Sunday, August 10, 2008

Season 9 Draft Review - Part II (picks 11-20)

11. Jackson - Cy Turner - Turner is a contract hold out, but if he signs, he will be a major force. Similar to Rochester's Julio Rosa, he'll throw limited innings, but be dominant when he's on the hill.

12. St. Louis - Lou Jacquez - Jacquez is an interesting prospect, with a solid, but not spectacular bat, good but not great speed, and a great glove, but without the range necessary to play short or centerfield. He could end up being a top flight utility player in the bigs.

13. Augusta - Matt Waters - Waters is very similar to San Juan's Tim Presley, but with less power and fewer strike outs. An average bat against righties limits his upside.

14. Little Rock - Ben McCartney - McCartney is a prototypical one inning closer. He projects to have exceptional control and two plus-plus pitches. By Season 12, he will likely be pitching the ninth inning for the Radioactive Reindeer.

15. San Diego - James Lewis - Lewis has many of the same strengths and weaknesses as the #11 pick, Turner. With slightly less potent pitches, his upside is not as high, however. Still, Lewis keeps the ball down, and should be a #2 starter if he progresses as expected.

16. Milwaukee - Sammy Gonzales - We don't know much about Gonzales, but it doesn't much matter, as his agent, Scott Boras, is asking for the net worth of most of Milwaukee County as a signing bonus.

17. Baltimore - Ewell Romano - The Mets picked up a strong bat in Romano, though it is unclear where he fill fit on the field. He would be below average in right, but 22 year old Corey Guthrie is blocking his path at first.

18. Charleston - Clyde Hodges - The Vampires' unwillingness to spend on scouting came back to bite them by picking Hodges at 18. Despite three good pitches and great velocity, Hodges does not project as a Major League starting pitcher.

19. New York Break Your Backers - Dennys Hayes - The Break Your Backers have struggled in recent drafts to identify top end talent, but did very well here. Hayes projects as a workhorse middle of the rotation starter, who should be able to overcome average pitch quality.

20. Vancouver - Hooks Jackson - A clear steal at #20, but City Slicker management claims to have had Jackson at the top of their draft board. It's hard to believe them. He is very solid playing centerfield, and will steal bases. He will crush righties after maturing some, but will have to sit against lefties upon reaching the Majors. Some other teams were concerned by his lack of fire and a perceived unwillingness to progress through the minors.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think you are sorely underestimating Hodges. Yes, his vL and vR are low, but the Vampires organization feels he can be an effective starter