2006 Official Reds Draft Selections

[WVRed]

1.Drew Stubbs(OF-University of Texas)(6'4, 200 lbs)

Comments:A toolsy college outfielder, scouts think Stubbs is a gold glove quality CF right now. He's got a power and speed combination that is tempered by his strikeout rate.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/draft/features/261476.html

In summary, the above article is similar to MLB.com.
2.Sean Watson(CL-University of Tennessee)
Comments:A college closer with four usable pitches. He hasn't been consistent in his junior year, but when on, he's very effective with a good curveball and a nasty knucklecurve.

3.Chris Valaika(SS-UC Santa Barbara)

Comments:He's come back from a torn ACL last year and is a solid infielder with some pop in his bat. He may profile best as a second baseman or a utility guy.

4.Justin Reed(CF-Hillcrest Christian Academy-MS)

Comments:He's very athletic with a football scholarship to Mississippi. Speed is his best tool, though he has shown improvement with the bat and in CF.

5.Josh Ravin(RHP-Chatsworth HS-CA)

6.Jordan Smith(RHP-Southern Nevada CC-NV)

7.Justin Turner(2B-Cal St Fullerton)

8.Travis Webb(LHP-Washington St)

9.Jeremy Burchett(RHP-UC Berkley)

10.Josh Roenicke(RHP-UCLA)

11., Brandon Rice, Spalding HS, Georgia:

12, Logan Parker, University of Cincinnati: Rated above average athletically as a first baseman. He could end up playing a corner outfield spot.

13. Kevin Gunter, RHP, Old Dominion University: In 15 starts for ODU, went 6-5 with a 3.46 ERA. Struck out 101 batters, compared to 30 walks, over 104 innings.

14, Carson Kainer, OF, University of Texas: Teammate of Stubbs is considered an offensive-type of player.

15, Rafael Sanchez, 3B, Queensborough CC: The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder also pitched in college, but was drafted as an infielder.

16, Jamie Arneson, LHP, Bakersfield College: Struck out 102 batters in 81 innings this season.

17, Chris Heisey, OF, Messiah College, Pa.: Batted .428 this season and was named Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year. Stole 21 bases in 22 attempts.

18, Ryan Wehrle, SS, University of Nebraska: Led the Huskers in batting average (.367), hits (83) and on-base percentage (.447). He was a first-team All-Big 12 selection.

19 564 Derrik Lutz rhp George Washington DC
20 594 Eddy Rodriguez c Miami FL
21 624 Christopher White rhp Texas A&M KingsvilleTX
22 654 Adam Pointer rhp Alvin (Texas) CC TX
23 684 Tony Brown of Crestview (Fla.) HS FL
24 714 Anthony Esquer c Cal Poly Pomona CA
25 744 Michael McKennon of UT San Antonio TX
26 774 Anthony Gressick rhp Ohio OH
27 804 Keltavious Jones of Darton (Ga.) JC GA
28 834 Tyler Hauschild C Edmonds (Wash.) CC WA
29 864 Jason Louwsma 3b Florida Gulf Coast FL
30 894 Lee Tabor lhp Francis Marion (S.C.) JC SC
31 924 Eric Schaler rhp Dallas Baptist TX
32 954 Danny Dorn of Cal State Fullerton CA
33 984 Justin Curry rhp Buford (Ga.) HS GA
34 1014 Ben Ihde 1b Neenah (Wis.) HS WI
35 1044 John Touchton rhp Kingwood (Texas) HS TX
36 1074 Nicholas Wandless rhp South Carolina-Aiken SC
37 1104 Jarrod Gaskey of Azle (Texas) HS TX
38 1134 Trevor Coleman c Dripping (Texas) Springs HS TX
39 1164 Todd Waller 3b Cape Coral (Fla.) HS FL
40 1194 Tyler Dewitt of Ponderosa HS, Shingle Springs, Calif. CA

[Red Leader]

This thread will be to list only the Reds draft picks, and any info you might want to share about them, comments should go in the other stickied draft thread.

The purpose of this is to allow users to view this thread to see who the Reds drafted without having to sort through the likely 100-150 pages of the actual draft thread. Any question, please PM me.

Thanks,
RL

[savafan]

Drew Stubbs

[savafan]

http://www.texassports.com/image_lib/stubbs_drew.jpg


Drew Stubbs #13
Height: 6-4
Weight: 201
Class: Jr.-2L
Hometown: Atlanta, TX (Atlanta)

Considered one of the top all-around college players in the country … a 2005 All-American as well as Academic All-American ... a five-tool player who can not only hit for both power and average, but also possesses tremendous speed and a plus outfield throwing arm … expected to be UT’s starting center fielder for a third straight year in 2006.

SOPHOMORE (2005)
· Third-Team All-American - Collegiate Baseball
· ABCA First-Team All-Central Region
· First-Team All-Big 12
· Austin NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team
· ESPN The Magazine Third-Team Academic All-American
· ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI
· First-Team Academic All-Big 12
· USA Baseball National Team Member
· First-Team Preseason All-American - Baseball America
· Third-Team Preseason All-American - Collegiate Baseball & NCBWA
· Fall 2004 & Spring 2005 Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll

2005 Season
· Texas’ starting center fielder in all 72 games who reached base safely in 65 of those contests and hit safely in 56 games.
· Batted .311 overall to rank sixth on the club in hitting.
· Ranked among the top 10 conference players in steals (32 - 1st), runs (67 - 3rd), doubles (20 - t4th), hits (88 - 4th), total bases (149 - t5th) and home runs (11 - t9th), while pacing the Horns in sacrifice hits (21), home runs, runs scored and stolen bases.
· Second on the club in hits (88), RBI (46), doubles, triples (4), total bases, multi-hit (26) and multi-RBI (15) contests.
· Recorded a 19-game hitting streak to mark a career-best and tie for the fourth longest streak in University of Texas history.
· Batted .362 and .363, respectively, with runners on base and in scoring position.
· Owned seven game-winning RBI to go along with 23 two-out RBI.
· Hit .283 during conference action to rank sixth on the team. Also ranked among the top 10 league hitters in Big 12 play with 10 steals.
· Swiped a team-best eight bases and posted a club-high nine sacrifice hits, while ranking second on the team in on-base percentage (.432), runs scored (15) and doubles (3) during postseason action. Also hit .281 with eight RBI and one home run in 17 postseason contests.

2005 Highlights
· Named a Collegiate Baseball Louisville Slugger Player of the Week, the NCBWA/Pro-Line Cap National Player of the Week and Big 12 Player of the Week after hitting a combined .556 with four home runs, six runs scored, a pair of steals and 11 RBI during UT’s game with UTSA (2/15) and series with No.5 Stanford (2/18-20). Notably, he also tallied all three game-winning RBI against the Cardinal while also connecting on inside-the-park home runs in consecutive games (2/19-20) to become the first UT player to record an inside-the-park home run since Omar Quintanilla versus Arizona on March 9, 2003.
· Went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored at No. 4 Nebraska (4/10).
· Hit a team-best .545 over a three-game series with Oklahoma (4/15-17) while scoring three runs, connecting on two home runs (including a walk-off blast over the Disch-Falk Field scoreboard in extra innings on April 15) and amassing five RBI, three steals and two game-winning RBI en route to being named the Big 12 Player of the Week on April 19.
· Combined with teammate Seth Johnston on back-to-back, ninth-inning home runs at Oklahoma State (4/23).
· Recorded at least one hit in each of Texas’ three games versus No. 14 Missouri (4/29-5/1) while also scoring two runs and swiping two bases.
· Batted .421 (8-for-19) over Texas’ five games during the Austin NCAA Regional (6/3-6/6) while tallying eight runs scored, seven RBI, three doubles, one triple, one home run and four stolen bases en route to being named to the All-Tournament Team.
· Set a new College World Series (CWS) record with five sacrifice bunts during UT’s five games in Omaha, while also making a game-saving catch against No. 4 Baylor (6/22) during the semifinals to help the Horns capture their sixth overall National Championship.
· Batted .304 with five runs scored, three doubles, six RBI and one steal in 19 games for the USA Baseball National Team under the direction of head coach Steve Smith in the summer of 2005. Also aided the Americans in winning their final 11 games to end the summer campaign with a 16-4 overall record.

