Now that the exciting action of MLB's amateur draft has completed it's first round, it's time to take a look at our country's next millionaires. Here's a quick glance at the first round selections by the teams of the AL Central.
Kansas City Royals (3) Eric Hosmer, 1B, American Heritage (Fla) H.S.: Picking this early in the draft is nothing new for the Royals, as they've had a top six pick in six of the last seven drafts. They've spent a lot of those picks on position players, as they've only chosen one pitcher (
Luke Hochevar) with their first pick in the last four years. Well, considering that the Royals currently have the lowest scoring offense in baseball, and have hit the least amount of home runs, it's no shock that they went after a player with a lot of power in his bat. It's been said the left-handed hitting Hosmer has more raw power than any other player taken in the first round, and he can use that power to go to the opposite field just as easily as pulling the ball. Some wonder if he'll be a first baseman in the Majors, though, as he does have a very strong throwing arm, and may eventually be moved to the outfield.
Chicago White Sox (8) Gordon Beckham, SS, Georgia: After all the trades
Kenny Williams has made the last few seasons, the White Sox farm system has been left pretty bare, especially in the middle infield. That's why the Sox had to be ecstatic when Beckham fell to them at the 8th spot. Beckham can play both shortstop and second, though he'll probably stay at short, and he can swing the bat as well. He hit .307/.505/.781 for the Bulldogs this season, and according to ESPN's
Keith Law, he'll be the best prospect in the White Sox organization the second he signs his contract. Considering that
Orlando Cabrera doesn't plan on sticking around in Chicago after this season, and the team is never happy with
Juan Uribe, it may not be very long before White Sox fans see Beckham at U.S. Cellular Field.
Maybe it's time to go back to the four-man rotation.
