@cimo. said:

The Cubs and Tribe were hoping Kerry had some Smoltz in him...he just can't seem to dial it up every night the way Smoltz could after becoming the closer after a very good starting career.

nmills said:

Kerry Wood is doing his best to answer that question for you.

nmills said:

Damn, I saw Kipnis hit one off the wall in left and didn't even realize White was on the mound! Thanks for the heads up.

Beanpot

nmills said:

Wouldn't you rather draft a everyday player or starting pitching. Im guessing part of the decision was not knowing if Adam Miller will be able to come back from surgery or not. But why not start with a starter and if it doesn't work out move him to the bullpen.

Really good questions. When it comes to White, I'm guessing the Indians are looking to get him to the majors ASAP. He apparently has two plus pitches (split fastball and slider) and the organization would rather have him use those in the late innings than spend developmental time on the curve/change/sinker which are desirable for a starter. Have no idea if that's the case or not, just going by scouting reports.

As for drafting guys early with the thought of them pitching out of the pen, it's something that has happened fairly often over the past few years. Huston Street, Chad Cordero, David Aardsma, Chris Perez and Joey Devine are a few examples of relievers drafted in the 1st round in the last six years. Most (all?) of those guys were relievers throughout their college careers, so they're not perfect foils for White, but it at least shows a trend.

BTW, I think you're dead-on when you say part of their decision involves the questions surrounding Miller.

Beanpot

Wouldn't you rather draft a everyday player or starting pitching. Im guessing part of the decision was not knowing if Adam Miller will be able to come back from surgery or not. But why not start with a starter and if it doesn't work out move him to the bullpen.

And 28 of 30 were college players

http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?topic_i...tent_id=4674607

Here's a link to all of our picks so far:

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/draft/y2009/...t=TM&fv=cle

Beanpot

@socalbrownsfan said:

Yea Shipario still has him under contact, lol.

UPDATE (10:02 PM EST): Jeff Ellis

For those who didn’t watch the draft, in the second round each pick was made by a dignitary from each team. The Indians dignitary was the great Jason Bere, I kid you you not. For this pick the Indians selected Jason Kipnis, who had been rumored as a possible first round pick for the tribe. Last year as a draft eligible sophomore he was a 4th rounder of the Padres, and made the wise decision to go back to school and go higher. He is a 6’0” OF, who rumor says the Indians might be moving to second base. He was ranked 60th by Keith Law and 61st by Baseball America, so was a solid value with pick number 63. Kipnis has good bat speed and generates some power. He led a very good ASU team in average, OBP, SLG, and stolen bases. He’s a patient hitter who has a bit of a line drive swing. He projects to be an average MLB player in every category except plate discipline and defense. His plate discipline is his only plus skill. The issue with his defense is he doesn’t have the range for centerfield, and might not hit enough for a corner OF. This has lead to the talk that he might end up at 2B where his bat would profile a lot better with the position. He played second base in high school, which is why teams think he could move back. One red flag is he was kicked off Kentucky after his freshman year, so there have been make up concerns. Reading reports of him reminded me a lot of the reports I read on Federoff this time last year.

RHP Joe Gardner

UPDATE (10:51 PM EST): Jeff Ellis

Joe Gardner is a big pitcher from UC Santa Barbara. He is 6’5”, and extremely raw. Last year as a draft eligible player coming out of Ohlone junior college, he went completely undrafted. He was rated 84th by Keith Law and 161st by BA so the opinions on him vary on if he was worth the 94 pick. His delivery is ¾ quarters delivery. Some scouts think he could be a middle of the rotation starter others think he’s a pen guy. He has a fastball, change, and slider. His fastball is typically 91-93, but has a nasty heavy sink to it. It projects as a plus pitch. His change up is in the 78-82, with a decent fade but projects out to be average. His slider I have seen reported as below average and also a plus pitch. I also got conflicting reports on the speed of his pitch. Gardner is not the most athletic and is very raw compared to the typical college pitcher. There is the hope he could add some MPH to his pitching once his mechanics get fixed. His main issue is that he some times slips from the ¾ slot into more of a sidearm this causes the ball to raise in the zone and get hit. When he stays in the ¾ he has the ability to really throw strikes. We all know how much the Indians love pitchers who induce ground balls and this guy seems to have the ability to do that. I for one like the pick and with good coaching this pick should help improve pitching depth.

Big time fastball, good splitter and slider, and incredibly competitive. I would've liked a starter, but it's hard to argue against our bullpen needs.

