Archive for the “2012 MLB Draft” Category

Rowan Wick
Cypress College, CA

@RowanWick

Height: 6′ 3″
Weight: 220 lbs
DOB: 11/09/1992
Bats: L
Throws: R

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Kyle Barraclough
St. Mary’s, CA

Height: 6′ 2″
Weight: 200 lbs
DOB: 05/23/1990
Bats: R
Throws: R

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Cory Jones
College of the Canyons, CA (JUCO)

Height: 6′ 5″
Weight: Not Listed
DOB: 09/20/1991
Bats: R
Throws: R

(<– High School Picture)

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Tim Cooney
Wake Forest, Junior

@t_coons

Height: 6′ 3″
Weight: 195 lbs
DOB: 12/19/90
Bats: L
Throws: L

AZ’s Snap Take: College left hander who will need some work. Control has been an issue in college. There’s enough fastball here that the Cardinals can work with him and he’ll have a chance to move up the ranks. The blessings of pitching with your left hand.

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Steve Bean
Rockwood HS, Texas

@_SteveBean_

Height: 6′ 2″
Weight: 190 lbs
DOB: 09/15/1993 (Ed Note: Oh God, I’m so old.)
Bats: L
Throws: R

AZ’s Snap Take: Steve Bean, a high school catcher out of Texas, isn’t as much of a reach as you might expect. He made both Keith Law’s top 100 and Baseball America’s top 100. Catchers, like shortstops, have always struck me as tricky players for the draft. So much of their value is tied up in their position that each team’s individual take on their ability to stick their can massively skew how they perceive that player. Bean has enough of a bat to make you think he could develop further and good enough instincts behind the plate to hang in the battery position. It’ll be 2-3 years before we know whether this pick has a chance at the majors. The Cardinals drafting record on catchers has been spotty of late.

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Stephen Piscotty
Junior, Stanford

Height: 6′ 3″
Weight: 195 lbs
DOB: 01/14/1991
Bats: R
Throws: R

AZ’s Snap Take: This is very much a classic Cardinals’ pick. Piscotty has a consistent track record in college with Cape Cod League success. This isn’t necessarily a bad pick but it sure looks like there were better players still on the board. In combination with the Cardinals #23 pick, James Ramsey, the Cardinals have refrained from grabbing a true upside play after taking a solid upside RHP in Michael Wacha with the #19 pick. Most fans will almost certainly deride this as a “safe” pick and that phrase feels more apt this time around. Piscotty may translate his consistency well to the minors and beyond but few believe he has the makings of a star. Instead, he looks more like an average or slightly better third baseman in a perfect world projection. For a third baseman who lost his position to a freshman during the season with limited power potential, Piscotty’s upside will be his main critique until he proves doubters wrong.

The one caveat to much of this is that Stanford coaching is often hell on position players offensive production. There’s always a possibility that you can re-train the player to leave his slap hitting Stanford ways behind. (Ed. note: I wrote this before reading the ESPN analysis. There’s some echo chamber effect going on from Austin Wilson decision to go to Stanford last year.)

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Michael Wacha
Junior, Texas A&M

@MichaelWacha

Height: 6′ 6″
Weight: 195 lbs
DOB: 07/11/1991
Bats: R
Throws: R

AZ’s Snap Take: I generally like Wacha and with the 19th overall pick, he’s a good value. Some boards had him ranging into the top 10 talents and others had him more towards the end of the first round. At 19, this isn’t a reach and represents a reasonable appraisal of his abilities.

And his abilities are that of a mid-rotation pitcher. Expect the club to scrap (or at least refine) his breaking ball almost immediately as it’s universally derided as not working right now.  He’s got a changeup that, as it does with many prospects, lags his fastball.  His fastball will sit comfortably in the low 90s with varying reports on his ability to give it some extra zip.

This pick doesn’t wow me in the way that Stryker Trahan would. I want to call it a “safe” pick but that seems disingenuous since safe is often used as code for “bad”.  I like Michael Wacha as a prospect. I like Michael Wacha as the 19th overall pick even if he wasn’t necessarily MY first choice for the Cardinals. There’s very little here to complain about.  There wasn’t anyone left on the board that makes you look at this pick and obviously regret it today.

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