NL North S17 Draft Review

Cincinnati Ramrods

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Cur Level
1	18	Guy Bibby	RP	22	3 pitch relievers have good success for any team; Bibby combines that with great splits and excellent control. His fireball velocity will make him elite.
2	78	Gregory Wolcott	P	18	Lacks ideal control, but does have 3 great pitches, his stamina will limit him to long relief, and His splits should give a shot to make the majors.
3	113	Dave Vaughn	RP	18	Changes speed great on his pitches and have fine splits and control. He should be a ML Bullpen hand in a few seasons.
4	145	Leon Knight	RP	18	3 pitches but less than ideal durability will limit his usages. His control and splits should allow him an opportunity to make the league though.
5	177	Scot Bergen	C	21	Average catcher with solid hitting and fielding. Not a star, but in the 5th round he's a nice pick.

SUMMARY: Did very well with the picks they had, maximizing the value of each pick and landing a capable player. They focused on the drafts strengths and picked up great relievers

Grade: A

Columbus Horseshoes

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Cur Level
2	82	Benito Megias	LF	19	Good splits and decent speed, but I would want more hitting knocks out of my pick, In the 2nd round he's not a bad selection just not going to be more than a fill-in guy over the long haul.
3	116	Matt Embree	3B	19	Solid power and splits, Embree isn't going to be an award winner, but he should be a solid option in a pinch. If he had better speed or even beat his contact projections, he could be a factor.
4	148	Brady Pall	P	21	Poor pitching against right handed batter, but other than that he's a deal reliever with solid control left split and durability. With 3 pitches, he should find success.
5	180	Edgardo Andino	2B	18	Sees himself as a 1st rounder or going to college. I would let him go to college. He has ML speed, but that's about all the tools he has to offer.

SUMMARY: Megias might have been the best all-around guy in round 2, but without#1 pick Columbus did not land any sure things. I like Embree a lot in the 3^rd round, but he might be a good value pick without a ML future. Overall Columbus did what they could with their selections

Grade: B

Philadelphia Stars

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Cur Level
1	15	Steve Krause	P	21	Learned the art of pitching at Pace University where he was dominant with 3 plus pitches and solid game mechanics. His control should get him notice in the league. His lack of starter stamina will limit his use to long relief a big negative for a top pick,
1	21	Eliezer Villa	RP	19	Slider and curve should allow him to pitch well in the minors, he's a natural bullpen guy with solid durability and control, and He has the tools to succeed in the pro circuit.
1	37	You Lee	P	22	Personally I like Lee better than Krause; he's basically the same pitcher with better velocity and might be a better fit in long relief. His makeup and development should allow him the 1st crack at the league as well.
3	110	Lou Hayes	SP	19	Has 3 pitches but average splits. He's most likely destined for AAA stardom without much chance of promotion.
4	142	Aurelio Santayana	SP	20	Another big minor league inning eater. He's a solid enough pitcher just don't have the splits to be a success.
5	174	Stevie Nixon	RF	21	Solid hitter, poor batting mechanics. He's not going to be able to utilize his power without DITR status

SUMMARY: I would have hoped they would have scored someone better than Krause with the 15^th pick, in my opinion he's a reach because of his lack of a defined role. I think Lee accomplishes the same goal for cheaper.

Grade: B-

Hartford Whalers

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Cur Level
1	17	Hiram Nakamura	CF	20	Plus CF'er with great speed and base running, He has ideal contact, but is a light hitter. His type has made impacts in the league to the tune of 400 ab 40+ sb and .265 averages. I would expect the same in 3 seasons with him.
1	39	Derek Stevens	P	19	Could be a great pitcher san the fact he struggles against left handed batters. He has 3 good pitches and strikeout velocity. He should see some pro time. He's got great makeup here's hoping he exceeds expectations.
2	75	Eugenio Zapata	C	22	Developed college backstop, he projects to be an average backup option for a team, he's far from a star, but could be an adequate fill-in guy or everyday backstop for a team in need.
2	77	Dan Pfeffer	SS	18	Average hitter better suited for 3rd than SS. He's not a high impact guy. I would love to have seen him with more speed or power, but he would not have been there this place in the 2nd.
3	112	Peter Sheldon	SS	21	Defensive short with solid speed and power, but no baseball splits. He could be a fine defensive replacement in the league even with his makeup he could be in the league close to projections.
4	144	Ross Shea	1B	22	Power slamming 1B, he struggles at the plate, but seems to get the best of the left handed pitching. He should draw the walks, but won't do much in the league with his righty weakness.
5	176	Brandon Reboulet	SP	20	Could be a good minor league pitcher, not much of a chance beyond that.

SUMMARY: Hartford went after the good makeup guys and picked a number of dependable guys who should be just what they advertised to be. No one is going to star in the league, but they have a number of guys who should contribute in few areas. I would have hoped they would have landed a pitcher or 2 in this draft to even things out.

Grade: B-