'09 Draft: Jays Take Chad Jenkins 20th Overall

[Schad]

Keith Law gave our draft a thumbs up, assuming all the players taken in the top few rounds end up under contract. Overall, through two days, the positional breakdown is 19 pitchers vs. 13 position players, and the level breakdown is 8 high schoolers, 24 college/juco kids.

[-MetA4-]

Just a note of reference, last year the highest drafted player we failed to sign was 26th round pick JUCO C Justin Dalles (who was drafted in the 6th round this year I believe). Daniel Webb should be tougher to sign than Dalles, but I think we will probably look to seriously try to sign him (by obviously going over slot). I'd expect the first 6 HS kids to sign, but 21st round selection RHP Kurt Giller (Nebraska signee) could be tough, and 30th round selection OF Tim 'TJ' McDonald is a very highly thought of 5-star USC football signee so I'd assume that he's a very long shot to sign with us.

[oomalay]

Thanks for all the info Meta, very appreciated.

[-MetA4-]

We drafted a pair of RHP's from St.Louis Univ, taking 6'4 Dave Sever in the 16th round and 6'2 Zach Outman in the 28th round. Outman is the younger brother of Oakland A's pitcher Josh Outman. Sever was drafted by the Dodgers in the 21st round last year but didn't sign. Stats:

Sever: 65 IP, 3.60 ERA, 70 K's, 65 H, 25 BB
Outman: 59.1 IP, 5.92 ERA, 64 K's, 63 H, 32 BB

[-MetA4-]

PerfectGame made their Top 250 public and has started releasing their round-by-round scouting reports of players. Heres how our picks in the first five rounds graded out:


#20 Chad Jenkins
Rank: #24
SCOUTING PROFILE(3/1): Jenkins drew mixed reviews from scouts for his work in the GreatLakes League last summer, even as he earned all-league honors as astarting pitcher by compiling a tidy 3-1, 2.11 record with six walksand 36 strikeouts in 47 innings. His fastball velocity was often belowaverage and he relied mostly on pitchability for hissuccess-surprising, considering his big, powerful and yet unusuallyloose build. Jenkins worked mainly in the 88-91 mph range and threwthree pitches for strikes. He would, however, occasionally tease scoutsby cutting loose on a fastball that approached the mid-90s. His majorimprovement during the summer was that he grew into his big frame andmade strides in learning how to pitch. It was apparent to those with alonger history on Jenkins, especially those who saw him produce a 5-5,3.96 record with 13 walks and 78 strikeouts in 89 innings as asophomore at Kennesaw State, that he could soon evolve into one of thetop draft picks in 2009 by simply showing his best velocity on a moreconsistent basis, and that occurred in fall practice at Kennesaw State,where Jenkins consistently reached 95-96 mph. Equally impressive, hisslider was a fast 86. Most of the buzz at Kennesaw State during thefall was still on Jenkins' teammate, righthander Kyle Heckathorn, whopeaked at 99 mph. But as the number of scouts who came by to seeHeckathorn increased, the more stayed on to catch a glimpse of Jenkins,and his big frame, increased velocity and improved sense ofpitchability had scouts vaulting Jenkins up draft boards almost asquickly as Heckathorn. In a straight-up comparison to his 6-foot-6,240-pound pitching mate, Jenkins matches up well. Heckathorn has thebetter fastball and changeup, while Jenkins has the superior breakingball and command. The two towering pitchers should be a formidablepresence atop the Kennesaw State rotation this spring.-ALLAN SIMPSON
UPDATE (5/15): Jenkinscame on with such a rush this spring that he not only moved pastHeckathorn to become the ace of the Kennesaw State staff, but rankedhigher than his more-celebrate teammate as most teams prepared theirfinal draft boards. He now has an honest shot of going in the back halfof the first round-and has even been linked to the Washington Nationalswith the No. 10 pick. Jenkins led Kennesaw State to a first-placefinish in the Atlantic Sun Conference, but didn't have a chance topitch another game or two for scouts in post-season play as the Owlsare in their final season of transitioning to Division I status andwere ineligible to participate in the NCAA tournament. Nonetheless,Jenkins went a tidy 8-1, 2.54 with 15 walks and 98 strikeouts in 92innings. He and Heckathorn each made 13 starts. Jenkins continued tothrow in the low-90s as the year went on, with two-seam tailing actionon his fastball. His other pitches-an 82-83 mph slider, an 85-mphcutter and an effectively-fading high-70s change-were all solidbig-league average. He displayed unusually good control, but his lackof command may get him in trouble in pro ball as he leaves too manyballs over the plate. Jenkins has very thick hips and some lingeringbaby fat, and yet still seems to be growing and filling out.-ANUP SINHA


