It’s hard, but I can forget about my newfound Matzekamania. Zack Wheeler isn’t a consolation prize – he was one of the top high school arms in the draft, and one who compared favorably to top-ten prep picks from previous drafts. When Tyler Matzek was asked about his new organization, the Rockies, he said something like, "Oh, they’re swell, but Oregon’s going to let me play first base, too." Oops, pow, surprise: You just got a glass full of negotiation in your face, Colorado.
What the Rockies are thinking: big deal. They knew Matzek wasn’t going to come cheap, and they liked him enough to take the chance. They went for who they thought was the best player available, price be damned. Should Giants fans be upset that the Giants didn’t have the same approach?
Probably not. There are scenarios in which a cheaper Wheeler might have been preferable to a full-priced Matzek:
"Gee, we think Matzek is a great prospect, but Wheeler is almost as good, and if the difference is $2M, we can use that money to buy out a college commitment later in the draft. Wheeler + another prospect is a much better deal than just Matzek."
Good.
"Dang, Matzek is clearly a better prospect, but we need that money for Juan Uribe’s extension. Uh, I guess we’ll take this Wheeler guy."
Bad.
"Matzek’s good, but we liked Wheeler’s delivery/follow through/ fastball/whatever a lot better, so he was higher on our draft board."
Perfectly acceptable. Again, the Giants have earned our trust when it comes to evaluating pitching talent. As for the rest of the draft…I dunno. When they drafted a high school catcher, I was worried that it was a glovey mcgloverson who wouldn’t hit Tim Lincecum’s weight. Nope. Tommy Joseph is a big, powerful feller who might have to move from the catcher’s position. Sounds intriguing. And the third-round pick was a big, powerful feller who might have to move from third base – Richie Sexson was a comp that I read. Again, that sounds intriguing. Obviously, we won’t know for a while what kind of prospect they are, much less what kind of major league they’ll be, but they should be fun to watch in Salem-Keizer and Augusta soon.
It’s weird to get so worked up for an event, have the event pass, and have no idea whether or not you’re happy yet. One thing’s for sure, though: at least now the Giants can trade Matt Cain for some bats.