Day 2 of the 2012 MLB Draft - Live Blog
2012 Canadians in the Minors 2012 Canadians in College 2012 Canadians draft list Letters of Intent
By Bob Elliott
And now we move into Day II ... with Ryan Kellogg (Whitby, Ont.) expected to be the top Canadian drafted. A year ago RHP Tom Robson (Ladner, BC) of the Langley Blaze was the top Canuck going in the fourth round to the Toronto Blue Jays as the 139th pick over-all.
Since the annual draft of high schoolers and collegians RHP Jameson Taillon (The Woodlands, Tx.) went second over-all to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Kellin Deglan (Langley, BC) was chosen 22nd over-all by the Texas Rangers as first-round picks on Day 1 in 2010.
And LHP James Paxton (Ladner, BC) of the University of Kentucky went 37th over-all as a compensation pick and LHP Jake Eliopoulos (Newmarket, Ont.) of the Brantford Red Sox went 68th over-all on Day 1 in 2009.
12:48 AM: DALE CARRUTHERS -- Big league draft beckons London pitcher Dayton Dawe of Ontario Terriers.
1:54 AM: Hey 3B-RHP Carson Kelly, the former Markham Mariner did not go on Day I. Kelly lived in Markham for two years when his father Mike worked for NIKE. He's at Westview HS in Portland, Ore. and Baseball America had him listed 43rd in the national rank: 43. He'll either go early Day II or take his scholarship to the University of Oregon. He won the 2007 peewe championship in Quebec City playing for Ontario. Hitting two home runs in his first game the late Jim Ridley said "darn, I left my player cards back at the hotel, I should write him up." As usual Rids was right.
2:14 AM: Since zero Canadians were scheduled to go on Day I we don't feel so bad getting around to the final, final posting of the 2012 draft list. Day I blog has some projections.
11:20 AM: SS Cole Peragine (Belle Ewart, Ont.) doubled as Stony Brook Sea Wolves knocked off Central Florida Bulls 10-6 to win the Coral Gables regional Monday night and advance to super regional best-of-three vs. LSU. Only 16 teams remain and if Stony Brook beats LSU they advance to Omaha and the College World Series. A tough order, but tougher than winning three games against Florida schools? (Central Florida twice and host Miami Hurricanes). RF Tanner Nivins (Kitchener, Ont.) singled and scored, 2B Maxx Tissenbaum (Toronto, Ont.) singled. RHP Jasvir Rakkar (Brampton, Ont.) pitched six innings for the first win over Central Florida. Tissenbaum is a Toronto Mets grad and is expected to be drafted, while the other three played for the Ontario Terriers.
12:18 PM: This is the second straight year of zero Canadians selected in either the first or compensation round, after a string of four years, 2007-2010. From 2003 to 2006 there were not any Canucks selected in the first or compensation round. The next barometer on what kind of year this will be for Canadians will be how many go in the first 10 rounds. Some people predict six, some say the number could be as low as two ... Last year four were selected. The low-water mark was zero in 1991, while next best were 1992 and 2008.
12:35 PM: This is a time to talk about players and the scouts who find them ... not under these circumstances. Hal Keller, 85, died in his sleep at his home in Sequim., Wa., in the early hours of Tuesday. Cause of death is unknown. Keller was finishing chemo and radiation treatment for cancer. On Thursday he asked to go home.
“He told three doctors he had a wonderful life and had done everything he wanted to do,” said wife Carol. “He said he wanted to go home. He said he didn’t want to spend 10 years in a nursing home.”
Keller played eight years of pro ball. A catcher, he appeared in 25 games with the Washington Senators from 1949-52. He spent the rest of his life in a scouting/front office role.
He was the first farm director of the expansion Senators and remained with the organization from 1961 until 1978 when he left the Texas Rangers to join the front office of the Seattle Mariners. Keller was with Seattle from 1979-85, spending the final three years as the Mariners general manager.
The younger brother of Charlie ‘King Kong’ Keller, Hal later scouted for the California Angels, Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians. He received the George Genovese Lifetime Achievement Award in Scouting from the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation at its 7th annual banquet.
And oh, by the way, he was a world-class bridge player.
Keller did not want any services, but his family does plan memorial services in his native Maryland and his adopted home of Sequim, Wa., in six to eight weeks.
Donations can be made to:
Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County
540 E. 8th St.
Port Angeles, Wa., 98362.
With Texas, he introduced the radar gun thanks to the reommendation fo former outfielder Danny Litwhiler, then the coach at Michigan State.
Keller, like older brothers Charlie and Hugh, graudated from the University of Maryland with a degree in ecnomics.
He was born July 7, 1927 on the family farm in Middletown, Md.