#37 James Paxton
Rank: #26
SCOUTING PROFILE(3/1): Prior to the 2009 season, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Paxton wasviewed as a third- to sixth-round talent, but it was apparent almostimmediately that the British Columbia product had elevated his game toanother level. Without question, he was the college player who createdthe most buzz among scouts as the 2009 season opened. Paxton's fastballwas a steady 95-96 mph, touching 97, and he not only had good sinkingaction on the pitch from a tough, low-three-quarters angle, but hepainted it efficiently to both sides of the plate. A revamped grip onhis breaking ball, a cross between a slider and curve, gave him asecond quality pitch. His surge up draft boards was all pretty headystuff for a pitcher from Canada, who was lightly recruited and wentundrafted out of a suburban Vancouver high school in 2006. But Paxtonhas always been a bit behind on the normal development curve, and onlynow seems to be catching up. Not only did he grow up in B.C., which puthim at a disadvantage to begin with because there is not a formalhigh-school baseball program in the province, but he was behind inalmost every other way. When he enrolled at Kentucky, he was threeinches shorter than his current listed height, he was one of theyoungest freshmen in the college ranks (he won't turn 21 untilNovember) and his fastball was only in the 84-86 mph range. Notsurprisingly, he was little factor as a freshman in the SEC, posting a6.62 ERA with 16 walks and just 10 strikeouts in 18 innings. Though hebumped up his fastball into the 88-90 mph range as a sophomore atKentucky and produced a 4-2, 2.92 record, scouts got limited looks atPaxton at the most critical stages of the 2008 season after anunexplainable lower-back injury sidelined him for all of post-seasonplay at Kentucky, and significantly compromised his summer season withthe Alaska League's Anchorage Glacier Pilots. He worked in only 16innings in Alaska before returning home to consult with a backspecialist. Though he appeared healthy again last fall, he was broughtalong slowly by the Wildcats coaching staff. But it was quicklyapparent to scouts in practice games leading up to the 2009 season thatthere was something different. Not only was Paxton's fastball in themid-90s, but he had a long, loose, easy arm action. He was also inbetter shape than he had ever been in before, and consequently he hadgreater control of his body on the mound. Paxton's intelligence,aptitude and work ethic are all outstanding, and scouts say it was justa matter of time before everything came together for him.-ALLAN SIMPSON
UPDATE (5/15): Paxtonshowed scouts this spring all the ability to become a first-round pick,but it came in sporadic bursts. His status as an elite pitchingprospect was so sudden, and in many ways so new to him that he had hismoments when things appeared to move too quickly for him. He wasbrilliant in some outings, with a fastball that topped at 97, but ****** hard in others and his improved stock in the draft curiously cameat a time that his ERA doubled from 2.92 in 2008 to 5.86 this season.The more telling numbers in evaluating Paxton were his 20-to-115,walks-to-strikeouts ratio, a far more accurate barometer of hisexcellent command and stuff than his 5-3 record and bloated ERA. Hisdominant fastball had both velocity and very good run and sink. He alsotransformed his breaking ball into a true curveball, and though hedidn't use his changeup often, it was a serviceable third pitch.Paxton's arm action was clean and he exerted limited effort in hisdelivery. Save for a few rough spots, he clearly pitched his way intothe first-round mix and the teams that focused more on his strengthsthis spring will be the ones inclined to draft him there.-AS


