Brewers draft pick

Jun. 05, 2008

4:00 a.m.

With the 16th pick in the draft, the Brewers selected a catcher from Canada, Brett Lawrie.

He's spent time playing with the Canadian National Team and therefore has experience with a wood bat. One ESPN analyst said Lawrie had one of the best pure bats available in the draft.

The Canadian National Team played their way through the Spring Training leagues this year and Lawrie went 21-30 at the bat, with a few extra base hits against major league starting pitchers.

Some info on Lawrie from the Web:

<a href="http://baseballanalysts.com/archives/2008/06/brett_lawrie.php">2008 Draft Day Spotlight: Brett Lawrie</a>

By Marc Hulet

Canadian high school hitter Brett Lawrie has been on fire as the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft approaches on June 5. He recently hit .486 (17-for-35) on Team Canada's national junior team's spring tour in the Dominican Republic, while playing against Major League Baseball Dominican Summer League teams. Lawrie had eight homers and 24 RBIs in total and was the talk of the baseball draft world after hitting five home runs in one day during a doubleheader last week. He sprayed the homers from foul pole to foul pole.

Thanks to the timely hitting, Lawrie may be selected within the first 15 picks of the draft, and is easily considered the top draft-eligible amateur in Canada. According to Baseball America, Lawrie possesses one of the most pro-ready bats amongst the prep ranks in North America.

Lawrie returned to North America from the Dominican Republic on Friday night. He took time out of his increasingly busy schedule to speak with Baseball Analysts from a hotel suite in Minnesota.

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...

MH: Now, you’re committed to Arizona State, right?

Lawrie: Yup, Arizona State University.

MH: What attracted you to that college program?

Lawrie: Well, I’ve been to Arizona a number of times with my Langley Blaze team that I play with back home. I’ve had a chance to see the campus and I’ve gotten a tour. I’ve been all around and seen the campus, the field and the facilities. I’ve trained there in the off-season. It just felt right; you get that sort of feeling in your stomach that it’s right. In my mind, and in my family’s... we made a decision that it worked for me. So I signed the [letter of intent] and away we go.

MH: Do you have a preference right now, whether to go pro or go to college?

Lawrie: Yeah, my preference right now, obviously, is to go in the draft… but if something doesn’t go right college is a good back-up plan. But as of right now, I am 100 percent on the draft.

MH: What is the most attractive reason, for you, to go pro now?

Lawrie: I know I can hit over .400 against those guys when I’m 15, so who says I’m not going to do it when I’m 20, you know? I can play with those guys; I know I can. On almost every trip I’ve hit over .400 against them. Not much is going to change. I’m just playing and trying not to do too much… I’m just having fun.

...

MH: I’ve read a lot of scouts' opinions about your ability. Everyone is enamored with your bat, obviously. But there are questions about your defensive abilities and lack of a position. Do you have a preference where you would like to play? Lawrie: Yeah, I can play the infield… I’ve played it with Team Canada. I can play second base, I can play the outfield; I can play anywhere and I’m really versatile. I can play third base real well. I’ve challenged myself in the last little bit with catching. As of right now I’m a catcher and I want to always have the ball in my hand. It’s been great. I’ve been able to control the pitchers and have a good relationship with them on Team Canada. I’m having fun and I want to catch. MH: Do you have any specific career goals at this point, aside from playing professional baseball? Lawrie: I really don’t. All I want to do is play in the big leagues and I want to get there as quick as I can. I don’t plan on staying in the minors for five years. I plan on doing it in a year-and-a-half. MH: Wow

...

MH: Let’s write a scouting report on Brett Lawrie. What do you think are your strengths as a baseball player? Lawrie: I have the ability to be the spark on a team, whether it’s a line drive into the gap, a home run or something like that. I think I have a really good feel for the clubhouse and I like to mess around with the guys… I’m a good teammate and I can pick guys up when they’re down. I know when it’s time to get serious. My bat, though, is obviously going to carry me. MH: What part of your game needs the most work to get to that next level and to make it to the major leagues? Lawrie: I guess consistency. It’s important to have the right mind set and attitude day-in-and-day-out…

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...MH: I have one more question for you… and it might be a tough one so take your time. Why should a Major League Baseball club use its No. 1 pick on Brett Lawrie? Lawrie: A team should use its No. 1 pick on me because I think I have that spark. I look at Dustin Pedroia as an example. He is the clubhouse. From what I’ve heard from all the other big league guys, he’s the spark in that clubhouse. I can see myself being that guy too. I know I can get it done and I have the tools, the abilities and the right mindset. I have a good head on my shoulders and I think I can help a ball team win. In the end it is about winning and good team chemistry helps you win a ring.

