Illowa
APBA League
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IAL 2004 DRAFT REVIEWby
Tedd Mallasch
1)
AURORA
GAMBLERS – Brandon Webb P:
Todd needed to do something drastic to rebuild his pitching staff after trading
Ace Kevin Brown. He pulled off a
blockbuster with the rebuilding Molly Putts Rocket Fire.
Then Mr. Ventresca pulled no punches when he selected Brandon Webb.
There hasn’t been a rookie hurler to burst onto the scene this big in
quite a while. Webb pitches inside,
strikeout batters, what’s not to like? This
kid is the real deal! REVISITED:
Everything that was said before still holds true.
Webb isn’t experiencing a sophomore jinx.
Although Webb isn’t winning for the D’Backs all of his numbers are
solid. 2)
CHICAGO
CHAMPIONS – Miguel Cabrera OF: The
Champions decided rebuilding was in order after being bounced from the playoffs
in the 1st round. Offense
has been lacking, which is uncharacteristic when you look at Champion teams of
years gone by. Cabrera is raw, but
has all kinds of talent! Miguel
will be one of the best pure hitters in this league for years to come.
I’d compare him to Mags, but with more power & less speed. REVISITED: Cabrera
has come on quicker than a blue dart. This
kid can do it all! No doubt he was
the best player in the draft. 3)
AURORA
GAMBLERS – Dontrelle
Willis P: Aurora doesn’t know how to do anything half way and their
rebuilding of a pitching staff is no exception. Dontrelle is a throw back.
He’s very flashy on the mound, but that doesn’t take away from his
ability. Willis is a funky lefty
that likes to have fun on the mound. This
southpaw is destined to become a fan favorite. REVISITED: Dontrelle
has style, flair, and he can pitch! The
jury was out as to whether he ran out of gas last season or whether the major
league hitters caught onto him. Well
his tank is full now and this kid is dealing. 4)
CHICAGO
HIGHLANDERS – Rafael Soriano P*: Soriano
is as dominant as they come out of the pen.
When Jorge Julio experienced arm trouble in winter ball, the Highlanders
shipped him off to the Upperdeckers and replaced him with this flamethrower.
He looks even better than Julio. There
has even been some talk of moving him to the rotation in the future (following
Pedro’s footsteps), but for now he just might be what’s needed to put this
team over the top. REVISITED: Soriano
has had arm problems all season long. He
looked good last year, looks to be a one year wonder. 5)
GREEN
ROCK BOMBERS – Jerome
Williams P: This is where at least three IAL teams got screwed up.
Two stubborn managers locked horns and refused to do the right thing and
as a result everybody lost out. First
off let me acknowledge that Jerome Williams is a horse and should fit in nicely
on a staff that already has Livan, Carlos, & Sidney, as heavyweights in the
rotation. Williams throws a heavy
ball, ala Rick Reuschel. But Mike
should have jumped at the offer of Damaso Marte for this pick, not that Marte is
better than Williams, but because the Bombers needed a closer. Then the Champions should have humbly accepted the counter
offer of this pick & Marquis for Marte & a #5DC. This would have gotten the Champions Teixeira, the Bamm
Beanos Williams, & the Bombers Marte. REVISITED: Looking
back, it was Manager Mallasch’s stubbornness that created a problem for three
IAL teams. Tedd should have
accepted the offer of this pick & Marquis for Marte & a draft choice. Then the Champs could have kept Jorge Julio and not swapped
him for Tony Clark. This was the
first of many errors made by the Champs on the day.
Williams is okay, but the Bombers needed a closer. 6)
RISING
BAMM BEANOS – Mark
Teixeira 1B: Last year the Bamm Beanos were praised for selecting Josh
Phelps with this very pick. I still
believe in Phelps, which makes the selection of Teixeira all that much more
puzzling. Mark is the 2nd
best hitter in the draft, which ain’t bad at all. He’s a big switch hitting power hitter with a huge upside,
just would have thought a quality starting pitcher should have been taken here,
even if Williams was gone. REVISITED: There
was a little too much criticism of John for making this pick.
