Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Draft Summary Part 7 of 10

Monterrey Cheeseheads (AL)

Dolf Titan 1st round (7th) all-star ss, 40 homers and 300 avg. Bit of a health risk.

Danny Hoover 2nd round ( 59th) 15 homers, 270 avg. Might not have a good enough bat to play the outfield.

Draft Grade: C+ one of the best players in the draft, and a decent hitter. The rest of the picks have too many flaws to be considered major league material.

New Orleans Freebeads (AL)


Bart Brantley 1st round (23rd) 4th-5th Starter, good control, weak pitches.

Wayne Upshaw 2nd Round (75th) Bench player, needs to improve defense to even have a chance.

Storm Flynn 3rd Round ( 107th) Another bench player, defense is ok, but wont steal any ones playing time.

Juan Guerrero 6th round (203rd) Steal!, good splits and solid pitches, solid set up man.

Draft Grade: D+, weak draft was saved by a pick in the 6th round.


New York Torrones (AL)


Lance Wilkinson 1st round (19th) not great against righties but can still compete for a top 3 spot in the rotation.

Curt Peters 2nd Roud (71st) Great pick for the 2nd round, could as good a closer as anyone else that was picked.

Marvin Tatum 3rd Round (103rd) Another good pick, almost as good a reliever as Peters.

Draft Grade: B, those 3 pitchers are as good as anyone else was able to draft. No bats to speak of though.

Draft Summary Part 6 of 10

Honolulu LuauDawgs (NL)

Walter Wilson 1st round (28th) Potential front line Closer.

Jamie Delahanty 1st round (37th) Gold Glove SS, 30+ steals.

Curt Hernandez 1st round (47th) #4 or 5 starter, great pitches, weak control, kills righties.

Sam Campbell 2nd round (61st) Bench player, COF, 3rd, 2nd

Kelvim Boyle 2nd round (80th) Future pinch-runner, may platoon in LF against lefties.

Wesley Torres 4th round (144th) Nice set up pitcher. Better then average in all areas.

Greg Witt 6th round (208th) Platoon catcher against lefties. Awesome defense.

Draft Grade: B+, no huge bats but 3 major league pitchers, 2 solid defensive starters and a couple of nice bench players. Well done.

Louisville Sluggers (AL)


Aramis Guerrero 1st round (5th) Weak rightie split will keep him from being an ace. Solid 2 or 3 man.

Charles Andrews 2nd round (57th) Future long relief or spot starter.

Preston Jackson 7th round (217Th) Leftie specialist at best.

Draft Grade: D+, Got themselves a top notch pitcher but the rest of the draft is littered with pitchers who will never see the majors.

Mexico City Renegade (NL)


Benjamin Wilson 1st round (10th) top of the order hitter, only weakness is questionable baserunning skills.

Dennis Williams 1st Round (51st) Tail end starter, might get pushed to bullpen because of weak splits.

Darryl Garcia 3rd Round (94th) Probably a mop up man or spot starter.

Draft Grade: C+, got a star and 2 decent pitchers. Missed out in 2nd, 3rd and 4th rounds.

Minnesota Twinkies (AL)



Buck Cohen 1st round (25th) mid rotation starter, low stamina will keep him from stardom.

Marty Brooks 1st round (36th) Will play the hot corner soon enough, 300 hitter with good pop.

Gerald Donnels 2nd round (63rd) long relief pitcher will get the odd start.

Scott Coles 2nd Round (77th) probably play RF, decent defense, 30+ homers and a 260 avg.

Bill Lanigan 3rd round (109th) defense is good enough for LF, bat is good enough to pinch hit when a homer is needed.

Dario Scott 4th round (141st) Splits and control will override weak pitches, Mop up man.

Magglio Lopez 5th round (173rd) SuB, good control and better then average splits. Might see 40 innings a year.

Draft Grade: B, great job for picking so late every round

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Draft Report Part 5 of 10

Florida Fire Sailfish (AL)

Germany Bradley 1st Round (32nd) The 20 year old is tearing up the rookie league so far and looks to be a sure bet for the majors in about 4 seasons. Probably will never be a star but should be able to hit 30 + homers and steal 20+ bases. Will be an ideal 6 or 7 hitter that can play the corner outfield.

Tracy Schlehuber 2nd Round (84th) Finishing with the best record in baseball gets you the last pick in every round. That being said Florida did a good job of getting some useable parts. Schlehuber should be able to start even if it is as a 4 or 5. He will handle a lot of innings and should be close to or at .500 level.

