IBC

Pick #19, First Round

CF Reymond Fuentes
18 yrs. old
Fernando Callejo HS, Puerto Rico
L/L


Athletic centerfielder plays the game at full tilt, the type of player that will make a lot of highlight reels. Wiry frame. Line drive hitter, makes excellent contact, without a ton of present power. Excellent swing mechanics. Top line speed. Excellent range and glove in the outfield, projects to stay in center. Fluid, gets good jumps on the ball. Below average arm.

From ProJo.com: The 18-year-old Fuentes is a lefty who makes speed the foundation of his game, and he has parlayed that into a reputation as a fluid, wide-ranging centerfielder. With quick wrists but some problems with plate discipline, Fuentes could develop into an Alfonso Soriano-type, spraying the ball all over with reasonable power.

"I'm thin but I'm strong. I have a hidden power, but my game is to slap the ball and start running," Fuentes said.

Red Sox brass said they have had an eye on Fuentes for some time, scouting him for two full years. He has added size and power in recent months, and those attributes should help to supplement his natural speed and defensive skills.

"He became one of the kids we were really hoping would be there for us with our pick," said scouting director Jason Mcleod. "Speed is going to be part of his game -- he's a plus-plus runner, sprinting champion on the island. We really think he has an opportunity to be a leadoff-type player who can give us good defense in centerfield and hopefully disrupt on the bases as well."

There are many players coming out of the draft with those skills, but General Manager Theo Epstein said that what set this one apart was his developing bat.

"The thing we liked about Reymond that distinguished him from the typical plus-plus run, speedy, defense-first centerfielder is that this guy can hit, too," Epstein said.

His wiry 6', 165-pound frame shows plenty of potential, and his speed would already be an asset at the major league level. His throwing arm needs work, but Fuentes said that is more of a mechanical issue and can be worked on.

"My strength is my legs. I'm very fast, and the only thing I have a problem with is my throwing mechanics," Fuentes said.

Best Comparison: Jacoby Ellsbury, Johnny Damon

GM's Take: Honestly, I hated that Jag took Sanchez then, as I thought he'd continue to slide, but I'm falling in love with my Fuentes pick. The more I read about how much impact he potentially could cause on the diamond, the more I like.

Pick #40, Second Round

RHP Tanner Bushue
18 yrs. old
Farina HS, Illinois
R/R



Background: After missing most of his high school junior season with a sprained right knee, Bushue blossomed into Illinois' top prep prospect in 2009. A strong predraft workout sold the Astros, who took him in the second round and signed him for $530,000.

Strengths: Bushue shows a good feel for pitching and the ability to work both sides of the plate. His fastball currently sits at 88-90 mph, but he's so athletic—he was a high school basketball standout—and generates velocity with such little effort that it's easy to project his heater as a future plus pitch. He already touches 94 mph on occasion, and his athleticism also should allow him to repeat his delivery and throw strikes. He also shows the ability to spin a breaking ball, with the makings of a power curveball.

Weaknesses: Bushue needs to stay healthy so he can soak up more experience. He hasn't had any arm problems, but he had the knee injury in 2008 and had his pro debut ended by stress fractures in his lower back in July. That also limited him in instructional league. He shows aptitude for a changeup, but it's still a work in progress. He also throws a slider, though it's not as promising as his curve.

The Future: The Astros expect Bushue to be healthy and able to handle a full season of starts in low Class A in 2010. He's just beginning to scratch the surface of his ability and has the potential to develop the best stuff among Houston's starting pitching prospects.

GM's Take: I clearly overdrafted Bushue here at #40, but I didnt expect him to be around 49 picks later, and I really didnt care too much for picking up more OF's at #40. Should be at the very least, if he reaches his potential, a #2 or 3. Honestly, I hate drafting.

Pick #89, Third Round

RP Ryota Igarashi
30 yrs. old
Japan
R/R



Last winter, Yakult Swallows fireballer Ryota Igarashi declined to file for domestic free agency, instead re-signing for 2009 with the subsequent goal of moving to the majors. Igarashi is a righthanded reliever who has spent his entire career with the Yakult Swallows, and just turned 30 on May 28. If I had to pick the top free agent coming out of Japan after this season today, Igarashi would be my choice.

Stuff, Results & Mechanics
Igarashi is known one of the hardest throwers in Japan, and jointly holds the record for fastest pitch* by a Japanese pitcher in an NPB game with a 158 kmph (98.75mph) fastball. Igarashi hit 158 kmph in 2004, when the average speed of his pitches over the course of the season was 154.5 kmph (96.6mph), which is an NPB record he has to himself.

Although he doesn’t throw quite as hard as he used to, but still runs his heater into the upper 90’s, and augments it with a hard splitter that he throws at around 90mph. He’s also got a slider and a curve that he’ll mix in occasionally, but is primarily a fastball/splitter pitcher.

