DUGOUT: Arizona focuses on arms in 2010 Draft

When Barret Loux was announced as the first-round selection of the Arizona Diamondbacks last week, most Arizona fans were none too pleased with their team.

Instead of drafting a potential ace with their sixth overall pick, the Diamondbacks left plenty of talent on the board and chose a pitcher who could, at best, be a middle-of-the-rotation starting pitcher.

Many draft experts predicted Loux to be a second- or even third-round selection, and the fact that Arizoan took him in the upper half of the first round was irritating at the time.

In reality, the Diamondback’s selection of Loux will save them hundreds of thousands of dollars that they will use to sign the plethora of high-reward players they drafted in the later rounds who will command a large bonus.

By “skimping” in the first round, Arizona has the financial resources to sign several above-average prospects.

But, the thing is, Loux is hardly a mediocre prospect. He might not have been the sixth-best player available, but thanks to his collegiate career at Texas A&M, he was one of the most polished pitchers available in the draft.

His ceiling is extremely high, as well. At worst, Loux will fill the back end of a big-league rotation in as little as two years.

Most of the remaining rounds were spent gathering collegiate and prep arms. The first eight Arizona picks were pitchers, half of which were teenagers out of high-school.

The Diamondbacks’ second-round pick -- J.R. Bradley, a right-hander out of a West Virginia high school -- is tall and wiry and should be able to push his velocity into the mid-90s.

A pick Arizona fans should be excited about, though, is right-handed reliever Kevin Munson, out of James Madison University.

Munson spent three years as the closer of his Virginia college team and has a very polished fastball/slider duo that is nearly major-league ready. He probably won’t stay a closer in the majors, but he could be a reliable set-up man in Arizona’s bullpen as soon as next season.

The Diamondbacks will have a lot of trouble convincing both eighth-rounder righty Tyler Green and 13th-rounder lefty Kevin Ziomek to sign professional contracts, as they are committed to TCU and Vanderbilt, respectfully.

This is where the money Arizona saved by picking Loux in the first round will come in handy.

Both Green and Ziomek have the potential to be excellent baseball players, but most teams passed on them because they didn’t want to dole out the money that would keep them from entering college baseball.

Last year, the Diamondbacks spent the majority of their draft on bats. This year, by drafting many projectable arms, Arizona has given plenty of attention to an immediate need: Their rotation and bullpen.

As expected, 17-year old Bryce Harper was selected first overall by the Washington Nationals.

One of the most hyped high school prospects in baseball history, Harper skipped his final two years of high school by taking the GED test in order to play with the local junior college team (playing with wood bats, which will do wonders in eliminating the transition time he will require).

Against opponents two or three years his senior, Harper hit .443/.526/.987 (BA/OBP/SLG) with 31 home runs in 66 collegiate games this season.

Although he’s just 17, Harper has enough raw power to make nearly every major leaguer jealous. On the 20-80 scouting scale, Harper’s power is a clear 80. His arm strength (he can hit 93 mph from the mound) is a solid 70 and both his pure hitting ability and plate discipline are also top-notch.

Selecting Harper first overall was hardly an unexpected move from the Nationals, though drafting him as an outfielder was a surprise.

Harper’s arm strength has always played well behind the plate, but at the major-league level, his defense would be a liability.

Moving him to the outfield is probably a smart choice, as it would give Harper a chance to show off his strong arm and focus on developing his plate presence instead of working on his defensive footwork behind the plate.

Personally, I don’t see Harper living up to the hype that has been created for him. Since being crowed “Baseball’s LeBron” by Sports Illustrated, nothing but perfection has been expected from Harper.

The kid hasn’t dealt with failure at any level in his life, and it’s impossible to know how he will handle his first professional slump.

There are also reports of Harper being extremely arrogant and self-centered, which will need to change if he wants to succeed on the biggest stage.

But Washington had no choice but to draft Harper, regardless of the bonus he will demand.

Although their 2009 first-round selection, Stephen Strasburg, has lived up to the hype so far in his short major-league career, Harper is still many, many years away from ever stepping into a major-league stadium. He has a long way to go.

There were rumors that the Pittsburgh Pirates would pass on Jameson Taillon with their second overall pick because they wouldn’t be willing to shell out the money the high-school right-hander would demand.

Taillon was widely considered the second-best talent available in the draft, behind Harper, though his price tag might not make him worth picking. Pittsburgh bit the bullet, though, and selected the prep pitcher out of Texas with their first-round pick.

Taillon can hit 97-98 mph on most radar guns, and has one of the best fastball/slider combinations in the draft. His changeup is also very good, and he has clear “ace” potential.

Taillon will take several years to develop and groom, but he could be the ace the Pirates need.

A few weeks ago, I noted that the one thing Pittsburgh needed to do in order to become more competitive was spend more money. By drafting Taillon despite his signability concerns, the Pirates are giving their fan base a clear message: They won’t settle for losing records any longer.

Andrew Kneeland is a student at the Arizona Virtual Academy. He is an intern at the Green� Valley� News.