Following last year's WPK draft, which by all indications was one of the weakest in recent memory, this year's draft class looked like one of the stronger classes in some time.
Leading the way, and to the surprise of nobody chosen
first overall, was prep shortstop
Henry Machado, out of Miami, Florida. Machado is the nephew of former big league outfielder Luis Machado. Henry Machado is a bat-first player with prodigious power potential but also has the defensive chops to at least begin his career at shortstop. However, it appear that the Montreal Royals, who picked him, are already asking him to move to a corner outfield position, so it will be interesting to see how his career plays out in terms in terms of primary position. He has average speed and doesn't look like he would be more than adequate in left field, but at the plate he combines good discipline with plus plus contact skills and elite power. He should be a superstar in the WPK before long.
Taken
second overall, by the Milwaukee Cadets, was high school starting pitcher
Adam Wyatt. Wyatt is relatively advanced for his age and profiles as durable, with great stamina, excellent makeup, and four pitch repertoire in which every pitch has a chance to be a legitimate out pitch (his changeup remains below average but is just good enough to suggest that it might develop into the elite offering it potentially is expected to be). For a prep pitcher, this seems like a pretty safe bet and Wyatt should have a great WPK career ahead of him.
Earlier indications were that
Juan Garcia, a left fielder out of Cincinnati College, might fall to the Denver Brewers at the 9th pick overall, but his stock rose prior to draft day and he went to St. Louis as the
third pick. Garcia is another guy with a great hit tool and plus plus power potential. Like Machado, he has average speed and base running skills at best and will only likely be an adequate left fielder (first base and/or DH are most likely where he will end up eventually). And there are some questions about his makeup ("lacks an edge") but his bat should make him a valuable big leaguer.
The Seattle Alligators, with the
fourth pick, took collegiate starting pitcher
Jeff Gibbons out of San Antonio College. Gibbons should have electric stuff, with an elite cutter as the best of his four pitches. He also has good stamina. But the biggest question with Gibbons is whether he can stay healthy, as he projects as likely to be injury prone.
With the
fifth pick, the Jacksonville Wolf Pack took JuCo starting pitcher
Ken Good (out of Houston College). Good was one player the Brewers would have been happy to see fall to them at #9, as he profiles as durable, an extreme groundball inducer, has four plus pitches with the best a changeup, good stamina, and a great work ethic. He is one of the more advanced starting pitchers in the draft and if he doesn't exactly have any one aspect of his game that stands out as elite, he has the look of a very consistent #1 in any big league rotation for years to come.
Before the Brewers got to pick at #9, other players who were taken were center fielder
Brian Ramquist by Columbus (elite eye, good power, questionable bat to ball skills, great speed and outfield range), starting pitcher
Corey Bennett by Boston (another pitcher Denver coveted, great makeup, excellent changeup and curveball combination with two other lesser pitches, good stamina), and left-handed starting pitcher
Mark Hughes by El Paso (high school arm with high ceiling but a lot of development needed still, particularly in the area of control, three good pitches, high work ethic).
In the next post we will look at the Brewers first five picks.