FRESHMAN (2004)
· Freshman All-American - Baseball America & Collegiate Baseball
· Big 12 Freshman Player of the Year
· First-Team All-Big 12
· USA Baseball National Team Member
· Austin NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team
· Midseason All-American - Baseball America
· Fall 2003 & Spring 2004 Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll

2004 Season
· Started 70 of the 71 games in which he appeared in center field.
· Headlined the Horns and tied for second in the league with 28 steals.
· Finished fourth on the team in batting (.301) while ranking among the top five on the club in runs (51-2nd), hits (80-2nd), doubles (16-t3rd), triples (3-t2nd), home runs (8-2nd), RBI (47-4th), total bases (126-2nd), slugging (.474-2nd), walks (28-t5th), multi-hit games (24-2nd), multi-RBI contests (13-2nd) and two-out RBI (24-1st).
· Tallied four game-winning RBI and a 12-game hitting streak.
· Batted .303 or higher with runners on base and in scoring position.
· Became UT’s all-time freshmen hits leader (80), while pacing all league freshmen in home runs, steals, triples and slugging.
· Started 24 of Texas’ 26 conference games and hit .277 while totaling a team-best 19 runs scored, three doubles, one triple, a pair of home runs, 12 RBI, a .394 slugging percentage and a club-high 10 steals, which placed him fourth among Big 12 players during league action.
· Lead the team with 18 RBI, five steals, and two triples during postseason action while batting .317 and tallying three home runs and four doubles.

2004 Highlights
· Accumulated six hits in 13 at bats (.461) while scoring four runs, driving in four more, doubling once, connecting on one home run and stealing two bases during a three-game set at Hawaii (1/30-2/1).
· Hit .444 over Texas’ three-game series with San Diego State (2/27-29) as he went a combined 4-for-9 while also swiping three bases, tallying two RBI and scoring twice. Also became the 27th player in stadium history to hit a home run over the center field wall during that series on Feb. 29.
· Went 3-for-7 with two steals over two games versus No. 17 Cal St. Fullerton (3/5&7).
· Blasted his third home run of the year at No. 3 Rice (3/9).
· Posted a career-high four RBI versus Eastern Michigan (3/13).
· Hit .500 with four RBI over three games with Oklahoma State (3/26-28).
· Went 2-for-2 with two steals and one RBI versus No. 3 Rice (4/13).
· Turned in a 2-for-4 effort that included a home run, a pair of steals, two runs scored and two RBI during the series opener at Baylor (4/16). Also swiped three bases and scored five runs during the series with the Bears.
· Netted his first career three-hit performance during the opening game of UT’s series opposite No. 16 Nebraska (4/23) while also accounting for one double, a stolen base, one RBI and a run scored in that tilt.
· Batted .350 during the Big 12 Tournament while also driving in five runs and scoring twice. Additionally, he turned in a 2-for-5 tourney effort that included one run and three RBI versus No. 10 Texas A&M (5/27).
· Collected two multi-hit as well as multi-RBI efforts while also accounting for one home run, a .385 average, one triple and two stolen bases during the Austin NCAA Regional Tournament (6/4-6).
· Went a combined 4-for-8 with five runs scored, five RBI and two home runs, including his second over the center field wall at Disch-Falk Field to become the third player to ever hit two round-trippers over the 20-foot-high wall and the first freshman to do so, during NCAA Super Regional action versus No. 15 Vanderbilt (6/11-12).
· Started all five of Texas’ College World Series games in center field while collecting four hits, scoring two runs and tallying three RBI.
· Made 18 center field starts out of the 20 games in which he played for the USA Baseball National Team under the direction of head coach Frank Cruz during the summer of 2004. Aided the Americans in posting an 18-7 record, including an unblemished 8-0 mark during the FISU World University Championships in Taiwan to capture the Gold Medal.
· Held the fourth-highest batting average on Team USA by hitting at a .319 clip for the summer season (22-for-69) while scoring 14 runs, connecting on six doubles and one triple, tallying nine RBI, tying for the team lead with five stolen bases and boasting a .435 slugging percentage.
· Batted .407 during the FISU Championships to rank second on the club in hitting while playing in all eight games, making seven starts, scoring six runs, amassing five RBI and accounting for a .593 slugging mark as well as a .500 on-base percentage. Also delivered the game-winning, two-run triple in the fifth inning of the gold medal game in which the Americans came from behind to claim a 4-2 victory over Japan.

HIGH SCHOOL
· A four-sport star at Atlanta High School who lettered all four years in baseball and three times in football, basketball and track (1999-2003). Also captained each of those squads at least once during his career and was twice named the captain of the baseball team.
· Tabbed an All-District performer three times as a center fielder for head coach Randy Raley’s Rabbits and helped lead Atlanta High School to three district championships during his tenure (2000, 2002 and 2003).
· Followed a freshman season in which he batted .328 overall with 11 runs scored and seven RBI, with a sophomore campaign that saw him hit .393 while scoring 24 runs and driving in 18 RBI behind 26 hits, including five doubles, one triple and one home run.
· Garnered All-State honors as a junior in 2002 after tallying 23 RBI and 35 runs scored to go along with a career-high .486 batting average, eight doubles, one triple and five round-trippers.
· Capped his four-year career with a 2003 campaign in which he batted .407 with 30 runs scored, 20 RBI and 37 hits, including four doubles and five home runs, to his credit. Was also named to the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association (THSBCA) North All-Star Team as a senior.
· A two-time All-District (2001 and 2002) and first-team Academic All-State performer (2002) as a quarterback and free safety for head coach Ben Scharnberg’s Rabbits who helped Atlanta High School claim district football titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
· Earned second-team All-District recognition as a senior forward for head coach Jared Boston’s basketball squad and aided the Rabbits in winning consecutive district titles in 2002 and 2003.
· Helped head coach Lance Bernard’s Atlanta High School track team win four straight district crowns and back-to-back state titles (2002-2003) by claiming individual state championships in the 400 and 1600 relays and becoming a state qualifier in the 300 intermediate hurdles as well as the triple jump.
· The salutatorian of his graduating class who was also a Caps Scholar and was recognized as Atlanta High School’s top English, math and Spanish student. Was also a member of the National Honor Society and named a Superintendent’s Scholar during each of his four years.
· Participated in Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Calculus Club, Young Republicans, the Spanish Club, United Methodist Youth Fellowship, the History Club and the Big Brothers Program during high school.
· Selected in the third round (No. 89 overall) of the 2003 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Houston Astros.
· Played center field for head coach Pat Cauley’s Texarkana Indians (Texarkana, Texas) over the summers of 2002 and 2003. Batted .475 with seven home runs and 45 RBI for the Indians following his junior season and not only picked up state tournament MVP honors that year, but also helped Texarkana win its league and finish second in the state.

PERSONAL
Born Robert Andrew Stubbs on Oct. 4, 1984, in Texarkana, Texas … parents are Rick and Katherine Stubbs … has two brothers, Jody and Clint … his father, Rick, attended Louisiana Tech University and ran track from 1970-74 … a management major ... Member of the UT Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

[reds44]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/2005/06/24/gallery.collworldseries/gallery3.jpg

[savafan]

Sean Watson

http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/tenn/sports/m-basebl/06biopics/Watson-Sean.jpg

2006 - JUNIOR
Served as the Vols' closer throughout the season, with a team-high 29 appearances and 11 saves ... Named to SEBaseball.com's All-SEC second team ... Was one of 30 pitchers named to the initial watch list for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, presented annually to the nation's top relief pitcher ... Went 4-3 with a 4.61 ERA ... Recorded 47 strikeouts and 17 walks in 41 innings of action ... Became just the second player in school history to log at least 10 saves in a single season (Todd Helton did it twice) ... Logged saves in each of his first four appearances (FAU Feb. 5, two saves vs. Eastern Michigan Feb. 10 and Morehead State Feb. 17 ... Also notched saves against Oakland March 5 and Akron March 10 ... Worked the final inning of UT's 10-9, come-from-behind victory over Siena March 14 and logged his first win of the season ... Closed out the Vols' 8-7 come-from-behind win over Hartford by tossing two perfect innings and picking up the win to move to 2-0 on the year ... Also made a pair of two-inning appearances during the home series against No. 26 Kentucky, earning a victory in Friday's contest by allowing one run on one hit with one walk and four strikeouts ... Pitched a perfect ninth inning against ETSU March 29 ... Suffered his first loss of the season April 2 at No. 10 Arkansas, during which he allowed three runs on four hits with a walk and five strikeouts in three innings of relief ... Tossed 2 2/3 hitless innings of relief at ETSU April 5, striking out five Bucs batters ... Took his second loss of the year April 9 against LSU after giving up five runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings ... Pitched a perfect ninth inning against UNC Asheville April 12 ... Had a brief relief appearance vs. Florida April 16 ... Logged his seventh save of the season by tossing a perfect ninth inning at Tennessee Tech April 18 ... Pitched the final three innings of UT's 11-inning triumph at Georgia April 21, allowing just one hit and recording four Ks while earning the win ... Also picked up a save during the series-finale at UGA April 23 ... Logged single-inning relief outings against UNC Asheville April 26 and at No. 22 Ole Miss April 30 ... Saw action in each game of the Saturday doubleheader against Vanderbilt May 6, picking up his ninth save of the year in game one and taking the loss in game two to fall to 4-3 on the year ... Recorded saves in each of Tennessee's wins at 15th-ranked South Carolina May 12-13, giving him 11 saves on the year and 18 for his career ... Tied former Vol R.A. Dickey's school record for pitching appearances when he took the mound for the 73rd time May 19 against No. 8 Alabama ... Finished the year with an opponents' batting average of .263 ... Left-handers hit .264 against him, while right-handers hit .261.

