Cards Draft Results and Commentary Thread

[thrill]

My friend and a couple other family members want him to go to ASU.

That would be fine with me too (I go there).

[jdk82]

Cardinals select

39. Pete Kozma, ss
School: Owasso (Okla.) HS. Class: Sr.
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 180. Birthdate: 4/11/88.
Scouting Report: There may not be a true middle infielder drafted in the first round this year, but Kozma is as good a candidate as any. He impressed scouting directors when his team made a swing through Florida in late March, and he had a three-homer game in an Oklahoma 6-A playoff contest. Kozma has no true standout tool, but he also has no glaring weakness. He grades out as average to slightly above-average in every tool except power, and he does have pop. His instincts help him play above his physical ability at bat, on the bases and in the field. He has good plate coverage and uses the entire field, projecting as a future No. 2 hitter in a big league lineup. Coming into the spring, some scouts questioned whether he'd be a long-term shortstop, but he has no doubters now. A Wichita State recruit, Kozma draws raves for his consistency and energy as well.

AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
.519 104 49 54 20 6 7 48 13

Another scouting report on Kozma

SCOUTING REPORT: Measured strictly by tools, Kozma doesn’t warrant first-round consideration, but his ability to play the game raises him to that level for many scouts. He has an athletic presence and confidence to his style of play that works at the upper levels of the game. Kozma has excellent athletic balance and a very quick first step that plays better than his average speed underway. He is ultra-smooth at shortstop, and can make all the throws from all different angles with accuracy and strength. Offensively, Kozma is a line-drive, gap-to-gap hitter with surprising strength in his wrists and hands that gives him some extra juice in his bat. He hit at a .500-plus clip the last two years for Owasso High, and homered in the first inning of the Oklahoma 6-A championship game—and it stood up in a 1-0 win. Scouts have compared him to University of Mississippi shortstop Zack Cozart, particularly for his body type and defensive ability, but Kozma has more offensive potential at the same age. There are numerous high school shortstops who are being mentioned in the top 50 picks, and Kozma is among them.

[jdk82]

. Clayton Mortensen, rhp (National rank: 119)
School: Gonzaga. Class: Sr.
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-4. Wt.: 190. Birthdate: 4/10/85.
Scouting Report: Scouts in the Pacific Northwest are more than familiar with Mortensen, who went to high school in Idaho and spent two seasons at Treasure Valley (Ore.) Community College. The Devil Rays drafted him in the 25th round in 2005, but he chose to go to Gonzaga instead and wasn't drafted after a disastrous 6-8, 5.89 campaign. Until this season, the gangly Mortensen was all projection and little production. His velocity took a jump (up to 92 mph) last summer in the West Coast Collegiate League, but his command remained spotty. He was shellacked at Arizona in his first start this season, but since then has had some of the best stuff in the West. Mortensen features a heavy 90-94 mph fastball with excellent sink. His secondary stuff grades as average now, with future plus grades as well: a hard slider and changeup featuring deceptive arm speed. His command is below-average. He's a senior sign with upside, though, and could go as high as the third round.

Another scouting report

SCOUTING REPORT: There may not be a college senior in the country who improved his draft stock this year more than Mortensen—projected first-rounders Matt LaPorta of Florida and Casey Weathers of Vanderbilt included. Mortensen wasn’t on radar at the start of the year after a lackluster junior season, when he went 6-8, 5.89 with 41 walks and only 54 strikeouts in 81 innings with a fastball that sat at 88-89 mph and flashed 91-92. But every aspect of his game grew this season as he matured both physically and mentally. He grew into his tall, lean frame, and his stuff became harder and sharper. His fastball was 90-94 mph with excellent sinking action over an entire game. His slider became tighter with increased arm speed, his changeup added depth and the bottom fell out of his palmball. Through it all, the command of all his pitches was significantly better. The payoff came in a substantially improved 9-2, 3.92 record with 122 strikeouts and 42 walks in 119 innings. Scouts say his stuff is the type that will play even better against wood bats, particularly his sinking fastball.

[jdk82]

2. David Kopp, rhp (National rank: 81)
School: Clemson. Class: Jr.
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 195. Birthdate: 10/20/85.
Scouting Report: The Tigers' pitching staff blossomed this spring, and Kopp was one of four Clemson pitchers who could go in the top five rounds. Somewhat enigmatic, Kopp has been inconsistent with his control and velocity, but at his best he flashed middle-of-the-rotation stuff. He stayed behind and on top of the ball better during his delivery this spring and improved his direction to the plate. His fastball ranges from 91-96 mph, sitting at 92. He gets sink and run from his three-quarters arm slot, though he doesn't repeat his release point. His changeup is a weapon, but his 81-83 mph slider shows potential of becoming a legitimate put-away pitch. He needs to improve his mental approach and confidence, especially in tight situations. Kopp has more upside than the typical college righthander in this year's draft, and he could be taken as early as the second round.

