Twenty years ago, the last time the Phillies held the 17th pick in the draft, Cole Hamels slipped past the midpoint of the first round because of an arm injury that spooked several teams. The Phillies chose him and, well, the gamble paid off about as much as it possibly could have.
A similar situation may arise this year.
As scouting director Brian Barber and his army of talent evaluators finalized the Phillies’ board this week in advance of the 20-round, three-day draft that begins Sunday night, they faced a few realities. This draft class is heavy on top-ranked position players, most of whom will be gone before the Phillies pick. And injuries have decimated the pitching ranks.
