Brewers Draft Power

Like Scotty in the original Star Trek, one can imagine Brewers GM Doug Melvin exclaiming, “I can’t get no power” when assessing the talent in the team’s minor league system. In an effort to fix that, the team used its first three picks in the amateur draft to select “big strong kids with power ya gotta like.” No, none of them were Rob Deer. But each of them seems like a player that can jump the yard or at least rattle a few walls.

That is assuming any of them survive their upcoming trip through the minor leagues and actually play for the Brewers some day, which is certainly not a given considering the vagaries of baseball scouting. At a minimum one can assume each looks good in jeans, something Prince Fielder most assuredly did not. So even if they don’t make it to The Show they got that going for them, which is nice.

One thought about the Brewers top pick, Clint Coulter, the young catcher (for now) from the Pacific Northwest. Word is he profiles as a first baseman or OF and he’s compared to Josh Willingham. I’ve always liked Willingham; strikes me a a solid, useful player, whose stats look a lot like Corey Hart’s. Would I be excited if I learned that the Brewers traded for Josh Willingham? I suppose so, mainly because I could see him tonight playing in for the Crew v. CHI. But if you told me that they acquired Willingham but I would have to wait five years to see him play, and when I actually did see him he might not be all that productive for a couple of years, I would be decidedly less excited about the acquisition. I guess that sums up why it is hard for me to get too pumped up about the MLB draft.

As for the other guys, Roache scares me. It’s not just the questions about his hit tool (I hate when myhit tool is questioned!) or the sniper attack from Keith “The Assassin” Law, it’s the shattered wrist that comes in addition to a busted ankle. The injury history makes me wonder how solid this guy is. Perhaps being drafted by a team from American’s Dairyland will fortify his diet with some (apparently) much needed calcium. But maybe that doesn’t matter when a guy jacks 30 in a single season of college baseball. Heck, the last guy to do that was Billy Becher back in 2003…and we all know what kind of stellar pro career that legend had.

The guy who most intrigues me is Haniger. If one of raps on him is a disappointing tendency to hit line drives, I say, “yes, please.” Of course, I love doubles about as much as I like guys with whip-like hoses in the OF, a tool Haniger seems to have. (Wait: Reading that last sentence makes this guy sound like a dude audition for a part in a Vivid Video…) I am delighted by the notion of a player who is closing the holes in his swing, who sprays liners at the plate, and has the arm to gun down runners from the outfield. Heck, as he is a college player, maybe we will see him in just three years…