AL South S18 Draft Review

Louisville Loud Mouths

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	SUMMARY
1	22	Lew Whitaker	RP	21	Solid Reliever with ace quality control and 2 top pitches. Splits indicate he will be quite good against all batters and should induce mostly groundballs. He lacks any type of strike out punch though, so he is going to need a good defense to be effective.
1	24	Jose Toregas	SP	22	4 good pitches and great control and stamina. He showed weakness in college against elite right handed batters that is only going to get worse in the pros. Expect a guy who will hover around 5 in ERA
1	38	Edgardo Rodriguez	RP	19	Solid long reliever with great splits, control and pitch selection. His low stamina will keep him out of the regular rotation expect for the occasional spot start. His strikeout potential has wowed a number of scouts...
2	66	Bruce Jacome	3B	19	Average hitter with great baseball splits; He might be a solid team guy for a weaker team or a cheap everyday option. He isn't going to light up the score board but should provide a consistent hand,
2	79	Toby Cain	CF	20	Average across the boards with a little extra speed. He's not a bad guy to have in the minors just in case there's an injury or an emergency. I like him with this pick.
3	112	Carlos Beltre	P	22	NOT SCOUTED
4	144	Ed Logan	CF	19	Below average across the boards, but he is fast. Can't run the bases well enough to exploit his speed, but he can win the clubhouse race
5	176	Hipolito Galarraga	RF	19	Below average hitter with good batting splits, solid runner and fielder. If he gets a DITR on his hitting he would be great. This is a perfect project pick in the 5th round. Keep your fingers crossed that he blossoms.

SUMMARY: Brought in a number of pitching prospects and a few defensive guys to round out the minors. The value will be in in those guys who are the projects and if they can get DITR bumps to make them that much better. Louisville took the right approach with the late rounds and brought in guys with strong base tools to build on.

Grade: B

Tampa Bay Pelicans

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	SUMMARY
1	16	Ajax Gibbons	CF	19	Solid runner with good speed and great contact hitting. He has below average power and a below average batting eye. He might struggle against left handed pitching. Overall he's a solid prospect, but might have been picked a little high at 16.
2	73	Carlos Mendez	2B	21	Another high speed good runner with no power. He also has a below average batting eye, but overall is a solid IQ hitter. I like him better than Gibbons and he was picked 57 picks later.
3	106	Brian Rowan	RF	22	A 3rd speed guy with a below average bat and poor fielding. He does have baseball knack, but I don't see him getting out of the minors.
4	138	Hugh Post	LF	18	Has a reputation of struggling to see the ball against left handers, but overall he's a solid hitter with good strength and speed. Nice pick up in the 4th round.
5	170	Rey Matheson	2B	19	It is obvious that Tampa was targeting speed That is about all Matheson offers.

SUMMARY: A lot of speed will change the philosophy of the Pelicans for the future. I'm not sure how a speed team will fare in the high powered Al, but it's worth a shot to see and in 3-5 seasons we might get that chance.
Grade: C

Houston Stone Cold Killers

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Cur Level
1	9	Geoffery Frank	SP	20	Potential to be a very good pitcher with 4 pitches, solid splits and excellent control. He lacks ideal velocity and might need an extra day off every few starts. His makeup will make him a slow mover through the minors without great coaching.
1	46	Andrew Rodney	2B	20	Great speed and contact. He struggles at times with decision making on the base path... He should be a .260 hitter with 10 hr and 40 sb.
1	55	Sean Hughes	1B	18	Average 1B with great contact and some power. He should be a good low power option, but in a position where offense is key he might get overlooked for a while.
3	99	Vitas Stavinoha	RP	18	Low durability and average splits versus left handers might ground him in the minors. He is skilled enough to be an ML'er if a manager wants to monitor his useable.
4	131	Joe Justice	P	20	Average pitcher who will be a swing guy with the ability to spot start. He might be a solid mop-up guy or long reliever, but he's far from ideal as a guy to count on every time. A short term replacement would be a fine role.
5	163	Gus Henderson	RP	19	Solid late inning reliever with good splits. He has the control and 2 pitches, but his average makeup will make his minor league journey a long one.