2005 - SOPHOMORE
Entered the 2005 season as Tennessee's Saturday starter but was eventually moved to the bullpen as an effective closer ... Posted a 7-3 record with a 2.85 ERA that ranked second on the team ... Struck out 82 batters and issued 47 walks in 79.0 innings while recording a team-leading seven saves ... Ranked in the top 10 in the SEC in hits allowed (fifth with 64), runs allowed (sixth with 31) and earned runs allowed (seventh with 25) ... As a starter early in the year, he notched wins against Bethune-Cookman (Feb. 19), James Madison (Feb. 25), Morehead State (March 5) and Radford (March 12) ... Made his first relief appearance March 25 when the Vols hosted Ole Miss in the second SEC series of the year ... Worked a perfect ninth inning against the Rebels to log his first save of the season ... Posted a Saturday save and a Sunday win during the Arkansas series April 16-17 ... Struck out two batters in 1.1 innings while picking up a save at Vanderbilt April 22 ... Struck out the side in the ninth inning of a 3-2 win over South Carolina May 6, earning his fourth save of the year ... Followed up his Friday save over the Gamecocks with a win Saturday, working two hitless innings of relief ... Picked up his fifth save May 17 vs. Lipscomb ... First postseason save May 27 in the SEC tournament, tossing a perfect ninth inning during a 4-1 victory over South Carolina ... Threw one inning of relief June 3 against Austin Peay in the opening game of the NCAA Knoxville Regional to log his seventh and final save of the season ... Came out of the pen to pitch two innings vs. Georgia Tech in the NCAA Atlanta Super Regional June 10, earning a win over the national No. 2-seed Yellow Jackets ... Worked a combined 3.2 innings while seeing action in both of Tennessee's College World Series games ... Ranked second in the SEC with an opponents' batting average of just .220.

2004 - FRESHMAN
Led the team with 14 starts as a true freshman, starting in all 10 Southeastern Conference series ... Posted a 4-5 mark with a 4.54 ERA in 15 appearances ... Ranked second on the team with 75.1 innings, striking out 51 as opponents hit .254 off him ... Tossed three scoreless innings with five strikeouts in his debut against Morehead State G2 Feb. 14 ... Was 4-1 in his first seven starts ... Allowed three or fewer earned runs in 11 starts ... Struck out a season-high six in 3.0 innings against Auburn March 27 ... Went 2-4 with a 5.33 ERA in SEC play ... Pitched a season-high 8.0 innings twice against Georgia State March 6 when he shut it out on five hits and Kentucky April 3 when he limited the Wildcats to one run on two hits ... Earned a win over Mississippi State March 20 in his first SEC start, allowing one earned run in 7.0 innings.

HIGH SCHOOL
Graduated from Florida Christian School in Miami, Fla. ... Drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 21st round in 2003 ... Rated as the No. 36 overall prospect and the No. 14 right-handed pitcher among incoming freshmen by Baseball America ... Fashioned a 12-0 mark as a senior with a 0.67 ERA, striking out 127 in 74 innings with just 20 walks ... As a first baseman and designated hitter, he batted .500 with nine home runs and 46 RBI ... Helped his team reach the state semifinals in 2003 ... Was a four-time All-City selection ... Led Florida Bombers to the 2003 WWBA Senior Championship in East Cobb, Ga. ... Named most valuable pitcher at the tournament ... At the 2001 WWBA Championship in Jupiter, Fla., he pitched a one-hit shutout ... In 2002, he appeared in the Underclassmen Showcase at Fort Myers, Fla., the National Showcase at St. Petersburg, Fla., and the East Coast Pro Showcase at Wilmington, N.C. ... He won two of the seven games the USA Youth National Team won at the World Championships in Veracruz, Mexico in 2002 ... Also played for the Florida Bombers national championship 18-and-under team for four years ... Coached by Ernie Padron ... Also attended Westminster Christian and Gulliver Prep.

PERSONAL
Full name is Sean Deer Watson ... He was born July 24, 1985, in Miami, Fla. ... Son of John and Eileen Watson ... Has two sisters, Jilayne and Ashley, and one brother, Mark ... When not on the diamond, he enjoys boating, fishing and snow skiing ... Academic major: Arts & sciences.

[reds44]

http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/tenn/galleries/04-baseball-siena-31304/DSC_4589-lg.jpg

[reds44]

http://www.dailynexus.com/story_images/2004-04-13/dhull13apr04-baseball.jpg

[WVRed]

Chris Valaika and Justin Reed were third and fourth round picks.

[Danny Serafini]

Joshua Ravin, a righty HS pitcher, is the 5th round pick.

[Danny Serafini]

Chris Valaika


Player AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT

Valaika, Chris, UCSB....... .335 54-54 227 44 76 12 1 10 57 120 .529 12 4 47 3 .372 4 1 4-4

http://ucsbgauchos.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/valaika_chris00.html

Player Profile
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
Valencia, Calif.
High School:
Hart HS

Height / Weight:
6-0 / 195
Position:
Infield
Birthdate:
08/14/1985

2006
Will be back in the lineup as the Gauchos' starting shortstop...Named to the 2006 Wallace Watch List by the College Baseball Foundation.

2005
After his Freshman All-American and Big West Freshman of the Year performance in 2004, Valaika missed the majority of his sophomore campaign due to injury...Played in 18 games before the setback...In only 72 at-bats, he managed to rack up five doubles and twelve runs scored...Went 3-for-6 with two runs scored, a double, one RBI and a walk at Pepperdine on February 5...Batted 3-for-4 with two doubles, three runs scored and a walk in a 6-1 victory over San Jose State on February 13.

2004
Valaika was named Big West Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-American after starting all 54 games in 2004...Hit .347, blasting seven homeruns and driving in 38...Was the team leader in total bases (119), doubles (15) and extra-base hits (25)...Hit .311 (23-for-74) with runners in scoring position...Had a team-high 24 multi-hit games...Also recorded eight multi-RBI games...He went 70-for-183, .383, over the final 44 games, collecting at least one hit in 38 of those...Was a perfect five-for-five with five runs scored, three RBI, two doubles, a homer and a walk February 28 against Fresno State...Also posted four hits and three RBI in an April 3 game against Sacramento State...Went 3-for-5 driving in four and scoring one against Cal State Fullerton on April 13...On April 30 he was 3-for-4 in a win over Long Beach State...Valaika hit in eight of nine games against Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State and UC Irvine, all Big West opponents that advanced to the NCAA Tournament...Against those three opponents he was 14-for-37 (.378) with eight RBI, nine runs scored, four doubles, two triples and two homeruns...Finished the season with two or more hits in four straight games and six of the last eight...Not only did Valaika have 24 multi-hit games, he had eight games with three or more hits...In addition to his stellar play offensively, he had just 12 errors in 287 chances in the field.

Team USA
Won a Gold medal while playing with Team USA Under-16 squad in the World Games in Veracruz, Mexico...Won a Silver medal with the U-18 team in the 2003 Pan-America Games in Curacao after hitting .385 with two homers and two doubles...Won a Gold medal with the USA National team in the Pan Am Games in Santo Domingo where he had eleven hits, two triples and a homerun.

High School
Played at Hart High School under coach Jim Ozella...Hit .411 as a sophomore and junior and .426 as a senior...Recorded 42 doubles in those three years and compiled 107 hits...Received All-Foothill League honors his sophomore, junior and senior seasons...Also received First Team All-State and First Team All-CIF honors as a junior and senior...Holds the school record for most career home runs with 18.

