Getting to First Base

Draft Day #2: The top 10

NUMBER ONE:
Stephen Strasburg. No surprise here. I was really, really hoping they’d do something else so they can try to get two really good players instead of one legendarily hyped one. With the first and tenth picks, Washington came in with the strongest position.

NUMBER TWO:
Dustin Ackley: Great choice, whether the Mariners needed a 1B/OF or not (they do). I said this to my cohorts at The Rookies earlier, and stand by it: You don’t pass up a bat like that if he’s yours to take. I can’t wait to watch Ackley and the rest of the Tar Heels, several of whom will also be drafted high tonight, starting this weekend at the College World Series.

NUMBER THREE:
It appeared that the Padres used every second of their four minutes on the clock before choosing high school outfielder Donovan Tate. Harold Reynolds just called the Padres “boring,” and said Tate would change that when he arrives in the Majors.

NUMBER FOUR:
Tony Sanchez already agreed to a predraft deal with the Pirates. It sounded like he and the Pirates were on friendly terms, and Sanchez apparently said he wasn’t going to demand a big signing bonus. Some are surprised Sanchez would go this high. Weirdly, the MLB Network anchors made no mention of this deal. Greg Schaum explains this pick on Twitter as a play by Pittsburgh to save money for Miguel Angel Sano.

NUMBER FIVE:

Matthew Hobgood. I’m surprised he’s going this high – I thought he would be available to the Rockies at #11. Harold Reynolds just compared him to Joba Chamberlain.

Time out: Interesting tidbit from Greg Schaum – one team said they will not draft anyone with a Facebook. Yeah, good luck finding any of those.

NUMBER SIX:
Zack Wheeler was in studio to hear Bud Selig call his name as the sixth pick. He’s a high school pitcher who is apparently “very polite.” I’m a sucker for tidbits like that on draft day. He had made a college commitment to Kennesaw State University, but the Network announcers seem to think he will sign with the Giants instead.

NUMBER SEVEN:
Mike Minor got Bud Selig to crack a joke in the middle of his announcement. He went off-script! Anyway, Minor’s a lefty pitcher from Vanderbilt with an average fastball but a good breaking ball and potential for a really good change later. The Rays drafted him last year.

NUMER EIGHT:
Reds reps are still on the phone after the clock reached 0:00. Shame on them. They ended up going with Mike Leake as a pitcher from Arizona State. I can’t believe guys like Tyler Matzek and Alex White are still on the board. I figured he’d go later, but I don’t think this is an egregious offense for the Reds at #8.

I like how MLB Network is taking a few seconds before every commercial break to look back at draft classes of the past.  It’s a small reminder of why today is important – we could be hearing the names of future superstars right now.

NUMBER NINE:
Jacob Turner, a high school pitcher from Missouri. I saw him go as high as #5 in some mock drafts, and as low as #15 in others. He had committed to North Carolina, but I think he’ll go ahead and sign with Detroit. Oooh, Stephen Strasburg is on the air with the Network while his new team, the Nationals, prepares to make their next pick.

NUMBER TEN:
I was more curious about this pick than almost any other first-round pick because of the Strasburg signing bonus situation. Joining Strasburg as a National will be Drew Storen, the right-handed pitcher from Stanford. Jonathan Mayo said Storen isn’t a budget pick, but was high on the Washington draft board all along and will be easy to sign.

This post is getting lengthy, so I’ll move to a new one. Mike Leake is on the air right now, and said he wasn’t expecting to go so high.