Wright and Flowers Selected In Draft Febuary 21, 1998
Tucson selected Jaret Wright with the 4th overall pick in the free
agent draft on Saturday, and were seen crowing about the selection
immediately afterwards. "Wright's going to be a stud. He could see
some time in the rotation this season, and he'll be a staff anchor for
a long time to come." said Watterson. "He was our second rated
pitcher on the board, and when he was still available, we snapped him
up."
Rumor has it that the Border Patrol was hoping to see Paul Konnerko
slide down to the 4th slot, but when Macon put Wade Boggs on the
trading block, realized that wasn't going to happen. Pitching was an
obvious need, and Tucson picked another pitcher, Dave Flowers, with
their second round selection. "Flowers looks like he's going to be a
solid reliever for us. He doesn't throw lasers, but his fastball has
good movement, and he's got a pretty good slider to go with it. His
problem is actually that his pitches are too live, and he has trouble
finding the plate."
Tucson still needs a solid, reliable closer, and is looking for a
temporary shortstop. Matthius Lund is expected to own the position
for a long time, but some question his ability to play at the major
league level at only 19. Lund appeared overmatched at the plate last
year, hitting only .207, but he did show some power, hitting 10 homers
in only 294 at bats.
Tucson has some high-quality players available. Joe Randa struggled a
bit last year, after playing the first 2 months with a nagging foot
injury. He's expected to be pretty good this year, and has shown some
increased versatility, playing left field very well indeed when called
upon last season.
Other quality players on the block are Mark Johnson, Wilson Delgado,
Garret Anderson, Tom Bradford, Tom Magner, and Andy Benes.
Immediate needs: Closer, shortstop, and young pitching.
