June 8, 2007
Draft may yield talent for Oaks
By Andrew Bettencourt
Hopes of watching local guy Beau Mills spending the summer wearing a Visalia Oaks uniform were dealt a harsh blow when the Arizona Diamondbacks nabbed flame-throwing high school pitcher Jarrod Parker with the ninth overall pick in the first round of Thursday's Major League Baseball draft.
Those hopes were squashed for good less than a half-hour later, when the Cleveland Indians picked up Mills, the 2004 Times-Delta/Advance-Register Tulare County Player of the Year out of Golden West High School, with the 13th overall selection.
Even with no shot at Mills helping out the Oaks' lineup, there is a good chance that the Diamondbacks will send some of their top talent from Thursday's draft picks to Visalia at some point over the summer.Parker won't be an option. Although he was considered one of top pitchers in the draft by Baseball America, Parker probably won't be considered for a roster spot on the Diamondbacks' California League affiliate until next spring at the earliest.
The two best possibilities to play for the Oaks at some point this season are pitcher Wesley Roemer and catcher Edward Easley, the Diamondbacks' two first-round supplemental picks.
Roemer, a right-handed pitcher out of Cal State Fullerton, was the 50th overall pick and was a preseason first-team All-American by Baseball America.
His stuff isn't considered exceptional — 88-91 mph fastball, above-average slider — but his command is. He had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 8 to 1. Projected to be a set-up man at the major league level, he is expected to start in the minors.
Easley won't be confused with Ivan Rodriguez defensively, but he was one of the top hitting catchers in the draft. The Mississippi State product hit .367 this year with 12 home runs and 61 RBIs.
The chances for Easley to land in Visalia increased greatly with the injury suffered by Oaks catcher John Hester on Wednesday. Hester fractured his skull behind his right ear when he was hit by a line drive while in the Oaks' dugout.
Another possible quality arm that could be added to the Oaks pitching staff is Barry Enright, the Diamondbacks' second-round pick (No. 73 overall). Enright was tabbed as the 78th best prospect in the draft by Baseball America, and he's a mirror-image of Roemer — average stuff, great command.