S17 Draft Review

Pick #
1	MIN	P	Harry Schulte
1	hurricane384	says	Harry will throw a lot of innings with good results. His weakness is the terrible 5th pitch he throws, but that should be more than offset by the strikeouts and groundouts he records.
1	Iceman67	says
2	ARI	LF	Barry Rodon
2	hurricane384	says	Barry is fast and will have a lot of infield hits becasuse he will make a lot of contact. Doesn't have the greatest splits, but does have a good eye. Good range and glove for LF.
2	llcc	says
3	CLE	SS	Manuel Deduno
3	hurricane384	says	Will develop greate range and arm, but the glove will not allow him to stick at SS. Drives the ball well. Has a good eye.
3	abesmem	says	Cleveland is very happy with SS Manny Deduno as their first round pick. He was at the top of the Indian draft board overall. Manny is a slick fielder with the health and durability to play every day at the ML level. Better still, he should hit for both power and average against righties and lefties alike. He’s the complete package.
4	CH1	SS	Jackson Simon
4	hurricane384	says	Lacks the arm strength to be a SS, but definitely could stick at CF. Won't strike out much, but has a great eye. Average at driving the ball.
4	tk21775	says	Cubs took Jackson Simon with the 4th overall pick, he was the #1 guy on our board. We thought we might have our third baseman of the future and still could although Mr. Simon is already out for the next year with an ACL tear.
5	COL	P	Billy Cairncross
5	hurricane384	says	Great splits, with great control. Keeps the ball down in the zone. Has a great combination of pitches. Not a great stamina/durability split, but could definitely produce.
5	anml34	says
6	MON	1B	Conor Lansing
6	hurricane384	says	Could be a premier hitter down the road. Great power and contact, really drives the ball well against LHP and will walk a bunch. Decent defense as well.
6	kelly_mccann	says	Montreal is very happy with the signing of #6 overall pick, Conor Lansing out of Horizons High School in Michigan. Lansing toyed with the idea of taking a college scholarship to the University of Michigan, but eventually signed with the Expos. Lansing is a switch hitting 1B who projects to have excellent contact and eye skills as well as above average power and can hit equally from both sides of the plate. He's capable of hitting big league pitching already at age 18 and has the make up to improve his skills quickly.
7	TOR	3B	Hank Schmidt
7	hurricane384	says	Great power with quality splits. He will walk a lot. Strikes out more than you'd like. Interesting defensive ratings…kind of hard to project defensively, but he will produce offensively.
7	toddemayer	says
8	WAS	P	Tex Bryne
8	hurricane384	says	Tremendous controls and avoids the hitting zone like the plague. Doesn't blow you away with speed nor will he be a groundball machine. His pitches should develop nicely.
8	chase39	says	We drafted Tex Bryne with the 8th pick this year. What can i say, he ain't no Harry Schulte . Putting are misery aside for a second, Bryne we had ranked no. 5 on our board and should help us out at the ML level in a couple of years.
9	ATL	CF	Larry Kiermaier
9	hurricane384	says	Tremendous range with a below average glove. This guy should be fun to watch. He doesn't strike out much and has an average eye, but he drives the ball extremely well. He can fly. Already playing in the majors.
9	kilgore	says	The Braves were pleased that world class sprinter Larry Kiermaier was available at the 9th pick. They believe he will develop into one of the better defensive center fielders in the game. His smooth, compact swing from each side of the plate delivers consistent contact with predominately low line drives and ground balls, so he'll never hit for power. His long, graceful strides, however, will turn a lot of ground outs into infield singles and line drive or bloop singles into doubles. Kiermaier's plate discipline will need to improve, but his excellent plate coverage helps overcome that and he should be ideal for the #2 spot in the lineup. Likewise, he has much to learn about the art of base stealing, but very few in the game can match his blinding speed. Kiermaier was quickly moved up to AAA after a blazing start in his first few AA games, did well there for a few games, and made the jump to The Show just recently in hopes of providing some much needed offense for the Braves.
10	FLA	2B	Dillon McDowell
10	hurricane384	says	Good range, great glove. Can fly. Doesn't strike out too much. Decent eye. Doesn't drive the ball consistently.
10	mamidu	says	10th pick overall - Dillon McDowell - probably won't be able to play 2b with that range, but should be an exceptional LF defensively. will be able to hit lefties very well, but will just be slightly above-average against righties with very good contact. has blazing speed, but baserunning will prevent him from being an outstanding base stealer. he'll be decent, but i would have expected to get more from the 10th overall pick
11	LA	3B	Vin McCormick
11	hurricane384	says	Another intriguing defensive player. His range and arm strength are great, but his glove and accuracy are equally below average. Decent power. Will strike out. Drives the ball well. Good eye.
11	tdfactory	says	With the 11th pick in Round 1, the Dodgers select 2B Vin McCormick. While Vin played 2B in HS, the Dodgers see this player ultimately ending up at 3rd. Doesn't have quite the range to play 3B in the bigs, but has a strong enough arm to play the hot corner. The Dodgers feel he will have decent power, can hit lefties or righties equally well and a decent eye. Vin has average speed and is a little slow on the basepaths. Our projections have him as a #5 or #6 hitter in the lineup potentially putting up .275, 25 HR, 90 RBI type numbers.
12	LAA	P	Kelvim Lee
12	hurricane384	says	Average control. Solid pitch combination. Good at keeping the ball out of the hitting zone. Throws hard and keeps it down in the zone. Great stamina/durability combination.
12	mskakunan	says
13	STL	P	Daryle Pearson
13	hurricane384	says	First true RP selected, he throws hard and has 2 great pitches. Keeps the ball down in the zone and keeps hitters guessing. Good comination stamina/durability.
13	allright	says	Drafting from the 13th spot, The St. Louis Cardinals selected Daryle Pearson. The lefty will fill the closer's role in the big time in a couple of years. Good control and outstanding stuff makes him close to ready, now.The 'Cards selected Eduardo Profar in the second round. Profar will also make the big time. Though, certainly not all star material, he promises to make it to the big time providing leadership and above average defense behind the plate and enough offense to be a contributor.
14	OAK	P	Slade Trammell
14	hurricane384	says	LHB kill him. RHB not so much. Pitches are not good. Great control. Throws decently hard and gets some grounders. Should be a solid mid-rotation pitcher.
