Season 24 Amateur Draft Review.

Amateur Draft Review, Season 24

                                                                                

This is my Standard disclaimer. These are my opinions and mine alone. I may not value someone as you do, and my scouting is pretty whack, so I’m definitely not seeing their proper proj. Please keep that in mind. Also, I have no clue what I’m doing. Read at your own risk. 

Non-Common Baseball Terms (to help speed things along)

VSR –Versus Righties (applies for both Pitching and batting, referring to the opposite obviously)

VSL-Versus Lefties

Also, the quotes at the end are of course quotes from their respective owners.

1)      New Britain – Joshua Monahan SS – Projects to be a decent hitter. Decent Contact, Great power, and should kill lefties. Looks to be average at VSR, but should have an OBP around .320-330. Will prob have to move over to 3B, as his range doesn’t seem like it’s going to cut it. Health is a concern. If he stays healthy during development, should be a Decent 1^st rounder. Not worth 1^st overall in my opinion, but, decent pick none the less.

2)      Milwaukee – Sam Gentry – P- **Disclaimer. Never saw Gentry. Going off my advance scouting, which is bad. Its set at 0)**** Ok, so assuming Gentry projects anywhere close to where my advance says, and that’s a 50-50 shot, not a bad pick. Especially since I think cyben got the team about 8 hours before the draft. Decent Sta/Dur combination, great control, decent splits, great velocity, great groundball, and solid 1^st and 2^nd pitches. Same as with Monahan, Health is a major factor. “He may not develop into a CY Young level pitcher, but he could warrant a spot on some ML staffs right now despite just being 18 years old”

3)      Chicago – Mac Relaford- P **Disclaimer. Never saw Relaford. Going off my advance scouting, which is bad. It’s set at 0)****Not a bad pick, and certainly has some upside. Huge Sta/Dur combination. Seriously. Huge. 38 Dur with a 92 Sta? Could easily hit 260 in a season. Easily. Lew Ellis (Syr Shockers, SP1) has a 24/91 and usually hits 235. Control is average, splits a little low, but makes up with great velocity, and is rumored to have never given up a fly ball in high school. 1^st and 2^nd pitches are great, 3^rd and 4^th need some work. And let’s hope he drops that 5^th pitch. Expect hit to get hit early in counts, and when he gets someone to 2 strikes, to put them away. Health is not as much of a concern, but something to keep an eye on.

4)      Helena – Eduardo Guerrero- P- I don’t like this pick. Especially at 4. Let’s start with the upsides. Great Sta/dur combo, great velocity, and an ok 1^st pitch, slightly better 2^nd. Health has some great upside, shouldn’t hit the DL, and great Makeup. Should hit close to projections. Unfortunately, his control is a huge liability, and his splits don’t help. 47 proj control means he will always struggle, and with a 60 proj VSL, and him being a RH, I see him getting lit up. Especially without great pitches to help alleviate the low splits. Expect him to see the majors, and to constantly allow guys to get on. I see a 5.5 ERA for him. “Pitcher Eddie Guardado should be a good one”

5)      Florida- Alex Diaz- RF- ok. Health is an issue. Seems to be a theme this draft. Proj 61, keep an eye out. Overall however, a very nice pick at 5. Good power, good contact, decent splits, and a solid eye. Great base running, and a little speed. Not much, but a little. His defensive ratings pretty much limit him to the slugger spots ( 1B, RF, LF, DH) so don’t expect too much there. I could see him hitting 35 HRs in his best season, with 25-30 being the norm. I like this pick. “Florida with the #5 pick, 2^nd on my draft list, drafter RF Alex Diaz. Should have a great all round player in him.”

6)      San Diego – Iceman- RF-**Disclaimer. Never saw Wilk. Going off my advance scouting, which is bad. It’s set at 0)**** Well hello Mr. Slugger. This guy will hit. Maybe not in Petco, but when he’s in your stadium, you might want to just walk him. I don’t see all of his proj being met however. Contact should be around 65. Power, in the 90’s. Good against lefties, better against rights. And he won’t chase balls too often. Defensively, he’ll get to everything, and he will throw hard and accurate. However, don’t count on it being and out until he catches it, because that glove is going to hurt. Good health, not great Dur. Great makeup. Nice pick overall. Should have prob gone a few picks higher.

