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A lot of surprises today for Jacket fans. Here' is how the draft went for the Jackets:
Round1..#28.....Blake Dewitt.....Dodgers.....high school....signed w/GT
Round3..#82.....Eddie Prasch......Pirates.....high school....signed w/GT
Round4..#111....Brandon Boggs...Rangers.....GT
Round5..#133....Andrew Kown....Tigers......GT
Round5..#141....Mike Nickeas.....Rangers.....GT
Round8..#246....Eric Patterson....Cubs........GT
Round11.#323....Clifton Remole..Angels......GT
Round14.#409....Kyle Schmidt.....Orioles.....GT
Round18.#547....Jeremy Slayden...Athletics...GT
Micah Owings has not been drafted through 18 rounds, which certainly might surprise a lot of people. Word from Baseball America is that he is asking for a $1 million signing bonus and trying to use his strength as a draft-eligible sophomore. Looks like he has successfully scared a bunch of teams away........ Micah's brother, John Mark Owings, was drafted in the 17th round (#521) by the Braves, and he has committed to Clemson. JMO is also a big power hitter like his older bro. Looks like we know who has bragging rights in the Owings' household this week.
Eric Patterson is drafted by the same team (Cubs) that his brother Corey plays for - guess nepotism is alive and well.
The Texas Rangers seem to have a thing for Georgia Tech. Not only do they draft both Brandon Boggs and Mike Nickeas, but don't for that they also have former Jacket Mark Tiexiera (thanks K-Dogg for the reminder).
A high school player, Matt Bush, was chosen with the #1 overall pick. He is a RHP and a shortstop - an all-around player. Story here. This was a bit of a suprise, but a couple if the other guys thought to be higher picks were represented by a guy (Boros) asking for more money than the Padres thought they were worth.
The top 8 picks were all pitchers, with 7 of them right-handers. In fact 20 of the 30 1st round picks were pitchers.
Last year's defending National Champion, Rice, has 3 right-handed pitchers drafted within the 1st 8 picks. That has never happened before. Makes you wonder how on earth these guys got eliminated from their regional.
There were 13 high school players taken in the 1st round.
Want to read a fascinating article by Peter Gammons on the draft - click here. A bunch of very interesting comments, points and stats about the draft. For instance, this about high school draftees:
One club's study shows that from 1993 to 2001, $191 million was spent on first-round high school players, and $123.4 million of those dollars have never seen the big leagues. From 1991 through 2001, 49 percent of No. 1 picks out of high school made the majors, and of those 24 percent were regulars.