This was definitely one of the weaker draft classes I have seen. Assuming I didn't miss anything, there have only been 2 players in the 1st round to even make an all star game. Four of these picks turned into Type D picks for the following season.
Best Pick: Jaret Medders (#1)
Best Value: Fred Thurman (#27)
Pick-by-Pick Review:
1. New York Metros - Jaret Medders (P)
- The Season 72 Rookie of the Year, Medders has been a solid starting pitcher for the Metros and has a career ERA of 3.03 as of the time of this post. He hasn't gotten a lot of recognition however as he has yet to make it to the All Star Game. Medders got a new 5-year contract from the Metros before last season and is set to be a primary cog in the surging New York team that is currently leading the NL East and is 2nd in the NL. All things considered a fairly solid #1 pick.
2. Anaheim Agitated Aardvarks - Hainley Lomasney (1B)
- The #2 pick in the draft, Hainley Lomasney has been a steady albeit unspectacular player so far in his career. Anaheim traded him after a couple of seasons to Montreal for pitcher Rico Pascual in Season 69 which seemed to benefit both teams. Lomasney's best trait is his eye which is why he has a career OBP above 0.350. He has also been typically been a 20-25 HR per year player. The downside is he is really just a 1B/DH, which makes the production a little bit disappointing for a #2 pick.
3. Austin Appaloosas (Season 77 now Jackson) - Felipe Florimon (P)
- He's not a huge innings eater, but Felipe Florimon has been a solid pitcher the last few seasons with Oklahoma City and now Jackson. However, with just 54 stamina/24 durability, he needs to be used out of the pen. His first few years in Nashville were rough, but his ERA the last few seasons has been 3.55, 5.26, 2.98, and now 3.06 this season as of this post, so it seems like he has turned the corner.
4. Syracuse Sugar Maples (New York - AL) - Cesar Alvarez (C)
- After a long time in the minors, Cesar Alvarez finally got some full-time action in the majors last season and produced to a slash line of 0.282/0.350/0.480 as a full-time DH. Offensively, he clearly has the talent, but most managers likely would not prefer to use him behind the plate given his defensive limitations. He is 28 so now is the time to use him, but he is underwhelming for the #4 pick.
5. Montreal Expos - Orlando Perez (P)
- Perez did not sign, which worked out well for Montreal because their Type D pick in Season 68 was a solid pitcher in Kenneth Christenson.
6. Portland Lastplace - Danys Casilla (P)
- Casilla also did not sign for Portland. Their Type D pick in Season 68 was pitcher Derek Bonds who was traded to Salem and has been great for them.
7. Trenton Tea Baggers (Milwaukee) - Theo Laffey (SS)
- Traded the season after being drafted Theo Laffey has been a steady 3B for the Colorado franchise with a career 0.800 OPS, 13 plus plays to 0 negative plays, and a career fielding percentage of 0.979 at 3B. Unfortunately, he is showing signs of decline at age 31 so his best days might be over. He may not fit the billing of a top 10 pick, but at least he has carved out a decent career.
8. Scottsdale Berzerker Mulletheads (Boise) - Dioner Querecuto (C)
- A good two-way catcher, Querecuto had been a staple for the Scottsdale/Boise franchise before being traded last season. A career slash line of 0.281/0.357/0.496 and one all star game appearance to his name, he is having a career year so far in Season 77 and could be headed to his second. A pretty good pick all things considered.
9. Louisville Brown-Forman (New Orleans) - Babe Strausborger (P)
- Good pitchers are hard to find, but The Babe was a solid find at pick #9 for Louisville. The Rookie of the Year in Season 71, Strausborger has a career ERA of 3.74 and 80 wins to his name thus far. He has struggled a little bit as of late, but is still a good value for pick #9 in a weak draft class.
10. Anaheim Agitated Aardvarks - Bobby Randolph (CF)
- Their second pick of the 1st round, Anaheim had another solid pick with Bobby Randolph, a defensive wizard in CF. Somehow Randolph has yet to win a gold glove despite 82 plus plays and a career fielding percentage of 0.980. He isn't known for his bat, but still has a 0.700 OPS for his career. Maybe not the huge draft Anaheim was hoping for but still solid value from their second 1st rounder.
11. Fresno Grizzlies - Ross Pose (CF)
- Pose didn't sign and unfortunately Fresno didn't get a Type D pick for it either.
12. Seattle Run - Harry Mujica (P)
- A seemingly pretty good lefty reliever, Mujica hasn't gotten a lot of time in the majors as he only has 2 ML years up until now. However, he is having a solid Season 77 with a 1.40 ERA in over 25 IP. If he can continue this stretch into the future, Seattle could still get some good value from this pick.
