Final installment, here we go:
#28: Jeremi_Levis Jeremi has a solid all around bat, though lacking the pop traditionally seen for a corner infielder/outfielder, or the speed for a defender up the middle. His defense is solid, though not good enough to stay at SS in the majors. Jeremi could turn into a gold glove third baseman, and if tacoma can find pop at some other positions, his contact, splits and batting eye are going to look awfully solid in the back half of that order. Excellant value this late, seems like a great fit for the ultra pitcher friendly Tacoma ball park.
#29: Jim_Rollins The Salem juco scouts liked this kid a bit more than their advanced scouts. Fairly average across the board in splits, stamina, stuff, etc.. Jimmy never going to be a star, though he'll likely spend a few seasons filling out the back of Salem's rotation or pitching some long relief
#30: Stevie_Lane Stevie is the prototypical utility man on defense, great no where, but able to fill in at many spots. He fails to make solid contact at an acceptable rate, but provides solid power from both sides of the plate. He never star in San Diego, but he'll be a valuable bench bat for a few seasons until he gets expensive.
#31: Flip_James Little Rock would been better off flipping this pick for something else. Drafted as a SS out of Valdosat State, Flip was immediatley switched to 2b. Some scouts question if he'll even be able to fill that role in the majors. If he can't defend up the middle, his bat belongs no where near an every day role.
#32: Benny_Montana Another reach late in the 1st round. While Benny displays solid, but not chart topping defensive skills in CF, his approach falls short of a prototypical 1st round pick. Displaying little power potential and poor contact skills, while displaying mediocre splits and batting eye, Benny may find himself as a late defensive replacement, if he ever makes the show.
#33: PJ_Wesson The 2nd straight HS outfielder from Missouri, PJ doesn't show the defensive ability to play a key defensive position, but should be average out in LF. At the plate, PJ Wesson won't blow you away, but unlike his MO all star teammate, PJ should be able to hold his own at the plate. He's average to above average across the boards with great speed, but poor base running technique. PJ will likely spend a few promising season starting in the majors, and will certainly be a great left handed bat off the bench for LF and 1b, but don't count on many all-star apperances.
#34: Bob_Parrish A soft tossing righty out of Illinois, Bob spurned his hometown Illini to come play for the great Philly Organization. Philly owner zhawks was quoted as saying they had other options on the board, but he liked Parrish too much to allow him to spend the next 3 or 4 seasons watching the Zookster erode a once proud football program. On the Diamond, Parrish is quite the steal this late in the draft. While many owners may have been concerned with his lower stamina ratings and questionable health, Parrish should be able to provide the occasional spot start, and lots of innings of long relief in the majors. Displaying great sink, and dominating control of righties, Parrish will likely strive for about 100 innings a season swinging b/w the bullpen and the rotation.
#35: Dizzy_Lindsey Easily the 2nd greatest Dizzy to ever pick up a glove, Lindsey is a bit of a steal as the last 1st round draft pick (not including Type A/B comps). A college SS out of Canada, Dizzy is closer to reaching his projections than most. His glove may limit his starting status, as will his low vsL split, but he should be able to provide many quality "utility" at bats and innings.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Draft Review (Part 3)
Lets get thru this quick & dirty:
#18: Alex_Nunez Charlotte drafted a CF that projects to be a near elite defender, w/ a league average bat that should be able to man CF for a long time, with top end speed. So what's not to like about this kid? Despite the 100 level speed, his baserunning skills are mediocre and his make-up is on the lower side bringing into doubt his ability to reach these projections. Still, if he gets close, this is a steal this late in the game.
#19: Seth_Webb Buffalo picked up great value w/ this 2nd baseman. While he projects to fall just short of stardom, he'll certainly be above average both at the plate and in the field. Injuries are a slight concern, and he's already made 1 trip to the DL, but they shouldn't be too much of a worry.
#20: BArry_Vickers Barry is one of the elite pitching prospects in this draft. Splits are only average, but control and stamina are great, top end movement, sink and zip on his fastball, plus an additional 4 average to above average to mix up. So why did he fall so far? Probably his 45 health rating. If Vickers can stay out of the training room, Dover picked themselves up an all star pitcher.
#21: Darren_Delany What's a good spot to draft an all-star closer? 21st sounds like a good place, and Fresno landed themselves a stud. Darren's velocity and sink are average at best, however pin point control of a ++ fastball/change up combo are what make this right hander so deadly. May give up a few long balls to left handers, but should shut down right handers for the most part while being able to pick up a handful of 2 inning saves.
#22: Pablo_Urbina Pablo was a certain reach at this point, questionable health, average splits, below average control, limited stamina, though great sink and 2 ++ pitches. He'll dazzle at times and fustrate at others, could be a real solid Setup B guy, perhaps even a setup A guy if he exceeds projections in a couple of areas.
#23: Sherman_Sanders Sherman is one of those guys you'd love to have on your bench. He could DH at times, play LF or 1B, perhaps even some CF in a pinch, great speed, solid baserunning skills, hits righties pretty well, but below average contact and power for an everyday 1B or corner outfielder. Health is a concern, but at 22, he should hit the majors quickly and provide a solid bat for the bench.
