Written by Greg Fertel
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07 June 2007
The Yankees had one of the more idiosyncratic first days in the draft, to put it nicely. They're really putting me to work to find who these guys are.
1st Round - Andrew Brackman, RHP out of N.C. State - It's easy to be disappointed after we
almost got Rick Porcello, but a week ago I'd have been very happy to select Andrew Brackman first round. Mike A. of RAB strongly believes that Nardi Contreras can work some magic on Brackman, and I'm inclined to agree. He's a college pick with remarkably little seasoning under his belt, but at 6'10, he's got projection. Brackman throws 2-seamers and 4-seamers with a spike (knuckle) curve and a good changeup. Don't expect Brackman to move quickly, but if he takes off, he's going to be something very special. Brackman as little as a year ago was considered a top-3 pick in the draft, but had arm fatigue problems this year. Eric and I will detail Brackman more in the coming days.
2nd Round - Catcher Austine Romine out of High School - Romine is a relative unknown for a draft pick this high. People knew of him as the draft came closer, but he wasn't watched by as many scouts as the other prospects drafted around him. Right now, scouts are saying that he has an average to above average bat with very good defensive skills. I have a hunch that the Yankees saw a little more in his bat than the few other teams who scouted him well, and decided to jump at 94 on him. He's got an 80 arm (serving as a relief pitcher with a hand injury this year) and is pretty good at fielding his position. I have a theory that the Yankees were one of the few teams to scout Romine before he injured his hand this year. He showed a very average bat to the scouts who started to scout him, but that may have been a result of the injury. I'm intrigued.
3rd Round - RHP Ryan Pope out of Savannah School of Art and Design - Talk about a weird one. Pope was on the Yankee and Mets radar screen out of Savannah, but pitching 102 innings with a 1.15 ERA in the NAIA (Division II) cemented him for a 3rd round pick. He struck out 122 and walked 16. Before this season, Pope was mentioned as a guy with decent stuff (Fastball 90-93 mph, average offspeed pitches) but poor control, which he improved considerably this season. I have no idea what the Yankees are thinking with Pope, but they must have seen something that they like. With Damon Oppenheimer's success lately, I have to give him the benefit of the doubt here.
4th Round - 3b Brad Suttle out of University of Texas - This was the first real Yankee pick of the draft. Suttle, a sophomore, was not expected to leave Texas unless drafted somewhere in the Supplemental round and given a seven figure bonus. Suttle was rated the best "pure hitter" (hitting for average) in the 2007 draft class, ahead of guys like Wieters. He doesn't have a ton of power and is averege at best at 3rd base, but his bat should be enough to legitimize a big out of slot bonus. He hit .359/.450/.603 for Texas this year with 24 strikeouts and 37 walks in 63 games. On top of it all, he's a switch hitter. If the Yankees sign Suttle, it's a big deal.
5th Round - RHP Adam Olbrychowski out of Pepperdine - The Yankees really need to draft and sign some guys named Joe Smith or something, because I'm a terrible speller. Olbychowski is a pretty typical righty, throwing a low 90s fastball with a lot of movement and an average curve/change combo to back it up. He was a swingman at Pepperdine primarily. He seems like a pretty normal pick in the 5th round. There is nothing really remarkable about him that I've uncovered so far.
I'm sure that more storylines, quirks, and little details about these guys will emerge in the coming days. Overall, I'm not sure what to think. I like Brackman, and Suttle. I'm neutral on Adam O., and I'm ready to trust Oppenheimer on the other two for now. I really hope that the Yankees go for more position players tomorrow, especially rounds 6 through 9. There aren't a lot of tough signs who fell, but Greg Peavey is still available. I'm excited for tomorrow.
