Season 17 - Amateur Draft First Round Review

Thanks to tk for taking over the review at pick 20. I just haven't had the time with the newborn, work, etc. So this is kind of a mish mash b/c we have different advanced scouting. But its still an enjoyable read!

 1. Little Rock - Franklin Cornelius - What a hitter. He is already good enough to be playing in the bigs. I also like that he has really high patience so he could quite possibly be a Razorback for his while career. The only thing that "kinda" discounts a player like this is that its not that difficult to find a decent hitter that can play a COF/1B/DH position. Obviously Cornelius is an elite hitter and should be a perennial all star. joekendall - "We needed an impact player and took the best one available. We believe Franklin Cornelius was the best option in the draft. He should provide excellent offense for the Razorbacks in a season or two. Woooooooo. Pig. Sooie! Woooooooo. Pig. Sooie! Woooooooo. Pig. Sooie! Razorbacks!"

 2. Huntington - Markus Crosby - CF is one of those positions where you typically have to sacrifice Offense or Defense so when you can find a prospect that could provide very good defense in CF while also providing a solid bat, it makes sense to scoop him up early. It will depend on how close he can get to his hitting projections to really be able to grade if he is deserving of a number 2 pick. hurricane384 - "We're very excited to add Markus Crosby as we feel that he has the capability to be a long-time SS & GG CF."

 3. New York - Guy Forster - Good SP prospect. Don't think he is a #1 because of his vR projection, but a very good #2. Should be able to put together several seasons that are All Star worthy while maybe being a dark horse Cy Young candidate periodically. mamidu - "Guy Forster - very excited about forster. he has elite control, with great ratings across the board with the exception of vRHB, which is still very good. i look for him to anchor my rotation for years to come."

 4. Iowa City - Arthur Haynes - Similar to my comments about CF, it is extremely difficult to find someone who can field 2B adequately let alone GG level and provide a good bat. I love his vR and BE projection. Coupled with his above average speed, he could be a very good leadoff hitter. tbone66 - "Arthur Haynes not a flashy player average with bat at best but there was not much to choose from with my scouts anyway so got the best player I could"

 5. Buffalo - Johnny Ryan - Ryan is my favorite pick so far. He could have gone #1 and people wouldn't bat an eye. He has ace material and should be very good for the Bulls.

 6. Portland - Charlie Stevens - I'm not in love with him. He is already 22 and pretty far from his projections. He should be an ok pitcher, but I think when we look back he will be more of a middle round/back of the draft grade vs top 6. sirius07 - "Charlie Stevens will be a very good pitcher. This is what we were looking for the past years. A nice pick for us." 7. Seattle - Thumper Junge - Should have a very high OBP, just wish he could do a bit more to warrant the 7th pick. Looks like this draft may be setting up to be a bit weak. His plus plus speed is good. It isn't easy to find a good legit, leadoff guy so if Thumper turns into one than it will be judged a success. jcairns - "Seattle is very please with Thumper Junge At number

7. We feel he will be able to help compliment our offense perfectly. ( inside note, read high OBP and doubles power. )"

 8. Cincinnati - Danny Gibson - I think he may be more of a reliever. My projections have him topping out in the low 60's STA and low 20's DUR. I guess you could get away with him as a SP assuming a 5 man rotation and understanding that periodically he might need a 6th day off. He should end up being a good pitcher one day. allright - "Danny Gibson should be a solid #2 starter. His 4 seamer, vs. L & R and control project high enough to be a #1. His stamina and durability are the only things keeping him from being a certain #1. On a deep pitching staff, he could be a lights-out closer."

 9. Arizona - Glenallen Phelps - I think Phelps is some solid value in the back half of the top 10. Could have gone a few picks higher and I wouldn't be surprised. He should be a good middle of the rotation, maybe closer to a #2 guy. No problem at all grabbing a good SP here. lpa2a - "I'm pretty surprised that I got this guy with the #9 pick. I see him as an ace. But maybe my scouting is off."

 10. Dover - Patrick Scharein - Our first "for sure" closer is off the board. I wish his splits projected higher. He could be a super reliever with that DUR rating. 100 innings should be relatively easy to get. His #1 pitch is awesome. byers61 - "With the 10th pick, and only pick in the first three rounds, the Fighting Blue Hens selected Patrick Scharein . He looks to be the closer of the future in Dover, who may, by then, have entered closers Nicky Drew (504 saves) and Nick Robinson (425 and counting) in the hall of fame. Scharein has a Mariano Rivera-type approach, and should be paired with a catcher who keeps flashing the index finger for fastball, fastball, fastball."

