With the 11th pick in the 2006 draft the D'Backs chose Max Scherzer, a right
hander from the University of Missouri with a fastball that has been clocked as
high as 99, but regularly settles in the mid 90s. There is some speculation that
Scherzer might be groomed as a closer, both because of his tough make up and his
two pitch repertoire.
The Diamondbacks went pitching heavy early in the draft grabbing Brooks Brown
from the University of Georgia. Brown split time at Georgia between the starting
rotation and the bullpen, and could see the most action of any of the
Diamondbacks early round picks simply because he hasn't racked up a ton of
innings this year. This is the second time he's heard his name called on
draft day as the Braves took him with their 21st round pick out of high school
in 2003.
Brett Anderson is the son of Oklahoma State head baseball coach Frank
Anderson, and not surprisingly that means he's one of the more 'pro-ready' high
school pitchers. In addition to the high quality private coaching he received he
also has big time pressure experience pitching for the USA Junior Team. Another
hard throwing lefty, he is the third straight pitcher taken by the Diamondbacks,
and though he's younger than the two picks ahead of him, he could move just as
quickly through the system.
A two sport player at Oregon State, Dallas Buck was a defensive back in his
first two seasons at Oregon State before moving strictly to baseball. Though
some feel an injury contributed to a drop in velocity, he continued to win, and
thus the D'Backs may be looking at him a guy who has already learned how to
'pitch,' as opposed to 'throw' and thus when he gets healthy could be a gem.