Casey Weathers
RHP, Vanderbilt (profile)
HT: 6'1" WT: 200 lbs.
2006 Stats: 21 APP, W-L 1-1, 3 SV, 27 IP, 16 BB, 38 K, 3.33 ERA
2007 Stats: 31 APP, W-L 12-2, 7 SV, 49.1 IP, 25 H, 15/13 R/ER, 21 BB, 75 K, 2.37 ERA, .154 BAA
Bio: Weathers began his college career as a junior college player for Sacramento City College in 2004. As a freshman there, he played the field for a few games but showed better promise on the mound. He transferred to Vanderbilt for his junior year and was solely a reliever for the Commodores. The Tigers drafted him in the 25th round, but he elected to return for his senior season.
Entering the 2007 season, Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin named Weathers the closer for the team. He did nothing to disappoint anyone this past season as you can see from his stats above. His fastball normally sits around 96 MPH and his slider touches 84-86 MPH on most occasions. He should be a guy who moves quickly through the Rockies system once he signs his contract.
Other Links: John Manuel is surprised to see Weathers go this high.
MILB.com scouting report from February.
Official Rockies Press Release.
Commentary: On the surface, this looks like a bad choice. The Rockies need more than a reliever to fix their problems and there were several high upside guys available at the #8 pick. But this pick may be an indication that Fuentes will be traded if not before the July trade deadline then probably during the off-season. As the comments to this profile mention, this pick is Weathers + what we get in return for Fuentes. Not a great or good pick by any means taken alone, but combined with what will be gained in the future, this might look like a good pick in a year or two.