We Got Wood - 43.34 - Meet Matt Garrison

[7teen]

The "Master PlanTM" says "draft pitching. And lots of it!" That's been the philosophy for Portland during it's first 4 amateur drafts. But General Manager Chris Wilson diverted from that plan with the team's second round pick in the 2043 draft by selecting outfielder Matt Garrison. Despite moving away from the guide, Wilson praised the selection.

"We love the Garrison pick in round 2" added Wilson. "Yes, we typically want to stick with pitching but 22 pitchers had been drafted over the first 37 picks. We felt there was some decent hitting talent on the board, most notably Garrison. Honestly, we're surprised he fell this far in the draft. We actually rated him as the 3rd best outfielder in the entire draft. A draft that saw 5 outfielders go in round 1 and Garrison was still on the board. So we took him. Yes, at that point it was about taking what we felt was the best available and that was Garrison."

Garrison is a 5 foot, 11 inch, 170 pound outfielder from Spurgeon, TN. He bats and throws left handed with some solid success at Pillsbury High School. At the moment, he projects to be more of a DH type rather than a corner outfielder, but time will tell. The Lumberjacks front office is hoping for some solid splits from Garrison if he matures.

"He'll be a stretch as a defensive guy" added Wilson. "As of now he'll be stuck as a DH, and guys like Garrison really are a dime a dozen right now in the BBA. But that trend has shrunk a little over recent seasons. If Garrison produces a solid split vs right handed pitching later, lets say a 7 contact and a 9 power rating, he could be a huge steal for us with the 38th pick. And who knows, he could flame out and just be a bust. But that's the ways of the draft."

The 18 year old Garrison, assuming he signs, we'll likely be sent to Rookie League Bend, Oregon.