Monday, March 3, 2008

Aginor's 1st Annual Amateur Draft 1st Round Analysis:

(Mateo Batista analysis by gumbercules)


1- Huntington Beachcombers (AL)
PICK: 2B DERRIN HERNANDEZ (Signed: $4.0 million)
- Skinny: Derrin should be a solid everyday 2B or COF in a couple of years. The guy looks like he's going to be an "iron man" type of player. The only two drawbacks on this young kid are a relatively weak arm and just slightly above average ability to make contact at the plate. But his fielding range and pretty good eye at the plate should help overcome these weaknesses.
- Overall rating: 8.5/10

2- Pawtucket Patriots (AL)
PICK: CF/2B RICO GUEVARA (Unsigned)
- Skinny: If Pawtucket can sign Rico, he'll be a solid MLer. This Buffalo native has the potential to be a solid power hitter at the plate. His fielding range isn't good enough for CF (even at 2B it's marginal), but his golve should more than make up for it. The major downside of this prospect is his durability; his potential there is below average for a starting Major Leaguer.
- Overall rating: 7/10

3- Houston Oilers (NL)
PICK: SP LONNY GATES (Signed: $3.8 million)
- Skinny: Lonny has the potential to become a solid ace pitcher in the majors! Should be a solid ground ball pitcher with 4 solid pitches. The only major drawback on Gates is his velocity. He's a pitch to contact type BUT with a solid infield... can you say possible Cy Young material?
- Overall rating: 9.5/10

4- Vancouver Fighting Moose (AL)
PICK: 2B JACK HUNT (Signed: $4.3 million)
- Skinny: This speedster from Delaware has pretty much the whole package in potential: solid glove, good range, decent arm for a 2nd baseman. At the dish, Jack will be a major contributor, as he should be able to put up decent power numbers and batting average. However, his decisions on the basepaths could hurt the team from time to time.
- Overall rating: 9/10

5- Salme Sacrifices (NL)
PICK: SP BENJI STEWART (Signed: $9.1 million)
- Skinny: If Benji does get signed, he should become an OK ML pitcher. He's got good control and stamina, BUT he'd better be pitching in a "Pitcher's Park" due to the fact that he has low velocity and the fact that he's a fly ball pitcher. Throw in the fact that he doesn't have a real "go to" pitch... says to me he's bullpen material.
- Overall rating: 3/10

6- Louisville Legends (AL)
PICK: SS AMP PALMER (Signed: $3.5 million)
- Skinny: Louisville went with a guy from their neck of the woods and well... maybe home cooking is the best. Amp is the whole package in potential. Slick fielding, great arm and solid bat... this kid could very well become MVP material. In 3 years, look out AL!!!
- Overall rating: 10/10

7- Atlanta Bandits (NL)
PICK: CF/2B JASON WALKER (Signed: $4.8 million)
- Skinny: Unlike other first rounders that might be in the majors in 2-3 years, Jason will take awhile. The wait will definitely be worth it, though!!! With his potential abilities, you have an All-Star calibre CF or 2B who should hit for average and have decent power numbers.
- Overall Rating: 9.5/10

8- Norfolk Destroyers (NL)
PICK: SP EDDIE MARQUIS (Signed: $3.4 million)
- Skinny: Eddie should make a solid #3 or #4 starter at the ML level in a few years. While he will not have dominating stuff, he should give the Destroyers a fair number of quality starts. With a slight leaningn toward being a fly ball pitcher and weak #3 and #4 pitches, he'll need a solid defense behind him.
- Overall Rating: 6.5/10

9- Los Angeles Dodgers (NL)
PICK: CHE BONG (Signed: $3.3 million)
- Skinny: In a couple of seasons the Dodgers should have a solid ML SS. Che has all the tools: good glove, solid arm, and will make for a great leadoff guy. Only drawbacks are a weakness against lefties at the dish and his range isn't quite up to the ML average. But neither is a big deal.
- Overall rating: 9/10

10- Texas Double Trouble (AL)
PICK: RP MATT SKINNER (Signed: $3.2 million)
- Skinny: Matt could be the closer for Texas in a couple of seasons. This hard-throwing Arizona boy is going to have a live fastball which will take a little time to develop. When he does, he should be Mr. 9th inning.
- Overall rating: 8.5/10

11- Durham Entombed Spiders
PICK: SP IVAN WEBSTER (Signed :$2.8 million)
- Skinny: Another finesse pitcher who should develop into a solid #2 starter. Ivan should give Durham a lot of long outings with his solid control and 3 good pitches. The only negatives are his tendency to be a fly ball pitcher and starters with only 3 pitches (no matter how good) can be inconsistent. Maybe he can buck that trend?
- Overall rating: 8/10

