NL South Preview by drichar138

1st Place – Atlanta Braves

The Braves 3 year reign as division champs came to an end in season 7 as the teams win total fell from 93 to 79 as the club limped to a third place finish and the their first season below .500 in team history. Don’t count on them being down for long. The Braves have the most balanced team in the division and should return to their place atop the division. Alex Cheng, Alex Tarraga and Dario York lead an offense that has very few holes. If you wanted to nit pick, you could say the corner outfield spots are not great offensively, but they certainly do the job on defense. The Braves pitching is just as balanced as their offense. Harold Daily leads a bullpen that can be down right dominating if Tomas Fernandez can live up to the hype and expectations that people had for him heading into his rookie year. Nobody in this rotation dominates, but they can consistently go out and keep their team in the game and that is all that is needed for this line up and bullpen. 

2nd place – St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals did not step backwards this season, I actually think they can replicate the 85 wins the achieved in season 7. I just don’t think that will be enough to win the division this season. The Cardinals probably have the best offense in the division, although they are not the most balanced (See Atlanta). Bucky Stults and Ariel Mateo are very strong in the corner outfield spots. In addition Claudio Gray will finally get his chance to prove he can play at the ML level after 4 years at AAA and many feel like he may be the division’s best kept secret. Bonk Stein is the veteran behind the plate that holds it all together and if he can repeat his numbers from last year, this team should be able to make people forget that Merv Dorsey is no longer in this line up. Corey Griffin and Johan Springer lead the rotation, but may be hard pressed to repeat the success they had last season. Hee Sop Nakamura was untouchable in season 7 coming out of the pen, but after two seasons of dominating NL hitters, you have to wonder if the guy with the career ERA over 4.00 in his first 5 major league seasons is going to show up at some point. 

3rd place – Florida Marlins

There is a lot to like about this Marlins team, but there is a lot that worries fans as well. Gerald Martin is a great hitter when he is in the lineup, probably is, he is almost never in the lineup due to durability issues. Carl Marte is probably the best defensive SS in the division, but the rest of the teams defense leaves a bit to be desired. Cliff Drew is coming off a fantastic rookie year where he hit 34 home runs and drove in 100 runs, but scouts seem to think he is in store for a sophomore slump considering his inability to make contact in key situations and the fact that he sometimes struggles to hit right handed pitching. It seems like there is a “but” to say in every situation where the Marlins have something to get excited about. One thing nobody can dispute is that Seth Wall is a pure stud starting pitcher. Combine Wall with Ronnie Brooks and you’ve got two guys that can hide a lot of weaknesses. The fact that Seth Wall is only 23 means that even though they may not be in line for a rise in the division this season, it is not out of the conversation that some day he will have this team in position to shine in the post season. 

4th Place – Houston Astros

Someday, this team may climb out of their yearly 3rd or 4th place ranking in the division, but it won't be season 8. The team has never finished above 3rd and has never even finished above .500. Last season’s 79 wins, was the 2nd best mark in team history. Moises Gonzalez is the best player on the team and pulled an Andre Dawson by winning the NL MVP last season on a team that was never in contention. Nobody else in the lineup will strike fear into the hearts of NL pitchers. The Astros have a couple of nice starting pitchers in Rob Tipton and Ignacio Polanco, but lack depth in the back end of their rotation. The bullpen is young, unproven and lacks the presence of a lock down closer. While the near future isn’t so bright, there are some decent prospects in the organization that could eventually lead this team to the dream of a .500 season. Until then, they will be taking their place in the NL South cellar. 

New Rule

After a lot of thought I've decided to add a new rule to the worlds I run. It does not affect gameplay at all so I am not putting it up for discussion or a vote. I spend a lot of time and effort to run these HBD worlds. I feel like I do a really good job and anyone can see, most HBD worlds are not run well AND take a lot time to fill during rollover. I've had some bad experiences lately with a couple owners who took over midseason from another owner who chose to leave and then refused to do the same when they did not want to stick around. 