#24: Charlie_Sarloos Chucky is a righty pitcher out of college w/ intriguing stuff. A great fastball w/ solid sink, but little velocity highlights skills, 3 additional average pitches, good control and splits. Chucky won't be a star in the majors, but he'll certainly eat up plenty of innings. Great value this late in the draft.
#25: Dave_Smith Another solid value pick. Dave handles right handers with ease, but struggles verse the tougher lefties. Great control, sink, and zip on 3 pitchers, but lower stamina and durability will likely relegate Dave to long relief out of the pen. As long as the oppossing team isn't stacked w/ left handers, Dave will be a solid addition to any pen.
#26: Willie_BArker Willie's a little bit of everything, and a lot of nothing. Willie has the glove and accuracy of a first baseman, but the range and arm strength of a corner outfielder. A lefthander who hits lefties well, but struggles verse righties, solid contact, but below average power for a corner bat. Great batting eye, poor baserunning skills. If you could flip his splits, he'd make a solid platoon bat, but his projected skill set may leave him lingering in the minors more than playing in the show.
#27: Rafel_Marts If one were to only look at the control, velocity, sink and quality of the 3 pitches this closer in waiting posseses, they'd predict stardom. Take a look at his splits, and you see a kid that gets hit around alot. Unless WIS implements middle of the plate hitters, Martis is going to struggle in the upper reaches of the minors, though he's probably good for a cup of coffee in the show.
#18: Alex_Nunez Charlotte drafted a CF that projects to be a near elite defender, w/ a league average bat that should be able to man CF for a long time, with top end speed. So what's not to like about this kid? Despite the 100 level speed, his baserunning skills are mediocre and his make-up is on the lower side bringing into doubt his ability to reach these projections. Still, if he gets close, this is a steal this late in the game.
#19: Seth_Webb Buffalo picked up great value w/ this 2nd baseman. While he projects to fall just short of stardom, he'll certainly be above average both at the plate and in the field. Injuries are a slight concern, and he's already made 1 trip to the DL, but they shouldn't be too much of a worry.
#20: BArry_Vickers Barry is one of the elite pitching prospects in this draft. Splits are only average, but control and stamina are great, top end movement, sink and zip on his fastball, plus an additional 4 average to above average to mix up. So why did he fall so far? Probably his 45 health rating. If Vickers can stay out of the training room, Dover picked themselves up an all star pitcher.
#21: Darren_Delany What's a good spot to draft an all-star closer? 21st sounds like a good place, and Fresno landed themselves a stud. Darren's velocity and sink are average at best, however pin point control of a ++ fastball/change up combo are what make this right hander so deadly. May give up a few long balls to left handers, but should shut down right handers for the most part while being able to pick up a handful of 2 inning saves.
#22: Pablo_Urbina Pablo was a certain reach at this point, questionable health, average splits, below average control, limited stamina, though great sink and 2 ++ pitches. He'll dazzle at times and fustrate at others, could be a real solid Setup B guy, perhaps even a setup A guy if he exceeds projections in a couple of areas.
#23: Sherman_Sanders Sherman is one of those guys you'd love to have on your bench. He could DH at times, play LF or 1B, perhaps even some CF in a pinch, great speed, solid baserunning skills, hits righties pretty well, but below average contact and power for an everyday 1B or corner outfielder. Health is a concern, but at 22, he should hit the majors quickly and provide a solid bat for the bench.
#24: Charlie_Sarloos Chucky is a righty pitcher out of college w/ intriguing stuff. A great fastball w/ solid sink, but little velocity highlights skills, 3 additional average pitches, good control and splits. Chucky won't be a star in the majors, but he'll certainly eat up plenty of innings. Great value this late in the draft.
#25: Dave_Smith Another solid value pick. Dave handles right handers with ease, but struggles verse the tougher lefties. Great control, sink, and zip on 3 pitchers, but lower stamina and durability will likely relegate Dave to long relief out of the pen. As long as the oppossing team isn't stacked w/ left handers, Dave will be a solid addition to any pen.
#26: Willie_BArker Willie's a little bit of everything, and a lot of nothing. Willie has the glove and accuracy of a first baseman, but the range and arm strength of a corner outfielder. A lefthander who hits lefties well, but struggles verse righties, solid contact, but below average power for a corner bat. Great batting eye, poor baserunning skills. If you could flip his splits, he'd make a solid platoon bat, but his projected skill set may leave him lingering in the minors more than playing in the show.
#27: Rafel_Marts If one were to only look at the control, velocity, sink and quality of the 3 pitches this closer in waiting posseses, they'd predict stardom. Take a look at his splits, and you see a kid that gets hit around alot. Unless WIS implements middle of the plate hitters, Martis is going to struggle in the upper reaches of the minors, though he's probably good for a cup of coffee in the show.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Mid Season Roundup
First, just clear up this weekend's festivies, in case you weren't paying attention...
