Fish Bytes

Marlins to call up C Rob Brantly; Hayes optioned to NOLA

           The Marlins optioned catcher Brett Hayes to Triple-A New Orleans following Sunday’s game and will bring up recently-acquired catcher Rob Brantly.

            Brantly, a 23-year old left-handed hitting catcher, was part of the trade July 23 that sent Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez to Detroit. Brantly hit .365 with two home runs, four doubles and 11 RBI in 14 games for New Orleans.

            “When we traded for him, we knew he had pretty good offensive upside,” Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said. “It’s a small sample size, but he’s hit the ball very well. The pitchers down there love him. He’s still working on some defensive stuff, but we feel like he can work on them up here and take a look at him.”

            Beinfest said although John Buck remains the starting catcher, the team will find ways to get Brantly a good amount of playing time to get him Major League experience and begin to evaluate him at that level.

            “When you give up the kind of guys we did to get him, it’s because we felt he can be an every day catcher in this league,” Beinfest said. “I don’t think you want to bring him up and have him sit. You want to look for some advantageous situations for him, but he needs to play.”

            Guillen said: “We’re going to try to figure out playing time and how many games a week because he’s being brought up to play.”

 

Marlins designate Jose Lopez for assignment; recall PCL All-Star Bryan Petersen

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Jose Lopez's stint with the Marlins is over. The former All-Star, signed on June 9th after being cut by the Rockies, was designated for assignment Saturday after playing in just 12 games with the Marlins.

Lopez hit .103 (3 for 31) with no RBI, 3 runs scored in his time in teal. He made seven starts. In his last at-bat Friday, he pinch hit in the ninth inning and struckout looking.

The Marlins recalled Pacific Coast League All-Star and outfielder Bryan Petersen to take his place. This will be Petersen's fourth stint with the Marlins in the big leagues. A career .290 hitter in the minors and former fourth round pick in 2007, Petersen was hitting .351 in 67 games for the Triple A New Orleans (10th best batting average in the Pacific Coast League) with 21 doubles, 11 homers, 26 RBI and six stolen bases.

Petersen has never been able to get significant playing time with the Marlins before, making just one career start in 27 games. He's had 28 at-bats in the big leagues and has just two hits, 2 runs and 2 RBI. He went 0-for-4 with a walk and a run scored from May 2-11 in his previous call-up.

No word yet if Petersen will still participate in the Triple A All-Star Game July 13th in Salt Lake City.

Logan Morrison welcomed Petersen to the Dallas area with this tweet: "Dallas just got a little bit Hotter with the arrival of teen heartthrob @Peteypipes."

Yelich one of 32 draft picks signed by Marlins

The Marlins signed first baseman/outfielder Christian Yelich, the 23rd overall pick in Major League Baseball's 2010 First-Year Player Draft, shortly before the midnight signing deadline Monday night.

Baseball America reported Yelich secured a $1.7 million signing bonus -- a little higher than the estimated slot bonus for the 23rd overall pick which was $1.26 million.

The Marlins signed all but four of their first 30 draft picks. The exceptions were fourth rounder Alvin Toles, an outfielder out of Sandy Creek HS in Fayetteville, Ga.; right-hander Randy LeBlanc (16th rounder) out of Covington High School in Abita Springs, La.; right-hander Blake Treinen (23rd rounder) out of South Dakota State University and catcher Charles Keefer (28th rounder) out of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

Yelich, 18, played for Westlake High School, CA and had committed to the University of Miami. A left-handed hitter and right-handed thrower, Yelich is currently listed at 6-4, 190-pounds.

The Marlins agreed to terms with 32 players draft picks and six free agents. They are listed below in the round they were taken.

