The first three rounds will air tonight. According to MLB.com, "Once the first night is done, the Draft will continue with the fourth through 30th rounds, via conference call from MLB Headquarters in New York, at noon on Wednesday, June 10. Rounds 31-50 will be on Thursday, June 11, starting at 11:30 a.m."
The Atlanta Braves draft 7th, 87th and 118th. They don't have any picks in the Second Round or Compensatory Round A. Rich won't go 7th, and he'll be gone by 87th.
The other guys to watch for UGA are:
- Joey Lewis (C - Jr.) -- .282 avg, 19 HRs and 58 RBI in 62 games. Considered a solid defensive catcher. Will he be drafted high enough to make it worth his time to come out? I get the sense that Perno doesn't expect him back. I'm pretty sure that I heard an announcer say that Joey's batting average is about 50 points higher when he's playing catcher vs. designated hitter. That stat will probably spark his draft status higher than I would've anticipated a month ago.
- Bryce Massanari (C - Sr.) -- .305 avg, 19 HRs and 57 RBI in 61 games. Expected to be a late round selection.
- Trevor Holder (Sr. - RHP) -- Produced a 7-5 record with a 4.48 ERA. Has good stuff at times, but gave up a staggering 19 HRs last year. He'll make a minor league roster, but I can't see much growth if he doesn't get his long ball problems under control.
Out of the signees, I'm definitely not an expert. I know that Perno signed 16 kids in what some to consider to be the #1 class in the country. I think he's mostly sweating a couple of the JUCO arms and incoming freshmen Zach Dotson (LHP) and Miles Head (C/IF). Perno told the ABH:
Zach [Dotson] is the most talented freshman pitcher we have coming in," Perno said. "He is a big-body left-hander with a power fastball and is the most projectable pick in the June draft."
Also per the ABH, Dotson, ranked the No. 86 prospect by Baseball America, is a left-handed pitcher from Guyton. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound athlete helped Effingham County to the state playoffs with a 6-2 record and a 2.39 ERA last season. He also participated in the East Coast Pro Showcase and was an alternate for Team USA.
Head, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound catcher and infielder, hit .522 with 10 home runs and 38 RBIs last season at Whitewater High School.
I'll try and do some sort of recap tomorrow of Day 1, but this is hardly my strong suit.
See Also:
-- Quality photos of Rich Poythress - College Baseball Photoblog
PWD
3 comments:
Sure hope Poythress goes to the Braves. I wouldn't want him to deal with any change in the weather.
Sorry, I couldn't resist. ;-)
I've known Joey since the 8th grade, and I honestly can't see him leaving early. He's not what you would call a thinking man by any stretch, but it seems like he understands ramifications of going pro and that he could benefit from another year at UGA. Of course, I could be wrong.
Don't think that the recruiting class is that highly thought of. Who considers this to be the #1 class in the country? It's decent, but that's about it. Not nearly as well thought of as last year's class, which was not the #1 class either, but close.
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