A recap of the 1st round of last season's Rule 4 (Amateur Draft). Grades are based simply on the quality of the prospect and the position in which he was taken, as there is no way to determine which prospects were/weren't available for drafting.
1. MINNESOTA NORTH STARS
Pick: Yorvit Cannon: SP
Cannon is a hard-throwing right-hander from Kentucky. Scouts say he's got a big upside, but there are some question marks about his age (he'll likely be 25 or 26 by the time he reaches the big leagues), health, and the fact that he's got two decent pitches, neither of which is exceptional.
Grade: B
2. SAN JUAN DEAD BUNNIES
Pick: Charles Hultzen, SS/3B
If he's really a shortstop this is an easy A. Very good right-handed hitter with all the tools. Defense, hitting, power, arm, and speed are all well above average. I think he can cut it at shortstop, but he'd be a fine hitting 3B if it came to that. Grade: A+
3. SALEM SACRIFICES
Pick: Anthony Smith, 3B
Not as good a pure hitter as Hultzen, but he's a middle of the order guy who'll play a very good 3B. Lots of power and pretty good speed. Grade: A
4. NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS
Pick: Lawrence Jenkins, P
Jenkins never signed, so New York will have to wait for the payoff of this pick: they'll get the #5 pick in the Season 11 draft as compensation. Grade: INC
5. NORFOLK DESTROYERS
Pick: Philip Leon, SS
At least Norfolk hopes he's a shortstop. He struggled at the position in rookie ball last season, but he showed he can hit. He doesn't have exceptional power or contact, but he's solid in those categories and can run well. Grade: B+
6. NEW ORLEANS VOODOO
Pick: Tripp Gosling, RP
Should be a solid closer- he was lights out in rookie ball last season. Doesn't have a dominating pitch and had trouble pitching in tournaments back in high school when they had to play on back to back days. Grade: B
7. CHARLOTTE LIONS
Pick: Stan Tucker, SP
Another hard throwing righty, the big question on him is his health. If he holds up, he's a very tough pitcher, especially on righties. Grade: A-
8. SCRANTON JANITORS
Pick: Adam Watkins, SS
He's a true SS- scouts have called his arm "ridiculous". Interesting that he's a right handed hitter who struggles against lefties but can handle right handed pitching. He should hit more than well enough and will make plays in the field. Grade: A
9. HELENA STRAW HAT PIRATES (now Las Vegas Snake Eyes)
Pick: Rick Clontz, SP
Clontz fits in as a middle of the rotation type- he won't be an ace. He's got good pitches but some durability issues- scouts are concerned he can't pitch every 5 days. Grade: B-
10. MILWAUKEE MANIC MAULERS
Pick: Denny Leonard, SP
He's a soft-tossing lefty who has a knack for getting ground balls with his fastball and sinker. Milwaukee fans imagine him and Barry Rader anchoring the rotation for years to come. Grade: A-
11. BOISE SHADOW WOLVES
Pick: 3B Bo Barrett
Barrett is a rare combination of speed and power. He ripped up rookie ball last season- if he makes it to the big leagues while Barry McEnroe is still on the team, Boise should start charging admission to batting practice. Grade: A+
12. SCRANTON JANITORS
Pick: Jon Conroy, RP
If he stays healthy, he's a top-flight closer one day. His fastball has been clocked in the mid-90's with movement and he's got a slider to go with it. Grade: A-
13. BUFFALO BLUE CHEESE
Pick: Jeromy West, RP
He may or may not be a traditional closer, but he's going to provide quality innings out of Buffalo's bullpen somehow. Grade: B+
14. NEW ORLEANS VOODOO
Pick: Josh Davies, 2B
Decent speed and glove, good hitter with above average power. Nice solid pick. Grade: B+
15. CINCINNATI SIMPLETONS (now Ottawa O-Jays)
Pick: Russell Karsay, 3B
Jack of all trades- good at everything, exceptional at nothing except maybe his arm. Solid prospect. Grade: B
16. ANAHEIM CHILES
Pick: Justin Porcello, SP
A guy who wants to finish games and will throw lots of innings with a fair amount of effectiveness. Don't see him challenging for Cy Young Awards, but every team needs a guy like this- big time innings eater. Grade: B