Personal
Born August 14, 1985 in Santa Monica, California...Aspires to play professional baseball...Roots for the Los Angeles Dodgers...Majoring in Anthropology at UCSB...Favorite athlete is former Gaucho shortstop, Michael Young...Favorite movies are Bull Durham and Cocktail...Most memorable sports moment was winning a gold medal in Taiwan...Favorite aspects of Santa Barbara are the beach and the weather...Best quote received about baseball and/or life is from James Dean who stated, "Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today"...Enjoys watching Family Guy, Nip Tuck and CSI...Three words that describe him are outgoing, loyal and dedicated...Son of Jeff and Ilona Valaika.

[OnBaseMachine]

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060606&content_id=1491219&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin

Drew Stubbs conference call.

[rdiersin]

Stats for College players so far.

Position Players

Rd Season Team Player AB AVG OBP SLG OPS ISOD ISOP
1 2006 Texas Drew Stubbs 220 0.345 0.447 0.591 1.037 0.101 0.245
3 2006 UC Santa Barbara Chris Valaika 214 0.341 0.375 0.547 0.922 0.034 0.206
7 2006 Cal State Fullerton Justin Turner 230 0.352 0.408 0.500 0.908 0.056 0.148

Pitchers

Rd School Player APP GS IP ERA K/9 K/BB HR/9
2 2006 Tennessee Sean Watson 29 0 41.0 4.61 10.32 2.76 1.54
2004 Tennessee Sean Watson 15 14 75.3 4.54 6.09 1.09 0.60
2005 Tennessee Sean Watson 29 6 79.0 2.85 9.34 1.74 0.46
8 2005 Washington State Travis Webb 23 3 37.7 9.08 6.69 0.97 0.48
2006 Washington State Travis Webb 21 0 29.0 2.17 9.62 3.10 0.31
9 2004 California Jeremy Burchett 4 0 3.7 12.27 9.82 0.57 2.45
2005 California Jeremy Burchett 7 0 6 9.00 6.00 0.57 1.50

[westofyou]

Goldstein from BP weighs in

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=5163

Reds Drew Stubbs, of, University of Texas

As the draft saying goes, it only takes one, and that one was Cincinnati, who were looking at some college arms, but went with Stubbs when the pitchers they liked were all gone. In Stubbs' defense, he's not the best position player right now, but he has the highest ceiling.

[OnBaseMachine]

Reds select Texas' Stubbs with first pick
Longhorns outfielder second position player taken in draft
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com

ST. LOUIS -- A third-round draft pick of the Astros in 2003, a bizarre set of circumstances delayed Drew Stubbs' professional baseball career from starting right out of high school.

Ultimately, the dream proved worth waiting for a little longer.

Stubbs became a star center fielder for the University of Texas and won a National Championship with the Longhorns last year. On Tuesday, the junior became a first-rounder in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft when the Reds selected him with the eighth overall pick.

"I'm very excited. It's a huge honor to be in the position I'm in right now," said Stubbs, who hit .342 with 12 home runs, 58 RBIs and 26 steals while starting all 62 of Texas' games.

Stubbs, 21, was the second position player taken overall. Scouting reports said that the 6-foot-4, 200-pounder was an athletic five-tool player with great speed and power that complemented his Gold Glove-caliber defensive ability.

A four-sport athlete in high school, Stubbs said he was also recruited to play college football but was most passionate about playing baseball.

"Baseball was always my first love and that's what I wanted to continue to do," he said.

Baseball America rated Stubbs as the best college athlete and best defensive player in this year's draft and the second fastest base runner and third-best power hitter.

A native of Atlanta, Texas, Stubbs had agreed to receive $900,000 from his home-state Astros in 2003. Considered an abnormally high bonus for a third-round pick, Major League Baseball pressured the club to lower the amount and the club's offer was eventually rescinded.

So, Stubbs went to college instead.

"I was excited to go to school, but at the same time disappointed I didn't get to start my pro career," Stubbs said. "Deep down all along, I wanted to go to school. I really wanted the chance to get the college experience. If the money was right for me and family, what I was asking for was there on the table, and I would have had to take it and start pro ball. When it all fell through and I realized I was going to college, I was happy about it deep down. I realized it was probably the best thing."

It should prove to be a lucrative move. Cincinnati's first-round pick in 2005, outfielder Jay Bruce, received a $1.8 million bonus out of high school as the 12th overall selection.

Stubbs watched the draft on a computer at his apartment with three teammates and some family and friends. When his name was announced, it was a little anti-climatic because his advisor phoned him with the news a half-hour earlier.

Speculation had the Reds taking Stubbs if he was available and the two sides had already opened negotiations before Tuesday.

"I think I've been in their target for a couple of months now," Stubbs said. "I was looking to go as high as possible, and eighth with Cincinnati is definitely a very good spot for me. I was excited before the draft started when I found out it was going to happen."

Stubbs expected to sign quickly.

"The way we've been talking recently, we pretty much came to an agreement that I wouldn't be difficult to sign if I was drafted," he said. "I'm not sure how quick the actual signing will take place. When it comes to negotiations, I think all that's pretty much ironed out and I won't be a problem to sign at all."

Over his three-year collegiate career, Stubbs batted .317 and was a two-time member of the USA Baseball national team. Patience at the plate is one area that will need developing as a professional -- he had 60 strikeouts, compared to 41 walks in 2006, and 205 strikeouts over a 204-game college career.

"I don't consider myself a guy that's one of those big power hitters that's either going to hit a home run or strike out," Stubbs said. "I think I'm more of a balanced hitter that can hit for average. My development over the next few years will cure a lot of those problems and I'm looking forward to improving in every aspect of the game."

Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060606&content_id=1491219&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin

[Gallen5862]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/news/261628.html
Worth A Look
6:25 p.m.: There obviously aren't any sure things in the 15th round, but the Reds picked up a prospect with a lot of potential. Rafael Sanchez, a third baseman from Queensborough CC, has plus raw power and a strong arm, but he is very raw and might not have enough agility for third base. He has good upside, though, for a 15th-rounder.
-- Aaron Fitt
Sophomores Slide
7:06 p.m.: A disappointing end to Nebraska's season continued today, as both of the Huskers sophomore-eligible draft candidates fell hard. Southpaw Tony Watson spent time this season being considered as a potential top-three rounder, but instead, he slid to pick 505 in the 17th round. His teammate, shortstop Ryan Wehrle, went 29 picks later, picked by the Reds. Given each player's draft day fall, there's a pretty good chance they could return to Lincoln this fall.
-- Bryan Smith

[reds44]

Wow that is good to hear. Sanchez sounds similar to EE besides the agility part.

[reds44]

http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/23/231214.jpg
Justin Reed, hopefully we can sign him because I love speedy outfielders.

[Gallen5862]

Here is more good info.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/features/261643.html
Q: mike jo from memphis asks:
reds fan big day im pumped who the reds gonna get will kershaw or morrow fall that far nope an outfielder i know baseball america got this one but as bad as reds need pitching but i cant disagree to much with wayne krivsky so my question what do you think at first glance of reds picks and quick rating against other teams(upper,middle of pack,bottom)did they sign milton loo thank s for youre time go baseball

A: John Manuel: Mike, I'll clean up your question at a later date. First, the Reds did sign Loo for around $220k. Loo hit three homers at the NJCAA World Series and was cleared medically on his elbow injury, so the Reds signed him. I'm a fan as I believe I have conveyed. Drew Stubbs is an exciting, exciting player, and one hard to pass up. Sean Watson could move quickly, as could Chris Valaika, a nice find in the third round. They got nice power arms later, with Josh Ravin, Jordan Smith, Travis Webb and Josh Roenicke. Those last three are probably relievers, but they have power arms.

[edabbs44]

http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/23/231214.jpg
Justin Reed, hopefully we can sign him because I love speedy outfielders.
He's rated a 60 on the 20-80 scale for speed. The guy who went first in the 4th round was an 80.

[NC Reds]

12th round pick Kevin Gunter

http://odusports.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/gunter_kevin00.html

2006: CAA Pitcher of the Week three times...Beat nationally ranked Virginia, 5-1...Shutout VCU and George Mason...Fanned 11 against Mason and ten vs. Towson...

2005: Pitched 8.2 innings allowing only one unearned run vs. Clemson...Fanned a season high seven vs. Clemson...Valley League All-Star pitcher.

JUNIOR COLLEGE: Played for Robert Valli at Gloucester County Community College... Compiled an 8-2 record with a 3.53 earned run average, four complete games and one shutout in 2004...He fanned 60 batters in 58.2 innings...