#68 Jake Eliopoulos
Rank: #75
SCOUTING PROFILE(3/1): The slender Eliopoulos is the top-ranked Canadian high-schoolplayer in the 2009 draft class. Though he doesn't have as high aprofile as three other Canadian lefthanded pitchers of note-AdamLoewen, the fourth pick in the 2002 draft; James Paxton, a Universityof Kentucky product who has surged to the forefront among Canadians forthe 2009 draft; and promising Evan Grills, a potential first-rounder in2010-Eliopoulos has nonetheless held off all challengers as Canada'sbest prep player. Though he does not play in a formal high-schoolprogram in his native Ontario, he has received plenty of exposure byplaying with Team Canada's junior-national team, for his localBrantford Red Sox club team, and by attending numerous showcase eventsin the United States. Eliopulos throws from a high three-quartersrelease point with a fast, full arm circle and produces a fastball thatis generally in the 88-90 mph range, but touched 91 mph last October atthe World Wood Bat Association fall championship in Jupiter, Fla. Hisvelocity could spike as he fills out his thin frame. Eliopoulos alsothrows an upper-70s curveball that shows promise, and he also has afeel for a changeup. Eliopoulos' father, Jim, who has coached himextensively through his high-school years, played minor league ball inthe Toronto Blue Jays organization, so he comes from abaseball-oriented background.-DAVID RAWNSLEY
UPDATE (5/15): Thoughhe doesn't compete in a formal high-school program, Eliopoulos got moreexposure this spring for the draft than most U.S.-based prep players.He was seen extensively locally, as a member of Team Canada'sjunior-national team in Florida in March and was even picked up by theLangley Blaze, a British Columbia-based youth power, for that team'strek to Arizona at the hub of major-league spring training, when scoutswere plentiful. Though he was out of radar for many cross-checkers onTeam Canada's annual junket to the Dominican Republic from May 20-29,he was expected to face meaningful competition in his final tune-up forthe draft-facing both teams in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer Leagueand a collection of talented free agents that are expected to be amongthe elite players from that nation who will be eligible to sign whenthe international free-agent signing period begins on July 2. By allaccounts, Eliopoulos marginally improved his draft worth this springand slots in nicely as a second- or third-rounder. Though his talentwouldn't stand out in a talent-rich state like California as it doesreadily in Canada, his fastball was a steady 88-90 mph, touching 91.His command of the pitch was generally better this spring, but thequality of his secondary pitches still need work-even as his primarybreaking ball became more of a true slider this spring as opposed tothe spike curve he threw previously. But it was pretty clear thatEliopoulos crossed the line this spring, from being mostly thrower tomostly pitcher.-ALLAN SIMPSON


#99 Jake Barrett
Rank: #79
SCOUTING PROFILE(3/1): Barrett is a strong-armed righthander who may have one of thesmoothest 90-plus fastballs in the 2009 high-school class. The ballcomes out of his hand very easily at 90-93 mph, and despite his bigbuild it is very easy to project him becoming a mid-90s power pitcherin time. Barrett also throws an upper-70s curveball that flashes ahard, tight spin. His fastball and curve are his primary pitches, buthe is working on a changeup. Barrett enjoyed equal success as a pitcherand hitter as a high-school junior, posting an 8-2, 2.33 record on themound while batting .480 with 46 RBIs. The Arizona native was verysuccessful in a closer role for Team USA at the World Junior(18-and-under) championship last summer, going 1-0, 0.00 with two savesand 11 K's in 6 2/3 innings. The big question with Barrett is going tobe how he handles his body over the next few years. He is big andburly, but soft and non-athletic looking right now with lots of hisweight concentrated in his lower body. If he gets much heavier, itcould lead to problems with durability. In that sense, Barrettresembles former Baylor first-rounder Jason Jennings, although hedoesn't appear to have Jennings' athleticism. But Barrett does use hisintimidating size to an advantage as he goes right after hitters andisn't afraid to back them off the plate.-DAVID RAWNSLEY
UPDATE (5/15): Barrettwas the unquestioned star in the Arizona high-school ranks this spring,and he appeared to solidify himself as the state's top prep prospectfor the draft. Though he continued to be scouted almost exclusively asa pitcher, his more-noteworthy accomplishments may actually have comeat the plate. He led Arizona high-school hitters with 20 home runs,while also hitting .510 with 66 RBIs. He also contributed a 9-3, 1.90record with 96 strikeouts in 63 innings to the cause as Desert RidgeHigh won its first state title in any sport by dethroningperennial-power Horizon High in the 5-A II championship game, hangingon to win 9-8 after squandering a 7-0 lead. Horizon was making itssixth straight appearance in the state final. Barrett's signatureeffort on the mound in 2009 probably came in a 6-0 win over PinnacleHigh in early April in a game that matched the state's No. 1 and2-ranked teams. He blanked Pinnacle on a route-going three-hitter with14 strikeouts. Barrett impressed scouts with a fastball that routinelyreached 90-91 mph and would touch 93-94, and an improving power slurve.He threw strikes consistently with a balanced delivery and gooddownhill plane to his pitches, and showed his competitive approach byknocking hitters off the plate when they tried to get too comfortable.Despite all his offensive exploits, Barrett does not have the type ofswing that would match up against superior pitching.-ALLAN SIMPSON


