1. CHARLOTTE LIONS
Pick: IF Keith Sele
For the third time in 4 seasons, the Lions get the first pick in the draft. Sele is an interesting pick to head an interesting class. He may have the most talent on the board and should be a very good hitter, but I'm not convinced he's a sure star like Joe Grace and Floyd Floyd seemed to be going into their respective draft years. He's listed as a SS, but I'm not sure he can play it in the majors. He also missed some time at Spoon River due to some injuries that some scouts say could nag him throughout his career. It remains to be seen. Grade: A-
2. LAS VEGAS SNAKE EYES
Pick: 2B Kevin Lawson
He's no defensive wizard, but Lawson has a rare combination of ability to make contact and power. Should be a middle of the order hitter in the majors someday. He seems like more of a sure thing than Sele, but Sele has a bigger potential upside. Grade: A
3. MINNESOTA NORTH STARS
Pick: SP Braden Carroll
If he can put his pitches together, he's got the look of an ace. He's a hard throwing lefty and lefties in his college league had a really hard time picking up his sinker due to the way he throws. Good starting pitching is hard to find; Minnesota just got a potential #1 starter. Grade: A+
4. SCRANTON JANITORS
Pick: P Howie Harding
He's got four solid pitches and fairly good stuff, but is he a starter or a reliever? Scranton management is really going to have to keep an eye on him to try and get as many quality innings out of him as they can. His stuff is good, but not great. He's a first-round talent, but I'm not sure a guy with this many question marks should go in the top 5. Grade: C
5. NEW YORK KINCKERBOCKERS
Pick: Posiedon Hemmingway
New York's Posiedon Adventure could be a dud for all the quality right-handed hitters in the AL East, as Hemmingway was untouchable against them in high school. Scouts say that you can't always go by high school numbers, but this guy's stuff should translate. The questions about him are having only two decent pitches and that lefties stand a chance. Grade: A-
6. PHILADELPHIA PHANTOMS
Pick: 2B Henry Sewell
Sewell is a solid (not great) hitter, but he seems to be a future #2 hitter: he's got a lot of speed, can bunt, can move runners, and runs the bases fairly well. Grade: B+
7. NORFOLK DESTROYERS
Pick: SP Francis Peterson
As a fellow NL East denizen, I am not going to enjoy seeing this guy around for years to come. He's a bulldog who will easily throw over 200 innings in his prime. He throws hard and is dominant against righties. The only question is he doesn't have a dominant pitch; he's got three decent ones. I think it will be enough. Grade: A+
8. FARGO DIRTBAGS
Pick: C/1B Rodrigo Melendez
Benji Stewart was the 5th overall pick in season 1 and, until this pick, had the highest signing bonus in the history of the league. Melendez is the first draftee to get an 8-figure bonus. If he winds up at catcher and hits like he's capable of hitting, Fargo fans are likely to think he's worth every penny. This grade goes down if he winds up at 1B. Grade: A+
9. VANCOUVER GOLDEN OTTERS
Pick: Bob Zambrano, 1B
For a 1B to be picked this high, you'd hope he'd be special. Zambrano isn't special, but he is awfully good. This is a pick I would love in the mid to late teens; this may be a little high. On the other hand, he went right to AA ball and is ripping up the pitching there, so he may be for real. Grade: B+
10. SAN JUAN DEAD BUNNIES
Pick: SS Ron Rudolph
He's going to get a long look at shortstop in the minors because if he can cut it, he'll be one of the best hitting shortstops in the league one day. That is, if he can stay on the field, which is a big time question about this guy. This pick is a very significant gamble. Grade: B+
11. MILWAUKEE MANIC MAULERS
Pick: RP Vinny King
He's a versitale reliever capable of going multiple innings and is very tough on righties. His fastball is very good; his slurve is serviceable. It will be interesting to see how the Maulers decide to use this guy. Grade: A
12. SALEM SACRIFICES
Pick: SP Miguel Taverez
If Salem was looking for a lefty in the mold of Sammy Garrido, I don't think they got it. If they were looking for a guy to fall into the rotation behind Garrido, they may have found it. He's got 4 decent to solid pitches and is fairly good against both lefties and righties. So he's not exceptional at anything but is solid across the board. He could be an injury risk (notice a theme developing here?). Grade: B+
13. OTTAWA O-JAYS
Pick: Harvey Simmons
As opposed to King, Simmons is more of your traditional 1-inning closer. He should be very effective at it. He's got a nasty curveball that gets both lefties and righties off balance. Grade: A
14. BUFFALO BLUE CHEESE
Pick: RF Douglas Finnessey
A bit of an oddity, as he's a lefty who seems to hit lefties a lot better than righties. The lack of hitting against right handed pitching may hold him back, but he's a good hitter with an outstanding knowledge of the strike zone and a solid right fielder. Grade: B+
15. SEATTLE KILLER WHALES
Pick: RF Gregg Schierholtz
We have two back-to-back picks at the same position but who are very different. Schierholtz is a righty who crushes righties and is mediocre against lefties. He's not as good defensively as Finnesey, but he's got massive power in his 6'1", 188lb. frame. Grade: A-
16. BOSTON BAMBINOS
Pick: SP Otto Millar