 11. Kansas City - Nathan McClain - Awesome choice. Top 5 talent. I'm shocked he dropped this low. He projects to have elite control, elite 1st pitch, and very good vR. llcc - "KC first round pick is Nathan McClain. He is a pitcher. His overall projection is a 82. He is a ground ball pitcher with good control and 3 good pitches. He has average stuff against right handed batters. He should be a number 2 or 3 starter in about 3 years."

 12. Louisville - Jason Lankford - I wish he was a righty and then could play 2B. Since he is a lefty, he's relegated to COF/1B, but he should be a nice bat there. Decent speed and batting eye will help. Should be able to play GG level defense since he is stuck in between. gerald007 - "At the 12 slot, I like Lankford. He'll be somewhere in my outfield the year after next. Good eye, good versus righties, and he's got some power. Glove won't be good enough for CF, but he'll definitely be good enough for one outfield spot."

 13. Oakland - Achilles Jefferson - Lockdown closer, love it. Really nice selection and someone who should be able to close out a lot of games in the future. z0601 - "With what we here in Oakland thought was a pitchers draft, the Golden Bears are a little disappointed that some of the better pitchers had already come off the board in the first 12 picks. However, we are extremely happy to have added another quality arm to our furture bullpen in Achilles Jefferson. Jefferson will mostly used in late innings and could even endup as our closer once he makes the Bigs. With his above average splits and nasty knuckleball, batters will not be happy to see him emerge from the bullpen."

 14. Memphis - Lonny Andujar - Solid, middle of the rotation, maybe even a bit higher SP. Can't go wrong with a pick like that as we enter the middle of the first round.

 15. Jackson - Jordan Stephens - Really like this selection as well. Both this pick and the last pick could have gone higher and it wouldn't have been a surprise. Solid SP prospect.

 16. Columbus - Hector Narveson - Super Reliever or Starter? Thats the big decision here. Either way, he is a great pitching prospect, but his STA/DUR issues leave him in the grey area of where he'll end up landing. tdfactory - "There was a lot of debate about this years first round pick for the Buckeyes, and ultimately the GM was sold on veteran scout Sammy Ortiz's recommendation of P Hector Narveson. The club is projecting Narveson to end up as a solid bullpen arm at the ML level. There is some concern over his health as he had some knee problems in high school, but the kid has a nasty changeup and a sinker that should keep hitters struggling to hit this southpaw."

 17. Boise - Albert Moreland - Pitches aren't great, but he still seems to get the job done with decent splits. Should be a serviceable ML pitcher. abesmem - "Well, my first pick wasn’t until 17, but I had 4 picks in the first round from 17 up to 46 and I’m reasonably happy in that I got 4 guys that should be serviceable ML players. With Parrish and Waters at SS & 2B I got 2 superior fielding MI’s and one with great speed. Both are starting out at High A. At 17 & 21 I ended up with 2 pitchers that should be a #2 and # 4 in a ML starting rotation. Moreland projects to have very good splits against both sides of the plate and will start out in Low A, while George has better than average splits and starts in rookie ball. Overall, these guys should help in 2 to 3 years. Well, my first pick wasn’t until 17, but I had 4 picks in the first round from 17 up to 46 and I’m reasonably happy in that I got 4 guys that should be serviceable ML players. With Parrish and Waters at SS & 2B I got 2 superior fielding MI’s and one with great speed. Both are starting out at High A. At 17 & 21 I ended up with 2 pitchers that should be a #2 and # 4 in a ML starting rotation. Moreland projects to have very good splits against both sides of the plate and will start out in Low A, while George has better than average splits and starts in rookie ball. Overall, these guys should help in 2 to 3 years."

 18. Oakland (Type D) - Hasn't signed. z0601 - "With a second first round pick only 5 slots lower, figured Oakland would have two players to lean on for years to come in this seasons draft. After our pick last season decided not to sign, we hoped not to have the same thing happen again this season. In selecting Paul Stone 18th, we figure we had the perfect setup man for Jefferson. However Mr. Stone has informed us that getting a college education is more important than making millions of dollars right out of high school, so we will be looking to finally sign a player with out Type D selection next season."