Teixeira is a switch hitting power hitting firstbaseman in the mold of
Eddie Murray. Had Manager Mallasch
pulled the trigger on the deal with the Bombers, the Champs would have gotten
Teixeira, the Bombers would have Marte, and the Bamm Beanos would have Jerome
Williams. 7)
MOLLY
PUTTS ROCKETFIRE – Jose
Reyes SS: I had Jose ranked as the 3rd best position player
available, so it shouldn’t have shocked me that he was taken here. When I saw
this kid in person at Shea over the summer I knew he was something special.
This is an excellent pick! Reyes
is slated to move to 2B, should develop into a Robby Alomar type, and will be an
All Star year in and year out. REVISITED: JoRey
has been out for much of his sophomore season and it still hasn’t taken away
any of the luster from this kid. Maybe
if the Champs had made the deal and taken Reyes rather than Teixeira, nah never
mind. Jose still looks to be one of the best players taken in this
year’s draft. 8)
COLONA
UPPERDECKERS – Frankie
Rodriguez P*: Already dubbed KROD, it’s no surprise that Mark should
snatch up a hard throwing reliever. The
only question was whether Don would be able to resist the temptation of
selecting the Halo Hurler. KROD is
just a kid, but only one word describes him, NASTY! REVISITED: KROD
has lived up to his advanced billing. Francisco
Rodriguez can really bring it and has a nasty breaking ball. 9)
CHICAGO
CHAMPIONS – Alex
Cintron SS: AC is a pure hitter. The
last pure hitting SS the Champions picked was Julio Lugo, not so long ago.
Still Alex seems to be better than Lugo both in the field & at the
plate. It’s not that Cintron isn’t a good hitter it’s just
that the Champions thought KROD, Teixeira, or Reyes would be there.
I guess we all read the same books.
It was a tough decision between AC and Berroa.
Cintron was picked for his versatility, even though Berroa looks to be
the better all around SS. REVISITED: The
Arizona Diamondbacks are experiencing a rough season and so is Cintron.
Alex has shown none of the power he did as a rookie, his average has
dipped, and his numbers look a lot more like his minor league numbers. 10)
MOLLY PUTTS ROCKETFIRE – Rocco Baldelli OF: Don not
only gets all the good players, he also gets all the cool names.
ROCCO BALDELLI fits right in there with Ichiro!
Besides his cool name Baldelli is a kid who can do it all.
Saying he’s Joe D might be a stretch, but he’s a good one. REVISITED: Don
gets all the cool names AND all the cool players.
Baldelli is a youngster who can do it all! 11)
NORTHSIDE HITMEN – Angel Berroa SS: The rich get
richer. After winning four straight
league championships the Hitmen select the best SS in the draft just when their
phenomenal SS is moving to 3B. Berroa
can hit for power, steals bases, and should be a 9 more often than not.
Angel is a real steal! REVISITED: Berroa
has flashed the leather, but hasn’t hit like he did as a rookie.
12)
CHICAGO CHAMPIONS – Miguel Olivo C: Even though
the Champions already have one of the best defensive catchers in the league,
Olivo was a good pick. Miguel has a
cannon behind the plate, hits for power, and is a fast runner on the bases.
Olivo will be a 9 very soon! Victor
Martinez has a much better bat, but would have made it tight behind the plate
and there is no question who’s better defensively. REVISITED: Victor
Martinez was the guy the Champions needed to take here.
Martinez covered Molina and the Champs even knew Victor would be a switch
hitting Mike Piazza. His defense
has improved and his offense is right on cue.
Oh yeah we’re supposed to be talking about Olivo, he has a cannon
behind the plate, can run, and hit for a little power. 13)
MOLLY PUTTS ROCKETFIRE – Hideki Matsui OF: I liked him
when he was a blocking back for Payton and I like him now.
Don was a little light in the OF going into the draft, but not anymore
after taking Baldelli & Matsui. Mr.
Smith went back to the Japanese OF well and plucked out another good one.
Godzilla is a little older, but should add power to his game.
In all honesty I questioned whether Hideki would be drafted at all.
This is a deep draft with lots of outfielders better than Matsui. REVISITED: Godzilla
did it in Japan and now he’s doing it here.
From now on, whatever Don touches turns to gold.
