In honor of the fast-approaching 2011 amateur draft, we’ve been taking a look back at the 2008 draft. We previously reviewed the American League: AL West, the AL Central and the AL East. You can also catch up on the NL West post. The National League East is up next and will round out the series.

The first three rounds are listed for each team, plus any other above-slot signees.
(X = Signed to Over-Slot Deal; S = Supplemental Round; DNS = Did Not Sign)

The Cincinnati Reds
1st. Yonder Alonso, 1B, U of Miami
2nd. None
3rd. Zach Stewart, RHP, Texas
11thx – Andrew Means, OF, Indiana
30thx – Juan Carlos Sulbaran, RHP, Florida HS
35thx – Matt Fairel, LHP, Florida State

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A. J. Hinch
Vice President of Pro Scouting
San Diego Padres

Mr. Hinch:

I am writing you to report in on a possible trade target. As you know, a team never has too much pitching. The strength of the Padres organization is definitely on the mound but the upper ranks of the system is a little bare. As such, I strongly recommend that you considering posing offers for Toronto’s Brad Mills.

Background: Mills, a lefty, was originally drafted out of the University of Arizona during the fourth round of the 2007 draft. He graduated with a civil engineering degree and is known for being a very smart pitcher who understands his strengths and weaknesses. The 2011 season represents his third partial season in triple-A. In each of those three seasons, the southpaw has performed reasonable well in the potent Pacific Coast League and in a very dangerous home ball park in Las Vegas. In parts of two seasons in the Majors, Mills has posted a 5.64 ERA (4.51 FIP) in 22.1 innings (seven appearances, three starts). He’s given up just 20 hits but control, which has been much less of an issue in the minors, has been his nemesis (13 walks). He will be out of options at the beginning of the 2012 season (Options used in ’09, ’10 and ’11).

2011 Season: It’s early in the year still, but Mills has been very effective. He’s allowed one earned run or fewer in five or his six triple-A starts. In one game in poor weather conditions at Colorado Springs (38 degrees F), he was touched up for six runs on nine hits and two walks in 5.0 innings. Removing that start on the year, he has given up three earned runs in 35.0 innings on 22 hits and nine walks. He’s recorded 33 strikeouts. Subtracting the one start, Mills has a 0.77 ERA in his other five starts. His ground-ball rate is disappointing and sits at 37.0 BB%.

Scouting Strengths: Mills has displayed solid control in his pro career. His fastball is nothing to write home about but he has a plus changeup and throws it with the same arm speed as his heater. He spent some time on the disabled list in ’09 (not a chronic concern, bruised ribs… he also missed a few starts in college with a back injury) but Mills has been fairly durable in his career and has shown the ability to pitch 130-150 innings at the minor league level and has a resilient arm. He has solid deception with a bit of a herky-jerky delivery, which can cause him to lose his release point at times. He does a nice job of staying back over the rubber in his delivery.

Scouting Weaknesses: Although he has solid control, Mills does struggle to command the fastball in the strike zone. With a fringe-average fastball for a lefty, he works up in the zone too often, which has hurt him in previous trips to the Majors Leagues; pitching in Petco Park, and in a league less potent than the American League East could certainly help him. Mills has a three-pitch repertoire but his breaking ball – a curve – is more of a big league show-me pitch. I would rate his fastball a 45.

Projection: With a three-pitch repertoire – a fastball that sits around 86 mph (He can touch 90-91), an average curveball at 72 mph, and a changeup at 74 mph – Mills could settle in as a No. 4 or 5 starter. That’s nothing to get too excited about but he could provide respectable value during his control years. His changeup gives him a legitimate weapon against right-handers but he could also settle in at the MLB level as a LOOGY (lefties hitting .179 against him in 2011). He currently throws with a high three-quarter arm slot and lower that arm a bit to low-three quarter might help with deception and getting more ground balls. He might be better off his more of a slurve or cutter if the lower arm slot takes effectiveness away from his curveball.

We previously looked at the American League: AL West, the AL Central and the AL East. The National League Central is up next.

