In true reporter’s fashion, Kerry wrote an email worthy of publication. Here it is:
The AWFL draft took place Saturday. Several managers gathered for a pre-game breakfast at the Mountaineer restaurant in Parkersburg, WV.
Wore my Braves jersey underneath my spring coat just leaving enough opening at the breakfast table to show the uniform and create some food for thought. Turned out it was my Tom Glavine jersey, but didn’t reveal that until we arrived at the meeting room later that morning. Wanted to keep the guys in suspense as long as I could.
Also, neglected to bring anything San Francisco Giants related even though Buster Posey was on my mind immediately after our regular season ended.
Turns out, didn’t go with either Hayward nor Posey.
I already had a solid trio of ’3′ outfielders with speed to boot: Scott Podsednik, Rajai Davis and Brett Gardner with Coco Crisp’s limited at bats. Planned on using Andres Torres as my designated hitter.
Had a starting catcher in place with Kurt Suzuki. Granted, not a very good arm and not the most explosive offensive numbers. Still, he was a starter and I didn’t have a second baseman going into the draft.
If I drafted Buster Posey, I was hoping Neil Walker would still be around for the first pick of the second round. With 16 picks per round, I didn’t know if that was a guarantee, so bottom line I chose Kelly Johnson. Good power numbers, plus he’s an ’8′ second baseman as opposed to Walker’s ’7′.
Johnson will fit right perfectly into a projected lineup which features the likes of Davis and Gardner at the top followed by David Wright, Kelly Johnson, Aubrey Huff, Andres Torres, Scott Podsednik, Cliff Pennington and Kurt Suzuki.
Ken Barth’s Villains took Posey second followed by the Josh Vaughn’s Big Red Machine’s selection of Jason Heyward third.
Filling the second baseman hole off the bat allowed me to take prospects Craig Kimbrel (second round) and Jeremy Hellickson (third round).
I feel confident about my offense and hoping my pitching holds up to get me to the playoffs for the first time in four years. Defense is suspect at third with Wright’s ’3′ and at first base with Huff’s ’3′.
Starting pitchers (Master Game ratings): Trevor Cahill (15); Carlos Zambrano (12); Matt Garza (10); Ted Lilly (9); Jeremy Hellickson (8); Travis Wood (8); Chris Volstad (6).
Relief pitchers: Craig Kimbrel (25); Joe Thatcher (21); Brian Wilson (20); Ed Frieri (20); Sergio Romo (16); Eric O’Flaherty (15); Matt Capps (15); Matt Belisle (13).
Crossing fingers and all that other superstitious stuff hoping that three-sided coin didn’t let me down with Kelly Johnson’s slow start to the spring and Neil Walker’s hot start.
Left Orlando on a big jet airliner at 8:00 AM, flying SWA to Midway, arrived at the Naperville Best Western after a couple of stops at 1:00 PM. Unpacked my APBA stuff & unwound, laid back & relaxed, and waited for my playoff foe to arrive. After driving up from Champaign John Brandeberry unpacked his team bus, the playoff series between the Rising Bamm Beano’s & the Chicago Champions was ready to roll.
The series was a rematch of last year’s World Series, in which the Champions swept to capture their 11th title. Even though the Champions won 102 games and the Bamm Beano’s got in the last day of the season & the Champs owned Brando, John’s team was built for the playoffs. With Adam Wainwright & Jair Jurrjens in the rotation and Mariano Rivera & Jonathan Papelbon in the bullpen, anything could happen in a five game series.
It looked like the Champions were on their way after winning game #1 behind Tim Lincecum, only two more wins to go, and then it would be on to the World Series, where either Chuck Lucas’s Northside Hitmen or Keith Smith’s Kentucky Kernels awaited my arrival. But then, John got off the mat to take games #2 & #3. Russell Martin hit three homers in the first three games. Game #4, with the Champs back to the wall, Jose Valverde emerged as a monster out of the pen, going four innings for the victory, to knot the series at two.
