Long Beach Press-Telegram - 2000 Draft Review
Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 2:24 pm
We are only in the second round of this 2000 draft, but that is far enough for this writer to want to get his thoughts down, because this is an exciting draft for your Long Beach Surfers. The club had the first two picks of the draft thanks to Dr. Focus Rivera choosing to not sign with the club after last year's draft. That worked out best for the Surfers, who passed on Rivera with those two picks, deciding that the slow-footed, iron-gloved slugger was not really in their future plans. Of course, Rivera will probably hit about 1000 homers and make the Surfers pay for their foolishness, but that's okay. We wish lard ass well in Louisville.
With the first pick, the Surfers were thrilled to pick up their future ace, Jim "Roo" Schmidt. The nickname is actually a misspelling of "rue" which actually comes from a story from high school. Having been rejected as a sophomore for his high school team, he actually turned to the coach and said, "You will rue the day when you rejected me." Who says that? Really? Anyway, his parents moved to the neighboring district after that, and Schmidt went on to win two state titles. The story got around, and "Roo" stuck. This guy is just sick. The man throws 98 MPH WITHOUT a fastball. That's a sinker coming in there at 98, giving him a ridiculously high groundball percentage and making it key that the Surfers develop a strong defensive infield for him. But what makes Schmidt really special is one of the best changeups in baseball. A batter expecting that nasty sinker just doesn't stand a chance when Schmidt drops it down to 90 with a moving changeup. In college, he helped lead the Kodak Snappers to the championship last season, getting better as the season wore on with a 1.33 ERA in the second half and a 6:1 K-BB ratio. He's got a little developing to do before he makes the big club, but Long Beach can afford to be patient.
The second pick went to the player the Surfers viewed as the best all-around prospect on the board, OF Juan Heredia. He destroyed high school pitching at John Deere and was both an All Star and a Glove Wizard during both of his high school seasons. Only an average hitter for power, he’s still a potential batting champion who also knows how to take a walk. On top of that, he has fantastic range in the outfield and is already one of the best flycatchers in the world. If there is a downside to this player from the little town of Okanogan, Washington, near the border of Canada, it is how raw he is. Growing up in a place with a long winter, he only got to play baseball during the summer and has a long way to go. As with Schmidt, the club has plenty of time to be patient.
With the 18th pick in the Supplemental First round, the Surfers selected infielder Angel Gomez who was an All Star last year with Circuit City after hitting 18 bombs with a 1.120 OPS and playing an outstanding shortstop and even better third base. He projects as a decent hitter with good power whose strength lies in his glove which could make him one of the best fielding third basemen around but whose range may be just short of good enough to make him a great shortstop.
The first pick of the second round went to control pitcher Bob Burton who used an assortment of pitches including a very good changeup to win 8 games last year with the General Mills Lucky Charms. A native of another small, Washington town, Snoqualmie (the site of much of the filming of Twin Peaks), Burton’s stamina may be a problem for him as a starting pitcher, but the club is willing to give it a shot. The lefty has a fantastic move to first base and a high work ethic. He is also a strong leader in the clubhouse, and his ability to keep runners off base doesn’t hurt either.
Now, Surfers management has to get to work trying to sign these players, hoping that won’t be too difficult. The team has been playing better and hopes that these youngsters can be key pieces to their success moving forward.
With the first pick, the Surfers were thrilled to pick up their future ace, Jim "Roo" Schmidt. The nickname is actually a misspelling of "rue" which actually comes from a story from high school. Having been rejected as a sophomore for his high school team, he actually turned to the coach and said, "You will rue the day when you rejected me." Who says that? Really? Anyway, his parents moved to the neighboring district after that, and Schmidt went on to win two state titles. The story got around, and "Roo" stuck. This guy is just sick. The man throws 98 MPH WITHOUT a fastball. That's a sinker coming in there at 98, giving him a ridiculously high groundball percentage and making it key that the Surfers develop a strong defensive infield for him. But what makes Schmidt really special is one of the best changeups in baseball. A batter expecting that nasty sinker just doesn't stand a chance when Schmidt drops it down to 90 with a moving changeup. In college, he helped lead the Kodak Snappers to the championship last season, getting better as the season wore on with a 1.33 ERA in the second half and a 6:1 K-BB ratio. He's got a little developing to do before he makes the big club, but Long Beach can afford to be patient.
The second pick went to the player the Surfers viewed as the best all-around prospect on the board, OF Juan Heredia. He destroyed high school pitching at John Deere and was both an All Star and a Glove Wizard during both of his high school seasons. Only an average hitter for power, he’s still a potential batting champion who also knows how to take a walk. On top of that, he has fantastic range in the outfield and is already one of the best flycatchers in the world. If there is a downside to this player from the little town of Okanogan, Washington, near the border of Canada, it is how raw he is. Growing up in a place with a long winter, he only got to play baseball during the summer and has a long way to go. As with Schmidt, the club has plenty of time to be patient.
With the 18th pick in the Supplemental First round, the Surfers selected infielder Angel Gomez who was an All Star last year with Circuit City after hitting 18 bombs with a 1.120 OPS and playing an outstanding shortstop and even better third base. He projects as a decent hitter with good power whose strength lies in his glove which could make him one of the best fielding third basemen around but whose range may be just short of good enough to make him a great shortstop.
The first pick of the second round went to control pitcher Bob Burton who used an assortment of pitches including a very good changeup to win 8 games last year with the General Mills Lucky Charms. A native of another small, Washington town, Snoqualmie (the site of much of the filming of Twin Peaks), Burton’s stamina may be a problem for him as a starting pitcher, but the club is willing to give it a shot. The lefty has a fantastic move to first base and a high work ethic. He is also a strong leader in the clubhouse, and his ability to keep runners off base doesn’t hurt either.
Now, Surfers management has to get to work trying to sign these players, hoping that won’t be too difficult. The team has been playing better and hopes that these youngsters can be key pieces to their success moving forward.