One of the best parts of baseball’s annual amateur draft is the production of it all – there is none. As they sometimes say, even no style is sometimes stylish. Anyway, what’s great about the draft is its austerity and no-nonsense, no-frills manner. Unlike the NBA and the NFL, there is no hype, no drama and no TV. It’s just a bunch of teams on a conference call announcing the player they want to select in a rapid-fire fashion.
It’s kind of like your annual fantasy football draft without the beer.
Fans can listen to the draft on the Internet, but that’s it. Prior to the emergence of the World Wide Web, the draft was held in secret and the results were pretty much just called in to the newspaper. These days, though, the Internet makes us feel as if we’re eavesdropping in on someone else’s telephone conversation – and for some reason that’s kind of fun.
Nonetheless, here’s whom the Phillies took in Tuesday’s first day of the draft:
Kyle Drabek, RHP, 6-1 190 The Woodlands, Tx., 18th pick Kyle is longtime Pirates and Orioles right-hander, as well as 1990 CY Young Award winner, Doug Drabek’s son and reports say he has one of the best arms in the draft. A hard throwing righty (like his dad), Kyle already throws a fastball in the mid-90s and played shortstop when he was pitching for The Woodlands High. Drabek was the seventh right-handed pitcher selected in the draft, but scouting reports indicate that he will be better than his dad. Adrian Cardenas, SS, 6-0 185 Monsignor Edward Pace HS (Florida) 37th pick Cardenas is a power-hitting shortstop that projects as a second baseman, according to the scouting profiles. The last high school position player drafted in the first two rounds to make it to the big leagues and play regularly for the Phillies was Jimmy Rollins in 1996. Cardenas was the third shortstop taken in the draft. Hit .650 with 17 homers in his senior year.
Andrew Carpenter, RHP, 6-3 230 Cal St. Long Beach, 65th pick A big right-hander who doesn’t throw too extremely hard, but has a good slider and a splitter, according to the scouting profiles. Carpenter is also a four-year collgiate, who transferred from junior college to pitch or Long Beach.
Jason Donald, SS, 6-1 195 University of Arizona 97th pick Donald is another four-year college player and the second shortstop selected by the Phillies in the first three rounds. Selected in the 20th round of the 2003 draft, scouting reports say Donald's ofensive skills haven't caught up with his stellar defensive skills yet.
D'Arby Myers, CF, 6-3 175 Westchester HS (Calif.) 127th pick