Down on the Farm - Atlanta Pitbulls

Chuck Biscuits - Cobb Times Herald

The Atlanta Pitbulls have enjoyed some solid drafting positions the last few seasons, and as a result have one of the best groups of young talent in Cobb World today. Here's a look at what's going on in the Hot Lanta' farm.

Lyle Crudale Atlanta Pitbulls Age: 24 B/T: L/L Born: Fruita, CO Position(s): 1B/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Hitters

Lyle Crudale, 1b/DB, ML: Crudale is a crushing hitter who can mash both lefties and righties with ease, and is enjoying a fine rookie season for the ML squad with a .312 average in his first season. Grade: Prime

Brook Colin, CF, ML: Colin is a defensive whiz CF with impressive power at the plate. His splits are only slightly above average, but he has good speed and solid baserunning ability. He has greatly improved his batting average and offensive output in his second full year of ML play, including winning the All Star Game MVP. Grade: Prime

Jerome Mancuso, LF, LoA: Mancuso is a hitter in the same mold as Lyle Crudale, with remarkably similar hitting stats. Mancuso is a little weaker vs. lefties, but is the fastest player on the team and has the best baserunning skills in the organization. He will be a terror in the leadoff position once he matures. Grade: Prime

Tanner Halama Atlanta Pitbulls Age: 20 B/T: S/R Born: Channelview, TX Position(s): P (SP1) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Pitchers

Tanner Halama, SP, AA: Halama is a top notch pitching prospect, currently residing in AA for the Pitbulls. Halama has control, splits, and velocity all projected between 80-90, and has 5 good pitches, including a projected 98 rated 1st pitch. His only weakness is a tendency to give up some flyballs. Grade: Prime

Julio Olmeda, SP, AA: Olmeda is a good SP prospect with high splits and velocity, and an above average pitch selection. His control is only average, and his pitches while good aren't elite. He also gives up fly balls with regularity. A nice prospect, but not as nice as Halama. Grade: Choice

Omar Valenzuela, SP, AAA: Valenzuela is a crafty control pitcher with great splits and and an impressive pitch selection. His GB/FB ratio is good, and he is healthy and durable as well. He doesn't have much heat on his pitches, but that is no big deal as his first pitch projects to an 88, and has 4 other pitches all projected to rate in the 50's or higher. The only concern is that he may have been rushed to AAA too soon, and as a result might not fully develop leaving his splits only above average instead of great. Grade: Choice

Down on the Farm

Over the next month The Times Herald will be taking the place of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture in inspecting the farm systems of the various franchises in Cobb World. The Times Herald has several criteria it will use in the grading of the prospects.

• First, a prospect will be defined as a player who is under the age of 26, and has not capped out on their development.
  
• Second, a prospect is defined as a player who has less than 2 years of ML service time.
  
• Third, Prospects will be graded according to the USDA Beef Grades: Prime, Choice, Select, and Standard.
• Fourth, all teams will have at least 5 prospects rated, more if warranted.
  

With that being said, the Times Herald welcomes your opinions as this project moves forward.

Season 11 Draft Recap - NL East

NL East

Jerome Mancuso Atlanta Pitbulls Age: 18 B/T: S/L Born: Norwalk, CT Position(s): LF/1B/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Atlanta Pitbulls
--Picking at #13, the Pitbulls selected offensive powerhouse LF Jerome Mancuso, who is good across the board at the plate, with superior range, glove, and durability for the LF position. Mancuso is a potential all star if he develops, and has enough power to hit 30+ HR's a season in addition to his projected .300 yearly average. The Pitbulls only other early round pick was 5th round selection SS Ron Henry. Henry has a potential gold glove, and isn't horrible at the plate, making this a steal of a pick for the 5th round. All told, Atlanta made the most of their two picks, selecting one future all star and a valuable role player who both should feature on the ML squad at some point.
Grade: A-

Howard Hughes St. Louis HoundDogs Age: 21 B/T: S/R Born: Edgard, LA Position(s): P (SP1) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

