http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/15559248.htm

Quote :

"The last thing the Royals needed right now was for Tampa Bay to fall into the tank. Lost amid the Royals’ feel-good finish to 2006 is that Tampa’s total collapse (eight straight losses entering Tuesday night) has put the Royals’ claim to next year’s No. 1 pick in serious jeopardy. “Actually, I’d rather pick third next season, rather than first,” Royals scouting director Deric Ladnier said by phone. Third? “Picking third would mean we really had a strong finish,” Ladnier said. “I’d trade major-league wins for draft leverage any day.” Hmmm. But that could cost the Royals a shot at Georgia Tech’s all-world catcher Matt Wieters, who is 6 feet 5, 230 pounds, switch-hits with power (20 doubles, 14 homers last year), draws walks (20th nationally at 0.83 a game) and doubled as the team’s closer. “He’s got a strong arm and was a good closer, but he projects as a catcher,” Ladnier said. “He’s good, no question about it. We’ve seen a lot of him.” The Royals also have seen a lot of North Carolina State right-hander Andrew Brackman and Vanderbilt left-hander David Price as well, both of whom could be the No. 1 pick. “Brackman is a tall guy (6 feet 10), but he pitches short,” Ladnier said. “I mean that in a positive way. Most big guys get pretty loose in their delivery — arms and legs flying everywhere. But he’s got a very repeatable motion. “Price is a polished, three-pitch pitcher with good command. It’ll be interesting.”"

If he had a brain he'd quit bball right now and get ready for that $5.5M signing bonus

[Edited on September 20, 2006 at 7:00 PM. Reason : x]

9/20/2006 6:59:21 PM

He is quitting basketball isn't he?

wasn't there a thread about him not playing next year?

Also, I thought they couldn't draft him until NEXT draft?

I don't know anything about baseball drafts, do they use the record from the season before the past one?

[Edited on September 20, 2006 at 7:03 PM. Reason : ]

9/20/2006 7:02:19 PM

Next draft is 2007, and he will have fulfilled has 3 years after H.S. The MLB draft is in late spring and the 2006 final record will determine the order.

[Edited on September 20, 2006 at 7:03 PM. Reason : x]

9/20/2006 7:03:14 PM

yeah he's already said he's done with basketball

go royals

9/20/2006 7:16:32 PM

its a common sense thing for him

6 foot 10 guys in basketball--at least one on almost every team

6 foot 10 guys in baseball-- like maybe 5 ( all pitchers, cuz Richie Sexson is like 6-7 and he is about as tall as you can be without looking retarded in the batter's box)

Brackman's much more valuable as a pitcher

9/20/2006 7:55:49 PM

go pack!

9/20/2006 7:58:43 PM

now we need a bball player to go #1 within a year or two for the trifecta

[Edited on September 20, 2006 at 8:45 PM. Reason : ]

9/20/2006 8:44:48 PM

^gavin could maybe if he starts shooting well

9/20/2006 9:23:55 PM

...

9/20/2006 9:29:51 PM

YEAH OR NOT

9/20/2006 9:29:51 PM

foreign 7-foot + centers are going #1 or so these days, maybe that new freshman can be the one

9/20/2006 9:32:25 PM

I swear I read just recently that Brack was almost 7 foot now - i think they mentioned that in one of the US National team articles about him. It would be awesome if he went #1 overall and then Atsur could go #1 overall and we'd have the professional league drafts cornered






ha ha Atsur getting drafted...

9/20/2006 10:21:42 PM

Quote :

"^gavin could maybe if he starts shooting well"

I laughed so hard I woke my wife up in the next room.

9/20/2006 10:33:27 PM

heck yea, my Royals finally doing something smart

9/20/2006 10:34:37 PM

i dunno...The Royals?

~

[Edited on September 21, 2006 at 1:57 AM. Reason : i stay somewhat up-to-date on mlb stuff but i cant name a single Royal]

9/21/2006 1:56:38 AM

^ same thing was probobly said about the tigers 4 years ago....

9/21/2006 1:57:56 AM

well just think, if they get b-rack you will no longer have that problem

9/21/2006 1:58:42 AM

do they still play in that stadium w/ the waterfalls in the outfield?

9/21/2006 1:59:31 AM

you must mean a totally different team, and thats a dirty dirty statement.

look at the royals roster u will be highly surprised at some of the talent they have.

plus they have one guy signed to a lifetime contract.

9/21/2006 2:03:37 AM

kauffman stadium right?

maybe they werent waterfalls, but water fountains or something like that at one point

9/21/2006 2:06:01 AM

u may mean angels stadium

9/21/2006 2:23:15 AM

kauffman stadium does have fountains.