All HBD worlds have to deal with the churn of owner. I recently dropped the one world I was in where I did not commish because of time constraints. After 40+ seasons of running worlds, I've found that it EASILY is the most beneficial to the world for a replacement owner to be found immediately once someone decides they are moving on. Inevitably the team is not taken as well care of and/or long term decisions are made by the outgoing owner which the incoming owner has to deal with.

The veteran owners whom I like to attract to these worlds almost uniformly prefer to take over the current budget instead of starting from the standard neutral budget.

Moving forward, if you choose to not come back next season, then you are open to transferring your team early. Preferably I would like that to happen immediately once the roll call is taken, however I understand each of us pays for a full season and if you demand to stick it out through the 162 game regular season then perfectly understandable. Furthermore, NO LONG TERM decisions are to be made by the outgoing owner without prior approval from the commissioner. This primarily is targeted at re-signing outgoing free agents, but trades will not be allowed either. 

Very very rarely does an owner from a playoff squad leave one of my worlds. However, in those cases the incoming owner will send a gift certificate to make up for the credits you will be missing out on by transferring your team. 

To sum up...the positives are huge for when a new owner comes in before rollover. They get to take their time and analyze their team, they get to promote/demote minor leagues, they get to make free agent decisions, and they get to inherit the current budget. This also helps the other owners in the world as it is MUCH easier to recruit a new owner when they have this option and we don't have to wait for someone to enter the world after rollover.

Sorry for the essay, but I wanted everyone to see I have thought long and hard about this. This rule will make the worlds better and make my job easier.

Breaking News...

Can Diego Rondon set a record in MLB? 

The New York Yankee 2B is an unlikely candidate to set the world record hitting streak, but he has hit safely in 26 straight games. During that stretch he is hitting .380/.488/.520 while scoring 20 Runs, knocking in 17, and hitting 2 HRs. He also has 8 doubles and has walked 21 times. With games against below average pitching staffs in Florida and Houston left before he breaks the record, stay tuned as we may be witnessing history!

Season Previews

Anaheim Angels
Crawford will give a jolt to the starting staff, not the farm system. Sorry about that. Newcomers include Jerome O'Shea, Theo Mathews and Vic Sanchez. Alex Guerrero moves to the bigs. Tito Mays is the new face of the franchise after winning Rookie of the Year honors by hitting over .350 and the trade of Michael Blasingame for Mathews and Sanchez. The Angels feel ready to compete. They have good starting pitching led by R.J.. Manto and Emmitt Williams and Khalil Vining, who was a strong Cy Young candidate last season, anchors the bullpen. Competing in the AL West is difficult, but the Angels finally feel ready. They have great talent coming through the farm system and Trevor Crawford might arrive mid-season to give a jolt to the farm system. If Condrey can stay healthy all season and Johnson in centerfield starts to hit, watch out for the Halos.

Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks have a couple of good hitters Jim Schafer and Paul Dillon and a lot of speed.The pitching staff is the strength of the team. The top starters are Dave Lester and Jack Bush. Candy Martin was last years Fireman of the Year . The top rookies are Bump Davis and Charlie Black. In order to win more games Arizona needs more power in the lineup to drive in more runs. We hope to finish 10 games over 500 this year.

Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles have won six straight AL East titles and look to continue that streak in Season 7. Our biggest move of the offseason was to re sign Geoffrey Rivera to a long term extension and lock him up as our ace. Other than that, the ML roster stayed pretty much the same with some minor changes. We did not feel a huge need to make any big changes as the team finished #2 in fielding, #4 in pitching, and top 12 in hitting and our scouts believe out hitting under performed last season. The O's are still relatively young and financially stable so wholesale changes were not needed. Two rookies could see a debut this season in Rudy Pavlov and Quinton Valdes. The toughest part is getting t the playoffs. Unfortunately we have stumbled in the playoffs so hopefully can get over that hump this season.