Saw Matsui tumble into the seats at the Cell chasing a foul ball, fall
over the seats, hitting his mouth on those same seats, chipping a tooth, and he
stayed in the game. He is one tough
hombre, what’s the Japanese word for hombre? 14)
NORTHSIDE HITMEN – Oscar Villarreal P*: Chuck
only had one pick, but needed more than one thing and that’s where the
brilliance of his trade with the Highlanders comes in.
Villarreal could be a starter in the future, but right now will be a
quality setup man for Smoltz. Oscar appeared in the most games ever by a hurler from
Mexico, passing the mark set by Enrique Romo (remember him, Don?).
Besides his grade, Villarreal is a quality pitcher. REVISITED: Oscar
is at least a one year setup man for Smoltzy.
Not sure if he was ever a quality pitcher. 15)
MOLLY PUTTS ROCKETFIRE – Jose Contreras P: Speaking of
Don, because of his wheeling dealing he had the next three picks.
Although Contreras is ten years older than Villarreal, this Cuban is
solid. George is paying this nasty
hombre lots of lettuce to pitch in the Bronx and he should be in the Rocket*Fire
rotation for the next five years. REVISITED: Don
did his homework. Contreras has had
enough quality starts this year to make me a believer, still there are times
when he gets rocked, if he only didn’t have to face the Red Sox. 16)
MOLLY PUTTS ROCKETFIRE – Rich Harden P: All the books
had this kid up at the top of the list. #1
he’s in the A’s rotation and that makes him good right there.
Call me nuts, but I’m not a fan. I
think Harden will have arm problems and a shorter career than Contreras. REVISITED: I
am nuts! Harden has done everything asked of him in his 2nd
year in the bigs. Rich can flat out
dominate major league hitters. 17)
MOLLY PUTTS ROCKETFIRE – Victor Martinez C: Martinez
can flat out hit! Victor may end up
moving out from behind the plate if he doesn’t get better behind the dish.
He seems to have improved defensively, but it’s hard to tell in 40
games. REVISITED: A
switch-hitting power hitting catcher is hard to come by.
The question is, why did Tedd leave him for Don.
Don’t you think Don should thank Tedd? 18)
CHICAGO CHAMPIONS – Julio Mateo P*: After
having Jorge Julio turn up lame the Champs were forced to return him in exchange
for Tony Clark, the Champs needed bullpen help.
Mateo will serve well as the setup man for Marte. REVISITED: The
Champs picked Mateo thinking he’d be a quality setup man this year and in the
future. But so far he’s sucked
this year and things don’t look any better in the future. 19)
TWIN
CITY THUNDERCHICKENS – Jose
Valverde P*: Tom picked a quality closer in Valverde.
Jose is a little wild, but his strikeout pitch is devastating.
Possibly Ayala would have been a better selection for the contending
T*Chix, but Valverde will be better in the long run. REVISITED: This
kid can bring it as evidenced by his high strikeout totals.
Jose may have fallen into the terrible D’Backs syndrome as a sophomore. 20)
NORTHSIDE HITMEN – Chase Utley 2B: Last year I
got all over CLUKE when he picked Hank Blalock. And although I think Brandon Phillips & Antonio Perez
would have been better picks I’m not gonna say nothing this year.
Way to go Chuck! Nice pick! Hey,
who the heck is Chase Utley? REVISITED: Utley
is utterly amazing! I’ve seen
this guy lots in Clearwater with the Phils.
He was a weak hitting thirdbaseman with little power, he’s drafted by
the Hitmen and he turns into Babe Ruth at 2B. 21)
GREEN ROCK BOMBERS – Luis Ayala P*: With the
rotation the Bombers have all they needed was a closer.
After selecting Ayala they still need one.
Ayala came out of nowhere from the Mexican League.
He’s young, throws hard, and has good control.
Still it’s hard to picture him closing games for a playoff contender,
especially when you look at the lack of pen depth on the Bombers.
REVISITED: Ayala’s
sophomore numbers are even better than his rookie campaign, so much for a one
year wonder. He’ll be an A* next
year. 22)
RISING BAMM BEANOS – Juan Rincon P*: It’s
puzzling to me how a team with such a weak rotation could continue to ignore
this glaring need. Bonderman,
Gobble, Ramirez, or Seo would have been much better picks. Although even though Rincon doesn’t have overpowering stuff
he does get batters out. REVISITED: The
reason John chose Rincon above all those starters is because he gets batters
out, duh! 23)
AURORA GAMBLERS – Josh Bard C: Josh did a nice
job for the Tribe and although everyone is saying the catching job is Victor
Martinez’ to lose, don’t count out Bard.