12:46 PM: 3B-RHP Carson Kelly, (Portland, Ore.) former Markham Mariner who won the 2007 Canadian peewee title and earned top catcher award in Quebec City, was selected 86th over-all by the St. Lous Cardinals. Except the Cards announced him as “Kelly Carson.” He has a scholarship to Oregon.
Slot money: $574,300. (More above ...)
12:52 PM: OF Andris Risquez (Hamilton, Ont.) is a native on Venezuela and is off to Prague, Czech Republic June 23 where he will represent USA Baseball. USSSA will be sending its High School Varsity National Team to to compete in the 31st annual “Prague Baseball Week” Tournament, which is held at the Eagles Praha Stadium. All international expenses are covered for the team members by USSSA.
Last year’s talent included Wyatt Matheson (University of Texas), Bryant Hodge (University of Oklahoma), LJ Newman (South Carolina-Upstate), and Donnie DeWees (University of North Florida).
Rizquez, who plays with the Hamilton Cardinals, won a Canadian championship like Kelly in 2009.
1:12 PM: A normal question in pre-draft meetings at the end of a discussion of a player’s strengths and weaknesses is always “what other teams are in on him?” Said one scouting director last week “every time we discuss a Canadian, the answer is always the same ... Blue Jays.”
BA Scouting report: Alford, a two-sport athlete, has committed to Southern Mississippi for both baseball and football. He’s teammates in baseball with Garren Berry, son of USM baseball coach Scott Berry. And the Golden Eagles have a new football coach, Ellis Johnson, who has hired Alford’s prep football coach onto his staff. In April Alford indicated he plans to go to college and play both sports. That’s too bad, because many scouts considered Alford one of the class’ elite athletes. Big and fast at 6 feet, 200 pounds, he was the Magnolia State’s football player of the year as a quarterback and chose Southern Miss over such football powers as Louisiana State and Nebraska. He threw for more than 2,000 yards and ran for more than 1,700 as a senior, accounting for 44 touchdowns, but he’s at least as intriguing on the diamond, where he’s a 70 runner on the 20-80 scouting scale with power potential, too. He helped Patal High win back-to-back state 6-A championships before the team lost in the third round this spring, as Alford batted .483 with four homers.
1:41 PM: LHP Tyler Pike of Winter Haven, Fla. HS goes to Seattle Mariners ... saw him pitch before a big crowd of scouts with C Levi Borders, son of Pat Borders. That night Borders was the pitching coach ... now he's taken over as the coach.
1:53 PM: MARIO ANNICCHIARICO -- INF Jesse Hodges (Victoria, BC), Victoria Mariners, awaits call. Hodges had six hits on the Junior National Team's trip to the Domincan Republic, tied with Jamar Burnette (Toronto, Ont.) The leaders were Jacob Robson (Windsor, Ont.) and Owen Spiwak (Mississauga, Ont.) 11 each; Mitch Triolo (Scarborough, Ont.) nine, plus Kyle Hann (Oakville, Ont.), Gareth Morgan (Toronto, Ont.) and Brett Siddall (Windsor), seven each.
1:58 PM: Jays draft Stetson Hatters senior RHP Tucker Donahue in fourth round. Perfect Game's 46th best college prospect in Florida. He was drafted in the 38th round by the Texas Rangers. Unranked by BA.
Slot: $424,400.
2:44 PM: Jays draft LHP Brad Delatte, of St. Amant, LA of the Nicholls State Colonels in the fifth round. Perfect Game's 57th best college prospect in the state.
Slot: $308,700
3:01 PM: The last time a Canadian did not go in the first five rounds was 1994 when the Los Angeles Angels selected RHP Jason Dickson (Chatham, N.B. ) of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Jr. College. Only two other years, 1991 and 1992, were Canucks shut out in the first five rounds. Most scouts said LHP Ryan Kellogg (Whitby, Ont.) would be the top Canuck ... selected between the 4th and 6th round.
3:10 PM: If RHP-3B Carson Kelly (Portland, Ore.) was the first player selected to wear a Canadian uniform (Markham Mariners, Ontario at the 2007 Canadian championships), the second was CF Justin Black (Billings, Mt). Black played for the Langley Blaze on coach Doug Mathieson's trip to Arizona and Florida. After he was drafted Black took time to phone Mathieson and thank him for the exposure his team provided him. Black also told Mathieson he had "found the key. An old baseball trick is to send a green rookie to the other bench to ask for "the key to the batter's box or else we can't start the game." In Arizona, Black was on the hunt for the non-existant key for half an hour.
3:35 PM: 3B Eric Wood (Pickering, Ont.) Blinn College, former Ontario Blue Jay, is the first Canadian selected in the draft in the sixth round to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Wood was ranked the 43rd best JUCO prospect in Texas after hitting 13 doubles, four homers, 39 RBIs in 53 games with a .425 OBA. The Oakland A's drafted Wood a year ago and attempted to sign him, after drafting him in the 37th round. Wood later tells us he has agreed to sign a $100,000 US deal with the Pirates.
