Tigers 2009 Draft Picks

are playing for the Oneonta Tigers. Wade Gaynor (3rd round) is also playing for Oneonta. They’ve only played a few games, but they’re doing pretty well so far.

Here’s who we’ve signed so far

Article 1

Article 2

Wade Gaynor (3rd), third baseman from Western Kentucky is our highest draft pick that has signed. He projects to stick at third, but his bat is much more interesting. A slight overdraft in the third round, he still projects to have a solid bat, hitting for both power and contact. He probably projects to be an average-to above average 3B.

I’d keep an eye on Jamie Johnson, OF from Oklahoma (7th) and Michael Rockett, OF from Texas-San Antonio (13th). Both are OF in the mold of a Clete Thomas/Josh Anderson type (less power, more contact/speed/patience oriented), but I’ve heard good things about both their bats and gloves. I’d keep a special eye on Rockett- his conference was pretty weak, and the kid can fly.

There’s some upside here too- the two Puerto Rican kids are pretty raw with some upside, especially our fourth-rounder- Edwin Gomez. To be honest, I don’t know a whole lot about him, but he seems to be the second best player to come out of PR this year, which is a pretty high honor.

Go here. ;)

My analysis on draft day was a little harsh, and deserves moderation in hindsight. Turner, if he signs, will be in a two man race for Best Prospect with Casey Crosby (of the Class A Whtecaps). His secondary stuff is, apparently, developing very well, and he’s been called the best HS arm in the draft by Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus. I’m liking this pick more and more every day- hopefully David Chadd has found us another ace (barring injury).

Still not a huge fan of the Oliver pick. Big fastball, great changeup, curveball that’s been MIA all year. Yeah- turns out he had a breaking ball and then lost it. That raises giant red flags for me- you lose your keys or your cell phone. You do NOT lose a curveball. He’s got potential, but I see him as Fernando Rodney, Jr (maybe without some of the stress).

Now, as far as the entire draft is concerned- it was a good crop. Two strong arms at the top of the draft (even if I don’t like Oliver) mixed with some solid college players and a couple signability-types with significant upside (prep shortstop Daniel Fields and prep pitcher Mark Appel). I’d like to see Chadd fare well deeper into drafts (it seems we don’t pull many great players out of later rounds), but this is a pretty darn good draft.