NL North S19 DRAFT REVIEW

Philadelphia Stars

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Back- ground	Bonus	Pro Yrs
1	7	Lenny Joseph	RF	20	JC	$3,440K	Most scouts might have never saw Joseph play at Gogebic Community College, so he might have slid on a few boards. He is a top rank hitter with solid power and speed he could challenge a 30/30 season on occasion. He is a great Right fielder and could be a gold glover there in Ryan. He is very developed and might only have a short stay in the minors before he makes his debut.
2	64	Rip Parrish	SS	20	JC	$550K	Rip showed flashes of his plus glove at Cincinnati State Technical & CC where he also showed a solid bat and good speed. His bat and speed will be tempered in Ryan, but still expect a guy capable of hitting left handers with some great defense and 10-15 bags a season.
3	96	Chris Avery	SP	22	COL	$425K	SEC pitcher of the year. He has 4 plus pitches and solid splits. His control can be an issue at times. He slid to the 3rd round because of concerns about his velocity and ability against right handed hitters. He should be able to prove his detractors wrong with a solid Ml career.
4	128	Victor Sampson	2B	21	COL	$350K	At Ferris State University he tore up the base paths and got away with a number of easy hits. He will not be so luck in Ryan. He has the skills as a base runner, but he will find his above average contact and average splits will not be enough to get him a regular job in the big Leagues here.
5	160	Zeus Eiland	2B	22	COL	$250K	Slightly above average hitter with a poor batting eye. He struggled at 2B for the University of Memphis and might be better suited for LF. He isn't going to win many award for his grittiness.

Summary: Solid draft that brought in a very college flavored draft board. There are a number of role players, but landing Joseph at 7 has to have Star fans very happy.
GRADE: B+

Pawtucket Patriots

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Back- ground	Bonus	Pro Yrs
1	22	Chip Winn	SS	18	HS	$2,040K	Defensive minded shortstop. He should platoon against right handers and shows solid promise at the plate with some solid contact. He isn't going to hit everything and sometimes struggles to see the ball in the zone. Known to swing at almost anything close to the plate.
1	36	Esmailyn Melendez	RP	20	JC	$880K	Showed an excellent bulldog attitude at Queensborough Community College. His strikeouts were legendary, but so were his control issues. He projects to get his mechanics tweaked enough to have average control with his killer splits and sinker/slider combo he should be a solid Big leaguer.
2	78	George Hamilton	SP	19	JC	$550K	Average splits and low control are a deadly combination. He has 4 above average pitches to work with and might sneak into the Ml for a brief cup of coffee.
3	98	Kenneth Mayne	RP	18	HS	$425K	He is probably good for 15 pitches every 3rd day with his stamina/durability combo. Considering is documented struggle to get the ball over the plate this might be a challenge to get to many guys out. When he is able to keep his sinker from grounding out or his fastball from soaring into the stands he might strike a guy out.
3	110	Houston Michaels	SS	18	HS	$425K	Defensive stud with one of the best understandings of the game for a guy who has absolutely no hitting skill. He will strikeout 120+ times and maybe hit .220 in his ML time. His defense just make him a ML sure thing.
4	142	Bernie Espinosa	P	18	HS	$350K	Strikeout reliever with an amazing fastball and a good split finger. He has pinpoint control, but his pitches can be timed and predicted easier than an established pitcher. If you study him long enough you can beat him at his game.
5	174	Edgardo Durazo	RP	20	JC	$250K	2 pitches solid splits and control. He is good for 1 inning a game and should be a no-hum reliever. but a no-hum reliever with ML possibilities.

Summary: A couple of low control pitchers to go with a defensive minded shortstop, sounds a lot like role players to me. Not a single everyday guy to be found on the Patriot draft board.
GRADE: C

Cincinnati Ramrod

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Back- ground	Bonus	SUMMARY
1	23	Larry Boyd	SP	20	JC	$1,940K	3 plus pitches and solid control, he is weak against right handers and might struggle more than you would like out of an everyday starter. He does have a solid shot to play on a weak rotation as a #4 or 5 guy.
1	45	Lonnie Reed	SP	20	JC	$600K	Average control and splits will make it hard for him to rise above AAA. He does have 2 good pitches to work with, but without the rest of the package he might be in trouble.
1	53	Kevin Potvin	RP	22	COL	$1,032K	Excellent sinker/fastball combo with ideal velocity for a closer. He have average splits which will limit his appearances in meaningful games. He is only slightly above average with control.
2	79	Freddie Gray	SP	18	HS	$1,850K	Potential control issues dropped Gray down most draft boards; he has solid splits and 2 plus pitches to work with his good stamina. If he drops a pitch from his selection I think his value might actually rise.
3	111	Philip Perez	SP	22	COL	$425K	Playing in the Spacious confines of University of Bridgeport, Perez was able to get away with high fly ball tendency. He has a very soft approach to the plate which leads to a lot of contact. He has 2 plus pitches to work with and Ml quality control and splits.
4	143	Luis Guerrero	RP	19	JC	$350K	Great Specialist reliever. He is the type of pitcher who enters the game to get that 1 critical out then sleeps the rest of the game. He would have went higher in the drat with his excellent splits and 3 pitch selection if he could throw more than 10 pitches an outing.
5	175	Nate Maddox	SP	19	JC	$250K	Great screwball with killer velocity, but no control of it. Lost 2 mascots in his last JUCO game. Not sure if anyone will give him a shot outside of the minors.

Summary: Drafted 7 pitchers in the first 5 rounds and not one is a sure ML player. Add a few flawed pitchers, no one that will be a game changer in any good way. I like Guerrero, but would love him more if he found a way to add 20 more pitches to his count. Overall this was a very average draft class without much to dance about.
GRADE: C

St. Louis Twains

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Back- ground	Contract	Bonus	SUMMARY
1	3	Hank Silva	SS	18	HS	MILB	$3,820K	Went 1st but he was ranked on many boards as the 3rd best overall Shortstop candidate. He has great power and splits and can field well enough to be an everyday guy. He has 30/30 potential; I will never scoff at that. Just expect him to strikeout 100 times a season.
2	59	Vin Romero	CF	18	HS	MILB	$550K	All speed and defense, he could be a gold glover in CF and a 50+ base stealing threat. He doesn't have much power, but can find the hole through the infield or sneak on base by outrunning the throw. He struggles against strong left handed pitching which might scare some teams into platooning him.
3	92	Cole York	SP	18	HS	MILB	$5,428K	Good control and stamina but below average splits with keep his career in check. He has 3 solid pitches which allowed him to dominate high school competition, but his other flaws will keep him grounded to AAA in Ryan.
4	124	Norman Hampton	2B	20	JC	MILB	$350K	Good speed, but lacks the batting splits to be a ML player. He has good contact but not enough power to overcome his shortcomings.
5	156	Sal Campbell	SP	18	HS	MILB	$250K	Crafty pitcher with 2 above average pitches. He has excellent splits for a 5th rounder, but has less than ideal control and hitters could find his pitch right in their sweet spot at times. With only 2 pitches it is hard to see him in the starting rotation and without more zip on his pitch selection it's hard to see him with a regular job in the pen. He still is a prospect to watch in the minors just in case.

Summary: added some good depth to the minors with this draft. I like Silva just he should have slid to 10^th or 11^th with one of the more established guys going here. But what is done is done and Silva should be a solid star in St. Louis for years to come. Romero is a solid leadoff guy for the right team.
GRADE: B