Halladay wins battle of the Roys

Denver, CO -

A tale of two Roys. Faced with a decision that could influence the future success - or failure - of his organization more than any other, Rockies GM Brian Bakic selected hometown hero Roy "Doc" Halladay with the first pick in the 1995 Amateur Draft.

Born and raised in Colorado, Halladay will pass up a baseball scholarship from the University of Arizona to pitch for the Rockies. The 6'5'', 225 lb. righty already features 93-95 MPH velocity, complete game stamina, and gold glove defense; however, the Rockies felt his potential pinpoint control would be most valuable in the thin air of Coors Field.

Fans and analysts were undecided whether the Rockies should take Halladay, or another Roy - SP Roy Oswalt out of Kosciusko, Mississippi. Oswalt doesn't have Halladay's command or stamina, and is a slight step down in velocity. However, scouts favor his secondary pitches and believe his mechanics and conditioning make an injury extremely unlikely.

The Florida Marlins, with the second pick in the draft, are rumored to still be holding internal discussions over which player to select. In addition to Oswalt, the Marlins are considering power arms Kerry Wood and A.J. Burnett. Wood and Burnett both feature significantly better stuff and velocity than the Roys, but they have already demonstrated poor control even against high school hitters.

A pair of seventeen year-old center fielders are getting all of the attention on the position player side. Carlos Beltran is a five-tool switch hitter from Puerto Rico, while Andruw Jones is a power hitter who scouts have labeled "the next Griffey". Jones won't hit for average like Beltran, but some scouts project him to be ready to play in the majors with gold glove defense and an above-average bat as early as next season.

Most of the other teenagers in this draft won't be ready for the majors for several years, and GM's like Bakic will be applauded or second-guessed for their decisions in retrospect. But all eyes are tuned in as teams write out a new first chapter for the always unpredictable drama that is Major League Baseball.