Alex White, RHP, University of North Carolina

Height/Weight: 6-3, 200 | DOB: 8/29/1988

2009 Stats: 8-4 W-L | 4.13 ERA | 98.0 IP | 86 H | 109-41 K/BB

White's (relatively) pedestrian numbers in 2009 have him falling down some draft boards but with an excellent pitcher's frame, solid mechanics and a low-90s fastball with excellent sink, scouts still think this kid is a future front-of-the-rotation contributor. White touches 95. Fans will get a chance to see White compete in his third consecutive College World Series in the coming weeks. He's a junior, so that's three in three years for White. Not bad. (Posted by Patrick Sullivan)

Rich: Call me skeptical. A very good college pitcher. But I'm not sold on taking a pitcher who relies so heavily on a splitter for his success at this point in the draft. A high risk, high reward starter or perhaps a reliever if things don't quite work out as planned.

http://baseballanalysts.com/archives/2009/...logging_t_4.php

Beanpot

Summary: White, one of the younger college pitchers in this class, sat 88-92 mph in a mid-May look against Boston College, although he more typically sits 91-93 and will run it up to 95, with good tailing life on the pitch. The biggest knock on White is that he throws a ton of off-speed pitches instead of pitching off his fastball, and that's going to be the first adjustment a player development department asks him to make. His slider can be plus at times; it's long and sharp and usually ends up out of the strike zone, so college hitters will chase it but pro hitters might not -- a problem that Andrew Miller, another UNC product, found when he got into pro ball. White also shows a splitter or split-change that has a chance to be plus. His delivery is funky and unclean, with a high elbow in back, a long path for his arm and more drift than drive toward the plate. He's an intelligent kid with some feel for pitching, and probably has a better-than-average chance to improve with instruction. He does have an outstanding track record, including a heroic showing in Omaha in 2008, but I see him as more of a mid-first-round talent than a top-of-draft guy.

7. Atlanta Braves: Alex White, RHP, University of North Carolina

The Braves are more than likely to go with the "best arm available." They'd love it if hometown hero Wheeler or California standout Matzek were around, but in this scenario both are off the board. It looks like Shelby Miller is off the list now and the Braves may go the college route. White has been pitching with a bit of a hamstring issue and assuming the Braves are assured he's fine otherwise, he could be their guy.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20...rtnerId=rss_mlb

Beanpot

http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/m-baseb...ite_alex00.html

SOPHOMORE (2008)

Made the jump to a front-line starter as a sophomore • Earned second-team ABCA All-America honors and was selected a third-team All-America by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball • Also claimed first-team ABCA All-Atlantic Regional and first-team All-ACC honors • Became the second Tar Heel in the last three years to earn ACC Pitcher of the Year honors • Claimed the S.H. Basnight Award as Carolina's most valuable position pitcher • Doubled his win total and dropped his ERA by more than two runs from 2007 to 2008 • Pitched in 20 games, making 15 starts • Finished the season with a 13-3 record and a 2.83 ERA in a team-high 101 2/3 innings • Struck out 113 batters and walked just 42 for a 2.7-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio • Held the opposition to .215 average • Ranked among the ACC's top five in wins (first), opponent batting average (second), strikeouts (third), innings (third) and ERA (fourth) • Tied for second in UNC history with 13 wins and fifth with 113 strikeouts • Struck out at least six batters in 14 of 15 starts • Went 6-3 in ACC action with a 3.71 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 53 1/3 innings • Made six NCAA Tournament appearances, posting a 5-0 record and a 2.76 ERA in 29 1/3 innings • Tied an NCAA record with three wins in a single College World Series • Struck out 12 and posted a 3.38 ERA in 13 1/3 innings in Omaha • Opened an outstanding postseason run with first career complete game against UNC Wilmington May 31 • Held the Seahawks to one run on three hits and struck out eight to earn ninth win • Followed with victories against No. 9 Coastal Carolina and No. 2 LSU, lasting seven innings and allowing three runs in each start • Pitched in relief in three straight CWS games, beating LSU again June 19 and No. 8 Fresno State June 21 • Worked two scoreless innings against the Tigers and followed with five strikeouts in 2 2/3 hitless frames versus the Bulldogs to earn victory No. 13 • Matched a career best with 11 strikeouts on two occasions • Fanned 11 and allowed just three hits and one earned run against Virginia in the ACC Tournament May 21 • Struck out 11 in just 5 2/3 innings to earn a win against NC State March 28 • Bested No. 14 Georgia Tech with eight strikeouts over seven scoreless innings April 4 • Followed with 5 2/3 scoreless in a win at Clemson April 11 • Struck out six in 6 2/3 in a win over Boston College April 18 • Won at Virginia with eight Ks over six innings • Also posted victories over Florida Atlantic, Kent State and Virginia Tech.

