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2001 Draft Review The Switzers concentrated on pitching in the 2001 SWBA draft, acquiring seven arms from one of the weakest draft crops in memory. Round 1 - Barry Zito was selected with the 3rd overall pick. Team scouts were impressed with not only his performance over the second half of the 2000 MLB season, but also with his grasp of the finer points of pitching and his somewhat offbeat habits. Management foresees Zito immediately becoming the staff ace. With the club's original 1st-round pick, a reach that would make Plasticman proud was performed, with the Switzers selecting Astros infield prospect Keith Ginter. Ginter is stuck behind Craig Biggio for the time being, but is in the mix to fill Houston's gaping chasm at third base. Ginter possesses a broad base of offensive skills, all of which dovetail nicely with those that management values: he controls the strike zone and hits for power. Selecting Ginter in the first round was much too high, but management highly coveted his skills and did not want to let him get away. Round 2 - Cincinnati reliever John Riedling was very impressive in his short stint with the Reds at the tail end of the 2000 season. He is a good bet for a spot in the Cincy bullpen in 2001 and should succeed immediately. He should nicely complement the 2002 Switzer bullpen, teaming with Wagner, Benitez, Kim, and Gordon to form a deep and talented relief corps. Round 3 - White Sox project Matt Ginter was chosen, completing the Ginter Daily Double. He'll likely spend most of 2001 in the minor leagues but may see action with the Sox. At worst, he's a stockpiled arm for the Switzer bullpen. Round 4 - Mets reliever Eric Cammack has consistently posted outstanding numbers in the minor leagues, and is in the bullpen mix for 2001. Should he make the big club, Switzer management looks for good numbers to add to its 2002 staff. Round 5 - Joey Nation. The Cub pitching prospect enjoyed an excellent season in 2000 at Double-A at age 21. He appears to be ticketed for Triple-A in 2001, and could see some major league time. He's a draft-and-follow at this point. Round 6 - The anti-Switzer was drafted, but a severe at-bat shortage in the middle infield necessitated the desperate measure of selecting Juan Castro. Let's see, what are the ways a hitter can contribute to an offense:
He did lay down 4 successful sac bunts in 2000, and you can bet your petootie he'll be frequently utilizing the Ex bunt rating DMB bestowed upon this offensive zero. On the plus side, his defense at shortstop is nothing short of brilliant, garnering an Ex range rating to complement his stellar .994 fielding percentage. This is without a doubt the worst Switzer pick ever, but it had to be done in the name of playing time. Yikes. Round 7 - Kansas City lefthanded reliever Scott Mullen. Has a good chance to make the Royals staff in 2001, which would add a lefty specialist to the 2002 Switzer pen. Round 8 - The 2nd-annual Switzer goof pick. Last year John Wehner was selected to complement the earlier pick of Bung-Hole Kim. In 2001 Justin Brunette was tabbed to honor Switzer owner Pat Burroughs' propensity for inducting...er...brunettes...into his Hall of Fame. |