HIGH SCHOOL: Compiled a 0.76 earned run average for Charles Arena at Buena Regional High School...Earned All-State and All-South Jersey honors...Earned All-Conference honors in basketball and also lettered in football...

PERSONAL: Birthdate: November 5, 1983...Parents are Clarence and LaVerne Gunter...Has one sister, Monique...Major: Communications...Nickname:K-gun... Favorite Movie: "For the Love of the Game"...Person in history would most like to meet: Hank Aaron...Uncle Teddy Ford played for Texas and Cleveland from 1970- 73...


YR G/GS CG W-L IP H R ER BB SO ERA
05 10/9 0 2-5 62.1 79 41 37 17 39 5.34
06 15/15 3 6-5 104.0 99 55 40 30 101 3.46
TL 25/24 3 8-10 166.1 178 96 77 47 140 4.17

[NC Reds]

11th round pick Logan Parker 1B

http://ucbearcats.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/parker_logan00.html

He showed marked improvement in 2006.

CINCINNATI, Ohio---University of Cincinnati senior first baseman Logan Parker has added his name to a lengthy list of Bearcat draftees as the Cincinnati Reds used a 12th round selection to grab the Odessa, Texas native during the opening day of the Major League Baseball First-Year Draft on Tuesday.

Parker becomes the 11th player under current head coach Brian Cleary to get a call on draft day and the 34th Bearcat since 1965 to be drafted. The Reds selected Parker with the 354th overall pick. The selection of Parker marks the second straight year at least one Cincinnati player has been drafted, following in the footsteps of Mark Haske (23rd round, Detroit Tigers) and Josh Kay (31st round, Oakland A's) last season. Parker is also the highest drafted Bearcat since current Boston Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis was taken in the eighth round of the 2001 draft.

Parker enjoyed an incredible senior season for UC, capping it off with a third team All-BIG EAST selection. He finished the year hitting .344 and ranked among the conference leaders with 11 home runs, 69 RBI, 61 runs scored, 18 doubles and seven triples. Parker helped the Bearcats to a 32-26 overall record and a spot in the BIG EAST tournament, marking UC's first post-season appearance since 2001.

[NC Reds]

Carson Kainer, OF Univ of Texas

.364 AVE in 2006 with 25 doubles and 66 RBI's.

http://www.texassports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=18&change_well_id=17&member_id=27

Carson Kainer #32
Height: 6-1
Weight: 210
Class: Jr.-2L
Hometown: Tomball, TX (Tomball)
Texas’ regular starting left fielder for most of the past two seasons ... a physical batter with the ability to hit for both average and power ... a solid all-around athlete who is a consistent clutch performer ... will again be expected to hold down the starting left field job in 2006.

SOPHOMORE (2005)
· Honorable-Mention All-Big 12
· Second-Team Academic All-Big 12
· Fall 2004 & Spring 2005 Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll

2005 Season
· Appeared in 63 games while making 54 starts in left field and six at DH.
· Finished fifth on the team in batting (.312) after hitting .370 in Big 12 play, which placed him second on the team and among the top 10 in the league.
· Held a .391 on-base mark, swiped five bases and tallied nine doubles.
· Seventeen of his 31 RBI came with two outs as he batted .352 with runners in scoring position while also hitting .315 with runners on base.
· Owned 17 multi-hit and nine multi-RBI efforts while recording a career-long, eight-game hitting streak and a pair of game-winning RBI.
· Batted .370 during conference action while scoring 13 runs and driving in seven more during his 23 appearances and 22 starts.
· Connected on all three of his home runs during postseason action while also accounting for 12 runs scored and nine RBI over 17 postseason tilts.

2005 Highlights
· Hit safely in all three games at San Diego State (2/4-6), as he finished the series with a .400 (4-for-10) average, four RBI and a pair of runs scored.
· Set a career-best for RBI with three opposite UTPA (2/9).
· Went a combined 3-for-8 (.375) with one run scored and three RBI during each of the final two games of UT’s series with UNLV (2/12-13).
· Recorded multi-hit efforts in both games versus No. 19 Texas Tech (3/24-25) as he finished with a .571 average during the series while combining for three runs scored as well as three RBI.
· Registered a pair of hits in each of Texas’ three games versus No. 14 Missouri (4/29-5/1) as he batted .500 (6-for-12) during the series against the Tigers while also tallying two runs scored and one double.
· Posted two multi-hit outings as well as four runs scored, two doubles and his first career triple during a three-game set with Texas A&M (5/20-22).
· Blasted his first home run of the season versus No. 13 Baylor (5/28) during the Big 12 Tournament — where he batted .412 with three RBI, two runs scored and one stolen base over four tourney contests.
· Started all five of UT’s College World Series (CWS) games and scored three runs to help the Horns capture their sixth National Championship.
· Batted .232 with nine runs scored and four RBI for head coach Cooper Farris’ Wareham Gateman of the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2005.

FRESHMAN (2004)
· Freshman All-American - Collegiate Baseball
· First-Team All-Big 12
· Fall 2003 Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll

2004 Season
· Texas’ second-leading overall hitter with a .335 average after starting 47 of 54 games, 42 in left field and five in right field. Also posted a team-best .354 average during Big 12 play that ranked eighth among league hitters.
· Ranked third and fifth on the squad with a .411 on-base percentage and a .443 slugging mark, respectively.
· Scored 31 runs, collected 24 RBI, doubled nine times, swiped three bases and blasted a trio of home runs. Also placed second on the club with eight game-winning RBI to his credit.
· Fourteen of his 15 multi-hit games came over his last 43 games. He also registered six multi-RBI efforts and seven three-hit games.
· Led the Horns with a .354 average, 18 runs scored, 29 hits, six doubles and 41 total bases for a .500 slugging percentage during conference play as he played in 24 league games and started 23 of those contests. Also connected on two home runs, logged a .411 on-base mark, drove in 10 runs and swiped three bases during Big 12 action.

2004 Highlights
· Earned his first career start (left field) and hit at No. 3 Stanford (2/22).
· Appeared in the first and third tilts of UT’s series at No. 23 Oklahoma (3/19&21) and went a combined 5-for-7 as he tallied a pair of multi-hit performances, scored three runs, tallied two RBI and collected one double to go along with his first career home run and stolen base.
· Belted his second career home run opposite Texas State (4/20) in a game where he posted three hits, a career-best three runs scored and two RBI.
· Went 3-for-5 with two RBI against No. 16 Nebraska (4/23).
· Batted .600 (6-for-10) during UT’s three-game series with Kansas (5/7-9) after tallying two three-hit efforts while connecting on a home run, collecting four RBI, plating a pair of scores and recording two doubles.
· Tallied a career-best four hits to go along with two runs scored and two RBI during a Big 12 Tournament game versus No. 10 Texas A&M (5/27).
· Doubled in the eventual game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning opposite No. 5 Georgia (6/23) to help lift UT to a 7-6 comeback win during the semifinals of the College World Series.
· Started 27 games in the outfield for head coach Cooper Farris’ Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod League during the summer of 2004.
· Drove in 10 runs while scoring nine times and posting four doubles, one triple and one home run out of his 17 hits for the Gatemen. Also stole four bases in four attempts and handled all 27 of his outfield chances.

HIGH SCHOOL
· Earned three letters as an outfielder at Tomball High School (2001-03) and captained head coach Rick Lynch’s Cougars as both a junior and senior.
· Garnered All-District 15-5A honors during each of his final three seasons (second-team accolades as a sophomore and first-team recognition as a junior and senior) and was named first-team All-State in 2002 and 2003.
· Batted .316 with 25 runs scored, 16 RBI, four doubles and four home runs in 2001.
· Helped the Cougars notch a 21-9 overall record by hitting at a .416 clip in 2002 while amassing 24 runs scored, 23 RBI and 32 hits, including seven doubles and three round-trippers.
· Combined with a teammate to hit back-to-back triples and rally the Cougars for a come-from-behind playoff victory as a junior in the Astrodome — marking Tomball High School’s first-ever playoff win.
· Blasted seven home runs as well as seven doubles among his 33 hits as a senior en route to scoring 28 runs, tallying 32 RBI and batting a career-best .478 overall. Also earned District 16-5A MVP honors and first-team All-Greater Houston accolades in his final high school season as Tomball High School went 22-8 on the year.
· Graduated 95th out of a class of 575 with a 93.7 GPA.
· Active in the Young Life Program and was a Freshman Young Life Leader.
· Patrolled the outfield for head coach Clay Hill’s Columbia Angels (Houston, Texas) during the summer of 2003. Also played for Team Texas over the summer and helped the squad win the 27th Sunbelt Classic.

