Reviewing the 2007 Draft: AL First Round

For the next two weeks, in honor of the upcoming MLB Amateur Draft on June 5-6, I will be devoting my posts to a review of the 2007 draft. Last week I looked at the National League’s first three rounds (plus the supplemental first round). Today, let’s take a look at how some of the key American League first round picks are faring in their first full season in professional baseball.

First overall pick David Price (Tampa Bay) was slowed by an injury early this season and made his first appearance recently and pitched well: In five innings at High-A ball, the southpaw allowed no earned runs on three hits and one walk. He also struck out four. Not bad for a guy coming off a significant layoff. Price then out-dueled future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, who was making a rehab start. Price may not be long for the Florida State League.

Third baseman Mike Moustakas (Kansas City) is currently at A-ball and is hitting .239/.290/.400 with seven homers in 205 at-bats. He has walked 5.4 percent of the time and struck out at a rate of 16.6 percent. Moustakas has hit .220 in the last 10 games but he slammed three homers.

Catcher Matt Wieters (Baltimore) was the player most Pirates fans were hoping for, and for good reason. So far this season in High-A ball he is tearing the cover off the ball with a line of .337/.432/.590 and 12 homers in 166 at-bats. He has walked 14.1 percent of the time and struck out 18.9 percent. Wieters is the top catching prospect playing in the minors right now.

Phillippe Aumont (Seattle) was considered a very raw Canadian prep right-hander but his talent was undeniable. He has been better than advertised so far this season in A-ball. He has a 1.50 ERA in 36 innings and has allowed 23 hits and 11 walks to go along with 35 strikeouts. At the rate Seattle promotes its prospects, Aumont should be on the move any day now.

Beau Mills (Cleveland) wowed scouts with his raw power in his final year of college, but he was also playing against lesser talents in the NAIA (as opposed to NCAA Division 1 baseball). He has struggled somewhat in professional baseball and is hitting .255/.361/.422 with five home runs in 204 at-bats at High-A ball. He has walked 13.9 percent of the time and struck out at a rate of 20.3 percent.

Kevin Ahrens (Toronto) has made a smooth transition from high school shortstop to pro third baseman and is holding his own in A-ball. He is currently hitting .266/.341/.399 with one homer in 188 at-bats. He has walked 10.6 percent of the time and struck out at a rate of 24.9 percent. He also has 14 doubles and four triples.

J.P. Arencibia, the second of Toronto’s two first round picks, struggled in his junior year of college due to injuries but the catcher is right back on track in 2008. He has a line of .319/.344/.560 with 10 homers and 20 doubles in 207 at-bats. He has walked only 3.5 percent of the time, which could become an issue, and has struck out at a rate of 19.0 percent. His defence has also significantly improved and may be the second best catching prospect in minor league ball right now.

Texas has been cautious with Blake Beavan and he has responded with a 2.84 ERA in 38 innings. He has allowed 32 hits, along with only two walks and 16 strikeouts. Beavan has, though, allowed six home runs in a league where homers don’t come easily.

High school pitcher Rick Porcello (Detroit) slid to the Tigers due to signability concerns. The organization got a gem as a result. The right-hander skipped A-ball and is pitching at High-A ball. So far this season he has an ERA of 2.87 and has allowed 61 hits in 62 innings. He has rates of 5.43 K/9 and 2.17 BB/9 as a 19-year-old. Porcello was roughed up in his last outing but it was the fourth time that he had faced Dunedin in just over a month.

Aaron Poreda (Chicago) is a hard-throwing lefty who has held his own in High-A ball in 2008. He has a 3.08 ERA in 61.1 innings and has allowed 57 hits. He has posted rates of 6.02 K/9 and 2.35 BB/9.

James Simmons (Oakland) was considered an advanced college pitcher with a modest ceiling and that has held true so far in his pro career. He was immediately assigned to Double-A in his 2007 debut and he continued there in 2008 before hitting the disabled list. Currently, he has an ERA of 2.98 in 40 innings. He has allowed 37 hits and eight walks. Simmons has struck out 31.

Ben Revere (Minnesota) was considered an overdraft out of high school. He quieted some of those concerns, though, with a solid debut in which he hit .325 in Rookie Ball. Revere is again out to prove people wrong in 2008 as he is currently hitting .422/.462/.600 in 135 A-ball at-bats. The left-handed batter is also hitting .538 against southpaws. He has walked 10 times and struck out 10 times.

The New York Yankees selected 6-10 right-hander Andrew Brackman even though the organization knew he would need Tommy John surgery. He is expected to miss all of the 2008 season while recovering and should pitch again near the beginning of the 2009 season.