2011 IAL Rookie Draft Review

2011 IAL ROOKIE DRAFT

1) GREEN ROCK BOMBERS: BUSTER POSEY – C/1B: Buster Posey can do it all!  He hits for power, average, and is a great defensive catcher.
2) MOLLY PUTTS MARAUDERS: JAYSON HEYWARD OF: Heyward is a big, strong, line drive hitter, whose line drives, often times leave the yard.  Jason is an excellent rightfielder.  He is a five-tool player, who can run & will take a walk.  Jason Heyward reminds me of Harold Baines.
3) THREE RIVERS GAMBLERS: MIKE STANTON OF: If you lookup POWER in the dictionary, you’ll find a picture of Mike Stanton.  When he hits it, it leaves the park, any park, including Yellowstone.
4) TWIN CITIES THUNDERCHICKENS: STEPHEN STRASBURG P: No offense to the first three players taken, but if Strasburg wasn’t going to miss his sophomore season with Tommy John surgery, he would have been the first player taken.  Pitchers like Stephen don’t come along everyday.  This pitcher is totally dominant!  He has an overpowering fastball, to go along with a nasty breaking ball.
5) COLONA UPPERDECKERS: NEIL WALKER 2B: This was a needs pick.  The Upperdeckers needed a secondbaseman and Walker was the only fulltime keystoner in the draft.  Walker is a line drive hitter.
6) CHICAGO HIGHLANDERS: CARLOS SANTANA C: Carlos Santana came up late and then missed time due to injury, but that couldn’t hide this gem.  Santana doesn’t play a mean guitar, but he does just about everything else.  Carlos is solid behind the plate.  He hits for power & average from both sides of the plate.  He also has an excellent eye and is willing to take a base on balls.
7) RISING BAMM BEANO’S: JAIME GARCIA P: This is the first head-scratcher of the draft.  Jaime missed almost all of 2009 with Tommy John surgery.  In 2010 Garcia pitched more innings, 163, than any other year of his career.  This soft-tossing lefthander, 88-92 MPH, has a put away curveball.  If healthy, he projects as a number three starter.
8) KENTUCKY KERNELS: STARLIN CASTRO SS: Keith Smith likes Cubs and he got a good one!  Starlin Castro has tremendous talent and will define shortstop, the way Derek Jeter defined it before him.  Castro has great range and a big-time arm.  Starlin is a line-drive hitter, who will develop power as he matures.
9) NORTHSIDE HITMEN: NEFTALI FELIZ P*: It wasn’t that long ago that the Hitmen drafted another reliever who was moving to the rotation.  I’m not saying Feliz is the second coming of Pedro Martinez, anything can happen, but he has the talent & the makeup.
10) CHICAGO CHAMPIONS: MADISON BUMGARNER P: The Champions already have two Giants hurlers in their rotation, so why not make it three?  Bumgarner is an ornery competitor in the mold of Kevin Brown.  Madison has good control, a mid-90s fastball, to go along with a slider.  This lefthander will be even better once he masters his slider and perfects his change.  I was surprised he was still there, I had him going no later than #4.
11) GREEN ROCK BOMBERS: DANIEL HUDSON P: It was really tough for me to pass on this former White Sox righthander with the 10th pick in the draft.  This would be a nice pick, even if Daniel Hudson is only an A starter this year and never does anything, but that’s not the case.  Although Hudson pitches in a hitter friendly ballpark, he has a put away change & tremendous makeup.
12) THREE RIVERS GAMBLERS: JHOULYS CHACIN P: This is not your Dad’s Coors Field.  Some managers still avoid drafting Colorado pitchers, but not to worry.  Chacin is a sinkerballer, who gets batters to swing & miss.  In 2008 in the minors he had 18 wins, Jhoulys reminds me of Orel Hershiser.  This is the guy I thought I’d get at ten.
13) TWIN CITIES THUNDERCHICKENS: TYLER COLVIN OF: This was the first “card” taken of the draft and I can’t blame Tom for taking him, before the draft I was tempted myself.  Colvin was drafted out of Clemson in the 1st round of the 2006 MLB draft by the Cubs.  Tyler reinvented himself before his breakout rookie year after four unimpressive years in the minors.  He hit the weights and the results speak for themselves, 4-5-5-1.  He could be this year’s Joe Charboneau.
