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gocgo1 · 12-19-2020, 03:01 AM

Dec. 15, 1977 - Draft Day

I had Mike and his family over to my house for the draft. As I suspected, the Braves went against the consensus and drafted Ryne Sandberg with the first overall pick. Franco went second to the Padres, making me wonder if they're giving up on the young shortstop they already have, Ozzie Smith, who hit just .240 in his rookie year this past season. Chili Davis went third to Toronto, followed by Kirk Gibson to the Mets. Seattle took 2B Gary Redus to round out the top 5.

We all felt it was highly unlikely for anyone in the top 20 to take Mike, but we still found ourselves on the edge of our seats and staring at the phone early on. Just nerves, I guess. But the first round came and went and the phone still hadn't rang. Mike and his family had all seen the OSA mock draft that had him going 31st to the Orioles, so when the first supplemental round arrived everyone got pretty excited. Baltimore had taken SP Britt Burns with their first pick and could use an upgrade at RF, so I was feeling hopeful. But instead, they went with another pitcher, this time Charlie Liebrandt.

So we moved into the second round with Mike still available. There were a few other corner outfielders still available that I could see being taken ahead of Mike (Carmelo Castillo, Bob Dernier, Danny Heep, Matt Winters), but I was feeling optimistic someone would take a chance on him in the second round. It didn't take long, as the Padres snatched him up ahead of all those other guys with the second pick of the second round, 40th overall. Hugs and high fives were shared around the room. Once the celebration is over, I'll have to start negotiating a contract with the Padres organization.

12-19-2020, 03:01 AM	#3
gocgo1 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 143	Dec. 15, 1977 - Draft Day I had Mike and his family over to my house for the draft. As I suspected, the Braves went against the consensus and drafted Ryne Sandberg with the first overall pick. Franco went second to the Padres, making me wonder if they're giving up on the young shortstop they already have, Ozzie Smith, who hit just .240 in his rookie year this past season. Chili Davis went third to Toronto, followed by Kirk Gibson to the Mets. Seattle took 2B Gary Redus to round out the top 5. We all felt it was highly unlikely for anyone in the top 20 to take Mike, but we still found ourselves on the edge of our seats and staring at the phone early on. Just nerves, I guess. But the first round came and went and the phone still hadn't rang. Mike and his family had all seen the OSA mock draft that had him going 31st to the Orioles, so when the first supplemental round arrived everyone got pretty excited. Baltimore had taken SP Britt Burns with their first pick and could use an upgrade at RF, so I was feeling hopeful. But instead, they went with another pitcher, this time Charlie Liebrandt. So we moved into the second round with Mike still available. There were a few other corner outfielders still available that I could see being taken ahead of Mike (Carmelo Castillo, Bob Dernier, Danny Heep, Matt Winters), but I was feeling optimistic someone would take a chance on him in the second round. It didn't take long, as the Padres snatched him up ahead of all those other guys with the second pick of the second round, 40th overall. Hugs and high fives were shared around the room. Once the celebration is over, I'll have to start negotiating a contract with the Padres organization.