Todd needed Bard’s at bats to cover CJ, but don’t be surprised if
this guy doesn’t kick around for a while. REVISITED: Josh
who? He covers CJ now and will be a
pick next year. Nice job Todd. 24)
CHICAGO CHAMPIONS – Jeremy Bonderman P: The
Champions traded away starting pitchers Kip Wells, Jon Garland, & Jake Peavy
and needed a couple of replacements. Jeremy
has been compared to Bret Saberhagen, which would be okay in my book.
Bonderman throws strikes and eats up innings.
This young right-hander will get better with age. REVISITED: Thought
Bonderman would start getting guys out in his 2nd year, well maybe
his 3rd, maybe never. 25)
CHICAGO CHAMPIONS – Jimmy Gobble P: Here is the
complement to Bonderman from the left side.
There were thoughts the Champs possibly should have taken Ramirez and Seo
rather than Bonderman and Gobble, but I think the right pitchers were taken
here. Gobble has come out of
nowhere and he has a cool name. GOBBLE!
GOBBLE! GOBBLE! REVISITED: Isn’t
there more to this game than a cool name? It
would be nice if he could get through a game without allowing three homers. 26)
GREEN ROCK BOMBERS – Robby Hammock C: Robby can
hit, but has yet to establish a position in the field.
He is a good fit for the Bombers who needed a catcher and Jason Phillips
would have left them tight behind the plate.
The Bombers already have Piazza and Gil as backstops, so there was no
need to get anyone good here. REVISITED: Hammock
was selected to backup Piazza, but hasn’t hit anywhere near what he did as a
rookie. May be suffering woeful Diamondbacks syndrome. 27)
RISING BAMM BEANOS – Aquilino Lopez P*: HEY JOHN
YA NEED A STARTER!!! Was that
subtle enough??? Ramirez and Seo
were still available. Maybe John
didn’t see the pile with the starting pitchers in there.
Lopez had a nice year for the Jays, but lied about his age and will be 29
this year. REVISITED: Not
only did Lopez get old, he also got bad. Here’s
where a starting pitcher needed to have been chosen. 28)
MOLLY PUTTS ROCKETFIRE – Brad Lidge P*: Why has it
taken this nasty boy so long to make it to the bigs? One word, injuries! Lidge
slowed down after the All-Star game and I doubt will ever be carded again.
He’s an arm injury waiting to happen. REVISITED: So
far his arm has stayed on and he’s performing well, but King Midas made the
selection so where’s the surprise? 29)
CHICAGO CHAMPIONS – Laynce Nix OF: Somehow the
Champs always seem to fall for the lefty hitting OF with speed, good d, yadda
yadda yadda. This might be Rich
Becker reincarnate. Hopefully
he’ll make Texas’ opening day roster. Seriously
though the Champs got rid of two really good outfielders and needed to replace
them. Somehow I don’t know if
Cabrera & Nix can replace Griff Junior & Igor Gonzalez.
Only time will tell. REVISITED: Looks
to be a lefthanded Mike Cameron. Has
a good glove, but strikes out at least twice a game. 30)
TWIN
CITY THUNDERCHICKENS – Jody
Gerut OF: Jody might be the hardest working player in the draft.
Gerut is an overachiever, who is loved by his manager for his efforts.
Gerut also has a potent bat, decent glove, and some speed, although he is
a little old for a rookie. REVISITED: Hard
work by itself doesn’t always translate into productivity.
Gerut has a nice rookie card, but that’s his career high point. 31)
MOLLY PUTTS ROCKETFIRE – Mark Hendrickson P: This kid
is known for the longball, both when pitching and hitting.
Mark’s much more of a suspect than a prospect at this point.
Ramirez & Seo are much better pitching prospects at this point.
Maybe it would have been better to have taken one of them over Contreras,
or both over Contreras & Harden, then this would have been a free pick.
