Peters Township catcher Jordan Jankowski was drafted Friday in the 34th round of Major League Baseball's amateur draft by the Houston Astros.
Jankowski finished his career with the Indians as one of the top home run hitters in WPIAL history. Besides catcher, Jankowski was also one of PT's top pitchers.
Jankowski has a full baseball scholarship to Miami University of Ohio, so it is unclear if he will sign with the Asttros by the August 15 deadline or go to college. If Jankowski chooses to attend college, he cannot be drafted again until after his junior season.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Paulino sent down, Doumit back
With catcher Ryan Doumit deemed ready for action again after a three-game rehabilitation stint in Class AA Altoona, the Pirates activated Doumit and sent struggling catcher Ronny Paulino to Class AAA Indianapolis.
The news didn't come as a surprise to Paulino, who was batting .218 with two home runs and 18 RBI but has started only one of the last seven games behind the plate.
"Those two guys they're going to have here (Doumit and Chavez) they've been doing such a great job. And I don't think it's a surprise because they've been taking care of their opportunity. They've been playing really well and I just have to focus on myself and work hard."
It's a lack of hard work that some have speculated is the reason Paulino is on his way back to Indianapolis in the first place. Listed at 6-2, 240 pounds, the 27-year-old Paulino has always been a defensive liability and after hitting .310 as a rookie in 2006, his offense has slid off considerably as well.
"We put together a detailed package to send down with him as far as defense goes, conditioning, hitting, just to get him back to where he can be to work and be the major-league catcher he can be," Pirates manager John Russell said. "We're definitely not giving up on him. We'd just like to see him play more and get some more reps in.
"Also to put together the plan we put out for him so that he can follow that and improve in a lot of areas he needs to improve in and get himself back here to be a major-league pitcher."
Well, as Russell put it, if Paulino can't play defense, isn't in shape and can't hit, it might be a long, long time before we see Paulino back in a Pirates uniform.
The news didn't come as a surprise to Paulino, who was batting .218 with two home runs and 18 RBI but has started only one of the last seven games behind the plate.
"Those two guys they're going to have here (Doumit and Chavez) they've been doing such a great job. And I don't think it's a surprise because they've been taking care of their opportunity. They've been playing really well and I just have to focus on myself and work hard."
It's a lack of hard work that some have speculated is the reason Paulino is on his way back to Indianapolis in the first place. Listed at 6-2, 240 pounds, the 27-year-old Paulino has always been a defensive liability and after hitting .310 as a rookie in 2006, his offense has slid off considerably as well.
"We put together a detailed package to send down with him as far as defense goes, conditioning, hitting, just to get him back to where he can be to work and be the major-league catcher he can be," Pirates manager John Russell said. "We're definitely not giving up on him. We'd just like to see him play more and get some more reps in.
"Also to put together the plan we put out for him so that he can follow that and improve in a lot of areas he needs to improve in and get himself back here to be a major-league pitcher."
Well, as Russell put it, if Paulino can't play defense, isn't in shape and can't hit, it might be a long, long time before we see Paulino back in a Pirates uniform.
Pirates take first high school player in sixth
For the first time in the 2008 draft, the Pirates selected a high school player by taking Robbie Grossman, an outfielder from Cypress-Fairbanks High School in Texas.
Grossman led his team to the Texas 5-A title in 2007 and led the U.S.National Junior team in hitting with a .450 batting average.
According to Baseball America, which had Grossman ranked 49th overall,, scouts say Grossman's speed has declined slightly from their initial reports. Though he played center field in high school, his average speed and below-average arm make it more likely he’ll play a corner outfield position rather than center, likely left field.
According to MLB.com, Grossman is an extremely hard worker who goes full speed all the time and is “a real grinder." He has a little bit of power but is more of a gap hitter.
Grossman led his team to the Texas 5-A title in 2007 and led the U.S.National Junior team in hitting with a .450 batting average.
According to Baseball America, which had Grossman ranked 49th overall,, scouts say Grossman's speed has declined slightly from their initial reports. Though he played center field in high school, his average speed and below-average arm make it more likely he’ll play a corner outfield position rather than center, likely left field.
According to MLB.com, Grossman is an extremely hard worker who goes full speed all the time and is “a real grinder." He has a little bit of power but is more of a gap hitter.
Back to Fresno State in Round 5
In perhaps an attempt to draft the entire Fresno State pitching rotation, the Pirates took their second Fresno State pitcher – lefty Justin Wilson – in the fifth round.
Wilson is the teammate of Tanner Scheppers, who the Pirates took in the second round.
Wilson is a 6-2, 210-pound left-hander who was 7-4 with a 4.17 ERA in 19 games (15 starts) with the Bulldogs. He struck out 83 and walked 53 in 99 1/3 innings and allowed 99 hits.
Wilson's best season was in 2007 as a sophomore when he was a First Team-All-Western Athletic Conference selection. Wilson was 8-5 with a 3.19 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 101 2/3 innings. He also allowed only three home runs as a sophomore.