It would all come down to one game, mano y mano, Wainwright vs Lincecum, for all the marbles, the whole ball of wax. Juan Uribe launched two three run bombs in the series, both after lengthy delays, after momentum changing timeouts. Both times Brando collected himself, called upon a higher power, maybe he was selling his soul for a quality roll of the bones, whatever it was, it worked. Bamm, it was over & Uribe was series MVP! My season was over, “Nice season Tedd”, provided little consolation.
Meanwhile the Kentucky Kernels were showing no mercy in sweeping the Northside Hitmen in three straight. Before long, Keith Smith was being fitted for his crown, after making quick work of the Bamm Beano’s. Alfonso Soriano was World Series MVP. CONGRATS KEITH SMITH!!!
The next morning it was time to draft, very strange that no trades were consummated over the weekend. Before the draft, I was thinking I’d have to make a tough choice of whether to take Jhoulys Chacin, Neftali Feliz, or Mike Stanton. Only Chacin was still there when it was my turn to pick, but Madison Bumgarner was still on the board, so it was a no brainer. Bumgarner would join fellow Giants hurlers Tim Lincecum & Matt Cain in the Champions rotation. Then we had to wait until the last pick of the extra round before taking Chris Sale over Kenley Jansen.
I was like a deer in the headlights with my new Champs squad, nothing looked right, how would this team fit together? While we were figuring it out, Marcus Bunch had his Upperdeckers rolling, taking five of six. Next it was time for some revenge against the now rebuilding Bamm Beano’s, the Champs record was above .500 after a 6-0 sweep.
Next up was Papa Bunch & retooled Green Rock Bombers. After Mike couldn’t roll any friggin dice & David Price was reduced in both of his starts, it was time for Price to fly, literally! Price was crumpled into a ball, told he wouldn’t start another game this year, and discarded onto the table. The Bombers dog house was growing as the series went on, thought the ASPCA would be called in to investigate. 4-2 Champs! The Thunderchickens bested the Champs in a late night series 4-2.
The weekend finale took place Sunday morning against the ever dangerous Molly Putts Marauders. The Marauders jumped out, taking the first two games, before the Champs woke up in time to win the last four contests. 17-13 on the weekend, after a 1-5 start, I’ll take it.
Next up, the Three Rivers Gamblers. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to check on flight schedules to Pittsburgh.
2011 League Drafts: Steve Stein on this year’s Transcontinental Baseball League draft
Steve Stein wrote this article about the 2011 Transcontinental Baseball League draft. It’s actually quite an enjoyable read, in my opinion. It includes analysis of the pre-draft situation not to mention the drama that surrounds a league draft. Thanks, Steve!
For a couple of months now, the hot topic in the Transcontinental Baseball League draft has been – who would Munch Marauder’s GM Paul Montague select with his number 1 pick?
It was common knowledge that the first 5 picks were going to be, in some order: Jason Heyward, Buster Posey, Michael Stanton, Carlos Santana and Starlin Castro. The only question was, what was the order going to be?
I was of the opinion that Jason Heyward was the most talented rookie available and was the obvious #1 selection. Others roundly (and justifiably) criticized me – Paul had recently traded Brian McCann and the 108th pick in the draft for the 6th and 45th pick and A.J. Pierzynski. He would NEVER have done that unless he planned on taking Buster Posey.
The plot thickened when the GM of the Brobdingnag Barbarians, Joe Auletta, acquired the #2 pick in the draft as part of a blockbuster 8-player deal (giving up Stephen Drew and Phil Hughes, a second rounder, getting Jimmy Rollins, the #2 pick and a first-rounder next year). Joe is affectionately known as “The Prince Of Darkness”, and is rumored to possess the power to compel managers to give up their whole draft for a handful of beans, if only they chanced to gaze into Joe’s eyes.
Joe coveted Heyward with the heat of 1000 suns and was feeling confident that with the #2 pick, he would land his prize.
Adding to the suspense was the fact that Paul and Joe would be traveling to the draft in the same car, spending 3 hours together on the road to Fishkill, NY. Would Paul be able to avoid Joe’s eyes?