Taking Hendrickson is pretty much a waste, unless you take into
consideration he has control and can hit homers. REVISITED: This
was the biggest surprise ever in the draft.
Hendrickson flew well below radar and continues to get the job done.
I am now on my knees bowing to Don, I’m not worthy, I’m not worthy,
I’m not worthy. GREAT PICK! 32)
AURORA GAMBLERS – Scott Podsednik OF: Here is
another guy I never thought would be taken.
Podsednik is a hard worker, a hustler, and provides the team with an
excellent leadoff man, however Tike Redman or Marlon Byrd might have been better
choices at this point. REVISITED: Podsednik
did it as a rookie and continues to do it as a sophomore.
This kid will do whatever it takes to beat you, hustles all the time! 33)
CHICAGO CHAMPIONS – A.J. Burnett P: Nipple rings
aside, this guy can pitch. The only
way he became available was because of an arm injury. The Champs are so confident in his ability that they are
willing to hold onto him uncarded. Now
why didn’t they do that with Halladay & Padilla? Kinda like closing the barn door after the animals are
running down the road. REVISITED: Burnett
is getting stronger as the season goes on, should be all the way back next year. 34)
COLONA UPPERDECKERS – Marlon Byrd OF: Byrd is a
little old for a rookie, but he is a good one.
Marlon should be a 3, steal bases, and hit for power.
He has more ability than Matsui, Gerut, & Podsednik.
If you need an outfielder Byrd is a good one, however there were some
quality rookies that were not drafted. REVISITED: Marlon
gives the Upperdeckers a body in the outfield this year, but he’s stuck behind
Glanville, Michaels, & Ledee in CF in Philly, which gives you an indication
of how low he’s sunk. A+
NORTHSIDE HITMEN: Berroa, Villarreal, & Utley – Angel
Maria Berroa is the perfect fit for Chuck.
Villarreal pitches lots out of the pen and will be the perfect setup man
this year. I liked Blalock last
year, just not for the Hitmen. Utley
might be a regular secondbaseman, but I can’t see it. REVISITED:
C Berroa looks to be
average, only because of his quality glove work, Utley can hit for power, but
Villareal is a one year wonder. A
AURORA GAMBLERS: Webb, Willis, Bard, & Podesednik – Webb
& Willis are a perfect one-two punch at the head of the Gambler rotation.
Cutting down on the number of picks allowed Todd to get both of the
pitchers he wanted. I can only see
Podsednik being a good leadoff man for two to three years, which ain’t all
bad. REVISITED:
A Webb & Willis will be
at the top of the Gamblers rotation for years to come, Podsednik gives Aurora a
leadoff man, and Bard will disappear after the year. A
CHICAGO CHAMPIONS: Cabrera, Cintron, Olivo, Mateo, Bonderman, Gobble, Nix, &
Burnett – Miguel Cabrera
was the best player taken in the draft, he can flat out PLAY!
Should have done whatever to have a shot at Teixeira.
AC can hit, but Berroa was the better choice. Olivo will be the Champs starting catcher soon.
Mateo will be a solid setup man for the next 5 years.
Bonderman & Gobble don’t have the grades of Webb & Willis, but
might over perform them. Hopefully
they’re better than Seo & Ramirez. Nix
is young and talented, needs to cut down his K’s.
Keeping Burnett was a no brainer! REVISITED:
D- Without Cabrera and
keeping Burnett this draft would have been an F-.
Cintron fields the same as Lugo, but hits worse.
Olivo is not Martinez. Bonderman,
Gobble, & Mateo can’t get anybody out and Nix strikes out too much.
Plus should have traded Marte & a DC for Teixeira & Marquis.
Sheeesh, what happened here? A-
CHICAGO HIGHLANDERS: Soriano – Rob
selected just what he needed. Last
year I said Rob Moore wouldn’t need a closer anytime soon, barring injury.
