: 9 G, 0 GS, 1-0, 13 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 19 K, 7 BB, 5.54 ERA
Round 18 (531): Kameron Mickolio - RHP, 6'9" 256, 22 y.o., Utah Valley State College
2006 Season: 16 G, 15 GS, 6-6, 91.2 IP, 105 H, 75 R, 54 ER, 54 K, 35 BB, 5.30 ERA
And that's it for Day One of the 2006 Draft. We come away with twelve righthanded pitchers, two lefthanded pitchers, a catcher, a shortstop, a centerfielder and a high school infielder. I don't know what to make of it, but at face value, it looks pretty barren outside of Morrow. Rounds 19-50 are tomorrow, stop by and see if we nabbed anything worthwhile in the later rounds.