Friday, March 14, 2014

Season 24 - Amateur Draft - First Round Review

1 - Kansas City Wildcats - Al Corino

I looooooooooooooooooove Corino, but thats also coming from the guy who had to face Seay for approx 20 seasons.  As long as he doesn't get hurt, he is a future hall of famer.

llcc - The KC Wildcats took Al Corino as the number one overall pick in this year’s draft. He is going to play first base. He is one of very few players that have ever had quad 90 projections for his hitting abilities, Contact 93, Power 100, VS LHP 98, and VS RHP 94. 


2 - Nashville Commodores - Jack Hurst

Hurst is another fantastic hitter.  He should anchor the Commodores lineup for many seasons.  His speed is nothing to sneeze at as well so he won't be clogging up the basepaths.

cctigerfan - Jack Hurst should develop into an every day RF for Nashville. He has excellent power with good splits, contact and eye, A solid pick at number 2 overall,

3 - Fargo Bison - Robb Kelly

The top pitcher in the draft goes #3.  I see him as a true top of the rotation pitcher with a fantasstic #1 pitch and very good splits.  Nothing wrong with the top 3 picks so far.

bigsammich - The scouts in Fargo saw Robb Kelly as being the best starting pitcher in the draft. The hard throwing right hander already has ML quality pitches, but will need to develop his control and effectiveness vs R/L batters to really blossom into the dominate arm the Bison need in the future. 


My gut tells me Callaway will end up being a bust as a top 5 selection primarily because his control is so weak.  His other ratings are solid, but if he can't find the plate, there will always be issues.

5 - Kansas City Wildcats (type D from last season) - Ralph Martin

I don't love this pick either.  he looks like a solid corner outfielder, but those aren't too hard to find nowadays.

llcc - My second first round pick at number five is Ralph Martin. He is projected to play right field. Martin is going to be a power hitter that can steal a few bases but his health could be an issue.



We are on a run of corner outfielders!  he is the most polished hitter in the draft and one could argue could do some damage at the ML level right now.  He probably should be playing at a higher minor league level, but looks like the Red Raiders are bringing him along slowly.  Solid prospect, but again, seems a little high.

mongoose_22 - After four seasons of stellar play at the collegiate level, Del Todd proved he was ready for the next level. He was probably the most polished player in the class, and could very likely be the first player from his class to make it to the big leagues. A lefty with above average contact and power combined with an excellent batting eye and speed makes Todd an ideal #1 or #2 hitter. He should develop into a solid defensive RF or, at worse, a very good defensive 1B. The Red Raiders were very happy to land Todd at #6. Our scouts project him to be a very good every day starter, with the potential to be an All Star.


I really like this pick and think he could have gone several spots higher.  Really nice SP prospect.  His combination of control, splits, and two excellent pitches should serve him really well in Seattle.

8 - Huntington Thundering Herd - Carter Lawson

Another solid SP prospect, although health could be an issue.  There are already bets being made to see if Lawson ever makes it to Huntington or is shipped off by the most trade happy owner in NCAA.

hurricane384 - Not the guy I was hoping for, but a pick I was more than happy with. He's not quite an ace, but should definitely be a good SP in the rotation...or trade bait.

9 - Detroit Wolverines - Jaime North

Really nice hitting prospect who is definitely overqualified for Rookie Ball right now.  His vR looks a little iffy, but the rest of his ratings show him to be a very good hitter.

tk21775 - Continuing the trend with offense, the Wolverines took Jaime North with the ninth overall pick. We liked his bat, his vR hopefully will reach it's projection but he'll make for a nice 1B bat for the future or to package with some other prospects for that young SP we can't seem to find.

10 - Chicago Blue Demons - Mo Pierce

I'd like this pick a lot more if he had 5-10 more rating points in STA.  As he looks now, he is a super reliever.  Nothing wrong with that, but his pitching ratings don't look quite good enough to be a shut down reliever.

