Season 11 Draft Recap - NL North

NL North

Anthony Griffey Fargo Fug Nuts Age: 22 B/T: R/R Born: Philadelphia, PA Position(s): P (SP3) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Fargo Fug Nuts
--Selecting with the #32 pick, you would not expect the traditionally draft averse Fug Nuts to find a keeper, but this year they did in SP Anthony Griffey. Griffey is a high control SP with good splits and decent pitches. He's a bit of a health risk, but for where he was selected in the draft was about as good as you could expect, and could be a back of the rotation starter in the bigs. 2nd round pick 3B Odalis Saenz has some good hitting skills vs. righties, and could be a valuable bat off the bench some day in the majors. The rest of the Fug Nuts draft was unremarkable, but this was a pretty good one for them all things considered.
Grade: B-

Spud Ward New York Pick Pockets Age: 19 B/T: L/L Born: Thackerville, OK Position(s): P (SP1) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

New York Pick Pockets
--Carrying on a long tradition of having a player named "Spud" in the NL North, the Pick Pockets took SP Spud Ward with the 16th pick. Ward is a workhorse with good control, velocity, and splits vs. left handed hitting. He gives up a few flyballs, and has some trouble with righties, but by and large should be able to hold down a spot in a big league rotation. New York didn't pick again until the 4th round, where they inexplicably selected P Vasco Bennett, perhaps the worst pitching selection in Cobb history thanks to his awestriking projected control rating of ZERO. That alone is noteworthy, and the Times Herald looks forward to tracking this players future.
Grade: C+

Matty Palmer Sioux Falls Corn Cleats Age: 22 B/T: L/L Born: Albuquerque, NM Position(s): P (SP1) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Sioux Falls Corn Cleats
--With the #25 pick in the draft, the Corn Cleats took a flyer on talented injury risk SP Matty Palmer. Palmer projects to have very high control, splits, velocity, GB/FB, and a good pitch selection. If he can stay healthy he should be a top of the order starter. 2nd and 3rd round picks Mac Baldwin and Freddie Stark are AAAA pitchers who might get claimed off the Rule 5 someday, and 5th round pick 2B Robin Wilkerson has good power and skills vs. lefties. Not the best draft this year, but not the worst either.
Grade: B

Edgardo Bravo Trenton Lions Age: 20 B/T: L/L Born: Coffeyville, KS Position(s): RF View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Trenton Lions
--The Lions used the #8 pick in the draft on sweet hitting RF Edgardo Bravo. Bravo is a contact hitter with great speed and baserunning capabilities, and should be an OBP player who scores a lot of runs from the leadoff position in the batting order. Unfortunately for Trenton the rest of their draft contained naught but minor league players, but Bravo is the kind of position player that Trenton needed in their farm system, and is far enough along in his development that they shouldn't have to wait too long to see him in the bigs.
Grade: C+