13. Cheyenne Sioux Nation (Colorado) - Johnny Halman (P)
- Halman has stuck around as a starting pitcher for the Colorado franchise, but hasn't had a ton of success. He has a career ERA around 5 and a losing record for his career, but he has been durable never having gone on the DL. He has played in some tough home parks, so his ERA would likely be a lot better in a pitcher's park or even more neutral parks.
14. New Orleans Krewe (Wichita) - Cecil McNichol (3B)
- Touted as a good 3B with some offensive upside, McNichol has underachieved bouncing around from team to team as a RF with below average offense.
15. San Antonio Stars (Houston) - Jason Davis (CF)
- Drafted as a defensive CF, Jason Davis has mostly lived up to the defense and shown signs of being able to get on base with a career OBP of 0.341. The lack of SBs is maybe the one downside or else Davis would have been a really good pick at #15.
16. Baltimore Blue Rocks (Washington DC) - Jose Javier (CF)
- Another solid defender up the middle, Javier has just a career OPS of 0.688, but is having a career year this season in DC with a slash line of 0.296/0.351/0.427. If he had produced like this his whole career, he would have been a steal.
17. Norfolk Tides - Enerio Burgos (P)
- Burgos didn't have much of a career, but it's surprising that he already retired despite a career ERA of 4.42.
18. Philadelphia AllStarIncs - Sadie Bates (SS)
- Bates is a good defender and had some good numbers in Norfolk putting up an OPS between 0.747 and 0.785 each of his four seasons there. He is in AAA now, but if he gets back to the majors again he could still provide some two-way value.
19. Vancouver Fighting Skeletons - Happy Wagner (P)
- It took him a few seasons to settle in, but Happy Wagner has been a great value pick for Vancouver at #19. Wagner has a career ERA of 3.50 with ERAs of 3.23, 2.86, and 2.87 in the last 2+ seasons. This could be one of the better long-term picks in this draft.
20. Salt Lake City Mountaineers (Toledo) - Lon Ward (2B)
- Ward has a career OPS just below 0.700, which would be okay if he played an important defensive position, but he has never proven to be anything better than a LF.
21. Toronto Yankdawgs - Milt Jones (P)
- Jones never amounted to much in the majors and has retired with a career ERA of 5.12.
22. Cincinnati Chevy's (Chicago) - Kristopher Andrews (P)
23. Cincinnati Chevy's (Chicago) - Vance Torres (P)
- Cincinnati had back-to-back picks and didn't sign either one nor did they get a Type D pick out of it. An unfortunate waste of draft capital for them.
24. Scranton Parade Days (Cincinnati) - Danny Davis (RF)
- Danny Davis is a free agent, but his major league career is likely over with a career OPS of 0.687.
25. Madison Doodoo Heads - Junior Hegan (P)
- Hegan has had a tough time of things in hitter-friendly Madison. His career ERA of 5.06 would likely be much better in another park, but he started to show signs of turning things around last season with a 4.36 ERA. Madison will have a tough decision next season on whether or not to keep him around for the long haul.
26. Texas Tweakers - Dan Schneider (C)
- Schneider has been traded a few times, but he has shown to be a valuable pick late in the 1st round. He isn't known for his defense, but Schneider's offense is what makes him a great find. He has a career OBP of 0.380 and total OPS of 0.829 although admittedly doesn't have a ton of plate appearances.
27. Trenton Tea Baggers (Milwaukee) - Fred Thurman (SS)
- A solid defender with some offense, Fred Thurman is a 3x All Star which is the best of this list. He achieved those mostly with defense and was a Gold Glove winner at 3B last season. His offensive numbers aren't special, but they aren't bad either with a career 0.728 OPS.
28. Portland Lastplace - Jim Baker (P)
- Portland turned this Type D pick into another Type D pick.
29. London Royals (Boston) - Charlie Peterson (CF)
- London followed the Portland route and got a Type D pick for not signing Peterson.
30. Columbus Clippers - Sergio Day (CF)
- Another defensive 2B, Columbus immediately traded Day the following season. Day has been great in the field but has a career OPS just shy of 0.700. He has great speed, but his lack of baserunning has held him back from being a great player. He has stolen 141 bases but has been caught 117 times.
31. Tampa Bay Devil Dogs (Austin) - Chun-Lim Martin (P)
- Martin can say he pitched 15 innings in the majors, but that's all he can really claim as he looks like a career minor league from here on out.
32. Scranton Parade Days (Cincinnati) - Manuel Calles (P)
- Calles was a solid value pick at #32 as he has pitched over 600 innings with an ERA currently at 3.72. He is locked up until Season 79 for Cincy, the franchise that drafted him.
33. Pittsburgh Privateers (Minnesota) - Matt Mattheus (RF)
- Mattheus didn't sign and Pittsburgh didn't get a Type D pick for it. I don't think they cared since they were in the middle of their 4-peat of titles.
34. Salem Pitches - Matty Baez (SS)
- Baez is a pretty good defender but his lack of offense has held him back in the majors. He may not get another chance at this point.
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