Josh Schneider 3rd Round (116th) Drafted as a catcher, doesn’t call a strong enough game to overlook his very average bat. Will probably top out at AAA.

Deivi Furcal 8th Round (276th) Solid potential set up pitcher, needs a lot of work but with his control and decent splits could eventually make the bigs and be a real draft day steal.

Draft Grade: C, drafting last wont get you any superstars. Florida did their homework though and grabbed some solid players that should be very helpful.



Helena First Knights (NL)


Stuffy Lombardi 1st round (3rd) Maybe not an ace, but should be a solid #2, great control and solid splits and 4 better then average pitches. For a 3rd pick overall he is not great but he could still be a great major league pitcher.

Jeff Grace 1st Round (30th) The first compensation of 5 total, and the first for Darlye Morgan. Great speed and great defense. Will most likely end up batting 9th but stealing bases at will. Should be good for .265 avg, .340 obp and as many steals as the coach will let him try for.

Hulk Morris 1st Round (33rd) Compensation pick for Red Perez. Should be slotted in as a future 3 man in the rotation. His excellent control mixed in with decent splits and maybe the past changeup since Johan Santana. Will give up his share of homers which will prevent him from ever being a superstar.

Ichiro Woo 1st Round (40th) Gold Glove defense at the Short stop position with 20 homer potential. Will only hit about .225 with limited steals. Still not a bad man to handle the middle infield and bat 8th or 9th. The 2nd compensation pick for Morgan.

Giomar Juarez 1st Round (42nd) Compensation pick for Aramis Vizquel. Looks to be a solid bullpen pitcher. Four good pitches and very good control. If he had better stamina would be a great starter. Is 5 for 5 in saves in the minors so far.

Wilton Neill 2nd Round (55th) Is 10-0 in rookie ball, but probably will only be a Long Relief man or at best a SP 5. His mediocre pitches will be the only thing that holds him back.

Richard Reese 3rd Round (87th) Good speed and a good eye will not be enough to get him to the majors. May see some time as a corner outfielder and pinch runner.

Douglas Malone 3rd Round (95th) The last of 5 compensation picks. Pretty good glove and hits righties fairly well. A nice player to have on the bench.

Jesse Shaw 4th Round (119th) Another backend rotation guy. Neither the splits or the pitches to have much impact at the big league level.

Jamey Brower 5th Round (151st) 3rd baseman with incredible power. May end up in the outfield as range is below average for a 3rd baseman. Look for 240 avg, 25-30 homers, 300obp.

Draft Grade: B+, that is a whole lot of major league talent, but I am sure Helena would trade those 10 solid players in for 3 or 4 star players.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Draft Report Part 4 of 10

Dover Demon Dawgs (AL)

Luke Rose 1st Round (14th) Every rose has a thorn they say. This rose has more then one by the looks of it. Equally tough on lefties and righties, very good control, and 2 quality pitches. Will eventually settle into one of the top three spots in the rotation for any team.

Rick Henderson 1st Round (34th) Youngest son of former major league base stealing superstar, Rickey Henderson. Must have watched his dad steal a few bases and thought it would be fun to try and stop him. Projects to be a solid power hitting catcher that calls a very good game. Should be good for 30 homers and .280 avg. 1st of two compensation picks for Johnnie Price.

Charlie Robertson 2nd Round (53rd) The 2nd compensation pick for Price. Should never bat at the major league level. Could however steal 40 bases if just used as a runner and has all the makings of a gold glover. A great guy to have on the bench. But not a great pick in the 2nd Round.

Del Cortes 2nd Round (66th) Cortes has all the makings of a very good Mop up pitcher, good control and stamina and one very good pitch. His inability to get right handed batters consistently and his lack of a 2nd pitch are the only things keeping him from starting every 5 days.

Karl Cortes 5th Round (162nd) Karl could one day see himself riding the pine for a bad ML team. A smart ball player that can steal and field pretty well and hits righthanders well enough to not embarrass himself. A long shot at the majors.

Chance Haynes 6th round (194th) Faster then Cortes, a better fielder and even a better bunter. Doesn’t hit as well though. Might actually be the better major leaguer if he gets there.

Stan Blair 9th Round (290th) STEAL STEAL STEAL. Hello future Setup A. better then average splits, solid control, great heat, keeps the ball on the ground and 1 awesome pitch and a 2nd pitch that is okay. Great pick!

