AL SOUTH S9 Draft Recap

 

Monterrey Acero

Needs from the draft: 1: RP 2: LF 3: C

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Back- ground	Contract	Bonus	Comments
1	14	Aaron Holt	2B	19	JC	MILB	$2,790K	Solid 2 bagger, he has elite speed, but has been marred with running mistakes. His hitting is solid and he should find a good place in any lineup toward the lower half.
1	34	Nicholas Nathan	SP	22	COL	MILB	$960K	Tools are all there except for control. He will struggle to find the plate at times.
2	60	Ernie Gaston	SP	21	COL	MILB	$550K	Poor splits and average pitches make him a career minor leaguer.
2	61	Norm Meusel	1B	18	HS	---	---	NOT SCOUTED
3	92	Corban Washington	P	18	HS	---	---	NOT SCOUTED
4	124	Shane Frey	2B	21	COL	---	---	Average hitter who is holding out for a basketball scholarship, at 5'9" it is probably a Division III scholarship.
5	156	Benji Hartgraves	RP	22	COL	MILB	$250K	Solid reliever with below average splits but good control and pitch selection.

 

Summary: picked up a suitable hitter and 1 serviceable reliever, but holes still exist and SP depth did not improve with the picks selected in the S9 Draft.

Grade: C

 

Oklahoma City Chickens

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

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Back- ground	Contract	Bonus	Comments
1	30	Jared Torre	RP	18	HS	---	---	Solid Right Hand Specialist, HE might struggle against lefties but can pitch if needed. He has 2 good pitches strong command and good stamina and durability. Might choose hockey instead though.
1	43	Johnny Ritchie	C	20	JC	MILB	$600K	Might be the best catcher in the draft. He can field and hit with the best. Struggles at times on the base path, but his strength are his power.
2	76	Tony Ordaz	CF	18	HS	---	---	Left hand specialist his awesome speed and contact, but struggles mightily versus right handers and is prone to strike out a lot more than you would want from a no power guy. Might be better suited for 2B in the field.
3	108	Alex Perez	2B	20	JC	---	---	NOT SCOUTED
4	140	Ugueth Redondo	3B	18	HS	---	---	Serviceable 3B with good power and strong Left handed hitting. Struggles against righties and swings and misses more than average. Has some signing issue.
5	172	Barney Denny	SP	21	COL	MILB	$250K	Good 5th rounder solid 5th starter with above average splits and pitches. Slightly reduced control, but he still will get the job done most of the time.

 

Summary: Didn't get an Elite reliever like they needed, but did get a good solid one and filled all their holes nicely with this draft. No major reaches and Richie is an exceptional supplemental pick.

Grade: A-

 

Charlotte Winstons

Needs from the draft : 3B, LF, RF

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Back- ground	Contract	Bonus	Comments
2	72	Rudy Larkin	LF	22	COL	MILB	550k	Poor contact makes Larkin a hard sell as an everyday player, but he does have good eye and batting splits to compliment his solid speed and base running
3	104	Darrin Eischen	SP	18	HS	---	---	Below average splits and only 2 serviceable pitches will leave him for a long Minor League career.
4	136	Alan Lara	P	20	JC	MILB	350K	Poor splits/average pitches = Minor League Career man
5	168	Harold Cook	CF	21	COL	---	---	Average hitter with good speed and some pop, will struggle at CF, suited for RF or Left.

 

Summary: Did not get a 3B but did cover the corners with some talent. Without a 1^st round pick they did decent in the draft, but definitely did not hit a grand slam here

Grade: C

 

St. Louis Stampede-

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

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Back- ground	Contract	Bonus	Comments
1	5	Jose Frias	CF	19	JC	MILB	$3,630K	Best CF in the draft. He covers the field like a god. He is not to be underestimated at bat either; this guy can swing the bat and run the bases. He will be an elite player for years to come.
1	33	Max Leary	2B	18	HS	MILB	$1,000K	Solid 2 sacker, who will make a living with his speed. He has bit power, but a good swing. The only thing keeping his SB down will be his total lack of base running.
2	51	Tris Davis	SS	20	JC	---	---	NOT SCOUTED SIGNING ISSUES
3	82	Alex Belliard	2B	21	COL	MILB	$425K	Another speedster at 2B slightly above average hitter who might steal abs from someone, but probably not a long term solution.
3	83	Harry Puente	1B	20	JC	MILB	$425K	Above average hitter, but limited in the field. He is going to find it hard to crack into the lineup with 1B as his only defensive option.
4	115	Pedro Lee	C	18	HS	MILB	$350K	Below average defensive backstop, his bat is slightly above average, he might serve as an emergency backup someday, but will not make a huge impact in the Majors
5	147	Randy Wolf	3B	22	COL	MILB	$250K	Better suited to play RF or LF, he is an average hitter with a poor batting eye. He is not going to amount to much.

 

Summary: Made attempts to fill all their needs in St Louis with this draft. They made a huge upgrade at CF and added a number of solid 2B. This was a productive and fruitful few rounds for the Stampede

Grade: A