14	train	says	Draft recap - Slade Trammell - I had him 3rd on my board so I was really pleased to land him at 14th. He has most of the attributes I target in a pitcher - strong control and vsR (both projecting into the mid-80s), good ground ball tendency as well. Only area of concern is his pitch quality; his top two pitches grade out only into the mid 70s. Hopefully my scouts are underestimating his stuff. If not, he's still a great pickup in the middle of the round.
15	PIT	P	Paulo Vargas
15	hurricane384	says	Another RP who should earn his keep. Throws hard and keeps the ball down. Won't hurt himself with walks. Decent pitches. Will pitch a lot of innings.
15	ajwalton	says
16	KC	C	Aaron Haase
16	hurricane384	says	Good arm but can't call a game. Makes good contact with decent power. Can really work the count and drives the ball well.
16	crabman26	says	With the 16th pick overall, the Royals took a DH, Aaron Haase. With a total of four "A"s in his name you would think he would be an impressive player, but he is not. Sure, he'll hit righties really well and get on base at a good clip, but do you really want a slap hitting DH? He'll be a great bat off the bench in a pinch hitting role, but the Royals completely whiffed on this pick.
17	CH2	RF	Dave Balfour
17	hurricane384	says	Makes good contact with decent power. Great arm. Great glove. Can really run. The definition of a platoon player. RHP will destroy him.
17	byers61	says	The White Sox drafted RF Dave Bafour with the 17th pick in the draft. He would probably be a decent pick at that spot, but he hasn't signed. We see him as an 80 OVR rank, pretty decent numbers but a little weak against righties. To compound matters, this is the second year in a row the White Sox have drafted a pick who wouldn't commit.
18	BOS	1B	Keyvius Benes
18	hurricane384	says	Makes great contact but lacks the speed to really take advantage of it. Has some power. Drives the ball decently. Solid eye. Nothing special defensively.
18	jvford	says	He should develop into a middle of the order hitter, the only question is whether his defense will be good enough to play 1B.
19	TB	LF	Fergie Everhart
19	hurricane384	says	Great range. Tremendous speed combined with making great contact should make him exciting to watch. Decent eye. No power. Doesn't drive the ball very well.
19	mexd781	says
20	NY2	SS	Evan Belt
20	hurricane384	says	Lacks tremendous arm strength, but is good at the other aspects of defense. Makes decent contact and is solid against LHP. Lacks understanding of strike zone. No power.
20	mlhutch	says
21	HOU	3B	Bryan De Vries
21	hurricane384	says	Dominates LHP. Otherwise average offensively. Decent defender.
21	drichar138	says
22	PHI	P	Kenn Perkins
22	hurricane384	says	Solid pitches. Keeps the ball down in the zone. Good durability/stamina. Keeps the ball out of the hitting zone. Throws hard.
22	stews_blues	says
23	CH2	2B	Darin Gilmore
23	hurricane384	says	Good range. Decent arm and glove. Average offensively with the exception of driving the ball against RHP and working the count.
23	byers61	says	With the 23rd pick, the White Sox drafted Darin Gilmore, a run-of-the-mill left fielder who could reach the majors, but won't be a standout.
24	DET	RF	Che-Hsuan Yamamoto
24	hurricane384	says	Great range. Hits the ball and doesn't strike out. No power. Better against LHP. Great eye. Good arm. Lacks speed.
24	poke_man	says	Che-Hsuan Yamamoto Good contact, Decent vL. Overall, emmm?
25	COL	P	Augie Urshela
25	hurricane384	says	Keeps the ball down. Doesn't throw hard. Better against LHB. Good control. Lacks ideal durability. Pitches are all average to above average.
25	anml34	says
26	CIN	C	Ramon Wang
26	hurricane384	says	Projects to be a great hitter. Durability looks to be a concern which is probably why he dropped in the draft, but when he is out there, he is going to rake.
26	hurricane384	says	I look forward to Ramon hitting out of RF for years to come. Should help that he can't call a game to keep him there.
27	NY1	P	Toby Shackleford
27	hurricane384	says	Throws hard. Dominates RHB while being dominated by LHB. Decent control. Very good pitch combination and keeps the ball down in the zone. Intriguing prospect.
27	mcgupp	says	Toby Shackleford was the NY Yankees 1st round pick at #27. The Yanks are pleased to grab a pitcher of his caliber so late in round 1. The organization views him as a future # 4 or 5 starter. A hard thrower, they view his sinker-fastball pair as a winning combination.
28	SEA	P	Ted McKnight
28	hurricane384	says	Great control. Solid pitches. Struggles against RHB. Solid against LHB. Doesn't throw hard. Keeps ball down in zone decently.
28	jakaitis	says
29	TEX	LF	Neftali Guerrero
29	hurricane384	says	Doesn't strike out. No power. Drives the ball decently well. Great eye. Great baserunner. Good speed. Fun to watch on offense.
29	neilg	says	Texas grabbed Neftali Guerrero with the 29th pick. Guerrero projects to be a leadoff hitter with excellent contact and enough batting eye, splits, and speed to make an impact at the top of the lineup. The biggest convern with him is the abysmal makeup score which calls into doubt that he will actually reach his projections.
30	LA	LF	Milton Figga
30	hurricane384	says	Above average across the board offensively. Strong arm and range. Doesn’t' run well.
30	tdfactory	says
31	NO	P	Bill Yount
31	hurricane384	says	Better against RHB than LHB. Good control. Decent stamina, but great durability. Keeps the ball down and has 2 out pitches.
31	mongoose_22	says	Despite massive firings in the domestic scouting departments, the Jazz were very pleased to draft Bill Yount at the end of the 1st round. Yount should develop into a capable relief pitcher, and a valuable piece to a solid bullpen. With a heavy fastball, and a good curve to complement his splits, Yount projects to have above average ML stuff. We project him to spend three seasons in the minors, and make his debut at 22-23.
32	SF	P	Donald Blackwood
32	hurricane384	says	Throws hard. Does well at keeping ball out of the hitting zone. Doesn't walk many. Solid pitches.
32	AllSox	says
33	BAL	P	Maikel Sucre
33	hurricane384	says	Tremendous RP. Doesn't throw hard but has 2 out pitches and another good pitch. Dominates RHB. Great control. Will struggle to rack up the innings with those durability/stamina ratings.
33	hopkinsheel	says	Really happy with Sucre especially picking so late in the draft. We project him to be a really good reliever with very good splits and pitches. Only reason he dropped so far was his signability and we got lucky and he didn't even demand anything extra. Nice roll of the dice for the Orioles.
34	LAA	P	Alex Eusebio
34	hurricane384	says	Doesn't have a clue where his pitch is going to end up, just knows it will get there quickly…and might bounce.
34	mskakunan	says

