Did you know?: During a game that carried into the dusk hours, Clarkson once pitched a lemon to the plate to persuade the umpire, Jack Kerins to call the game due to darkness. Kerins called the lemon a strike, and when shown by Boston’s catcher that he had called a lemon a strike, Kerins finally called the game.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Season 34 Clarkson Draft: 1st Round Grades by franchise

Posted by intrepid reporter SufferinSox:

One man’s take on the signed first rounders (caveats, the players’ potential is seen through the dark blurry lens of low advance scouting, so feel free to counter on the grades/evals.  I didn’t rank unsigned players as of late 3/14/15):

Austin Kickpunchers (AcrticleLegend):  GRADE:  A+:   

#1--Joshua Nolasco SP (RH)-- This HS SP looks like a workhorse stud top of the rotation P.  High potential durability, and stamina in the high 80’s, double plus control with a killer R split and 4 solid pitches, he could be marauding the league for years.  He’s a high makeup guy who should make it.  Teammates call NolacsNONO.
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Baltimore Bully’s (Thunderdonkey): Two first rounders: GRADE C-:   

#31Tim Mosely RP (RH) – A 20 year old RP as a first pick is questionable.  Adding to the questionable pick is an RH split in the 40’s, only two pitches, the second in the low 50’s.

#46Alex Braun SP (RH) – Brawny Boy looks like a #3 at best.  Maybe his sinking action will induce enough groundballs to give him better success.
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Boston Brown Sox (jrcpga): Four first rounders!! (3 signed):  GRADE C

#32Red Spilborghs SS –This 18 year old HS SS has a long way to go, but if he can get there, he will be flashing leather and lightning fast speed.  A contact hitter with speed, and the potential for a strong glove at SS leave Boston very hopeful.  His below 50 makeup, however, may leave them wanting more.

#47 Dizzy Williams 3B -- Unsigned

#51--Daryl King CF – A potential avg. CF who slaps the ball, that is, when he makes contact.  He doesn’t look like he makes much contact, however.  Daryl will not be king of CF.

#63—Kirk Davis 3B –A platoon 3B who has some power and can maybe hit LHP’s, he looks only ok.
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Chicago is it next year (Demonchildme):  GRADE--Incomplete:  

#15Oswaldo Pimentel 2B—Unsigned
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Chicago Outfit (Nitehawk98):  Three first rounders:  GRADE A

#4—Andrew Hull SP (RH)—19 yr. old Hull looks like he could develop into a strong #2/3 type SP.  His control and decent splits will help guide a strong 4 seam fastball #1 P with little support from any of his other offspeed pitches.

#53—Walter Sabathia SS—Locals call him smoothie because of the way he glides on the field.  Some say he can cover the entire middle field with his range.  The Outfit hope it’s true.  A right handed “bat” with a poor hitting eye will be forgiven for his swings and misses if he grows into his potential range because once he gets to a ball, he has the cannon to throw it from anywhere. 

#65—Rick Solis SP (RH)—Yet another HS’er that the Outfit hopes grow into his britches.  Solis wields a nasty knuckleballer with a 4 seam follow up that induces a bunch of ground balls.  The Outfit can’t wait to start Solis with Sabathia scooping up everything any batter makes contact with.
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Cincinnati Scallywags (Graybeard): Two first rounders: GRADE:  Incomplete:  

#34—Johnny Cust RP (LH)—

#64 Stolmy Correa 3B—
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Detroit Ducks (chawkins11): Grade A:  

#6 Alex Cruz RF:  Cruz is everything you might want in a RF.  He’s got + speed, can’t field so much, but who cares.  This HS’er eats lefties for breakfast and should be terrorizing pitchers with his ability to make contact with power.  In Detroit, they love Cruz control.
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Fresno Fruitcakes (Luthermax) : Grade Incomplete:  

#16 Adam Davis 2B: 
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Hartford Hawks (Chico921):  Two first rounders:  Grade A-:  

#14 Hector Lewis SS – unsigned

#56 Reagan Jorgenson 3B:  Continuing the spate of HS’ers, the Hawks pick up the potential best 3B in the draft.  A LH power bat and strong fielder with enough speed to leg out a slooowww, but not a slow roller, Jorgenson is everything a 3B should be.  The only questions are poor baserunning acumen and below average stamina.  But, the Hawks don’t care.  They’re not going to be asking Jorg to run, only to hit.
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Jackson Boon Sox (CameoLions): Three first rounders--  Grade D:  

#33 Matty Vargas RP (LH)—I hate to have to write this because I have a lot of respect and admiration for the Boon Sox’ history, but it’s certainly not the good ole days for the Boon Sox draft.  The home crowd is wondering what happened to the GM with this pick.  Vargas is not expected to hit the big leagues till…ever.  Over/Under?  AA.

#48 Mateo Cortazar CF:  Good news is that Mateo could someday make it to the bigs…as a backup/defensive specialist with above average speed.

