Season 9 Amateur Draft First Round Recap

1. Boise - Vic Keefe - A really solid pitching prospect who will be a great #2 starter for a long time. Scouts aren't sure if he is a true #1 ace though. Unfortunately has already been bitten by the injury bug. Boise hopes that doesn't keep up.

2. Cincinnati - Brandon Gragg - I wonder if Boise didn't see Gragg as I think he is a slightly better prospect. Great right split. He also should pitch a ton of innings over his career. Always nice to have 5 pitches although the Bearcats might hope a pitching coach can drop that 5th pitch.

3. Memphis - Hugh Bell - Bell being chosen at #3 shows how weak a draft this was. He would be be a much better prospect if his contact and power ratings were flipped. With the combination of contact and speed, he could become a good #1 or #2 hitter although typically you like to see a little bit more power from a corner OF position.

4. Helena - Jose Mendoza - In a deeper draft, Mendoza could have lasted to the mid or even late first round. Here he goes #4. Mendoza is a bit of a tweener with his STA rating. Will be interesting to see if he eventually ends up as a starter or as a super reliever. He has 4 good pitches out of 5 which will help.

5. Minnesota - Jay Rhodes - Rhodes should be a lock down reliever for a long time. With his STA/DUR combo, he could pitch 150 innings which is very nice to have.

6. Buffalo - Gil Stephenson - Solid selection in a weak draft. It would be nice if those splits were flipped. Should be a decent middle of the rotation guy.

7. Little Rock - Hasn't signed their pick. This could be a selection where Little Rock hoped the guy wouldn't sign to gain a Type D for next season.

8. New Orleans - Michael Comer - Probably a mop up long reliever at best and definitely a reach this high in the draft. Those splits just don't look like they'll carry over to sustained success at the ML level.

9. Columbus - Ivan Bonilla - Another tweener. Doesn't have the range projections to be a good ML SS so he will probably have to move to 3B unless the Buckeyes decide they can live with the minus plays for a decent bat at SS.

10. Portland - Earl Levrault - I should cut and paste from Bonilla's description as Levrault doesn't have the range to play a good CF. Not sure where he'll end up.

11. Iowa City - Gabe Price - Great bat. Good selection in a weak draft. Some scouts think this is a better way to go than some of the "tweeners" that were selected before him.

12. Minnesota - Hasn't signed their pick. This could be a selection where Minnesota hoped the guy wouldn't sign to gain a Type D for next season

13. Charlotte - Dallas Parrott - The Heels are regretting not slotting Messmer (who went to Jackson a couple picks later) above Parrott. The Heels scouts told management that he had a decent amount of room to grow with his durability, but once Parrott signed, that went away. He is a decent pitching prospect, but with his durability, his IP will be limited.

14. Charleston - Hasn't signed their pick. This could be a selection where Charleston hoped the guy wouldn't sign to gain a Type D for next season. However, he is a "may sign if the deal is right" so he is more signable than the previous two selections that haven't signed.

15. Jackson - Nash Messmer - Great relief prospect and great value as we enter the middle of the first round.

16. Huntington - Steve D'Amico - Decent DH prospect although his power rating hurts him. Not sure where Huntington will play him either since they are in the NL. Might be good trade bait in the coming seasons.

17. Texas - Trevor Monroe - Definitely is not a SS with those defensive ratings. He could be a decent 3B though. Solid selection.

18. Chicago - If Allen May signed, he would be a great value. Nice bat who can play SS. However, it doesn't look like he will sign and Chicago will get a Type D next season.

19. Fargo - Lynn Blankenship - The year of the tweeners! Doesn't look like he has the glove or range of a CF so he may end up at a corner OF position or could be used as a super utility guy.

20. Seattle - Hasn't signed yet so another type D possible.

21. Kansas City - Ian Joseph - If his Glove rating was a smidge higher I'd call this a steal in this weak draft. If his glove can progress to the point of a decent ML SS than its a solid selection.

22. Oakland - Anibal Guapo - Looks like a Setup B with only average splits, but his pitches help make up for them a little bit.

23. Detroit - Hasn't signed yet so another type D possible.

24. Austin - Bill Saipe - This is a really nice selection as we enter the latter stages of the first round. Saipe looks to have the bat to make up for only being average defensively. Nice value at 24.

25. Scranton - Matt Young - Probably doesn't have a future at 3B with his defense so will have to be moved to a corner OF position. Not sure he has the bat to be a regular at those positions though. Might be a 4th OFer.

26. Dover - Earl Cradle - Tweeeeeeeener! Looks like a super utility guy in the making. Decent bat to go with a decent glove, but not good enough for a full time SS.

27. Nashville - Curt Field - That control rating kills him. He also only has average splits so scouts aren't sure Field has a chance at the big leagues unless its in a mop up role.

28. Arizona - Achilles Harper - Needs to play 3B or a corner OF position and probably doesn't have the bat to do much damage at those positions.

29. Memphis - Rob Ojala - Another utility guy. Might be a good speed guy off the bench.

30. Philadelphia - Clarence Christensen - Love this selection in a draft like this. Christenson can definitely contribute on the ML level and should be a standout defensively while also providing a little bit of pop although he'll strikeout a ton. Very nice value.

31. Salem - Wes Adkinsson - Should be an ok Long reliever/Spot Starter as long as his control develops.

32. Los Angeles - Billy Johnson - Not sure where Johnson will end up. Doesn't have a great bat, but if his defensive ratings get there, he could be a utility guy.

33. Syracuse - B.C. Rosado - Never much to choose from with the last pick in the first round, but Rosado is a nice roll of the dice. His control is very average, but his splits could make up for it.