Gerry Fraley responds to those who ask why he thinks DVD have regressed.
Here's what doesn't make sense, though:
Five college pitchers were taken among the first 14 picks of the 2004 draft. Four have reached the majors this season: Justin Verlander (Detroit), Jered Weaver (LA Angels), Bill Bray (Cincinnati) and Jeremy Sowers (Cleveland).
The fifth member of that group? Thomas Diamond, in the Double-A Texas League.
Except Fraley is wrong...there were 8 college pitchers taken in the first 14 picks.
And the three he omitted -- Jeff Niemann, Philip Humber, and Wade Townsend -- haven't made the majors, and are farther away than Diamond.
As for the other four, Verlander was picked #2 overall, and was considered at a different level than Diamond. Ditto Weaver, who slipped because of signability issues, and was considered the best player in the draft.
Bray is already in the majors, but also was a college reliever, and they tend to advance more quickly.
Sowers, considered a similar quality of prospect as Diamond, has developed more quickly than Diamond has.
In any case, while Diamond hasn't developed as expected, to paint him as "regressing" because he hasn't matched the success of Verlander or Weaver is simply disingenuous.
And omitting the three Rice products altogether is bizarre.