As happened, everyone got in without incident, no draft choices had changed hands. High Noon (actually, 12:20 or so – the meeting went long) on Saturday Feb 12 arrived. Paul took the floor and announced the number one selection:
Jason Heyward!
Pandemonium reigned. To his credit, though, Joe was cool, calm and collected. He announced his intention to trade the #2 pick down if anyone was interested. Someone was – Paul Montague! Joe and Paul want out in the hall for a few moments of discussion, and returned with a deal -
The Marauders had traded the #6 pick and their 2012 first-rounder for the #2 pick and the Barbarians’ 2012 second-rounder. And with the #2 pick of the 2011 draft, the Marauders selected:
Buster Posey.
The story’s denouement arrived at the #6 selection, after Santana, Castro and Stanton went 3-4-5. Joe, who is building what he hopes will be a mid-teens dynasty, chose Stephen Strasburg.
You can find the results of the 2011 TBL draft here. And for a taste of Joe’s team-building strategy, take a gander at next year’s draft grid and how much of it belongs to Brobdingnag.
Chip writes in to inform us how the 2011 American Baseball League draft went. The ABL is a keeper league using players from the AL East plus Cleveland and Detroit.
Chip writes:
A very weak year for starting pitching and offense in general, with only 1 “B” SP and 1 marquee offensive position player (Beltre).
Berkman slipping to the 3rd Rd and several relatively early prospect picks the only minor surprises. Charlies bypassing Morrow (C W) at #3 & #4 may come back to haunt them.
Even though there are still a couple of weeks before pitchers & catchers report for spring training, and an additional month before my beloved Illowa APBA League kicks off its season with playoffs, the World Series, the rookie draft, & the start of another season, I’ve got baseball on the brain. So I’ve decided to do a rookie draft preview. I’ve done many draft reviews, but this is my first shot at a draft preview. It’s kind of tough to do, without tipping my hand. I’d love to hear your thoughts on my evaluation.
TOP TEN
C Buster Posey, OF Jason Heyward, P Jaime Garcia, P Daniel Hudson, P Madison Bumgarner, SS Starlin Castro, P Stephen Strasburg, OF Mike Stanton, P Jhoulys Chacin, P* Neftali Feliz
11-20
P Brian Matusz, 3B Pedro Alvarez, P Ian Kennedy, C Carlos Santana, 2B Neil Walker, OF Tyler Colvin, SS Ian Desmond, OF Austin Jackson, P Jonathan Niese, 1B Ike Davis
21-30
3B Danny Valencia, P* Jonny Venters, P* Alexi Ogando, 3B Chris Johnson, OF Jose Tabata, 2B/SS Reid Brignac, P Alex Sanabia, P Mike Leake, P Travis Wood, P Jake Arrieta
31-40
P* Wilton Lopez, C John Jaso, P Wade Davis, OF Logan Morrison, OF Lorenzo Cain, P* Ryan Webb, OF Brandon Boesch, 1B Justin Smoak, 1B Brett Wallace, P* Sergio Santos
41-50
P* John Axford, P Hisanori Takahashi, C Josh Thole, P* Kenley Jansen, P* Craig Kimbrel, P* Chris Sale, P* Zach Braddock, P Jeanmar Gomez, P* Drew Storen, P* Ernesto Frieri
OVERLOOKED ROOKIES
P* Michael Kohn, P* Michael Dunn, P Josh Tomlin, 1B Gaby Sanchez, SS/2B Jason Donald, P Mitch Talbot, P* Fernando Salas, P* Henry Rodriguez, P Jenrry Mejia, P Tyson Ross
1) THUNDERCHICKENS – TOMMY HANSON P: I watched Tommy dominate the AFL a couple of years ago, then he repeated the feat with the Braves in his rookie season, he has a funky delivery, almost like a dart thrower. Looks to be the heir apparent successor to Tom Glavine both with Atlanta and the T*Chix. Far & away the best pitcher in the draft.