SUMMARY: Frank and Rodney are sure deal ML players. Frank is already in HiA which might be too big of a jump for a guy with his makeup, but put him with the best coaches. Hughes is a nice player but I'm not sure who will take a flier on him and give him everyday action. His price tag will become too high for his skill set in FA.
Grade: B+

Texas Tornadoes

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Cur Level
1	33	Cyrus Scelfo	SP	22	Good stamina and control, but average splits will limit him to the back of the Texas rotation. He has 3 solid pitches to work with, but his middle of the road velocity means he will have a number of balls in play. I see his makeup keeping him in the minors with a few spells in the bigs.
1	53	Harry Torres	SP	20	Solid supplemental pick up. He has good velocity and solid splits control, and stamina. He has only 2 working pitches to throw which means he will have to work in his weak sinker to keep hitters honest. I great catcher will do wonders with him.
2	88	Walter Key	RF	22	At the university of Miami, Key was a .290 hitter with middle range power and excellent speed. He should be able to carry that speed over to the major leagues, but I would expect his bat to lose both power and contact. His makeup also will make it a struggle to translate his skills to the majors.
3	121	Manuel James	SP	18	Average to below average starting pitcher. He has 3 pitches and solid control and splits. e' strictly a groundball pitcher which should help him when he has a good defense behind him on the mound
4	153	Lawrence Page	SP	21	Poor pitch selection on an otherwise solid starter. He needs to develop at least 1 of his pitches to be even a factor in AAA.
5	185	Carl Crawford	CF	22	This is not the Carl Crawford who just signed with the Boston Red Sox for millions of dollars and was the prize of the 2010 winter meetings this might be the left over ooze that rolled down Carl Crawford's mom's leg. He does have good contact. That's something to work with.

SUMMARY: solid draft, but didn't land anything special look for these guys to be role players when all is said and done.

Grade: C

NL EAST S18 Draft Review

NEW YORK DOLLS

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	SUMMARY
1	17	Ernest Sutcliffe	SS	20	Great speed and projects to be a good defender. His is a slow developer and has a ways to go to make his projections, but you have to like this guy with the 17th pick
1	34	Matthew Gray	RF	21	Good base runner with 30+ sb speed. He has solid contact skills and won't strikeout a lot good traits for a leadoff man. He does struggle versus left handed pitching and will max out with 15 hr power at his prime. Still a solid late 1st round pick up.
1	41	Hughie Alexander	RF	19	Solid speed and great power, alexander also has a good batting eye, but he will struggle with good ML pitching and won't be much of an impact player. Look for him to sizzle in AAA and earn a chance to fail in the big leagues with a desperate team.
2	90	Pat Byrnes	LF	21	He has speed and good understanding of how to hit, but his skills as a hitter just don't match his brain for the game. He develops some muscle or even makes regular contact with the ball and this guy is going to impress. As is he is no one an Ml team will drool over.
3	122	Derek Roundtree	CF	22	Plus 2B defender with great speed. He has no power and below average contact. Look for him to get some platoon Abs versus left handers or come off the bench as a pinch runner in the ML someday.
4	154	J.J. Hill	RP	22	Great tweener with solid durability and stamina. He has the splits to pitch in the ML and even features 3 solid pitches. His lack of control wills scary many teams but that's why he was available in round 4.
5	186	Bo Bush	RP	21	3rd all-time of Clayton College's career save list. He has great velocity and average splits. Look for him to lean way to heavily on his 4-seamer, because he don't have much else. It worked in college to throw it by people it won't work in the big leagues.

SUMMARY: New York loaded up on speed guys with the s18 draft. New York is already built on a foundation of pitching and now they seem to be working on adding a lot of speed into the future mix. Sutcliffe will be a nice pick if given the time to develop with the right coaching. New York seems to have scored big in this draft.

GRADE: A-

Norfolk Trainwrecks

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	SUMMARY
1	3	Joshua Quinn	SP	20	1st overall pitcher taken is a good one. He has 5 pitches to throw, but lacks a killer pitch to lean on. He has plus splits velocity, control and stamina. This guy is a future ace. At 20, he is still about 2 seasons away but he could start in HIA right now and work against better competition. This guy will be the face of Norfolk very soon.
1	43	David Newsome	SP	18	His slider is legendary in Russleville, AR. He has great mound presence and projects to be a solid pitcher, there is concern will his command as he was known to walk a number of batters and he never struck out a whole lot in high school. He should be expected to be a 5-7 inning 4th or 5th starter in the Majors not bad at all.
2	60	Julio Saenz	SP	19	You have to like Saenz has 2 plus pitches with strike out potential written all over him. He has above average splits and control. He isn't going to get the game done pretty all the time, but he will give you earned quality innings. My kind of grinding pitcher who will fight for his 5 innings. A wonderful add in the 2nd round.
3	93	Ben Keisler	P	20	One of the best fastballs in this year's draft, complimented by 4 other pitches makes it that much better. He has not project to be a good starter because of his stamina issues, but he might be a great closer or long reliever. He should be able to eat of the competition with his splits and control. Expect him to strikeout a number of batters with little effort.
4	125	Roosevelt Ransom	SS	18	Projects out to be a defensive whiz-kid, but he doesn't show to ability to get to those projections. It's worth the shot in the 4th round to see if you can get his defense close. He has very little bat to speak of.
5	157	Ralph Little	CF	22	Great speed and good defender University of Southern Mississippi's career stolen base leader. He doesn't project to have a ML bat, and his makeup suggests his defense never to get to a pro level either, but 5th rounders are project picks so why not!

