Season 19 Draft Analysis: Picks 1-10

Disclaimer: I have $16 million advanced scouting (and $14 million HS and college scouting), so my projections are not perfect. This analysis is done based on the projections I see (advanced scouting for signed players, HS/college scouting for unsigned players).

1. Columbus Small Ballers - Russ Martin: Martin was my top-ranked player. He is the definition of a player to build a franchise around: MVP-quality bat, blazing speed, and very solid defense at the most difficult position, SS. He will be an All-Star SS for the Small Ballers for many seasons to come, and was a great pick by chuckster. Grade: A

2. Mexico City Charros - Danys Perez: Another excellent selection. Perez will hit for more power than Martin, but might not get on base as much. He does boast blazing speed, but his defensive limitations mean he'll probably play 3B rather than SS in the bigs. Still, a bat like his at a position other than C/DH/1B/LF are not easy to come by. I had him ranked 5th, but his projections improved when my advanced scouting guys took a look at him. Grade: A

3. Cleveland Redlegs - Russ Paramore: My scouts saw this as an extraordinarily weak pitching draft, and part of the reason is because they missed Paramore. Wow, what a stud. Has the potential to be even better than Jeff Muratore (even before his injury). Nearly unbeatable splits, as well as great control, velocity, one great pitch and three other good ones...I am very unhappy he's in my division. Grade: A

4. Los Angeles Urban Achievers - Corky Ramsey: Ramsey has yet to sign, but when he does, the Urban Achievers will have a great bat to build around. Ramsey has MVP potential, thanks to his great power, excellent eye, speed on the basepaths, and ability to play pretty much every single day. The only downside is he will be limited to 1B or DH throughout his career. Still, an MVP-quality bat with the 4th pick is very good. I had him ranked 3rd. Grade: A

5. Florida Jack A$$'es - Alberto Alvarez: Ah yes, another stud SP that my scouts missed out on. Alvarez is no Paramore, but then again, nobody is. He still has potential to win a Cy Young (or more) during his career. The lack of a 3rd pitch might hurt him a bit, but his control, splits, and velocity make up for it. And with that high durability, he can put up some monster innings for the Jack A$$'es. Grade: A

6. Baltimore mets - Glenn Barnes: And here we have the 3rd stud SP my scouts missed. He's not quite at the caliber of Paramore or Alvarez, but he should see his share of All-Star games during his career. Barnes' excellent splits and great velocity should make up for his low control and lack of good 2nd through 5th pitches. Baltimore management is hoping he doesn't run into health issues during his career, which could be a worry. Grade: A-

7. Charleston Vampires - Orber Espinosa: The wealth of offensive talent in this draft continued as the Vampires picked up a great CF with the 7th pick in Espinosa. Espinosa continues the trend of speedy position players, though his baserunning instincts are subpar. He struggles against LHP's, but his great contact, vR, and batting eye should make him a MVP candidate at some point in his career. He should be very solid in CF as well, and bats like this at a demanding position like CF are rare indeed. My scouts continued their stellar work in completely missing out on Espinosa. Grade: A

8. San Francisco Friars - Don Kelly: The stellar draft continued with yet another MVP-caliber bat going 8th to the Friars. Kelly can hit for power (40+ HR threat) and average. He should be a very solid defender in CF, and could even fill in at 2B in a pinch (though you wouldn't want to play him there for a full season). Getting an MVP-caliber bat at the 8th pick, even at a corner OF position, is still an accomplishment. I had him ranked 4th. Grade: A

9. Madison Cheeseheads - Pedro Gonzalez: Finally the first dud pick in the draft. When Gonzalez throws the ball, he gets people out. He's got pitching tools comparable to Paramore and Muratore. However, Gonzalez suffers from an extreme case of narcolepsy: by the time he's thrown 10 pitches, he's usually asleep on the mound. Although his disorder has entertained dozens of fans at Milwaukee Area Technical College (who often compete in odd contests for the right to wheel him off the field), he probably won't be a great help for a ML baseball team. Luckily for milton7, though, he probably won't sign, as he prefers prefers playing in front of only his parents rather than a packed stadium, and a compensation pick could yield a useful pick next season. Grade: F

10. Nashville Troubadors - Jared Russell: Since he's still unsigned, and since apparently my scouts can't even locate a single college newspaper article about him, I can't give any opinion on this pick. When he signs, I'll update this with analysis.