9/21/2006 2:37:37 AM

yea, a few, i thought when he said the waterfalls though he was referring the the angels stadium
now see he meant falls

9/21/2006 2:58:53 AM

look for the royals to start coming around in the next few years. the gm they hired during the season, Dayton Moore, had been the farm director and Assistant General Manager/Baseball Operations for the Braves during their glory days. he was responsible for a lot of the Braves success.

9/21/2006 9:01:51 AM

the royals have waterfalls, too, douchebags.

9/21/2006 9:07:51 AM

that dude from vandy should go #1. he's fucking sick

9/21/2006 9:20:45 AM

the royals are the Houston Texans / Clemson Basketball / Duke Football / Toronto Raptors of the MLB

i'd hate to play there

9/21/2006 9:24:57 AM

The Royals have some talent, but will need pitching if they ever want to start winning. Teahen, Dejesus, and Shealy all look like they'll be solid hitters and they've got the AAA player of the year in Alex Gordon. If they can develop those hitters more and get Gathright to become a decent leadoff man, they'll have a resepectable lineup.

As for the pitching, they have a ton of work to do because both the starting rotation and the bullpen are a joke. Also they need to just take Angel Berroa behind the barn and put a bullet in his head - he has got to be the worst regular player in MLB.

9/21/2006 9:28:10 AM

it also doesn't help the Royals' chances next year that they are in the same division as the Tigers, Twins, Whitesox and even Indians

9/21/2006 9:29:21 AM

Eh, that stuff is cyclical. The division will come back down to normal in 2 or 3 years. Look at the NL East. It was nasty from like 97-00, then in the shitter, and now working it's way back up (young talent, etc)... AL East was in the shitter when the NL East was good, now it's going to be nasty again.

** The Royals aren't going to be good anytime soon. For some reason they sign older guys to play everyday when they KNOW they are going to suckass instead of giving kids a chance to develop. Case in point: Mientciewicz (sp?) over Huber.

[Edited on September 21, 2006 at 10:59 AM. Reason : x]

9/21/2006 10:58:40 AM

Kansas City is the city of fountains (more fountains than anywhere in the world next to Rome).

I've been to Kauffman a few times. It's actually nice. But it's empty.

9/21/2006 11:05:37 AM

Kauffman is a nice, intimate AAA ballpark.

The reason the Royals can't make a run is they always unload their young talent before their big payday (see Damon et. al.)

9/21/2006 11:08:41 AM

^^^i agree its all cyclical...but we're talking about the royals here

9/21/2006 11:14:24 AM

I hope he doesn't go to the Royals. I'd rather see him in Toronto than there......okay, i'd rather NOT se him in Toronto OR Kansas City.

St. Louis or Atlanta would be awesome though (although not realistic)

9/21/2006 11:17:46 AM

Why not Toronto? I mean if he is a Top 3 pick they won't get anywhere near him but they have spent loads of $$$ recently and will be at least competitive for the wild card in the future (no one will win the AL East other then the Yankees until MLB does something about payroll discrepancy)

** As of right now Chicago (N) would have the 3 and Washington the 4. My best guess is that TB would take the Catcher from GT, KC would take the kid from Vandy, and Brack would go 3 or 4. Those are pretty good situations for the future..

[Edited on September 21, 2006 at 11:26 AM. Reason : x]

9/21/2006 11:25:14 AM

Look, if he goes to the Royals and does well we all know he'll be back in the East in a couple years.

9/21/2006 11:25:51 AM

Andrew Brackman is the next Zach Greinke.

9/21/2006 11:28:31 AM

You mean a mental case with a social phobia?

9/21/2006 11:33:22 AM

Highly touted pitcher who stopped playing baseball because he couldn't work out in front of others... yeah.

9/21/2006 11:34:30 AM

I sure hope he doesn't end up with the Cubs. That organization has a shitty conditioning program considering Prior and Wood's health problems and that fact that fat ass Zambrano is their only reliable pitcher. Rich Hill has talent too, but I'm sure the Cubs will ruin him as well.

I'd hate to see them rush Brackman through the minors and then tax his arm and turn him into another Kerry Wood. If he ends up on a team like the Nationals, that would be a good fit because the Natspos have a good history of developing quality pitchers.

9/21/2006 11:34:45 AM

The Twins might go after Brackman if he was lefthanded and hispanic

9/21/2006 11:45:11 AM

I haven't heard him mentioned at all recently by Baseball America.. strange..

12/12/2006 4:11:35 PM

Well he was so awful last year maybe they're waiting to see how he rebounds from his injury.

Lot of pressure on him.... he could wind up as the #1 overall or out of the first round depending on how he pitches.

I know he was pretty damn good this summer so i think he'll have it together

12/12/2006 4:42:45 PM

yea he did have a really good summer post injury with the cape cod league or somethin like that

12/12/2006 5:02:51 PM

Quote :

"Andrew Brackman is the next Zach Greinke."

12/12/2006 9:06:11 PM