Wilson was a dual threat as a freshman as he struck out 34 in 25 innings pitched and also had a .412 batting average (7-for-17) with three doubles and five RBI as a pinch-hitter.
Wilson is the teammate of Tanner Scheppers, who the Pirates took in the second round.
Wilson is a 6-2, 210-pound left-hander who was 7-4 with a 4.17 ERA in 19 games (15 starts) with the Bulldogs. He struck out 83 and walked 53 in 99 1/3 innings and allowed 99 hits.
Wilson's best season was in 2007 as a sophomore when he was a First Team-All-Western Athletic Conference selection. Wilson was 8-5 with a 3.19 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 101 2/3 innings. He also allowed only three home runs as a sophomore.
Wilson was a dual threat as a freshman as he struck out 34 in 25 innings pitched and also had a .412 batting average (7-for-17) with three doubles and five RBI as a pinch-hitter.
Pirates make Waves in fourth round
The Pirates stayed in the infield for their fourth-round pick, selecting Pepperdine third baseman Chase d'Arnaud.
d'Arnaud (6-3, 200) batted .314 this season for the Waves with 11 home runs and 50 RBI. He also had a .547 slugging percentage and an OPS of .962. d'Arnaud also showed good speed by stealing 10 bases in 16 attempts this season.
Defense appears to be d'Arnaud's weak link as he made a team-high 20 errors.
He was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball magazine in 2006 after batting .282 with two home runs and 22 RBI. d'Arnaud followed that up by hitting .331 with three home runs and 28 RBI during his sophomore season.
d'Arnaud (6-3, 200) batted .314 this season for the Waves with 11 home runs and 50 RBI. He also had a .547 slugging percentage and an OPS of .962. d'Arnaud also showed good speed by stealing 10 bases in 16 attempts this season.
Defense appears to be d'Arnaud's weak link as he made a team-high 20 errors.
He was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball magazine in 2006 after batting .282 with two home runs and 22 RBI. d'Arnaud followed that up by hitting .331 with three home runs and 28 RBI during his sophomore season.
Pirates take shortstop in third round
The Pirates continued with their trend of college juniors by selecting their third straight in this year's draft – Oklahoma State's Jordy Mercer – in the third round.
Mercer, a 6-3, 190-pounder, batted .330 with 14 home runs and 60 RBI this season for the Cowboys, earning his third All-Big 12 selection.
Mercer started all 62 games for Oklahoma State this season and also had a .542 slugging percentage and .915 OPS. He was also a member of the USA Baseball National Team in 2007.
Mercer was rated the 64th-best player by Baseball America and the sixth-best shortstop. He was also a closer at Oklahoma State and had a fastball in the 91-94 mph range. He was also a perfect 5-for-5 stealing bases this season for Oklahoma State.
Mercer, a 6-3, 190-pounder, batted .330 with 14 home runs and 60 RBI this season for the Cowboys, earning his third All-Big 12 selection.
Mercer started all 62 games for Oklahoma State this season and also had a .542 slugging percentage and .915 OPS. He was also a member of the USA Baseball National Team in 2007.
Mercer was rated the 64th-best player by Baseball America and the sixth-best shortstop. He was also a closer at Oklahoma State and had a fastball in the 91-94 mph range. He was also a perfect 5-for-5 stealing bases this season for Oklahoma State.
Pirates finally make next pick
After a long and drawn out first round (thanks ESPN), the baseball draft has finally entered the second round and the picks will start coming fast and furious.
The draft will last until about 9 p.m. this evening, then pick up at 11:30 a.m. Friday until its conclusion. Check back here often as I will be keeping you updated on all of the picks.
With their second pick, the Pirates selected Tanner Scheppers, a 6-4, 195-pound right-handed pitcher out of Fresno State.
Rated as the 10th-best player, and third-best pitcher by Baseball America, Scheppers has a fastball that is consistently 92-96 miles per hour and has touched 99 mph. Scheppers reportedly had a tender elbow at the beginning of May which might have caused him to slip out of the first round. Other reports say Scheppers has a stress fracture in his shoulder.
But other teams checked out Scheppers and cleared him.
In 12 games this season, Scheppers was 8-2 with a 2.93 ERA. He struck out 109 while allowing onlyu 54 hits and 34 walks in 71 innings pitched.
The draft will last until about 9 p.m. this evening, then pick up at 11:30 a.m. Friday until its conclusion. Check back here often as I will be keeping you updated on all of the picks.
With their second pick, the Pirates selected Tanner Scheppers, a 6-4, 195-pound right-handed pitcher out of Fresno State.
Rated as the 10th-best player, and third-best pitcher by Baseball America, Scheppers has a fastball that is consistently 92-96 miles per hour and has touched 99 mph. Scheppers reportedly had a tender elbow at the beginning of May which might have caused him to slip out of the first round. Other reports say Scheppers has a stress fracture in his shoulder.
But other teams checked out Scheppers and cleared him.
In 12 games this season, Scheppers was 8-2 with a 2.93 ERA. He struck out 109 while allowing onlyu 54 hits and 34 walks in 71 innings pitched.
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