Season 22 - First Round Review

1.  Detroit - Galahad Cox

Unbelievably good hitter.  Should be a perennial all star candidate.  Will hit for contact, power, and steal a ton of bases.  Great #1 pick.

tk21775 - Hasn't signed yet but we're hoping he'll put ink to paper fairly quick. When he does we're expecting HOF numbers from Mr. Cox as his bat is solid all the way across. We told management that we had to go pitching this draft as our minors are bare and we've concentrated on offense the last several drafts but when a player of Cox's calibur is available you have to take him. He might be able to put up the same type of numbers as this season's current ML lineup combined (which isn't saying much).

2.  Seattle - Wolf Washington

This is the first time I've ever seen the name Wolf so for that reason only I applaud the selection.  He should be a really good SP>  I wish his vL looked better, but he will absolutely dominate righties and has a great selection of pitches.  And once again, his name is Wolf!

jcairns - The Seattle Huskies are proud to announce the signing of Wolf Washington. We see him as a nice #2 pitcher to slot in behind Edwards. we feel with his 2 plus pitches, high durability and stamina, that he will pitch deep into games, and always giving our team a chance to win when he pitches. In an unrelated note, we have parted ways with our scouting director, who somehow lost the paperwork on a certain CF we were looking at.

3.  Philadelphia - Buddy Bravo

Any of the top 3 picks could have gone #1 in other drafts.  This is looking like a really strong draft so far.  Buddy is a top of the line SP prospect.  You can't pass up a guy like this.

jeanpaul22 - We are very, very pleased with this pick. We were not looking for a specific type of player, so we picked the one we think will be the best. Bravo should become a very solid starter with a very good control, superb curveball. He should be very efficient against lefties and good against righties. He could become our starter #1 in a few seasons.

4.  Columbus - Bill Daily

The most ML ready of the picks selected so far.  It remains to be seen if Daily can develop enough to be good enough defenively at CF.  If he does, then he is a great pick. If he doesn't, then he'll still be solid, but since he is a lefty he'll be relegated to one of the COF positions.

tdfactory - With the #4 pick in the draft, Columbus selected CF Bill Daily. Bill held out for awhile, but after some maneuvering by the Bucks to free up some cash, Bill has signed and is in camp now. He was rated the #2 player on the Bucks board, so we were glad to see him slip to #4. The Bucks feel like Daily is their future CF and stud to continue with the youth movement and drive for a title. He projects as a solid fielder with a power bat, but also will hit for average. He has great speed, which will help him defensively, but he is a liability on the bases. Overall, Daily should be a spark to the offense and wont make many errors in the field. Could see Bill in the majors as early as next season, but if not definitely Season 24.

5.  Portland - Michael Liang

Liang is another guy who is a top 3 talent.  Defintiely a top of the rotation type prospect.  Strong splits and pitches.  Great selection. 

6.  Anaheim - Tony Uribe

Uribe is a major league ready hitter right now.  He will be a really solid hitter once he finished developing.  More power would be nice from a 1B/DH, but should hit for a great average with lots of doubles.

vino5 - Anaheim is pleased with the #6 pick, Tony Uribe. He should be a great, all star hitter. Having said that I was hoping that our high scouting budget would have worked more to our advantage as all the players we had rated ahead of him came off the board. t.

7.  Boise - Rickey Brush

Hopefully will develop enough to be a great defensive SS with a solid bat.  Those types of guys are always tough to find. 

abesmem - Boise was thrilled to get Rickey Bush with the 7th overall pick. Rickey shows amazing poise and maturity for a 19 year old and has already jumped into Hi-A ball with ease. The “intangibles”, health and durability are all present in this kid who projects to be a ML SS or 3B very soon. He is skilled in every aspect of the game, as a switch hitter he can hit lefties and righties with equal skill, he has an above average batting eye, good speed and better than average power. We believe he is a can’t miss prospect that should be an every-day player for many rears to come.

8.  Memphis - Carlos Juarez

Almost certainly will not end up good enough defenisvely to be a ML SS, but he could be a good 3B or 2B with a heckuva bat. 

mh17 - “With the 8th pick in the first round, we are elated to have selected Carlos Juarez. Listed at the top of our draft board, his potential projects him to be the one of the best, if not the best, prospect to wear a Tiger uniform. He shows great D, a really good bat, speed, a good makeup, and more. We couldn’t be more pleased with our selection.”

