SportsRelocation.com - First Round Of the 2011 MLB Draft Is Complete
The first round of the annual MLB draft has been completed. As usual, there were some obvious picks and some quite surprising picks as teams sought to fill needs and pluck a gem from the thousands of amateur athletes in waiting.
The first big surprise came early as the Seattle Mariners ignored a glaring need for a power-hitting position player and went with their strength, namely pitching. Most draft gurus expected the Mariners to pick the slugging 3rd baseman from Rice, Anthony Rendon, but the Mariners surprised everyone by picking Virginia lefthander Danny Hultzen with the second pick overall.
The first overall pick was no surprise to anyone as Pittsburgh chose Gerrit Cole, a right-handed pitcher from UCLA, with their choice. What had many shaking their heads was the fact that Cole is actually the number two pitcher on the Bruins staff this year, but Pittsburgh obviously figures that Cole will be on the fast track to the Majors. Considering the fact that their last two draft picks have not worked out, Pittsburgh will have to live with the detractors who have little faith in this recent pick.
The top ten picks in this year’s draft are as follows:
- Gerrit Cole, UCLA, to the Pittsburgh Pirates
- Danny Hultzen, Virginia, to the Seattle Mariners
- Trevor Bauer, UCLA, to the Arizona Diamondbacks
- Dylan Bundy, Owasso High School, to the Baltimore Orioles
- Bubba Starling, Gardner-Edgerton High School, to the Kansas City Royals
- Anthony Rendon, Rice, to the Washington Nationals
- Archie Bradley, Broken Arrow High School, to the Arizona Diamondbacks
- Francisco Lindor, Montverde Academy, to the Cleveland Indians
- Javier Baez, Arlington Country Day High, to the Chicago Cubs
- Cory Spangenberg, Indian Rivers Junior College, to the San Diego Padres
There are forty-nine more rounds in the draft as clubs try to find the diamond-in-the-rough, another Albert Pujois if you will, who wasn’t drafted until Round 13 in 1999 as many clubs passed on him because of possible weight issues. Nothing is certain in the drafting of young athletes, but it is a fairly safe bet that the first round players will be signing lucrative, multi-million dollar contracts in the months to come. Then the process of relocation begins as players leave their hometowns and settle in to new homes in strange, new cities.
At Sports Relocation.com, we watch the baseball draft with great interest because once the draft is over our work begins. You see, our job is to help athletes during the relocation process. We help them find suitable housing; we help them move possessions, find transportation, establish contacts with the financial institutions, and generally do everything possible so that relocation is not a traumatic experience. After all, these should be the most exciting days in the life of a young athlete. The last thing they need is to worry about the decisions that await them. Just give us a call at our office, set up a meeting, and let us do all the worrying for you.
By: Ikem Chukumerije
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