Saturday, April 26, 2008

Rule V Draft Recap

Instead of running through the draft order, I'm going to go alphabetically team by team. Please keep in mind that my advanced scouting is only at 14 million and so I could see different projections then you. Also, this is meant as something fun and to spark debate, not as any kind of personal attack.

Arizona

The Sun Devils chose Don Whiteside with the 11th pick in the first round.. Scouts are split as to what Don will amount to in the bigs. Some say he could be a serviceable starter at the back of the rotation, while others feel that his average splits will make him more of a long reliever or for use in mop up duty.

Atlanta

With the first pick in the rule v draft, the Yellow jackets selected Marco Egan . Egan looks to be a decent first baseman with a little more pop than contact. He also would rather face a lefty than a righty in a tight spot. His OBP\OPS is helped by his above average eye.

Buffalo

The Bulls selected Zoltan Harang in the first round and Mateo Almonte in the second. Harang would project to a back of the rotation starter or long reliever except for his awful durability. Not sure what the Bulls plan to get out of Harang, but the owner will have to decide between a long pitch count with tons of rest or a short pitch count to get more use out of him on a daily basis. As for Almonte, scouts see that he has great control and a couple good pitches, however scouts feel his below average splits could really hurt him.

Charlotte

The Heels went into the Rule V targeting a catcher and were able to get their second choice with the 16th pick in Pedro Owen . Although Owen only has average pitch calling skills, this is still an upgrade over the current backup catcher and he has a decent arm for defensive purposes to go along with some good contact skills, especially against lefties.

Chicago

The Illini chose two players in the rule v with selections of Slick Schneider and Zack Morandini . Schneider looks like he can be a decent back up catcher with above average defensive ratings and some pop in his bat. Morandini looks to be a fantastic choice in the second round as he looks to be a solid middle reliever. He is only average against righties, but the rest of his ratings make him a nice selection.

Detroit

Yet another catcher is chosen as the Wolverines selected Rich Key . Key looks like he will be a fantastic defensive backup catcher. Pitching staffs love to work with him and Detroit is probably very happy he dropped to them.

Honolulu

The Warriors chose one of the highest rated overall players in the rule v draft in Benito Romero . Scouts seem to think he is a bit overrated due to his very high stamina. However, he is very good against lefties and should be a serviceable pitcher with very good control and some nice pitches. With their second pick, the Warriors chose Bip Hardy who looks to be a fantastic pick. The Warriors were shocked he dropped all the way to the second round and scooped him up with the 41st pick. He is awesome power to go along with a decent eye. Although he hits lefites much better than righties, scouts feel his power makes up for that.

Jackson

Another team to choose two players, the Rebels chose Ringo Stanley and Jaime Robinson . Scouts are split on these selections. Stanley has great power, but little else and seems to be a reach. Robinson has great splits and pitches, however, he can't seem to hit water falling out of a boat as his control is horrible. Jackson is confident his splits and velocity will make up for the lack of control.

Las Vegas

Vegas felt they needed a lot of help and chose three players in the rule v. Emil Miles was their first choice with the second pick overall. Miles should immediately helps as all of his hitting ratings are slightly above average to above average. Their second choice, Russ Eischen is another guy that can step into the lineup immediately at second base.If The Runnin' Rebs are patient, Alan Locke could be a great choice in the third round. Although he is still a ways away from his projections, Locke could be a very good reliever for a long time. Time will tell if this promotion to the bigs will hrut more than help.

Louisville

With the 25th pick, the Cards went with Russ Munoz . Munoz looks like he can be a serviceable reliever with average splits, great control, and two above average pitches. However, his facial hair is also very imposing.

Memphis

I'm not sure how this is possible, but Memphis did not choose someone in the first round, however they did choose Craig Kennedy with the 51st pick in the second. The Tigers were ecstatic to see Kennedy drop to them. he has a loooong way to go to reach his projections and some scouts feel that he'll probably need more time in the minors after this season in the majors for more seasoning. If he does reach his projections, he will be a lockdown lefty specialist. Control is something he needs to work on.

New Orleans

With the 30th pick, the Privateers chose Brett Waters . Waters looks to be a decent bat off the bench. He has above average power, but a real asset is his unbelievable batting eye. The Privateers hope this translates to a good OBP\OPS pinch hitter.

Philadelphia

The Owls chose a very nice catcher in Juan Tatis . He definitely can be a starting catcher in the bigs with solid defensive ratings to go along with a very nice bat. With their second choice the Owls selected Elmer Peterson . Scouts believe Peterson is another guy who could be a back of the rotation guy, but probably more of a long reliever\mop up type pitcher because of his splits. Not a bad choice to choose a pitcher to "eat innings" as he comes cheap.

Portland

The Ducks chose a whopping four players in the rule v. Kevin Flynn was their first choice and scouts are not sure he will do much in the bigs because his splits are so low and looks to be a reach with a first round choice. Their second choice, Gerald Maddox compares very favorable to their first choice. Everything looks solid, except his splits are a bit low. Merv Lilly was the third choice and looks to be a very nice pick from here. He can be a nice defensive replacement for most of the positions on the field and his bat isn't half bad. Their fourth pick, Derrick Montgomery doesn't look to be ready for the bigs nor do scouts believe he ever will. He has a very weak bat and he doesn't have the defensive prowess to make up for it.

Salem

The Beavers decided to choose three players. With their first pick, they chose Bernie Ransom who can be slotted in the rotation which is always a nice get from the rule v. Kenneth Jordan can be a solid defensive replacement off the bench. Dernell Garvin is another defensive specialist. Not sure if Salem really wants to keep two defensive specialists on the roster, one of these guys may be offered back.

Seattle\

Seattle wins the award for most choices in the rule v draft with 5 picks! With their first choice, the Huskies chose Max Tabaka. Scouts love his mustache, his control and his pitches, however this is another pitcher where the splits might haunt him. Wesley Bryne was the second choice and could be a nice utility player. Wendell Beckett is another nice utility player and also does a great Chris Sabo impersonation with those spectacles. Tuck Ellis is yet another guy that probably can find some at bats here and there, but is probably not a great choice to be an everyday player. With their last pick, Eric Voigt is a very nice choice as he can be a great defensive replacement while not sacrificing a bat totally due to his splits and batting eye.

Syracuse

With the 22nd pick, the Orange chose R.J. Johnson who looks to be a nice value selection as a decent reliever and a great righty specialist. His durability combined with his stamina will limit his innings pitched.

2 comments:

Weena said...

Great summary, hop. In my opinion, of the teams making more than one pick, Las Vegas get an A+ as having the best draft. All 3 of their picks were in my top 5. All 3 are currently ML ready and should become top stars. Other individual players that stand out to me are Marco Egan, Juan Tatis, Bernie Ransom, and R.J. Johnson. My condolances go out to balance71 of Wichita who clearly lost a big chunk of his future due to not being available to protect his players.

HopkinsHeel said...

Totally agree that Las Vegas had the best draft. Not sure i'd go as far to say that all three will become "top stars" but they can all definitely play major roles this season which is great.