The sixth annual Amateur Draft took place this morning, and we have the first ten picks listed here .
1) OK City.
Donatello Waner (20/ss/Muskegon Comm. Coll.) Waner joins OK City and brings a strong arm, with accuracy and power. Slow afoot, he makes up for it in range. Powerful, compact swing, Waner should adjust to the wooden bats and launch some mammouth HRs.
2) HOU Jack Morehead (22/2b/ Yale University) Morehead should provide adequate coverage down the middle, something Houston has been desperatly needed. Not really known for his fielding, his bat is the reason why he's no.2 in this year's draft. Showing great power against BOTH left and right hand pitchers. Look for 20-30 SB a season from him and bringing an AVG of around .290 - .300.
3) MNT Jaime Roberts (22/P/ Southeastern LA ) Roberts brins a wicked fastball that scouts have clocked at the mid 90's. Right now he's got to show he can control his accuracy and his temper needs some work, but with the right coaching and seasoning, he should become a stable 2-3 SP in the rotation.
4)HON Candy Paronto (22/LF/Campbell University). Paronto is a left fielder with some questions concerning his outfield play. Right now he might be considered more of a liability, but the Honolulu staff should be able to help him with his glove. Great batting eye combined with awesome bat strength should provide plenty of bombs for ESPN highlight reels.
5)CIN Babe Radinsky (22/ss/ Purdue) Radinsky is a true mystery in this top ten. Not ranked anywhere in the top 20 for the position, Cincinnati GM RSCaramelo believes that Radinsky has the tools to make an impact on the franchise. A quick look at Baseball America showed us that Radinsky batted .389 with 12 HRs and 45 RBI while leading the Boilermakers with a .997 fielding pct. and 18 SB.
6)CHR James Lee (18/RF/Washington HS (IA)) Lee is a definite future prospect. Coming out of HS he will need a ton of work on his fielding, but he shows great promise with the bat. His L/R ratio is above average, and his power comes from a short, compact swing. The only mark will be the fact that he goes up to the plate swinging, and with the hitting staff at CHR he should learn to sit back on pitches, and let the count work to his advantage. If signed, he's a 3-4 year player at the earliest.
7)CH1 Alex Santiago (18/P/St. John's Jesuit HS (MI)) Santiago is a 6'3" powerhouse SP. Already possessing 4 great pitches in his arsenal, his only drawback may be his control. If he signs, he probably could bypass the RL and start right in AA. Again the fact of coming out of HS might be a concern with his temper, as he showed the scouts that he can rattle easy. Comparisons have him as a younger Randy Johnson.
8)LOU Johnny Black (22/2B/U of Alabama) Another middle infielder that is a mystery to this reporter. Black seems to have jumped above some of the better rated 2B in this draft. Calls to LOU GM Bradriddell have gone unanswered. USA Today has reported that he's an average fielder, with an average bat, but his attitude makes up for his lack of talent.
9)BOS Nicholas Pagnozzi (18/P/Valley Falls HS (KS)). Pagnozzi comes to the Boston franchise with a 4 pitch arsenal, but the main concern for his managers will be the fact that he's a flyball pitcher. Almost all of his hits will see the outfield and unless he develops pinpoint accuracy in painting the corners, he might be serving up runs galore. On the plus side, his durability should insure between 150 - 200 innings per season.
10)MC Jerome Sikorski (22/P/Tenn. Tech. Univ.) Brings a five pitch arsenal to the game and his velocity has been clocked at the mid to high 90's by scouts. Not afraid to challenge hitters, and will use his fastball to set up a changeup that almost looks like slow motion. Right now lefties have a better chance against him but within 1-2 years, he's going to be a stable 2-3 slot in the ML pitching rotation.
