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Louisville Dogs
--The Dogs were picking late at #38 for their first pick, and with it they selected RP Javier Sierra. Sierra is above average in pretty much all of his key skills but not really outstanding in any of them. He should be a serviceable ML reliever, but probably won't be an all star. Supplemental pick Danys Cruz on the other hand was a very nice selection, a SP who as all of the tools to be a mid rotation starter in the bigs, thanks to his top notch control, good splits, velocity, and pitch selection. Supplemental pick 3B Homer Weaver has ML potential as well, as he has a good glove and can hit righties pretty well. 2nd round pick 3B JD James could platoon in the majors with Weaver as he is very good vs. lefties. 2nd round pick SP Victor Hill could also make the majors thanks to his near perfect control and good pitches. This was a very solid draft for Louisville, bringing on some legitimate ML talent.
Grade: A-
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Montgomery Burns
--The Burns were picking high at #3, and with that coveted pick brought home a stud SP in Howard Hall. Hall projects to have good control with wicked splits and velocity. He should be a strikeout machine in the majors, and has the stamina and durability to really make an impact. The Burns also picked up a nice reliever in the 2nd round in Dick Singleton, who has elite control and three nice pitches. After him though it's pretty much fringe and minor league fodder in the Montgomery draft. But they have to be thrilled to have landed Hall, he's good.
Grade: A-
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Nashville Rebel Riders
--The Rebel Riders added a very nice SP in Alex Dodson with the #12 pick in the draft. Dodson may not have the stamina and durability that other top starters do, but his ability to own right handed hitting is second to none, he has good control, and a very nice pitch selection. He has #1 starter potential. Nashville picked up a pair of talented relievers in the 2nd round in Ricardo Pinzon and Adam Bonilla, both of whom could make it to the bigs and contribute. 3rd round pick CF Rob Dickey could be the best defensive CF in the draft this year, and was a very good value pick. Not a bad draft at all for the Rebel Riders.
Grade: A
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New York Pick Pockets
--The Pick Pockets didn't have a pick until the 2nd round, but made it count with the selection of Brent Leonard, who was probably the best they could have hoped for that late in the draft. Leonard has great range and glove, and is decent but not great at the plate. He could be a valuable backup. No other top picks signed for New York, who instead chose to go the free agency route this offseason.
Grade: D+
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Omaha Sluggers
--The Sluggers selected talented RP Teddy Bigbie with the #32 pick in the draft. Besides sporting one of the most hideous unibrows in the game today, Bigbie also has perfect control, good splits and velocity, and good durability. He is very similar in skill set to Jacksons pick Cela. The Sluggers weren't so lucky with their subsequent picks, including an average P at #39 in Delino Marichal, and then a bunch of minor leaguers after that. Bigbie is good, but they probably could have gotten better value with later picks.
Grade: C-
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Pawtucket G-Maniacs
--The Pawtucket pitching factory continues to spew out prospects thanks to the selection of SP Felipe Cruz at #28 overall, making this possibly the best value pick in the draft. Cruz sports great control and splits, and has some nice pitches as well. Supplemental pick SP Fernando Marquez also could be a ML starter thanks to his superior control. The G's have to be disappointed that they weren't able to get a signing out of their other supplemental pick, however. 2nd round pick RP Martin Bannister could be a valuable ML reliever as well thanks to his control, but after him the Pawtucket draft starts to decline in quality. A good draft for Pawtucket, but it could have been much more.
Grade: B
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Pittsburgh SSP
--The SSP were picking at #9 overall, and took the best player available on the board at the time in 2B/CF Darwin Sanders. Sanders is a defensive talent, and has some nice pop at the plate. He has above average speed, and hits lefties pretty well. He's pretty versatile and should be a valuable ML player. The SSP added to their depth with subsequent selections Christy Van Pelt, Billy Underwood, and John Woo, all players who could make the majors under the right circumstances. The SSP did well, adding a nice player in Sanders and possibly three other future major leaguers.
Grade: B
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Richmond Cohibas
--Selecting at #16, Richmond took SP Luther Hoffman, a pinpoint control pitcher with an excellent pitch selection and nice splits. Hoffman projects to be a nice middle of the rotation starter, and should eat up a lot of innings with his stamina and durabilty, coupled with his high control. Thanks to free agent signings the Cohibas didn't have another pick until the 4th round, where there wasn't much left to choose from. So this is a one player draft for Richmond, and they made it count.
Grade: B
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Seattle Pilots
--Picking at #6 overall in the draft, the Pilots selected SP Dickie Garcia, a very nice SP who has #1 starter potential. Garcia's strengths are his pinpoint control, splits, and velocity, and his pitch selection is good enough to get it done. He is yet another SP in the draft who has a monster stamina/durability combo coupled with high control. He could easily be a 20 game winner in the future. Supplemental pick CF Cliff Burnett was a very nice pick as well, with elite range and glove for the position, and good lead off skills a the plate. He is very good vs. righties, and is very fast on the bases. 2nd round RF Alvin Hardy is also a very nice pick for the Seattle park, a good hitter who while lacking in power, is very good everywhere else. 3rd round pick RF Ed Cooper has a very nice batting eye, and could fill in at DH for the ML squad in the future. As an added bonus they picked up a good value pick in SP Felipe Francisco in the 5th round. The Pilots had as good a draft as you could hope for in building a team for their park, well done.
Grade: A+
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San Francisco Earthquakes
--The Earthquakes had the #7 pick in the draft, and with it they selected talented and versatile SS Philip Thomas. Thomas is above average across the board, both defensively and at the plate, and is a pretty durable player as well. He may not ever be an all star, but he will improve any lineup he is in. The Quakes picked up another defensive SS in 2nd rounder Stevie Anderson, who could make the ML squad as well. After him the draft degenerates into fringe prospects, but it was still solid for SanFran.
Grade: B-
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