Take 5: Draft edition

We've examined the "best" in season 1. Now, let's look at the picks that were panned by aginor and how they've done 5 seasons since that fateful day.

Who were aginor's least favourite draft picks from season 1, and how are they doing?

1. Benji Stewart, P, Salem (#5)

aginor's analysis: 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

How is he doing: Salem's front office differs from aginor; Stewart has been a starter since arriving in Salem 3 seasons ago. He's had mixed results in what is not necessarily a pitcher's park. Last season he went 13-10, but he's still below .500 for his career. His career ERA is 4.71. He seems to be doing better than aginor thought he would; however, I'm not sure if he's been worth the #5 draft pick and the signing bonus ($9.075 million) it took to get him.


2. Alex Calvo, P, Milwaukee (#27)

aginor's analysis: 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

How is he doing: It's been 5 seasons and the jury is still out. Like Stewart, he had a promising rookie campaign (12-9, 3.51 ERA), but lost his spot in the rotation and failed to win an entire game (in 3 starts and in 26 bullpen appearances) the very next season. He's back in the rotation as of now; time will tell what that yields for Milwaukee.


3. Eddie Marquis, P, Norfolk

aginor's analysis: 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

How he is doing: A starter in the minors, aginor (this was his pick) is trying him out as a reliever this season (his first in the majors). So far, he's had good success, but we only have a quarter of a season on which to judge his major league career; he took longer than most of the 1st rounders from this class to make the big leagues.


4. Michael Giambi, SP, Monterrey

aginor's analysis: 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

How he is doing: Has a total of 4 1/3 major league innings to his credit, and that was back in season 3. He was traded from Monterrey to Charlotte (now Scranton) and made 2 appearances, making 1 start. He pitched last season in AAA and is still there, winning games but posting an ERA over 5 both last season and this season. He's in danger of becoming a career minor leaguer.


5. Frankie Lightenberg, RP, Ottawa (now St. Louis)

aginor's analysis: 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

How he is doing: Pretty much exactly as aginor had predicted. Now 26, Frankie is in the middle of his 2nd full season with the big club, and is having a good season as a setup guy. Last season he may have been a bit overworked and his ERA ballooned a bit (as compared to this season and his 32 2/3 innings from season 4), but he seems like a dependable setup guy. I believe aginor's low mark here was, in large part, due to the team selecting a setup guy in the first round, which I would have to question myself.