7)      San Francisco – Hamish Durbin – SS-I hate the 7^th pick. Close enough to the top that you feel you should get a stud, but low enough that all the studs are gone. But, solid pick here. Durbin is a very rangy SS, great arm, and won’t be a slouch at the plate. Pretty ML Average with the stick      (.260/.320/.450). Only drawback is his glove. Needs to hit that proj of 81 to be a SS. Don’t see it happening though. Can play a great 2B, 3B, or CF though, so def not a wasted pick. “SF grabbed Hamish Durbin with the 7^th overall pick. He appears to be a good hitter with some defensive skills and a top notch arm. Too bad he may take his skills to the ice. He is still deciding on whether to play pro hockey” He Did end up signing.

8)      New Orleans – Stuffy Young –C- interesting pick here. Listed as a DH, but could play C. weak arm only thing preventing him. DH prob the best with his mediocre Durability. Health is solid, but makeup worries me about him getting to that level. Low contact, good power, good VSL, Phenomenal VSR and eye. This guy is a lefty and will slug. Luckily, I think a snail can run the bases faster, so feel free to just put him on. Too bad WIFS doesn’t give us that option, so, yeah, good luck. Should have gone before Guerrero in my opinion.

9)      Jackson – B.J. Dunwoody -3B -**Disclaimer. Never saw Dunwoody. Going off my advance scouting, which is bad. It’s set at 0)**** for a 9^th pick, Not bad. Solid 3B, will play every game, and shouldn’t have to worry about injuries. GG potential, solid makeup. Offensively, will hit League average, maybe slightly higher on his best day. Low contact, decent power, but splits and eye are average at best. But, to get a GG 3B who can play every day with the 9^th pick? Pretty solid in my book. “Though hoping for better at 9, am ok to have drafted BJ Dunwoody. See him as a solid ML 3B that can provide some power at 6 or 7 in the batting order. “

10)   Boise – Happy Brock –P- This Reliever Will pitch often. When his arm is still attached, as his 38 health really freaks me out. Surprised he isn’t on the DL already. However, should he stay healthy, great pick. Pitches nearly every day, 1.1-1.2 inning potential, great splits, great control, and solid pitches. “Inherited team and draft settings. Was ok with 1^st pick. We’ll see what the kid can do very quickly. Would love to see him team up with Newfield and Tobin down the road to help Boise get their own version of the “nasty boys” (reds, circa 1990). Worst case scenario he flames out and becomes a backend hard thrower.”

11)   Trenton – Anthony Paulino –P- Not a big fan, but good for 11^th.  This guy can pitch, that’s for sure. Good Splits, good control, great 1^st and 2^nd pitch combo. Health is good. Even has a solid 25 durability for a starter. But that’s the problem. This guy will never start with his 49 stamina. He’s a bullpen guy. And what good is a bullpen guy that can only pitch every 4^th or 5^th day. With that being said though, should be a decent bullpen arm. And will be able to pitch some long games as long as he gets the proper rest afterwards. “With the 11^th pick in the 1^st round, the fisherman drafted Anthony Paulino, a hick from Iowa, freshman from northeast community college. He is viewed as a risky pick by many experts. If he hits the lofty projections, he could be a super set-up man in 4 or 5 season. But his work ethic is questionable, and the rumor is he has a knack for the red-light district. Stay tuned to see which way he could develop”

12)   Santa Cruz – Ernie Gaudin -P -**Disclaimer. Never saw Gaudin. Going off my advance scouting, which is bad. It’s set at 0)****so, assuming the proj match up, this is who should have gone 4^th, 10^th, or 11^th instead of 12^th. Will pitch deep into games. Never walk a guy. Splits? Great. 1^st pitch is great. 2^nd and on? Going to hurt. Health is decent. Might see a trip to the DL once or twice. I’m worried of him making those proj with the low makeup however. But if he does, it’s a steal at 12.