1. Christian Yelich, OF, L/L, 6-4, 190, Westlake High, Westlake Village, CA
2. Robert Rasmussen, LHP, L/L, 5-10, 170, UCLA
3. Jacob Realmuto, INF, R/R, 6-1, 190, Carl Albert High, Midwest City, OK
5. Robert Morey, RHP, R/R, 6-1, 185, University of Virginia
6. Joseph Varner, RHP, R/R, 6-4, 200, University of Texas-Arlington
7. Mark Canha, OF, R/R, 6-2, 200, University of Cal-Berkley
8. Alan Oaks, RHP, R/R, 6-3, 200, University of Michigan
9. Austin Brice, RHP, R/R, 6-3, 185, Northwood High, Pittboro, N.C.
10. Aaron Senne, IF, L/L, 6-3, 200, University of Missouri
11. Grant Dayton, LHP, L/L, 6-2, 200, Auburn University
12. James Wooster, OF, L/L, 6-1, 200, Alvin CC, League City, TX
13. Kentrell Dewitt, OF, L/R, 5-11, 185, Southeastern CC, Green Sea, SC
14. Daniel Black, INF, L/R, 6-2, 170, University of Oklahoma
15. Ryan Fisher, OF, L/R, 6-3, 195, UC Irvine
17. Zachary Neal, RHP, R/R, 6-2, 210, University of Oklahoma
18. Corey Goudeau, RHP, R/R, 6-2, 190, Frank Phillips College, Amarillo, TX
19. Dallas Poulk, INF, L/R, 6-0, 175, N.C. State University
20. Alfredo Lopez, INF, R/R, 5-10, 160, Compton CC, Long Beach, CA
21. Kenneth Toves, LHP, L/L, 6-3, 210, University of New Mexico
22. Jeremy Heatley, RHP, R/R, 6-2, 215, University of Arkansas
24. Greggory Glime, C, S/R, 5-11, 210, Baylor University
25. Michael Ojala, RHP, 6-3, 195, Rice University
26. Todd Muecklisch, INF, R/R, 5-10, 175, Lewis-Clark State College, Auburn, WA
27. Brandon Cunniff, RHP, R/R, Cal. St.-San Bernardino
29. Viosergy Ross, INF, L/L, 6-3, 190, Odessa College, Bronx, NY
30 Zack Robertson, LHP, L/L 6-1, 215, University of Iowa
32. Edward Rodriguez, C, R/R, 6-1, 215, University of Oregon
36. Jared Rogers, RHP, R/R, 6-6, 190, Rice University
37. Christopher Squires, RHP, R/R, 6-2, 195, Indiana University
38. Forrest Moore, LHP, L/L, 6-2, 195, Mississippi State
45. Jeremy Weber, RHP, R/R, 6-5, 185, Chaffey College, Montclair, CA
48. James Wright, LHP, L/L, 6-2, 220, Orange Coast College, West Jordan, UT

Undrafted free agents signed
Kevin Cravey, RHP, R/R, 6-1, 180, Texas A&M
Aaron Dudley, C, L/R, 6-2, 205, University of Toledo
John Lambert, LHP, L/L, 6-6, 230, North Carolina State
Brian McConkey, 1B, L/R, 6-2, 210, UC Riverside
Scott Rembisz, RHP, R/R, 6-1, 215, FIU
Steven Stein, RHP, R/R, 6-0, 170, Western Oklahoma State

Marlins sign veteran infielder Chad Tracy

Hey fans,

Andre Fernandez filling in for Manny and Clark today. Here's some news on a move the Marlins made today:

   The Marlins signed free agent infielder Chad Tracy Thursday in
the hopes of adding depth at the third base position.

   Tracy, 30, was recently with the New York Yankees' Triple-A
affiliate, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, before being released last
week. Tracy began the season with the Cubs, and hit .250 in 28
games before being sent down to the minors. At Scranton, Tracy
hit .324 with six home runs and 18 RBI in 68 plate appearances.

   Tracy, a left-handed batter, spent six seasons with the
Diamondbacks and is a career .279 hitter.

   "I was sitting at home [in Charlotte] when the Marlins
called,'' Tracy said. "I didn't have any idea they'd call.
There's always possibilities all over the place and different
variables.''

   Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez said before Thursday's game
that Tracy will be used primarily off the bench, and should get
some playing time at third base.

   "This year, [while managing in the minors], I saw him when we
played the Cubs Triple-A team in Iowa,'' Marlins manager Edwin
Rodriguez said. "In that series, he had eight or nine hits. He's
a very good hitter. A good defender, playable at first or
third.''

   The move came a day after the Marlins optioned outfielder
Bryan Petersen and catcher Brad Davis to Triple-A New Orleans,
and activated catcher Brett Hayes from the disabled list.

   Tracy said he'd gladly conform to any role the Marlins give
him.

   "It's whatever I can do to help,'' Tracy said. "The reason I
left the Yankees was because I didn't want to play in minors
anymore. I'm happy to be back up.''

Two Marlins' minor leaguers suspended for PEDs

Baseball announced the suspension of five minor league pitchers Friday for the use of performance-enhancing drugs and a pair of 17-year old, right-handed Dominican minor league pitchers on the Marlins Dominican Summer League team were among them.

According to an email from the commissioner's office, Yeims Mendoza and Andy Parra will each serve 50-game suspensions for violating the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Mendoza, 0-1 with a 6.35 ERA in seven appearances, tested positive for a metabolite of Boldenone and metabolites of Nandrolone, while Parra (0-0 with a 4.26 ERA in four appearances including one start) tested positive for metabolites of Nandrolone.

On Thursday, commissioner Bud Selig implemented random blood testing for human growth hormone in the minor leagues, making baseball the first professional sports league in the United States to take the aggressive step against doping. The feeling in the Marlins clubhouse is split on whether or not it will ever make it to the big leagues.

"Eventually, I think it will," said third baseman Wes Helms, the player-rep to the union for the Marlins. "I know they are going to try to get testing as strong as possible and the only way to get it as strong as possible is to test for that.

"You want the fans out there knowing the guys putting up the big numbers are doing it clean. The only way to do that is to have a 100-percent, fool-proof test and to test for everything."

But not everyone in the clubhouse necessarily likes the way HGH testing is performed. Catcher John Baker said he thinks have blood drawn is intrusive. He prefers urine tests.

"I think you're going to have trouble convincing guys to give blood before they go out and compete before a game. I think it's something that will be talked about and discussed and debated. Is it good enough for the greater good to have somebody take blood out of my body before I play baseball."

"Honestly, I feel bad for the guys in the minor leagues because they've always been used as guinea pigs. They have no union and sometimes it feels like they have no rights. Sometimes you're tested for things in the minor leagues, you don't get tested for in the big leagues. Great example: Tobacco. How many people does tobacco kill a year? 450,000. We can use tobacco on the field in major league baseball. It's frowned upon, but nobody calls you on it. In the minor leagues, it's a $1,000 fine if you get caught using dip. It's another instance we have a lot more rights. I don't see the union using invasive testing, especially if it isn't accurate."

Manager Edwin Rodriguez, who has spent the last eight years in the Marlins farm system, said he's all for testing at the major league level. "Like it or not, I think baseball players are role models and we have to make sure to send the right message to the people out there," Rodriguez said."

Marlins dip into minors, shake up 'pen

A night after watching their bullpen implode in a loss to the Braves, the Marlins dipped into their minor league system Thursday afternoon to bring in some fresh blood.

Former first round pick Taylor Tankersley, a left-hander who pitched for the Marlins in 2008, and right-hander Jay Buente were called up from Triple A New Orleans to replace Renyel Pinto, who went on the 15-day disabled list with a left hip strain, and the struggling Burke Badenhop, who started the bullpen's six run, seventh inning Wednesday and fell to 0-5 with a 6.43 ERA.

The Hopper's demotion was inevitable considering how much he struggled this month. His sinker and slider simply weren't working the way it was in April when he had a 3.65 ERA and was still getting big outs. Badenhop posted a 10.38 ERA in eight appearances this month.

