[ayaghmour2]

1st Round, 12th Overall: LHP Bert Rogers
School: Wenona
1943: 11-1, 120.2 IP, 1.04 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 25 BB, 160 K
Career: 21-2, 239.2 IP, 1.20 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 49 BB, 303 K

When you pick 12th in a draft, you expect to pick up at least one of the players in your top scout's top 10, and considering in 3 of the last 4 drafts I got a top 10 guy in the second round, I thought I'd be guaranteed one here. Of course, you could probably guess from the way I formed that jumbled sentence that I did not, and you would be correct, as 10 of the first 11 picks were in Tom Weinstock's top 10 rankings. This definitely threw off my draft plans, but in the end, we still got a player I am quite happy to add to our system. It's always fun getting Chicago guys, and it's an even bigger plus when they're filled to the brim with talent. A 17-year-old lefty who won't be 18 until August, Bert Rogers has a golden arm, and has absolutely pummeled Illinois hitters in his two seasons at Wenona. As a sophomore, Rogers went 10-1 with a 1.36 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 24 walks, and 143 strikeouts in his 15 starts. He made 15 more as a junior, and took a huge step forward, dropping his ERA and WHIP to 1.04 and 0.85 with 25 walks and 160 strikeouts.

The stats are great, but what really drew me to Rogers (other then being a Chicagoan, of course), was his makeup. A very hard worker, the skinny six foot southpaw is always locked in on the mound and he's laser focused in his pen sessions. He's not the hardest thrower, but he bumped his velo up a bit to 85-87, He projects to have three plus or better pitches, with the fastball the weakest of the trio. With more velocity it can only increase in value, but his breaking pitches are very good. His curve is downright nasty, and his slider is a nightmare for fellow lefties to even foul off, let alone drive to the outfield. Both pitches have a ton of movement in different directions, leading to a multitude of whiffs and just as many groundballs. There is no mention of control issues for the lean and athletic youngster, and he gets a very rave review from Tom: "Rogers projects to be a front of the rotation starter with his health, stuff, and effectiveness." Durability? Sign me up!