NL East Draft Review

Disclaimer: My advanced scouting is at $16 million and my high school and college scouting are at $14 million each, so these might not be 100% accurate.

Boston Red Sox - The Red Sox had the first overall selection in the season 12 draft, and they went with SS Harry Porter. Porter projects as a future All-Star SS, but unfortunately their scouts didn't pick up on future Cy Young winner Jeff Muratore, who would've been a great #1 overall pick. Porter will play passable defense at short, and should post a decent batting average with 20-HR power. He also is a devil on the basepaths and brings all the intangibles with him. The Red Sox got Walker Jodie in the 2nd round with the 48th overall pick. Jodie's control is suspect, and he doesn't have a 2nd out pitch to go with his blazing fastball. He might end up as a back-of-the-rotation starter in a best-case scenario. The Red Sox got Arthur Reed in round 3 with the 80th selection. Reed is passable behind the plate and solid with the bat. Alex Swann and Josh Thompson, the Red Sox's 4th and 5th round picks, project to be platoon players at the big league level. The Red Sox got a solid 1st rounder, and picked up several more players that could help the ML club at some point in the next couple rounds.. Grade: A-

Baltimore mets - The mets chose Sam Adams with the 14th overall pick in round one. Adams will play slightly above average defense at SS while putting up solid numbers at the plate. He won't be a perennial All-Star, but expect to see him make it at least a couple times. The mets didn't have another pick until the 4th round, where they chose Alan Walton. He projects as a bottom-of-the-rotation starter in a best-case scenario, but he doesn't look like he's willing to sign. The mets' only other pick of consequence was Buck Walker, who should be a minor league innings-eater and possibly make it to the show. The mets gave away their 2nd and 3rd round picks when they signed Tony De La Vega and Alex Freeman. With only one selection in the first 3 rounds, the needed to make sure they made it count, and they did. Grade: B+

Cleveland Redlegs - The Redlegs picked CF Shawn Kaufman 21st overall. Kaufman projects to be one of the top defensive CF in the world, and he should get on base a fair amount as well. He struggles driving the ball, but his high contact percentage, solid speed, good eye, and excellent defense makes up for it. Sam Servais was the Redlegs' 2nd round selection. Servais, a switch-hitter, boasts solid power, but can struggle when he bats righty. The Redlegs' 3rd and 5th round picks, Edgard Espinosa and Jacob Nicholson, are fringe ML players. Overall, the Redlegs had a solid draft. Kaufman probably won't be an All-Star but he'll greatly help out on defense, and Servais could hit 20 HR in a platoon role. Both also have solid speed on the basepaths. Grade: B

Indianapolis Lancers - The Lancers started things off by grabbing Kris Alexander with the 31st overall pick. When Alexander arrived at camp, Lancers management was dismayed to find his durability much lower than what the scouts said. This is the 2nd time this has happened recently to the Lancers (Toby Watkins in season 10 was another example). Nevertheless, Alexander could be a long reliever or possibly a 5-inning starter when he makes it to the big leagues. The Lancers chose Jesse Treadway with their supplemental pick, 39th overall. Treadway's bat was too good to pass up, and the Lancers hope he can play 1B in the future, though his range and glove are suspect. The Lancers took Jeff Sele in the 2nd round. Sele is a catcher with a solid bat who might be headed to an AL team, because his work behind the plate leaves something to be desired. Highlights from the rest of the draft include Bip Witt, Miguel Pena, Howie Ponson, and Albert Presley, all of whom face an uphill struggle to make it to the show. Coming into the draft, Lancers management was hoping to draft a pitcher who could make it to the big leagues some day, and Alexander provides that. Plus, Treadway could be a steal if he doesn't hurt the defense too much. Grade: B+