Pinto's loss might be celebrated by more than a few fans in the streets here in Miami. But aside from making things dramatic by walking and hitting a few guys this season, Pinto's numbers actually aren't bad. He had an 2.30 ERA in 19 appearances, 15 2/3 innings.

Tankersley was 3-2 with a 4.19 ERA in 20 games for the Zephyrs with 17 strikeouts and six walks. He was with the Marlins for 25 games two seasons ago and was 0-1 with a 8.15 ERA in 17 2/3 innings. He missed all of the 2009 season after having surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left elbow.

This is the first big league appearance, meanwhile, for Buente, a 26-year old former 14th round pick out of Purdue in the 2006 draft. He spent most of his fourth pro season last year between Double A Jacksonville and New Orleans, going 5-2 with a 3.14 ERA. He was 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 19 games in Triple A before this.

Utility man Mike Lamb, meanwhile, was also recalled from New Orleans to take the spot of outfield Bryan Peterson, who was sent down to Triple A Wednesday. Peterson was 1 for 16 in mostly pinch-hit appearances for the Marlins. Lamb was hitting .250 in 13 games for the Zephyrs. He was hitting .222 with only 3 RBI in 18 games when the Marlins first sent him down earlier this month.

We'll have more once the clubhouse opens.

> Today's lineup: 1. Chris Coghlan LF, 2. Gaby Sanchez 1B, 3. Hanley Ramirez SS, 4. Jorge Cantu 3B, 5. Dan Uggla 2B, 6. Cody Ross RF, 7. Ronny Paulino C, 8. Cameron Maybin CF, 9. Ricky Nolasco P.

Marlins sign Mientkiewicz to minor league deal

The Marlins signed veteran first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, a local product out of Westminster Christian School in Miami, to a minor league deal Wednesday afternoon. Jim Fleming, Marlins Vice President of Player Development and Scouting, said Mientkiwicz will start in Triple A New Orleans and was brought in as insurance should the Marlins need a veteran left-handed bat off the bench.

"He's a proven guy who has a lot of experience," Fleming said. "We have a lot of young, talented guys. But this gives us another option should we need it."

Mientkiewicz, 35, played in 20 games for the Dodgers last season and had only 20 plate appearances, going 6 for 18 (.333) with a double, three RBI and six strikeouts, before a shoulder injury sidelined him the rest of the year. He signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers in December, but quickly sought his release after being told he wouldn't make the team, and the Dodgers waited a week before granting it. He reportedly declined a chance to coach for Joe Torre, and later passed on Bret Boone's recruiting efforts for his independent league club according to Baseball America.

Mientkiewicz, who starred at Florida State and played on the same high school team as Alex Rodriguez, last played a full season in 2008 with the Pirates. He hit .277 with two homers and 30 RBI in 285 at-bats. He is a career .271 hitter and won a Gold Glove in 2001 with the Twins.

The Marlins of course have 22-year old talented first baseman Logan Morrison in their farm system, considered one of the Top 25 prospects in the game. Morrison, though, recently injured his shoulder and is rehabbing a bone bruise in Single A Jupiter.

"The MRI didn't show anything that required surgery," Fleming said. "He just needs some rehab work. We're thinking three weeks and he'll be back. In two weeks, he'll take some at-bats in the Gulf Coast League."

> Andrew Miller's career, meanwhile, continues to flounder. The 24-year old former first round pick acquired by the Marlins in the Miguel Cabrera trade from the Tigers is back down in Single A Jupiter after returning from a sprained ankle.

He was rocked in his first minor league start by the Palm Beach Cardinals on April 30. In 2 2/3 innings pitched, Miller gave up four hits, three earned runs and walked six despite striking out six. His ERA in Single A is 10.12. Fleming said the Marlins brought him to Jupiter so he could work closely on his delivery, something pitching Randy St. Claire tried tinkering with this spring but couldn't get Miller to correct enough.