S17 Preview

Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles goal for this season is to win the AL East and earn a bye in the playoffs. We return 8 out of 9 guys in starting lineup, starting rotation, and main bullpen pieces from a 103 win team from last season. We're excited to add Willie Martinez who should provide stellar CFer defense while adding some pop to a position that was a black hole offensively last season. Other than that, we didn't make too many other moves.

Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox return a league-average team that was in the hunt for the WC2 until the last week or so of the season. Unfortunately, they were unable to do much to improve the roster, due their inability to find trade partners for some of their redundancies and lack of willingness to dive into the FA market.

However, a couple of aging 1B/DH types (Teixeira and Rivera) weren't resigned, which will allow Rios, Cabrera, and Murphy to get most of the abats at 1B, LF, and DH, without looking over their shoulders. Also, Rafael Olmedo was signed to platoon at C, which will insure that Harry DeHaan doesn't spend any time behind the plate. Finally, the Red Sox bullpen remains a major strength. Even when starters falter, there is plenty of depth to keep the game within reach.

All of this means that the Red Sox will probably be looking at a .500 finish, with an upside of 85-87 wins if everything breaks right and/or they make some moves during the season.

Chicago Cubs
Cubs are still in the process of their rebuild although we hope things start to come together a little more this season. We traded for Omar Campos who is a 23 yr. old power hitter to take over RF since we traded David Mijares who was our best hitter last season. In return for Mijares we received SP Josias Rijo who will take a few seasons to get to the majors but should be a #1/#2 SP when he does. Heinie Singleton is our young 3B for the rest of the offense. SP Bryan Cook, age 25, will be the #1 SP in the rotation this season and we think pitching might be a little better this season as our defense improved. We have the #4 pick in the draft and a little over $20M in prospect to go after an Int'l so if we can add 2 quality players to pair with Rijo, Campos, Singleton and Cook we should be in a lot better position then coming into the season.

Cincinnati Reds
We took a bit of a hit in the starting lineup with some natural aging, but we did improve in the rotation, bullpen, and bench. This team should not strike out much at all this season. The defense should be much improved as All-Star CF Travis Evans transitions to LF for the defense of Keith Hannity. Rip Stevenson and Sparky Lowry will platoon at SS, hoping to increase the offense some there. 1B Aaron Winker hopes to replace the departed Larry Browning and Bert Root and Haywood Robinson will split time in RF. Greg Hennessey will anchor the pitching staff while Julian Porter makes a return to the Reds on a bare bones deal. Zhang, Allen, and Trout round out the rotation. The bullpen recently took a short term hit with Don Plant going down, but this is the best bullpen in the Reds’ history with Gaetti, Shaw, Page, Lira, and Chavez in the set up positions.

Cleveland Indians
Hope springs eternal in Cleveland and this year, there may actually be some reason to be hopeful and the rotation may finally be steady, if not outstanding. Yong vet Tony Santos should be able to establish himself as a staff ace. FA Carlos Almonte provides a solid #2 with the third spot in the rotation assigned to Raymond Reynolds who was acquired via trade. With veterans Ted Frederick and Miguel Romero rounding out the starting staff. Budding stars, Omar Hernandez and Hector Rivers will be in long relief but just waiting for their chance to step into starting roles. The bullpen remains sound, with AAA star L. J. Irwin just waiting for his chance to take over the closer role at the ML level. The perennial problem at 3B was solved by the FA signing of Adam Hannahan who brings solid defense and offense to that spot. If Ben Hernandez continues to develop into a star at SS, the Indians should contend.