11 - Portland Ducks - Donnie Taylor

It will be interesting to see if Taylor develops enough to be a SS which is doubtful.  He looks more like a 3B.  Nothing wrong with that as its not easy finding a solid hitting, great fielding 3B.  He demanded a huge amount of cash to sign, almost $8 mil so hopefully he works out!

12 - Helena Grizzlies (type D from last season) - Mandy Menechino

I see Menechino in a slightly more favorable light than owner drichar.  I think if all things go well he could be a solid #3 as opposed to a back of the rotation guy.  Solid ratings across the board.

drichar138 - Menechino projects to be a back of the rotation starting pitcher at the major league level. He has great control and is very good at inducing ground balls, but his splits and pitches are average at best. 


Once again I like French a bit more than the drafting owner does...I am sure drichar is hoping my take turns out versus what he projects.  French is the top true reliever to be taken so far.  His righty split is huge and will be a huge benefit to helping the Grizzlies bullpen.

drichar138 - French is a "righties specialist" if there was such a thing. He destroys right handed pitching and has a great combination of control, velocity and groundball inducing stuff. He struggles a bit vs left handed hitters and his second pitch is suspect.


I will absolutely love this pick if he develops just enough to play a legit CFer.  If he doesn'tand is stuck as a COF, then the pick isn't as exciting.  If he does, then he is a steal.

15 - Memphis Tigers - Jacob Little

Little is the second true reliever chosen.  He looks like a solid, if not spectacular, reliever.  Maybe slightly more of a setup B than setup A.

mh17 - We are happy to get Little with the 15th pick, good splits, pretty good command of his pitches, and can locate them decent. Should he reach his potential, he could work late innings and pick a few saves here and there.

16 - Buffalo Bulls - Charlie Stuart

Don't love the pick because he is so far away from being a good defensive CFer and since he is left handed, he will be stuck as a corner OFer and doesn't really have a good enough bat to lock up a starting position.


Its doubtful Hubbard will progress enough to play even average defensively at 3B so he probably is another COF with a solid bat.  This draft is turning into "The draft of the corner outfielders."


The future for Bailey all comes down to his splits.  His control and pitches look solid enough to be a decent SP, but he needs to make some big strides in getting his splits up there as well.  If not, then he is a long reliever/spot starter type.

allright - The Bearcats went for pitching in the first round. The 18 yr. old drafted is a project that the 'Cats promise to enjoy. The sinkerballer is a sure fit for the ballpark in Cincy.. He does not project to be a #1 or #2, and may not even be a #3; but, he should get to the bigs as a back of the rotation starter. He will have to show steady control improvement to offset stamina concerns. All in all, a decent pick from the 'Cats position in the draft. Coulda done better, coulda done worse.

19 - Boise Broncos -

I wish his righty and lefty split were flip flopped and I could get on board more easily.  Right now looks like a lefty platoon and utlity player with some unique talents.
abesmem - Boise is very happy grabbing David Castro with the 19th pick. Castro has great speed and range for a second baseman and has the durability to be an everyday player. It remains to be seen if he can develop into a solid leadoff hitter as his splits against righties are a bit weak, but he brings superior contact skills with him and the best batting eye I’ve seen in quite a while. If his batting eye can compensate for his less than dominant splits, he can become a very productive top of the order hitter. Regardless of where he ends up in the batting order, he should be an impact player in the majors within a few seasons.


20 - Anaheim Trojans - Hasn't signed and doesn't look like he will.

vino5 - My pick decided not to sign. He was asking for $8 mill and I thought he was worth a gamble at that point in the draft.


It will take him awhile to get there, but Gray should be a back of the rotation or long reliever who can possibly eat a lot of innings.


I really like this pick considering who went 5-10 spots ahead of him.  He should be a really nice reliever. Nice value!

z0601 - Lohse was just outside the Top 5 on our board and was a decent pickup with the 22 pick in this years draft. Lohse will hopefully develop into a decent relief arm out of our bullpen in the coming seasons. Oakland management hope his control and outstanding sinker make life really tough against lefties.