#104 Jake Marisnick
Rank: #102
SCOUTING PROFILE(3/1): The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Marisnick passes the eye test for scoutsas well as any position player in the 2009 high-school class. He has along, slender build, with wide shoulders and excellent physicalprojection. The tools and athletic ability are all there to be afive-tool prospect, as well. Marisnick has the speed (6.7 in the 60,but better game speed) and easy gliding actions to play center field.He also has an impact-level big-league arm and probably profiles betterin right field as he fills out. With his long arms and excellentextension out front, Marisnick's swing looks long at times and oftenis, but he has hitter's hands that enable him to make adjustments withthe barrel. But he probably will need to shorten his swing in order tomake better contact against top competition. He has very good raw batspeed and projects easy plus power; and should be able to hit the ballout of any part of the ball park as he fills out his frame. His speed,in particular, will make him a multi-dimensional offensive player. As atall, athletic, righthanded-hitting outfielder, Marisnick has beencompared favorably to former first-rounder Rocco Baldelli. As ahigh-school junior, he hit .495-5-22 with 17 stolen bases. Besides hisobvious ability on the baseball field, his well-rounded athleticpackage has made him proficient in football, as well. He was a strongDivision I prospect as a wide receiver after catching 56 passes for 866yards as a junior, but he chose to not play football as a senior toconcentrate on baseball.--DAVID RAWNSLEY
UPDATE (5/15):Marisnick's defining moment this spring came when he was overmatched byNorco High righthander Matt Hobgood in a heavily-scouted matchup onMarch 24, but then Hobgood overmatched virtually every hitter he facedthis spring. Marisnick's physical tools stood out as they always have,but scouts expressed a concern about his ability to handle qualitypitching right now without being strictly a guess hitter. He was fed asteady diet of breaking balls this spring and hit .397-5-26 with 21stolen bases. His speed, defense and arm strength are all high-roundquality, and few hitters in the California prep ranks put on a betterBP show this spring Marisnick.-DR


#130 Ryan Goins
Rank: Unranked
*Scouting file still yet to come


#160 Ryan Schimpf
Rank: #226
SCOUTING PROFILE(3/1): Schimpf played in less than half the Valley League games duringthe regular season last summer after arriving late from his collegeteam’s appearance in the College World Series, but he made up for losttime in the playoffs. On his way to being selected the playoff MVP asLuray swept to the title by winning three straight games in thechampionship series, Schimpf went 7-for-13 with four homers and eightRBIs He slammed two homers in the deciding tilt alone. In a combined97 at-bats in regular-season and post-season play, Schimpf hit.392-11-27. That came on the heels of a sophomore season at LSU wherehe hit .320-12-54. He was red-hot in post-season play then, too,hitting .452 with eight extra-base hits in nine games as LSU rode a hotstreak on its way to Omaha. Not only did Schimpf hit home runs at amuch faster clip in the summer than the spring, but he struck out lessthan half as often (9 times in 91 at-bats in the summer, 51 in 250at-bats in the spring). Schimpf was almost flawless in the field, aswell, committing just three errors all spring and two more in thesummer. He is solid on both sides of the ball with good opposite-fieldpower and a knack for delivering the big hit. He has the quick wriststo drive balls and sound pitch recognition. He also has sure hands inthe field and good range for a middle infielder, and appears to be theprototypical second baseman. The biggest knock on Schimpf is his size,which could be an issue in pro ball. His only real way of overcomingthat is by getting much stronger.—ALLAN SIMPSON
UPDATE (5/15): Schimpfis a favorite of scouts because of his outstanding approach to thegame, and his ability to play virtually any position on the field withskill and maturity. He played mostly in the outfield as a freshman atLSU, before spending all of 2008 and the first half of 2009 at secondbase, but went back to spotting up in the outfield while even playing alittle on the infield corners when the Tigers shifted D.J. LeMahieufrom shortstop to second base. Schimpf still profiles best at second ashe makes all the routine plays there and committed just three errorsthis season before being moved off the position, but he struggledturning the double play. In the end, his best fit is probably as autility player as he can adequately play all three infield positionsbut shortstop, and in the outfield. His bat will enable him to playanywhere. He has surprising power and bat speed for a player his size,and he was the most dependable offensive player for LSU this spring,hitting .324-17-56 with 36 walks and 17 stolen bases.—DAVID RAWNSLEY / AS