And now one year later I’m grading the Highlanders with an A* for
taking another A*. He got just what
he needed. REVISITED:
C Soriano looks to be one
and done, but gives the Highlanders the big time closer they need now. B+
COLONA UPPERDECKERS: Rodriguez & Byrd – KROD
is a killer! What an outstanding
relief pitcher! Byrd gives Marc a
solid backup outfielder. REVISITED:
B KROD is the real deal,
Byrd is not. B TWIN
CITY THUNDERCHICKENS: Valverde & Gerut – Valverde will be closing games for
the T*Chix for years. Gerut gives
the T*Chix a power hitting outfielder off the bench. REVISITED:
C- Valverde is experiencing
a sophomore jinx, but should be good. Gerut
is experiencing a sophomore jinx, but shouldn’t be good. C-
MOLLY PUTTS ROCKETFIRE: Reyes, Baldelli, Matsui, Contreras, Harden, Martinez,
Lidge, & Hendrickson – Reyes
& Baldelli are outstanding ballplayers!
Although Martinez will be a good hitter and Contreras should be a solid
starter for five year, the rest of Don’s draft didn’t impress me.
If Harden & Lidge stay healthy they will be good. There’s no chance with Lidge.
Hendrickson’s a bum looking for a park bench. REVISITED:
A++ Everyone Don selected
has a purpose and fits in well with the Rocket*Fire.
Martinez & Reyes look to be superstars, Baldelli has a shot at
superstardom, Matsui is very solid, Harden has #1 stuff, Contreras will be very
good if he ever figures out how to get the Red Sox out, Lidge is flat out nasty,
and dunno how Hendrickson is doing it. D-
RISING BAMM BEANOS: Teixeira, Rincon, & Lopez – Teixeira
is a BIGGER MONSTER than last year’s MONSTER Phelps. Both Rincon & Lopez should have been passed for starting
pitchers. And it seems a waste to
select Teixeira after picking Phelps last year, even though Teixeira is the real
deal! REVISITED:
B+ Teixeira was simply too
good to pass up, Rincon gets the job done, while Lopez doesn’t. F
GREEN ROCK BOMBERS: Williams, Ayala, & Hammock – Mike
needed a bullpen and after the draft he still needed a bullpen.
Still Jerome is a horse! Ayala
will be good enough to blow saves this year and this is probably as good as it
gets for him. Hammock’s bat off the bench might help, but will never be
more than a backup backstop. REVISITED:
C+ This team needed a
closer, maybe Ayala will be better next year.
Williams is still a horse. While
Hammock is a backup catcher at best. Inc
STATE STREET SLUGGERS: NO DRAFT PICKS OVERLOOKED
ROOKIES 1) Hee
Seop Choi 1B: Hee will get an opportunity to play every day in Florida.
Choi has all the tools, all he needs is a chance to play. 2)
Horacio Ramirez P: It’s a big surprise this classy lefthander wasn’t taken.
Ramirez had a fine rookie year in Atlanta and will be a B more often than
not. This kid knows how to pitch. 3)
Caladio Vargas P: Vargas has some big shoes to fill in Montreal, but from how
he pitched in his rookie year Claudio shouldn’t have a problem.
He can be overpowering at times, just needs to harness that ability. 4) Tony
Armas, Jr. P: Armas got off to a fine start last year before injuries shut
him down. This guy’s a big strong
kid that should bounce back and become dominant. 5)
Antonio Perez 2B: Antonio might not be a regular this year, but he played hurt
and just enough to be eligible for the draft (125 at bats).
He’ll be a fine secondbaseman. 6) Tike
Redman OF: It took Tike a little while to max the show, but he showed what he could
do last year when he tore the cover off the ball. 7) Mike
MacDougal P*: MacDougal made the MLB All Star Game.
You can’t do better than that. Yet
he was overlooked when all those relievers were selected, go figure. 8)
Brandon Phillips 2B: Talent wise this kid can play. Phillips can do it all, but sometimes his ego & lack of a
good work ethic get in the way. 9) Juan
Rivera OF: Juan might get a chance to start in Montreal. He has a good arm and can hit for power.
Rivera should hit 30+ long balls playing every day. 10) Jon
Lieber P: Jon was one of the best pitchers in the game before injuries shut him
down. Still BIG George signed him,
which is good enough for me. Lieber
has pinpoint control. He might have
4 good years in his surgically rebuilt arm. Figgins, Hafner, Overbay, Choi, Harvey, Cliff Lee, K. Ginter,
Byrnes, Redman, Day, & Calero seem like a much better Top Ten Missed List. |