Chicago Cubs
Key Losses: Darren Simmons (RF; .250, 5 HR)
Curtis Wolf (P; 7-11, 4.11 era)
Josias Gonzales (P; 10-12. 4.34 era)
Key Additions: Abdul Sweeney (RF; .298, 4 HR)
Yonder Mendoza (SP, call up from AA)
Didn't change much from last year, we still have 4-time NL MVP David Davis with the offense and have some key pieces surrounding him. Injuries hurt last year so if we can stay healthy we should be able to compete again in the very tough NL North. Depending on how the season goes, Davis may be going to another team as he's in the last year of his contract but will re-sign right now.

Chicago White Sox
The White Sox have won 4 division titles in the world's first six seasons, but have gone nowhere in the playoffs. This season, Omar Mercado has to step up and become the ace after a disappointing season. Adrian Barton has come of age and will stick with the big club all year, playing as an outfielder with the team stud entrenched at 2b. The White Sox didn't do much in free agency, only adding pitchers Pasqual Maduro andDerek Combs as last minute insurance bargains. The team will be auditioning rookie CF's if gold glove RF Henry Costellocan't make the shift.

Cincinnati Reds
Following a disappointing season 6, Cincinnati went looking to make changes…the pitching staff contains 6 new members, while the offense remains largely unchanged, with the exception of top-notch RF Braden Kubel being added to boost the middle of the lineup. Last season's #1 pick, Travis Evans will play 2B and hopefully be able to hold his own defensively. Archie Coco goes from LF to CF and last season's ROTY Raymond Harris moves to LF to make room for Kubel. 3B Steve Gil remains at the hot corner and looks to build on another strong season. MIF Hi Jensen, OF Pasqual Solano, and 3B Phil Perez make this one of the strongest benches that the Reds have had. The pitching staff is going to improve on a season that saw them finish 13th in ERA and lead the NL in HRs allowed. The defense should remain middle of the road.

Cleveland Indians
Cleveland will be relying heavily on the continued development of their young stars. Notably, Neftali Barrios in LF, Randy Washington behind the plate, Ebenezer Wells at 3B and most importantly, Nolan McGowan and Julian Porter in the starting rotation. This team will hit, but if the pitching doesn't improve significantly, it will be another long season. The veteran leadership and speed of Bonilla and Larson along with the solid Emil Holliday closing games gives the team good balance. If we pitch even a little better than last year, we'll contend.

Detroit Tigers
After finally clawing up to the .500 mark for the first time in world history, Detroit fans are finally excited to be rooting for a team that should challenge for its division. No easy task since every team in the division looks to be capable of playing at least .500 ball if not better. After years of being the only star player on the team,Juan Aguilera is excited to look around the field and see some young, developing talent surrounding him. Monte Randall , Andrew Alexander , Willie Aldridge and Pat Palmer were some of the top rookies in season 5, while uberprospect Henry Crosby joined fellow rookies Kane Duncan and surprise bullpen stalwart Santiago Benitez last year. The fans are grumbling over GM "Stand Pat" dakar's failure to add veteran help this year. But when interviewed he responded that the cost in terms of prospects or cash was just too high to justify for this season, and that the fans just need to trust in the organizations plans for a long run of sustained success over going fo it all right now. He added that the lineup is nearly in place, and the pitching should be coming in waves at this point. Fans are taking a wait and see attitude, but admit that they like the overall direction of the franchise and the emphasis that has been placed on players with both speed and power, which makes for an exciting brand of baseball.

Houston AstrosFor 4 consecutive season I have been proclaiming my team is ready to breakout and have its first .500 season and each time I am wrong. With that being said, it feels like the time is now. Mosies Gonzalez is in the prime of his HOF career and Rob Tipton should be a solid leader for the rotation. We signed veteran starters Emil Romero and Curtis Wolf to solidify the back end of the rotation. In addition, we have a few middle tier prospects that could end up seeing the majors at some point this season. Look for Adam Hannahan, Ugueth Cortes and Milt Flynn to see some time with the big club this season.