Kansas City Royals
With a new GM at the helm for his first full season, KC is trying to change their identity.

Pitching, Defense, and Team Speed are going to be a big priority for the new GM. The first order of business in the offseason was trading away superstar player Jimmie Alomar to Oakland. In return KC solidified our rotation by getting Todd Rusch in return. He will form a great top of the rotation along with Yuniesky Fuentes followed by Mijares, Padilla, and Rogers. The bullpen will be iffy outside of Kirkland but it should be above average.

The offense received a boost by signing Henry Crosby (after much turmoil and a flub up by WIS) to field second base. His speed and ability to get on base will hopefully jump start this offense. Along with him will be callups Luis Rosado and Vic Johnson (also acquired in the Alomar deal) and free agent signing Larry Browning. The offense will not set the world on fire but it should be good enough to win some games.

KC has some good trade pieces should they decide to make a run for the division and trade for another big bat, but that depends on how they are performing and if they can find the right piece to trade for.

Management is expecting to have wins in the 82-85 range, which may put them in a position to battle for the wild card.

Milwaukee Brewers
After a disappointing playoff exit, the Brewers front office was aggressive in the off-season trade market. Expectations are high as Milwaukee is hoping to capture another division title and avoid another early playoff exit.

Milwaukee is expecting big things from the offense. Former MVP 3B Pat Hickman was added to a lineup already including bats like CF Paco Lee and RF Kevin Wang. The pitching staff was also bolstered with two new starting pitchers in Kiki Aguilar and Omar Mercado. With returning vets Sawyer Cross and Larry Wells, the rotation should be in good shape. RP Ricky Carter was also signed in free agency to help out the bullpen.

New Orleans Jazz
We had a pretty mild offseason in the Big Easy, largely sticking with the core of players we had that won 96 games last season. The biggest move was sending solid SP Kiki Aguilar to Milwaukee for young slugging, speedster 1B Lou Byrnes. This move was a combination of money saving, and trading for need. Byrens will take over at 1B, allowing Lee to move to DH and upgrading the defense at that spot. The #4 and #5 spots in the rotation will be filled by rookie prospects in the form of highly touted internationals Eury Rivera and Wilfredo Aguilera. Rivera, in particular, is definitely ready the show, and the franchise has very high expectations for him. Our scouts project him as a multiple time All Star during his career. Aguilera is more raw, and will have some tough times during his rookie campaign. However, he should be good enough as a #5 starter, and is capable of eating close to 200 innings. The ML coaching he'll get exposed to will also further his development. Veteran Max Rios, was an inexpensive FA who will get the 1st chance to start in RF. That spot continues to be the biggest hole for this team and if Rios falters, a farm hand may get a shot, or possibly a player acquired from another team. We expect this squad to make the playoffs with an excellent rotation and bullpen, very good fielding and an average offensive attack. With Ni and Sanchez as one of the best 1-2 pitching tandems in the AL, once in the playoffs, I think this team has an excellent chance at making a deep run.

New York Mets
Brief memo for the NY Mets: I had two goals for first season at the helm of the NY Mets: 1) improve the shameful on-field performance by making some moderate,  cost-friendly but impactful changes, such as improving team defense and pitching, like the acquisition of Gabe Fisher; 2) assess the future potential for the team. I surprised on both counts. First, the improved defense and pitching translated into major on-field improvements. We finished with a .500 and somehow won the division. The improved defense was a major factor in the turnaround. Second, despite this team having many high draft picks due to poor performance before my arrival, the minor league system lacked talent. In fact, I could only identify 2-3 good ML prospects in the entire system. This disappointment along with the improved but middling results in the field has altered my strategy moving forward. This season we should be able to replicate last year's performance as I made few cost-friendly ML additions to our pitching, such as Petey Bennett, Ronald Roosevelt, Dicky Jensen, but also lost only a couple of contributors. I once again expect to finish near .500 this season. The primary focus now is to acquire top-flight minor league talent to build for a brighter future through better drafting and perhaps a good IFA. Right now, we have some good building blocks developing in the minors, such as R.J. Leake, Bum Robertson, Billy Nielsen . Traditionally, my turnarounds take between 3-4 seasons so this year is critical to that time table. While we won't be setting the world on fire (nor will we be a dumpster fire) this season, we will continue to build the foundation for a WS contender in the future.

New York Yankees
Fresh off a deep playoff run, the Yankees look to capture their first title. The C/DH combo of Mendy Delahanty and Randy Washington once again figure to be the keys offensively. Each are looking to 3-peat as Silver Slugger winners.  8 time Silver Slugger SS William Aoki also must play well for the Yankees to return to the playoffs. RF Esmil Cano was picked up in FA and will be relied on for D and OBP. With the injury to 2B Brian Greenwood, look for youngster Michael  to be pivotal for the Bombers as well. SP Johan Springer was a key player in the run to the Series. He and Ivan Wise pose a strong 1 2 punch at the top of the rotation. Danny Buss and Terrance Hartman will be relied on to close out games late.

Oakland Athletics
Big changes this offseason in Oakland. After a dozen straight playoff appearances, we've taken a step back the past two seasons and I decided this was the time to jump back into contention. Made a few large deals, moving mostly young talent and prospects to strengthen the offense, which was pretty terrible last year.

The first deal was for Jimmie Alomar, one of the premier hitters in the league, and young himself. Alomar came at a steep price, as I had to move my emerging ace to land him (Todd Rusch). This was painful, but necessary in my mind. To replace Rusch, I brought back veteran pitcher Julian Molina who has nice ratings but very low stamina and will be used initially as a SP; we'll see if he holds up. I also signed Christopher Mays, to help the rotation.