Another scouting reports on Kopp

SCOUTING REPORT: Teammate Daniel Moskos grabbed all the attention earlier in the year, enabling Kopp to shoot up draft boards this spring in relative anonymity. He was a projected eighth- to 10th-rounder at the outset, but as he kept throwing harder, kept getting more life on his pitches and kept adding confidence with every outing, he suddenly starting getting attention from scouts in the sandwich to second rounds. He has power stuff—possibly the best on the Clemson staff, Moskos included—with the making of three plus pitches: a comfortable 91-95 mph fastball, a steadily-improving slider with more tilt and angle, and an evolving changeup. Moreover, he cleaned up his mechanics, which has helped the command of all his pitches. He was a three-quarters slinger out of high school but now has a more conventional delivery. With constant tinkering, he’s no longer over-rotating and is staying taller, enabling him to get more downward angle on his pitches. He was 5-2, 3.86 with 66 strikeouts in 84 innings as Clemson headed into the ACC tournament—ordinary numbers for where he is projected to be drafted and comparable to his 6-2, 4.32 record a year ago, but his improvement over a year ago cannot be measured by numbers. Scouts say he is one of those players who will be more productive as a pro, pitching to wood bats, than he was in college.

[jdk82]

Scouting reports on 3rd rounder Danny Descalso

SCOUTING REPORT: The bat is the one tool that matters most and there is little doubt that Descalso can hit. He was hitting .408-4-42 in mid-May, best in the Big West Conference and opposing teams have been at a loss how to pitch to him this spring. Descalso really controls the strike zone as well, walking 31 times against 16 strikeouts, and he has an intuitive idea what he wants to hit. He has shown extra-base power in a big yard and at times will flash legitimate power. He works the ball all around the yard and ranks as one of the toughest outs in college baseball. Some scouts believe that Descalso is a better prospect than Cal Poly’s Grant Desme, even though his other tools don’t rate as highly. He does have a strong arm and is a dependable third baseman who could even move to second base, where his bat would be even more of a factor.

[jdk82]

Another reports on Jess Todd

SCOUTING REPORT: Todd has the best pure stuff on the Arkansas staff, and has been overmatching hitters during May as he has adjusted to a starter’s role. He throws both a 2-seam and 4-seam fastball, with the 4-seamer reaching the 93-94 mph area with some regularity and the 2-seamer showing plus-plus life at times. Todd’s mid-80s slider is a swing-and-miss pitch and he shows surprising aptitude for his changeup as well. Overall, he went 9-2, 2.49 with 124 strikeouts and only 25 walks in 90 innings. Of his 22 appearances, nine were as a starter. Todd has always been projected as a closer/reliever type because he has a high-effort, multi-part delivery, but as a starter this year he’s shown excellent command and the ability to maintain his stuff deep into pitch counts. The few scouts who do like him as a starter point to the fact that he’s a top athlete who was a shortstop prospect in high school, and that regardless of his delivery’s degree of difficulty, he repeats it well and his body absorbs the tension, not his arm. Todd’s competitiveness is a match for Schmidt’s, too.

[fewgoodcards]

Scouting reports on 3rd rounder Danny Descalso

SCOUTING REPORT: The bat is the one tool that matters most and there is little doubt that Descalso can hit. He was hitting .408-4-42 in mid-May, best in the Big West Conference and opposing teams have been at a loss how to pitch to him this spring. Descalso really controls the strike zone as well, walking 31 times against 16 strikeouts, and he has an intuitive idea what he wants to hit. He has shown extra-base power in a big yard and at times will flash legitimate power. He works the ball all around the yard and ranks as one of the toughest outs in college baseball. Some scouts believe that Descalso is a better prospect than Cal Poly’s Grant Desme, even though his other tools don’t rate as highly. He does have a strong arm and is a dependable third baseman who could even move to second base, where his bat would be even more of a factor.

that's the best report i have read on him. it still sounds like he will have to be able to handle 2nd to profile as a regular, but that report really believes in his bat. he sounds like a jon jay type hitter from that report, but we will have to see.