St. Louis HoundDogs
--The HoundDogs used the #21 pick on multibazillionaire aviation fanatic and ice cream fiend SP Howard Hughes, who is also notorious for his incredible stamina, splits, decent control, and great GB/FB ratio. Hughes does have a weak point, and that is his pitch selection, holding only 3 pitches, projected to 76, 53, & 33 respectively. Supplemental round pick C Greg Salazar is a great find, with capable defensive skills and a bat that just absolutely owns left handed pitching. 2nd round pick SS Chris Paquette has what is probably the best glove in this draft class, and should make the bigs on it's merits alone, even if he isn't very strong at the plate. The rest of the HoundDogs draft featured some minor league filler, but still, the top 3 picks for St. Louis could all be ML regulars, which is a pretty nice haul.
Grade: A-

Eddie Bird Syracuse Beagles Age: 18 B/T: R/R Born: Abingdon, IL Position(s): 1B/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Syracuse Beagles
--The Beagles picked at #30 this season, and used that pick on 1B Eddie Bird, a solid hitter who projects to produce similar numbers to current major leaguer Walter Stewart. He's good vs. lefties, has a good eye and good enough power to justify a spot at 1B. He won't be able to play 160 games, but should be good for 120 if he is used correctly. Supplemental pick SP Nate Cooke has ML potential as well, with good control, splits vs. righties, and an electrifying first pitch. 2B Willie Pryce, 1B Trenidad Montero, and 3B Dustin Hooper are very good AAAA players who might not be able to make it on the talented Beagles roster, but could have a place in another teams lineup. Syracuse had another solid draft with 5 good players who all have ML potential to some degree, even if none of them will ever be all stars.
Grade: B+

Russ Goodwin Wichita Wankers Age: 22 B/T: R/R Born: Vienna, OH Position(s): P (SuA) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Wichita Wankers
--The Wankers used the #17 pick in the draft on talented RP Russ Goodwin, who has good stamina for a reliever, superb control, great splits and velocity, and 3 good pitches. He gives up a few more flyballs than you would like to see in a RP, but is still talented enough to be the centerpiece of most ML bullpens if he develops fully. #28 pick SS George Sears is also a bona fide ML prospect, with a capable glove and good hitting skills for the position. Supplemental pick SP Vicente Soto could be an ML regular if his splits fully mature, as his pitch selection is incredible, and might be enough to offset his lack of movement. Supplemental round pick C Ross Carsone is a little below average defensively for a C, but his bat is excellent, with great skills vs. right handed pitching, and a great eye. He might be better suited as a DH, but does have ML potential. Supplemental round pick LF Bryan Tartabull also has ML potential based on the ability of his bat vs. right handed pitching. 2nd round pick William Westmoreland was a steal for the pick with a decent ML bat and range and a glove that could actually allow him to excel at the CF position. Also notable is 5th round pick SS Andrew Moss, whose glove is almost as good as the HoundDogs pick Paquette. This was probably the best draft in the class this year, with quite the haul of ML prospects.
Grade: A+

Season 11 Draft Recap - AL East

AL East

Theodore Hafner Cleveland Steamers Age: 18 B/T: R/R Born: Oakland City, IN Position(s): P (P) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Cleveland Steamers
--The Steamers used the #22 pick in the draft on talented but injury risk SP Theodore Hafner. In a cruel twist of fate, Hafner was injured for 320+ games in the first inning of his first game in the Rookie League this season. So the verdict is out on whether or not he will actually be any good, but with a career opener like that, the odds are not in his favor. If he can overcome his injuries, then he has good splits, control, and pitch selection to work with. Clevelands second round pick Casey McDonald has a gold glove for a 2b/CF, but his hitting is strictly minor league. No other top five round picks signed for Cleveland, leaving this class based mostly on Hafner, who is mostly in the hospital.
Grade: D+