The second major trade was to land Cesar Cedeno, another elite bat (albeit a DH). Might actually try him at C, as his PC is low but his arm is passable. My other catcher options are equally "meh" behind the plate so he'll probably get some chances.

Cedeno and Alomar, added to developing star Ivan Uribe in my lineup should offer a strong heart of the order for several seasons. The pitching staff has holes, notably the lack of a true #1, but we have plenty of #3 type starters and should be able to hopefully score enough to support them. The target this year is a return to contention and hopefully a playoff spot.

San Diego Padres
The Padres are looking forward to defending their Championship – but the loss of 2 Type A free agents in the infield may be tough to overcome. The good news is that Gerardo Perez, Marino Tavarez and David Hall have been signed, Rod Doyle promoted, and O.T. Crowe selected to fill in the gaps created by the losses of Garret Gibson, Wes Sheehan, Yusmeiro Sosa and Carlos Rivera. The pitching staff – led by Phil Lowery – returns pretty much intact. Seth Wall and Hipolito Ramirez remain solid and Rubby Benitez and Steve Shierholtz continue to grow.. The bullpen, led by Mack Lankford, Al Campos and Hipolito Gonzalez, should be fortified by a full season of production from Elmer Kozlowski. The lineup should be solid offensively as Donnie McInerney, Trumbo O’Toole and Neftali Barrios form the heart of the order.

Padres ownership realizes that the team is aging and there are several expiring contracts - this may be the swan song for this particular core group of players. Ownership will be active in the trade market in order to do what is needed to give this squad the opportunity to repeat.

San Francisco Giants
Coming off a 101 win wild card season, management has elected to stand pat and bring the team back for another run. Expectations in SF are high for another playoff run but fans are skeptical that they can close the gap with arch rival San Diego. The team is well balanced with a rotation lead by career strikeout leader Kelvin Thompson backed by a strong bullpen anchored by closer Alex Jiang. The lineup is anchored by former #1 pick, Jeff Phelps.

St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals, storied, solid, best organization in real baseball. The St Louis Cardinals, in our league, make Alphonse and Gaston look like synchronized swimmers. A bunch of stumbling, bumbling idiots masquerading as a baseball team. Up one season, down the next; except the ups are below mediocre and the downs are below the bottom of the pit. The Cardinals had one all-star caliber player and they traded him for a trio of wannabees. They made no Free Agent acquisitions, are bringing up no rookies, and lost the best half of a poor pitching staff to free agency. They couldn't afford arbitration for key players from last season. The prognosis: a 50 win season would be considered over-achieving.

Texas Rangers
Texas is returning one of season 16's most potent offenses largely intact. I have every reason to believe that MVP Daryle Morton and the rest of the crew will continue to put up gaudy offensive numbers. I look to improve my subpar pitching staff with the additions of Arnold Creek and rookie Cap Jay. If the pitching staff can put up average numbers, the Rangers should find themselves with another Wild Card berth.

S16 Draft Review - by train

Disclaimer: Train somehow saw all but 3 of the first round picks so he volunteered his analysis of these guys. Keep in mind that all of these comments are based on what he saw and his personal preferences. Thank you train. - hurricane384

1. Dann Sierra – Went 1st overall, my scouts saw that as a reach (had him as mid-1st round). Elite control, good vs L, average vs R with a strong repertoire. I rate vsR high in my SP assessment, which knocked him down a bit for me. Strong mid-rotation piece.

2. Stubby Perez – Top pitcher on my board. Plus ratings in control and both splits. Decent pitch mix, but missing that knockout #1 pitch. Slight flyball tendencies, not enough to warrant concern.

3. RJ Leake – I went back and forth between Leake and Huang as my top guy. You can’t go wrong either way. Absolute elite contact/power combo with decent enough splits; eye is lacking. Should play a strong 2B, might eek out enough range to hang in CF for a few seasons. Durability a slight concern (might max out below 75).

4. Rio Acosta – Had him closer to the middle of the 1st round based solely on concerns that he’ll stick at short. Range and Arm Acc are both projecting to be fringy; if those end up decent enough he’s a solid value at 4. Great speed, will torch lefties and hold his own against righties. Should work out to an above avg bat at SS if he sticks.

5. George Gibbs – Strong defensive CF with elite speed. Bat looks to be strong vs R with a plus eye. Should hold his own vsL, power will be middling but not bad for a CF with his other notable skills. Solid value here.

6. Kiko Hoffpauir – Second pitcher on my board; very close to Stubby (I wouldn’t argue with ranking him above Stubby). Control/Durability combo looks to be on the lower end for a SP (in the 20/75 range, makes it tough to get more than 170ish innings). Excellent control and vsR, along with strong pitches and velocity. Slight groundball tendency as well. Fantastic value at #6.

7. Tito Huang – my pick; had Tito top on my board, barely over Leake, Perez and Hoffpauir. Strong contact with elite power; excellent splits but batting eye is going to come in below average. Defensively he’ll likely fall short of, well, short and end up at 3B. Durability on the lower end (similar to Leake, likely to come in somewhere in the low 70s).

8. Gill Tamura – Future gold glove at short, projects elite in all 4 defensive categories. Bat is good too, with above average contact and power to go along with passable splits and eye. When you consider his defensive upside, the bat makes him a special all around player. Another great value pick here.