Igarashi’s weakness has been his control. Over the course of his career through 2008, he’s allowed 221 walks and thrown 42 wild pitches over 517.1 innings. I suspect the number of walks would be higher if hitters could lay off the high fastball a little more. On the plus side, he’s balanced things out strking out 586 guys. Igarashi showed a significant improvement in his walk rate after returning from injury (see below) last season, allowing just six walks in 42.1 innings. This year he’s come back to earth and allowed seven walks in 19.1 innings so far, which is more in line with his career norms.

When pitching out of the windup, Igarashi has a hitch at the beginning of his delivery, a la Daisuke Matsuzaka, but otherwise has a pretty orthodox approach.

Injury History
Igarashi had the worst year of his career in 2006, and bounced between the top club and the farm team during the second half of the season. After the season, it was discovered that he had a ruptured UCL in his throwing arm, and he went in for Tommy John surgery. He spent all of 2007 rehabbing, and didn’t return to game action for good until around July 2008. He has regained his velocity post-injury and has had a normal work load since last summer.

Role
Igarashi has been mostly a middle reliever in his career thus far, setting up for Shingo Takatsu early in his career and more recently for Chang-Yong Lim. He did spend 2004 as Yakult’s closer after Takatsu left, and recorded 37 saves. He’s a set-up man again this year.

Future
Igarashi spoke last season of making a “Shinjyo-class” move to MLB, which I took to mean he’d be willing to take less money to try his hand at MLB. Recall that Tsuyoshi Shinjyo, as he spelled it back then, turned down about $12m from Hanshin to take a minimum-pay deal with the Mets. I don’t think Igarashi will have to take that kind of a cut, because he’s making about $840k this year and I think he’d be able to get at least that much from an MLB team. His best offers may still come from Japan though, as he could probably command an NPB closer’s salary.

GM's Take: I was hoping to grab him with my next pick after hearing the news, and was glad he fell. Igarashi should project well enough to be thrown into middle relief this season. Plus, his baseball card looks pretty sick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvwEoV0YVjE

Watch and enjoy his nastyness.

Pick #103, Fourth Round

RF Brian Cavazos-Galvez
22 yrs. old
New Mexico
R/R



Galvez wins POY award: Cavazos-Galvez claimed the award for the Rookie-advanced Pioneer League, batting .322 with a league-leading 18 homers for the Ogden Raptors. Cavazos-Galvez, 22, won the league’s Most Valuable Player Award and was named to the league All-Star team after being selected in the 12th round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of New Mexico.

He also led the circuit with 97 hits, 50 extra base hits, 59 runs, and 29 doubles, and also ranked second in the league with 63 RBI. Brian’s father, Balvino Galvez, played eight seasons in the Dodger organizatio

GM's Take: A project right now, but hitting for power and average in his debut in the rookie league shows some promise.

Pick #110, Fourth Round

CL William Bullock
21 yrs. old
Florida
R/R



Scouting Report: Bullock has been a similar pitcher in college to what he was as a prep. For most of his career, he didn't maximize the leverage his 6-foot-6 frame provides, and his velocity was inconsistent, whether he was starting (as he did once this spring, at Arkansas) or in a relief role. However, Bullock has taken off in a relief role and become the top draft-eligible bullpen arm in the Southeastern Conference. Bullock was at his best when Florida swept Georgia in Athens, hitting 97 mph several times with his fastball. He also held his velocity in pitching in all three games of that series. While scouts have considered him a tease due to his inconsistency, Bullock has pitched more consistently as a closer. His breaking ball has evolved from a curveball to a slider, and at times it reaches 83 mph with tilt. Bullock still tends to leave his fastball up at times, leading to five home runs allowed in 40 innings, and could pitch downhill more frequently with refinements to his delivery. Despite lashing ability for a changeup in the past, Bullock seems to have taken to the closer role, emphasizing power over touch.

GM's Take: Always a good idea to take power arms late, and hope they develop. Bullock looks like a nice project, and with Nathan getting older in Minnesota, who knows what hold the future for him. A nice debut sure did help his stock.

Pick #158, Sixth Round

RP Paul Smyth
22 yrs. old
Kansas
R/R



BEST PRO DEBUT: Injuries forced the A's to push many of their picks aggressively. Several responded at a low Class A Kane County, including RHP Paul Smyth (35). A 22-year-old, 5-foot-11 senior draftee, Smyth was perfect as a pro and didn't allow a run in 361⁄3 innings spanning 25 outings. He saved 11 games between short-season Vancouver and Kane County and posted a 44-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio

GM's Take: Smyth has been compared to Zielger and Bradford because of his arm angle, and his utter dominance of hitters. If he continues this success, he could be a very nice pitcher out of the bullpen.