I have no idea why anyone would listen to those who said the Marlins would draft position players. I must admit, I bought into the story but the fact is this:
We are the Marlins - we draft pitchers.
Maybe not as many as years past but still, it was mostly pitchers.
One thing did completely surprise me. Normally the Marlins only draft players they are fairly certain they can sign and especially ones that won't command a huge signing bonus.
In the team's second pick they chose Christopher Coghlan from the University of Mississippi. What makes this weird is that Coghlan is represented by Scott Boras. Boras is notorious for being difficult to deal with in money matters. I would have thought the club would avoid a Boras client like the plague.
The other interesting thing of note, is the number of college players. I was expecting that the list would be predominately high schoolers. My guess is the draft was weak enough that storing the "younger the better" prospects was out of the question.
Here is the list of all players chosen in yesterday's round.
Sandwich pick -- Chris Coghlan, 3B, University of Mississippi: The 20-year-old, who grew up in the Tampa Bay area, is a left-handed-hitting third baseman who may project as a second baseman in the professional level. Has batted .349 (87-for-249) with four home runs and 48 RBIs in 63 games for the Rebels.
Round 2 -- Thomas Hickman, OF/P, Pepperell H.S. (Ga.): A 6-foot-1, 175-pounder bats lefty and throws lefty. Adds another left-handed bat to the system. Along with being a center fielder, he also can pitch.
Round 3a -- Torre Langley, C, Alexander H.S. (Ga.): Energetic and athletic, Langley isn't very big at 5-foot-9, 175 pounds, but he has good strength. He has shown potential at the plate and defensively. The club feels he is a complete package.
Round 3b -- Scott Cousins, OF/P, University of San Francisco: A two-way player, Cousins throws and bats left-handed. But with his offensive potential, he looked upon as being an outfielder who can run. Has the speed and range to play center field. Fierce competitive, and a left-handed hitter. Draws comparisons to Mark Kotsay.
Round 4 -- Hector Correa, RHP, Lorenzo Coballes Gandia H.S. (P.R.): Lean at 6-foot-3, 170 pounds, Correa turned 18 a few months ago. Because he is young and his body is still maturing, the club will be careful how he is brought along. Throws hard. Needs to work on secondary pitches.
Round 5 -- David Hatcher, C, University of North Carolina-Wilmington: An athletic catcher and a switch-hitter. Stands 6-foot-2, 190 pounds. Good defensively.
Round 6 -- Justin Jacobs, SS, Chino H.S. (Calif.): While a shortstop in high school, Jacobs projects to be versatile enough to play a number of positions. He's even caught some in the past, and the team will move him around a little bit.
Round 7 -- Donald Czyz, RHP, University of Kansas: A hard-throwing right-hander who was used primarily as a closer, where he had 17 saves. Projects as a pure reliever.
Round 8 -- Daniel Garcia, SS, Nogales H.S. (Calif.): Impressed the club with his overall athletic ability. Not real big, but has a nice frame to grow.
Round 9 -- John Raynor, OF, University of North Carolina-Wilmington: A senior with good size, Raynor can play all three outfield spots.
Round 10 -- Graham Taylor, LHP, Miami University (Ohio): Used mostly as a starter in college, the left-hander will get a look as both a starter and reliever.
Round 11 -- Osvaldo Martinez, SS, Porterville College (Calif.): A native of Puerto Rico, the 18-year-old is 5-foot-10, 170 pounds. Athletic and gives middle infield depth.
Round 12 -- Bradley Stone, RHP, Quincy University (Ill.): A hard thrower who projects to be used in the bullpen.
Round 13 -- Andrew Saylor, 2B Kent State University: Impressed with his offensive skills.
Round 14 -- Jay Buente, RHP, Purdue University: Drafted as a senior, he has a nice track record and likely will be used out of the bullpen.
Round 15 -- Guillermo Martinez, SS, University of South Alabama: Raised in Miami, Martinez played shortstop in college and is expected to go to Jamestown, where he will play short.
Round 16 -- Jacob Blackwood, 3B, Maplewoods C.C. (Mo.): Showed nice power at the junior college level, belting 19 home runs. Can play second base and third.
Round 17 -- David Mense, OF, University of Missouri: Despite having an off-season, Mense had enjoyed success in the past, where he played on USA National squads. The Marlins feel Mense was the victim of an off-season, and that he will bounce back.
Round 18 -- Ross Liersemann, RHP, Akron University: Good size at 6-4, 205 pounds, the 22-year-old will be looked at as a starter.