Draft Grade: A- , No superstar, but 2 very good players at SP and Catcher. 2 solid bullpen pitchers and a couple of nice bench player options. Great draft with out breaking the bank.


Durham Bears (NL)


Santos Quixote 1st Round (2nd) He might have the best stuff of any pitcher in the draft. Will probably only be good for 5 or 6 innings, but he will be great in those innings. Awesome control, very good splits, 2 amazing pitches and 2 more that will be useable.

Footsie Chapman 1st round (41st) Footsie should be a solid tail end of the rotation in a few seasons. Pin point control, and a variety if pitches ranging from average to spectacular. Will struggle against lefties but should still start once every 5 days.

Juan Gonzalez 2nd Round (54th) The Bears grabbed another solid pitcher in the 2nd round. Probably wont start but will be useful out of the pen in a long relief capacity. Good control, and good splits should help compensate for mediocre pitches.

Paul McCorley 9th Round (278th) The first position player taken by the Bears. Has major league power and a great eye, hits lefties well enough to platoon. Might be better suited to play in the AL where he can spend time at DH.

Draft Grade: B, the worst team in baseball got a little better. A potential superstar pitcher and 3 other solid additions. Some more variety to the picks could have been done to bring some defense or extra pop to the organization.


El Paso The Alamo (NL)


Darin Osterbrock 1st Round (12th) May one day be one of the best closers in baseball. Or may one day be the best pitcher for 4 innings and the worst for anything after that. AWESOME splits, AWESOME control and one great pitch. Is probably going to end up in the bullpen were he will be one of the best two inning closers of all time.

Patrick Smith 2nd Round (64th) Smith looks like he should be a solid member of The Alamo pitching staff in a few seasons. May not ever be more then a .500 pitcher but he will have moments of greatness.

Ajax Robertson 4th Round (128th) A serviceable utility man. A good enough fielder that he can play anywhere, except maybe SS. On the other hand might not ever get past AAA.

Draft Grade: C+ Got some nice help for their pitching staff but not much beyond that.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Week 6 Players of the Week

Player of the Week

For the 2nd time this season a team has won both the Player and Pitcher of the Week, this time it was Boise. In the past 20 games Tejera has smacked 10 homers, drove in 32 and stole 7 bases while batting .370. This season he has already tied or surpassed his career highs in homers and rbi and is only 1 off his stolen base best. Stands a good chance at winning the AL MVP.
Best Game: 1/11Pm2 Toros 2 for 4 with 2 homers and 6 RBI

Pitcher of the Week

Montgomery is the hottest pitcher in baseball right now, he is the frontrunner for the AL CY Young which would be his second. With 3 years remaining on his contract he looks to be a lock to get 200 wins and a ticket to Cooperstown.
Best Game: 1/12Pm florida 9 ip, 0 runs, 5 hits, 2 bb, 5 k’s

Monday, January 12, 2009

Season 19 International Signings Analysis

Since gb69 is doing such a nice job of analyzing this years amateur draft, I thought it might also be interesting to see how some of the top guys signed on the International market might fare in the years to come. Some guys pay a lot of money trying to find those International gems, while others don't bother much with it at all. I guess I fall into the first category. I will only be listing guys who look like they have ML potential.

There were no signings to date by Arizona, Baltimore, Boise, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Durham, Minnesota, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, St. Louis, Toledo.

Buffalo Wings-only one signing to date, David Borges of Villa Vazquez in the Dominican for $5.8M. Borges looks to be a pretty good ML closer prospect, with very good control, a great slider and a good curve. Low makeup might keep him from reaching his full potential, but a definate ML prospect. Already 3-3 in saves at LowA.


Burlington Coat Factories-Has been very active, signing 10 Int'l FAs. SP Jamie Martin of Tokyo signed for $7.3M and looks like he might be worth it. I see an overall of 92 with decent control, very good splits, 4 good pitches. This guy could be a consistent 15 game or more winner. Is off to a good start at HiA. A stud. Yeico Delgado is a RF out of the Dominican Rep who signed for $3.9M. Might end up in LF. Great power and eye. Will walk and K a lot. Mainly a platoon vs LHP. Very low makeup might keep him from reaching full potential. Pounding the ball so far at LowA. Nicaraguan SS Harry Canseco($1.9M) looks like he will be ML quality at SS, but his eye, contact and awful vL split might keep him out of the majors. At best, a defensive replacement. Cesar Duran($1.1M, Venezuela) would be a decent ML SuB if he develops all the way to his projections. Damian Kim($420K,Japan), might develop as a power bat off the bench but low splits will limit him. Good use of his Int'l budget.

