Rodger’s Diary - 2008 Tri-Cities Dust Devils
Although I saw a couple high 2008 Rockies draft picks, #1 LHP Christian Friedrich and #2 draft pick OF Charles Blackmon play with the Tri Cities Dust Devils at Boise last month, I was also impressed with a couple low round Rockies draft picks, #36th Patrick Rose and #45 Brad McAtee.
36th round pick Patrick Rose, a speedy outfielder drafted out of UC, Santa Barbara, and no relation to Pete Rose, is hitting 275 BA, 1 HR, and 14 RBI in 33 GP.
#45 Round, RHP Brad McAtee, drafted out of UC Davis, is 3-3 W-L, 2.79 ERA in 29.0 IP.
The high picks are doing well too. Eastern Kentucky LHP Christian Friedrich is 1-0 W-L, 5.03 ERA, in 19.2 IP .
Overqualified I think for rookie ball, Georgia Tech OF Charles Blackmon is hitting 327 BA, 0 HR, and 19 RBI in 39 GP.
There were other young Rockies there worth noting. Bo Bowman, who since has been promoted to Low A - Asheville, was hitting 338 BA, 5 HR, and 13 RBI in 21 GP at Tri Cities, and pitchers, RHP Parker Frazier, a hard throwing right hander, is 3-2 W-L, with a 3.36 ERA, in 48 IP. Juan Nicasio, who threw the night I was at Boise, is 2-3, 4.55 ERA in 31.2 IP but typically is not provided it seems with much defensive support.
It was great to see some more old friends again, Dust Devils’ manager Fred Ocasio, batting coach Anthony Sanders, and pitching coach Dave Schuler. I have known Dave Schuler since he was a young pitching coach at Prince William, VA teaching future Yankees lefthander, Andy Pettite, how to pitch and Anthony Sanders since he was a quiet young outfielder coming up through the Blue Jays minor league system at Hagerstown in 1995.