__________________

<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20080604/ca_pr_on_ba/bbl_draft_cdns_1">From Yahoo Canada Sports</a>

Brett Lawrie's stock is soaring as the baseball draft approaches, to the point where he's now virtually assured of becoming just the sixth Canadian ever selected in the first round. The hard-hitting 18-year-old from Langley, B.C., was projected to be a third-rounder before the season started, maybe even a second-rounder. But by demolishing professional pitching all spring with wood bats, including eight homers in eight games on the national junior team's recent tour of the <span style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1212611709_0">Dominican Republic, Lawrie might even crack the top-10 when teams get down to business Thursday afternoon. "I'm getting relatively antsy," Lawrie said in an interview in New York after a final day of private workouts for interested clubs. "Basically the past five months have been crazy with Team Canada, playing in Florida and the trip to the Dominican. Who knows where I'd be if I didn't do good in the Dominican right now. "It's just been a wild ride and it's been real fun." The highest a Canadian position player has ever gone in the draft was 27th, when the San Diego Padres took shortstop Kevin Nicholson in 1997. The Atlanta Braves used the 30th pick in 2000 to select infielder Scott Thorman. More recently, Canadian pitchers have been feeling the love, especially in the 2002 draft, when the Baltimore Orioles selected Adam Loewen fourth overall and the Colorado Rockies snagged Jeff Francis at No. 9. Last year, Phillipe Aumont was chosen 11th overall by the Seattle Mariners, and if Lawrie goes in the first round, it would mark the first time Canadians have been picked in the first round two years in a row. "It's been real crazy," Lawrie said of his meteoric rise. "It's been fun, I've soaked everything up and it's been a wild ride and a great opportunity to represent Canada and represent myself." Lawrie is by far the class the Canadian crop this season, although there's a solid group of players projected to go somewhere between Rounds 5-20. They include outfielders Marcus Knecht of Toronto, Mike Crouse of Port Moody, B.C., and Lionel Morill of Edmonton, plus pitchers Jordan Meaker of Burlington, Ont., Stosh Wawrzasek of Langley, J.R. Robinson of Burnaby, B.C., and Andrew Albers of North Battleford, Sask. "This is a different draft for Canada," said a Canadian-based scout. "Normally it's pitcher dominated, this year there are a lot of strong position players, which is rare. They're harder to find." Especially a talent like Lawrie. Scouts rave about his raw power and some believe he may be the most advanced hitter at age 18 in the country's history. But it's the intangibles that really seem to set him apart, what one described as "the ridiculous fearlessness" he shows on the field and a relentless competitive drive to dominate. "You could put this kid in a stadium with 50,000 people and tell him he's facing <span style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1212611709_9">Josh Beckett tomorrow and he'd smile and think, 'I'm going to get Josh Beckett,"' said one executive who has watched Lawrie play extensively. "At this point he probably won't but he'll go up there, not be intimidated, take his swings and look good doing it. He's got no fear. Period." Added another scout from a team thinking of drafting Lawrie: "He's consistently hit at a high level the past three years. He's definitely got good raw power and the ability to make consistent contact. His bat is very advanced." So advanced, in fact, that he's being considered for Canada's Olympic roster. Teams believed to have shown a significant interest in drafting him include: Cincinnati (seventh), Oakland (12th), Minnesota (14th), Milwaukee (16th), Toronto (17th) and the Cubs (19th). A mock draft on <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/cpress/ca_pr_on_ba/storytext/bbl_draft_cdns/27748562/SIG=10grd5o7j/*http://MLB.com">MLB.com</a> suggests the Brewers will snag him at 16th, but there's usually a surprise or two on draft day. Perhaps the only significant question about Lawrie is what position he'll end up playing, something likely to be determined by organizational need. He's been focused this season on catching, which puts his meal-ticket bat at a premium defensive position, but can also play second, third and left field. The six-foot-one, 180-pounder is hoping to follow in the footsteps of all-star Canadian catcher Russ Martin of the L.A. Dodgers, who also started out at third base before moving behind the plate. "I like to model my game around him," said Lawrie. "He didn't start catching until he was coming right out of junior college and I've challenged myself. I can play a number of positions, third base real well, I can play second, the outfield, and I didn't want to limit myself to one position. "I felt that if I could go behind the plate and really challenge myself, I may have higher stock in the draft and I love it back there, just being in control, you're the guy in command back there. "(Martin) is not a big guy and he goes after it hard, just like me." The scout from the team considering taking Lawrie believes he can play "anywhere he wants," but the Canadian-based scout isn't sure catcher is where his future lies. "His bat is what's going to carry him to the big leagues," he said. "I don't know if the risk-reward of him catching, what it could cost him in offence and speed, is worth it. He can be an all-star at second or third or left field." While catching is Lawrie's preference right now, it's not the be-all, end-all for him. He's got home runs to hit in the big leagues, after all. "I do want to end up catching, hopefully the team gives me a chance," he said. "But whatever's the quickest way to the big leagues, I just want to get there and stick and live my life. If catching is the route it's destined to be, it'll be a fun ride."