The first three rounds are listed for each team, plus any other above-slot signees.
(X = Signed to Over-Slot Deal; S = Supplemental Round; DNS = Did Not Sign)

The Arizona Diamondbacks
1st. Daniel Schlereth, LHP, Arizona
1S. Wade Miley, LHP, SE Louisiana
2nd. Bryan Shaw, RHP, Long Beach State
3rd. Kevin Eichhorn, RHP, California HS

The Arizona organization traded away the two best prospects it acquired during this draft in Daniel Schlereth and Kevin Eichhorn, both of whom went to the Detroit Tigers but in separate deals. Schlereth, along with Max Scherzer, helped the club acquire Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy. Eichhorn was given away for Armando Galarraga. One of the reasons that the organization has struggled to this point is because it traded away too much good, young talent in return for modest returns. Miley has the potential to be a useful pitcher at the MLB level but it might be as a middle reliever. The same can be said for Shaw. Collin Cowgill (5th round) has the potential to be a solid platoon or fourth outfielder and is off to a fast start in triple-A. The club could have significantly improved its draft haul if it had signed Danny Hultzen (10th round), who went to college and could be the first overall pick in the 2011 draft, or Daniel Webb (12th), who is showing flashes of potential after signing with the Jays out of Junior College in ’09.

The San Diego Padres
1st. Allan Dykstra, 1B, Wake Forest
1S. Jaff Decker, OF, Arizona HS
1S. Logan Forsythe, 3B, Arkansas
2nd. James Darnell, 3B, South Carolina
3rd. Blake Tekotte, OF, Miami
3S. Sawyer Carroll, OF, Kentucky
6thx – Cole Figueroa, 2B, Florida
8thx – Beamer Weems, SS, Baylor

The 2008 draft saw a huge run on college first basemen in the first round. San Diego was the last club to nab one and has had the least return on its investment. Now considered simply organizational depth, Dykstra was dealt to the New York Mets (who nabbed 1B Ike Davis in the same round) earlier this year and is striking out at a rate of 37.5 K% in double-A. Despite its early round disappointment, the club acquired Top 10 talents in Decker, Forsythe, and Darnell. Forsythe was just recalled by the big league club and has the potential to be a solid complementary everyday infielder. Just 21 and in double-A, Decker is striking out a lot but has an eye-popping .402 ISO rate. He could be in the Majors by the end of the season if he keeps hitting with authority, although he might be a bad fit for his home ball park. Third baseman James Darnell is also hitting well in double-A with an average of .415 and a walk rate of 19.4 BB%. Tekotte is another prospect that’s enjoying the potent Texas League with a .289 ISO, a .373 average and a strong walk rate. He could be a nice fourth outfielder. Jason Kipnis, now a top prospect with the Cleveland Indians, would have been a nice “get” in the fourth round. The club hasn’t had any luck with Weems or Figueroa (who was flipped to Tampa Bay in the Jason Bartlett trade).

The San Francisco Giants
1st. Buster Posey, C, Florida State
1S. Conor Gillaspie, 3B, Wichita State
3rd. Roger Kieschnick, OF, Texas Tech
4thx – Brandon Crawford, SS, UCLA

It was an easy decision for the Giants organization in the first round. The club lacked catching depth in the system and an impact player at the position was available when Baltimore took college lefty Brian Matusz. Posey has already helped the Giants organization win a World Series, although he’s off to a bit of a slow start to his sophomore season (.317 wOBA). After Posey, the club nabbed three more college bats in third baseman Gillaspie, outfielder Kieschnick, and shortstop Crawford. All three players have pluses and minuses, and none of them project to be impact players at the MLB level but could be solid complementary pieces. Gillaspie lacks power at the hot corner but he hits for average and gets on base. Crawford displays a nice glove and could develop into a utility player if he cannot offer enough offence to play every day. Kieschnick is more of a quad-A slugger. North Carolina State lefty Eric Surkamp (6th round) has been a steal. He just missed my FanGraphs Top 10 Giants prospect list this spring and is off to a nice start in 2011. He has a 2.67 FIP and a strikeout rate of 14.01 K/9 in 26.1 innings. Surkamp’s heater is fringe-average but both his curve and changeup are plus pitches.