Charlotte Panthers-Only one signing, but it was a big one. Paid $14.3M to sign Domincan SP Emilio Martin. His low DUR rating and average STA will keep him from throwing any more than 150 or so innings. OK control and good splits, but only 2 good pitches make such a large investment questionable. Still, he should be an effective ML pitcher, but no workhorse.

Dover Demon Dawgs-One signing, Max Chavez, Dominican SS for $12.2M. Already ML quality defensively and projects to be a top notch defensive player. Decent power and contact, but poor splits and mediocre eye means a .250 hitter with some pop.

El Paso-2 signings with no ML potential.

Florida Sailfish-2 signings. Mexican SP Oswaldo Cruz($15.3M) looks to be the real deal, and he better be for that price. Great control, very good splits. A 5 pitch pitcher with 1 great and 2 good pitches. Already at HiA and pitching very well. Only 18, he'll be in the ML quickly and he'll star. Low splits will probably keep another Mexican Hector Hernandez($1M) from making it all the way to the big show. He does have good control and 2 useful pitches.

Helena First Knights- dyoungquist must like the Dominican Republic, because all 4 of his signings hail from there. 2 might have ML potential. RP Tony Renteria($3M) has mediocre ratings across the board and might make it as LRB at best. SS Damaso Lee($2.5M) could be a steal. Great defensive ratings will make him an asset at any position, but poor eye and low splits will keep him from starting. Excellent defensive replacement.

Honolulu LuauDawgs- 1 minor signing.

Louisville Sluggers- 2 signings. Benny Acevedo($5.3M, Venezuela) projects to be a decent middle of the rotation starter. OK control, good splits, and 2 of his 5 pitches are pretty good. LF Magglio Johnson($4.4M, DR) is iffy, since he won't hit enought to play LF or 1B and isn't good enough defensively to play anywhere else. Good eye and contact, mediocre power and splits make him a reserve at best. Paid too much for this guy.

Mexico City Renegades- 3 signings, no shot.

Monterrey Cheeseheads- vector was busy with 7 signings. LF Danys Ortiz($2.9M) has great speed and will steal a lot of bases if he can ever get on base. Awful projections for eye, but decent contact and good split vR. Currently doing well at LowA. Rest have marginal or no ML potential.

New Orleans Freebeads- Their only signing was SP Gorkys Fernandez($9.0M, Venezuela). Great stamina, OK control, good splits, and 2 of his 5 pitches are outstanding. Should be a very good #2 starter. Money well spent.

New York Torrones- Busy as always in the Int'l FA market. 10 signings. CF P.T. Bravo($8.0M, DR) will be ML CF one day. Decent defense, good eye and decent splits overcome poor contact and mediocre power ratings. Playing well at HiA. Emilio Francisco($6.0M, DR) projects to play every position but SS. Good speed may yeild 30+ SBs. Good eye and contact, OK splits, little power. Solid MLer. Tearing it up at AA, he'll be in the majors before long. C D'Angelo Diaz($2.8M, DR) could reach ML as a backup catcher. 15 steals, 10HRs? Good eye & contact. Shigetoshi Suzuki($1.1M, Japan), could make it as a LRB. Marginal control & splits offset by 2 great pitches. Iffy. LF Felipe Almonte($1.1M, DR) projects to play everywhere but C. Mediocre offensive ratings will keep him from being a starter.

Philadelphia Flyin' Hawaiians- 1 signing, Willie Vincente($5.0M, DR) looks like a solid ML regular with 15-20 HR & 40+ steals in RF.

San Jose Giants- 5 signings, 2 with ML potential. C Alfonso Morales($7M, DR) looks like he'lll be an good platoon C vs RHP. Not much defensively, but excellent eye, and good power, contact and vR split. Delino Morales($5.7M, DR) will have great control and 3 decent pitches. Poor DUR and mediocre splits will make him a 5th starter. $5.7M for a 5th starter is too much.

San Juan Tax Evaders- 2 signings, 1 ML prospect. Cesar Belliard($2.9M, Nassau) is a marginal prospect at best. Mediocre control, poor splits, and only 1 good pitch doom him to the minors.

