The big day has arrived and the 1978 amateur draft is well under way in the WPK, with the first round now in the rear view mirror.
Although no draft should be evaluated on the initial round alone, with many first round busts and middle round surprises to be expected, the first round does go a long ways towards indicating the trends of the draft. And what this first round indicated is that this might go down as the year of the prep pitcher, as an abnormal number of young hurlers were chosen early.
The Phoenix Speed Devils had the honor of picking first. The team that plays in an extreme hitters park and experienced the worst staff ERA at the WPK level in league history in 1977 does have a number of young pitchers at the top of their prospects list. With an aging lineup it was a bit of surprise to most that the Speed Devils didn't grab collegiate (JuCo) third baseman George Brown, with his massive power potential with the first pick. Instead they went with Connecticut high school pitcher Kyle Elkins. While Elkins is somewhat advanced for his age the feeling is that he will always be a two-pitch pitcher and is unlikely to make it into a big league starting rotation. Many around the WPK consider this a lost opportunity for Phoenix and a bad pick at 1-1.
The expansion Chicago Fire were up next and they naturally quickly grabbed up Brown, the consensus top position player in the draft. Brown might have some bat to ball issues but when he does make contact he will do so with authority and he is also expected to grow into very fine on base skills. He's no speedster but he's quick enough for a third baseman and has a cannon for an arm. While it's hard to imagine him turning into a Hall of Fame player, he should be ready to provide impact to the Fire sooner rather than later and most think this was a no-brainer pick.
Next up were the Seattle Alligators and they selected a left-handed starting pitcher out of Lansing Community College (it was also the year of the JuCo player) that the Brewers scouting staff was very high on in Steve Rosales. Rosales profiles as an innings-eater with potential elite stuff and a splitter that could be a real out getter. He will need to work on his changeup a bit still but it is a bit developed and has great potential. Control may be an issue but a decent big league career in the middle of a rotation doesn't seem like a reach.
The Houston Cavaliers then chose another left-handed starting pitcher with the 4th pick of the draft, prep sidearmer Jacob Whittemore. Whittemore dominated in the competitive Florida prep scene and if he can develop his changeup anywhere near his potential he will have three effective pitches to go with elite level stamina. While he doesn't project as having anything more than above average stuff, movement, or control, the belief is that he can develop all three to become a very balanced, if not really dominant, starter in the bigs. As is to be expected of such a young pitcher, it is control which he will need to work hardest to harness.
And with the 5th pick the Charlotte Sting continued the trend of picking prep starting pitchers when they chose the slender Kansan right-hander Roman Palmer (although he was born in Texas, the Palmer family relocated to Osawatomie, Kansas when Roman was 8 years old.) Palmer was another pitcher the Brewers staff was impressed with. He profiles with very good stamina and should induce ground ball outs. His best pitch is expected to be an elite circle change but he will keep hitters honest with an above average fastball. The real question will be how well he develops his slider, which is sub-par currently but is thought to have good potential. Although he is likely to take a more low-key approach in the clubhouse, his makeup is mostly considered excellent and few work harder than he does.
When the first round ended (not counting the supplemental round) ten pitchers had been chosen, six of them from the high school ranks (including the Brewers pick, but more about him in the next post). Other positions represented: shortstop, with three chosen, center field, with three chosen, third base, with two chosen, catcher, with two chosen (very late in the round), second base, with one player chosen, and left field, also with one chosen.