13)   Los Angeles – J.R. George –P-**Disclaimer. Never saw George. Going off my advance scouting, which is bad. It’s set at 0)****not a fan. Kind of like with paulino, this guy is set up to start, but doesn’t have the Stamina. Might be able to fill in and go 5, maybe 6.  But never more. VSL is going to hurt. VSR could be better, but not too bad. But his pitches? Def makes up for it. Great 1^st, ok 2^nd, amazing 3^rd. should be interesting to see how this guy plays out. “I drafted JR George 13 overall. Currently I am attempting to get him to sign. He thinks he might play football or something. Either way, he’s a solid Ml 4 or 5 in the rotation if he hits his potential. Not a superstar though.”

14)   Little Rock – D.J. Randall-2B- not bad for 14, but I don’t see him playing 2^nd. Any corner not called 3b is more likely. Not a bad hitter. Slightly above average, but low contact will hurt a bit. Nice double power potential here. Will need to be rested often, as he doesn’t have great durability. But nice pick overall.

15)    San Juan – Russell Stammen- 2B-not sure what they saw here. He’ll never be able to play second efficiently, and is stuck on the corners. Should play 150+ games a year, and rarely, if ever, get hurt. Makeup is solid, but his bat is extremely mediocre on his best day. Kind of a wasted pick in my opinion. Don’t expect much out of him.

16)   St. Louis – Manny Saitou- RF- switch hitters are always nice. Glove worries me a bit, so maybe best at 1b, but could play his proj position of RF. Good dur, nice health. Solid on batting, but that 49 VSL worries me a bit. Don’t expect too much. Not sure if he’ll reach his proj. Makeup is a little lacking. Not bad for a 12^th pick though.

17)   Santa Cruz – Tim Young -LF -**Disclaimer. Never saw Young. Going off my advance scouting, which is bad. It’s set at 0)**** this is a high risk, high reward pick here. If he hits his proj (he won’t, I highly doubt it) he’d be the steal of the draft. But, I’m going with this as if he will (cause where’s the fun in doing it the other way) Great contact, Best power in the league, Great VSL, and decent VSR, good eye. Will hit everything. Will play every day (no rest for that weary pitching corps of yours) and shouldn’t be injured. Oh, he’ll steal on you too. Ugh. If he hits proj, this guy will be a stud.

18)   Santa Cruz – Emmet Hogan –P- Same as young. High risk, high reward. Looks like they doubled down with their back to back picks. So, we’ll go the same route. Assume he hits his proj. Solid back of the rotation starter. Will pitch often, and can go 3 days rest routinely. Pitches and splits combo worry me a bit, but I’ve seen stranger things happen. Hopefully, that amazing groundball ratio will help. Really, the only thing knocking this guy is the Splits-pitch combo. But, he’ll keep his team in the game, and if young develops alongside him, that’s a solid thing.

19)   Jacksonville – Kennie Hardy – P – Interesting Reliever. Should be able to pitch often. Good Sta/Dur combo, good control, throws hard, on the ground, and a great 1^st pitch. However, he’s going to get touched by lefties. Will play in the major leagues for his career, but never in the 8^th or 9^th innings. At least shouldn’t. “Kennie Hardy will be a good RH arm out of the bullpen. A low risk/low reward pick, hardy isn’t a great value at 19, but was the only top 8 guy left on our board when we picked. Still, his control, VSR, Vel, GB, and pitch 1 almost guarantees that he’ll be in the pen for the now’s by season 27”

20)   Baltimore- Dean Barfield –P- -**Disclaimer. Never saw Barfield. Going off my advance scouting, which is bad. It’s set at 0) **** Interesting pick. Have to assume my scouting is throwing me off. Great Sta/Dur. Won’t hit his control, which could be spotty at times. Lefties are going to touch him like 19^th pick hardy, but damn, does he throw hard. Will get more groundballs than fly balls, but I foresee a lot of line drives to the gaps. No great pitches, but decent ones. Don’t look for him to have a big impact in the majors. Will prob only pitch a few seasons