FRESHMAN (2007)

Pitched in 19 games and made 18 starts as the Tar Heels' Saturday starter for much of the season • Earned second-team Freshman All-America honors from Rivals.com • Finished second on the team and sixth in the ACC with 83 strikeouts and 98 1/3 innings pitched • Posted a 6-7 record with a 4.94 ERA on the year • Struck out 29 batters looking to rank second in the ACC and was fifth with six pickoffs • In league play, went 3-4 with a 4.63 ERA over 10 starts and fanned 59 in 56 1/3 innings • Entered the NCAA Tournament with a 6-4 record and a 3.35 ERA but allowed 23 of his 54 earned runs over four postseason starts and suffered three losses • Finest start of the season came against No. 5 Virginia in the ACC Tournament when he held the Cavaliers to two hits and struck out five over seven shutout innings • Earned a spot on the ACC's All-Tournament Team for his efforts • Fanned a career-best 11 batters over 6 2/3 innings at NC State April 21 • Struck out 10 over seven innings in a win at Boston College in game two of a doubleheader April 7 • Beat No. 11 Miami with six strikeouts and no earned runs over a career-best 7 2/3 innings March 10 • Won at Maryland in game one of a doubleheader May 19 with seven strikeouts and just three runs allowed over seven innings • Pitched the ninth inning in a 5-1 win at East Carolina and struck out two in front of his hometown crowd May 9 • Won his first career start with six shutout innings against Seton Hall Feb. 17 and went 3-1 with a 1.91 ERA over his first six starts of the season • Also defeated Stony Brook and Miami over this stretch • Started four games in the NCAA Tournament, including a pair in the College World Series. Summer 2007: Pitched for the Chatham A's of the Cape Cod League • Named the league's No. 14 prospect by Baseball America • Went 2-1 with a 2.10 ERA in 25 2/3 innings over seven appearances • Made three starts and threw one complete game • Struck out 31 and walked just eight.

D.H. CONLEY HIGH SCHOOL

Played four years as a pitcher/shortstop at D.H. Conley High School for coach Jason Mills • Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 14th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft • Earned third-team high school All-America honors from Baseball America • First-team TPX All-America selection • 2006 North Carolina Player of the Year • Led Conley to the 2006 state 3A title and earned MVP honors in the state tournament • Also helped team to 2005 state 4A crown • Also played four years of basketball as a point guard • Active in FCA and SASI • Played with American Legion Post 39 in the summer.

PERSONAL

Alex Bruce White is the son of Bruce and Catherine White • Born Aug. 29, 1988, in Greenville, N.C. • Has two older brothers • Majoring in sports administration at Carolina • Brother Travis played at North Carolina Wesleyan and played one year of pro ball • Lists favorite movie as "Bull Durham" and favorite book as "The Great Gatsby" • Favorite professional teams are the Atlanta Braves and Carolina Panthers • Modeled his game after Greg Maddux.

ALEX WHITE'S CAREER STATS

Year ERA W-L App GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR BF B/Avg WP HBP SFA SHA BK

2007.... 4.94 6-7 19 18 0 0/1 0 98.1 100 63 54 48 83 25 2 5 434 .277 6 7 5 13 2

2008.... 2.83 13-3 20 15 1 0/0 0 101.2 78 43 32 42 113 15 0 6 420 .215 6 5 4 6 3

TOTAL... 3.87 19-10 39 33 1 0/1 0 200.0 178 106 86 90 196 40 2 11 854 .246 12 12 9 19 5

CAREER HIGHS: Innings: 9.0 vs. UNC Wilmington (5/31/08) Strikeouts: 11 at NC State (4/28/07), vs. NC State (3/28/07), vs. Virginia (5/21/08) Hits: 10 vs. Boston College (4/18/08) Walks: 6 vs. Miami (3/10/07), vs. Wake Forest (3/31/07) Runs: 8 at Duke (3/8/08, G1) Earned Runs: 7 vs. East Carolina (6/2/07)

@johng71097 said:

Is this the spot for Tanner Scheppers?

@beanpot said:

I believe we are on the clock

Pricks.

Beanpot

Turner may be the top prep righthander in the draft. No one doubts his size, arm strength, or projectability. Represented by the Scott Boras Corporation, some teams may shy away from the alleged bonus demands that seek to match the record $7 million for a high school pitcher garnered by Josh Beckett in 1999 and Rick Porcello in 2007. I watched Turner on TV in the AFLAC Classic at Dodger Stadium last summer. He started the game, pitched two innings, allowed just one hit, one walk, and no runs while striking out five consecutive batters. Although his fastball was mostly 91-92 and touched 93 that day, it has reportedly topped out at 98 this spring. He also throws a curveball and changeup. Baseball America ranks his fastball as the second-best among all high schoolers. He has signed a letter of intent to North Carolina.

http://baseballanalysts.com/archives/2009/...logging_t_4.php

Beanpot

Beanpot