Written by Amit Lal
| 05 May 2010
The Diamondbacks had a very strong draft in 2009, and most of their top picks are playing very well in the 2010 season. Most of the organization's top players drafted out of high school are playing for the Class A South Bend Silver Hawks in the Midwest League, while some of the more advanced college hitters have started with High A Visalia in the California League. Here's a quick update on some of the 2009 draft picks.
| Player
|
Tm |
AB |
R |
H |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
OBP |
SLG |
| Bobby Borchering |
SB |
95 |
13 |
25 |
3 |
16 |
0 |
.263 |
.321 |
.442 |
Bobby Borchering was the team's first pick in the 2009 draft, and #16 Overall. He was just named the Midwest League Hitter of the Week after going 9 for 21 (.429) with 3 HR and 5 RBI. Borchering, a switch-hitter, homered twice from the right side and once batting left-handed. After a slow start, Borchering seems to have found his swing.
| Player
|
Tm |
AB |
R |
H |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
OBP |
SLG |
| Matt Davidson |
SB |
99 |
12 |
37 |
3 |
17 |
0 |
.374 |
.406 |
.586 |
Matthew Davidson was a compensation pick between the 1st and 2nd Rounds, #35 overall. Davidson had his best game of the year on Tuesday night, slugging 2 HR and driving in 4 in a 7-5 win over the Lansing Lugnuts. Davidson is tied for the team lead in HR with 3, and leads the club with 17 RBI. He is ranked in the Top 5 in the Midwest League in both SLG and OPS, and it's worth noting that all of the players ranked ahead of Davidson are 21 or 22, while Davidson is still only 19. One troubling stat - Davidson has struck out 26 times and only walked once.
Others for South Bend
| Player |
Tm |
AB |
R |
H |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
OBP |
SLG |
| Chris Owings |
SB |
95 |
19 |
31 |
1 |
11 |
0 |
.326 |
.356 |
.484 |
| Keon Broxton |
SB |
94 |
13 |
22 |
1 |
8 |
2 |
.234 |
.301 |
.426 |
| David Nick |
SB |
92 |
7 |
25 |
1 |
8 |
2 |
.272 |
.337 |
.402 |
Chris Owings was another compensation pick in the 2009 draft, #41 Overall. Owings has been playing SS for the Silver Hawks, and could move up to Visalia after last week's trade of SS Reynaldo Navarro.
Keon Broxton was a 3rd Round pick, and has already hit 6 triples in the first 24 games, but has also struck out a team high 33 times.
David Nick was a 4th Round pick, and has been the primary 2nd Baseman for South Bend.
| Player
|
Tm |
AB |
R |
H |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
OBP |
SLG |
| Marc Krauss |
VIS |
85 |
22 |
29 |
4 |
12 |
0 |
.341 |
.417 |
.588 |
Marc Krauss was a 2nd Round pick in the 2009 draft, and is among the league leaders in several categories in the California League, including his OPS of 1.005, which ranks 7th. Krauss leads Visalia in HR, RBI, SLG, and OPS.
| Player |
Tm |
AB |
R |
H |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
OBP |
SLG |
| Ryan Wheeler |
VIS |
100 |
9 |
30 |
1 |
11 |
1 |
.300 |
.358 |
.430 |
Ryan Wheeler was a 5th Round pick in the 2009 draft, and had impressed with an OPS around 1.000 in 72 games for Yakima (Northwest League) and South Bend in 2009. This year, Wheeler started off slowly, but has now pulled his average up to .300.
Pitchers
| Pitcher |
Tm |
W |
L |
IP |
H |
ER |
BB |
SO |
ERA |
WHIP |
| Eric Smith |
SB |
3 |
1 |
29.0 |
20 |
6 |
4 |
18 |
1.86 |
0.828 |
| Charles Brewer |
SB |
2 |
2 |
26.1 |
22 |
6 |
6 |
28 |
2.05 |
1.063 |
| Michael Belfiore |
SB |
1 |
2 |
28.1 |
23 |
11 |
13 |
25 |
3.49 |
1.271 |
| Chase Anderson |
SB |
1 |
3 |
25.1 |
24 |
9 |
8 |
21 |
3.20 |
1.263 |
The South Bend rotation has 4 pitchers taken in the 2009 draft.
Michael Belfiore was a compensation pick (#45),
Eric Smith was a 2nd Rounder (#60),
Chase Anderson was picked in the 9th Round, and
Charles Brewer was a 12th Round selection. All 4 are either 21 or 22 years old, and have had good success in their first full pro season.
Eric Smith recently had a 23 inning scoreless streak, while
Charles Brewer leads the club in strikeouts.