EDIT:
No idea why; but whenever I copy/paste a big thing of text (ie: pretty much everything above), certain portions of it keeping sticking together. Sorry about that, I know it makes it a bitch to read.

[Strav]

meta4 - thanks for all the work - a great morning read that I just finished up on. Nicely done!

[-MetA4-]

Our draft is over, surprisingly we went all the way through and I dont think I heard any team drop out (you can stop drafting at any point, last year we only went through round 43 or 44 I believe). The late rounds were filled with a ton of Canadian HS and JUCO kids, and JUCO/HS kids in general. Obviously the majority of these wont be signed, but we did draft 3 (unless I missed someone) from BA's "Best of Day 3" available players:

31st Round:
Jack Murphy, C, Princeton

45th Round:
Brandon Kaye, RHP, Douglas (British Columbia) CC

49th Round:
Tommy Collier, RHP, San Jacinto JC

[Schad]

John Sickles' take on the early part of the Jays' draft:

Toronto: I like Chad Jenkins a lot at 20th overall, and think that's a solid choice for the Jays. James Paxton in the supplemental round is a potential bargain, provided he can get his gopher ball tendencies under control, giving them two of the top college arms available this year. Jake Eliopoulos in the second round is probably an overdraft, but I can understand it since he's a Canadian guy. The high school southpaw will need plenty of time, but is a nice mixture with the college guys at the top. I also love Jake Barrett in the third round, a high school pitcher from Arizona who throws hard and has solid command. Also in the third round was Jake Marisnick, tools outfielder who was rated as a supplemental talent by some teams but has some questions about his bat. Fourth round pick Ryan Goins, SS from Dallas Baptist, and fifth round pick Ryan Schimpf, 2B from LSU, have excellent college statistics and can hit, but may have to move to other positions. A mixture of college, JC, and high schoolers fill out the rest of the class. I like the mixture of college and high school guys at the top, tools and polish. Looks like a good class to me.

[-MetA4-]

Well we're starting to find out about the signability of some of the HS/JUCO kids we drafted:

6th round pick OF/1B KC Hobson will be signed it appears:
http://www.bakersfield.com/news/sports/ ... ball-draft

Hamil told him the Blue Jays made sure of Hobson’s number before taking him in a relatively high round, so he’s now optimistic a deal will get done before the Aug. 17 deadline for teams to sign their picks.

“They don’t want to waste a sixth-round pick on a guy that might not sign,” Hobson said. “They called my dad, who’s good friends with the director of scouting there. My dad told him the number, he told the (general manager) and they went with the chance.”

33rd round pick RHP Robert Benincasa also appears will sign:
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jun/11 ... repsports/

Benincasa has signed with Florida State, but he sounded confident he would be able to strike a deal with the Blue Jays and pursue a professional career. In fact, Benincasa said he had reached an agreement with the Cleveland Indians and the club was prepared to select him in the 34th round, but Toronto took him one round earlier.

"They know what they have to come with," Benincasa said. "The Blue Jays said they would meet that number. It's a late round, but from what they told me, they're going to pay [what I'm asking]."

[Schad]

Complete listing of prospects who have/have not signed:
http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/team/draft.jsp?c_id=tor

None of the top eight picks have inked yet, but that's not really a surprise. All of the signees thus far are college kids, with one exception: 12th rounder Bryson Namba.