We’ll be looking at the 2008 draft over the next few months here at MLBTR. Mike Arbuckle, the Phillies assistant GM, took some questions from fans regarding the draft and the team’s farm system. Here are the highlights:
- When asked what positions the Phils are seeking, Arbuckle gave the right answer. "You have to be very careful about trying to draft toward a particular position, simply because of the time it takes to develop players to get to the big leagues…So you try to draft the best available player in each round, the guy that we would view as having the highest ceiling."
- On the slotting system: "I think generally we have been a club and are a club that tries to do what’s best for the industry." The Phillies have generally stayed within the vicinity of slot.
- On college players vs. high school players: "In comparing high school to college players, generally the college player is nearer to being the finished product. So you can’t project as much on a college player as you would a high school player."
- On the Phillies farm system: "I think the strength is double-A down, so I think our better prospects are younger kids."
Arbuckle was noncommittal when asked about what the team plans to do with Pat Burrell when the season is over. He also gives some takes on specific players in the Phillies system.
Posted by Joe Pawlikowski .
