NL North S9 Draft Recap

Philadelphia Balboas

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

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Back- ground	Contract	Bonus	Comments
1	20	Stevie May	RP	19	JC	MILB	$2,100K	Above average Long reliever with 3 solid pitches he will struggle against lefties, but all around should be a ML contributor
2	66	Alfredo Heredia	SP	22	COL	MILB	$525K	4 great pitches but below average splits. He could struggle in the Majors. He might never make it though.
3	98	Ernest Hogan	P	20	JC	---	---	NOT SCOUTED
4	130	Blake Blair	SP	22	COL	MILB	$350K	Solid back of the rotation starter. He has above average control, split and pitches.
5	162	Sammy James	P	18	HS	---	---	NOT SCOUTED signability issues

Summary: Missed the boat on their biggest needs. 2 solid pitcher also is not so great, but the draft was not a complete lose

Grade: C-

 

Cincinnati Bowties

Needs from the draft: 1: CF 2 LF 3: SP

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Back- ground	Contract	Bonus	Pro Yrs
1	27	Howard Neal	RP	22	COL	MILB	$1,470K	A top notch reliever already well developed in a few short years, He will make an impact. He could easily be fast tracked and be in the league now with his splits and control.
1	41	Hugh Young	3B	20	JC	MILB	$650K	Better suited for the outfield, Young is an average hitter with plus style splits, he is slow and plotting but uses his skills well.
2	73	Tony Iglesias	RP	18	HS	MILB	$510K	Superior reliever with 2 dominant pitches and average control. He has good stamina and is a great find with this pick in the draft
3	105	Gus Houston	RP	22	COL	MILB	$405K	Another reliever this time with average pitches and good splits and control, his durability is very low for a consistant relief pitcher.
4	137	Raymond Browning	RP	19	JC	MILB	$320K	Reliever with great splits and 2 solid pitches, he is a lot on the wild side and might be a rollercoaster in the late innings.
5	169	Brant Parris	RP	19	JC	MILB	$210K	Soiid reliever with good tools but poor durability. He will struggle to be a dependable option.

 

Summary: Needed Starters and stocked up on relieve pitching, They also needed a great CF, but again came up empty. I will not question this teams needs, talent wise they did great

Grade: B

 

Seattle Warbirds

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

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Back- ground	Contract	Bonus	Comments
1	4	Bret Sanders	1B	18	HS	MILB	$3,720K	Awesome hitting first sacker. He will make an amazing player when he develops. He should provide solid 1B play along with all-star production in the center of the Warbirds lineup
4	114	Cord Cox	SS	18	HS	MILB	$350K	Defensive minded SS with no pop in his bat and no speed, he is going to just give you solid action in the field and not much else.
5	146	Pedro Romero	SS	21	COL	---	---	Another defensive minded SS who has great speed but little base running knowledge, No power and average hitting with good splits make him a marginal prospect.

 

Summary: Lost almost their entire draft board to FA pickups in the preseason. They still got a jewel in Sanders, but received no Future pitching help or help at C. They invested heavy in FA and still came out with a star. Sanders only issue will be his limited fielding he should be an everyday 1B and play sparsly elsewhere. That is hard in the NL

Grade: B-

 

Milwaukee Blues

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

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Back- ground	Contract	Bonus	Comments
1	3	Everett Ritz	SP	20	JC	MILB	$3,820K	Top pitching prospect for the S9 draft. He has all the needed tools and awesome control to go with 3 pitches. Could be an all-star
2	49	Charlie Duran	CF	18	HS	MILB	$550K	Below average in CF, but good power and speed, His batting eye is also below average, but is more than made up by his superior splits. Nice young project in the 2nd round
3	81	Andrew Grilli	2B	22	COL	MILB	$425K	Solid 2B candidate, He is not going to win awards with his bat but he does have the skills to get on base and make key hits, not much power but should manage around 10hr a year. He is a slow developer and may never reach potential.
4	113	Harold Rudolph	RF	21	COL	MILB	$350K	RF power threat, He will struggle at the plate especially against right handed pitchers, but he will give you good home run swings when he hits the ball.
5	145	Gregory Carson	CF	18	HS	---	---	If you want 8.5M and are drafted in round 5 MY SCOUTS IGNORE YOU

 

Summary: Covered all positions well in this draft, but did not get a quality Reliever. This is a huge hole in the Blue's system that will need to be addressed next season. Ritz will be able to climb the system very quickly and should be the help the Blues need in the rotation for many seasons.

Grade: B+