2) KERNELS – Andrew Bailey P*: AL ROY was converted to the closer role in Oakland and was lights out. Bailey blows batters away, reminds me very much of Jonathan Papelbon. Kentucky will be in the playoff hunt and Andrew will help them get there, nice pick.
3) GAMBLERS – Matt Wieters C: Only question about Wieters seems to be, is it i-e or e-i, either way, this kid can do it all behind the plate. Looks to be a switch-hitting Joe Mauer, might have even more power, if you can imagine that. Should fit in nicely with Prince Fielder & Ryan Braun.
4) BOMBERS – David Price P: Many had this overpowering lefthander listed as the #1 pick in the draft, surprised to see him fall to #4, although with team needs & a very talented rookie class, it’s understandable. Price has the talent and the desire, the Bombers needed pitching, look like a perfect fit.
5) CHAMPIONS – Gordon Beckham 3B: The Champions already have ARod & Ian Stewart at 3B, so why would they draft another thirdbaseman? It turns out the White Sox are moving this power hitting rookie to second, which makes him very important to Chicago’s future.
6) HIGHLANDERS – Andrew McCutchen OF: I’ve watched this kid’s dreadlocks flying in the breeze in spring training, and admired his hustle. He does everything well. The Highlanders needed help in the outfield and got it in McCutchen.
7) UPPERDECKERS – Daniel Bard P*: I agree that this kid has electric stuff, but the Upperdeckers could have gotten him later in the draft and gotten more to help them now. IMHO, they jumped the gun.
8) KERNELS – Randy Wells P: I know Keith is a Cubs fan, but sometimes he takes team loyalty to an extreme. I’m not a Randy Wells fan, there were plenty of better starting pitchers out there, Brett Anderson, Jeff Niemann, & Rick Porcello, to name three. Wells is a flash in the pan, did it with mirrors in his rookie season, this season the mirrors break.
9) RISING BAMM BEANOS – J.A. Happ P: Was impressed with Happ’s changeup when I saw it last spring in Clearwater. Then this kid showed what he could do in his rookie season, still I believe there were three rookie starters better than J.A., see the law firm of Anderson, Niemann, & Porecello.
10) HITMEN – Brett Anderson – P: Brett Anderson is the best left handed starter in this draft, because he has great command of his stuff, and pounds the strike zone. He may end up being this year’s best pitcher taken, and I may regret taking trading this pick and drafting hitting rather than pitching.
11) THUNDERCHICKENS – Jeff Niemann P: Big Jeff Niemann was dominant in college, but then had arm trouble, now he seems to be fully recovered. People might have shied away from him because of his age & lack of hype, but this guy is the real deal. Still the rebuilding T*Chix would’ve been better off selecting the 3rd member of the law firm, Mr. Porcello.
12) MARUADERS – Rick Porcello P: Rivals Hanson, Price, & Anderson for the best rookie starting pitcher in the draft. Has a terrific fastball, yet pitched to contact to minimize his pitch count, very impressive, throws with a fluid motion, shouldn’t experience arm problems.
13) BOMBERS – Luis Valbuena 2B: Although the Bombers needed a secondbaseman, Valbuena probably would’ve been on the board in a later pick, and if not, Chris Getz is not that bad. That said, Luis has a great glove with good doubles power, wouldn’t surprise me if he hit 20 home runs.
14) HITMEN – Travis Snider OF: Travis has the best swing of any hitter in the draft, period. As a fielder, this kid can hit! Lil Duke has good power, quick hands, and is will to take a walk.
15) GAMBLERS – Brad Bergesen P: Whore pick! Bergesen has good control, needs to be perfect to be effective, was very good as a rookie, the hitters catch on to him as a sophomore. Reminds me of a poor man’s Dave Rozema.
16) MARAUDERS – Trevor Cahill P: Cahill got a lot of experience as a regular member of Oakland’s rotation as a rookie, yet I’m not a fan. Reminds me of Steve Trachsel. Homer Bailey is much better.