PERSONAL
Born Carson Brown Kainer on Oct. 27, 1984, in Corpus Christi, Texas … parents are Ron and Kristi Kainer … has two older brothers, Matt and Adam … his father, Ron, and one uncle, Dennis, both attended and played baseball at Sam Houston State from 1980-84 and 1971-75, respectively, while his other uncle, Don, lettered in baseball at UT from 1975-77, earned All-Southwest Conference honors in 1977 after going 15-2 with a 1.94 ERA, and played in the Major Leagues with the Texas Rangers in 1980 … notably, his father picked up the win for the Bearkats in the Longhorns’ first loss at Disch-Falk Field on Feb. 22, 1975, during the first game of a doubleheader, while his uncle, Don, pitched the second game of that twinbill as a freshman for the Horns … member of the UT Student-Athlete Advisory Committee ... a corporate communication major.

[NC Reds]

Jeremy Burchett, RHP, Cal Bears

http://calbears.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/burchett_jeremy00.html

Looks like he used to play in the field a lot and only later focused on pitching.

Five saves with 3.19 ERA. K/9 and K/BB ratios not strong.

http://calbears.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/cal-m-basebl-CumulativeStats.html

[NC Reds]

Here is a link for Washington State reliever Travis Webb.

http://wsucougars.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/webb_travis00.html

PULLMAN, Wash - Washington State junior pitcher Travis Webb, selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the eighth round, was the first of three Cougars picked during the opening day of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, Tuesday. In addition, senior outfielder Jay Miller was taken in the 17th round by the Philadelphia Phillies while the Texas Rangers selected junior pitcher Mike Wagner in the18th round.


Webb, a left-handed pitcher from Spokane, Wash., was the 234th player taken in the draft after posting a 4-0 record with eight saves and a 2.17 ERA this past season. His saves total was tied for second on WSU's single-season list and third in the Pacific-10 Conference. Opponents hit just .215 against him this season as he picked up conference saves against Stanford, UCLA, USC and Washington.

[NewEraReds]

"Most people don't know who a whole lot of these players are," Buckley said. "They don't know who we picked in the seventh, eighth round. They're not seeing these players on television. We've spent a lot of time. We had regional meetings, and our scouts did a very good job tracking them down."


sounds like they have been reading redzone.

[NC Reds]

Here is some information on 18th rounder, Ryan Wehrle, SS Nebraska:

Wehrle rounded out Nebraska’s first-day picks, as he was selected in the 18th round by the Cincinnati Reds (No. 534 overall). A third-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, Wehrle hit .367 with eight homers and 48 RBIs, leading the Huskers in batting average, hits (83), runs (50), doubles (22) and on-base percentage (.447). A first-team All-Big 12 pick, Wehrle ranked among the Big 12 leaders in doubles (second), batting average (sixth), on-base percentage (sixth), hits (eighth), total bases (ninth, 131) and slugging percentage (10th, .580).

Here is a link to his bio.

http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=104&SPID=33&DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=107784&Q_SEASON=2005

[OnBaseMachine]

Reds take '5-tool' star in draft
Texas outfielder Stubbs a finalist for college baseball's top award.
By Mark Gokavi

Staff Writer

Scouts refer to Drew Stubbs as sort of a baseball Superman.

The University of Texas center fielder can do it all, but has a weakness — the K, and not as in Kryptonite.

The Cincinnati Reds made Stubbs, 21, the No. 8 pick in the first round in Major League Baseball's first-year player draft Tuesday.

In passing on a pitcher, the Reds fall into the camp of those enamored with Stubbs' athleticism and "five-tool" skills.

"I think I've been their target for a number of months now," Stubbs said on a conference call. "I can't really speak for the organization of what their needs are."

Baseball America lists Stubbs as the college game's best athlete and in the top three in power, base running, arm strength and defense.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound speedy right-hander hit .320 with 31 home runs, 148 RBIs and 84 stolen bases in three seasons at Texas, the 2005 national champion. Stubbs is Texas' career leader in strikeouts (206 in 205 games).

"They'll decrease with time," he said. "I don't consider myself a guy that's one of those big power hitters that's either going to hit a home run or strike out. I think I'm more of a balanced hitter that can hit for average and do things like that."

A finalist for college baseball's Golden Spikes Award, Stubbs was a standout in baseball, football, track and basketball at Atlanta (Texas) High School.

The class salutatorian, Stubbs was in the National Honor Society, Calculus Club, Spanish Club and the Young Republicans.

Originally selected by Houston in the third round of the 2003 draft, Stubbs couldn't agree on a contract with the Astros.

Stubbs said a deal is basically already worked out with a club that likes Texan outfielders.

"I really like the things that Cincinnati has been doing with their organization," he said. "I'm excited to be a Red."

http://www.daytondailynews.com/sports/content/sports/reds/daily/0607redspick.html

[Unassisted]

http://dsa.csupomona.edu/athletics/default.asp?nfid=1798



Esquer Taken By Reds In MLB Draft


6/7/2006

POMONA ¾ Cal Poly Pomona’s Anthony Esquer (Sr., Chino Hills, Whittier Christian HS) got the news he was hoping for Wednesday during the second day of the Major League Baseball draft.

Esquer was selected in the 24th round with the 714th overall pick by the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday and he got the news in unusual fashion. He was driving a truck for a construction company when he got the word.

“I didn’t have a final today so I went to work. I was driving a big truck and I got a call from a buddy and he was screaming, ‘the Reds,’” Esquer said. “He called me right when it happened and then I got calls from my mom, my dad, my grandparents, Coach Ashman. This is a dream come true. You always want to have a chance to play professional baseball.”

Esquer had a sensational senior year to complete his Cal Poly Pomona career. He earned first-team All-West Region and All-California Collegiate Athletic Association honors. He hit .371, which was the highest average among all West Region catchers. He also shared the team lead in home runs with seven and led the Broncos with 42 runs batted in. Esquer also scored 34 runs and had a team-high 66 hits.

“He has a chance because he can catch and throw and he’s become a very good hitter,” Cal Poly Pomona Head Coach Mike Ashman said. “It wouldn’t surprise me to see him playing for a long time in professional baseball.”

Esquer showed great improvement throughout his Cal Poly Pomona career. He hit .211 as a freshman while appearing in 22 games. As a sophomore, he appeared in 34 games, all starts, and hit .290 with one home run and 15 RBI. As a junior, he appeared in 48 games and started 45 times and hit .340 with two home runs and 25 RBI.

He had career highs in every statistical category as a senior.

[Unassisted]

http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/stories/060706abc.html


Gressick, Witt Taken in MLB Draft

Gressick taken by Reds, Witt goes to Tigers

June 7, 2006

NEW YORK CITY - Ohio baseball senior pitchers Anthony Gressick and Derek Witt have been selected in the 2006 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Gressick was taken in the 26th Round by the Cincinnati Reds while Witt was selected in the 28th Round by the Detroit Tigers.

Gressick, a native of Lancaster, Ohio, was drafted as a pitcher by the Reds as the 774th overall selection in the 2006 Draft. A right-handed hurler, Gressick was a standout at the plate as well as on the hill for the Bobcats during his recently-completed four year career. As a pitcher, Gressick recorded a career 4.09 ERA in 21 starts and 37 appearances with a 10-6 record. He led the Mid-American Conference with a 2.76 ERA as a junior in 2005 when he limited opponents to a .268 batting average and recorded two complete games. As a senior this past season Gressick finished 4-1 with a 4.47 ERA and recorded 49 strikeouts in 54 1-3 innings pitched.

A 2006 All-MAC selection as a designated hitter, Gressick finished his career at the plate ranked third on Ohio's all-time list with 36 home runs, fourth with 384 total bases, fifth with 44 doubles, sixth with 228 hits and sixth with 157 RBIs. After leading Ohio in eight-different offensive categories in 2006, he became the first Bobcat since 1979 to earn three-straight All-MAC First Team selections.

Witt, a pitcher from Powell, Ohio, was taken as the 832nd overall pick in 2006 Draft. The right-hander was the workhorse of the Ohio staff in each of the past two seasons when he led the Bobcats in innings pitched with 92 and 91 2-3, respectively, during his junior and senior campaigns. He went 12-8 as the team's lead starter in the weekend rotation the past two years and compiled a 3.98 ERA in 26 starts and 46 appearances during his four-year career. Exhibiting exceptional control, Witt finished his career with 182 strikeouts against just 63 walks.

