1ST ROUND PICK - RHP ZACH WHEELER
Not a bad first day for the Giants. All three picks were taken around where the consensus opinion seemed to have them placed. A bit of a surprise they passed on Matzek, who was there for them, but his bonus demands may have seemed unreasonable.
The two bats are high risk/high reward. Both have large power potential, but both seem to have a propensity to swing and miss a lot. Dominguez has been compared to Dave Kingman, YIKES!!!!
FROM MLB.COM:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/draft/y2009/reports.jsp?content=wheeler
Biographical Data
Player Name: Zack Wheeler
Position: Starting Pitcher
School: East Paulding (Ga.)
School Type: High school
Academic Class: Senior
Birthdate: 5/30/90
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 170 lbs.
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right
Report Date(s): 3/6/09
Game(s): LaGrange Invitational, Ga.
Focus Area
Comments
Fastball: Wheeler has great arm strength and can get the fastball up to 95 mph. He sits at around 90-93 mph.
Fastball movement: It has plenty of life, with a close to low three-quarter arm slot that creates a good angle, especially against right-handed hitters. He throws it down in the zone with sink.
Curve: He flashes a plus curve, but it's not consistent in the strike zone. He throws it 78-80 mph.
Changeup: He doesn't really throw it, but he has shown some feel for it and could develop into an average pitch.
Control: His command is in and out. His fastball command was better than with his curve. Inconsistency with delivery causes the disruption in command.
Poise: He threw well in a good, competitive atmosphere. When his command leaves him, he manages to collect himself and get out of trouble.
Physical Description: Wheeler is tall with long arms and broad shoulders -- the kind of body you want from a high school pitcher, with projectability and wiry strength.
Medical Update: Healthy.
Strengths: He has big-time arm strength and flashes a plus curve. He's a baseball rat with excellent makeup.
Weaknesses: His command is inconsistent, especially with the breaking ball. His delivery is inconsistent. He doesn't really show a third pitch as of yet.
Summary: If you like projectable high school pitchers with a lot of arm strength -- and a lot of teams do -- then Wheeler might be the guy for you. The Georgia prepster has plenty of fastball and does show a plus breaking ball at times. Because of some delivery issues, his command can be spotty, but he's an excellent athlete with terrific poise and makeup. He might be a little bit of a project, but the upside is considerable.
FROM THE SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS:
The addition of Wheeler adds another polished arm to the Giants' minor league system.
Wheeler, whose fastball sits in the low 90s and who reportedly throws an advanced power breaking pitch, projects favorably to the Giants' heralded 2007 picks, Bumgarner and Alderson, who both are at Double-A Connecticut after breezing through the Class A California League with the San Jose Giants.
"We compared him to Cain, we compared him to Bumgarner, we compared him to Alderson," Sabean said. "It all came back that this kid was very reminiscent of those types of picks.
"With his size, strength and ability, he should be on the fast track."
Wheeler, who signed a national letter-of-intent to play at Kennesaw State College, said he's eager to begin his pro career, so signability isn't expected to be an issue.
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2ND ROUND PICK - C TOMMY JOSEPH
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/draft/y2009/reports.jsp?content=joseph
Biographical Data
Player Name: Tommy Joseph
Position: Catcher
School: Horizon HS (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
School Type: High School
Academic Class: Senior
Birthdate: 7/16/91
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 210 lbs.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Report Date(s): 4/16/09
Game(s): Desert Ridge HS
Focus Area
Comments
Hitting ability: Joseph destroys below-average pitching and really turns it up a notch against better competition. He can use the entire field.
Power: Has light-tower power to the pull side and shows it off in workouts. He should have plenty of power to all fields.
Running speed: Has below-average speed.
Base running: Not a runner; more of a station-to-station type on the basepaths.
Arm strength: He has an above-average arm.
Fielding: This year is the first he's caught full-time after DH-ing and playing first base for most of his high school career. He does have some work to do defensively.