12- San Juan Dead Bunnies (NL)
PICK: SP CHARLIE WHITE (Signed: $2.9 million)
- Skinny: Charlie has the tools to be a #2 or #3 starter for the "Stiff Hares". His good control and good stamina means he should be able to take a lot of games into the late innings. The only real knock on Charlie is while he'll have 4 solid pitches, he doesn't have an "out" pitch. But here his velocity may save him.
- Overall rating: 8/10

13- New York New York (AL)
PICK: SP CHRIS LOWRY (Signed: $2.9 million)
- Skinny: Chris is your typical finesse groundball pitcher. If he can develop 4 of his 5 pitches to ML calibre to go with his solid command and stamina, he could be the ace of New York's staff. I expect to see this guy's name in the All-Star lineup by season 5.
- Overall rating: 9/10

14- Anaheim Sleepers (AL)
PICK : MATEO BATISTA (Unsigned)
- Skinny: As opposed to the Lowry pick, Batista is more of a power pitcher. The only question for him is his secondary pitches- he should have a fastball well-above average, but doesn't have a good 2nd pitch. If he can get by with only that fastball, he's got the stamina, control, and velocity to get ML hitters out enough to be an ace: if not, he's more of a #2 or #3 starter. Either way, this is a pretty good pick at 14.
- Overall rating: 9/10

15- Arizona Diamobdbacks (NL)
PICK: SS WILLIE SCOTT (Signed: $2.7 million)
- Skinny: Willie should become a solid everyday SS for the D-Backs. He's got solid defensive skills with an average arm for a ML SS. The only question mark is his bat. While he hits lefties and righties equally and has some pop in his bat, he's going to strike out a lot against ML pitching. This, for a guy with his speed and baserunning ability, hurts him.
- Overall rating: 7.5/10

16- Chicago Cubs (NL)
PICK: 2B PLACIDO SANCHEZ (Signed: $2.6 million)
- Skinny: IF Placido can stay healthy and reach his potential, the Cubbies could have a ML batting champion on their hands. This kid can flat out hit!! While his range and glove are definitely 2B material, the arm is another matter. His accuracy in particular may have him tagged for a future COF position. The key for Placido is to stay healthy.
- Overall rating: 8/10

17- Memphis Short Grass (NL)
PICK: SP JEROME GRAHAM (Signed: $2.5 million)
- Skinny: Jerome is going to take some time to develop his skills. If he can reach his potential, Memphis should get a good #3/#4 starter. His control and having only 2 ML quality pitches keep him from being a #2 guy. But his velocity should help counter these shortcomings.
- Overall rating: 7/10

18- Trenton Traffic (NL)
PICK: CF PAUL TURNBOW (Signed: $2.4 million)
- Skinny: In Paul, Trenton is getting a long term project. But he's young and they've got the time to turn him into a gold glove ML CF. This kid can cover territory in the outfield and sohuld develop a solid glove. While there isn't much question about his defensive abilities, at the plate...he'll strike out a fair bit and swing at stuff outside the strike zone.
- Overall rating: 7.5/10

19- Boise Buckskins (NL)
PICK: SP PLACIDO ROMANO (Signed: $2.3 million)
- Skinny: Boise has got themselves a definite #2 guy who could be the ace of the staff. He's a finesse ground ball pitcher with the potential to develop 4 solid pitches. The only thing that could possibly keep Placido from being an ace is his control, but even that might not keep him from the #1 spot.
- Overall rating: 8.5/10

20- Cleveland Skidmarks (AL)
PICK: 2B TITO MARTIN (Signed: $2.2 million)
- Skinny: Another 1st round pick who will take about 5 seasons to see the bigs. When he does... Cleveland will have a GREAT hitter on their hands. Definite .300+ hitter wit habout 20-25 long flies a year potential. His overall defensive skills are solid for a ML 2B. Only question is, did Cleveland make a mistake by starting him in Hi-A?? Time will tell.
- Overall rating: 9/10

21- Monterrey Sultans (AL)
PICK: SP MICHAEL GIAMBI (Signed: $2.1 million)
- Skinny: In Michael the Sultans are getting a pitcher with good ML potential. Whether it's as an end of the rotation guy or out of the pen, time will tell. Should be able to take a game into the late innings as a starter and will not ealk many batters. But his "go to" pitch is OK at best and his other pitches are, well, marginal.
- Overall rating: 6.5/10

22- Colorado Springs Chickens (AL)
PICK: 2B/COF EVAN SMITH (Signed: $4.8 million)
- Skinny: Evan will be in the farm system of the Chickens for a few seasons. If he can reach the potential the scouts see, we're talking an All-Star calibre 2B! The kid can hit for average and has decent pop in his bat and he's no slouch in the field, that's for sure. The only thing that could hold Evan back- HEALTH and his potential durability that is slightly low for an ML starter.
- Overall rating: 8/10