9.  Kansas City - Louie Cook    Similar prospect to the Memphis selection.  Not sure he'll get to SS defender level, but could be a good hitter at a premium defensive position.  Nothing wrong in selecting a guy like Cook with a top 10 pick.
llcc - The number one draft pick for the Kansas City Wildcats is Louie Cook. I see him as a power hitting third baseman. His projected rating is 88.

10.  Helena - Nelson Stockton

I like him mostly as a leadoff hitter if his contact can develop enough.  I think he has a good enough contact/eye/speed combo to do so effectively.

drichar138 - We selected Nelson Stockton with the 10th pick overall. We like his power/speed combination and are hoping he can develop into a RF. No matter where he plays defensively we think he ca be a 20/20 player with a solid average.

11.  Huntington - Vicente Alvarez

He should be a really solid OFer for the Thundering Herd (or whomever hurricane trades him to).  He doesn't excel at anything, but is solid across the board.

huntington384 - Vicente Alvarez was our #3 ranked prospect. My amateur scouts rank him as having very good power with solid splits and a good eye. He will never be confused for a gold glove outfielder, but definitely has the hitting chops to be a mainstay in the corner for years to come.

12.  Syracuse - Dicky Payton

Well Payton signed....(see below, evil wasn't confident).  Not sure where he will fit.  I think the hope has to be he develops enough to be a CFer, but I think thats a stretch.  He might be a 4th Ofer/utility player.

evil doers - As of this writing the Orange are deep in the negotiating process of with the number 12 pick of Dicky Payton. It's not looking good and we're not sure if he'll sign.

13.  Fargo - Tyrone St. Clair

Hopefully St Clair will make it to the bigs in one piece with that health rating.  His ratings are all over the place.  He looks like a platoon guy/utility player.  I am guessing both evil above and mike were hoping for more at 12 and 13.

14.  Chicago - Benji Service

Or maybe this draft is just starting to slow down.  Service looks like a serviceable (pardon the pun) bullpen arm, but not someone you'd typically see go in the top 15 of the draft.  His splits just don't seem good enough.

15.  Cincinnati - Oleg Anderson - I really like this pick especially considering what went the previous three picks.  Anderson looks like he has the tools to be a shutdown reliever who can pitcj 100+ solid innings.,  Very valuable.

allright - After two straight years of missing with relatively high draft choices, the Bearcats hit paydirt with their first rounder this season, though the choice came in the middle of the first round. Oleg Anderson has all of the tools to become an all-star closer. He will still have to prove himself on the field and with an 18 year old one never knows. He is in Rookie ball right now; but, after a little "feet wetting", expect him to move up this seasaon, maybe as high as High A.

16.  Dover - Terry Caminiti

Caiminiti should be a solid, if not spectacular middle of the rotation guy.  Solid splits and pitches.

byers61 - Very pleased to get Terry Caminiti, an 82 OVR slider and curveball pitcher with good stamina and control. He has two good pitches but should only throw a fastball occasionally to keep them honest. He should be a future member of the Blue Hen rotation for years to come.


17.  Texas Tech - Rip Wagner

I don't think he'll be a SS, but could be a good defender at 3B with a solid bat.  The value will depend on how good the bat can get.

mongoose_22 - The Red Raiders were very pleased to land IF Rip Wagner in the middle of the 1st round. The switch hitter played one season in community college, where he played short stop and showed very good power. Though our scouts don't feel he translates as a SS in the big leagues, he projects out to a third baseman. Injuries were a problem in high school and college for Rip. If he can stay healthy, he should develop into a very solid, all around player. He should be a plus defender at third with capable of 25 or so home runs per season and above average on base skills. The Red Raiders head of player development projects Rip to spends the next 2-3 seasons in the minors, before getting his ML call-up in Season 25 or 26.

18.  Jackson - Duke Brede

I think this is a total miss.  I don't see him as a ML pitcher at all with those splits.  Maybe his pitches will make up for it?  At best a long reliever/mop up.

