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06-17-2006, 04:52 AM
Not impressed enough with the college pitchers left on the board to consider a possible "quick fix" for their current pitching crisis, the Milwaukee Brewers decided to go the high-risk / high-reward route in the first round of the June draft Tuesday.
Citing athleticism, a clean delivery and the proverbial high ceiling, the Brewers selected high school right-hander Jeremy Jeffress of South Boston, Va., with the 16th pick of the first round.
"We wanted to take the best player and we feel this guy has the best up side," said Brewers scouting director Jack Zduriencik, whose staff zeroed in on a high school right-hander for the second time in three years.
"The fact that you can get somebody to the big leagues a little quicker (out of college) doesn't mean that you get the best player. We have gone for the most part with what we consider high-ceiling players and we think this guy fits that bill."
Jeffress, 18, is a power pitcher who has reached 95 mph with his fastball and has a decent breaking ball, a slider in the 77- to 83-mph range. He also throws a changeup but not very often.
Pitching in only six games as a senior at Halifax County High School, Jeffress went 5-1 with a 0.19 earned run average. In 37 innings, he walked 13 hitters and logged 71 strikeouts.
Jeffress is a top-notch athlete who ran the 60-yard dash in 6.76 seconds and also led his basketball team in scoring.
While admitting that Jeffress' workload was light compared to other prep pitchers, Zduriencik said Brewers scouts had seen him perform in various showcase events.
"We've got a history with him," said Zduriencik, who indicated that Jeffress never had any arm problems. "He comes from a great family. All we get is positive feedback on him.
"He's got a nice body (6-0, 175), a great arm. We think this is the type of kid you can build on."
The Brewers also were enamored of the athleticism of multi-sport athlete Mark Rogers, a high school pitcher out of Maine selected in the first round of the 2004 draft. But Rogers had issues with his mechanics, namely throwing across his body, that are still being addressed. He remains a project at Class A Brevard County, where he is 1-2 with a 6.60 ERA in 11 starts, with 31 walks and 64 strikeouts in 45 innings.
Unlike Rogers, Jeffress has a "clean delivery," according to Zduriencik, who personally scouted Jeffress twice.
"With a high school kid, the thing you do is get him in the system and refine his pitches," Zduriencik said.
Another thing the Brewers like about Jeffress is his "signability." His agent formerly worked with general manager Doug Melvin in the front office of the Texas Rangers and the Jeffress family gave every indication he was ready to play pro ball.
Jeffress hasn't committed to a college, either, which really gives him little leverage in negotiations.
"I'm ready to play for the organization," Jeffress said in a conference call from his home, where a large gathering of family and friends spilled into the streets of his small hometown. "I'm ready to sign."
Jeffress said he expected Washington to take him with the pick ahead of the Brewers. The club sent area scout Tim McIlvaine to Jeffress' house Tuesday night to informally begin the negotiation process.
"I hope to be up there in a couple of years, as soon as possible," Jeffress said. "I bring a lot of intensity. I'm very aggressive. I come at you 110%."
The Brewers passed on right-hander Kyle Drabek, a high school pitcher generally rated higher than Jeffress. The son of former big-league pitcher Doug Drabek has been a problem child, on and off the field, and wasn't taken until the 18th pick by Philadelphia.
Asked if the Brewers passed on Drabek because of that background, Melvin said: "That's basically what it came down to. It makes it easier when you don't have to worry about the other issues."
There were some highly rated college pitchers on the board when the Brewers picked, including North Carolina's Daniel Bard, Missouri State's Brett Sinkbeil and Pedro Beato of Saint Petersburg (Fla.) Junior College. And those who have watched a series of pitchers come up from the farm system and fail to fill the holes created by injuries to Ben Sheets and Tomo Ohka know another advanced arm might be helpful.
But Melvin said his staff did not consider the available college pitchers worthy of a first-round pick.
"There wasn't anybody that we thought was close enough at this point that would outweigh the end result we think we'll get with Jeffress," Melvin said.
"College guys might get there quicker but that doesn't mean they will be there for a longer period of time or be front-line guys. In the first round, you're looking for guys who will be Nos. 1 or 2 starters."
The Brewers also followed the risk-reward path with their second-round selection, the aptly named Brent Brewer. A prep shortstop out of Georgia, Brewer also is a speedy wide receiver who committed to Florida State to play football and baseball.
