Saturday, September 22, 2012

Amateur Draft First Round Review - Season 18


     

      1. Arizona Sun Devils  - - Doug Treadway

      Treadway is an absolute monster talent.  As long as he progresses correctly, he is a Hall of Fame type prospect that has the chance to be one fo the all time greats in several hitting categories. 

lpa2a – “"The future of the Sun Devils is Treadway!"

      2. Boise Broncos  - - Red Dreifort

      Another great hitting prospect that should do a lot of damage.  He made the Broncos pay top dollar as he held out for more cash.  He also should be ready either next season or the following season at the latest so he is an immediate contributor.  Great selection.

Abesmem – “I had Dreifort ranked 2 on my board, so I was happy to get him. He should cycle to the majors quicker than many of the other prospects and I needed that. He’s already ripping up AA. H should hit for both power and average and his splits are good, especially vs righties. Health and stamina are also positives for Red so I’m hoping for a long run at the ML level. As added bonuses, he projects to have 83 speed and a pretty good batting eye too. So, while Red may not be stellar in the field he should be a very good offensive asset for many years to come.”

      3. Little Rock Razorbacks  - - Duke Strong

      The first pitcher off the board is a doozy.  He deserved to be selected top five for his name alone. I wish his vL was higher, but exemplary control combined with a great vR should be able to offset the vL and average pitches.  Solid top 5 selection.

Joekendall – “We needed some pitching in the organization so we chose the best college starter we could find. Strong should be a number 1 starter in a couple of years for us.”

      4. Philadelphia Owls  - - Terrell Kelly

      Kelly will have to be moved to 2B as his range will prohibit him from being even average defensively in CF.  But that’s not a big problem as he should be a gold glove level 2B while contributing significantly with his bat.  He could have gone #1 and I would not have been surprised.  Great value.

5.  Iowa City Hawkeyes  - - Chico Salinas

Unbelievable relief prospect that unfortunately has been hit with a debilitating injury.  If he is able to bounce back and progress, he should have a solid career as a reliever.  However, the Hawkeyes had the unique opportunity to capitalize on their “worst to first” performance this season with a top 5 pick and that won’t come to fruition.

Tbone66 – “My first round pick Chico Salinas I thought would be a premier closer in this league however he just got hit with a 260 day injury that dropped him 6 overall points. He is only 19 so we will see if he can bounce back from the injury next season and hopefully will still be as effective as I had hoped”

      6.  Detroit Wolverines  - - Turner Shannon

Starter or Reliever, Reliever or Starter?  Either way, I think the Wolverines were hoping for more with a high selection in the draft.  In another draft, this type of pitcher can be found mid to late first round.  A sign of things to come after several superstar prospects were off the board?

Tk21775 – “Turner Shannon #1 pitcher on our board so we're glad he fell to 6th but it was a weak draft from what our scouts showed us. He'll be a nice #3 SP, sort of like Julio Johnson who finally made the all-stars this season in his 30's.”

     7. Chicago Blue Demons  - - Junior Zurbaran

Is this Al Zurbaran’s kid brother? What an interesting STA/DUR combo.  I’ll be really interested to see how those projections play out.  Should be a serviceable starter, but like the Wolverines above, the Blue Demons were hoping for more.

      8. Syracuse Orange  - - Chad Demel

I like Demel more than the previous two pitchers selected primarily based on his vR rating which is excellent.  The Orange continue the rebuilding process after a long run as a top team in NCAA with a solid pitching prospect to add to the stable.

Evil doers – “This year the Orange were lucky enough to draft Chad Demel. It’s been so long since we drafted that early and don’t usually see this type of talent on the board when we give the commissioner our pick. For some time now we’ve felt that we have some #3 and #4 starting pitching talents in our system but were weak at the front of the rotation. However, we think that with the trade acquisition of Johnny Ryan and the draft of Demel that we’re starting to round out our future rotation nicely. We’ll see in a few years I guess.”

