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Syracuse Beagles
--Picking at #30 there wasn't going to be much left in the draft for Syracuse to choose from, and sure enough that was the case as the Beagles were left picking RF Phillip Dickson, a player with all the skills of a CF save range and glove, which defensively puts him in a corner OF spot, where his speed and average bat won't help much. Supplemental pick LF Maximo Clemens is an average player at best, and is in all likelihood going to enjoy a nice minor league career while never seeing major league time. 2nd round pick Kenta Yosida was projected to be a SS, but has the glove of a 3B and a weak bat. 5th round pick William Jones has a decent glove for a SS, but is otherwise unimpressive. All told this draft hooked some minor league players, but really nobody who could score a spot on a ML roster.
Grade: D
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Tacoma Jerry Gang
--Thanks to their awesome regular season record, the Jerry Gang had the pleasure of picking at the bottom of the order this year in the draft, and for having the #32 pick, they actually did alright in selecting John Lo. Lo is a capable RP with two good pitches, very high control, good splits vs. righties, and good stamina in durability. He lacks velocity, but otherwise is pretty solid, especially for where he was selected in the draft. Supplemental pick SS Gil Spahn projects to have an elite glove, but his bat is anemic. The rest of the Jerry Gang's draft saw them pick up two weak hitting but elite defensive catchers, a capable RP in Hack Kaufman who will be great in the minors but probably struggle at the major league level, and an average minor league SS with a great name in Bum Thornton. All told not a great draft, but one that was probably as good as could be had under the circumstances this season.
Grade: C
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Toronto Blue Jays
--Toronto was picking high at #6 this season, and sacrificed their 2nd round pick for a Type A free agent signing, so their draft was going to pretty much come down entirely to the player they could get in the 1st round. Fortunately they managed to snag one of the few good hitters in this draft class in LF Frank Zaun. Zaun is a solid slugger with nice power, and is great vs. righties and has a very nice batting eye. His contact and skill vs. lefties are only average, but better than most other players in this years draft. He is durable and fit, and should be a very solid addition to a franchise looking to add positional depth to their system. 3rd round pick SP Jacob Slocum was a great value pick for the round, and could be a ML RP or spot starter someday, as could 4th round pick SP Rollie Bowman. This was a pretty good draft all things considered, especially given the talent level this year.
Grade: B+
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Trenton Lions
--The Lions were looking to add some pitching in this years draft, and succeeded with the selection of Bip Lake at #14 overall. Lake is a solid pitcher across the board, with above average skills just about everywhere you look, but won't blow you away with any elite skills either. He projects to be a #3-#5 starter in the majors, but a capable one who will keep his team in most of the games he pitches. While he may not be great, he was probably the 4th or 5th best starter taken in this years draft. Of the remainder of Trenton's top round picks, none of them that signed will ever impress in the majors, but will be solid minor league players for sure. A slightly above average draft by this years standards, but not overly impressive historically speaking.
Grade: C+
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Vancouver Grizzlies
--Selected at #22 overall, SS Edwin Kaye is a bit of an oddball player, an elite fielding SS with great power and a bat that seems more suited to a platooning corner outfielder. He doesn't have much speed, is brutal vs. right handed pitching, but is otherwise a very nice bat for a SS. His range and bat might make him more suited to the hot corner, but he will be a capable player at any IF position, or CF. Really, a nice player to have in the system, he's very versatile and can fill a lot of holes. Just don't expect him to hit above .250, and don't bat him vs. righties if it can be avoided. Supplemental pick SS Clint Coles is a more traditional SS, great with the glove, speedy, and unable to hit his weight. He'll still be a nice ML backup and pinch runner though, as will 3rd round selection SS Raul Toca. The Grizzlies other top round selections are pretty much minor leaguers. But all told Vancouver has to be happy with what the got out of a lacking draft.
Grade: B
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Wichita Wankers
--Wichita management must be weeping at this moment, as this was the year they had seven 1st round picks, fifteen in the top five rounds, and the draft class was as bad as it has ever been. Did they manage to salvage anything out of the draft? Let's take a look pick by pick. #25 over all SP Hooks Surtain has good control and great pitches, but average splits, and probably projects to be either a #5 starter or a long man in the majors. #27 overall SP Omar Arredondo has elite control, better splits than Surtain, but only three pitches of which two are good. He has the same ceiling as Surtain. #39 overall SP Rich Chisenhall is a AAAA pitcher who will get a taste of the majors but probably never stick to a roster. #44 overall SP Sam Barkley would be nice if his control weren't so horrible, as it is now he's probably a minor leaguer for life. #45 C Brad Guiel is a definite big league prospect, his excellent bat and capable glove will make him a ML regular at some point in his career, and getting him at #45 overall was a great value pick. #46 2B Richie Hermanson will be average in the field and at the plate, and will probably top out at AAA. #58 C Doc Vernon is another excellent pickup a the catcher position for Wichita, he can really hit and has a better glove than Guiel, probably the steal of the draft. Unfortunately for Wichita, none of their subsequent picks really has any major league potential. So all told the Wankers netted two legit major league catchers, two #5 starters/long relievers, and a bunch of minor leaguers out of fifteen picks. That really isn't that good.
Grade: D
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