9. Clarence Nix – Excellent bat, not sure where he lands defensively. Looks to have great power with strong ratings everywhere else – contact, splits and eye all project to solidly above average. Defensively he was listed as a 2B but my projections show he’ll likely end up in LF (or be a butcher at 2B). Remains to be seen where he ends up, but the bat will play anywhere.

10. Sid Gibson – Another mid to top of the rotation SP, which is a nice get at 10. No stamia/dur concerns; excellent control with both splits coming in above average. Lower end velocity, but I’m not a big velo guy so that didn’t impact my ranking of him. Pitches are solid, not spectacular. Missing an “out” pitch.

11. Bunny Russell – Fantastic first name. He’ll offer elite control with really strong splits (especially vsR). High velocity and a GB tendency is nice as well. His stuff will be the only thing holding him back from sitting at the top of a rotation. I’ve seen some pitchers succeed with the stuff he has, and others not so much. Will be interesting to see how he shakes out. Could be a steal at 11 if some of those pitches grade out a little higher than my scouts see.

12. Endy DeJean – Endy looks like he’ll end up in LF, where his bat will be useful but not strong. Best hitting skill is OBP and he’ll make good contact while handling righties better than lefties. Great speed as well; I’ve had some luck in the past with eye/speed/contact type guys and if he ends up hitting those marks I could be under selling him with my opening comment.

13. Shelley Lamb – I had Shelley closer to the end of the round on my list, making this one of the more questionable picks in my scouts’ eyes. Above avg contact and power, with some decent success vsL. Will struggle vsR and I’m worried that the bad batting eye will drag everything down. On the defensive side, my scouts didn’t project him to stick at short, pushing him to 2B or 3B, where the bat becomes a little more important.

14. Haywood Dykstra – From questionable back to good value, Dykstra was a strong pick at 14. Will be good-to-great in all hitting categories and is a solid enough defender to stick at 1B, saving him from needing to shift to DH anytime soon. His bat will play fine at 1B. Biggest red flag is health, which as we all know is a complete crapshoot.

15. Robinzon Alvarez – Another up-the-middle guy, Alvarez might end up in CF, but more likely at 2B (possibly even 3B, depending on arm strength/accuracy). He’ll put the ball in play often, with more success vsL, but fine vsR as well. Eye is low, but offsets a bit with higher contact. Minimal power, which is fine given his defensive abilities. Adds some speed as well.

16. Bruce Tomlinson – SP who looks like he can eat a lot of innings (dur and stamina project to combine for >120, which is a 220+ inning guy for sure). Control will be his biggest challenge, with that skill projected to end up below average. He will try to offset that with strong splits, velocity and groundball tendencies. Pitches are also good. If he can throw enough strikes, he’ll be good.

17. Carmen Becker – another guy I had down the list; probably out of the 1st round. Carmen doesn’t have a standout offensive tool, with each of the 5 categories grading out near average, maybe slightly above depending on where he plays defensively. My scouts see him at 3B, which would leave me looking for a bit more bat.

18. Alfredo Butler – SP with an elite p1 (and good secondary offerings as well). Control and splits are average-to-slightly-above. Comes in low in both velocity and gb/fb, which to me is a scary combo depending on where he pitches his home games. Stamina will be on the low end but the dur might make up for it enough to get him to 180-ish innings.

19. Kiko Wilkinson – always nice to have two Kiko’s in the 1st round. This Kiko is the first RP off the board and a great value as well. Plenty of stamina/durability to throw 80+ innings out of the ‘pen. Will dominate righties and give lefties difficulty as well. Fantastic first pitch, strong second pitch (which you need if you only have 2 pitches). Good velo, gonna strike out a lot of guys.

20. Mitch Marshall – Had Mitch out of the 1st round, but as we get to the back end of the round that’s not that far away. Similar profile to Becker; does everything okay, but no one tool stands out. Contact is a little low, pairs that with some decent power and average splits/eye. On defense, my scouts show him landing in LF, though if he can exceed those projections and stick at 2B his bat will play much better.

21. Enny Martinez – first guy my scouts didn’t see!

22. Chris Hudson – also didn’t see him

23. Jamie Fox – zero power, but will do everything else well. Projects to a very good eye, to go along with a strong vsR (a ratings combo I always like). Contact and vsL are average. Will struggle to slug much of anything, so his offensive value is tied to his ability to get on base. Once there, his top-end speed will hopefully add some value as well. Defensively he looks like he can stick in CF for now; if he fails to hit those ratings though, his value will take a hit since his bat will struggle in a corner spot.

24. JC Lindsey – defensive specialist, does not appear to have much future success with the bat. Contact hitter with low power, vsL and eye, and a mediocre vsR. Has good speed so hopefully that will help his offensive game. On the defensive side, he looks like a legit CF with good range and an elite glove.

25. Chipper Rolison – second RP off the board and another pretty good value. Good dur/sta profile; elite control paired with strong splits. Velo is low, gb/fb is average. P1 is good enough, and his other stuff is passable as well. Looks like a solid Setup A.

26. Tom Rushford – according to my scouts, best value pick of the draft. I had him high, based on the combination of good offensive abilities and a top-flight pitch calling rating (his other defensive skills are strong too). Looks like he’ll check every box on the offensive side of his game, with good contact and average or better in all other ratings. Pair that with his excellent D, and this is a great pick.

27. Tom Carr – Defense only SS. Contact and power will be sub-50, eye is almost non-existent. Good splits though, but with the other areas lacking he will struggle to hit. Solid D across the board, so he will add value on that side.

28. Felix Sung – Potentially a 2B, another guy on the fringe with his glove. If he sticks at 2B, the bat will play better. Primary offensive skill is his batting eye; contact and splits are lacking. Power is passable, especially for a 2B. If his D doesn’t make it to full projections, he’d end up in a corner OF spot and his bat would not hold up as well there.

