Perhaps they were agreeing to a number or at least the paramaters with his agent.
Advertisement
Two prospects were in attendance at the draft site: Anderson and Georgia high school outfielder Will Benson, who went 14th to Cleveland.
Ian Anderson, taken third overall by the Atlanta Braves, was the highest-drafted high school player from NY since Shawon Dunston in 1982 (No. 1 overall).
FIRST PICK: The Phillies have the No. 1 overall pick for the second time, and first since taking Miami slugger Pat Burrell in 1998.
“I’m excited to, hopefully, prove the Phillies right and be honored as this No. 1 pick”. “He was the best player in the country”, and that he has a large role in the rebuilding franchises’ future at the plate, in the field, and inside the clubhouse.
Gatorade State Player of the Year batted.476 with seven homers and 46 RBIs for the Mavericks. He probably could hit anywhere from leading off to hitting fifth, he is that good of hitter. “We’re doing our job to take the best player with the best ability”. Puk, Jason Groome, and Kyle Lewis?
“I love basketball, but baseball is my calling. That is very true”, Moniak said laughing.
There are plenty of factors that go into deciding what player to take No. 1 in the draft.
He’s athletic, he can really hit.
Sanchez repeatedly hit the ball with authority on the showcase circuit a year ago, blasting the first homer of the Area Code Games (a 419-foot shot with 101-mph exit velocity) and standing out as one of the top offensive performers at the World Wood Bat Association World Championship. “It will be big for me”. And his granddad, Bill Moniak, was tutored by Hall of Famer Ted Williams as a young minor-leaguer in the Boston Red Sox system. And it’s not Mickey Mantle.
Gowdy also has a scholarship to UCLA so let the negotiations begin!
The knock on Puk (2-3, 95 Ks, 70 IP, 3.21 ERA) has been has body of work. “Above average fastball and good breaking stuff. I’m a big believer that you cannot teach somebody how to pitch”. That’s probably why he became available to the Phillies with the 42nd pick. They made a decision to turn two into farmhands, though, selecting Logan Shore with the No. 47 overall pick in the second round to pair with No. 6 pick A.J. Puk. It’s hard to believe they would have drafted them otherwise.
The first and second rounds, and lottery rounds A and B are Thursday night.
“I take a lot of pride in hitting”, Moniak said. He told reporters last night that “it definitely influenced my game, my approach, how I hit and play baseball”. “We obviously can’t do it yet and we haven’t done it yet but as soon as [we can], we’ll do it”. Meanwhile, both Baseball America and ESPN pegged Puk as the Reds’ pick with the No. 2 selection. He’s been well schooled with considerable polish, combining athleticism and working with Cubs scout Tom Myers as a pitching coach since he was nine.
He is a very mature student of the game who created his own training regimen and earned a gold medal with Team USA at the Under 18 Baseball World Cup. His ERA was 1.12 this season, and his fastball has been clocked as high as 95 miles per hour. Lefty-hitting slugger sprays ball to all fields with power, makes consistent contact and has outstanding speed in field and on bases.
Some more video on Gowdy is below.
Advertisement
Vince Velasquez threw two pitches Wednesday, then left what would be an 8-1 Phillies loss to the Cubs, complaining of soreness in his right biceps.