Range: Lacks overall quickness, which limits his agility behind the plate.
Physical Description: Joseph is a big, strong-bodied guy with a big frame, kind of a Chris Snyder type.
Medical Update: Healthy.
Strengths: Excellent bat with plenty of power, both now and in the future. Above-average arm could play behind the plate.
Weaknesses: Hasn't spent much time behind the plate, leaving some to wonder if he can stay back there, especially considering his size and lack of quickness.
Summary: In a deep class of prep catchers, Joseph hasn't gotten a ton of love, though his bat has been making more than enough noise. He's got serious offensive ability with light-tower raw power. He's more of a question mark behind the plate. He's got an above-average arm, but this was the first season he's caught and he lacks overall quickness. His bat likely will play anywhere, but if a team feels he can catch, he could sneak into the first couple of rounds.
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3RD ROUND PICK - 3B CHRIS DOMINGUEZ
FROM SABERSCOUTING.COM:
http://www.saberscouting.com/2008/04/02/chrisdominguezreport/
Scouting Report: Chris Dominguez
April 2nd, 2008
Chris Dominguez
By Frankie Piliere
We’ve been talking about a lot of sure fire (if such a prospect exists) players as of late. But, in my opinion, scouting gets even more interesting when you are evaluating wildcard type players. Chris Dominguez, a physically massive slugger from the University of Louisville, is one of those players. Chris has always been a player of great intrigue to me tools wise and I thought I’d share my evaluation of him with you. Check it out after the jump…
Chris Dominguez, 3B - Harwich Mariners (Louisville)
Tool - Present/Future Grades
Hitting - 40/40
Power - 70/70
Speed - 50/50
Fielding - 45/45
Arm - 70/70
Physical Description - Massive frame, every bit of what he’s listed as. Looks very athletic despite his size. Wide shoulders, highly muscled up and down, thin waist. Tapered frame. True physical specimen. Built similar to Troy Glaus.
Hitting - On anything without a wrinkle in it or that isn’t on the outer half. Hits the ball exceptionally hard, has a special sound in his bat. Crushes the ball. Has a gaping hole on the outer half of the plate and struggles badly with off-speed pitches, breaking balls in particular. Pulls of badly, tries to yank everything. Has yet to learn how to hit the opposite way. Very quick and can turn on any fastball. Extremely prone to the strikeout. BP hitter right now, all or nothing in live action. Does not recognize the breaking ball.
Power - Special power, light tower power. Hits the ball a long way with minimal effort. Needs to put bat on ball more. Power is game-usable but he needs to make more contact. Puts on a spectacle in BP. Plus, plus power guy. Can hit one out in any part of the park in any dimensions. Most power is to center field.
Speed - Just about an average runner. Size limits his agility and mobility. Speed is more than adequate considering his position. Superb athletic skills but just not exceptionally fleet of foot. Speed may decrease over time considering his large frame.
Fielding - Not the quickest feet, decent hands but not a lot of range. Makes the routine plays, not going to be spectacular. Lacks quickness, and as he gets older and thicker he may move to first base, right field or DH. He doesn’t figure to be a real mobile player down the road.
Arm - Plus, plus arm. Threw mid-90’s from the mound in high school. Good throwing mechanics, throws right over the top and makes the throws from the third base with easy. Accurate arm. Likes to show off his arm, can be a bit reckless. If he can maintain some of his mobility, his arm would play perfectly in right field.
Notes - Very raw product but the potential is very visible. Needs a lot of work. Potential to be an impact big league slugger with some refinement. Two plus-plus tools. An interesting project but a big risk, his bat is far from a sure thing.
Adjusted Overall Future Potential: 53
Present Group: P, Future Group: C
Projected Role: 6th to 7th hitter in the order, starting player with low average, big power.
Draft Projection: 3rd-4th round
Overall Comparison: Wily Mo Pena
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