29. Lucas Slaughter – Average across the board with the bat – 50’s and 60’s across the board. Pretty strong defender – all ratings project to plus but the glove might not make it as a SS. Looks like he’ll profile as a super utility type.

30. Eduardo Barrios – I had him much higher (right around the middle of the round), due to an offensive skillset I like. Above average in all offensive ratings other than power. Brings good speed to the table as well, making it likely that he can hit well enough to earn a regular gig. He’ll need to, as his glove doesn’t add a ton of value. Probably ends up in a corner OF, unless there’s something there I’m missing. Definite value here at the end of the round.

31. Felix Hughes – I had Hughes well out of the first due to concerns with his bat. Very strong vsL, but there’s not much else there. His batting eye will be a hindrance, projecting as very far below average. Glove and arm are probably good enough to hang at 3B, range needs to surprise to reach the minimums though.

32. Mitchell Stieb - I’m a sucker for offense first, zero defensive value types and that’s what we have here. Stieb projects to elite power combined with enough in the other categories to be above average offensively. On the defensive side, he probably won’t make it as a C, so he’ll need that bat to be good. Solid value at the end of the round.

33. Junior Castillo – lowest rated guy on my board to end up in the 1st round. Not going to get much offense, if any, with him. Power is zero, nothing else notable with the stick. Should play some good D, as all of his fielding ratings project to be above average.

34. Vladamir Donatello – not scouted.

S16 Draft Review - by hurricane384

1. LHP Dann Sierra (STL)
   A solid SP, he projects as a top of the rotation starter. He projects to great control and a great pitch combination. Doesn't throw hard and is merely average at keeping the ball down. Doesn't excel at keeping the ball out of the hitting zone.
2. RHP Stubby Perez (LA)
   Doesn't have great control, but does well keeping the ball out of the hitting zone. Throws with some velocity, but does allow more than his fair share of flyballs. Pitch combination, while not lethal, is solid.
3. 2B R.J. Leake (NY2)
   Leake projects as a top-notch defense CF/2B. Good speed. Doesn't strike out. Really good power. Below average at consistently driving the ball. Below average eye. Provides tremendous value on defense with his power.
4. SS Rio Acosta (MIN)
   Lacks the range to be a ML SS, but the glove and arm should be good enough to be a GG IF. Some power, drives the ball extremely well. Good eye. Good speed. Strikes out more than you'd like.
5. CF George Gibbs (ATL)
   Great range and glove. Very fast. Little power. Good eye. Drives ball well. Decent contact ability.
6. RHP Kiki Hoffpauir (CLE)
   Good control. Keeps ball out of hitting zone against RHB. Hard thrower. Keeps ball down in zone. Good pitches.
7. SS Tito Huang (OAK)
   Slightly below average across the board defensively, but that shouldn't matter as his offensive numbers are off the charts...period. Great power, contact, and splits. Average eye, shouldn't affect his ability to be a perennial all-star.
8. SS Gill Tamura (ARI)
   Tremendous range. Great arm. Average to above average across the board offensively. 
9. LF Clarence Nix (FLA)
   Great range. Average at avoiding strikeouts but has very good power and drives the ball very well. Good eye. 
10. RHP Sid Gibson (TOR)
    Good control. Solid at keeping the ball out of the hitting zone. Decent top 2 pitches. Lacks complete repertoire. Keeps ball down in zone.
    mburgy says: For the 5th consecutive season, the Blue Jays went pitching heavy. Sid Gibson selected at #10 projects to be a back of the rotation innings eater. Good stamina and control should keep his pitch counts down. Lower splits with good pitch selection
11. RHP Bunny Russell (WAS)
    Tremendous control. Average at keeping the ball out of hitting zone. Throws fairly hard. Lacks that putaway pitch.
    chase39 says: with the 11th pick we drafted Bunny Russell . We had him ranked number 2 on our board, so we are pleased to get him at 11. He should develop into a solid number 1 or 2 starter for us.
12. RF Endy DeJean (MIL)
    Great eye. Solid defensively. Won't strike out too much. Solid power. Drives ball well. Very fast. Average baserunner.
13. SS Shelley Lamb (COL)
    Doesn't have the arm strength to be a great SS. Solid power, won't strike out too much. Doesn't square the ball consistently. Lacks great knowledge of strike zone.
14. 1B Haywood Dykstra (CIN)
    Squares the ball very consistently. Good eye. Solid power. Average at avoiding K's. 
15. SS Robinson Alvarez (TEX)
    Listed as a SS, but has a better chance of sticking at 2B or LF. Will be a great leadoff hitter with power. Squares the ball very well.
16. RHP Bruce Tomlinson (CH2) **UNSIGNED**
    Currently unsigned, Tomlinson could be a great pick at 16. Projects to very good pitches, throws hard and keeps the ball down in the zone. Keeps the ball out of the hitting zone. Solid pitches too.
17. 2B Carmen Becker (LAA)
    Great power. Average contact. Solid defensively for 2B. Could play 3B. Drives the ball well. Decent eye.
18. RHP Alfredo Butler (CH1)
    Could be a solid RP. Decent control. Does a good job of keeping the ball out of the hitting zone. Good pitches. Doesn't throw hard and doesn't get GBs.
19. RHP Kiko Wilkinson (BOS)
    Should be a nearly dominant RP. Good control. Keeps the ball out of the hitting zone and keeps the ball down in the zone. Throws hard and has 2 dominant pitches.
20. 2B Mitch Marshall (PIT)
    Should definitely be a good CF. Average to above average offensively with solid speed.
21. 2B Enny Martinez (NY1)
    Lacks great range. Good speed. Drives the ball well and can really work the count. Doesn't have much power and will strike out some.
22. C Chris Hudson (TB)
    Tremendous defensive catcher. Above average power and contact. Drives the ball well and can really work the count. This is a tremendous value pick at 22.
23. CF Jamie Fox (SEA)
    Good defensive CF. No power. Solid contact. Drives the ball well against RHP. Great eye. Great speed and good baserunning ability.
24. CF J.C. Lindsey (COL) **UNSIGNED**
    Great defensive CF with tremendous speed. Average eye. Lacks good power. Good contact. Does square the ball consistently.
25. LHP Chipper Rolison (KC)
    Great control. Great pitches. Keeps ball down in zone and avoids hitting zone decently. Doesn't throw hard.
26. C Tom Rushford (ARI)
    Doesn't have the most accurate arm but can call a game and a strong a arm. Drives the ball well. Above average power and contact. Decent eye.
27. SS Tom Carr (TB)
    Great defender. Should win some GG. Not good offensively as he will struggle to reach base. No strike zone discipline. Struggles making contact, but can square it up when he does. No real power.
28. 2B Felix Sung (DET)
    Great range. Below average the rest of the way defensively. Great eye. Strikes out a lot. Decent power and decent at driving the ball.
29. CF Lucas Slaughter (NO)
    Great range. Very strong arm. Makes good contact with solid power. Drives the ball well and has a good eye. Might not stick as a CF.
    mongoose_22 says: We expect Lucas Slaughter to develop into a serviceable 4th outfielder. He should be solid enough defensively to play in CF, with good speed and a bat that is barely adequate. He has already blown out his hammy though, so we now expect even less out of him.
30. 2B Eduardo Barrios (SD)
    Great range solid glove. Good speed. Drives the ball decently. Doesn't strike out much. Won't hit for power. Great eye.
    opie5 says: San Diego management is very pleased to acquire OF Eduardo Barrios with the 30th pick in the draft. This is one of the few years in which San Diego feels they have acquired a ML bat in the draft. Barrios’s glove will relegate him to a corner position but his bat will get him in the lineup. Power is not Eduardo’s game but getting on base certainly is. Barrios projects as a high OBP player that should bat in the 2 hole – he can handle the stick.
31. 3B Felix Hughes (SF)
    An oddity here...doesn't have the range to play most IF positions but his glove and arm would be wasted in the OF or at 1B. He drives the ball well against LHP while struggling against RHP. Not a good eye. Won't strike out too much though. Average power. 
32. C Mitchell Stieb (BAL)
    Tremendous power. Dominant against LHP. Good eye. Struggles against RHP. Should be able to play a decent C.
    hopkinsheel says: In a pretty weak draft, we feel we got a steal with Stieb. He projects to be a big masher with a solid OPS between his power, splits, and eye. Always nice to grab a guy like that at the end of the first round.
33. SS Junior Castillo (CH1)
    Not an ideal SS glove, but great range and a great arm. No power and struggles against LHP. Very good against RHP. Average contact ability and eye.
34. SS Vladimir Donatello (ARI)
    Terrible glove, weak arm. Solid power, good contact. Average at squaring the ball. Good eye.

