Following an exhausting four-day draft process, GM Mike Bauer sat down and relaxed with Jackrabbits media correspondent Lily Strum (pictured below) to recap the draft results.
Mike: "DoorDash and Chinese food (laughs) ... no seriously, this draft will be remembered for it's depth and quality. We were able to fill a lot of needs in our lower minors, and I'm sure I'm not the only general manager who feels that way."
Lily: "You swung big in the first round, taking high school outfielder Jorge Delgado."
Mike: "I see you're impressed. As was I with Delgado. He's a 5-tool outfielder who could be a star in this league. But we will have to talk with the young man and see if he can agree to a number within our budget. We spent a lot on that Chinese food."
Lily: "Couldn't control yourself, eh?"
Mike: "Only when it counts, Lily. Like in the second round when we took 3B Larry Steele. We couldn't pass up on such a polished hitter out of college, even if we've now got a crowded situation at the hot corner."
Lily: "Sounds like fun. Tell me more about this hot corner."
Mike: "That's classified information, but perhaps you may have a need to know. But speaking of hot, our third round pick Greg Hester was struggling from heat exhaustion when we called to inform him of his selection. The kid can pitch, but it seems he's been working too hard on the family farm this spring. That's the kind of dedication we like to see in our young players."
Mike: "Lady, I'm serious about a lot of things. I like to take charge. Like a Pope. Outfielder Bob Pope. We drafted him in the fourth round."
Lily: "Famous and powerful! And named like a defending BBA champion! What more could you ask for?"
Mike: "A brilliant and lovely news correspondent to chat with. But you're already here."
The interview continued with more incessant flirting and a premature exit by Bauer and Strum, leaving Assistant GM Roberson to pick up the pieces of the draft recap.
"In round 5 we selected Ken Perry from the Google Searchers. He'll start for us right away in Short A La Paz. And round 6 selection Gilberto Gonzales will do the same in rookie ball. Those selections will help fill gaps in our rotations in the lower minors."
"Another goal was to stock up on good left-handed relief pitching. Alexander Folsom (round 7), Benedict Krook (round 9) and Qian-fu Zhuan (round 12) will help in that area. Zhuan is a project who might eventually succeed as a starter. We're excited to work with him."
"We also had to get stronger at center field, which Jim Kerr (round 8) and Matthew Popplewell (round 11) will help with. We think Popplewell is a steal as a contact hitter and utility outfielder this late in the draft.
"In round 10 we took a super-utility man in Garry Turnbull. His versatility will be useful. In rounds 13 and 14, we focused on young 1B/DH depth and came away with two pretty nice bats for this late in the draft - Ed Pray and Dejan Mrdja."
"Rounds 15-20 we added some talent that could make our organization, but we will have to bring them into practice and work them out to see if they look better than the incumbent youth we already have."
"Now that the draft is over, negotiations will be key. We want to come in under budget, at least this year. But speaking for myself and Mr. Bauer, we feel a little better about our lower minors now. It's hard to know which prospects may develop into something special, but it's certain we will have less weak links than prior seasons."
"Time to track down the boss-man. Have a great day everyone."