[OnBaseMachine]

Reed lives out childhood dreams

Ole Miss junior third baseman Chris Coghlan is first Mississippian selected in draft

By Rod Walker
rwalker@clarionledger.com

Justin Reed needed just one word to describe his emotions after being selected in the fourth round of Tuesday's Major League Baseball amateur draft by the Cincinnati Reds.

"Breathtaking," said the 18-year-old center fielder who played his senior season at Hillcrest Christian after transferring from Callaway. "It's something that doesn't come along every day. Growing up, everybody always tells you to dream big and big things will happen. I had been dreaming this all my life, and now it's real."

Reed, the 114th overall pick, was one of a dozen Mississippians and the state's lone high school player taken on the first day (18 rounds) of the two-day draft. Ole Miss junior third baseman Chris Coghlan was the first Mississippian chosen, going in the supplemental round (the 36th pick overall) to the Florida Marlins.

Coghlan became the highest Ole Miss player picked since MLB began publicizing the order of draft selections in 1997. The highest pick previously was Michael Rosamond, a Madison Central product who was taken by the Houston Astros with the 42nd pick in 1999 and now plays first base for the Double-A Mississippi Braves.

Early indications suggest that Reed, an Ole Miss signee, and Coghlan, who has a year of eligibility remaining with the Rebels, won't suit up as teammates next season in Oxford. Not with possible six-figure salaries awaiting.

The players drafted 36th and 114th in last year's draft (Travis Buck and Justin Maxwell) received signing bonuses of $950,000 and $386, 000, respectively.

Reed seemed to have his mind already made up Tuesday, shortly after receiving the phone call from the Reds.

"I definitely plan on signing with them (the Reds)," said Reed, who planned to call Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco Tuesday night to inform him of his decision. "I never really followed the Reds, but I've always been a Ken Griffey Jr. fan. It's a good organization."

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060607/SPORTS02/606070365/1063/sports02

[OnBaseMachine]

Reds finish draft with balanced group
Cincinnati goes to high school ranks more on second day
By William S. Hupp / MLB.com

CINCINNATI -- While the Cincinnati Reds heavily favored collegiate players on the first day of the First-Year Player Draft, more balance was achieved on the second day.

Fifteen of the 32 players taken on Wednesday in rounds 18-50 were from the high school ranks, including nine in a row at one point.

Cincinnati took 12 right-handed pitchers, two lefties, eight outfielders, six catchers, and four infielders.

All told, of the 50 players selected by the Reds in the draft, 32 were collegiate players -- 24 from four-year schools, and eight from the junior college ranks. A total of 18 high school players were picked during the two-day draft.

Of those players, the picks were split evenly between pitchers (25) and position players (25). The Reds took 19 right-handed hurlers, and four lefties. They selected 12 outfielders, nine infielders and six catchers.

The Reds picked up some Ohio flavor by drafting two local players: University of Cincinnati's Logan Parker (12th round), and Ohio University's Anthony Gressick (26th). Parker is a 6-foot-4, 220-pound first baseman from Odessa, Tex., and Gressick is a 6-3, 200-pound right-hander from Lancaster, Ohio.

This is the first draft for the Reds' new front office, led by owner Robert Castellini and general manager Wayne Krivsky. The front office entrusted senior director of scouting Chris Buckley to coordinate and oversee the draft process.

The Reds selected University of Texas center fielder Drew Stubbs with their first-round pick (eighth overall) on Tuesday. Buckley and Krivsky were both optimistic about the former Longhorn signing soon, but as of Tuesday, Krivsky had little to say about current contract negotiations.

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060607&content_id=1494140&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin

[Gallen5862]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/news/261665.html

Lutz Doesn't Last Long
12:30 p.m.: Before the 19th round began this morning, BA's Alan Matthews wrote about Derrik Lutz, one of the top players left on our draft board. It didn't take long for Lutz to get snatched up, taken as the eighth pick of the day by the Cincinnati Reds. If healthy, Lutz profiles well as a reliever, the role he starred in at the Cape Cod League. Another Cape star off the board in the 19th was Loyola Marymount OF Chris Pettit. After not performing well in 2006, Pettit received very little attention, but the Angels liked the way Pettit handled a wood bat last summer, hitting 14 extra-base hits while swiping 15 bags.
-- Bryan Smith
Still On The Board
12 p.m.: While 556 players were drafted Tuesday, there were a handful of noteworthy names with first-day talent that did no hear their names called. Most of them were high school players who had signability concerns, such as Jason Jarvis, a righthander from Chaparral High in Scottsdale, Ariz., who has signed at San Diego. George Washington righty Derrick Lutz was coming off a mediocre junior campaign, but nonetheless was expected to be taken on the first day, based on his outstanding summer in 2005. Lutz was a Baseball America summer All-American thanks to his performance in the Cape Cod League. He did not allow an earned run in 25 innings, notching 12 saves, 39 punchouts and three walks with Chatham. Elbow tendinitits held him back this spring, and his velocity and stuff had not been as consistently sound as they were last summer, which figures to be a factor in him not being taken Tuesday.
-- Alan Matthews

[dougdirt]

Reds finish draft with balanced group
Cincinnati goes to high school ranks more on second day
By William S. Hupp / MLB.com

Of those players, the picks were split evenly between pitchers (25) and position players (25). The Reds took 19 right-handed hurlers, and four lefties. They selected 12 outfielders, nine infielders and six catchers.

William needs some math help. 19+4=23 pitchers. 12+9+6=27 position players.

[NewEraReds]

i hope we rehabilitate lutz and put him in the closers role in the minors. he could be a big time steal

[OnBaseMachine]

TALKS ON TRACK - No one expects the Reds' negotiations with top draft pick Drew Stubbs to drag on for too long.

"I think we'll be able to get him out there really quickly," Stubbs' adviser, Ryan Ware, said Wednesday. "That's not going to be a problem at all."

At the same time, there isn't a rush to get him on the field immediately, because he doesn't have anywhere to play right now. Stubbs likely will be assigned to Rookie-level Billings, and the Mustangs don't begin their season until June 20.

Ware said he expects Stubbs to be in the fold by then, adding that Reds fans will like what they see from his client both on and off the field.

"The Reds got a good one," said Ware. "Obviously, of course, any adviser or agent would say that - but I mean it."

The Reds wrapped up the draft Wednesday with rounds 19-50. Overall, Cincinnati took 23 players from four-year colleges, nine junior college players and 18 high school players.

The high school total took off in the later rounds, where players that actually work their way to the majors are few and far between. Among the first 32 players the Reds selected, only four were high schoolers - outfielder Justin Reed of Jackson, Miss., (fourth round), right-hander Josh Ravin of Chatsworth, Calif., (fifth), right-hander Brandon Rice of Griffin, Ga., (11th) and outfielder Tony Brown of Crestview, Fla. (23rd).

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060608/SPT05/606080329/1035

[edabbs44]

Billings? That's a disappointment. I was hoping Sarasota.

[edabbs44]

"Most people don't know who a whole lot of these players are," Buckley said. "They don't know who we picked in the seventh, eighth round. They're not seeing these players on television. We've spent a lot of time. We had regional meetings, and our scouts did a very good job tracking them down."


sounds like they have been reading redzone.
Or maybe they are paranoid...:devil:

[NewEraReds]

i got to agree. i know he needs work batting with a wood bat, but ROOKIE for a 21 yo, 3 year college player. i dont quite get that. thats where you put your 18 yo kids. he should start in dayton, and mov bj over to left. and give me an of of Szymanski, Stubbs, Bruce to watch for a little while :)

[dougdirt]

Said it before and I will say it again, there is no logical reason that Stubbs should be in Billings for anymore than a week. If he is, I will be very disappointed.

[Az. Reds Fan]

Has anyone, outside of reporters, said anything about where Stubbs will be assigned? Until Krivsky says something about it, it's all speculation, there's no point in getting all fired up.

With that being said, I agree with NewEraReds, seeing an outfield of Syzmanski, Stubbs and Bruce would be nice.

[dougdirt]

I dont think anyone has said anything, but reporters do have access to the people in place who make those decisions and I would be willing to bet they have asked them.

[traderumor]

Although Stubbs is advanced on the field, I think it is rare for a guy to skip Rookie League. I think the primary premise is for the adjustment from amateur ball to being a professional player. It's like being a trainee, even managers have to go through a period of adjustment. I would make more of where he starts next year.