Los Angeles DodgersIn L.A. we are hopeful that this team can get over the hump and finally win a WS. We have traded Mathews and Sanchez and in return received Blasingame and Sewell who we hope will solidify this team and locker room. Mathews clubhouse act was wearing his teammates out and ownership felt they had to make a change. We also hope that our FA signing of Ventrella solidifies the bullpen which was a weakness of the team last season.

Minnesota Twins
Going into Season 7 of the MLB, the Minnesota Twins have some issues to resolve. After posting four consecutive third place finishes, the club can only hope to move up. The Twins had a relatively quiet offseason. A few free agent signings here and there and only one rookie gains a spot on the big league roster. The offense will be led by Ernest Burroughs (27 HR, 48 SBs from the #2 spot) and DH Morgan Taylor (31 HR). Second year player Al Javier is expected to follow up on his 36 HR rookie season with similar production. The offense struggled last season as the club failed to produce any 100+ rbi players. Rookie Darwin Corcoran will be a welcomed addtion to the lineup. After posting back to back 36 HR, 100+ rbi seasons in AAA, expections are high for Corcoran. Pitching has been a weak spot for Twins the past few seasons. The rotation has been in a downward spiral ever since the trade of Cameron Lundquist to Los Angeles in Season 1. The free agent signing of Elvis Janssen is expected to stabilize the rotation. Re-signing aging veteran Alex Simpson should provide leadership in the clubhouse and in the bullpen as he moves from starter to long reliever. Led by closer Slick Williams (39 saves), the bullpen held its own. Williams has now been moved to a set-up role as Cecil Upshaw (another FA signing) has taken over the role as closer. If Upshaw struggles, Williams is more than ready to reclaim the closer role. The Twins will be looking to improve on a third place finish. While the offense is there, the real story will be on how the pitching holds up.


New Orleans Jazz
The NO Jazz have made a series of dramatic early moves (FA signings and impending ML promotions) and have reaped the rewards of expired (questionable) contracts from prior management. Both sides of the ball should be improved:
Lineup:
-3-time All-Star C Ronald Sirotka brings considerable batting skills and veteran leadership.
-Look for him to team with LF Kordell Stanley and DH Mark Feng in a formidable top of the lineup.
-Also on the horizon are the eventual call-ups of Josias James, Napoleon Houston and Mark "The Vangina" Vanguri.
Pitching:
-NO made considerable upgrades to one of the worst pitching staffs in all of modern baseball with the signings of Delanor Prince, Julio Sanchez and Jon Lewis.
-Look for Prince to step in immediately as the new Closer and Sanchez & Lewis to fill holes in the starting rotation or bullpen.
-Also be prepared for the call-ups of Petey Bennett and Mike Morris as well as possibly a few more rookies.
NO holds the #1 overall draft pick and some other top prospects such as Donzell Holmes and Darrel Vitriello who should be ready to make an impact by season 8 or 9.
New York Yankees
Years of losing have not taken the optimism out of the Yankee organization. With the addition of Brian Greenwood to the line up, a healthy Allen Withers, and a return to form of Hacker Mercado the Tanks hope to score a lot of runs. After Dicky Jensen and suprising rookie Bobby Phillips the Yankees may also give up a lot of runs.

Philadelphia Phillies
After two consecutive division championships in the woeful NL North the Philadelphia Phillies will be looking to stay in contention by relying on their minor league system. Sullivan and Bailey will be looked upon to lead the offense once again while Denny Andrews will be relied upon to lead the pitching staff. Stud prospect Sam Phelps is a season away but could be a late season call up depending on the playoff race.

St. Louis Cardinals
Despite a second place finish, the Cardinals are mired in mediocrity at 76-86 and did little to improve their standings over the winter. The team was unable to sign any significant free agents, nor were they able to peddle any of their top hitters to other teams. The result is another year of finishing below .500 in a competitive division. While it’s true that Busch Stadium depresses hitting, fans are even more depressed over the Cardinals lack of offense. The club finished second to last in runs scored, and are mired in the bottom three clubs in nearly every major statistical category. That’s a shame, because a decent staff of starting pitching from top to bottom gives them the opportunity to win each night. The club finished tied for third in most major pitching categories. The Cardinals signed three stop-gap free agents, while losing out on a highly coveted pitcher that went well over what they were willing to pay. Two of the additions bolster the pitching staff. None are truly difference makers. Should the team not get off to a hot start, expect the club to move a veteran or two to a contender.

