The #27 and #33 picks
As everyone knows, the M’s have the second pick in the draft this summer. You know the names by now – pray for Washington to pass on Strasburg, but if they don’t, the consolation prize is probably going to be one of Alex White, Dustin Ackley, or Grant Green. You can get a lot of information on those four from Baseball America and some googling.
However, the M’s also have two other first round-ish type picks as compensation for losing Raul Ibanez. In a conversation with a scout friend, a few names popped up that he thinks could be available in that area and be good fits for the M’s. So, we’ll talk about one of those guys today.
6’2, 200 lb LH hitting outfielder. Good contact/gap power hitter, excellent defense, terrific baserunner. Similar in some ways to Michael Saunders. Plays with reckless abandon, draws comparisons to Lenny Dykstra for style of play. He was rated as the 8th best prospect in the Cape Cod League last summer
Baseball America wrote him up based on their conversations with scouts this weekend.
He’s started the ’09 season by going 15 for 36 with 6 doubles and an even 5 walks and 5 strikeouts so far. If he has a solid junior season, continues to show some power development and controls the strike zone, he’ll be a first round pick. If he’s available at #27, he fits the mold of players that the M’s are looking for, and could be a good addition to the organization.
We lefties sure do like that down and in pitch.
Sounds like an outfield prospect the M’s once had with many fans around here. Here’s hoping Jackson is a little more robust.
Interesting post Dave, I’m looking forward to checking out some of the Pac-10 prospects when they come to UW.
April 3-5, Arizona State
Mike Leake RHP
April 9-11, Cal
Blake Smith RHP
Brett Jackson OF (could go to our 2nd or 3rd pick)
May 1-3, USC
Grant Green SS (could go overall #2)
Brad Boxberger RHP (could go to our 2nd or 3rd pick)
Robert Stock C
May 8-10, Oregon State
Ryan Ortiz C/1B (could go to our 2nd or 3rd pick)
Jorge Reyes RHP
And of course UW’s Brian Pearl (RHP) could go in the first 5 rounds.
Good stuff Dave. I assume this is the first in what is going to be a series of articles of other guys that may be available/fit? (If so, I look forward to reading them. Hopefully we’ll have plenty of other things to be excited about when Draft time rolls around, but the more is always better).
That this guy is a potential 1st round pick and an outfielder got me thinking: as much as we don’t like to talk about it, Ichiro isn’t going to be around forever. He’s signed through 2012, his age 38 season, and while I can see him playing through 40 (especially if there are some milestones like 3000 hits looming) at some point the team will need a new star outfielder. (No, technically they don’t need one if they have enough other stars, but realistically the outfield represents a third of the lineup so a pennant-winning team would expect at least one of those guys to be significantly above average, which amounts to a “star” in my book). Ideally you’d develop one internally, and given the typical timeframe for that the M’s will be hoping to draft that gem-in-the-rough in the next couple of years.
And yeah, it’s still a crapshoot (as Albert “13th round” Pujols would be happy to illustrate).
Speaking of UW, where will Jordan Merry end up going in the draft?
so interesting, of all people the M’s might draft that would interest me because Jackson’s dad was my boss until about a month ago.
I know from meeting him that there is nothing more important to him than baseball, and that can be a really good thing in a prospect.
What is the best site to look these guys up and get their major league scouting report. I went to College Baseball Blog and it was all, “He won this award and that award blah blah blah…” but didn’t even mention handedness much less GB/FB.
Anyone have a suggestion?
Aren’t “Baseball America” and like Prospects Insider” usually the best for that kind of thing?
Do I know you skisulli? I also worked for Brett’s dad from 1994-2000 at two different companies, so I’ve known Brett since he was about six or seven years old. Good kid, friendly.
He’s got a good swing. The at bat starting at about 1:37 is a good shot of his swing mechanics. Keeps his head down on the ball, bringing the bat through the zone with his arms forming that “diamond” shape at the point of contact. He doesn’t seem to be leaning or doing much with his momentum, so all his power is coming from his stack.
His base path running is pretty good. The scouting report calls him hyper-aggressive but I didn’t see any time at which he looked as though he was going to have a problem taking the extra base. It’s hard, at this level, to judge whether he’s being risky or simply smart enough to know his own speed vs. how quickly the opposing defense will get the ball back to the infield.
Good looking kid, no doubt.
I played with Merry at LCC, I am surprised he did not sign last summer. That being said he probably will not go much higher than he did last year as a junior.
I hadn’t seen any video of this Brett Jackson up until now, but anybody else get reminded of Brady Anderson the way he swung, and rounded first?
Thanks, Dave. I think that he’ll look great in an AquaSox uniform.
We lefties sure do like that down and in pitch.
I’ve heard it explained “the ball looks as big as the moon” Would that be an accurate analogy?