17. PHILADELPHIA PHANTOMS
Pick: Anibel Ortiz, SS
Good offensive shortstop with some pop. Much better hitter than most of the shortstops in the league. Grade: A
18. BOSTON BAMBINOS
Pick: Clint Magee, CF
Could play center in Yellowstone Park. Good contact hitter with good speed and can handle the bat. Grade: A-
19. MONTGOMERY ALIBAMU
Pick: Mark Black, SS
If this draft is any indication, we could see a golden age of shortstops coming in a few seasons. Black's another capable SS who can hit. He won't hit many home runs, but he'll hit for a solid average and has very good speed. Grade: A-
20. WASHINGTON D.C. BLUE COATS
Pick: Nicholas Reese, C
If he's not the best pure hitter in this draft, he's in the top 3 or 4. He's listed as a catcher, but his defense would seem to indicate he's more of a DH type. Problem is, Washington is in the NL, so they've got to figure out what to do with him. Grade: INC
21. KANSAS CITY SCOUTS
Pick: Daryle Blair, 2B
Another guy who isn't outstanding in any area (except maybe his range), but is rock solid at everything he does on the field. Grade: B+
22. JACKSON VIPERS (now Mexico City Chupacabras)
Pick: Scott Gleason, SP
Scouts are divided on this pick. Some think he's got the stuff to be a good starter; others feel he can't find the strike zone often enough. He's a hard thrower and is probably one of the faster pitchers on any team, but that doesn't help him pitch. Grade: C-
23. SEATTLE KILLER WHALES
Pick: Vern Lawton, P
Didn't sign.
24. CHEYENNE WAR CATS (now Cheyenne Frozen Ropes)
Pick: Shane Brown, RP
The positives are he's got a live arm, and a hard heavy sinker. The War Cats will have to monitor his innings, though. Grade: C+
25. ST. LOUIS RIVER RAGE
Pick: Kirk Watson, SP
Should be better than most of the pitchers picked ahead of him. Between his splitter and his slider, lefties will have a real tough time against him. St. Louis may have to watch how they use him, as he may not be a 200+ innings type guy. Grade: A
26. FARGO DIRTBAGS
Pick: Tex Van Pelt, SP
Almost wins the best name of the 1st round award. Solid #2 or #3 type starter with a good fastball. Grade: B
27. TRENTON TRAFFIC
Pick: Zephyr Atkins, RF
Winner of the best name of the 1st round award. An interesting pick, as he's not a prototypical rightfielder (he'll be lucky to hit 30 homers in his life even if he has a 10-15 year career), but he was born to leadoff- he's got blazing speed, he's a good hitter, and has an excellent batting eye and can run the bases quite well. Grade: B
28. HUNTINGTON RIVERDOGS
Pick: Luis Tejera, SP
A lot like Van Pelt, but maybe a little better. Really tough on lefties and will provide innings. Grade: A-
29. SALT LAKE CITY SHAKERS
Pick: J.R. Phillips, 3B
As if Salt Lake City needed another hitter, they get an infielder with above average power and speed. If he can put bat on ball, he'll be a very good player. Grade: A-
30. FARGO DIRTBAGS
Pick: Hunter Moses, RP
He's a solid reliever, but not a closer. His stuff just isn't good enough. He should have a nice career and make enough money to feed his kids and their kids. Grade: B-
31. LOUISVILLE LEGENDS
Pick: Russell Evans, RP
He's got a good arm and he just needs to stay healthy. He's a guy who can easily throw more than one inning, as he proved at Meridian CC last season. Grade: A-
32. MONTERREY SULTANS (OF SWAT)
Pick: Yamid Ramirez, SP
Another solid innings-eater type, although lefties may be able to get to him more often than Monterrey fans may like. Grade: B-
33. LOUISVILLE LEGENDS
Pick: Les Justice, CF
He's a speedy, good defensive CF who should be a solid hitter. A good pick at the end of the round, Louisville did it twice here. Grade: A-
34. AUSTIN CITY LIMITS
Pick: Clyde Bryant, SS
Austin finds a good future shortstop at #34. Bryant is very good with the glove but can handle the bat as well. If he had gone around pick #10-#15 it would have been perfectly justified. Grade: A+
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