14) CHICAGO HIGHLANDERS: JUSTIN SMOAK 1B: It’s a wonder Manager Moore couldn’t work his magic to get something for this pick and to move down in the draft.  Maybe the fact that Smoak is a power hitting switch hitter, in the mold of Mark Teixeira, was too much for Rob to pass up.  There were three other very talented firstbaseman in the draft (Ike Davis, Brett Wallace, & Mitch Moreland).  With Michael Young moving from the hot corner to super utility infielder, it wouldn’t have surprised me if the Highlanders would’ve chosen the explosive bat of Pedro Alvarez.  That said, Justin should develop into the middle of the order type of hitters that causes pitchers to lose sleep at night.
15) RISING BAMM BEANO’S: PEDRO ALVAREZ 3B: El Toro!  Pedro was the 1st player taken in the 2008 MLB draft.  In 2009 Alvarez finished his minor league season with 27 homers, before hitting five more for the gold medal winning USA World Cup team.  He is an intelligent player out of Vanderbilt University, with a blue-collar work ethic.  He is willing to take a walk and has tremendous power to all fields.  Ask me about his glove & I’ll tell you about his bat.  If I was able to move Ian Stewart, this was the guy I wanted.  He reminds me of Manny Ramirez, only Pedro bats lefthanded & plays thirdbase.
16) KENTUCKY KERNELS: IAN KENNEDY P: As a rookie, Kennedy started 32 games, pitching 194 innings, allowing fewer hits than punchouts (163-168).  It seems as though this California righthander has been around forever, yet he’s only 26 years old.  He has a mid-90s fastball and was named opening day starter for Arizona.  Pitching in the desert he was tagged for 26 longballs.  I like Brian Matusz better at this pick.
17) GREEN ROCK BOMBERS: JONNY VENTERS P*: In 2003 he was drafted in the 30th round, then he missed 2006 with Tommy John surgery, and then elbow tendonitis limited him to 34 innings in 2008.  Jonny has a lifetime minor league ERA above 4.00 and has walked nearly one batter every other inning.  When Venters moved to the pen, he became lights out, he’ll likely never repeat his rookie success.  This season he’ll be a workhorse lefty in the pen for Green Rock.
18) THREE RIVERS GAMBLERS: TRAVIS WOOD P: A cutter has transformed this lefthander from suspect to prospect.  Travis also improved his command.  In 2008 he experienced shoulder problems, but has been healthy since then.  I still like Brian Matusz better at this pick.
19) TWIN CITIES THUNDERCHICKENS: JOSE TABATA OF: Tabata has a fun sounding name.  Besides that, Jose is a line-drive hitter, with plus speed, and an outstanding glove.  This sparkplug will be a leadoff man for the T*Chix for years to come, but why not just keep Jacoby Ellsbury and just draft Brian Matusz here?
20) THREE RIVERS GAMBLERS: BRIAN MATUSZ P: By now you probably got the idea that I like this lefty.  I actually rank Matusz right up there in this draft with Jhoulys Chacin.  In 2008 Brian was drafted in the 1st round out of the University of San Diego.  I saw him in his professional debut in the Arizona Fall League.  He ended 2009 winning five games in the bigs, then finished strong as a rookie.  The O’s improved D will do nothing, but help this future star.  This kid can pitch!
21) RISING BAMM BEANO’S: CRAIG KIMBREL P*: A&B* is a great way to start off a major league career, yet it doesn’t fully illustrate how dominating this kid was as a rookie.  Kimbrel allowed one earned run in 20” innings pitched, striking out 40 batters, with a 4-0 record.  In the minors his ERA was mostly below one, 1.62 at AAA.  His fastball regularly hits 98 on the gun, he has a curveball that looks like a slider, and has been working on a changeup.  He has the stuff & mentality to be a closer.
