The Future's Open Wide

With the First overall pick in yesterday's MLB Draft the Bucs selected UCLA hurler Gerritt Cole. While I can't say I disagree with this pick nor the organization's method to stockpile the system with high level pitching talent, I must say that his record and ERA are unsettling to me. Cole, as SmizBlog pointed out, was the 4th best pitcher on UCLA's staff and while record, his being 6-8, is not the ultimate indicator of a pitcher's ability, his ERA was 3.31. That wouldn't be Top 30 in the MLB right now. So how does that translate to a future of dominating the best hitters in the world? Well, the book is wide open on that one. While I believe a pitcher's record can be deceiving . Paraphrasing Pucks_and_Pols, a pitcher's record should not be ignored as it is a great indicator of what a pitcher is really made of and that is the absolute truth.

Overall, theselection of Cole makes a lot of sense on a lot of fronts. Top level pitching is a high priority in Major League Baseball. A string of aces, which is what the Bucs are attempting to create with Morton, Taillon, Allie, Heredia, and Cole, can carry a franchise a la the 90's Braves. They will also make great trade pieces when the Bucs are in need of a couple 26-27 year old career Double-A and Triple-A utility players. In all seriousness, though, organizational stability can be built for the long term through strong pitching and developing that talent in house is the best way for a smaller market team to compete against the Evil Empire and it's counterparts, who ironically cry poor when they come up against each other.

The only real objection I have is that the Bucs organization is bereft of power bats. Walker and Cutch are great run producers but I do not see them projecting as 4 and 5 hitters. Walker seems more suited as a 2 and Cutch as a 3 to me. Kdro should be the cleanup guy in waiting,but all he seems to be cleaining up is All-You-Can-Eat Buffet Specials. I said this in a PM to Pucks_and_Pols and I will reiterate: Pedro Alvarez will one day be an excellent Major League power hitter, but he will not do it in a Pirates uniform. Seeing his approach, the way he carries himself into the batter's box, I just see him as a Jason Schmidt type "do what I can to get out of here in one piece then thrive elsewhere" type of guy,. He held the franchise hostage for record money and certainly hasn't looked worth it thus far.

Cutch has something about him that tells me he is going to do his best work here in the Burgh. He is confident in his abilities, but nowhere close to cocky in my opinion. He wants to win more than anything and puts it all on the line every night. Same with Walker, although it is different for a hometown kid to want to be here; at least it would be for me. I have heard Walker speak on a number of occassions and I think we are cut from the same mold, except instead of being  6-3 215 and a #1 draft pick I am 5-11 180 with a half dozen Farm League and Little League All-Star tournaments under my belt. Tabata is more difficult for me to figure out, he showed last season he could be a potential All-Star but this year is struggling mightily against righties, although it makes me think he may have a nagging injury. Then I remember this incident as proof he might not be all there mentally. I also believe that serves as proof he is 4 or 5 years older than he is listed. But I digress.

My point, after getting a slight bit off track as always, is that the Bucs are rightfully stocking up on arms but are lacking in terms of bats. That's just the nature of baseball, though, for small market teams. While you will get no objection from me that Bucs are cheap, they are certainly a  small market team and can't afford Lee, Halladay, Hamels, and Oswalt. Not many teams really can and the Phillies really can't, either. So good luck to Gerritt Cole and hopefully his arm stays intact. The MLB draft is a huge gamble and there is no such thing as a sure thing. Strasburg hasn't pitched since the middle of last summer and he was touted as Randy Johnson and Bob Gibson's love child. But hitting or missing on a first round pick doesn't define a team, finding Pujols in the 13th round or Mike Piazza in the 62nd does.