Charleston’s first rounder was masher Quinton Allen, who will be a sure-fire superstar for years to come.His ratings at the plate are outstanding across the board.I’d expect nothing less than multiple .300/40 HR seasons in his future.His downside – he’s not that speedy – does that count?Charleston didn’t have another pick until the 4th round, where they landed a bunch of mediocre arms, one or two who may make it to the bigs for a cup of coffee one day.
Final Analysis:Didn’t get much else besides Allen, but he alone makes their draft a smashing success.
Grade:B+
Huntington Liberators
Huntington’s first rounder was hurler Sean Ford, who has yet to sign, and the Gazette has no info on this player, none, nada, not even if he is a lefty or a righty.All we know is that he has a really ugly mug.2nd rounder Adrian Jones is strong in the field, but may not have the range to truly be an effective shortstop, and is only ok at the plate.Other than that, they got a handful of mediocre arms, and a few defensive wizards.
Final Analysis: Not a great draft, especially if they can't sign Ford.
Jackson’s top pick was Peter Kelly, a defensive wonder at SS, who should rack up a number of gold gloves down the line.He looks like he should be able to hold his own at the plate, albeit he won’t post spectacular numbers.He has some speed, but lacks the baserunning prowess to be an elite steal artist.All in all, he’s not bad at all for a late first rounder.2nd rounder Alberto Jacquez is a solid hitting CF, although he doesn’t have ideal range for the CF position, he should be serviceable, and post decent numbers at the plates.Their 3rd rounder was defensive catcher Richie Hall, and the rest of the crop were borderline major leaguers at best.
Final Analysis:They got some good role players, although no future stars – at least offensively, but their top 2 picks could start in the bigs.
Memphis didn’t have a first rounder so their top pick was 2nd rounder Yuniesky Lopez – great splits and pitches – poor control, velocity and GB/FB ratio – he probably won’t make the majors.3rd rounder Deivi Armas was a nice value pick, he could end up being a long reliever in the bigs, if he reaches his projections.They were able to snag a couple more decent relievers in the later rounds as well.
Final analysis:They came away with some decent relievers – although they could have done better with their 2nd rounder.