Message from the Commish

Rule Change Amendment

Hello everyone, I have been considering a slight change to the MWR for quite awhile. A lot of you are already aware of this because of the conversation we've had in NCAA..

Action Required - Please trade chat or sitemail me if you'd like to voice your support or opposition to the rule change. If you'd like to make your thoughts public, please feel free to post a reply to this post and it will appear on the blog.

I feel that the world rules need to evolve as the league and HBD evolves. To be clear, I have ZERO interest in weakening the competitive requirements. I want to provide the opportunity for a good owner to have the choice to stay in the world if they don't hit the MWR and accept strong penalties which will still dissuade any tanking.

The other change I have decided to make after discussing with other commissioners is I am going to take the competition committee out of the process initially when someone hit 200 losses over 2 seasons. Now you'll automatically get probation, however the competition committee will retain the right to review all situations on a case by case basis and if there is documented issues with tanking (ie - throwing out fatigued pitchers for the last 2 weeks of the season to generate losses) then they can still be voted out. The process will be the competition committee voting on the situation and if its severe enough to bring to the world, then the world will vote.

Old Rule - 1. 200 losses or more over a two year period and the owner will be asked to state their case as to why they should be allowed to stay. If allowed to stay the owner must reach 70 wins or be replaced.

New Rule

1. 200 losses or more over a two season period and the owner will go on probation and have to hit 70 wins. If the owner does not hit 70 wins, then the owner has a choice of leaving the world or accepting the following penalties:
- Forfeiture of next season's first round pick by selecting a player chosen by the commissioner
- One season IFA ban on signing anyone for more than $1 million. IFA's under $1 million can be signed as minor league filler.
- If either of these rules are violated, the result is immediate expulsion from the world
- The competition committee reserves the right to vote on each MWR situation and if its severe enough, then the world will vote on the offending owner.

The last benefit to this rule change is it will allow me to set up a very clean spreadsheet on tracking MWR offenders for all of my worlds. Although I go out of my way to be unbiased when the competition committee votes, I felt that I wanted to make the process more objective than subjective and these rules reflect those changes while also allowing the world to retain good owners who want to stay in the world.

Thanks for being a part of this world and community,

Chris