Tacoma Taliban- 3 signings, 1 ML prospect. SP Santiago Soriano($2.8M, Venezuela) has very good splits & durablity and good stamina. 3 of 5 pitches useful. Unfortunately he has awful control. That will probably keep him out of the ML.

Toronto Toros- 3 signings, 1 ML prospect. Kiki Morales($3.8M, DR) might eventually play every position but SS. Good speed, 20+ SB. Decent eye and 15-20 HR power. Poor split vsR might force him into a platoon role.

Vancouver Villians- 8 signings ,3 marginal ML prospects. SS Tony Rodriguez($1.6M, Panama) could be very good defensively, but will probably never hit enought to stick in the majors. RP Michael Maeda($590K, Japan) could be an effective setup man with excellent control and 2 good pitches. Poor splits work against him. But for $590K, it's worth a shot. LR Carlos Veras($475K, DR) could be a steal with decent vR split and 1 excellent pitch, but he's a longshot.

Wichita Waffle House Posse- 1 signing. OF Geraldo Pimentel($2.4M, Venezuela) looks like he'll be a LF/1B. Good speed and great contact, but rest of offensive ratings mediocre at best. Bench player.

Well, if this research showed me anything, it's that there are a hell of a lot of International propsects that come out of the Dominican Republic! The other item of interest was how many teams don't sign any Int'l FAs at all.

Draft Report Part 3 of 10

Cleveland Penguins (NL)

Timothy Oquist 1st round (38th) Lost their 1st pick, 30th overall but picked up the 38th as compensation. Oquist has some of the greatest power we have seen, but also has a huge hole in his swing…and his glove. Will end up playing LF were his defense will be average and his 30-40 homers with be welcome. With that though will be a 250 avg and many strikeouts. Could wind up on the bus between AAA and the majors for most of his career.

Charlie Merrick 2nd Round (82nd) Drafted as a 3rd basemen, but may be forced to move to RF where his range and glove wont be as much of a factor. Solid across the board, will be a nice backup corner OF’er and Corner INF’er. 300abs 10-12 homers, 260 avg.

Jody Daniels 3rd Round (93rd) A Free agent compensation pick. May make the majors just because of his speed and ability to bunt. Will never be a starter but will be an ideal man off the bench when a steal is needed or as a late inning defensive substitution.

Luther Lane 3rd Round (114th) The love child of Lex Luther and Lois Lane? No, but he does possess one weakness much like a super hero. The ability to hit the strike zone. 2 amazing pitches, 3 more that are effective and splits as good as most major league closers. Despite his wildness could still make the show as a SuB type.

Lonny Cornejo 4th Round (146th) Quality selection by Cleveland here, Lonny will be an excellent LR pitcher. Better then avg splits, control and two pitches that project to better then 75. A very nice selection for the 4th round.

Juan Santayana 5th Round (178th) Pure middle infield glove man, if he makes the majors that means the big league team was probably in a bus crash.

Ralph Ratliff 7th Round (242nd) Has an extreme case of Luther Lane, 2 great pitches, solid splits but somewhat wild. Could be a real sleeper if he gets to work with Crash Davis in the minors.

Draft Grade: B- got a lot of bang for their buck, with 6 potential major leaguers. Seemed to draft better in the late rounds. Cleveland should be commended for doing their homework on the 2nd tier players.

Columbus Clippers (AL)

Ray Lyon 1st Round (18th) Good all-round player, has .300 avg and 20-20 potential. Most likely will move to CF as there are better fielders in the Clippers farm system.

Tomas Ortiz 2nd Round (70th) This is the better fielder in question. A real dynamo with the glove. Wont hit for any power or draw many walks, but should hit righties well enough to start 2/3rds of the time. 0 Homers, 20 steals, .280 avg, 300 obp and a gold glove collection.

Alfredo Pena 3rd Round (102nd) Future pinch-runner and 1st baseman defensive replacement. Will never hit well enough to overcome his defensive shortcomings. Most likely an incredible AAA player. Could have picked better with this one.

Maverick Franklin 4th Round (134th) A nice sleeper pick here, has great control and is fairly tough on lefties. Has trouble against righties and doesn’t posses a quality 2nd pitch. Most likely a Mop up pitcher or a terrific AAA starter.

Don Seneca 5th Round (166th) Big things do come in small packages. The 5’10 Seneca has major league power that could see him hit 30+ homers in the majors. Might never hit above .250 but could draw enough walks to compensate for that. Potential major leaguer at least as a DH/PH.

