Diamondbacks receiving praise for draft picks
Jun 7, 2011, 4:41 PM | Updated: 5:59 pm
A team holding a pair of picks in the top 10 of the draft has a lot of pressure not to mess up. It is a golden opportunity to add quality youth to the organization, securing players who could make a great impact at some point in the future.
Well, the Arizona Diamondbacks didn’t mess up. In fact, it appears they’ve hit a home run, so to speak.
According to ESPN’s Keith Law, the Diamondbacks did well for themselves on the first day of the MLB Draft.
I mean, is this cheating, since the Diamondbacks picked twice in the top 10? They sure didn’t go cheap with Archie Bradley at No. 7 — I liked him more than their first pick, Trevor Bauer. And they added Andrew Chafin in the sandwich round, a reliever-turned-starter on the way back from Tommy John surgery who was apparently “disgusting” (that’s good) in his last outing prior to the draft.
Law liking Bradley more than Bauer says a lot, given the fact that the UCLA right-hander, was arguably the best pitcher in the country this past season and has been likened to two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum.
Bradley, though, signed with Oklahoma to play QB, so Arizona knows they’ll have to pony up the dough if they want to convince him to choose the diamond over the gridiron.
As for Chafin, it’s always nice to have a pitcher who has “disgusting” stuff, so his selection appears to have rounded out a banner day for Arizona.
Of all the drafts the Major League Baseball is the one where it is nearly impossible to know what a team has. Players generally need at least a couple of years in the minors before they reach ‘The Show,’ and a lot can happen in between draft day and the Major League debut — especially with pitchers.
Still, all indications point to the Diamondbacks putting in some serious work with their first three picks, and if any of these three turn out to be the real deal Monday will go down as a great success for the team.