     9.  Cincinnati Bearcats  - - Willard Perez

Bearcat’s ownership have already made the correct move in transitioning Perez to 3B from SS.  He could be a GG level defender there while providing some nice pop with the bat which is difficult to find.

Allright – “Willard Perez , a high school shortstop, is already making the transition to third in rookie ball. He' not 5 star in any category; but, he scores well in all categories. A well-rounded, solid prospect who is destined for a good major league career.”

     10.  Memphis Tigers  - - Christopher Jenkins

Whiz kid with the glove and actually brings a nice bat to the table as well makes for a nice selection as we round out the top 10.  Jenkins could have gone several slots higher considering who else has been selected in the back half of the top 10.

Mh17 – “"Having not had a truly adequate shortstop in some time, if ever, the Tigers are very pleased with having selected Christopher Jenkins in the first round. While his defense and durability are a tad off what we original hoped, he should be able to man the position sufficiently while providing a decent bat with some pop as he progresses to the bigs. Currently, sooner rather than later. To date, he could prove to be the best all-round shortstop to wear a Tigers uniform, and in the event a better option comes available, he will fit nicely anywhere on the field and in the lineup."

     11.  New York Red Storm  - - Footsie Womack

First of all, love the name.  Secondly, I wish his range was higher.  As a left hander with limited range, he may be too much of a defensive liability at CF and he doesn’t provide the power you typically like to see at a COF position, but that is where he’ll probably have to play.

     12.   Richmond Spiders  - - Matthew Crawford

Really nice selection and another pitcher I like more than a couple others who went higher.  Solid #2/#3 starting pitcher and a steal at this point considering who went earlier. 

     13.  Oakland Golden Bears  - - Haywood Milledge

Not sure he is a starter, but regardless has quite the “stuff” as his splits are phenomenal and better than any pitcher chosen except for Salinas at #5.  He could be a fantasic “super reliever” and have a great career.  Nice selection.

Z0601 - "The Golden Bears are very happy to get the top player on our draft board in Haywood Milledge . Milledge will be a solid back of the rotation pitcher for us in the seasons to come. Haywood will develop with decent splits versus batter on both sides of the plate and has the ability to be very accurate with his two top pitchs." "After getting a Type D pick for the past couple of drafts, Oakland management is extremely happy to have Juan Rojas join the organization. We were afraid that Rojas would not fall to us at the 19th pick. Rojas will bring a big bat to the plate and should arrive to the ML just in time to replace our current DH players. We are very happy to have gotten the player we did in this years draft and continue the turnaround here in Oakland.”

     14. Anaheim Trojans  - - Albert Neal

Interesting choice.  His career will mimic where his vR ends up.  He loves pitching against lefties and has some other nice qualities that will help.  Will be interesting to see how he ends up with his combination of ratings.

     15.  Buffalo Bulls  - - Keith Bowker

Solid relief prospect with very good splits, but mediocre pitches.  Another guy that can be had later in drafts typically, but this draft seems to be extremely top heavy.

16.  Portland Ducks  - - Has not signed.

      17. Columbus Buckeyes  - - Stephen Harvey

 I think he’ll struggle a decent amount due to a mediocre vR, although he has an above average vL and solid pitches.  Not sure they are good enough to overcome the vR however.

Tdfactory – “At the 17th slot, lefty Stephen Harvey out of NY. Stephen is projected to be a solid ML reliever with a nasty knucklecurve and a devloping sinker as his featured pitches. When paired with last years first round pick Hector Narveson, the Buckeyes hope their future bullpen is set with two solid lefties.”

      18. Kansas City Wildcats  - - Jeremy Mullin

I really like this value here.  His STA/DUR should allow him to be an absolute workhorse that will help out the bullpen and his other ratings show he should be a good, serviceable SP.  Nice value.

      19. Oakland Golden Bears (from Paul Stone type D) – Juan Rojas

 Love this selection.  Would love it even more if his PC was 10 points higher, but regardless is a great hitter and can be a great DH if C does not work out.  Another great value.