21)   Nashville- Pete Fedroff- P- ***currently unsigned*** Hmm. This guy’s comes down to one thing, and that’s control. If he can at least keep the pitches close to the zone, should have some success as a Starter. Deep into games, should stay healthy. Will pitch filthy, but, with that low control, will appear as Ricky Vaughn in the first major league film. It’s really going to come down to that. Maybe hire Lou Brown to help settle him down? “With the 21^st pick of Season 24 draft, the Bootleggers pick Pete Fedroff. I think he will be a terrible player since he has decided not to sign with the bootleggers. He can take his 6-0 192 frame to the NFL as a kicker or punter. His accuracy is rated as a 56 so QB (although he does have a strong arm) is out of the question and his speed of 41 takes him out of being a RB/WR/DB and his size takes him out of being anything else but a punter or kicker. What the NFL sees in him I do not know. He would have project to be a possible #1 but more like a #2 because of that control He had above avg splits with 4 quality pitches and a very live arm. Durable and health would have been top line as well. Oh well, at least I have 2 first rounder’s next year.”

22)   Philadelphia – Daro Stults – C- Ok. He might be listed as a catcher. And he could play there. But, your pitchers are going to look dumbfound when he calls for a Fastball outside in a 3-0 count. Ok, maybe a 3-1 count, but you get the point. Should play most games, but limited to that DH role. Raw power here, with decent contact. Crushes lefties, and decent against righties. But, he’s going to chase that 3-0 outside fastball every time. Maybe that’s why he calls it?

23)   Philadelphia – Conor Webber – 2B – Ok. He’s never going to play 2B. Let’s not fool ourselves. 1B, LF, RF and DH. Watch for those injuries. Rumor has it he claims a migraine when someone flicks him in the temple. But he will hit, especially in Philly. Great contact, good power, effective against LH and RH, and decent eye. Will be an above average hitter with that. Might make an all-star game or 2 if he gets lucky.

24)   Durham – Charles Powell – SS- Interesting pick here for the Bulls. In all honesty, he’s going to be a black hole at SS if he develops fully. Think Ozzie Smith. Will play every day if he’s healthy, but that’s a big if. High contact. High power. But very weak splits and very weak eye. Should be interesting to see which way he goes. Either way, will be in the ML either as a starter or at least a backup SS.

25)   San Francisco – Tony Kwon – P – ok, if you though Fedroff was Ricky Vaughn, think again. This guy has it all. Stamina, health, great against lefties, decent against righties, fast, groundballs and good pitches. But damn. He’ll try to go outside to a hitter and end up hitting him. Don’t really see him making it the ML. “Tony Kwon was taken in the 1^st round, at pick 25. If he can keep the ball over the plate, his sinker and curveball could be deadly.”

26)   Cheyenne – Omar Hernandez – C- great defensive catcher. No holes there, nothing but positives there. Offensively, he’ll be challenged by rights. Decent contact, average power, hits lefties and a good eye. But those RH pitchers? Well, they’re going to get to him. And unfortunately, he’s only going to be a backup/platoon because he just can’t play often with his durability. (Also, might be the skinniest damn catcher I’ve ever seen, 6-4, 182 lbs.) Won’t take much to bowl him over. “He has all the tools to be a starter, which makes him a steal where I got him. Unfortunately, his Dur will limit him to a platoon type.”

27)   Honolulu – Sandy Corbett – P- Not a bad pickup for 27^th. Control a slight issue. Short starter. Never more than 6 innings. No holes here other than control and stamina. Everything else is pretty nice. Might want to build a strong bullpen that can eat some innings though, as they’re always going to be pitching at least 3.0 innings during his starts.

28)   Vancouver- Henderson Farrell- P- -**Disclaimer. Never saw Farrell. Going off my advance scouting, which is bad. It’s set at 0)****wow. Great Reliever. Sta/dur a great combo. Will shut down lefties and righties. Throws hard, and on the ground all day. Great pitches. Wait. Did he just throw the baseball over the backstop netting….3 times in a row? Yeah, control is a major issue. Won’t do much other than a cup of coffee in the ML under managers get tired of him. “With the 28^th overall pick the Voodoo are proud to have drafted Henderson Farrell. Projected to be a good ML middle reliever with a great groundball ratio. His control will be erratic at times though. “