Kurt Small Pittsburgh SSP Age: 22 B/T: R/R Born: Somerset, NJ Position(s): P (SP4) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Pittsburgh SSP
--#14 overall pick Kurt Small is a very talented pitcher who has great splits, pitch selection, and control. He doesn't have the stamina to make it as a starter however, but will be extremely valuable in the bullpen as a setup man or a closer, as he should be able to log 150+ innings in a season with a very nice skill set. The two other top five round picks who signed for the SSP are good for the minor leagues, but not talented enough to make the major league squad, leaving this a one man draft pretty much based on the potential big gains from Small.
Grade: B-

Patrick Ramirez Scranton Dragons Age: 21 B/T: L/L Born: Houston, TX Position(s): LF View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Scranton Dragons
--For not having a 1st round pick until #39, Scranton did very well in selecting Patrick Ramirez, a well rounded LF with no real weak spots at the plate. Ramirez also shows exceptional speed, but his baserunning skills are only average. Still, for where he was selected it was a pretty good deal for the Dragons. The rest of Scrantons early draft picks consisted of a CF with a decent glove and no hitting skills, and a selection of pitchers who probably won't be good enough to make the majors in anything other than a long relief or mopup role.
Grade: B-

Jeff Christians Washington D.C. Patriots Age: 22 B/T: L/L Born: Upper Lake, CA Position(s): P (SP2) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Washington D. C. Patriots
--The Patriots, picking late in the draft at #23, took a gamble on talented SP Harry Acevedo, who is a pretty big signing risk. He hasn't signed yet, but there is still hope for D.C. as he hasn't declined their offer at this point. If he signs, D.C. gains a workhorse SP with good all around skills on the mound. Supplemental round pick SP Jeff Christians is good enough to make the bigs with his impressive control and stamina, and capable splits and pitch selection. The rest of D.C's early round picks brought some AAAA players into the fold who might make the majors, but will probably spend most of their careers in the minor leagues. If Acevedo signs, this is a very good draft, if not this is an average one at best.
Grade: B+/C depending on Acevado signing.

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+

Season 11 Draft Recap - AL North

AL North

Albert Suarez Chicago Sabercats Age: 21 B/T: L/L Born: Wilson, OK Position(s): P (SP5) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Chicago Sabercats
--The Sabercats took SP Albert Suarez with the #18 pick in the draft. Suarez projects to be a solid mid rotation starter, with good control, splits, velocity, and pitch selection. He may not dominate in any single category, but his across the board numbers don't have a weakness. 2nd round pick RP Desi Goya also has big league potential, with good control and splits. After him however the Sabercats draft descends into minor league pitcher territory. This was an okay draft, but not as spectacular as some of the others seen this season.
Grade: B-

Mike O'Shea Detroit Dashing Dingle-berries Age: 20 B/T: S/L Born: Chagrin Falls, OH Position(s): P (SP1) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Detroit Dashing Dingle-Berries
--The #7 pick belonged to Detroit, and they used it on workhorse SP Mike O'Shea. The Irish Ohioan is a hard throwing beast with good control, above average splits, and some good pitches. His GB/FB is a bit worrying, as is his 15 rated 5th pitch, but with a good pitching coach, that problem can be overcome. Otherwise he should be bound for the majors to be counted on in the rotation. 3rd round pick LF Ronnie Tollberg has crushing power and great skills vs. lefties, which should make him valuable to some ML team in the future. No other top 5 round picks signed for Detroit, leaving this a 2 person draft, but two ML quality players.
Grade: B

Hulk Boone Pawtucket G-Maniacs Age: 18 B/T: S/R Born: Philadelphia, PA Position(s): P (SP2) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Pawtucket G-Maniacs
--The G's selected a very nice SP in Hulk Boone with the #26 pick in the draft. Boone has great skills across the board, with exceptional pitches and velocity to go along with his good splits and control. If he develops fully he has #1 starter potential. Supplemental pick P Cody Pierce is also very good, but doesn't quite have the stamina to start, but should be a dynamite setup man. Pitchers Alex Coronado and Hub Evans also have ML potential, as does RP Rob Stearns. This was a very productive draft for the pitching future of Pawtucket, bringing in a future ace at a very late pick and four other ML quality prospects.
Grade: A