Slot: $188,800.
3:59 PM: Jays chose 3B Eric Phillips, Georgia Southern with sixth pick.
BA Scouting report: The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Phillips was a four-year starter for the Golden Eagles and a productive hitter with solid gap power. He lacks a plus tool and doesn’t fit the third-base profile because he lacks power. He makes consistent hard contact and has average speed to go with solid instincts. He had two excellent seasons with the new BBCOR bats, hitting .390 and .391 the last two seasons and adding 29 stolen bases as a senior. He was a versatile defender in college, playing all over the infield.
Slot: $173,000.
Machine problems -- LHP David Otterman (Coquitlam, BC) from the University of British Columbia goes to the Milwaukee Brewers in the seventh round, selected by Canadian scout Marty Lehn (White Rock, BC).
BA scouting report: Otterman is the country’s best college prospect. He has a solid build at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, throws his fastball in the 88-91 mph range and mixes in three other pitches. His slider is his better breaking ball and he doesn’t use his changeup much, but his delivery is clean, has projection remaining and pounds the strike zone. Otterman is still raw, much more than the typical college junior, so he’ll need time to develop.
Slot: $141,700.
4:41 PM: Question: Where is Ryan Kellogg going?
My guess Arizona.
Arizona State University Sun Devils.
9:27 PM -- Back after my other job and posting the pics and the Canadians drafted to date .... some info on the Blue Jays picks ....
7th. OF Ian Parmley, Liberty University
Senior sign, ranked
Rank: 12th college player in Virginia
Slot money: $145,000
8th. C Harrison Frawley, Coastal Carolina
Catch-and-throw guy who had 203 at-bats.
Slot money: $135,400
9th. 1B Jordan Leyland, Azusa Pacific
Senior, ranked 161st best prospect in California
Slot money: $126,400.
10th. CF Alex Azor, United States Naval Academy
Senior, hit .321, one HR, 21 RBIs
Slot money: $125,000.
11th. OF Grant Heyman, Pittsford, NY, HS
State rank: 9th by BA
Also an accomplished football player, Heyman is a good athlete who needs baseball experience. He’s strong and has a good frame at 6-foot-4, 185 BA Scouting report: pounds, and is a plus runner. He is committed to a prep school--Suffield (Conn.) Academy--for next year and is considered signable.
12th. LHP Ryan Kellogg, Whitby, Ont.
BA Scouting Report: Kellogg shows average fastball velocity, consistently sitting in the 87-90 mph range and has projection remaining in his impressive 6-foot-5, 220-pound frame. His curveball was soft and loopy last summer, but he’s tightened it up this spring and shows a good feel for spinning it. He’s still working to get comfortable with a changeup, but prep lefthanders of his stature don’t typically last too long in the draft. Kellogg has pitched well for the Canadian Junior National team--even against professional competition--and will likely be picked in the top five rounds in order for a team to buy him out of his Arizona State commitment.
13th, C John Silviano, West Palm Beach, Fla.
14th. LHP Zakery Wasilewski, Tazewell, VA HS
State rank: Sixth ranked by PG, 8th ranked by BA, Committed to South Carolina
15th. LHP Ryan Borucki, Mundelein, IL
State rank: Seventh ranked in state, by PG, 8th by BA.
BA scouting report: Scouts considered Borucki comparable to Alex Young, the state’s top prospect, until he was diagnosed with a tear in his pitching elbow following a no-hitter against Cary-Grove HS (Cary) in late March. Doctors initially thought he’d need Tommy John surgery, but he opted for rehab and pitched in a junior-varsity game before the end of the season. When fully healthy, the 6-foot-4, 170-pounder has a 90-93 mph fastball with very good life. He’s still refining his slider and changeup, but he has come a long way since he was a 5-foot-8 sophomore topping out at 79 mph. Questions about his health may compromise Borucki’s signability and make him more likely to follow through on his commitment to Iowa.
10:11 PM: A scout takes pen in hand:
Nice to see that the new slotting collusion system works for the best Canadians eligible. NOT. Going forward unless you are a top five round pick you will probably end up in some college and get lost in the shuffle only to appear in a round that says sign for this or get on with your life. This latest Draft shows that the newly introduced slot system and inherent penalties insure that after the first round ( maybe the first 10 to 12 picks) it is all about drafting dollars not talent. Apparently Kellogg dropped from the 4th-to-6th round to 12th. The best upside of any Canadian in the draft is probably going to college for a lousy 100K. Great incentive for Canadian prospects. Baseball will rue the day that this system was instituted. No more high ceiling projectable players, no more dual-sport athletes, no more grass route ambitions and a lot more players without big league tools filling out minor league rosters. All for the sake of less than what Alfonso Soriano makes in one year. Give me a break. Of course, I forgot that MLB is in Chapter 11.