19.  Little Rock - Doug Moses - I'm not as optimisitc as joe is.  I think he is similar to Brede who just got selected.  I think his splits are going to really hurt him.  But they are better than Brede's so hopefully he can develop to a back of the rotation type.

joekendall - Moses will fit in as a #4 or #5 SP. He lacks the ability to get LH batters out, but should do fine otherwise. We hope to see him in the big leagues in a couple of years.

20.  Richmond - Stu Cohen

Cohen is the steal of the draft so far.  What a great value here.  I am also partial to average defenders/great hitters at C.  I'm surprised he fell to #20, but I am guessing it has to do with his DUR.

cmthieme - I was surprised and really happy to get Cohen all the way down at 20. We only scout college players, but he was #4 on our board. Our amatuer scouting shows above average defense at catcher and a great bat. With those skills, he'd be an MVP-type player if he had better durability. Still, even as a part-time player, he has a lot of value and am surprised he lasted to #20. Signability was a concern, but it only took him one day to agree to terms.

21.  Arizona - Hal Burton

I like this pick.  He'll be a good defensive catcher, but also can platoon against Righties and will be a solid pinch hitter off the bench.

mitt0108 - Arizona chose C Hal Burton with the 21st overall pick. The front office had some heated debate on whether to choose Burton or one of the pitchers that would still be on the board. In the end we decided that a great defensive catcher like Burton with elite power was too much to pass up. Lefties mystify him however, so he will only be able to play against righties. (Burton is still unsigned)

22.  Iowa City - Ed Priest

Nothing wrong with this pick.  Should be a back of the rotation SP.  He'll eat some quality innings.

23.  New Orleans - Shelley Bard

Bard looks to be a utility player.  I don't think he has the bat or the glove to be a regular starter, but he should be able to contribute.

24.  Charleston - Eddie Granderson

I like this pick.  I think he should have gone in the late teens and it would have been justified.  He should be a solid bullpen arm.

dgtrache - With very good control and effectiveness against right handed batters, Granderson should develop into a solid setup man. This late in the draft, Charleston is content to get a player that can contribute at the ML level

25.  Fargo - Guillermo Ordaz

I actually like this pick for Fargo more than their #13 pick.  Ordaz should be a nice contributor for the Bison bullpen.

26.  Louisville - Hasn't signed

27.  Nashville - Santiago Bonilla

Really surprised Bonilla lasted all the way to #27.  I think he is a steal.  He could develop into a middle of the rotation starter.  Nice work.

cctigerfan - The Nashville Commodores are very happy to get a pitcher of the caliber of Santiago Bonilla with the 27th pick. With 5 pitches, good splits, and good velocity, he will contribute at the major league level in a few seasons.

28.  Charleston - Mitchell Dunston

I think his vL is going to hinder him significantly.  He should still be able to be a piece to the puzzle, but I think its more as a long reliever/mop up/spot starter.

dgtrache - Dunston should develop into a back of the rotation starter. However, make-up and health concerns may limit his progress. In addition, Dunston’s effectiveness against left handed batters could pose a problem.


29.  Dover - Arthur Flowers   I think if Flowers glove devlops, he could be a solid 2B starter.  If it doesn't then I don't think he'll have the bat to start in the OF and will be relegated to a utility role. 
byers61 - Our second first round pick was 2b Arthur Flowers. Our advance scout also sees him as an 82 OVR, a well-balanced player with speed and some power. He hits righties and lefties equally well. He is 21 years old and should move swiftly through the low minors.

30.  Buffalo - Orber Mitchell

I think Mitchell is a steal considering who has gone in the 10-15 picks prior.  He should be a solid #4 SP who eats a lot of innings.  Nothing wrong with a pick like this so late in the first round.

jrooster - Orber Mitchell. The Bulls picked up a workhorse in Mitchell with a projected stamina in the 90's and durability in the 30's He wont be an Ace or top of the rotation guy but he should be able to hold his own at the back end of the rotation since with 4 above avg pitches.

31.  Minnesota - Hasn't signed.  Bighead never signs his 1st rounders til the last second so no surprise here.

32.  Charlotte - Chip Menechino

Meh, we'll see.  Hopefully he'll develop enough to be a long reliever.  I doubt he'll be good enough to crack the rotation unless its on a rebuilding team.  I was hoping for something more, but we'll see what happens.