MLB Draft 2007: Day One Recap
June 7, 2007 by Geoff Young
Filed under 2007 Draft
Maybe I bit off more than I could chew in my attempt to liveblog the first round of the draft — I’m willing to concede that possibility. But you know what? I gave an honest effort and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
First off, props to ESPN2 for some fine draft coverage. After the obligatory montage intro, I feared the worst — “If we add more bling, then baseball will be even more fun” — but I came away impressed. The commentators kept up with the fast pace of the draft, and limited the amount of fluff.
For anyone who thinks that the MLB draft isn’t a big enough deal to be televised, remember that when fantasy baseball first arrived in the early-’80s, baseball wanted no part of it. Now that fantasy has proven to be a fan magnet and money maker, MLB is all over it. (Maybe a little too much, but that’s another story.)
Same with the draft. This is only going to get fans more involved in the game. Eventually the big wigs will figure out that publicizing the draft is more than a necessary evil and they’ll find a way to market it. Or to continue the fantasy baseball analogy, someone else will prove the concept and then MLB will pounce and assume control.
Either way, this was a big first step. Maybe only a small percentage of hardcore fans are into it right now, but keep putting it out there and pushing it, and the event will grow into an EVENT.
Meanwhile, here are some other resources you might want to check out to see how the first day of the draft went for your favorite team:
- Live Blogging the 2007 MLB Draft — The Baseball Analysts staff do a solid job as usual.
- Baseball America Draft Blog — The pioneers. BA continues to offer the best coverage of the MLB draft.
- Minor League Ball — John Sickels, another veteran prospect maven, does that thing he does.
- MLB Draft University — The folks at Most Valuable Network get in on the action.
- MLB.com — The Draft Tracker tool is invaluable; find players by round, name, position, team, school, and more.
Good stuff…
GY — what’s your take on how the Pads did? I was a little surprised by the Schmidt pick.
I need to research some of these guys a little more. I like Kulbacki at #40, and the center fielder Payne. I was hoping they’d take Porcello at #23 because he had no business being available that late, but apparently the Pads really like Schmidt and didn’t expect him to slip to their pick. He certainly fits the “college pitcher” m.o. that the Padres have used in recent years. Two things I think it’s important to recognize are that a) we won’t be able to adequately judge this draft until around 2012 and b) Grady Fuson’s track record with the Rangers and especially the A’s is fantastic. My gut reaction is that the Pads could have done better, but the more reasonable side of me defers to Fuson’s expertise and hopes that he can work the same magic in San Diego that brought him success elsewhere.