AL North S9 Draft Recap

Chicago Bear Cubs

Needed from the draft: 1: C 2: SP 3: CF

Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Back- ground	Contract	Bonus	Comment
18	Terry White	LF	20	JC	---	---	The Local kid would be at home at 1B at Cellular Field. He is a pure contact hitter with some power, but good speed. He will be a good #2 hitter or leadoff and setup man for Chicago's Reynolds and Shave.
64	Alan Chambers	SP	22	COL	---	---	Borderline Mler, He has average control mixed with poor splits. It will be hard for him to pitch at a high level day after day
96	Yuniesky Navarro	RP	22	COL	---	---	Solid Reliever with 2 above average pitches, but slightly below average splits. He will struggle in the majors
128	Gil Woodson	SP	20	JC	---	---	Excellent 4th rounder, he has 5 useable pitches and good control to go with average stamina. He is strong against righty, but will struggle at times against left hander
160	Drew Tallet	SP	20	JC	---	---	Projects to be a career minor leaguer who will eat a lot of those innings but has little value out of the farm.

 

Summary: Didn't look at either a good Catcher or CF, but did get a strong hitter in White. White might be setting the table nicely in a few seasons. Chicago Rushed Shave to the Majors in his first season, I would guess White will be similarly fast tracked. Nothing else of high was drafted in Chi-Town

Grade: C

 

Cleveland Indians:

Needed from the draft: 1: 3B 2: RP 3: C

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Back- ground	Contract	Bonus	Comment
1	2	Timothy Sutton	RF	18	HS	---	---	Could be the premier player in the draft. He has great strength and contact. Good speed and a true understanding of the game of baseball. Could be an all-star for many years if he signs.
2	48	Jaret Simms	SP	18	HS	---	---	Wild pitcher who most likely will not sign. He has all the tools to succeed except control and a desire to play baseball.
3	80	Rube Hebert	CF	19	JC	MILB	$425K	Speedy defensive specialist, he does not have much of a bat but could contribute with his glove and his feet.
4	112	Enrique Guillen	SP	19	JC	MILB	$350K	Another Wild pitcher with good tool everywhere else just can't seem to find the plate all the time. If you can take a lot of walks Guillen is your man. Good pick in the 4th round.
5	144	Jeff Ray	SP	19	JC	MILB	$250K	Inning eating minor leaguer, he is not going to do much in the majors unless he DITRs his splits by about 40 each. He only has 1 marketable pitch.

 

Summary: Ignored the team's needs almost completely and went with the best available player in the draft. Sutton was worth it. He is the type of player to build around for years to come. Still they need Relief help and a suitable backup catcher. Also threw caution to the wind and took to players who will have sign ability issues and two pitchers with control issues.

Grade: B

 

Madison Massa's.

Needs from the draft: 1: CF 2: SS 3: C

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Back- ground	Contract	Bonus	Comments
1	32	Josh Vitiello	LF	18	HS	MILB	$1,100K	Smooth hitting and quick, but has the potential for injury issues down the road. Madison will need to be careful with him.
1	36	Emilio Lee	SP	18	HS	MILB	$880K	Solid middle of the rotation pitcher, he is not going to dominate but he will be able to get consistent double digit wins for many years. He has 4 plus pitches and good control to boot
1	44	Tori Hanson	C	22	COL	MILB	$600K	Average at best defensive catcher, his bat is what gets him drafted. He has a compact swing with good power; he can struggle to get into a groove at the plate at times.
2	50	Cory Smith	SP	20	JC	MILB	$550K	Solid Fly ball pitcher might struggle in hitter friendly Madison, but he has 3 desirable pitches and average control, he has good value for a 2nd rounder
2	78	Vic Lilly	LF	21	COL	MILB	$550K	2nd LF taken by Madison, this time it's a lanky power hitter who has issues with the strikeout but is developed enough to burn through the system.
3	110	Zip Thornton	SS	20	JC	---	---	Junior College is top in his heart, He fields well enough to play in the pros, but his bat is well below average
4	142	Tyrone Bowles	SS	22	COL	MILB	$350K	Defensive specialist who won't contribute much at the plate. His use is limited to late inning replacement at this point.
5	174	Orval Whitehill	CF	19	JC	MILB	$250K	Average hitter who is suited for 2nd or RF. He is a career minor leaguer if all stays as it is.

 

Summary: Needed skill positions and took LF brutes; Madison addressed a need at catcher and added defensive stop gaps in the other positions, but did not improve them much. Overall the added bats and 2 capable pitchers will further solidify a strong team

Grade: B-

 

New York Bombers.

Needs from the draft: 1: CF 2: 2B 3: RP

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Back- ground	Contract	Bonus	Comments
1	25	Matthew Fox	SS	22	COL	MILB	$1,750K	Solid yet unspectacular player. He is not going to dominate in any one area and might never be an all-star. He is not starting SS caliber and is better suited at 2nd, 3rd, or in the corner outfield. Huge reach In the 1st round.
2	71	Alex Torres	SP	18	HS	---	---	Wild pitcher with college scholarships on the table, He has the pitches and splits to be dominant but a sub-40 control is SCARY
3	103	Willie Bennett	LF	22	COL	MILB	$425K	Average hitters with no speed who struggle against left handers are a dime a dozen in this league.
4	135	Julio Montanez	LF	22	COL	MILB	$350K	Solid power hitter with good splits and average batting eye. He has a better chance than Bennett in seeing the majors.
5	167	Angel Trajano	CF	18	HS	---	---	Slap hitting speedster, A good leadoff guy He has no power, but has the ability to fly on the bases. He also has Major sign ability issues. I like risky picks in the 5th round. He is a good pick here if he signs

 

Summary: Might have blown the 1^st round with Fox and the only pitcher the bombers took has a bit wild, this will be a tough draft to get value from. Almost all their holes still exist after this draft not a good thing

Grade: D+