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.