2006 Draft in Review

The Pine Tar Rag did a great job of recapping the draft and provides some great info on it: The Pine Tar Rag

Here are my thoughts about the draft after disgusting the info a bit more:

After watching Luke's scouting video again and watching the videos of Miller, Lincoln, and Lincecum, I'm a little more pleased with the selection. I can't quarrel with the Royals' reasoning for taking Hochevar. He's already had success against wood bats in an advanced league (High A or AA). Hochevar's video is impressive and his fastball has good velocity. He has a more complete repertoire than Miller, at the moment he's the best of the bunch. Miller has more upside in my opinion. Tall, hard-throwing lefties with an outstanding slider are rare. But, he would have probably would have been harder to sign (asking for a million or two more) and probably wouldn't pitch this year. Hochevar will probably sign quickly and report to an advanced league right away. It took me a while to get used to the surprise pick, but it's growing on me. Hochevar will probably cost a million or two less than an average first-round pick, so hopefully the money will go somewhere else toward player development or the draft.

First impression: Good, got a potential future ace who should advance quickly

Round 2: Jason Taylor, SS, Floyd E. Kellam HS, Virginia Beach, Va.:

There isn't much information available about Taylor and he wasn't on baseball america's top 100 prospect list for the draft. The Royals have picked out some good high school hitters in the past few drafts (Butler, Bianchi, Dickerson), so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt here. Here's some more info about Taylor: Jason Taylor

First impression: Trusting the Royals on this one

Round 3: Blake Wood, RHP, Georgia Tech: Wood had a disappointing year for a preseason All-American, with a 5.04 ERA. Wood's 2005 season was much better, with a 3.13 ERA and 74 SOs and 24 BBs in 106 IP. Wood has a decent fastball sitting at 92-94 mph with some tailing motion. His slider also looked pretty good in the MLBTV video. He has good size for a pitcher and might have some projection remaining, so the Royals should probably keep him as a starter (teach him a third pitch). Wood wasn't projected to go this high, but the Royals might get a steal if he regains his 2005 form. Wood is a mechanical engineering major, so at least the Royals didn't draft another pitcher with nothing upstairs.

First impression: Good potential, but there were better players available

Round 4: Derrick Robinson, OF, P.K. Yonge Laboratory School, Gainesville, Fla.: Robinson committed to play corner for Florida, but he will sign with the Royals. Robinson's greatest asset is his speed. His video showed that very good speed as well as a decent swing, although he wasn't making very good contact. He hit .488 this past season, but didn't manage much in the power department.

First impression: Good, Royals added some much needed speed

Round 5: Jason Godin, RHP, Old Dominion: Godin is a strikeout fiend, racking up 146 K's in 115 innings. Godin has a solid repertoire of 3 pitches and good command of them, walking just 38 this season.

First impression: Good, another solid pitching addition

Round 6: Harold Mozingo, RHP, Virginia Commonwealth: Mozingo might make up for the reaches at 2 and 3. Mozingo was in Baseball America's top 100. Mozingo sounds a lot like Chris Nicoll, the Royals' 3rd round pick last year. He has terrific command and has some projection remaining.

First impression: Very good

Round 7: Brett Bigler, OF, California-Riverside: Bigler, like Robinson, adds speed and defense to the organization.

First impression: Good

Round 8: Joshua Cribb, RHP, Clemson: Cribb is only 5'9", but he put up decent numbers for Clemson.

First impression: Okay

Best of the rest:

Round 19: Jeffrey Inman: Inman has committed to Stanford, so he'd require a good signing bonus to break that commitment. Inman has good command of a fastball, curve, and change and has plenty of room for growth.

First impression: Worthwhile risk, Royals need more younger arms with projection

Overall impression of the draft: The Royals had a good draft. They focused on the two biggest needs of the organization: pitching and defense. The Royals drafted 5 college (including Hochevar) pitchers, giving them solid pitchers who can advance through the system quickly. The Royals also added two speedy centerfielders. I would give the Royals draft a B at the moment. There isn't anything that stands out as being great, but the Royals addressed their needs well by drafting college pitching. A few more high school arms with greater potential or another power hitter might have helped balance the draft better, but they did a good job overall.