Fresh Meat: Season 1 Amateur Draft Recap

Long ago before you could rank players drafting was a big guessing game. Here are the first ten guesses ever and some other notable picks from the Amateur Draft in season 1.

Hardball Dynasty's

Reagan Mathews

Reagan was the first player taken in draft season 1. Upside great stamina, solid splits and 3 fairly good pitches. Downside…has problems hitting the broadside of a barn. A career winning percentage of .341 and 6.22 walks per 9 innings. Not a very strong pick by gator993.

2. Vin Austin , came up as a SS but has spent time in CF as well. Austin is a 2 time All-star that posts a solid .289 avg, 151 homeruns and 113 steals in 7+ seasons. While not a star he is a solid player that should be around for several more productive years.

3. Tony Blair not the former British Prime Minister, but would get my vote for best pick of the draft. 2 time all-star and winner of the CY Young in season 8. In 6 plus seasons has averaged 15 wins, 170 k’s and a very low ERA of 3.32. Has pitched 200 + innings 5 times and posted a sub 3.00 ERA 3 times. Future Hall of Famer?

4. Bud Ojeda the third biggest signing in the 1^st ever amateur draft. Ojeda has been hit or miss for the most part. At his best he was 12-9 with a sub 4 ERA. At his worst 10-6 with a 5.50 ERA. Not worthy of the 4^th pick overall or a 4 million dollar bonus.

Picks 5-8 did not sign.

9. Willie Soto has bounced around the league a little but has always been a solid citizen. 1000 career hits and 129 steals at age 28. Has made the All-star team once. A fairly solid pick at number 9.

10. Pedro Marrero is one of those players with some great skills ( 25 homers, 17 steals on average the past 3 seasons) and some huge holes in his game ( .265 avg, 130k’s, 11 outfield errors over the same period). Hey at least he made the majors and makes plays one way or the other.

OTHER NOTEWORTHY PLAYERS

11. Bey Morris might turn out to be the best player taken. Still only 27 he has twice hit over 40 homers in a season. Averaging over 30 homers a season and a solid .280 avg. Could well end up hitting over 400 career homers.

15. Jack Minor The most expensive player taken in the draft at almost 6 million dollars. He has been a huge bust thus far. 30 years old and only 825 career at bats he doesn’t look like he will ever come close to paying off that huge investment.

16. Ewell Hansell The 2^nd most expensive player in the draft (5.1 million). He is another huge bust…251 career avg, bad fielding and 61 homers in 1700 at bats. Spend your money on scouting kids.

17. Harry Velazquez , this is what good scouting gets you! 194 homers in just 6 seasons….from a fairly solid fielding Shortstop. Only a one time all-star, often doesn’t get the respect he truly deserves.

29. Albert Pulido , one of the best pure power hitters in baseball. Three times he has hit over 50 homers and has over 260 in his career. Lacks some of the finer skills but is an explosive player that would be a welcome addition to any team.

33. Doug Clark , another solid pick that has blossomed into a fine player. Still only 27 he has slugged 198 homers in his career while playing a solid right field.

37. Cookie Candelaria 25-90-12 .290 avg, not bad for a sandwich pick.

310. Geoff Sullivan The last player taken that has made it to the majors. A rule 5 selection in season 5 saw him make it to the majors before he was ready. Did win 5 games out of the pen and had a solid 3.04 ERA in 44 innings. Not bad for 9^th round pick in the first ever draft.