Kelvim Martin 7th Round (230th) Could be the leftie hitting counterpart to Tomas Ortiz. Great defense and incredible speed. Hits lefties well enough to garner 200 at bats a season.

Draft Grade: B+ anytime you can get 3 potential major leagues shortstops you have done pretty well. Add onto that a solid DH and a decent pitcher you have yourself a very good draft class.


Detroit Grass Lakes (NL)


Tony Caballero 2nd Round (79th) Signed for 3 million, in case you didn’t know 3 million is a lot of money for a 2nd round player. Especially one who only projects to be a #5 or maybe even a LRA. Has a couple of solid pitches but isn’t tough enough on lefties or righties.

Freddie Rogers 3rd Round (111th) Rogers has great splits and 2 very good pitches. His control is still very suspect, should settle in as a solid long relief pitcher. Will probably end up being better then Caballero.

As of now Detroit has be unable to sign their top draft pick, King Brantley, he looks like he would be an excellent closer or at very least SuA.

Draft Grade: D+ Two bullpen pitches and not much else, if they can get Brantley on board their grade would go up to a C.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Draft Report Part 2 of 10

Draft Report Card Part 2

Buffalo Wings (NL)

Frank Duncan 1st Round (20th) Lincoln Colleges highest single season avg record is held by this guy. Singed for just over 2 million looks like he will be a solid player in a few seasons. Posses 4 of the 5 tools and could eventually find himself playing 2nd base as opposed to LF. Will eventually be an top of the order player and should be a threat to be a 20/20 man with a .275 + avg.

Aaron Callaway 2nd Round (72nd) 19 year-old was grabbed late in the 2nd round and signed for 550,000 and could be the steal of the draft. Projects to be a very solid defensive shortstop who could hit 20 homers a year. Will never hit for great average or steal many bases but would be a welcome addition to most teams.

Izzy Brown 3rd Round (104th) A very solid pick up for the 3rd round. Would be a very nice addition to the tail end of any rotation. 4 solid pitches and pretty good splits. A future Jamie Moyer.

Boots McMurtry 4th Round (136th) Buffalo picked another college kid here and grabbed a fairly solid set up pitcher. His right handed split well never be great but with his control and two very good pitches he will find his way to the bigs and should provide extra stability against lefties.

Draft Grade: B- (no superstars but considering they drafted late they grabbed 3 for sure major leaguers and 1 more potential big leaguer, also didn’t sign many of their mid-round picks which could hurt in a few years).



Burlington Coat Factories (NL)


Dave Bonilla 1st Round (11th) With their first pick Burlington grabbed a future #3 hitter. Bonilla has the tools to be a potential all-star if not MVP. His defense is solid for LF and is a smart baserunner even if he is on the low side of slow. Is a long way from ready but when he is look for .300+ avg, 35+ homers and a high 300 OBP.

Earl Griffith 1st Round (44th) A compensation pick from San Jose. Looks to be a SuB at best due to weak splits and very average pitches. Does have great control and the ability to rack up innings out of the pen. We just think he will be to easily hit to be very effective overall.

Einar Delgado 4th Round (127th) A solid pick for the 4th round, good pop and fielding skills. Will be best used as a 4th outfielder/2nd basemen with weak range but great power. In 300 abs we see him hitting 10-15 homers, 260 avg. 5 steals.

Draft Grade: C+ (got the star player they wanted, a solid back up player and a long shot at best. Gave away two picks Gerald Donnels and Douglas Malone as compensation for Free Agent signings, both have ML potential.)



Charlotte Panthers (NL)

Donovan Hartman 1st Round (16th) Drafted as 2nd baseman but is probably better suited defensively to play LF. On offense he is very average across the board. 15 homers, .265 avg and less then 10 steals. Most likely a bench player unless his glove gets good enough to play the infield.

J.R. Osik 2nd Round (68th) Has the defense that Hartman needs. Blazing speed but no instincts on the bases. Will still be a threat on the bases…sometimes more so to his own team. Will make the majors but only as a back up.

Floyd McFarland 3rd Round (100th) Will need to be traded as his defense is best applied at DH. Great power, solid splits and the eye of Ted Williams. Will eventually get a job playing part time against lefties as his durability wont allow him to play even half a season. 200abs= 10 homers, 320 avg, 400+obp.

Howie Griffin 5th Round (164th) Hits lefties well and his defense will be good enough to play short at the major league level. Is still a long short to be anything more then a September call-up.

