MLB Draft

Apparently the MLB Draft was today since there is an article on ESPN.com stating that the Mariners selected another big, hard throwing pitcher who is probably going to get injured and never make it to the big leagues, like most of the big, hard throwing pitchers we seem to be in love with. The twist this time is that this is a kid from Canada, where they are known for their quality hockey players, but I'm not sure any of my readers could name a Canadian baseball player (or football player for that matter) off the top of their head. I do remember that there was that one guy who I think played a couple games for Detroit last year, but I can't remember what position.

But I digress. This particular guy is a 6'7" 225 pounder with a 96 mph fast ball named Phillippe Aumont. Of course the Mariners were thrilled and shocked that he dropped all the way to their spot in the draft (11th this year) just like they are every year. It doesn't matter who it is, it's always the same story, "we couldn't believe he was still available". Anyway, he's 18, and they claim he is about the same level as a junior college player, or a rookie level minor leaguer. I would guess we'll see him in spring training in about 2 years, and probably in Tacoma shortly after that. The Mariners have really been rushing guys through the minors since Bavasi took over, so there's the chance that if he's still healthy in 2-3 years, we might start hearing talk of calling him up.

The one other interesting tidbit mentioned down at the end of the article is that the Mariners drafted Denny Almonte in the 4th round. For the briefest of moments after reading that, I thought they had picked up Danny Almonte, the kid who lied about his age to throw a perfect game in the little league world series a few years back. No dice though.