#52 Derek Halton 3B (unsigned, which looks like it’s a good thing).
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Kansas City Allstars (bearclan1):  Grade A-:  

#24 Warren Baltz RP (RH)—Breaking the string of HS’ers, the Allstars tab a lights out, 3 pitch RP.  Looks like a can’t miss closer who will be closing shop in KC for as far as the eye can see.  The only question is taking an RP in the first round, but Baltz looks like a Chapman or Kimbrel quality.
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Los Angeles WhiteWaves (northpole832):  Three first rounders--Grade C:  

#23 Jason Stafford CF (unsigned)

#43 Ricky Russell RP (RH) – Ricky R looks like a run of the mill RH RP…well that’s a little too critical.  Looks like he could make it to the bigs and fill out the middle to top half of a pen.

#60 Homer Balfour 2B:  Clearly the best name in the first round, if not the whole draft.  Homer’s name is an aspiration that likely won’t be met very often.  If he develops, it will likely  be into a rangy Left fielder who can slap the ball around against RHP and run like the wind, but he won’t see enough ball fours to use that speed often enough.
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Louisville Bats (muredhawk16):  Four first rounders—Grade B to B+:  

#20 Max Miranda RF – Max is not the max RF’er out there, but he’s a solid above average RH power bat. 

#42 Dayan Matos RF:  If only Matos had the stamina to play more than a 100 games per season, he’d be very sought after.  He unfortunately looks like his lack of stamina matches his makeup.  Otherwise, his batting eye could develop enough to let this LH bat kill RHPs.

#50 Bryan Berry RP:  This lefty could be a long relief/spot starter who makes a difference.  He’s got a long way to grow into his high control and splits.  If he gets there, his strong 4 pitches will let him be a force, leaving the Bats to say he’s been “Berry Berry good” to them.

#59 Philip Borland unsigned:
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Madison Getchapopcorn (aclog7373) Two first rounders:  Grade Incomplete:  

#30 Pete Merloni RF; #45 Douglas Boesch P  (Unsigned)
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Mexico City Guacamole (dbacks4848) Two first rounders:  Grade Incomplete:  #5 Andy Wall RP (LH); #35 Mendy Bryant SP (RH)  (Unsigned)
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Milwaukee Scots (andy1874) Five first rounders!!?!?!:  Grade B+:  

#25 Benji Campbell SP (LH) unsigned; 

#26 Jenrry Villa SP (RH) – JV looks like he’ll make the V someday as a middle to back rotation SP.  Milwaukee wishes they could trade the extra “r” in his first name in exchange for a stronger righty split.  Alas, while you can buy letters and vowels on wheel of fortune, you can’t buy an increase in righty splits in WIS.

#61 Alan Harrell RP (RH):  Harrell has the RH split that Jenrry would like.  On the strength of this, Harrell may help the ML club someday hold down the pen.

#66 Chris Hodges RP (RH):  The Scots must need pen help.  They pick up another piece in Hodges.  Potential high control and a plus plus slider may grease his way to the bigs.

#67 Michael Ricarrdi C:  Ricarrdi’s not a C, but a DH.  He’s got a solid base on which he rests a powerful bat that should lead to 25-30+ HRs a season
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Monterey Banditos (dafood):  Two first rounders:  Grade A-:  

#3 Darron Herrerra SP (RH) – Yet another HS’er, Herrerra is trying to develop 5 pitches to go with his above average control and splits.  Not the best #3 I’ve ever seen, but certainly someone you don’t mind picking up in the first round;

#8 Darrell Titan 3B—Once Titan makes it to the bigs, he should be the fastest 3B there is.  With the right coaching, he may also be the best baserunner.  His strong bat should get him on base enough to terrorize pitchers and make the Banditos not care that he’s really a LF’er rather than a 3B.
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Montgomery Guardians (SufferinSox):  NO first rounders!!
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Nashville Sound (bigronnie):  Two first rounders:  Grade B+:  

#11 Tim Barker RP (RH) Long relief pitcher par excellence…possibly.  Barker’s got a strong character that may help him grow into his significant potential.  Control/Splits/Pitches…he could have it all;

#54 Dan Biemel SP (LH):  The Sound were concerned about Biemel’s injury record, but not enough to take a chance on his control and strong changeup and slider.  Biemel sold the Sound on letting him make his way from Canada to country music’s heartland. 
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New York Metros (Joehonus):  Three first rounders: Grade B+:  

#19 Darrell McBride C:  McBride doesn’t call a very strong game, but the Mets don’t care.  McB should kill LHPs and has a strong enough arm that he should hold down the baserunners from running wild.

#40 Gabby Foltynewicz CF – The Metros drafted Folty after they figured out how to pronounce his name.  It wasn’t because of his stellar fielding or hitting.  Folty may end up as a backup CF if everything works better than expected;

#58  Vic Tartamella SS  -- The Metros saved their first round with this latter round pickup.  Always good to have a strong fielding SS, and Tartamella fits that bill.  His bat isn’t strong, but leather like this can sometimes beat wood.
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New York Skyliners (tommymax):  

#13 Stone Bailey SP (RH) Grade B:  Stone has a 4 seamer and slider, but his changeup won’t help much.  The big question for the Skyliners is whether 2 pitches will be enough. 
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Norfolk Battleships (aeroguy32):  Two first rounders:  Grade B: 

#29 Pascaul Fernandez 2B – Pascual is not a strong fielder and doesn’t have a lot of stamina to stay on the field as much as the Battleships would like.  They would love for him to be able to play more because he’s a contact hitter who should be able to grow into a solid part of their lineup.