In the 16th round, the Brewers took one of the state's better high school prospects, right-hander R.J. Seidel of Central High School in La Crosse.
Citing athleticism, a clean delivery and the proverbial high ceiling, the Brewers selected high school right-hander Jeremy Jeffress of South Boston, Va., with the 16th pick of the first round.
"We wanted to take the best player and we feel this guy has the best up side," said Brewers scouting director Jack Zduriencik, whose staff zeroed in on a high school right-hander for the second time in three years.
"The fact that you can get somebody to the big leagues a little quicker (out of college) doesn't mean that you get the best player. We have gone for the most part with what we consider high-ceiling players and we think this guy fits that bill."
Jeffress, 18, is a power pitcher who has reached 95 mph with his fastball and has a decent breaking ball, a slider in the 77- to 83-mph range. He also throws a changeup but not very often.
Pitching in only six games as a senior at Halifax County High School, Jeffress went 5-1 with a 0.19 earned run average. In 37 innings, he walked 13 hitters and logged 71 strikeouts.
Jeffress is a top-notch athlete who ran the 60-yard dash in 6.76 seconds and also led his basketball team in scoring.
While admitting that Jeffress' workload was light compared to other prep pitchers, Zduriencik said Brewers scouts had seen him perform in various showcase events.
"We've got a history with him," said Zduriencik, who indicated that Jeffress never had any arm problems. "He comes from a great family. All we get is positive feedback on him.
"He's got a nice body (6-0, 175), a great arm. We think this is the type of kid you can build on."
The Brewers also were enamored of the athleticism of multi-sport athlete Mark Rogers, a high school pitcher out of Maine selected in the first round of the 2004 draft. But Rogers had issues with his mechanics, namely throwing across his body, that are still being addressed. He remains a project at Class A Brevard County, where he is 1-2 with a 6.60 ERA in 11 starts, with 31 walks and 64 strikeouts in 45 innings.
Unlike Rogers, Jeffress has a "clean delivery," according to Zduriencik, who personally scouted Jeffress twice.
"With a high school kid, the thing you do is get him in the system and refine his pitches," Zduriencik said.
Another thing the Brewers like about Jeffress is his "signability." His agent formerly worked with general manager Doug Melvin in the front office of the Texas Rangers and the Jeffress family gave every indication he was ready to play pro ball.
Jeffress hasn't committed to a college, either, which really gives him little leverage in negotiations.
"I'm ready to play for the organization," Jeffress said in a conference call from his home, where a large gathering of family and friends spilled into the streets of his small hometown. "I'm ready to sign."
Jeffress said he expected Washington to take him with the pick ahead of the Brewers. The club sent area scout Tim McIlvaine to Jeffress' house Tuesday night to informally begin the negotiation process.
"I hope to be up there in a couple of years, as soon as possible," Jeffress said. "I bring a lot of intensity. I'm very aggressive. I come at you 110%."
The Brewers passed on right-hander Kyle Drabek, a high school pitcher generally rated higher than Jeffress. The son of former big-league pitcher Doug Drabek has been a problem child, on and off the field, and wasn't taken until the 18th pick by Philadelphia.
Asked if the Brewers passed on Drabek because of that background, Melvin said: "That's basically what it came down to. It makes it easier when you don't have to worry about the other issues."
There were some highly rated college pitchers on the board when the Brewers picked, including North Carolina's Daniel Bard, Missouri State's Brett Sinkbeil and Pedro Beato of Saint Petersburg (Fla.) Junior College. And those who have watched a series of pitchers come up from the farm system and fail to fill the holes created by injuries to Ben Sheets and Tomo Ohka know another advanced arm might be helpful.
But Melvin said his staff did not consider the available college pitchers worthy of a first-round pick.
"There wasn't anybody that we thought was close enough at this point that would outweigh the end result we think we'll get with Jeffress," Melvin said.
"College guys might get there quicker but that doesn't mean they will be there for a longer period of time or be front-line guys. In the first round, you're looking for guys who will be Nos. 1 or 2 starters."
The Brewers also followed the risk-reward path with their second-round selection, the aptly named Brent Brewer. A prep shortstop out of Georgia, Brewer also is a speedy wide receiver who committed to Florida State to play football and baseball.
In the 16th round, the Brewers took one of the state's better high school prospects, right-hander R.J. Seidel of Central High School in La Crosse.