17) MARAUDERS – Chris Coghlan OF/2B: Coghlan, a converted infielder, came out of nowhere to win the NL ROY for the Marlins. This kid takes a disciplined, yet aggressive approach to the plate, he waits for a ball in his zone, and then he whacks it, works for him. He may end up moving back to secondbase, if Florida tires of Dan Uggla. No matter where this Tarpon Springs kid plays, he’ll hit.
18) HITMEN – Colby Rasmus OF: Rasmus can do it all, has tremendous power, plays centerfield, the sky i the limit for Colby, needs to make better contact, and believe in his ability. He’s a brash youngster, who does it his way.
19) THUNDERCHICKENS – Homer Bailey P: I don’t know why it is, but the best arms seem to come out of Texas. Bailey was a phenom in high school. Although Homer has experienced growing pains, he looks ready to step into his greatness. Bailey should be a solid starting pitcher for years to come.
20) KERNELS – Elvis Andrus SS: Pre-draft predictions had Andrus going to the Kernels with the 2nd pick in the draft, yet the Kernels got their man with the 20th selection, good patience by Kentucky. Elvis will only get better, he can field with anyone, fast as the wind, and should develop power as he matures.
21) BOMBERS – Tim Hudson P: If Webb & Hudson can come back, along with Liriano, the Bombers staff is looking good, but if ifs & buts were candy & nuts, every day would be Christmas. Hudson appears to be throwing pain free, looked good at the end of last year, yet is getting long in the tooth, and Green Rock might’ve been better served drafting a youngster.
22) HITMEN – Ron Belisario P*: Here is the classic one year A* reliever, yet the Hitmen might just have enough to get into the playoffs, and if you have a shot then you’ve got to go for it. There have been cases where journeyman relievers carry on, but more often than not, it doesn’t end well.
23) UPPERDECKERS – Dexter Fowler OF: Reminds me of Devon White, which is not necessarily a bad thing, this kid can fly, will play centerfield for years in the bigs, knows how to draw a walk, and is just learning to switch-hit, once he masters that, look out! Pencil him in as the Upperdeckers leadoff man and leave him there, problem solved.
24) MARAUDERS – Matt Palmer P: The only reason this guy was drafted is because he’s an Angel & a B, but on a rebuilding team, that seems to be a waste. Learned a long time ago, if you don’t have something good to say, silence is golden.
25) RISING BAMM BEANOS – Cameron Maybin OF: Maybin is a kid with all the tools, yet somehow the hype seems to have nearly passed him by. Curtis was involved in the trade which sent Miguel Cabrera to the Tigers, Maybin was the gem the Marlins were receiving in return. Believe me mom, they are magic beans.
26) CHAMPIONS – Alcides Escobar SS: This kid can flat out hit! He was born to play shortstop and will be in the running for this year’s NL ROY, great value at the 26th pick in the draft, was sure the Bamm Beanos would take him with the 25th pick.
27) THUNDERCHICKENS – Jose Mijares P*: Never waste a pick on an overweight relief pitcher when you’re rebuilding, even if he is an A*. This guy has struggled in the past, will struggle again, especially with Joe Nathan hurt. It’s tough to lose, but the T*Chix would’ve been smarter loading up on talented starters.
28) KERNELS – Julio Borbon OF: Why take Borbon when you’re going for it? This was the perfect time to whore it out & take Garrett Jones! Borbon doesn’t walk, doesn’t field, can hit, and can run. Will it be enough? Time will tell.
29) BOMBERS – Kyle Blanks OF/1B: Big Bad Blanks is a Manster! Maybe he’ll play first, maybe he’ll play outfield, but he has the bat to be the next Prince Fielder or Ryan Howard. Great pick by a team that needs talent!
30) HITMEN – Luke Gregorson P*: Park Ridge’s own Luke Gregorson, the Hitmen play right across the border from where Gregorson grew up. Luke has a nasty strikeout pitch and the same first name as his manager’s nickname.
31) GAMBLERS – Garrett Jones OF/1B: Saw this guy take Sabathia out on a pitch on his hands, but even if he’s only another whore, this organization has done well drafting a nice combination of talent & cards.