SUMMARY: Quinn is going to be the pitcher to build the rotation around. Newsome and Saenz and Keisler should be great pieces to the puzzle of what to do with for the rotation. These guys all should be ML ready very quickly and could turn things around for Norfolk who seems to be building a pitching staff to be reckoned with.

GRADE: A

Pittsburgh Pirates

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	SUMMARY
1	7	Alex Balboa	SP	18	3 great pitches matched with good splits and control are nice pieces to have. There are concerns about his low stamina and his lack of ML quality velocity, but he is crafty and should shut down the naysayers. Watch for him to be in the ML fairly quickly for an 18 year old. . I'm not sure if he will be a starter, but he will be pitching.
2	64	Ruben Mercedes	SP	20	Elite control and a sweet split fastball. He is a pure groundball pitcher which those with a good defense will love. His average splits will bring out his detractors, but look for him to be at least a part0time ML pitcher.
3	97	Onan Cho	SP	19	I love this guy in the 3rd round. If you can push him and get him the right coaching he is going to be special. Great control stamina and splits compliment 3 solid pitches. He's never going to be a multi-million dollar man but he could be the sparkplug a mean needs to get over the top. Might be the best pick in the 3rd round.
4	129	Pete Webster	SP	18	I would let him go play football; his splits don't project well enough to be in the big leagues.
5	161	Albert Pickett	P	21	Minor league starting pitcher, he's not going to be much of a footnote in the history of this league.

SUMMARY: second straight draft where the pirates played it smart and loaded up on talent. You have to love getting 3 sure pitchers in the first 3 rounds. They should have enough depth in the minors to start making some moves and filling out the depth charts for the next few seasons.
GRADE: A-

Atlanta Braves

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	SUMMARY
1	12	Tony Mori	RP	20	Tony Mori could be the biggest reach in the S18 draft. He's a good player elite split, elite control strikeout velocity and 3 solid pitches, but he's got very low stamina and poor durability. He will struggle to pitch 30 innings watch every day he might get 50 innings in a stretch season and that's if he makes his projections with his average makeup. Huge risk with the 12th pick.
2	69	Turner Moreno	P	18	Solid 2nd round pick with good control and stamina 4 pitches to count on and solid splits. He will struggle some against left handed batters, but should still be valuable in the rotation. He should strikeout a number of guys in in trek through the league.
3	102	Adam Fick	P	22	Average pitches, below average splits, but good stamina and control will make him a minor league monster without Big league hopes.
4	134	Julio Cruz	RF	21	2 tool prospect with power and speed, but don't count on a high batting average or anything fewer than 120 strikeouts a season. I think a batting line of .204/25hr/15sb/162so might be expected. I don't think I could stomach it probably an AAA guy.
5	166	Steve Corbin	3B	20	Part 2 of the bash brother's combo for Atlanta. He is going to strike out less than Cruz, but still will bat around .210 with home run power

SUMMARY: I think Atlanta wasted their 1^st round pick on Mori, but only time will tell what kind of player he becomes. My biggest issue is going to be his lack of trade value if Atlanta changes directions and Mori is out. Moreno is a nice pick up and saves an otherwise poor draft.
GRADE: C-

AL WEST S18 Draft Review

Kansas City McCoys

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	SUMMARY
1	13	Luis Furcal	2B	21	Good power hitter with solid contact and batting eye. he is a poor man's 2B, but could be a starter in the outfield. He is a plus runner, but doesn't have great running speed. Look for a stats line of around .280/35/100rbi with 10 SB.
1	47	Alfredo Quevedo	1B	19	Nice supplemental pickup. Plus defender at 1B with good power and solid hitting He might never be an all-star but he should be a team leader in a few categories.
1	56	Del Headley	2B	20	Good speed and contact, but lacks any power and runs the bases poorly. He isn't going to do a lot in the field expect him to be an AAA guy at best.
1	58	Vance Terry	RP	22	College closer will be tested in the ML. He does have Ml quality splits control and 2 plus pitches. His. Biggest knock is his lack of velocity and is a pure fly ball pitcher, often an issue for late inning relief.
3	103	Shaggy Griffith	SS	21	Solid speed and base runner with good contact, he lacks plus defensive skills to get him regular ML at-bats. AAA'er for life.
4	135	Roosevelt Collier	RP	21	Great 4th rounder limited stamina with reduce his role, but he has excellent pitch selection and plus splits. His above average control should serve him well.
5	167	Jorel Delahanty	RP	20	Below average control, but otherwise a ML quality pitcher with 3 solid options to throw.