23- Houston Oilers (NL)
PICK: SS KEVIN KIM (Signed: $1.9 million)
- Skinny: With their 2nd pick in the 1st round Houston gets a speedy SS in Kevin. Great defence and a solid bat are what Kevin brings to the table. While Kevin is a long-term project, I feel the Oilers will be happy with what they get when this kid is ready for the bigs as a leadoff guy in the batting order.
- Overall rating: 8.5/10

24- Philadelphia Blue Jays (NL)
PICK: 1B JIMMIE WILLIAMS (Signed: $1.9 million)
- Skinny: While normally I'm not a big fan of drafting a 1B/DH in the first round, Williams is, without a doubt, an exception to that rule. He will hit for both average and power, making him the ideal clean up hitter. A guy like Jimmie is not there for his glove or arm (good thing!). This future fan favourite will make pitchers' ERAs go up!
- Overall rating: 9/10

25- Fargo Dirtbags (NL)
PICK: 2B/COF MATTY CLEMENS (Signed: $1.8 million)
- Skinny: This kid should be a great all-around hitter. Matty should become a guy that hits around .300 and hits about 30 HRs a year. While not spectacular, he should be an invaluable player for Fargo in the future. Nothing wrong with that!
- Overall rating: 8/10

26- Texas Double Trouble (AL)
PICK: COF BRANT BELLE (Signed: $1.6 million)
- Skinny: A good future COF is what Texas gets with their 2nd pick in the first round. Brant should not strike out much and will hit for power. He struggles against lefties but his ability to make contact at the plate will help overcome this. While his defensive skills are OK for a ML COF, his bat should make up for any deficiencies there.
- Overall rating: 8/10

27- Milwaukee Manic Maulers (AL)
PICK: SP ALEX CALVO (Signed: $1.6 million)
- Skinny: The Maulers went a little "off the board" with this pick; most teams that saw him had him pegged as a 2nd rounder. Alex's control is below what most look for in an ML pitcher and he doesn't reall have a "go to" pitch. Combine this with him being a finesse pitcher... says bullpen guy to most. Maybe the Milwaukee scouts see something the rest didn't??? Time will tell.
- Overall rating: 5.5/10

28- Texas Double Trouble (AL)
PICK: SP RICHARD CANNON (Signed: $1.5 million)
- Skinny: With their 3rd pick of the 1st round, Double Trouble went with a hard-throwing farm boy from Saskatchewan, Canada! While his control should improve, I don't think it will be better than marginal for an ML pitcher. However, his ability to throw hard and induce ground balls with a nasty sinker should help him get out of jams!
- Overall rating: 7/10

29- Nashville Sounds (AL)
PICK: SP FELIX COMER (Signed: $1.4 million)
- Skinny: I'm sure Nashville was happy to see Comer still available when their turn finally cam around! Like some of the other late 1st round picks, Felix is a long-term project. But the light at the end is a hard-throwing lefty who could be the ace of the staff. Solid command of 4 above-average ML pitches, will keep ML batters guessing. Quite a steal to grab a guy of this quality at #29.
- Overall rating: 9.5/10

30- Ottawa Naughty Kitties (AL)
PICK: RP FRANKIE LIGTENBERG (Signed: $1.3 million)
- Skinny: In Ligtenberg the "Bad Cats" get a future dependable setup guy for their pen. Frankie doesn't quite have the knockout punch needed to close at the ML level. Still, this hard-throwing lefty should be a valuable addition to Ottawa's pen in a few seasons.
- Overall rating: 6.5/10

31- Philadelphia Blue Jays (NL)
PICK: SP BOB PARKINSON (Signed: $1.2 million)
- Skinny: With their 2nd pick of the round, Philly goes with a guy who should be a solid #3 or #4 guy in the rotation. Bob is a hard-throwing lefty with good control. On the downside, he struggles against righties and the last 3 of his 5 pitches have marginal potential. Even with those weaknesses, Bob should be a fine addition to the Blue Jats ML staff when he's ready.
- Overall rating: 7.5/10

32- Baltimore Iron Birds (AL)
PICK: SP BIP WITT (Unsigned)
- Skinny: I'm sure Iron Bird fans are hoping Baltimore can sign this kid! Bip has all the tools to be a fine ML pitcher: good control, quality pitches, and the ability to induce plenty of ground balls. The only knock on Bip is his durability. It takes him longer than average to be ready for his next start; this most likely will keep him from the starting rotation. However, he could be very valuable as a long reliever/ spot starter.
- Overall rating: 7/10

1 comment:

Kyle Mulligan said...

good stuff aginor, i was very pleased to get clemens at #25