32) MARAUDERS – Billy Wagner P*: Lost Tim Hudson by not protecting him, didn’t want the same thing to happen to fan favorite Billy the Kid. It’ll be interesting to see how much he has left in the tank and whether the Marauder rebuilding project will be completed in time to get some use out of Wagner.
33) MAARAUDERS – Kevin Jepsen P*: Throws hard, along the same lines as Daniel Bard & Ryan Perry. Might be some upside, could be a closer, worthwhile gamble on an Angel reliever with heat.
34) CHAMPIONS – Ryan Perry P*: I get nervous just thinking about bringing in a reliever with a W, that said, this kid has some nasty gas! Nervous about the present, excited about the future.
35) THUNDERCHICKENS – Casey McGehee 3B: McGehee is an older rookie, who seems to have learned how to hit. Casey will be the starting thirdbaseman in Milwaukee, but will be buried behind Ryan Zimmerman with the T*Chix. Tom jumped the gun, announcing McGehee before his pick, the Champions negotiated a trade with the Hitmen, which would have sent Casey to the Northside in exchange for Gregorson.
36) HIGHLANDERS – Jayson Nix INF: It’s hard to find good utility infielders, especially ones that can hit, especially ones that can hit for power. Should provide coverage, which will allow the Highlanders to draft talent for years to come.
37) HITMEN – Alexei Ramirez SS: Drafted in the first round one year ago by the Marauders, then dropped by the Upperdeckers, the Hitmen got great value, and just what the doctor ordered in Ramirez. Alexei is flashy in the field at short, has power, and is the Hitmen’s best option at SS.
38) GAMBLERS – Mat Gamel 3B: With whore pick McGehee taken a couple of selections early, the Gamblers took talent in Mat Gamel. Gamel may be Casey’s under study with the Brewers for now, but might be the starter at the hot corner in Milwaukee in the very near future.
39) MARAUDERS – Everth Cabrera SS: Cabrera was a Rule V player who took over as the Padres everyday shortstop. He has a good eye, good speed, and what would an Illowa rookie draft be if Molly Potts didn’t draft a shortstop?
40) BOMBERS – Brandon Webb P: Webb was one of the best pitchers in the game, the key word is was. I thought at the time he was traded from Kentucky in exchange for Alfonso Soriano it was a steal for Green Rock, but healing is taking longer than expected, and now I’m not so sure.
41) CHAMPIONS – Clay Zavada P*: Nice mustache! Hopefully this Streator reliever will be able to handle getting tough lefthanded hitters out for the Champs, Okajima will help bring him along.
EXTRA ROUNDS
42) GAMBLERS – Brian Sanches P*: Another whore pick, in the same vein as Jose Veras. Still with the Gamblers going for it, it makes sense to restock the bullpen. Three Rivers needed a little extra time to make this selection, allowing the Highlanders to pick first, making Sanches the last player taken.
43) HIGHLANDERS – Jeff Fulchino P*: One last whore pick before the dice hit the table. But this one makes sense too, as a playoff contender, it’s always good to grab an extra reliever.
REPORT CARDS
A GAMBLERS: Wieters, Bergesen, Jones, Gamel, Sanches - Todd is the best salesman in the league, I don’t know how he does it, he seems to get the best players in the draft, year after year, and this year was no exception with the selection of Wieters. Then there were three whore picks of Bergesen, Jones, & Sanches. Gamel might turn out to be a player.
A- KERNELS: A. Bailey, Wells, Andrus, Borbon – Two really nice picks in Bailey & Andrus, both will fill glaring holes for the Kernels. Could’ve done better than selecting Wells & Borbon.
B+ HITMEN: Anderson, Snider, Rasmus, Belisario, Gregorson, Ramirez – Anderson, Snider, & Rasmus all have tremendous upside. Belisario & Gregorson provide innings out of the pen & Alexei is a big improvement over Renteria at short.