Boston has needed pitching since dinosaurs roamed the earth. They get a fairly good one in Millar, who isn't overpowering but pitches cerebrally and tries to trick hitters. Righties have a hard time with him (lefties see his stuff a little better) and, unlike some of the other heralded prospects in this draft, he's not likely to get hurt badly. Grade: B+
17. NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS
Pick: SP Manny Martin
Four picks in the AL East, four starting pitchers. This ain't a division, it's an arms race. Lefties are going to want to face Martin about as much as righties will want to face Hemmingway; that is to say, they won't be running up to the plate. His lack of a dominant pitch is his big question mark. At #17, this is a solid pick. Grade: A-
18. LOUISVILLE LEGENDS
Pick: CF Gerald Robbins
And just like that, the AL East streak is broken. Instead of a pitcher, Louisville gets a centerfielder who can run, is great defensively, and is a very average hitter. Grade: B-
19. CHEYENNE FROZEN ROPES
Pick: SP Alfonso Reynoso
I just don't know what to make of this one. The scouts agree he's got great stuff, but he doesn't know where the ball is going, and most think it will completely inhibit his ability to be a quality or even a serviceable major league pitcher. He's likely to dominate the lower minor levels, but scouts don't think he'll ever pan out. I won't fail him (a la Bob Ramsey), just in case he does somehow find a way to overcome his lack of control. Grade: D
20. NEW ORLEANS VOODOO
Pick: C Livan Guillen
Guillen has the potential to be a solid defensive catcher and a great offensive one. He's got a world of power and hammers lefties. If New Orleans sees him as the catcher of the future, they should get a second catcher who can play fairly regularly, as Guillen won't be able to play 120 games in a season. But he will be a force in the lineup when he does play and is well worth it this late in the first round. Grade: A
21. BOISE SHADOW WOLVES
Pick: SP Ismael Delgado
Delgado appears to be a solid #2 or #3 type starter, which is a pretty good haul this late in the draft. His control is a bit questionable (he's not nearly as wild as Reynoso) and he throws really hard. He's another injury risk, though. Grade: B+
22. TRENTON TRAFFIC
Pick: RP Neil Clark
Another prototypical closer, Clark is a flamethrowing lefty who is almost unhittable from the left side. He'll be a very good closer if he can get righties out enough; if not, he'll be a good setup guy. Grade: B
23. ST. LOUIS RIVER CITY RAGE
Pick: CF Chad Pillette
He's a skinny looking kid, but he can sure hit. He's solid defensively and has good speed, and he's a good hitter. An absolute steal this late in the round. Grade: A
24. SALT LAKE CITY SHAKERS
Pick: 2B Denny Stetter
Just what Salt Lake City needs: yet another dangerous hitter. Has middling power and doesn't necessarily own lefties, but does everything else well- he's good defensively, can run, and is a nice line drive hitter. Grade: A-
25. KANSAS CITY SCOUTS
Pick: C Gregory Robinson
Robinson is a solid two-way catcher; he's got a good arm and will definitely hit. Like Guillen, he's never going to play 120 to 130 games a season, and he's a bit of an injury risk. But at pick number 25, it's probably a risk worth taking. Grade: A-
26. AUSTIN CITY LIMITS
Pick: CF Albert Ford
Austin gets a centerfielder who is quite good defensively and has some pop in his bat. The lefthanded hitter isn't a great pure hitter, but he should hit more than well enough to stay in an ML lineup. Good, solid pick. Grade: B+
27. ANAHEIM CHILES
Pick: CF Kelly Perez
An intriguing pick. Scouts say he'll be outstanding defensively with plus speed and hits both lefties and righties. He's a top-notch bunter and runs the bases well. He seems to be tailored to a leadoff position, so the lack of power is excusable. His only issue could be his plate discipline- in high school he sometimes swung at pitches Vladimir Guerrero would take. Grade: A-
28. MONTGOMERY ALIBAMU
Pick: SS Bernie Alou
Where does he fit in? His glove is borderline for shortstop, but he won't hit enough for a corner position. He's either a SS or a CF. He's a natural athlete that Montgomery trusts they can find a role for in their organization. Grade: B
29. ANAHEIM CHILES
Pick: 1B Reginald Blank
This guy may not ever put up MVP, but he'll be a middle of the order type hitter. This lefty should hit righties well and knows the strike zone. For a 1B, he's solid defensively (I wouldn't try him out anywhere else, though). Grade: A
30. BOSTON RED SOX
Pick: SP Storm Cassidy
Big surprise: Boston takes a starting pitcher. Not sure if there's a future Hall of Fame member in the group, but more importantly, I don't think they missed on any of them. Cassidy is a solid middle of the rotation type guy who can get guys out (righties in particular) with a plus curveball. Grade: B+
31. ATLANTA BANDITS
Pick: SS Edgar Ortiz
Still unsigned.
32. WASHINGTON D.C. BLUE COATS
Pick: SP Adam Jones
Jones is a lefty starter who won't turn out the be the best baseball player ever from Havre de Grace, MD (some guy named Ripken owns that distinction). But he's a middle of the rotation type guy with good control and a decent fastball. Another solid pick at the end of the round. Grade: B+
33. MONTERREY SULTANS
Pick: SP Brent Gagnon
The Sultans head to the islands for this one. Gagnon, a Hawaii native, is a junkballing lefty with a tough slider and a pretty good forkball. Another middle of the rotation type guy who, oddly enough, can probably outrun a fair number of the position prospects in the round. Grade: B
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