29)   Charlotte- Dave Helton – P-*** Currently Unsigned*** nice pickup. Won’t be more than a 5^th starter, but for late first round, I’ll take it. Should be able to take the ball every 5^th day. Low sta. Have the bullpen prepared. Lefties touch him a bit, but righties get frustrated. Ball comes in slower than Tim Wakefield’s Fastball, but damn. Hitters just can’t touch it. And always on the ground. Have a good Defensive infield. “Drafting late I didn’t expect to draft an impact player. But Dave Helton fell to us due to his signablity issues. He has been tendered an offer, but will most likely not sign. Here’s hoping to a deeper draft class next year.”

30)   Syracuse – Don Loretta – SS- Should develop into a Solid SS. Remains to be seen if he’ll be a starter though. Great defensives skills, and could play every day. Health is ok, will prob hit the DL once or twice. High contact, no power. Struggles against the lefties…and the righties. Average eye. Great base running, but I think 80% of the league can run faster than him. Ok for 30^th. Would’ve liked to see something better here. Owners an idiot. Oh. Wait a minute…..

31)   Las Vegas – Don Barfield – CF- Interesting pick here. Should be a great defensive CF. High Range, high glove, and little weak sauce on the arm. Think Juan Pierre. Decent contact, not much power, great speed, struggles to get walks. Should be a nice player here. Oh, and is projected to have a 100 health. So, 4 or 5 60 Day DL trips because WIFS never makes any sense "In Vegas this season, we were targeting players who we hope can play CF in a couple of season as Espinosa is likely in his last season in the desert. We were happy to land barfield, who was #1 on the wish list (of players we realistically thought we had a chance to get) our scouts say he should develop into an excellent defender and base stealer. His offense won't be anything special, but should be just good enough. If he develops into a .260 AVG, .300 OBP type player who hits 10-12 HRs per season to go with his speed and defense, then I’ll be very happy with this pick. "

32)   Pawtucket – Ralph Lewis – P- Ummm. Ok. Have a slight issue. Scouts did not see him. And he’s unsigned. I literally, cannot see anything about this guy. Of course it would be the very last guy. So, uh, hey look, Mongoose is eating paste in the corner…..

And a little extra. Decided to look at the financials. Those who were asking for too much, and those who just wanted to play ball. With that said, the 2 draft awards go to…

Mr. Montgomery Burns. Highest signing bonus. - J.R. George of the Los Angeles Lothbroks- 5.6M. Really. Does the 13^th pick ever deserve more money than the 1^st overall…..?

Mr. Billy Chapel. Lowest signing bonus. – Bert Thompson of the Kansas City Jayhawks. I mean, let’s face it, how expensive is it to live in Kansas City….

 Since a certain commissioner pointed out a few details involving the first round….

33) Milwaukee – Kent Davidson – LF- -**Disclaimer. Never saw Davidson. Going off my advance scouting, which is bad. It’s set at 0) **** Hmm. Very interesting. If he hits his projections, and he should with his high makeup, I’d be very happy with this pick. Projects as a 1b as he’ll have a weak glove, but, could play RF with the strong arm and not do too much damage. But his stick. First glance, nothing special. Kind of weak actually. Average contact. Below average power. 65 against lefties, but a whopping 94 (which he won’t hit, I foresee something in the low 70’s, and a very nice eye. Which he will hit. It’s not great, but for talking about a 33^rd overall selection, pretty solid.

34) Kansas City – Bert Thompson – RF- -**Disclaimer. Never saw Thompson. Going off my advance scouting, which is bad. It’s set at 0) **** Similar to Davidson. But opposite in some regards. Low range puts him at 1^st. But again, strong arm puts him in RF without too much damage. High speed. Boy has wheels. Low makeup worries me, as it’s the most defining attribute of a prospect for me (unless he’s already a 75 or something when drafted. Then fuck makeup.) Not sure if he’ll develop fully. Low contact, but average power. Above average VSL, and average VSR and average eye. But damn if he doesn’t have a chance to be a very intelligent base runner. Given the speed, plus average power, I could see him hitting doubles all day long. If he hits his proj. We’ll have to wait and see.