[Kc61]

Will signing information be on this thread or on a separate thread? Always interested in reading as these guys sign up, get assigned, etc.

[Az. Reds Fan]

I dont think anyone has said anything, but reporters do have access to the people in place who make those decisions and I would be willing to bet they have asked them.


I agree, but you would think that if they had talked to a Reds official we'd see a direct quote from that person, but whatever, it's not that important.

Also, Id expect we'd see some movement throughout the minor league system pretty soon. Some guys moving up, others released, to allow some draftees and extended ST guys to fit in.

[dougdirt]

I agree, but you would think that if they had talked to a Reds official we'd see a direct quote from that person, but whatever, it's not that important.

Also, Id expect we'd see some movement throughout the minor league system pretty soon. Some guys moving up, others released, to allow some draftees and extended ST guys to fit in.

I doubt it much, as the only guys who will probably make it out of the GCL or Pioneer League would be the top 3 picks. The rest of those guys probably will be playing for the GCL Reds or the Billings Mustangs.

[Az. Reds Fan]

Will signing information be on this thread or on a separate thread? Always interested in reading as these guys sign up, get assigned, etc.

I was thinkng the same thing, Kc...perhaps another sticky thread is in order to keep track, as all these other draft threads are getting long and diluted.

[NewEraReds]

Although Stubbs is advanced on the field, I think it is rare for a guy to skip Rookie League. I think the primary premise is for the adjustment from amateur ball to being a professional player. It's like being a trainee, even managers have to go through a period of adjustment. I would make more of where he starts next year.
for hs kids, yes, not college ones

[Topcat]

MY personal thoughts are who gives a damn where the kid starts. If h is a bust and we snag 6 guys who see ML time debating the fact he was our first choice is inconsequential. Let the kid play and realize he was rated high by just about "every" orginization.

[savafan]

Adam Pointer, 22nd round pick, signs

http://www.thevictoriaadvocate.com/sports/sports/story/3538731p-4088354c.html

June 9, 2006
MIKE FORMAN - Advocate Sports Writer
Adam Pointer's first pitching appearance at Alvin Community College wasn't his last.

Pointer hadn't pitched since his senior year of high school at Bay City, but he took the mound because the team needed pitchers for a fall game.

"I started throwing and when I was through, the scouts there told them how hard I was throwing," Pointer said. "When they found out, I became their closing pitcher."

Pointer's 90-plus mph fastball helped him compile a 3-1 record and a 2.00 ERA while saving eight games for Alvin this season. It also caught the attention of the Cincinnati Reds, who drafted him in the 22nd round on Wednesday.

Pointer signed with the Reds on Thursday and will report to their Gulf Coast League rookie team in Sarasota, Fla., on Saturday.

"I did a lot of long tossing from the outfield and my arm got strong," said Pointer, who had offers to attend Houston Baptist and Prairie View A&M. "I'm physically ready, my arm is live, and I feel like I'm at that point."

Pointer was primarily an outfielder at Bay City and after a redshirt season, began his career at Alvin in the outfield. He also played in the outfield this season, hitting .302 with two home runs and 21 RBIs.

But Manny Rodriguez, the area scout for the Reds, who coached Pointer during his freshman and sophomore years at Bay City, has no doubt Pointer's future is on the mound.

"He was throwing 91-92 early this season and when I saw him again he was up to 93-94 and topped out at 95," Rodriguez said. "He has the ability to come in and challenge people. All of a sudden he just turned it loose."

[New Fever]

Sean Watson might not be that bad of a pick he was projected to go to the Dodgers at 31 in BA final draft projection.

[JaxRed]

3rd Round Pick expects to sign

http://www.the-signal.com/News/ViewStory.asp?storyID=9776

[JaxRed]

2nd round pick Watson sounds like a guy who is signing.

""It feels like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders," Watson said. "I'm really excited to get going and get out there and play again. The Cincinnati Reds have a great organization. And even though I'm excited, I feel bad to be leaving UT. I had three great years as a Vol, and I'll always consider Knoxville a second home."

[JaxRed]

Lutz going to play Cape Cod league to prove he his healthy.

http://www.pennlive.com/hssports/baseball/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/sports/1149733534315900.xml&coll=1

Fell because of health concerns, will obviously play Reds against school.

[Doc. Scott]

I've got a Draft Roundup for '06 on the blog. The link below is the permanent one. I've used a ton of stuff from these threads, so I want to make sure credit is given where it's due.

http://reds.mostvaluablenetwork.com/regular-posts/2006-draft-roundup/

[Gallen5862]

http://minorleaguebaseball.com/app/g...d18/c95138.jsp
'The Raptor' ready to join Reds
06/18/2006 8:58 PM ET
By Kevin T. Czerwinski / MLB.com

OMAHA -- Danny Dorn's teammates call him "The Raptor," jokingly describing the way the Cal State-Fullerton outfielder runs. While he may look a bit awkward as he moves, there is nothing unwieldy about the results he produces.
Dorn, whom the Reds selected in the 32nd round of last week's First-Year Player Draft, was one of nine Titans drafted earlier this month. While he was the last to go, it certainly isn't a reflection of what he's been able to accomplish on the field or what he means to the team that staved off elimination Sunday with a 7-5 victory over Georgia Tech at the College World Series.

Cal State-Fullerton advanced to Tuesday's second-round game against the loser of Sunday's Clemson-North Carolina match-up. Though his teammates kid him, it's obvious how integral his role has been in the Titans' success. He's battled back from a shoulder injury that could have cost him the year, and though he hasn't gotten the recognition that some of the other cleanup hitters who have reached Omaha have, it's certainly not from lack of talent.

Dorn, who will report to Cincinnati's Pioneer League affiliate in Billings, Mont., later this month, spent a month out of action earlier this season, sitting from mid-March to mid-April while he rehabbed a dislocated shoulder suffered while sliding into second base. Though he was hitting .317 at the time of the injury, he didn't have any homers and had only nine RBIs.

Since his return, he's hit four homers and driven in 33 runs in 27 games. He was also in the middle of two Titan rallies on Sunday, including the one that produced the decisive runs in the top of the ninth inning. So while he won't get the recognition of someone like Clemson's Tyler Colvin (first round, Cubs), he has no complaints.

"I don't care about the publicity," said Dorn, who is 3-for-8 with four walks and an RBI through two CWS games. "There are so many great players here. If guys are on base, I'm just trying to drive in runs and play the outfield the best I can. All the pub and the press doesn't matter much when you're out there playing."

Dorn's sixth-inning single started the game-tying rally in the sixth on Sunday. He came around to score on a triple by Brandon Tripp (12th round, Baltimore). Clark Hardman brought Tripp home to tie the game at 4-4.

The Yellow Jackets took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the seventh on Matt Wieters' homer, a shot that a fan grabbed just before it would have settled in Dorn's glove atop the left field wall. Dorn said he never saw the fan.

"I'm not sure if it was fan interference," said Dorn, whose teammate, second baseman Justin Turner, was drafted in the seventh round by the Reds. "Some people say the ball was in my glove. But I hit the wall and I didn't feel anything. It happened so quickly, I didn't think anything of it. The fans were heckling me, but there's really nothing you can do about it. I came down and didn't have the ball in my glove. It was a little disappointing."

The shot seemed to put an end to the Titans' dreams of anther extended CWS run. And when Wieters, who came on to close the game for Tech, recorded the first two outs in the ninth with little trouble, it appeared as if Dorn would be headed to Billings earlier than he had hoped. But a single by Blake Davis and a double by Brett Pill brought Dorn to the plate for his biggest at-bat of the year.

"I was talking to Brett on the on-deck circle when Blake was up and told him they don't want me or you to get up," said Dorn, who lists Barry Bonds among his favorite players because Bonds is "the best there is."

"And the next pitch, Brett strokes a single."

Dorn didn't get the chance to play hero, though, because he was intentionally walked. But pinch-hitter Cory Vanderhook hit a slow chopper over the mound that took a funky bounce, allowing two runs to score and give the Titans a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

"When you're fighting for your life, you do whatever you can," Dorn said. "When I got to first, I looked at the first base coach and said I thought we could do something special."

The Titans and Dorn did just that. And though it delayed Dorn's pro debut by a few more days, he's not worried. He says joining the Reds will be the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, and if it takes a few more days for "The Raptor" to touch down in Montana, so be it.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

This sounds like he must have an agreement in place. Hopefully his teammate Turner our 7th round pick has a similar agreement worked out.