 19. Detroit - Brian Nixon - Should be a decent addition for the Wolverines. Has a good enoguh glove to play second and its always nice to find someone with a nice bat who can field a middle infield position well. tk21775 - "Solid defense with an average bat for 2B, wasn't all that excited about the draft this season but we got a nice 2B deep in the draft"

 20. Richmond - Harry Cordero (P) – Bullpen pitcher with good control; should be very good against left-handed batters but no real solid pitch. cmthieme - "A little disappointing to miss out on one of the potential starting pitchers, but my scouts had Cordero as a very good reliever capable of putting up some innings, so I'm satisfied."

 21. Boise (Type A from losing Jack Daley) -Jim George (P) – Great pickup here, solid starting pitcher that will throw a lot of innings, has very solid control, good splits and a great 1st pitch. abesmem - see pick #17 

22. Chicago - Alex Carter (SS) – Will depend on his position, has a chance to play SS with a lower glove and if he can defensively play he’ll have a solid bat for that spot; if he moves over to 3rd base he’ll be a gold glover defensively. arte - "Carter is listed as a SS but his weak glove will force him to move to 2B or 3B. Projects out as a bottom of the order guy"

 23. Nashville - Nigel Mori (P) – Borderline splits will decide if he gets a shot at the majors. cctigerfan - "Nigel Mori can develop into a middle to back of the rotation starter. He has 4 pitches and should develop good control."

 24. Anaheim - David Tatis (SS) – Should be a solid defensive short-stop with some speed. ajwalton - "Tatis should develop into a serviceable defensive SS. Not too thrilled with this pick, but there wasn't much left when our turn rolled around."

 25. Syracuse - Terry Overbeck (3B) – His glove might limit him from playing 3B, might have to move to RF; has an average bat for either position but has the stamina to play 162 games for Syracuse. evil doers - "We're very happy with Terry Overbeck. We had him ranked very near the top of our board. As far as his contact, well lets say we're talking. We think we'll be able to get it done. Once we take care of that we'll begin his transition to RF. That's where we see his future."

 26. Kansas City (Type A from losing Clay Hausmann) - Enrique Moya (2B) – Nice pick-up this late in the draft; has the defense to play 2B and great speed; switches to left-hand to bat, has great contact and good splits.

 27. Philadelphia - Kane Nash (P) – Scouting didn’t pick him up.

 28. New Orleans - Kelvim Bourn (P) – Bullpen pitcher with great control and average splits. coachsimon - "NO will be looking for 28th overall pick Kelvim Bourn in the future to hold the middle of the pitching staff in order. Already 22, Bourn should progress quicky through our system. We really like the makeup of this guys an are excited to get him on the mound."

 29. Charleston - David Booker (P) – Nice bullpen pickup here by the Cougars; will have to rest a few days but when he pitches he should put up some solid numbers. dgtrache - "Charleston projects David Booker as a middle of the rotation starting pitcher should he decide to sign. While his durability is questionable, he boasts solid pitches, good splits and decent control." 

30. Helena - Toby Cornelius (CF) – Throws right-handed so can handle 2B or CF defensively; nice contact and should hit well off right-handed pitchers with great speed. drichar138 - "I picked Toby Cornelius with the 30th pick. I guess he is not bad for that late in the draft. He has great range and should develop into a decent 2b. Offensively he is a speed demon who has a good contact/eye combination. Hoping he can hit lead off in a few seasons if he signs his contract. He is still weighing his options to play basketball. Dude is 5"11. LOL."

 31. Kansas City (Type A from losing Ralph Myette) - Chip Beam (SS) – Good defensive SS with some speed.

 32. Charlotte - Ralph Booker (2B) – Glove might be low to play 2B but his bat looks good, solid eye, vR, and contact and will do fine against left-handed pitchers as well.

 33. Salem (Type D) - Andrew Ramsey (P) – Great bullpen selection here; Great splits and two solid pitches along with a good third pitch should help the Beavers late in the game. overeasy - "Coming out of high school, Ramsay is almost ML ready now, so by the time he is done developing, he should be a great reliever. We are definitely happy with this pick near the end of the round." 34. Fargo - Brayan Cambridge - Not bad at all with the last pick in the first round. Could develop into a decent addition to the bullpen. mikejuggalo - "He will hopefully be able to turn into a reliable reliever in a couple seasons. He's about as good as I could've hoped for that late in the draft."