Draft Grade: C- (4 possibly useable players, no starters. If they are some how able to sign Billy Peterson ,compensation pick, and Vic Coronado,4th round selection, they would have gotten a much higher grade as Peterson could be a Closer and Coronado could steal 50+ in the majors).

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Draft Summary Part 1 of 10

Draft Summary

Arizona Aeronautics (NL)

Lawrence Serra 1st Round (26th) Drafted out of High School and signed for 1.7 million. Serra projects to be solid reserve or platoon player at best. He is a top notch defensive player but doesn’t have the speed or batting ability to play as a starter.

Arthur Coles 2nd Round (78th) Also a High School Player, 550,000 bonus. Once again a solid defender but doesn’t have the speed or hitting of a starter. Best suited as a role player off the bench and spot starter at SS.

Chase Carpenter 3rd Round (110th) Another kid out of High School, signed for 425,000. Could make the majors as a LR or MOP up guy but will most likely spend the majority of his career in AAA were he will post solid numbers.

No other Arizona players drafted have Major League potential.

Draft Grade: D+ (2 back up players and a long shot at best)

Baltimore Black Eagles (NL)

Hughie Callaway 1st Round (24th) Drafted out of High School as a SS and signed for 1.8 million. He actually projects to be a fairly solid 3rd basemen. Should be a solid if not spectacular player that can play everyday for most teams.30 homers, 280 avg type.

Artie Richards 1st Round (46th) A sandwich pick signed out of JC for only 600,000. Projects to be a solid 4th outfielder who can run, field and hit pretty well…but not well enough to start. Could be a 15 homer, 10 steal, 270 avg guy.

Barry Banks 2nd Round (76th) Was a high school standout when he was drafted and signed for 550,000. Has great stuff and will pile up the strikeouts at any level…but will walk more batters then he will get out and for that wont make an impact beyond AAA.

Jeremie Taylor 4th Round (140th) Drafted as a freshman and signed to a reasonable 350,000. Not quite the stamina of a starting pitcher but could be a #5 or a very solid LR man. 3 good pitches and solid splits will help him make the majors and post fairly good numbers in a few years.


Draft Grade: C+ (Considering they didn’t have a high pick, or many extra picks they did a great job. A future 3rd basemen, a useable OF’er, good bullpen help)


Boise Browncoats (AL)

Joey Johnston 1st Round (31st) The second last player taken before the sandwich picks was a really big steal. An amazing High School pitcher signed a 1.2 million dollar bonus and is great bang for the buck. While his splits and control are only average he projects to have 3 very good pitches and stamina that will see him pitch way over 200 innings easily. Probably a 3 or 4 guy but that is great value for late 1st round.

Theodore Merrick 1st Round (39th) 1st of three compensation picks that the Browncoats had this draft. Another player that projects to make the starting rotation. Tough on righties with 3 good pitches including an amazing fastball. A solid #4 who would be a welcome addition to most staffs.

Ivan Alexander 1st Round (49th) 2nd compensation pick. Will probably end up in the bullpen as his stamina and control will hold him back. Two great pitches and very solid splits will serve him well as a LRB. Could be in majors in 2 seasons.

Darby Nation 2nd Round (67th) 3rd compensation pick. Speedy college outfielder could be a great leadoff hitter in a few years. While his glove is a little weak for LF and his bat is far too weak to play 1st, his speed and ability to hit for avg will be tough to keep out of the lineup. His stolen base totals will only be limited to his playing time.

Marv Beckham 4th Round (147th) Solid defensive shortstop with good speed. Could eventually be a left hitting part time player but never anymore then that.

Draft Grade: B+ (No superstars in the mix, but some very solid picks that will help this team keep getting better very soon)

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Players of the Week 5

Player of the Week



Guillen is in the midst of a 22 game hit streak unfortunatley the Giants are in the midst of a huge collapse that has severally hurt their Wild Card chances. He has gone deep 6 times in the past 22 games and driven in 17 runs while batting .479 over that stretch.
Best Game: 1/2 AM Boise 3 for 5, 2 homers, 3 RBI Final Score: 8-3 win

Pitcher of the Week



The reason these guys are the front runners? A top notch closer, 10 saves and 2 wins in the past week. Cairo has been lights out all season and is in good shape for his second Fireman of the year award.
Best Game 1/1 PM 1 IP, Save , 2 k's, 10 pitches.