PREVIEWING THE 1929 DRAFT
PART 7 - PITCHERS
A very deep crop of pitchers, and 4-6 elite guys at the top. There are a lot of good high school arms and I probably could have chosen 10 other guys to fill out spots 6-10 on this list so there is depth. At the top it comes down to Stout or Barrell, but Tom Blalock has quietly done a great job at Chicago Poly and there are a couple of high school arms as well. Despite a couple of elite position players, I would not be surprised if the top 5 picks are all pitchers.
1- CHICK STOUT : Rainier College - Just a dominant season from Stout as he went 11-1, 1.30 to lead his team to the best record in college baseball. 141 k's and just 26 walks in 117 innings of work. It is between him and Barrell as to who goes first overall.
2- TOM BARRELL : Georgia Baptist - What else can we say about Barrell that has not already been noted. Stayed for a fourth year and become the Gators best hitter as well as their top pitcher by playing first base on days he wasn't on the mound. Went 6-2, 2.10 this year with a 0.80 WHIP. Because of his ability to play 1B and hit with power he might just get selected ahead of Stout and be a great two-way player. If I am judging on pitching alone though I will give Stout the advantage.
3- BEN BERNARD : Mobile HS - 16-4 with a 1.10 era and a 0.84 WHIP over his college career. Stands a good chance of going third overall but being a high school arm may come with a little more risk than Stout or Barrell.
4- TOM BLALOCK : Chicago Poly - 25-6 with a 2.20 era and a 0.95 WHIP for his college career. Overshadowed by Stout and Barrell but whoever picks him will be getting a great consolation prize.
5- FRED O'DELL : Portland HS - Went 7-0 with a 2.20 era and 0.98 WHIP this season. Had a down year last season so really a surprise he moved up this high. Two good years out of his 3 in high school might make him a little more risky than the 4 arms ahead of him but he certainly has a high ceiling.
6- RAY BYRD : Omaha HS - Just came out of nowhere. After two poor season he put it all together in his draft year going 5-1 with a 0.82 era and an amazing 0.65 WHIP. Are those numbers just a fluke due to a small sample season of one high school season or is he really that good?
7- PHIL NEWCOM : Central Ohio - Went 7-1 with a 1.02 WHIP and a 194 ERA+ in his draft year. Low strikeout totals but also does not walk many - only 3 free passes in 77 innings this season.
8- OWEN MILLER : Dickson College - 22-6 with a 1.36 WHIP and a very impressive 10.8 K/9 for his career. Struck out a college leading 153 batters this season. As with most strikeout pitchers, walks might be a concern. He did a good job of cutting down on homeruns allowed this season.
9- MIKE SANDERS : Austin HS - Lefthander has a 1.03 WHIP and 240 ERA+ for his high school career but I am most impressed with the fact he did not surrender a home run in 161 career innings.
10- HARVEY CHILDERS: San Francisco HS - 1.85 career ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 243 ERA+, just 2 homers allowed in 175 innings and averaging just 2.5 BB/9. Once concerning thing is his strikeouts were way down this year, just 21 k's in 50 innings which seems low compared to other high school arms.
So that completes the rankings by position based on stats. Next up, the series concludes with my mock draft.