Pelfrey, Romero, Hochevar, Hansen. You're probably familar with the pitchers at the top of the draft, but the draft doesn't end after the first round.
Much like with the hitters last week here's several pitchers that could be available for the Jays to pick in the third round and beyond.Note - stats are through the games of 5/30.
Kevin Slowey, Winthrop RHP, 6'3", 190 lbs, 5/4/84 Baseball America Rank: 112 Year Inn ERA K/9 BB/9 HR/9 2005 103.1 2.26 9.3 0.9 0.5 2004 119.2 3.23 7.9 0.8 0.6 2003 93.1 4.44 9.0 1.7 1.2Control is the specialty here, and it's been there for a couple of years now. Generally you're doing pretty well if your K/BB is over 10. Baseball America says he has '3 solid pitches and mound smarts'. That'll play.
Chris Mason, UNC Greensboro RHP, 6'0", 170 lbs, 7/1/84 Baseball America Rank: 82 Year Inn ERA K/9 BB/9 HR/9 2005 118.2 2.88 10.3 1.8 0.7 2004 53.1 2.36 7.8 3.4 0.2 2003 59.0 4.12 9.6 2.6 0.6Mason made his way into the rotation in 2005 and excelled. His K rate increased sharply while his walks were almost cut in half. He'll turn 21 in another month.
Matt Green, Lousiana-Monroe RHP, 6'4", 185 lbs, 1/5/82 Baseball America Rank: 81 Year Inn ERA K/9 BB/9 HR/9 2005 105.1 2.65 12.1 2.2 0.3 2004 72.0 5.25 9.0 5.1 0.9 2003 48.0 5.25 8.3 6.4 0.6Did something click this year to get him to improve his control so dramatically, or is he just taking advantage of being an older college player? Probably a little bit of both. The 12.1 Ks/9 innings is one of the best K rates in college baseball.
Micah Owings, Tulane RHP, 6'4", 212 lbs, 9/28/82 Baseball America Rank: 142 Year Inn ERA K/9 BB/9 HR/9 2005 106.2 3.63 9.9 1.4 0.6 2004 113.1 3.89 8.9 3.4 1.1 2003 88.0 3.99 5.9 2.1 1.2Owings is a two way player, although most feel his future is better as a pitcher. He transferred to Tulane this past year after playing at Georgia Tech the previous two years. The move seemed to pay off as his K/BB ratio more than double to 7:1.
Jensen Lewis, Vanderbilt RHP, 6'3", 185 lbs, 5/16/84 Baseball America Rank: 120 Year Inn ERA K/9 BB/9 HR/9 2005 92.2 2.62 9.3 2.2 0.4 2004 80.0 3.49 7.8 3.2 0.6 2003 57.0 3.00 9.8 3.2 0.8
Chris Nicoll, UC Irvine RHP, 6'3", 190 lbs, 10/30/83 Baseball America Rank: 121 Year Inn ERA K/9 BB/9 HR/9 2005 111.2 2.50 9.1 1.9 0.4 2004 80.0 3.49 8.0 2.7 0.7 2003 38.0 4.03 8.8 4.3 0.5Lewis and Nicoll look remarkably similar. Both average more than a strikeout an inning. Both keep the walks and home runs to a minimum. Both play in pitchers parks and both teams play strong schedules.
John Meloan, Arizona RHP, 6'3", 215 lbs, 7/11/84 Baseball America Rank: 190 Year Inn ERA K/9 BB/9 HR/9 2005 102.2 3.77 10.5 4.6 0.4 2004 92.2 4.66 7.5 4.4 1.7 2003 43.1 4.15 8.4 5.8 0.4Meloan certainly looks like a power pitcher. If you can get a little better control out of him you might be on to something. Arizona plays as one of the most extreme hitter parks in college baseball so the ERA is likely artifically high.
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I'll mention it again - John Sickels is having a Community Mock Draft over at his website. Come join in on the fun. At this point we've pretty much decided on the top 6 for the Jays first pick, but rounds 3, 4, and 5 are up for debate. Obviously I like these pitchers and the hitters that I wrote about last week. Anyone else have any prospects that they like?
On Sunday I will be making the selections over at Sickels' site for the Jays. On Monday I'll go over the Mock Draft here to see who I ended up with and why, and how the first round unfolded.
And of course the main event begins on Tuesday, June 7th at noon. We'll have full coverage on the Jays picks as they are made so be sure to check in frequently on Tuesday. As opposed to other drafts the baseball draft moves rapidly. Picks are typically made in less than a minute so the Jays will be picking about every 30 minutes once the third round starts.
