Some Draft Notes

Here’s a list of our draftees from today (via Bryan Hoch):

Round 1: Gerrit Cole, RHP, Orange Lutheran High School, Orange, Calif. Cole tops out in the high-90s and sits in the mid-90s with his fastball, and he could project as either a starter or a reliever when he begins his professional career. He was 8-2 with a 0.46 ERA as a high school senior.

Compensation Round A: Jeremy Bleich, LHP, Stanford University: Bleich was 2-2 with a 1.09 ERA in five games for Stanford as a junior. He also played with the USA Junior National team in 2005 and earned Cape Cod League All-Star honors while playing for the Wareham Gatemen in 2006.

Round 2: Scott Bittle, RHP, University of Mississippi: Bittle was 7-1 with a 1.78 ERA and eight saves coming out of the bullpen for Ole Miss in 2008. In 70 2/3 innings, he allowed 35 hits and 15 runs (14 earned), walking 30 and striking out 130. A product of Texarkana, Texas, Bittle also lettered two years at Northeast Texas Community College and was named an All-Conference selection.

Round 3: David Adams, 2B, University of Virginia: Adams is a hard-nosed type who has drawn comparisons to Jeff Kent as an offensive player who is steady defensively. Adams hit .286 (66-for-231) with six home runs and 51 RBIs in 61 games for the Cavaliers in 2008. He was taken by the Detroit Tigers in 2005.

Round 4: Corban Joseph, SS, Franklin (Tenn.) High School: The left-handed-hitting Joseph has a slick glove and is a Kentucky signee. He hit .510 this season with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs at Franklin, striking out five times in 135 at-bats.

Round 5: Christopher Smith, LF, Centennial (Calif.) High School: Smith is a product of the MLB Academy program out of Compton, Calif., where he refined his tools and was selected as the RBI Player of the Year. He hit .708 with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs in 72 at-bats this year for Centennial. A well-rounded athlete, Smith also played quarterback and point guard in football and basketball, respectively.

Round 6: Brett Marshall, RHP, Ross Sterling (Tex.) High School: Marshall has increased his velocity from 87-88 mph a year ago to 96 mph this year, and he also features a plus slider and a changeup. He’s relatively new to pitching, but with two plus pitches, he represents an interesting pick for New York.

The Yanks went heavy on pitching and they were able to grab Cole, who was their biggest target. He’s a tremendous arm although he has been described as overly emotional when pitching on the mound. However, Oppenheimer knows what he’s doing and takes into account a player’s ability to pitch under bright lights (makeup), so I’m sure the team did some research on this issue.

Also, for their 44th pick, the Yanks scooped up Jeremy Bleich. The Bleich pick was sort of a surprise for everyone. However, to his credit, he is a lefty with solid stuff and those guys don’t just grow on trees (see C.C. Sabathia, although I’m not saying Bleich is a pitcher like Sabathia). Bleich is an injury risk, but he could be a solid big league starter or even a great reliever.

I was going to do an in-depth sort of analysis of each player, but Peter Abraham (LoHud) has actually posted up some great analyses, mini-projections, texts, reads and evaluations of the drafted talent. I encourage you to check in with him, because he’s covered these guys well all day and has really done a great job.