23 - Syracuse Orange - Tony Felix

Felix looks like another solid relief pitcher at nice value considering who went before him.  Nice job to z0601 and evil for grabbing these guys as they slipped.

Evil Doers - The Orange think they might have something here with Right Handed reliever Tony Felix. Is he future Cy Young winner, no. But we think with the 23rd pick that he'll definitely help the big team. His splits aren't fantastic but we love that he has great control and great velocity combining with a very good pitch and then a decent one as well. He'll also be able to go a couple of innings per appearance. We like him.

24 - Buffalo Bulls (Type A from losing Joaquin Nunez) - Benito Bogaerts

Another reliever!  I don't like Bogaerts quite as much since he is already 22 and has a good ways to go to be a go to guy in the bullpen, but could be a setup B.

25 - Seattle Huskies (Type D from last season) - Edgmer Johnson

Johnson has a really unique set of ratings.  He almost certainly won't be a C which will leave him as a DH with a really high OBP and should hit lefties really well.

26 - Louisville Cardinals - Billy Byrne

Byrne looks like a bust.  I don't think he can succeed much with splits and pitches so average, but maybe he will prove me wrong!

27 - Portland Ducks (Type A from losing Nolan Boone) - Timothy Davenport

We're starting to get to the point in the draft where there isn't much to say since its clear this draft was pretty weak.  Davenport will hopefully get to a point where he can be a back of the rotation guy, but is probably a long reliever at best.

28 - Louisville Cardinals (Type A from losing Orlando Galvez) - Don Caldwell

I would have loved this pick for an AL team and maybe one will come sniffing around in the offseason.  He is a nice bat to grab in a weak draft this late in the first round.

29 - Columbus Buckeyes (Type A from losing Dallas Parrott) - Lee Powell

Nothing much to see here.  Utility guy at best, maybe a AAA guy at worst.  None of his ratings really stand out.

30 - Charleston Cougars (Type D from last season) - Alan Tracy

Great value here as the top fielding player in the draft goes #30.  Considering some of the guys who were picked prior, Tracy is a steal as he definitely projects to be a plus defender at SS.  Nice value.

dgtrache - Alan Tracy projects as a very good fielding shortstop with a decent bat for the position. The challenge in developing Tracy will be whether he actually attains the lofty fielding projections that Charleston’s scouts are reporting given his poor make up.

31 - Dover Fightin Blue Hens - Fernando Eusebio

A SS who has already been converted to a CFer. Probably at best a utility guy as his defense doesn't look quite good enough to overcome his unique ratings at bat.

byers61 - With the 31st pick, Dover selected CF Fernando Eusebio. He is an okay pick that late, but he would have benefited from better genetic engineering. He has the range and arm to be a gold-glove shortstop, but alas, he is a lefty. He is a very good contact hitter but lacks the batting eye and base-running skills to be a true lead-off hitter. At this stage he is a poor hitter against righties, and at age 22 he doesn't have the time to grow to his potential much.

32 - Charleston Cougars - Chico Torrealba

Solid selection here at the end of the first round.  If he progresses, he will find a spot onto the Cougar ML roster.

dgtrache - Accidentally deleted this quote, please re-send to me dg!


Bleh.  Ford has a skillset that we usually don't chase after, but this draft stunk.  I'm glad his vR is the split that projects higher, his D is solid, and speed is great.  If we hold onto him, he'll be a solid utility guy.

34 - Richmond Spiders - Rudy Stone

Could be the steal of the draft.  Personally, I've had terrible luck with sub 18ish STA guy, but his splits and pitches look fantastic.  Really nice value.

cmthieme - I really like his projections, but he has a long way to go to reach them, so we'll see where he ends up. He won't throw a lot of innings but if he gets near his projections he could be a solid 1-inning closer-type. Picking this low, I'm happy to get a guy that can even make the team in the future, so I'm happy with this pick.


Can hopefully be a platoon CFer against lefties if he can progress enough defensively.  Keep him the heck away from righties!

36 - Minnesota Golden Gophers - Hasn't signed


37 - Minnesota Golden Gophers (Type D from last season) - Hasn't signed