 

 

Record Breakers

Congratulations to Danys Romero for setting the hitting streak record by hitting safely in 29 games, as well as resetting the runs scored record for the 3rd straight season with 163...he also holds the top 5 single season runs scored marks.

Congratulations to Bernie Speier for setting the single season strikeout mark for the 3rd season in a row with 254. He also has the top 5 single season marks in that category.

The NL East - An Interview

Welcome baseball fans to “This Week in The MLB!” 

Tonight is a special night, as we’re joined by the Bench Coaches of no less than three ballclubs: Luke Gray of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pedro Gandarillas of the New York Mets and Danny Ojeda of the Washington Nationals. Together they’ve lead their teams to identical 33-50 records this season, and yet all three teams sit just a few games back from the lead for the division title! They’ve agreed to share a little National League East wisdom with us on how to do so. 

Announcer: Gentlemen, thank you for joining our broadcast team here tonight.

Danny: Certainly. But we can’t join you. We’re already signed for the season. Nyuk. Nyuk. Nyuk.



Pedro, Luke and Danny - NL East bench coaches.

Announcer: That’s, uh, that’s great. Our first question for you all – what’s the single most important advice you give your players before they come to bat?

Pedro: That’s easy. I tell them to keep an eye on the ball.

Danny (picks up a baseball and holds it an inch in front of his right eye): Ooh! Like this?

Luke: No, stupid. Like this. (Slaps the ball into Danny’s eye.)

Danny: Eehm! (Drops the ball, squinting and wipes his face three times with his hand.)

Pedro (watching from behind Luke): Hey! How come you didn’t let him keep his eye on the ball!

Luke (turning to Pedro and pulling his moppy hair up): Oh, I didn’t, did I? Keep your eyes on this. (Luke pokes his two fingers into Pedro’s eyes.)

(Scuffle breaks out among the three bench coaches. Luke pulls Pedro’s tie, Danny knocks Luke over the head with his fist.)

Announcer: Gentlemen, please! Please! Settle down! Sit back down. Thank you. How about we just proceed with the next question. In the course of ballgame, when do you call for time?

The bench coaches formative years.

Danny: It’s 10:30.

Luke: What are you? A wise guy? (Smacks Danny in the back of head. Danny frowns, like his feelings are hurt. Luke turns to Pedro.) It’s your turn to answer the question.

Pedro: (Looking serious, raises his finger skyward, to demonstrate a point, and then): When I’ve forgotten my glasses.

Luke: (Looking angry.) Hey! What’s the big idea?!

Pedro: (Throwing his hands up.) If I don’t have my glasses, then I can’t see the clock on the scoreboard!

Luke: You can see this, though, right? (Holds up fist, then kicks Pedro in the shins. Spins around to Danny with two fingers ready. Danny puts a hand vertically up in front of his nose, protecting his eyes. The melee continues until…)

Announcer: Gentlemen! Gentlemen! Please! Please calm down. I suppose we should just skip ahead to my last question.

Danny: Certainly. I love skipping! (Makes an angelic face.) Nyuk. Nyuk. Nyuk.

Luke: (Glaring menacingly at Danny, who suddenly scrambles to recompose himself).

Pedro: Fire away!

Announcer: When do you choose to pinch hit?

Season 1 Draft - A Look Back

With the Season 6 draft now concluded, I thought it would be fun to look back on the draft from Season 1 instead.

Why?

Well, even the youngest of draft selections have matured through five years of development and should have blossomed to their potential by now, so we are now able to evaluate the inaugural draft with the benefit of hindsight.