SUMMARY: Raucous continues his late round dominance and lands a bunch of quality arms in the late rounds. He scored well with his late 1^st rounder, but rauc, had to be hoping that he would have landed a skill position with the 13^th overall. Not saying Furcal isn't going to be an all-star just would have been nice if his d was worth something.

Grade: A-

Anaheim strasfigor

Season	Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	SUMMARY
18	1	14	Vladimir Pena	RP	20	Solid reliever, he has 2 plus pitches and a 3rd out pitch. He has solid splits and above average durability for a reliever. As a top 15 pick he seems to be a reach with this pick. I am never a fan of taking a reliever this high unless he is truly elite. Pena will be an above average reliever but not a consistent all-star
18	1	48	Perry Sparks	RP	22	5 pitches and great splits, he was known for his precision control at Vanderbilt. Vandy went with a tandem rotation this past season, so Sparks's stamina will be a huge issue as a starter. Expect no more than 4 innings out of him. He is efficient at pitching but don't expect many strikeouts. Probable finds ML work as a reliever.
18	2	71	Dennis Chang	P	18	NOT SCOUTED
18	3	104	Alfredo Herman	SP	19	Average splits and pitches selection. He is an AAA guy at best; even his elite control isn't going to merit him a shot.
18	4	136	Edinson Galarraga	SS	18	Solid left handed swing with plus contact, he struggles with his glove at SS, but should perform well enough in the minors. If you can overlook his strikeouts and his inability to hit righties he could have a few Ml at Bats.
18	5	168	Ralph Stroud	P	18	NOT SCOUTED

SUMMARY: spend the draft filling up the pitching staff, not a bad idea for anyone. I don't think loading up on Relievers is the best strategy though. Huge reaches for guys who will be limited in innings. Both guys should be Ml caliber, but The team would have been better served with Sp Pat Berkman who went 20^th or SP Harry Torres who went 51^st

Grade: C

Salt Lake City Prospectors

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	SUMMARY
1	31	Willie Juarez	SP	21	Great control, stamina and velocity would make him an all-star, but he's picked 31st because of his lack of above average splits. It will be interesting to see how far he gets with his 4 pitches and poor splits. Most teams would not give him much time out of AAA.
2	87	Hal Rogers	SP	20	I like Rogers better than Juarez and to me he has a better chance for Ml success. He has above average control and splits. He has 3 plus pitches and strikeout velocity. It will be interesting to see how their Ml careers compare.
3	120	Stuart Thompson	LRP	20	Average splits, good control 3 solid pitches, but his low durability and stamina will limit his exposure to hitters. Not enough skill to exceed past AAA.
4	152	Horacio Jose	SP	18	Poor splits will keep him in the minors for his career.
5	184	Gaylord Tam	RP	21	Good 5th round pick. Solid right hand specialist with 3 pitches and excellent velocity. Could see come Ml time.

SUMMARY: 2^nd straight year adding pitchers this time they went after less risky signees, but still didn't land a sure fire guy. They have a couple guys who might fill in holes for some time, but no one is a permanent solution.

Grade: C

Tucson Mail Order Cowboys

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	SUMMARY
1	30	Junior Torres	CF	19	All-star caliber defender with elite speed. He makes average contact with the ball, but doesn't strikeout a whole lot. Nor will he be leaned on to power many runs in. his D and speed will get him to the ML.
1	40	Julian Duran	SP	21	Looked solid at Winthrop in his Junior year, but scouts fear he will not translate into a ML Quality pitcher. He should perform well enough to be a mop up guy or as a 4A player.
2	70	Eric McGehee	SP	21	Another college product he struggled in college against right handed hitters, but still posted a respectable college ERA and ranked near the top of the NCAA in Strikeouts. He will need to improve his pitch selection to even have a ML chance.
2	86	Heath Duvall	SP	19	Picked out of the junior college ranks, Duvall lacks the control and the pitch selection to be anything more than an AA guy. He does have a good handle on how to pitch if he DITR's a season he might surprise the league.
3	119	Omar Maduro	SP	20	With his high velocity and lack of any control someone is going to get hurt with his monster fastball. He has great splits if he finds the strike zone he will be a great ML pitcher. The chances of that are slim, but in the 3rd round you take the chance.
4	151	Ryan Braden	3B	21	Has good speed, but defensively he's a better match to the outfield. He's a below average hitter with plus splits and solid batting eye. I don't seem him with a ML career.
5	183	David Nunez	P	21	Good splits for a reliever in the 5th round but lacks control and an above average pitch.

SUMMARY: I love Daley, but with 5 1^st round picks I would hope to love a few more players. Breslow is also my kind of guy. In my opinion walking out of a draft with 2-3 ML quality starters is great. Tucson did that, but still I feel jilted by the rest of the draft. They need to start adding youth in the lineup and missed on almost all of their prospects. Hopefully pitching can bring in the hitting prospects in the future.

Grade: B