"We're just trying to build him back up, help him get some command on his fastballs," Fleming said. "We're going to start there and hopefully build some consistency. There's really no timetable with him."

> Fleming said it is the same story with prized 20-year old outfielder Mike Stanton, who despite hitting .337 with 13 homers and 29 RBI in 26 games won't be leaving Jacksonville anytime soon. "There's no thought of moving him up to Triple A just yet," Fleming said. "We're being patient."

Fleming said Stanton isn't the only prospect playing well for the Suns. 

"Mike Stanton has really overshadowed what Ozzie Martinez has been doing," Fleming said of Martinez, a 21-year old shortstop from Puerto Rico. "He's hitting .375 and playing terrific defense for us. You also have Alejandro Sanabia. He is [2-0 with a 1.15 ERA] in five starts."

'Big Worm' wishes Marlins well in 2010

JACKSONVILLE -- Ricky Nolasco has had about as good a spring as any pitcher in baseball. In seven starts, he compiled a 1.94 ERA, went 4-0, struckout 30 batters and walked just one. In other words, he hardly made any mistakes -- and when he did he didn't really pay for them.

Friday night, though, 20-year old phenom Mike Stanton made sure Nolasco paid for his only mistake, tomahawking a high fastball well over the left field wall on the Baseball Grounds in Jacksonville. The first inning, two-run home run went an estimated 420-feet and landed close to a nearby service road behind the stadium. It drew a standing ovation from the crowd of 10,843 and blew away Nolasco, who couldn't believe Stanton actually caught up to the high fastball.

"As soon as I let it go, I didn't think he was going to swing," said Nolasco, who aside from the two-run homer continued his hot spring by tossing five scoreless innings, striking out seven and walking none. "I was surprised he got that ball. Unbelievable bat speed -- everybody knows that.

"He's a talented guy and we can't wait to have him up here. He's obviously something special. I think a lot of people are really happy to see him developing the way he is. The faster he gets here, the more he's going to help us. He's the exception -- superstar status."

Superstar in the making, yes. But major league superstar in 2010? Probably not. As giddy as Marlins President David Samson and President of Baseball Operations Larry Beinfest were just listening to Stanton crush balls during batting practice Friday, there certainly appears to be no rush whatsoever to get the "Big Worm" to the big leagues. 

When a Jacksonville reporter asked how long it would be before Stanton got the call-up, Beinfest answered him with a question. "How long would like him to stay?" Beinfest said. "He'll let us know. We like our outfield the way it's set up now with [Cody] Ross, [Cameron] Maybin and [Chris] Coghlan. It's only a matter of time. I don't know when that will be, but he'll show us."

The good news for the Marlins is that Stanton doesn't seem to be very anxious or demanding. Instead, he's rather respectful of the process. Asked if he was bothered by the fact he was sent down even though he was having a hot spring, Stanton said "not really." 

"That wasn't something I really even wanted to think about," Stanton said of making the team out of the spring. "I don't like to predict stuff. As long as it takes, whenever I'm ready, it will show enough. I'm not trying to be like 'In 30 days I better not be here.' The way I see it, anything can happen as long as you do the things you're supposed to."

That patience, humbleness and respect is definitely paying off in the Marlins clubhouse. After Friday's game, Stanton visited the Marlins and wished the club well in 2010. He also stopped by to visit a mentor. 

"He came over to say bye to [Wes] Helms, who kind of took him under his wing and showed him the ropes," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "He was with us the entire spring. There was definitely some bonding there."

The bonding didn't just happen with the Marlins. Dolphins boss Bill Parcells fell in love with Stanton too, and refers to him as Wormy. The nickname has stuck. Stanton said he's "cool with it." As long as people refer to him as the "Big Worm."

"He's the whole package," Beinfest said. "The way he handles himself is really impressive."

Stanton showing signs of growth

Dolphins boss Bill Parcells might think Mike Stanton is a little "too wormy" to play tight end in the NFL, but Marlins hitting coach Jim Presley likes Stanton just the way he is. And it's the stuff Pressley has begun seeing lately from the 20-year old outfielder that he says he really likes.

