The division has the most teams (six) and is home to some of the top general managers in the game. So, with the draft just hours away, we look at how each of these teams have drafted and who might be on their first round radar come June 7. Read on to find out.
Chicago Cubs (Picks: 3rd overall)
The Cubs have had luck as their enemy with the flame outs of sure fire pitching stars Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. They have seven total players on the major league roster and outside of Prior and Wood, have struggled to bring in star players through the draft. Picking third overall, they have another chance to bring in a star player to the organization and with their pitching problems, look for them to go the positional player route in Georgia Tech catcher Matt Weiters.
Pittsburgh Pirates (Picks: 4th overall)
The Pirates have 10 drafted players at the major league level and are now just waiting for them to develop into good big league players. They have a stockpile of young pitchers, but have yet to draft a solid power bat for their line-up. With a young team ready to build together, general manager Dave Littlefield has the luxury of waiting on a talent to develop in the minor leagues. With all of this in mind, the Pirates should jump on third baseman Josh Vitters and watch him develop into a middle of the order hitter in 3-5 years.
Milwaukee Brewers (Picks: 7th overall)
The Brewers are having a fantastic season, but only three of their young players were drafted by Milwaukee. Outside of first baseman Prince Fielder, pitcher Ben Sheets and shortstop J.J. Hardy, the rest of their core were brought in by other means. General Manager Doug Melvin has shown the talent though to hit on young talent and picking this high is just an added bonus to an excellent 2007 season. Being in first place, look for Milwaukee to take a risk somehow in the first round and in our latest mock draft, that appears to be right-hander Phillippe Aumont.
Cincinnati Reds (Picks: 15th overall)
For the most part, the Reds have been terrible at developing their own talent and this is shown out in only three players being drafted by the Reds on their minor league roster. With the current state of the franchise, they need to start working magic at draft time and try to erase personnel mistake and failed prospects, like third baseman Edwin Encarnacion. In this vain, look for the Reds to stay locked in on high school third baseman Kevin Ahrens.
St. Louis Cardinals (Picks: 18th overall)
The Cardinals, under general manager Walt Jocketty, has been one of the better ran organizations for the last decade. They have been consistent winners every win and are the defending World Series champions. However, they are a little weak in young players outside of outfielder Chris Duncan and pitcher Adam Wainwright, but they might hit the jackpot at No. 18 in pitcher Jack McGeary.
Houston Astros (No Picks)
The Astros lost their pick to the Texas Rangers for outfielder Carlos Lee and so far in 207, that move has paid off. The franchise is at a crossroads at the moment, but have drafted well with 11 drafted players on their roster. However, they have to start giving some of their younger players consistent time or they will never see the rewards for their good drafting.
Douglas Benton can be reached at [email protected]
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