Omar Lopez of Tacoma won the home run derby with 8 deep shots in the final round, besting Jose Armas' 6 dingers in the last round. In true Josh Hamilton fashion, Armas may have lost the derby, but he won the hearts of Americans everywhere with 17 homers in round 2. Unfortunately, he wore out the arm of his geriratic batting practice pitcher and didn't have quite the location in the final round leading to a few balls just short of clearing the fence, while clearing the way for Omar's victory. The other story line of the Derby was Hic Hartley's Derby best 507 foot blast off the light tower. Hic only lasted 1 round, but he had the shot that will be played on highlight shows for the next 20 seasons.
The Futures game saw the World's team besting the US contigent 7-4 as the internationals got to two of Americas most promising youth pitchers, Connie LaMasters and Corbin Walters, for 3 runs a piece.
In the ML All-star game, the NL got out to an early 4-0 lead thanks to the strength of a Jose Armas 3 run blast off of Oscar Bauman, and held on for a 4-3 victory. The AAA all star game was won by the AL 6-5 in similar fashion as the AL got out to an early 6-0 lead, then held on despite the AAA NL's best efforts. In AA, the AL bested the NL 6-4. In both High A and Low A, the ALs best prospects continued the trend of knocking around the NL's prospects w/ victories in both circuits all star games, 7-2 and 12-1 respectively.
Despite being just past the half-way mark, many of the races in the AL have settled into form and leave little for suspense in the 2nd half barring an historic run. Montreal and Salem have seperated themselves from the pack, despite having 2 of the stronger Wild Card contenders in their own divisions. In the AL South, Jacksonville has riden the strength of Oscar Bauman to pace themselves to a 10-0 lead, while over in the AL East Kansas City's offseason spending splurge has put them 6 games out in front of consecutive 4-time division champ Philly.
In the "objects in the rearview mirror are closer than they appear" catagory, both the aforementioned Philly Black Lightening, and Iowa City I Wanna Score More Runs have both the talent and the history to not count themselves completely out of the WC or division races just yet. Expect a strong run from 1 or both of these teams down the stretch.
Over in the NL, expect Syracuse to lock up their division any time now, as they've paced themselves not only to the league's best record, but also to its largest division lead. New York and Little Rock both have solid leads, and signifcantly more talent than their divisional competitors and should wrap up their divisions early as well. The NL West is the race to watch in the 2nd half. San Diego leads Boise by just 2 games at the break, with both stacked to go deep in the playoffs. Portland currently holds the last playoff spot in the AL, but Minnesota, Dover, Charlotte, Atlanta & Fresno are waiting to make their move.
Omar Lopez of Tacoma won the home run derby with 8 deep shots in the final round, besting Jose Armas' 6 dingers in the last round. In true Josh Hamilton fashion, Armas may have lost the derby, but he won the hearts of Americans everywhere with 17 homers in round 2. Unfortunately, he wore out the arm of his geriratic batting practice pitcher and didn't have quite the location in the final round leading to a few balls just short of clearing the fence, while clearing the way for Omar's victory. The other story line of the Derby was Hic Hartley's Derby best 507 foot blast off the light tower. Hic only lasted 1 round, but he had the shot that will be played on highlight shows for the next 20 seasons.
The Futures game saw the World's team besting the US contigent 7-4 as the internationals got to two of Americas most promising youth pitchers, Connie LaMasters and Corbin Walters, for 3 runs a piece.
In the ML All-star game, the NL got out to an early 4-0 lead thanks to the strength of a Jose Armas 3 run blast off of Oscar Bauman, and held on for a 4-3 victory. The AAA all star game was won by the AL 6-5 in similar fashion as the AL got out to an early 6-0 lead, then held on despite the AAA NL's best efforts. In AA, the AL bested the NL 6-4. In both High A and Low A, the ALs best prospects continued the trend of knocking around the NL's prospects w/ victories in both circuits all star games, 7-2 and 12-1 respectively.
Despite being just past the half-way mark, many of the races in the AL have settled into form and leave little for suspense in the 2nd half barring an historic run. Montreal and Salem have seperated themselves from the pack, despite having 2 of the stronger Wild Card contenders in their own divisions. In the AL South, Jacksonville has riden the strength of Oscar Bauman to pace themselves to a 10-0 lead, while over in the AL East Kansas City's offseason spending splurge has put them 6 games out in front of consecutive 4-time division champ Philly.
In the "objects in the rearview mirror are closer than they appear" catagory, both the aforementioned Philly Black Lightening, and Iowa City I Wanna Score More Runs have both the talent and the history to not count themselves completely out of the WC or division races just yet. Expect a strong run from 1 or both of these teams down the stretch.
Over in the NL, expect Syracuse to lock up their division any time now, as they've paced themselves not only to the league's best record, but also to its largest division lead. New York and Little Rock both have solid leads, and signifcantly more talent than their divisional competitors and should wrap up their divisions early as well. The NL West is the race to watch in the 2nd half. San Diego leads Boise by just 2 games at the break, with both stacked to go deep in the playoffs. Portland currently holds the last playoff spot in the AL, but Minnesota, Dover, Charlotte, Atlanta & Fresno are waiting to make their move.
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