The Season One draft was also the opportunity for owners of these clunky, randomly-filled teams to proactively choose and develop “their” players to become the future faces of their franchises. With scouting maxed out at 14 for all clubs, talent was sure to slip to lower echelons and the owner’s scouting eye was tested. Those who could separate wheat from the chaff are breaking the bread of their selections now.

First, a quick summary of the 32 first-round selections:

·         31 of them are currently in the Majors. One has played in the Majors but was recently demoted to AAA.

·         11 pitchers, 5 shortstops and 5 left fielders were the most commonly selected positions.

·         The draft appeared to be distributed with enough talent for all clubs to take advantage of it.

The selections:

1.      Phil Lowery – SP – San Diego (4^th ML season, 1 Time All Star, 1 Gold Glove, 43W 25L in 107G, 2.67 ERA): He’s been everything the Padres hoped for. Last season, he went 16-7 while working 240 innings and posting a 1.04 WHIP, earning his first All-Star berth.

2.      Benj Fox – SS – Oakland (3^rd ML season, .280 AVG, .491 SLG, 55 HR in 1088 AB): Posted a line of .289/.366/.486, smacking 23 home runs while driving in and scoring more than 80 runs in his first full season in the Majors while holding down the hot corner. His durability has limited his playtime, somewhat limiting his impact.

3.      Neftali Barrios – LF – Cleveland (5^th ML season, 2 Time All Star, 1 Gold Glove, .281 AVG, .503 SLG, 97 HR in 1980 AB): A two-time All-Star with a respectable bat, Barrios has stroked 119 doubles. He also does his work in the field, with 31 career positive plays and just two negative ones, earning him a Gold Glove.

4.      Raymond Small – SP – Washington (2^nd ML season, 16W 13L in 42G, 3.30 ERA): Getting the call up in season five, posted a respectable WHIP and 2.94 ERA while going 12-8 in 29 starts.

5.      Humberto Posada – LF – Cincinnati (2^nd ML season, ROY, 1 Time Silver Slugger, .305 AVG, .574 SLG, 52 HR in 706 AB): Traded to L.A. in a blockbuster deal, Posada was allowed to marinate in the farm system until his season five call-up. Earned Rookie-of-the-Year honors and his first of what could be many Silver Sluggers, smashing 36 home runs and posting an OPS of 1.024. Likely the best player chosen in the draft and a beast for time to come.

6.      Rich Coco – RF – New Orleans (3^rd ML season, .256 AVG, .442 SLG, 45 HR in 1139 AB): Now entering his third season with Seattle, Coco scored more than 100 runs in his first full season, stole 23 bags in 27 attempts and hit 24 home runs.

7.      Mac Kirkland – LRP – Chicago W.S. (3^rd ML season, 11W 11L in 151G, 4.07 ERA): Logged 100+ innings in his first full season in the Majors while limiting opponents to a .227 AVG and striking out 158.

8.      Calvin Colangelo – IF/COF – Philadelphia (5^th ML season, 1 Time All Star, 1 Gold Glove, .261 AVG, .461 SLG. in 1929 AB): The versatile utility player boasts 54 career positive plays and 2 negative plays while holding down the fort at second and third base.

9.      Ignacio Polanco – SP – Houston (4^th ML season, 37W 27L in 106G, 3.80 ERA): Workhorse has logged more than 200+ IP last two seasons while going 14-8 and 13-7, respectively.

10.   Jim Schafer – LF – Arizona (4^th ML season, 2 Time All Star, 2 Time Silver Slugger, .303 AVG, .518 SLG, 83 HR in 1770 AB): Schafer recorded a breakout season last year, hitting 33 HR, scoring 104 times and knocking in 131 while hitting .301 to net his second consecutive Silver Slugger.

11.  Carl Marte – SS – Florida (2^nd ML season, .222 AVG, .322 SLG, 11 HR in 790 AB): Blessed with excellent range and a gun for an arm, the Marlins were content to let Marte’s marginal glove continue to develop at the ML level. Recorded 18 positive plays. Appeared in all 162 games his rookie season.