22) KENTUCKY KERNELS: MIKE LEAKE P: I love this kid’s makeup!  Leake has tons of heart, he might have been rushed to the big leagues, and migh’ve been overworked.  Leake suffered through a tired arm, working over 100 innings in each of his three years at ASU, 16-1 & 1.71 ERA as a senior.  Mike’s only 5’11”, which might be generous.  Even though he allowed twenty more hits than innings worked, he finished 8-4.  I first fell in love with him when I saw him debut against the Cubs, he had a no-hitter for quite a while in that game.
23) GREEN ROCK BOMBERS: REID BRIGNAC 2B/SS: Reid Brignac provides coverage at both 2B & SS, but with him being the Rays everyday SS and Jeff Keppinger losing the starting secondbase job in Houston, the Bombers will be looking for a regular secondbaseman again next year.  What you see is what you get with Brignac, a solid fielder, with decent power, a .250 average, with no real base stealing skills.
24) THREE RIVERS GAMBLERS: JOHN JASO C: John Jason has a good eye at the plate.  Along with backing up starter Matt Wieters, he will provide a decent bat off the bench.  Nothing flashy, he’s just a solid pick.
25) TWIN CITIES THUNDERCHICKENS: JON NIESE P: Niese is nice, I couldn’t resist.  Jon possesses a 12-6 curveball, a low 90s fastball with cutting action, and a solid change.  I wasn’t impressed with his rookie year, as he allowed about 20 more hits than innings pitched.  The T*Chix would have been much better off had they grabbed Matusz and taken an outfielder here.
26) RISING BAMM BEANO’S: WADE DAVIS P: Wade Davis is a big pitcher, who doesn’t overpower hitters.  He works hitters with his 93-94 MPH fastball and his slow 11-5 curve.  I’ve never liked righthanders that don’t strike batters out, but he does throw a heavy fastball that sinks.  He allowed less hits than innings pitched and had a winning record at 12-10.
27) KENTUCKY KERNELS: JASON CASTRO C: Knee surgery will force this promising rookie to miss all of 2011.  Therefore, there really isn’t any reason to select Castro seeing he batted only .205.  Better picks would have been Cervelli, Thole, or Kottaras.
28) GREEN ROCK BOMBERS: AUSTIN JACKSON OF: This kid can cover a lot of ground in the outfield, is lightning quick, and can steal bases.  He strikes out too much and doesn’t draw enough walks.  If he can cut down on his K’s by 20 and increase his walks by ten, his OBP will go up over .360.  AJ is a nice value pick this low in the draft.
29) GREEN ROCK BOMBERS: CHRIS JOHNSON 3B: Can you say, he has a nice card?  The last time Johnson put up good numbers was in 2008 when he was in AA.  Chris had a good year as a rookie, cannot field, and is likely to be a one-year wonder.  Danny Valencia was a much better pick, he had similar numbers, can field, and is likely to improve his power.
30) GREEN ROCK BOMBERS: DREW STOREN P*: Drew Storen has good stuff and might be the Nats closer, that said, I’m not impressed.  He pounds the strike zone with a 92-94 MPH fastball and hard breaking balls.  Drew can put hitters away, but allows a lot of hits.  I don’t see him being any better than a B*.
31) GREEN ROCK BOMBERS: ALEXI OGANDO P*: Ogando has been lights out as a reliever after being brought in to pitch from the outfield.  Alexi has electric stuff, he is not a one-year wonder.
32) GREEN ROCK BOMBERS: JOHN AXFORD P*: Axford is a bum, who is looking for a park bench.  He was signed as an undrafted free agent, moved to the bullpen, and did the job as the Brewers closer as a rookie.  John will not be long for this league.  Much better relievers Ryan Webb & Wilton Lopez should have been taken over Storen & Axford.
33) GREEN ROCK BOMBERS: LOGAN MORRISON OF: Logan Morrison can flat out hit!  He’s a hard worker, with a good eye, and gap power.  He’s a natural firstbaseman who has been moved to the outfield.  He should start turning on the ball as he matures, similar to Rafael Palmeiro, maybe not as much power without the roids.
34) MOLLY PUTTS MARAUDERS: JONATHAN HERRERA IF: Herrera is a little guy that’s as tough as nails.  Jonathan has a good eye and uses his shortness to his advantage to draw walks.  He’s a solid fielder who can pick it wherever he plays in the infield.  He’s a real battler at the plate.