The Los Angeles Dodgers
1st. Ethan Martin, RHP, Georgia HS
2nd. Josh Lindblom, RHP, Purdue
3rd. Kyle Russell, OF, Texas
9thx – Steve Caseres, 1B, James Madison
11thx – Nate Eovaldi, RHP, Texas HS

This draft certainly had some potential at the top with Martin and Lindblom but both pitchers have imploded in the past year. When he can find the plate, Martin can strikeout batters with the best of them (12.17 K/9 in ’11) but he doesn’t find the dish that much (6.46 BB/9). Lindblom has turned things around a bit this season despite a 5.11 FIP in double-A. Last year, he gave up 143 hits in 95.0 triple-A innings. Russell flashed some impressive power in college but he, like Kieschnick in San Francisco, is more of a quad-A slugger thanks to his serious contact issues. The club found its top prospect in the fourth round with Dee Gordon, the son of former Royals/Red Sox pitcher Tom ‘Flash’ Gordon. He’s performing well at triple-A in 2011 at the age of 23. The junior Gordon stole 126 bases between 2009-10 but was also caught 46 times. Allen Webster (18th round) is another key prospect acquired in this draft, making up for the top picks. He has the potential to develop into a solid No. 2 starter. He has a 2.85 FIP in 34.1 high-A innings. Outfielder Jerry Sands (25th) was a find. He recently made his MLB debut and projects to be at least an average MLB corner outfielder. Eovaldi is starting to come into his own and could be another key piece of this draft class. He has a 2.60 FIP in 23.1 double-A innings at the age of 21. He has a mid-90s fastball but needs to work on his secondary pitches and his control. Third baseman Zack Cox would have been an absolute steal in the 20th round.

The Colorado Rockies
1st. Christian Friedrich, LHP, E Kentucky
2nd. Charlie Blackmon, OF, Georgia Tech
3rd. Aaron Weatherford, RHP, Mississ State
14thx – Joseph Massey, OF, Tennessee HS
37thx – Delta Cleary, OF, Louisiana JC

If he can stay healthy, Friedrich could end up being the best pitcher acquired by any NL West team in the ’08 draft, with apologies to Webster and Surkamp, but health and consistency will be key. The lefty has an ugly 6.31 FIP in 25.2 double-A innings but his FIP sits at 4.33. Blackmon is now in triple-A and has excellent numbers in a potent league. He has an intriguing mix of power and speed but it remains to be seen how well each plays in the Majors. If everything clicks, he could be a solid big league regular. If not, he should be a solid fourth outfielder. Weatherford, Massey, and Cleary have all been disappointments. Right-hander Jordan Swagerty, ultimately drafted and signed by St. Louis, would have been a great grab in the 44th round.

Today, we wrap up our look back at the 2008 amateur draft for the American League. Click for the previous reports on the AL West and AL Central. The National League clubs are up next, led by the National League West.

The first three rounds are listed for each team, plus any other above-slot signees.
(X = Signed to Over-Slot Deal; S = Supplemental Round; DNS = Did Not Sign)

The New York Yankees
1st. Gerrit Cole, RHP, California HS (DNS)
1S. Jeremy Bleich, LHP, Stanford
2nd. Scott Bittle, RHP, Mississippi (DNS)
3rd. David Adams, 2B, Virginia
6thx – Brett Marshall, RHP, Texas HS
7thx – Kyle Higashioka, C, California HS
9thx – Michael O’Brien, RHP, Virginia HS
10thx – D.J. Mitchell, RHP, Clemson
15thx – Matt Richardson, RHP, Florida HS
27thx – Garrison Lassiter, SS, North Carolina HS

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Watching the exploits of Atlanta’s dynamic duo – Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel – reminds me of another former 1-2 punch that was dominating during its time. Duane Ward and Tom Henke ruled high-leverage situations for the Toronto Blue Jays, and it was their success that helped the club win back-to-back World Series championships in 1992 and 1993.

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Recently, we took a look back at the ’08 draft for the American League West teams. Today, we’re seeing how the draft has played out for the American League Central organizations.