12.  Vladimir Cubillan – 1B – Minnesota (2^nd ML season, .283 AVG, .438 SLG, 25 HR in 882 AB): While not the blessed with overwhelming power, the durable first baseman has made the most of his opportunities, driving in 100+ runs in his rookie campaign. Defensively stout, with 14 career positive plays and only a single negative one.

13.  Pat Palmer – SP – Detroit (2^nd ML season, 9W 10L in 31G, 4.56 ERA): In the middle of his first full season, Palmer is off to a better start and is holding opponents to a .231 AVG while posting a 1.29 WHIP.

14.  Mark Prince – RP – St. Louis (1^st ML season, 5W 3L in 43G, 3.02 ERA): Prince took his time to reach the majors, so the jury is still out on how the extremely durable pitcher will pan out. He’s off to a nice start, fanning 56 batters in 56.2 IP and holding opponents to a .264 OBP in long relief and set-up roles.

15.  Donnie McInerney – C – Los Angeles D (1^st ML season, .309 AVG, .529 SLG, 15 HR in 278 AB): Another player left to mature in the minors, McInerney is performing extremely well in his rookie campaign. His 86 hits and 25 BB have propelled him to a .368 OBP.

16.  Rey Sowders – C – Los Angeles A (4^th ML season, .239 AVG, .320 SLG, 13 HR in 706 AB): Despite playing four seasons in the Majors, Sowders is already on his third team. Blessed with the durability to be an everyday catcher, Sowders has been a reserve player every season of his career except one.

17.  Allen Withers – LF – New York Y (2^nd ML season, .253 AVG, .474 SLG, 51 HR in 921 AB): Withers hit 32 doubles and 38 home runs in his rookie campaign, posting a .494 SLG. His OBP is a surprisingly pedestrian .321 due to his struggles to make consistent contact.

18.  Kordell Stanley – COF – Colorado (1^st ML season, .314 AVG, .585 SLG, 10 HR in 159 AB): Stanley has all the physical gifts to be an impact player but his lack of durability will limit his production immensely. In his current rookie campaign, 22 of his 50 hits have gone for extra bases.

19.  Bret Roosevelt – CF – Montreal (3^rd ML season, .243 AVG, .527 SLG, 46 HR in 575 AB): Roosevelt spent his first two seasons as a part-time defensive replacement. His all-or-nothing approach in the plate has served him well, as he has 46 career home runs and just 22 doubles, while striking out 155 times.  

20.  Vin Cueto – RP – Baltimore (3^rd ML season, 6W 8L in 140G, 2.44 ERA): Several teams mistakenly passed over Cueto  and publicly regretted it, and he’s making them pay. The pitcher is limited opponents to a .204 AVG while converting 52 of 59 Save Opportunities.

21.  Kenny Kulik – RP – Chicago C (AAA, spent part of two seasons in the ML, 6W 9L in 68G, 3.93 ERA): Having spent part of two seasons in the Majors, Kulik has played some versatile roles so far by working long relief and starting a couple games a season. His excellent control (42 career BB) is compromised by his inability to stop surrendering hits (179 H in 174 IP).

22.  Danny Lee – CF – Seattle (2^nd ML season, .289 AVG, .417 SLG, 20 HR in 802 AB): Lee’s contact, speed and batting eye has allowed him to get on base at a .352 clip. Once there, he often ends up stealing another, as he has 63 SB in 83 attempts.

23.  Brad Hinchliffe – SS – Anaheim (1^st ML season, .208 AVG, .458 SLG, 2 HR in 24 AB): Left unprotected, Anaheim lost Hinchliffe to Cincinnati in the Rule V draft, where he was plugged him into their lineup as a defensive replacement. In 52 games, Hinchliffe has batted just 24 times.

24.  Sam Presley – 1B – Chicago C (3^rd ML season, .260 AVG, .485 SLG, 78 HR in 1302 AB): In his rookie season, Presley smashed 40 HR and 28 doubles on his way to a .528 SLG, but his second-season trip to the 15-day DL cooled his production somewhat.

