Monday, June 1, 2009

The Season 8 Draft Recap

The recently held Season 8 Draft had little drama or at least from what I could tell. It wasn't that strong of a draft, but it seems everyone got 1 to 3 players of ML quality.

The new formula builder left me a little unsettled at first. I didn't exactly care for it myself as the old way worked better for me. It did do a good job in my thinking, it was suppose to cut down on time ranking players manually but I couldn't seem to find a middle ground that helped.

When I first saw the draft board I was relatively pleased myself. I figured I would get at least four players out of my top 25. With very few High School players on my board and the 10 to 15 College players I don't scout for some reason, I thought it would be a piece of cake. Little did I know there was little in the High School realm and I am not sure my scouts missed any College players. I ended up with 3 players off my top 25 with a supplemental even. Either everyone really spent lots of time ranking players or pickings were slim, and I think the latter was the case.

With the 10th pick I had three choices at that point, Johnny Lowe, Fergie Key and Bobby DeRosa. The organization had needs for all three, the choice boiled down to who I thought was the best, thus I selected Lowe.

The Recap.

1. J.P. Rondon, P selected by Rochester. He was #1 on my board and probably a few others also. He posses the skills to be a #1 starting pitcher although he only has three pitches.
Grade: A

2. Mike Karl, P drafted by Houston.

3. Pablo Cordero, RF drafted by Seattle.

4. Lee Hammonds, P drafted by New Britain.

5. Mike Hill, C, drafted by Salem.

6. Howie Duncan, SS drafted by Louisville. Defensively a little weak in arm accuracy but shouldn't deter him from being a Major League SS. Has good hitting abilities.
Grade: A-

7. Derrick Daniels, P drafted by Pittsburgh.

8. Philip Murphy, P drafted by Anaheim.

9. Cory Hannity, SS drafted by Little Rock. Will post great defensive numbers at 3B in the near future. Has the eye, splits, power and above average contact that pitchers will fear.
Grade: A

10. Johnny Lowe, P drafted by Cleveland. A very good late long setup reliever. Has outstanding control, split, GB and three pretty good pitches.
Grade: A

11. Vic Grilli, SS drafted by St. Louis. Defensive standout at SS. His hitting ability may suffer from his below average eye.
Grade: A-

12. Emil Bonifacio, SS drafted by Vancouver. Not projected as SS by many scouts as his range is too limited, 3B is a possibility. Not considered a constant power hitting threat but good at the plate. His biggest drawback could be his health.
Grade: B-

13. Bobby DeRosa, C drafted by Richmond. May be just adequate behind the plate, but with a bat in hand the outfielders will play with their backs against the wall. His equipment will need to be special ordered, quick someone find a tailor.
Grade: A-

14. Kyle Stockton, SS drafted by Oakland. A defensive standout at the SS position. His hitting is problematic for most clubs, as he has tremendous power but supporting ratings are somewhat weak, but does fit the Oakland mold.
Grade: B+

15. Adam Kelly, 2B drafted by Augusta.

16. Trent Bolden, P drafted by Washington D.C. Has exceptional control, splits and out pitch but setup pitches are weak for a power pitcher.
Grade B+

17. Steve Dubler, P drafted by Philadelphia. Excellent control, good splits, GB, and two very good pitches. Long reliever to end of rotation starter.
Grade A

18. Ernest Rooney, SS drafted by Atlanta. SS is doubtful at the ML level but 3B is a definite possibility. Has a somewhat low eye, but the rest of the hitting abilities look real good for a power hitter.
Grade A

19. David Manzanillo, 2B drafted by St. Louis. Glove is too weak for the infield at the ML level, arm is questionable for the outfield. Health could be a problem. Has good splits with good contact but power and eye are average.
Grade B-

20. Orval Rivera, SS drafted by Las Vegas. Could be a GG award winner at any position if projections are met or actually get relatively close. Not a power hitter but is adequate for a few long balls and will seldom strike out.
Grade A

21. Andre Rhodes, LF drafted by Columbus. Risk one takes as he may not sign.

22. Claude Payton, LF drafted by Minnesota. Good defense and a big hitter.
Grade A

23. Fergie Key, P dratfed by Monterrey. dpausch probably fainted when this soon to be #1 starting pitcher fell into his lap this late. I had him ranked 3rd on my board.
Grade A

24. Orber Segui, P drafted by Florida. Another good pitcher picked up late. His splits could be a bit bothersome along with his fourth pitch.
Grade A

25. Paulie Long, CF drafted by Syracuse. Not a ML CF and 2B will be his home if he can adjust. Could very well be a GG at 2B. Has a very good eye but splits are a bit disappointing.
Grade A

26. Dante Pecina, P drafted by Milwaukee. Has very good control, but splits and pitches could be troublesome. Health could also be problematic.
Grade B+

27. Del Plant, P drafted by Austin. Normally I would say something is definitely wrong when this type of pitcher drops this low in the draft. Outstanding control, good splits, GB and some good pitches. His stocked drop because of his third pitch.
Grade A

28. Carl Laker, CF drafted by Minnesota. Definitely a CF but at the plate he is nothing but a seeing eye singles hitter.
Grade B-

29. Reid Adams, CF drafted by Tucson. Can be a GG CF or 2B. Has a good eye with decent splits, a light power and below average contact.
Grade B

30. Alberto Cabeza, P drafted by Arizona. A projected Long Reliever in my books but could end up as a 5th starter. Has exceptional control and splits but pitches are weak and a bad third pitch hurts even worse.
Grade B

31. Eric Parker, C drafted by Charleston. A monster at the plate and highly adept behind it. I was hoping he would fall to me in the supplemental.
Grade A

32. Slick Gibson, P drafted by Cheyenne.

33. Jimmy Sabathia, P drafted by Nashville. Has exceptional control and splits and will need those to hide his ugly pitches.
Grade C

34. Jesse Warner, P drafted by Toronto. Although he has exceptional pitching abilities, everyone else was turned off by his lack of health for good reason.
Grade C