B THUNDERCHICKENS: Hanson, Niemann, H. Bailey, Mijares, McGehee – Hanson, Niemann, & Bailey were all good picks, although Porcello would’ve been better than Niemann. But taking Mijares & McGehee were wasted picks IMHO.
B- CHAMPIONS: Beckham, Escobar, Perry, Zavada – No argument with the players selected, Escobar & Beckham will be a very good doubleplay combination, but team would’ve been better served taking Anderson, Belisario, Gregorson, Ramirez, (sounds like Chuck’s draft), & Brett Gardner, and trading Marquis for Podsednik. That said, Perry & Zavada look solid in the pen, but not sure if it’s enough for now. Also Beckham & Escobar will not help much now either.
C UPPERDECKERS: Bard, Fowler – Bard has a great arm, could be the best relief pitcher in the draft, but he would’ve been there later in the draft. Fowler is fast, and this team needed outfield help.
C- HIGHLANDERS: McCutchen, Nix, Fulchino – McCutchen is a talented outfielder, who can do it all. Nix & Fulchino fill team needs for a playoff contender.
D+ MARAUDERS: Porcello, Cahill, Coghlan, Palmer, Wagner, Jepsen, Cabrera – Porcello is the real deal & Coghlan can hit, not much other than that. Palmer & Cabrera seem to be wasted picks. Not sure Wagner will be back in time to help the rebuilding Marauders, and while Jepsen has a major league arm, the jury is still out when it comes to his future.
D- BOMBERS: Price, Valbuena, Hudson, Blanks, Webb – The Bombers need pitching, funny how Mr. Pitching, needs pitching. He got some help in Price, and a couple of question marks in Hudson & Webb. Blanks is a masher, but can he pitch. Although Valbuena fills a need, he could’ve been had later.
F RISING BAMM BEANOS: Happ, Maybin – The Bamm Beanos got all they needed from the Marauders, but if they’re going for it, then selecting Niemann & Jones over Happ & Maybin makes more sense. Also could’ve used a little more bullpen help to bridge to Rivera & Papelbon.
OVERLOOKED ROOKIES
1) Mat Latos P: This 6’5″ righthander is the real deal and will have a chance to show what he’s got, this season, for the Padres, at the tender young age of 22.
2) Derek Holland P: This young lefthander was rushed to the majors by the Rangers last season and was baptised under fire. He should fair much better in his second season in the bigs.
3) Jordan Zimmermann P: Zimmermann will be the #2 man in Washington behind Strasburg, which isn’t too shabby at all. The only reason he wasn’t taken was because he suffered a season ending injury last year, which will cause him to miss all of 2010, still I like his upside.
4) Matt LaPorta OF/1B: Matt is one of the best young power hitters in the game. LaPorta was traded from the Brewers to the Indians in exchange for C.C. Sabathia.
5) Tyler Clippard P*: The Nats converted this former Yankee farm hand to the bullpen last and he went from a struggling starter to a lights out reliever, I shoulda drafted this guy!
6) Gio Gonzalez P: If this lefty ever learns to control his nasty stuff, look out. The sky’s the limit, although sometimes it’s easier said than done to harness the po.
7) Chris Tillman P: Here is a righthanded starter, who was rushed this past year. Still Chris has a big league arm and will be the #2 man behind Matusz in Baltimore.
8) James McDonald P/P*: McDonald started off last season in the rotation for the Dodgers, but ended up with a lot of success pitching out of the pen. No matter where he ends up, he has a big league arm.
9) Franklin Morales P*: This hard throwing lefty came up to the Rockies with Ubaldo Jimenez, at the time I thought Morales was better, he still has top notch closer stuff.
10) Marc Rzepczynski P: I was practicing saying his last name, thinking there might be a scenario where I might take this lefthander. I fell in love with him after watching one of his late season starts last year.
With the Illowa APBA League draft convention one day away, it’s beginning to be crunch time. I have six pitchers and just one graded starter on my pitching staff at this point. The only good news is that I have six draft picks including the #1 pick, for our upcoming rookie draft (David Price, anyone?).
