Traveling scouts and employees in baseball operations spend millions of dollars each year on scouting and signing players from the annual First Year Player Draft.  I spend thousands of hours each year (used to be like a like a second job) and hundreds of dollars for the personal satisfaction of becoming the local baseball expert everywhere I go.

I made the first ten picks for my hometown Twins.  The Twins got an extra pick in round four for the loss of free agent Jacque Jones.  Here are the results for my draft.  Since I had no direct knowledge of high school signability, I drafted nine college players and one high school player.  In real life, I would more 50-50 in the first ten rounds.  This year I would have actually been more high school in rounds 1-10, then heavy college in rounds 11-20.  If everyone in the first ten rounds signs, there are some total steals live HS OF’s Devin Shephard, Jared Mithcell, and Riley Cooper just to name a few

Regarding the first pick, the Twins brought Chris Parmelee to Minnesota and he wowed them with multiple upper deck home runs.  With that knowledge, he would have been my first pick as well.  This was a great draft to get one of the top high school hitters in the first round.  But instead with my first pick, I chose the best and most advanced high school lefty in the country. 

1. Brett Anderson     LHP   High School
2. Wes Hodges         3B     Georgia Tech
3. Mark Melancon     RHP    U of Arizona   
4. Harold Mozingo RHP Va. Commonwealth    Shane Robinson OF Florida State
5. Luke Gorsett        OF      Nebraska
6. Andy D’Alessio      1B      Clemson
7. Tim Norton          RHP    UConn
8. Christian Vitters   SS      Fresno State
9. Keoni Ruth          2B      San Diego

If you follow the draft, let me know how you think your team did.

The baseball draft is unique.  I was very excited when my hometown Twins pulled Chris Parmelee with the 20th overall pick.  The name I expected to hear was Brett Anderson, the top HS LHP in this years draft.  But Parmelee is a hitter.  No, not a hitter, a Slugger. 

He came to the Metrodome for a pre-draft workout and solidified himself as the number one player on the Twins draft board.  He hit the ball with authority in the Twins ballpark, inlcuding six upper deck home runs to right field.  A couple times each decade, a high school kid flies through the minors.  Maybe Parmelee can make some noise for the Twins by 2008 or 2009.

I got through nine rounds.  But the family is home and I am missing all the guys being picked. 

Ouch David Freese was one of my top three, ouch so was Joh Raynor, ouch that leaves Keoni Ruth, 2B, U of San Diego

I still see plenty of college guys that I want before I go back to the high school guys looking for some draft-and-follows. 

Saving money with a senoir sign.  laso has a big arm.

The Purdue shortstop is a solid pick.  He was 3rd on my list.  Now I need a shortstop.