Chuck Hixson of Scout.com wrote about the Phillies 2009 draft possibilities. They’re not promising. While the execution of the piece is off (you’re always taking a chance no matter when you draft), the crux is correct: The Phillies will have a difficult time finding impact players in the draft because they don’t pick until the 80th overall pick.
For those scoring at home, by signing Type A free agent Raul Ibanez, the Phillies lost their first round draft pick. And by not offering Pat Burrell arbitration, they lost a possible first-round pick.
So now the Phils start at No. 80. It doesn’t quite help the future of the franchise, which will need to be thought about once 2012 rolls around. That’s why the 2009 draft is important – a player or two from that draft could be major league ready by 2012. If anything, the Phillies will have to think about opening their draft with college-graduated players who can work through the system quickly. They won’t have to think about signing above slot – they paid draftees much more in 2008 than ever (like with first rounder Anthony Hewitt), breaking slot a few times. So while the ’09 strategy seems to be conservative in setup, the Phils will need to think aggressively when their time comes, or else the future will have yet more glaring holes.
Tim MalcolmTim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.
