WEBB GOES #1 OVERALL TO THE SEVERN EXPRESS

For Immediate Release
February 7th, 2004

     DRAFT CENTRAL  — As the 2004 Mid-West Baseball League Draft Day got underway this morning, Mike Roberts the General Manager of the Severn Express made no mistake in taking the player everyone suspected of going number one overall.  Roberts at 9:55 AM EST formally announced that they had selected right handed pitcher Brandon Webb, as the number one selection in the 2004 Mid-West Baseball League Draft.
Most GMs in the MWBL community probably think that Express GM Mike Roberts overpaid to obtain the #1 pick overall in the upcoming MWBL draft. But not Roberts. He has been known to overpay to get the player(s) that he covets and admittedly he thinks he may have done so again.  “This decision was one of the toughest I have had to make during my tenure as GM. Matt was the key player in the Tejada deal last year and I envisioned him as being our staff leader for quite a few years. Now he will get to do that for the Dragons as long as he stays healthy. He will be a great addition to the Dragons rotation. I am happy for Matt because he is going to a team that will be competitive and he has the chance to be the ace of that staff”.
“From our perspective, we get a chance to get a little younger as we have been trying to do the past few years, and we think that we are getting a real solid pitcher in Brandon Webb. Webb has been good at every level and we feel he can do it in the MWBL as well. Brandon has the makings to be a special pitcher for a long time. With his stuff and mental approach, we feel he has a chance to be a No. 1 or 2 starter in the years to come”.
“As far as 2004 is concerned, Brandon will be our #1 starter heading into spring training. If we hang on to our core players in a bid to try and make the playoffs this year, we think that Brandon has a chance to win Rookie of the Year. But the way I like to deal, that may not be a likely scenario. We’ll have to see how the rest of the draft goes. Regardless of our team goals for this year, we think that we’ve drafted a fine young pitcher in Webb”.