I just sent this email out to league members.
I have the following available for a draft pick:
Mike Cameron Scott Podsednik Jonny Gomes (I hate to do this, I love the guy)
We cap off our Convention on Sunday @the Blue Oyster Diner in Oxford Valley Mall area and our league Commissioner(Jerry) leaves to preach at his church !!!
I’m sure managing an APBA team gives him plenty of material for his sermon about the Book of Job.
I’m already tossing & turning about the upcoming IAL Rookie Draft, which isn’t until March, 2010. The upcoming crop of rookies seem to be a very good one, with five B starters, a A&C* relief pitcher, a star catcher, thirdbaseman, & shortstop available, along with four fulltime outfielders (one may be moving to 2B). What to do?
Last year I even caught myself by surprise when I selected reliever (A&B* K) Joey Devine over the dominant 20 year old lefty starter Clayton Kershaw. My bullpen was a glaring weakness going into last year’s draft, so passing on Devine would’ve been very difficult. Later in the draft we bolstered the pen further by selecting Cory Wade & Sergio Romo. In the past we’ve chosen Julian Tavarez & Guillermo Hernandez in the first round, the Highlanders have taken one year stop gap graded A*’s Armando Benitez, Jorge Julio, & Mike Gonzalez, you can never go wrong filling a team need & helping your ballclub in the now, i.e., drafting a card. So it looks pretty clear, if Andrew Bailey’s still on the board, we’ll take him.
But then there are the other talented rookie options out there that keep me up at night, what to do! Tommy Hanson & David Price are the real deal, unfortunately I don’t think either pitcher will fall to me. Then there are B starters J.A. Happ & Randy Wells, both proved their worth, and don’t look to be one hit wonders, they probably won’t be there when I pick. There are still a couple of more B starters, Brad Bergesen & Josh Outman, both are limited, both were injured, but both are B’s. Then there are good young starters Rick Porcello, Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Brett Cecil, Jeff Niemann, Homer Bailey, Tommy Hunter, & Clayton Richard. Surely some of these gems will fall beyond the first round, because there are also alot of talented position players in the draft.
Matt Wieters looks like the 2nd coming of Joe Mauer, or as CLuke points out, maybe Brian McCann. Over at the hot corner (or maybe a future SS) is Gordon Beckham, who is not just a pretty bat, this kid can pick it. Shortstop Elvis Andrus is young, only going to get older (& better), maybe he’s Edgar Renteria, or when he grows into his body, Hanley Ramirez. Four outfielders stand above the rest, one is Chris Coghlan, batted .320, but might move to 2B. Another is Dexter Fowler, who can fly, but is that enough to be a regular outfielder in the IAL? And then there’s the Bucs Andrew McCutchen, maybe he’ll be an important building block to the Pirates resurgence, or another talented youngster to be dealt when payday rolls around (he won’t be taken by DonS as he doesn’t draft from losing ballclubs, went against his rule drafting Cincy pitchers last year, don’t think he’ll do that again). Don’t overlook St. Louis Cardinals power hitting outfielder Colby Rasmus. It’ll be hard to overlook oldster Garrett Jones, who really showed he could mash, when given a shot in Pittsburgh, plays OF/1B. Then there’s my hyped outfielder Travis Snider, will he be the next Brad Komminsk or Cory Snyder?
The funk of this whole draft day situation is that there are managers in the IAL (I’m sure you have them in your league as well), who’ll go to the rookie draft with their prospect book in hand, and say, “I’ll take that phe-NOM from Tommy Hanson. Is he a righty or a lefty & what team does he play for anyway?” Hey, where can I get one of those prospect books & a bottle of sleeping pills?
I’m already tossing & turning about the upcoming IAL Rookie Draft, which isn’t until March, 2010. The upcoming crop of rookies seem to be a very good one, with five B starters, a A&C* relief pitcher, a star catcher, thirdbaseman, & shortstop available, along with four fulltime outfielders (one may be moving to 2B). What to do?