The first three rounds are listed for each team, plus any other above-slot signees.
(X = Signed to Over-Slot Deal; S = Supplemental Round; DNS = Did Not Sign)

The Kansas City Royals
1st. Eric Hosmer, 1B, Florida HS
1S. Mike Montgomery, LHP, California HS
2nd. Johnny Giavotella, 2B, New Orleans
3rd. Tyler Sample, RHP, Colorado HS
4thx- Tim Melville, RHP, Missouri HS

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We took a look at some key prospects belonging to clubs in the National League West. This week we’ll take a look at top prospects and sleepers for clubs in the National League Central.

Cincinnati Reds

Dave Sappelt continues to make a case for a MLB role. The outfielder has posted some eye-catching numbers including his 2011 triple-A triple-slash line: .356/.405/.603 in 73 at-bats. The club has a lot of offensive depth at triple-A with catcher Devin Mesoraco, first baseman Yonder Alonso, as well as The Man Without a Position Todd Frazier. In double-A, the club has first baseman Neftali Soto, a personal favorite of mine. He has raw power and a quick bat but he needs to have a more patient approach at the plate to realize his potential at upper levels. Reliever Brad Boxberger is throwing well and could see Major League action before the end of the season if he can tighten up his control. After a solid amateur career, it looks like injuries have taken their toll on pitcher Dallas Buck; he’s struggling again at double-A. Reds 2010 first and second round draft picks (Yasmani Grandal and Ryan LaMarre) are both in high-A Bakersfield, where the ball has been scorched. Grandal is hitting well (1.208 OPS) but LaMarre has struggled (.638). Second baseman Henry Rodriguez doesn’t have a huge ceiling but he can definitely hit for average. Big-time Dominican investments Juan Duran and Yorman Rodriguez are off to slow starts in low-A ball but are still young and full of potential. Billy Hamilton continues to run like the devil’s chasing him (14-for-18 in steals in 17 games).

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The 2011 amateur draft is just over a month away (June 6-8) so we’re breaking out some pre-draft coverage with a review of the 2008-10 drafts. We kick things off with a look at the American League West. The AL Central will be up next.

The first three rounds are listed for each team, plus any other above-slot signees.
(X = Signed to Over-Slot Deal; S = Supplemental Round; DNS = Did Not Sign)

The Texas Rangers
1st. Justin Smoak, 1B, South Carolina
2nd. Robbie Ross, LHP, Kentucky HS
3rd. Tim Murphy, LHP, UCLA
7thx – Matt Thompson, RHP, Texas HS

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It’s been more than a week since the minor league season got underway so let’s check in with some of the top prospects in each of the National League West organizations. I’ll be focusing pretty heavily on hitters in the early going since most pitchers have only made one or two appearances. (All stats prior to Sunday’s results).

As if Brandon Allen didn’t have enough of a hill to climb in Arizona. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt just missed my Arizona Top 10 list but he’s working hard to prove that it was a mistake on my part. In nine double-A games, he’s hitting .357/.514/.929 and has five homers. He’s also walked more (nine) than he’s struck out (seven). Outfielder A.J. Pollock missed all of 2010 with an injury but the organization was aggressive with him and jumped him to double-A for ’11. He’s currently hitting .324 with just two strikeouts in 34 at-bats. Top prospect Jarrod Parker has made just one start in double-A and he was roughed up; keep in mind that he’s coming back from Tommy John surgery so inconsistency is to be expected. Catcher Rossmel Perez is a sleeper prospect for the D-Backs. He’s repeating high-A ball but is still just 21. He’s hitting .360 with six walks and just three strikeouts. He hasn’t had an extra base hit in eight games, though. Corner infield prospect Bobby Borchering is struggling in high-A ball with an average of just .088 in nine games. He’s struck out 12 times with just one walk.

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In the American League East, Tampa Bay and Toronto get the bulk of attention as clubs with a lot of up-and-coming talent. Baltimore, though, has a lot of potential as well and could soon surprise a lot of people – if they’re not already – on the strength of the organization’s young pitching.

With Chris Tillman, Jake Arrieta, and Brian Matusz already making names for themselves in the young rotation, an early-season injury to the latter pitcher has given Baltimore fans an earlier-than-expected glimpse at ground-ball machine Zach Britton. Perhaps one of the most underrated pitching prospects in the game (who is slowly gaining supporters) Britton burst onto the scene on April 3 with an impressive performance against the Tampa Bay Rays during his MLB debut.

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