There hasn’t been much sleep over the last few days, as Chris Correa described it as the feeling of waking up early on Christmas morning. Such is the life of the St. Louis Cardinals Scouting Director, who was putting the wraps on the first day of the 2015 MLB Amateur Draft–his first at the helm for the team.
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“It was great,” smiled Correa, who has been with the organization for nine seasons. “I’ve got to tell ya, I feel a deep sense of gratitude for the support I received from the scouts, analysts, medical staff, senior leadership group–that’s just an overwhelming emotion, quite honestly. There’s a self-satisfaction with throwing everything you have into something and doing the best you can–and I know I did that. I just threw myself into this and I just tried today to step back and enjoy it.”
On the three selections the Cardinals made…
Nick Plummer–“We saw him a lot last summer,” said Correa, noting they had 18-2o reports on the outfielder. “He’s a good runner, he’s a very instinctive player.”
As far as Plummer’s description of his compact swing and liking of Kolten Wong, is there a comparison between the swings and power of the pair to be made?
“It’s not the worst comparison I’ve heard,” said Correa. “He’s very short to the ball, but with bat-speed and strength so that’s not a bad comparison.”
Jake Woodford–“The way we view him, first and foremost, he’s got a really heavy fastball and he can control it. That’s rare to see at the high school level. Additionally, we’ve seen a good slider. We’ve seen a good changeup from him and we think he’s got the ability to develop a three-pitch repertoire and become a durable starter going forward.”
Bryce Denton–“He’s an advanced hitter with thunder in the bat.”
Although all three of the top draft picks are coming out of high school and have the opportunity to play college baseball versus turning pro, Correa was optimistic about their signability.
“I recognize they have leverage,” he said. “But I also think it’s a good opportunity to join this organization with the kind of supportive player development staff they have, I anticipate these guys will want to be Cardinals.”
