Marines Wrap Up Busy Day

In what was referred to by Joe as the "Colorado Springs round" of the draft, the Marines drafted 4 times over the course of the afternoon and into the evening. The Marines had five names in mind at the start of the day, and they came out with four.

#101 – Sean West - The day began with Marlins prospect Sean West coming on board. Though sporting an utterly abysmal 2009 card, the Marines decided at #101 to nab the 6'10 southpaw, hoping for some of that 1st round talent to start creeping out as early as 2010. With West going as early as 30th overall in some leagues, the Marines found his potential impossible to pass up and are happy to welcome him to Colorado.

#110 – Eric Young Jr. - Though already bolstered at second base with the addition of Dan Uggla, the Marines opted to grab the local speedster that GM Eric Posch has had the privilege of seeing twice while playing for the Rockies AAA team. "He was a treat to watch when I saw him," Posch said. "Between his solid contact ability, a great eye and unbelievable speed [87, 73, 46, 58 SBs over the last four years in the minors], he was too much to pass up at this point in the draft." The Marines hope that despite the Rockies signing of Melvin Mora that Young will get an opportunity to earn some at bats at the major league level.

#115 – Conor Jackson - After posting years of consistent .300 averages with great on base ability and some pop, Conor missed the bulk of the 2009 season with sickness and was sub-par while he was playing. Regarding Jackson's 2009 bout with valley fever as a fluke, the Marines drafted him with their third pick of the day. "With Matsui a question mark for 2010, Conor is a big addition for us," Posch stated afterward. "He's going to be a huge factor next season."

#117 – Michael Saunders - With their final pick of the round, the Marines opted to strengthen the depth of what is already a deep outfield. "The two outfield prospects we were interested in (Schafer being the other) both fell to this point," Posch commented. "Although the outfield was not a huge priority coming into this draft, I decided for the best-player over need approach for this pick." When asked what caused him to choose the Mariners 2nd ranked prospect over the highly touted, toolsy Atlanta outfielder, Posch replied, "We liked that Saunders had proven success above AA. While Schafer harbors a ton of talent, he seems a lot more raw, and in a situation where we've got a stacked system and only 20 keepers each year, we wanted the more developed player." He later noted that he likely would not pursue Schafer with a later pick, but added that under the right circumstances, anything is possible.

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Once again, the Marines targeted youth and establishing a deep system over the players that could help them most in 2010. Their decisions and gambles can only be properly reviewed this time next year and beyond, but for what it's worth, the Marines are pleased with the crop of young, high-upside players they've amassed thus far.