35) COLONA UPPERDECKERS: JASON VARITEK C: All of those hours of research down the drain.  The Upperdeckers are going for it and decided to bring in the cagey veteran to backup Mauer, not a bad call, especially if you’re dead set against drafting a New York receiver (Thole or Cervelli).
36) NORTHSIDE HITMEN: ERIC YOUNG, JR. 2B/OF: If nothing else Young will backup Utley at 2B.  He has blazing speed, if given the starting job in Colorado look out!  But like the old saying goes, you can’t steal firstbase, still the upside is worth rolling the dice.
37) CHICAGO CHAMPIONS: CHRIS SALE P*: This tall lefthander was 20-4 in college, made his major league debut the same year he was drafted in the 1st round, and recorded four saves in the show.  He has a good fastball, a deceptive delivery, and a nasty slider.  Although this is saying a lot, he reminds me of Steve Carlton.

A CHICAGO CHAMPIONS: Bumgarner & Sale: These two lefthanders are for real!
A- THREE RIVERS GAMBLERS: Stanton, Chacin, Wood, Matusz, & Jaso: Stanton, Chacin, & Matusz are great picks, and Wood & Jaso might be okay.
B+ CHICAGO HIGHLANDERS: Santana & Smoak: Santana might be better than Posey and Smoak is a legitimate power hitter.
B MOLLY PUTTS MARAUDERS: Heyward & Herrera: Heyward is as good as it gets and Herrera is a solid utility infielder.
B- NORTHSIDE HITMEN: Feliz & Young: Feliz has a great arm, whether he’s used out of the pen or as a starter.  Young can fly, if given a chance to play.
C GREEN ROCK BOMBERS: Posey, Hudson, Venters, Brignac, Jackson, Johnson, Storen, Ogando, Axford, & Morrison: The good: Posey, Hudson, Jackson, Ogando, & Morrison.  The bad: Venters, Brignac, Johnson & Storen.  And the ugly: Axford.
C- KENTUCKY KERNELS: S. Castro, Kennedy, Leake, & J. Castro: Starlin is a great young SS, but they already have Elvis, must be something in the blood to draft shortstops.  Leake has grit, not really a fan of Kennedy.  Jason is bad & then he’ll go away.
D+ RISING BAMM BEANO’S: Garcia, Alvarez, Kimbrel, & Davis: There were so many better pitchers than Garcia!  I like Alvarez & Kimbrel, but am not a fan of Davis.
D Twin Cities Thunderchickens: Strasburg, Colvin, Tabata, & Niese: Strasburg has a once in a lifetime arm, yet a D grade shows what I thought of the rest of the picks.
F COLONA UPPERDECKERS: Walker & Varitek: The Upperdeckers were locked into selecting a secondbaseman and a backup catcher, they got nothing of value in this draft.

OVERLOOKED ROOKIES

1) 1B BRETT WALLACE: I fell in love with this guy when I saw him in the NCAA tournament a few years back.  He can MASH!
2) 3B DANNY VALENCIA: Danny reminds me of Michael Young, which ain’t bad.
3) OF PETER BOURJOS: Not only did his grandparents bring their poodle to have its hair cut by my Mom, his father Chris played little league at Horner Park, this kid can do it all, he’s a five tool player!
4) P JAKE ARRIETA: Jake & Matusz will be at the front of the O’s rotation for years to come.  Arrieta is a big guy that can dominate.
5) P* KENLEY JANSEN: What’s not to like?  Just like Troy Percival, he’s a converted catcher, with an arm that has plenty of life!
6) SS IAN DESMOND: Desmond put up solid numbers as a rookie and there’s no reason that he won’t continue.
7) P* RYAN WEBB: Ryan is a middle reliever, with control, lotsa B*Z innings is never bad.
8) P* WILTON LOPEZ: This reliever throws strikes, nothing can make late inning leads disappear faster than bases on balls.
9) 1B IKE DAVIS: Ike stepped up & took charge as a rookie.  He can hit & he can field, the only thing he didn’t do was, take the garbage out.
10) P ALEX SANABIA: Don’t know much about this rookie righthander, but what I do know, I like.