#62 Barry Amaya SP (RH) – This HS’er from WV has a long way to grow.  If he gets “there,” he should be a lower rotation P whose lower control might be countered by a little better splits.
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Ottawa Oracles (frapercap):  Three first rounders:  Grade B+: 

#21 Deolis Wise RP (LH) – Wise should end up as a long reliever.  He’s a control pitcher with 3 pitches who may struggle against lefties

#27 Rogers Pillette RP (RH) – Pillette’s health issues may cut his development off a bit.  Pillette doesn’t have the best repertoire, but he’s been effective against righties

#41 Phillippe Solis CF – Solis is not a CFer, but the Oracles take some solace in Solis’s bat and speed, which should be enough to let him get to the bigs someday, if only as a role player.
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Richmond Royals (Moose821):  Four first rounders:  Grade A: 

#12 Ellis Martin SS – Martin looks like a keeper for sure.  A solid fielding SS who carries a bat is tough to find. 

#18 Wallace Collins 3B – The Royals continue to make an impact with WC.  He has the biggest 3B bat.  His only weakness is a slightly weak arm for a 3B, but he’s accurate.  No need to worry about his lack of speed.  It doesn’t matter much when the ball goes out of the park.

#38 Ossie Hoes 2B –Allie Hoes’ cousin once removed, Ossie hopes to be like Allie someday.  He’s got to make sure he has a good doc, however, as he looks to be injury prone.  If he stays healthy, he’ll do the Hoes proud.

#55 Terrell Sobkowiak SS—Terrell looks more like a 3B/RF than a SS.  He’s got somewhat of a light bat for those positions, but bat enough to taste the bigs someday.
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Sacramento Exterminatars (hst1):  Grade Incomplete -- 

#10 Barry Alexander 1B unsigned
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Salem Blues (lerxst):  Four first rounders:  Grade A+:  

#7 Dixon Bigley SP (RH) – Dixon doesn’t have the best stuff, but he’s got the potential to have great control and learn how to handle L and R’s enough to make it the Bigleygues as a strong #2.

#22 Rubby Johnson CF – Best CF in the draft falls to 22.  The Blues are singing a happy song after picking up Rubby.  It’s rare to find a strong fielding CF who can match it with a bat.  Rubby’s got it.

#36 Polino Aquino SP (RH) – The Blues blow away the field with a strong pickup at this point in the draft.  Hard to believe Polino fell so far, but the Blues are happy to catch him.  Not only does this Wells ME HS’er have potentially +90’s control, he should be effective v righties and has a plus 4 seamer and slider with strong curveball and changeup.  That’s 4, count’em, 4 solid pitches to go with that control.  With these three pickups alone the Blues lead the pack, but wait, there’s more…

#45 Alex Griffin SP (RH) – AG is not the best starter in the draft, but come on, he’s the Blues 4th first rounder who should make it to the bigs.  AGriff doesn’t overwhelm with his pitches, but he likely has enough to fill in at the back of a rotation or spot start.
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Salt Lake City Mountain View (circe 98): Two first rounders:  Grade B+:  

#9 Abraham Gill SP (RH) – MO State U product has 4 pitches and won’t take long to get to the bigs.  In fact, he’s already got the stuff to make it, though of course he should have time to develop some more.

#37 Nathan Todd SP (RH):  Can’t win ‘em all, and it’s likely Todd won’t win any in the bigs.  He’s got AA control with the outside chance of AAA.
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San Diego Colemans (davewillie):  Grade A:  

#2 Matthew Sweeney 2B—Sweeney’s a big character guy with an OMG bat.  His glove is as big as his bat, but his throwing arm is alarmingly weak.  When you can hit like he does though, everyone forgets that your throw to first didn’t make it before the new pitch clock ran out.
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San Juan RoundTrippers (worldtooher):  Grade Incomplete:  

#28 Audrey Delgado SP (RH); #44 Roenis Gil RP both unsigned
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Scranton Street Punx (kobh):  No first rounders…or 2nd…or 3rd!!
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Seattle Seals (tbone66):  Grade A-:  

#17 Shouhie Matsumoto SP (LH):  He’s called Shhhhh at Stanford U because he quieted opponents bats.  That’s at college.  He’s got a 4 seamer, but needs help with his curveball, slider, and cut FB.  It will be interesting to see how far he can ride the 4 seam FB.

#39 Adam Monell SP (LH):  Monell looks like a poor man’s Shhhhhh, which is a good pickup at this spot.  These two P’s should do well in Seattle’s P’s park. 
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Texas Wolverines (Szavsza23):  Grade Incomplete:  

#57 Vince Osbourne SS:  Unsigned

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