25.  Glenn Lowry – RP – Pittsburgh (2^nd ML season, 4W 13L in 80G, 5.65 ERA): Lowry is another player to find himself on his third ballclub already, but he gets his chance at The Show in San Francisco. His lack of a set-up pitch and a mediocre “out” pitch does not help him overcome his lack of effectiveness against right-handed hitting. Opponents are batting .300 against him.

26.  Nipsey Baez – SS – Kansas City (1^st ML season, .238 AVG, .397 SLG, 6 HR in 126 AB):  Despite two short trips to the DL in the minors, Baez developed to his shortstop potential and got his chance to play in the Majors when he was traded to Montreal this season.

27.  Howard Coghlan – RF – Montreal (2^nd ML season, .268 AVG, .467 SLG, 18 HR in 418 AB):  Coghlan was traded twice, finding a home with Toronto in the Bigs. After posting a .907 OPS in his rookie season, he’s battling through a sophomore slump at this time.

28.  Donzell Root – LF – New York M (2^nd ML season, .279 AVG, .528 SLG, 37 HR in 587 AB): Root tore his hamstring twice in the minors, one of the incidents landing him on the 60-day DL. Despite that, he’s still a relatively quick player and has stolen 21 bases in 27 attempts.

29.  Akinori Zhang – SP – Atlanta (5^th ML season, 24W 24L in 96G, 4.23 ERA): Rushed through the Braves minor league system, Zhang jumped to the majors at the age of 20 with a promising career as a starter in front of him. The stress of a Major League schedule was too much for his body to bear however, and he was sidelined with elbow surgery and placed on the 60-day DL in his rookie season. He suffered two aneurysms in his shoulder subsequent seasons, one also sidelining him on the 60-day DL. All these injuries stunted the development of his effectiveness and control. The Braves have since used him in spot starts and long relief out of the bullpen.

30.  Buddy Borders – SP – Chicago W (2^nd ML season, 0W 0L in 7G, 3.18 ERA): Despite being in his second season, Borders surprisingly has not seen much work as a long reliever yet. He has the promising make-up of a talented pitcher.

31.  Lawrence Walker – 3B – Florida (1^st ML season, .250 AVG, .500 SLG, 0 HR in 20 AB): Walker has played a total of 8 innings in 5 games as a defensive replacement. His defensive development never panned out to third base, and he finds himself holding down the fort late in games in right field.

32.  George Wright – SS – Toronto (3^rd ML season, .263 AVG, .466 SLG, 50 HR in 1129 AB): Wright’s promise to play the middle infield only recent came about, as Toronto is using him at second base this season. He has spent most of his time patrolling right field due to an underwhelming glove. Wright’s makeup profiles to a utility player, and he has surprising speed as well, stealing 59 bags in 77 attempts.

Next, let's divide the draft by quarters and pick some winners, for fun:

Best pick with selections 1 through 8: Posada, LF (5^th overall) – Cincinnati
It’s hard to say that anyone missed anything here. This group contains three All Stars and a Rookie-of-the-Year. Six of the eight have three or more seasons of experience. I’m going to give a slight nod to Posada, if only for the fact he slipped past some scouts and fell to the fifth overall.

Best pick with selections 9 thru 16: Schafer, LF (10^th overall) – Arizona

Hard to argue with a guy who has won two Silver Sluggers, although McInerney and Polanco will enter the argument should he slip.

Best pick with selections 17 thru 24: Cueto, RP (20^th overall) – Baltimore

Owners made hay with late first round selections, as a lot of talent was available. The nod goes to Cueto and that 1.04 career WHIP. Withers, Stanley, Roosevelt and Presley were also among the fine pick-ups here.

Best pick with selections 25 thru 32: Zhang, SP (29^th overall) – Atlanta

Zhang was among the best of the latter round selections, and it’s a shame a couple strokes of misfortune stole his promise.