Phillies load up on pitchers after drafting shortstop in third round
The Phillies used a bit of creativity to maximize their bonus allotment and secure a trio of top-50 talents with their first three selections in baseball's draft.
The Phillies used a bit of creativity to maximize their bonus allotment and secure a trio of top-50 talents with their first three selections in baseball's draft.
They began the second day of the three-day draft Friday by selecting high school infielder Cole Stobbe with the first pick in the third round, No. 78 overall. The Phillies drafted Stobbe a day after grabbing high school outfielder Mickey Moniak and high school righthander Kevin Gowdy.
The terrible 2015 season not only brought the Phillies the first pick in each round, it also awarded the team the second-largest allotment to spend on signing bonuses for their first 10 draft choices. The Phillies allocated the majority of that money - $13,405,200 - to Moniak, Gowdy, and Stobbe.
"We feel we got two first-rounders with the first two picks and a really compensation-type pick in the third round," said Johnny Almaraz, the Phillies' amateur scouting director. "We thought all of those high school players have superior ability over a lot of the college guys. So we valued them more."
MLB.com ranks Moniak as the draft's fifth-best prospect. Gowdy is No. 37 and Stobbe is 47. The three were teammates last summer on USA Baseball's under-18 team, which won the gold medal at the World Cup.
Stobbe played shortstop at Millard West High in Omaha, Neb., but could transition to third base. He is expected to pass up a scholarship to the University of Arkansas to sign with the Phillies. He batted .437 with 14 homers this season
"We think he's a player that potentially has a chance to hit home runs and stay at shortstop," Almaraz said. "We called and he responded and he's very interested in signing. We hope to get it done pretty soon."
The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder was the Gatorade Nebraska player of the year in his junior and senior seasons. He was named captain of the all-Nebraska team and was regarded as the state's top prospect.
The Phillies' strategy to spend heavily on their first three picks forced them to choose college players - who usually require a lower signing bonus - with their final seven picks Friday.
They selected Jojo Romero in the fourth round. The lefthander from Yavapai College in Arizona threw a shutout last week to clinch the program's fourth national junior college title. He struck out 15 and walked none.
Romero, who comes from the same school that produced Ken Giles and Curt Schilling, struck out 129 batters this season and walked 51 in 1132/3 innings. He throws a low-90s fastball, a curveball, a change-up, and a slider.
Romero was one of six pitchers the Phillies drafted in the first 10 rounds. They selected Oregon lefthander Cole Irvin in the fifth. He missed the 2014 season after Tommy John surgery, which looks to have sapped some of his ability. He was one of the nation's best freshman in 2013 as he finished with a 2.48 ERA in 16 starts. Irvin, still working his way back, had a 3.17 ERA this season and was Oregon's No. 1 starter.
The Phillies used their eighth-round pick on Grant Dyer, a righthander from UCLA who has had success as a reliever. Dyer was the Bruins' setup man in 2015 and finished with a 1.83 ERA. He had a 4.50 ERA this season and was used predominantly as a starter.
The Phillies followed by drafting righthander Dan Quinn, who pitched one season at Cal State-Fullerton after transferring from Fresno State, and Julian Garcia, a righthander from Division II Metro State College in Denver. Quinn struck out 69 batters and walked 32 while compiling a 2.16 ERA in 662/3 innings. Garcia struck out 95 batters and walked 29 in 83 2/3 innings. He was a four-time Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference player of the week and was named to the all-conference team.
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