      20. Portland Ducks (from Vic Keefe  New Orleans A) -  Gerald Marte

Third great value selection in a row.  Really nice 2B prospect.  Great defensive skills combined with a solid bat.  This draft is showing a bit more depth than previous thought.

      21. Seattle Huskies  - - Jared King

Definitely will not be a 2B, but has a decent bat to play COF and contribute.  As you can see, the Huskies apparently forgot about the draft.  Considering the facts, this pick could have been much worse.

Jcairns – "the seattle huskies would like to announce the firing of their amateur draft director for forgetting that there was a draft. "

      22. Jackson Rebels - - Edwards Kinney

Nice relief prospect.  Not much more to say.  Decent splits and good pitches will combine to help the Rebels at the back end of games.

      23. Dover Fightin Blue Hens (from Orlando Galvez  Louisville A) – Marquis Harper

Solid selection who compares well to pitchers taken much higher.  Should help the rotation eventually.

Byers61 – “The Fighting Blue Hens carried three late first-round picks into the draft, and emerged with Marquis Harper at pick #23. He looks to be a servicable 4th or 5th starter if he reaches projections.”

24. Dover Fightin Blue Hens -- Morgan Garland

 Hmmm, can Garland’s extreme power make up for everything else?  Not sure.  He may be the prototypical AAAA player.  He doesn’t have the glove to play 3B, but maybe can make the club as a 4th OFer, power hitter off the bench.  The Blue Hens were probably hoping for more with this pick,

Byers61 – “Pick #24 yielded extreme power candidate 3b Morgan Garland . Finally, sandwich pick #42 brought Fausto Ozuna to the Hens.”

      25. Helena Grizzlies (from Albie Tejeda  Nashville A) – Hugh Ramsey

Solid defensive 2B who doesn’t show a ton with that bat.  Should be a ML contributor.

Drichar138 – “i selected Hugh Ramsey at #25 and Richard Aurilia at #30. Ramsey is a 2B that will be a platoon opton vs LHP. He makes good contact and has a decent eye. If Aurilia is able to make it to the ML level, he would need to be a corner outfielder vs. RHP.”

      26. Charleston Cougars  - - William Inge

 Great value here as the Cougars grab a really nice pitching prospect.  His first pitch is outstanding to go along with several other decent ratings.  Nice steal as we enter the last portion of the draft.

      27. Chicago Blue Demons (from Tony Telemaco  Texas A) - Esmil Canseco

 I think Canseco is a pretty forgettable prospect.  Not much to love here unless he can progress enough defensively to play 3B and find a platoon mate for him against lefties.

      28.  Philadelphia Owls (from Kane Nash  - D) -  Phil Strickland

I really like this pick as I love great defensive catchers that have some type of pop with the bat.  Considering some other selections that have happened in the last 5-10 picks, this is a great value.

29. Minnesota Golden Gophers  - - Hasn’t signed.

      30. Helena Grizzlies  - - Richard Aurilia

I like this pick if he can progress into a legit CF prospect considering he has a relatively decent bat. If he can not and is relegated to COF than the value drops significantly.

      31. Seattle Huskies (from Kevin Xaio  Huntington A) -  William Smith

AAAA player….nothing much to see here.

Jcairns – “the seattle huskies would like to announce the firing of their amateur draft director for forgetting that there was a draft. "

      32. Salem Beavers  - - Marvin Ross

 Definitely is not a SS and at best will be a 25th guy/utility player on the ML roster.  Bat is nothing to get excited about.

Overeasy – “The draft was a bit of a disappointment this season. Marvin Ross, is likely to top out as a utility player at the ML level, becoming a journeyman free agent signee as soon as he asks for more than ML min salary.”

      33. Fargo Bison  - - Taylor Holt

Doubt he will play in the big leagues unless it’s a desperate situation considering his vR projection, but maybe his excellent pitches will make up for it.

      34.  Charlotte Tar Heels  - - Donte Kennedy

Projections look great as projected he is the top defensive SS/maybe player in the draft.  However, he is already 22 and not sure he’ll be able to progress to where he needs to unfortunately.


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