Meet the NL West First Round Draft Picks

A look at the first round selections in today's MLB draft by the five teams of the NL West division. For a full recap of the first round, you can always read the live-blog we kept of it.

Colorado Rockies (8) Casey Weathers, RHP, Vanderbilt (Scouting report courtesy of Purple Row):

Entering the 2007 season, Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin named Weathers the closer for the team. He did nothing to disappoint anyone this past season as you can see from his stats above. His fastball normally sits around 96 MPH and his slider touches 84-86 MPH on most occasions. He should be a guy who moves quickly through the Rockies system once he signs his contract. The Rockies need more than a reliever to fix their problems and there were several high upside guys available at the #8 pick. But this pick may be an indication that [Brian] Fuentes [pictured] will be traded if not before the July trade deadline then probably during the off-season.

Arizona Diamondbacks (9) Jarrod Parker, RHP, Norwell (IN) HS: (Scouting report courtesy Baseball America via Diamondbacks Bullpen)

Parker pitched for Team USA's junior national squad that won a silver medal in the World Junior Championship in Cuba last September. He has blown away scouts and hitters all spring, warming up for his initial start at 93-94 mph and hitting 97 with his first official pitch of the season. He touched 98 in that game and has continued to do so since, often working at 95-96. Just 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, Parker generates his exceptional velocity with an unbelievably quick arm.

San Francisco Giants (10) Madison Bumgarner, LHP, South Caldwell (NC) HS: (Scouting report courtesy Giants Official Site)

Bumgarner, 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, possesses a fastball that has been clocked as high as 95 mph. With that effective a pitch, he's still working on developing his curveball and changeup. He was 11-2 with one save and a 1.05 ERA for South Caldwell this year. In 86 1/3 innings, Bumgarner struck out 145, allowed 45 hits and walked 11. With his size, the 17-year-old has inspired comparisons to Mark Mulder and Andy Pettitte.

Los Angeles Dodgers (20) Chris Withrow, RHP, Midland Christian (TX) HS: (Scouting report courtesy Inside the Dodgers):

Here's what [Assistant GM, scouting] Logan White had to say about [Chris Withrow]:

"Ranges from 88-94 mph and pitches at 91-92. He's got a plus curveball with the makings and the hard rotation on it that can make it very much a plus pitch. He's a very smart kid, an intelligent kid who competes along the lines of the kind of players we've tried to target in the past. He's a quality person with good character but the main thing that impresses you about him is his size, mechanics, and his secondary pitch."

San Francisco Giants (22) Tim Alderson, RHP, Horizon (AZ) High School: (Scouting report courtesy Giants Official Site)

Alderson, 6-foot-7 and 210 pounds, has demonstrated remarkable command. In 72 1/3 innings this season, he struck out 111 and walked four. Last year, he was 8-3 with a 0.95 ERA, 122 strikeouts and eight walks. As a Horizon sophomore in 2005, Alderson finished 8-1 with a 0.13 ERA. His fastball approaches the mid-90 mph range, and scouts believe that his curveball has the potential to become a decent pitch.

San Diego Padres (23) Nick Schmidt, LHP, Arkansas (Scouting report courtesy Ducksnorts):

Schmidt is a classic Grady Fuson pitchability-guy. However, unlike pitchability-LHP in the last two drafts (Cesar Ramos and Wade Leblanc), Schmidt does not have a back-of-the-rotation ceiling (Schmidt profiles as a third starter). After a solid sophomore campaign, Team USA stint, Schmidt's junior year and SEC playoff performances had some experts suggesting Schmidt could go as high as 11.

11-3 with 2.69 ERA in 124.0 IP, 84 H, 42 R, 37 ER, 51 BB, 111 SO, 9 HR

Previously at The Fanhouse:
Meet The NL Central First Round Picks
Meet Your National League East First Round Picks
Meet The AL Central First Round Picks
Meet the AL West First Round Picks