more draft notes

Plenty more former Cape Leaguers got drafted on the first day, but a handful of players who are on 2008 rosters also had their names called. Based on how these things usually go, some of them will sign immediately, some will head to the Cape to gain some leverage and some will head to the Cape with the intention of going back to school.

Braeden Schlehuber – C – Southern Nevada – Yarmouth-Dennis
Schlehuber, a JUCO player who’s an Arkansas signee, got picked in the third round by the Braves. According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Schlehuber plans to sign.

Catcher Braeden Schlehuber of the College of Southern Nevada said he already has agreed to sign with the Atlanta Braves, who picked him the fourth round. “They’re going to pay for my schooling, and it’s a good opportunity I can’t pass up right now,” Schlehuber said. “When you’re a little kid you always want to be a professional baseball player, especially when you get the kind of opportunity I got today.”

Jason Kipnis – OF – Arizona State – Cotuit
Kipnis was draft-eligibile because he redshirted his first year at Kentucky before transferring to Arizona State. The Padres made him a third-round pick, even though this season was really the first where Kipnis shined.

Greg Miclat – INF – Virginia – Yarmouth-Dennis
Miclat, coming off his junior year, was a fourth-round pick of the Orioles. From The Charlottesville Daily Progress:

“They said they really like me and they know what it is going to take to sign me. They drafted me regardless of my [price tag], and they want to get something worked out as soon as possible.” Miclat has leverage and could report to the Cape Cod League later this month if a deal seems unlikely.

Cole Figueroa – SS – Florida – Orleans
Figueroa was picked in the sixth round by the Padres. He’s only a rising junior, but he’s draft-eligible because he turns 21 this summer. Originally, Figueroa, who played for Harwich last year, wasn’t on a Cape League roster. He was recently added in Orleans. I don’t have any inside info, but I could definitely see Figueroa heading back to school. He thought he might go in the first three rounds. The sixth round isn’t significantly better than the ninth round, which is where he was drafted out of high school.

Ryan Lavarnway – C/OF – Yale – Hyannis
Lavarnway was taken in the sixth round by the Red Sox. He’s a pure hitter who may not be able to stay at catcher. But it sounds like the Cape is in his plans. This, from Baseball America:

Yale catcher Lavarnway could have gone as high as the fourth round if he hadn’t broken his wrist on a play at home plate late in the spring. He’s a hitting machine with power and a big league approach who led the nation in batting as a sophomore (.467). He has a big, physical frame and should have enough mobility and power to man a corner outfield spot if he can’t stay behind the plate. That move is not a foregone conclusion, however; he didn’t start catching until college and shows decent hands and arm strength, but he needs to improve his mobility and transfer. It’s never easy to buy a junior out of an Ivy League school, and it will be even harder with Lavarnway, who could return for his senior year and boost his stock significantly with a healthy spring. But if Lavarnway has a strong, healthy summer in the Cape Cod League, the Red Sox could shell out for him prior to the Aug. 15 signing deadline.

RELATED POSTS