Justin Barnes Toronto Blue Jays Age: 20 B/T: S/L Born: Belmont, CA Position(s): P (SP2) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Toronto Blue Jays
--The #1 pick in the draft belonged to Toronto this year, and they used to add another great young arm to their growing collection. SP Justin Barnes is a high movement pitcher with some serious heat. His pitch selection is good, and he is very durable, and should be a very good starter in the majors some day relatively soon. 2nd round pick RP Bailey Lockhart has good potential to be a player in the major league bullpen. After that, the Toronto draft loses some punch. Still, the #1 pick has it's advantages, and now Toronto has three of the best young arms in the game in their system, which is looking better every day.
Grade: B+

Season 11 Draft Recap - NL South

NL South

Russ Hall Huntington Hillbillies Age: 18 B/T: S/L Born: Lafayette, LA Position(s): P (none) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Huntington Hillbillies
--With the #18 pick in the draft the Hillbillies selected SP Russ Hall. Hall is a workhorse innings eater with pinpoint control. He get's into trouble vs. right handed hitting sometimes however, and has a tendency to give up more fly balls than you would like to see. Supplemental pick SP John Damon would be good if his control projected to something higher than 23, but with an arm like that you can expect him to enjoy the good life in the minor leagues. 2nd round pick Tom Dunn is a borderline prospect who might make it to the majors in a bullpen role. The rest of the draft was pretty unremarkable.
Grade: C-

Morgan Kirby Jackson Pollocks Age: 18 B/T: L/R Born: Naperville, IL Position(s): SS/IF/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Jackson Pollocks
--The Pollocks selected SS Morgan Kirby with the #12 pick in the draft. Kirby is a speedy SS with above average hitting skills and some pop in addition to his solid glove. There is no reason to think that he won't be an every day starter at some point, although it will probably be at 3B as his range is on the low end for a SS. Supplemental round pick SS Jimmie Nash has a ML quality glove, but is light on the hitting side of the spectrum. 2nd round pick C Ron Allen is very good vs. right handed pitching, and should make the majors because of his hitting skills. SS Fernando Franco and RP Tedd Thurman could both potentially make the majors as backups. This was a solid draft for the Pollocks, much better than the previous two seasons.
Grade: A-

Tim Collins Montgomery Burns Age: 20 B/T: R/R Born: Hamilton, ON Position(s): 2B/1B/COF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Montgomery Burns
--The Burns had the #2 pick in the draft, and with that pick selected monster slugging 2B Tim Collins. Collins has the glove to play 2B or CF, and a bat as good as any slugging 1B or OF in the league today. Simply put, he was a very good pick at #2 overall. Montgomery used their 3 supplemental round picks on pitchers, all three of whom should make the majors in some capacity. Their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th round selections were all pitchers as well, each of whom also has ML potential in the bullpen. This was a very good draft for the Burns, netting seven players who could see time in the majors if things go right, including a megastar, which is a good a haul as you are going to see in a draft.
Grade: A+

Mandy Reagan Richmond Cohibas Age: 18 B/T: R/R Born: Culpeper, VA Position(s): SS View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Richmond Cohibas
--The Cohibas used the #9 pick in the draft on SS Mandy Reagan, a great hitting SS with a very good glove and durability. His range isn't very good for a SS, but all of his other skills are top notch for the position. Supplemental round pick Tony Espinosa is a slugging RF who should eventually start in the majors as well. 2nd round pick 3B Ernest Carver and 3rd round pick P Ed House should also make the majors in some role in the future. The Cohibas draft starts to diminish a little bit after those players. Still the Cohibas drafted 4 players who could make an impact in the big leagues, including two very nice first round picks.
Grade: A-