First round pick Jody Gragg is an excellent hitter, with projected great splits and batting eye.His power is good, not great, and his contact is mediocre.It looks he won’t be all that useful in the field, and is better off as a DH.Still, his bat will definitely warrant him being in the lineup as a DH.2nd rounder Earl Cook is another nice bat, not quite the level of Gragg, but still good, and looks like he can be solid defensively behind the plate.After that, they got a handful of offensive prospects – a few could make the majors as backups.
Final Analysis:Very nice 1st and 2nd round picks – solid players for sure.
Dover’s first round pick, righty Kelly Bowie has projects to have a great RH split, and 4 good pitches.He has a good GB/FB ratio as well, and looks to be a workhorse with his strong durability/stamina ratings.His big downside is mediocre control.Based on his other ratings, he should be able to overcome that, and be a solid #3 or #4 starter in the bigs.Dover didn’t have a 2nd round pick, and the rest of their draft featured a couple of borderline Major League pitchers, and an extremely good field shortstop.
Final Analysis:Bowie should be solid, not much to speak of here otherwise.
Hartford’s first rounder was lefty reliever Preston Johnson.Johnson looks like he will have control and splits that are just ok and superior GB/FB ratio, velocity and pitches.It will be interesting to see if he will be just good in the majors, or a stud.He should be able to contribute nonetheless.Hartford picked up a very nice 2nd baseman in Paul Newfield in the supp round, who looks like a future major league starter.Their second supp round pick was Harold Milner, a rangy centerfielder with excellent speed and baserunning skills.SS/3B Bubba Burks was a nice pickup for a 5th rounder.
Final Analysis:Hartford got some players who will help them at the Major League level for sure, although it remains to be seen how much of an impact they will have.
NY’s first rounder was right Cory Ramirez who looks like he can be a workhorse – his other pluses are good splits, the ability to keep the ball down in the zone, and 2 very good pitches.His big downside is his control, which projects to be very mediocre, and we’re not sure his other skills are good enough for him to be dominant.Still, he should be a serviceable #5 SP in the bigs, who can eat up a lot of innings.Supp pick Luke Montgomery is a hold out, and the Gazette has no info on this player.Best of luck with those negotiations!After that, New York got a handful of pitchers who are borderline major leaguers at best, and a couple of fielding wizards with not much skill at the plate
Final Analysis:Ramirez is ok, but not great.Montgomery, if he signs, and has skills, could be the deciding factor in whether this draft is a boom or bust.