Stanton's two-run, opposite field home run that helped beat the Mets in 10 innings Friday is more of what Pressley said Stanton needs to do as he tries to work himself up to the big leagues. 

"He's going to hit his home runs, but I want him to become a better hitter with two strikes, man at second base and two outs and to drive that run in," Pressley said. "We saw that in Port St. Lucie. He's trying to move a guy over, but do it with authority and drive him in that way. That's what he did. He moved him over and in. That's a special player, special talent, unbelievable player."

Presley has seen a similar, special young talent before. When he was playing with the Mariners from 1984 to 1989, he watched Ken Griffey Jr. make his major league debut at 19. He said Junior is the only player he can think of when he compares Stanton's power to others he's seen in the game. Most figure Stanton will begin the year in Double A Jacksonville, where he'll continue to try and cut down on his strikeouts. But it may not be long before the Marlins feel comfortable about bringing Stanton up.

"He's going to have to learn how to hit in the big leagues," Presley said. "It's not like in Double A where they're going to throw him a hanging slider. They're going to throw him a 2-0 fastball, middle away. They're going to find ways to get him out and he's going to have to adapt to them the way they adapt to him. They're not just going to let him take 2-0, 1-0 swings and let him drive the ball. They're not going to do that. They already know he can hit the ball out of the ballpark. So, he's going to see a 2-0 slider, a 3-1 changeup. He's going to have to learn."

But can he do that? Can he cut down on the strikeouts and continue to drive the ball the opposite way? "Oh yeah. I think this kid is good enough where he can make that adjustment mentally," Presley said. "He's intelligent, he works at it and knows what he wants to do. He works constantly. He's so far ahead of the curb than a lot of guys... we know he can do it because of what he did the other day."

> For the record, Stanton still thinks he could make at least a pretty good college receiver. At Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High (Calif.), Stanton said he caught 14 touchdown passes his senior year and was timed running the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds. Former USC coach Pete Carroll, now with the Seahawks, was willing to let Stanton play baseball and football because he was such a talent. 

"I don't know if I could run a 4.5 now," Stanton said Saturday after meeting Parcells inside the Marlins clubhouse. "But I told him if he let me put some pads on I could impress him."

> I didn't get a chance to talk to Presley before I wrote my Sunday feature on Scott Cousins. But Presley seemed just as enthusiastic about him as he did the Marlins other young outfield prospects. 

"I see power, but I see a .300 hitter who is going to have 40 doubles, 20 home runs and play the heck out of whatever outfield position he's playing," Presley said. "He can run now and he does have juice. He can hit the ball the other way. He can defend and he can run. He's another guy that's going to have to learn how to play in the big leagues. But he has all the tools."  

- CODY UPDATE: Outfielder Cody Ross, who has been resting a swollen right thumb he injured during batting practice, told reporters his batting practice session went well and he expects to play Monday against the Mets. Ross played Thursday against the Nationals and is 0-for-2 in his only spring at-bats.

- HENSLEY IMPRESSES: Clay Hensley hasn't pitched in the major leagues in two seasons. But if he keeps pitching the way he did Saturday it might not be long before he does again. The 30-year old right hander, who spent 2009 in Triple A New Orleans after being acquired by the Padres, tossed three scoreless innings against the Cardinals, striking out four. 

He also impressed manager Fredi Gonzalez. "He's got three or four pitches and he commands all of them," Gonzalez said Saturday after the Marlins 6-5 10-inning win. "He knows how to pitch. He's an interesting guy. He really is. He can do whatever. He can be a long guy, or he can be a sixth starter, if he doesn't make the club out of spring. He can be a guy in Triple-A, and you don't worry about him coming up.

- SECOND TIME AROUND: Marlins starters will begin making their second appearances of the spring Monday with a pair of split squad games. 

Ricky Nolasco, who tossed two scoreless innings against the University of Miami in an exhibition last Wednesday, will pitch in Viera against the Nationals. Ryan Tucker, who gave up two runs on five hits to UM in 1 2/3 innings, will try to regroup against the visiting Mets.

Gonzalez said the pitch count for starters will increase to about 50 pitches and three innings this week. Gonzalez said he plans to stay in Jupiter to watch Tucker pitch. Pitching coach Randy St. Claire will travel to Viera to see Nolasco. 

Anibal Sanchez and Rick VandenHurk are scheduled to pitch Tuesday against Boston. Chris Volstad and Hayden Penn are lined up to pitch in Kissimmee Wednesday against the Astros.

The tentative lineups for Monday...

vs. Nationals (in Viera): 1. Coghlan LF, 2. Maybin CF; 3. Morrison 1B; 4. Cantu 3B; 5. Paulino C; 6. Peterson RF; 7. Luna 2B; 8. Bonifacio SS; 9. Nolasco P.
vs. Mets (in Jupiter): 1. Cousin LF; 2. Jimenez 3B; 3. Ramirez SS; 4. Uggla 2B; 5. Sanchez 1B; 6. Miller CF; 7. Carroll RF; 8. Davis C; 9. Tucker P.

Stan Meek breaks down Marlins draft

Stan Meek, Director of Scouting for the Marlins, spoke on a teleconference with us after Thursday's game to wrap up the draft. Here's what he said.

Q: What were the needs and did you feel you met them?
"We thought we needed to add some pitching to the organization. We've had some young guys graduate to the major leagues and we felt like we were starting to thin out a little bit with the pitching. We focused on some pitching, although our philosophy has always been to try to take the best player as we go. But if it's close, we worked on some pitching. And we felt like we added some high school pitching in the top 10 rounds and we added some college pitching from 10 on."

Q: Can you talk about each of the top picks and how you think they could help the organization?
On first round pick, left-hander Chad James: "Is a power left-hander, great body kid. He's 6-4, 205 and three-pitch guy. We think he has a chance to be at the least a middle of the rotation starter. He's got a good arm, he's a young kid. We like everything about him."

On second round pick, right-hander Bryan Bergland: "Is a kid that is a projection right-hander. But he can still go up to 94 [miles per hour] at times. Really good solid slider, three pitch guy. Athletic. Intelligent. A real good strike thrower now which is a plus for a high school kid. We liked everything about him."

On third round pick, outfielder Marquis Cooper: "Cooper is a speed player, center fielder. An 80 runner, a top of the scale type runner. An athlete at a premium position. We felt he was a good fit."

On fourth round pick, right-hander Daniel Mahoney: "Mahoney, a right-hander, pitched out of the bullpen at the University of Connecticut. We think he might be able to start. He's a big power guy, but he does have three pitches. He did not throw a ton of innings for them. But we like everything about his upside. We like his makeup."

On fifth round pick, infielder Chase Austin: "Austin is an athlete that has actually played all three spots in the infield -- second, short and third. He hit 23 home runs. He's a solid athletic player that can fit in the middle of your field. And we felt that was a good fit for us to."

Q: How many players do you think you will sign?
‘‘I'd say your looking at half maybe. We take a lot of guys that we think are summer-type follows. The way the draft is setup now, with not being able to control the rights, we'll take guys down in the draft that we want to watch more in the summer, that maybe weren't quite ready to go out. We have their rights until August 15th. Maybe we'll sign two or three of those guys."

Q: Are there any players we could see this season?
‘‘No. I don't think so. Especially with the top two guys being high school guys. Both of them should follow that type of path like [Sean] West where they get there in that type of time frame. I think the upside is what we'd like to have happen. The college guys, I don't see any guys that would be up to that.

Q: Do you feel you could sign James soon?
‘‘No. But we're working on it. We've talked to their advisor and we think everything is going ok. It takes a little time. We know there are a lot of good relationships, being from Oklahoma and knowing them. Hopefully we'll get it done in a relatively short time."