Leon Jackson - Cobbfather Post Gazette
Next up for the draft recap is the NL East, a fairly even division - let's see if the draft was the same way!
NL EAST
Buffalo Bisons
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The Bisons got RHP hard-throwing workhorse Brandon Wall with the 14th pick. This guy is going to eat up a ton of innings, and also has a superb 4-seam fastball to go with a nice curve and sinker. His control and splits are good, but not great, which is why we see him as a #3 or #4 SP in the big leagues. 2nd rounder Lance Roosevelt looks like a solid major league backup. After that, they picked up a handful of fringe major league hitters, who could contribute at some point in the bigs.
Final Synopsis: Wall is solid, and they got some good hitters after that, but this draft lacks star power.
Grade: B-
Cincinnati Red Stockings
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Cincinnati grabbed 1B Dennis Jeffries with the 18th pick. Jeffries is arguably one of the draft’s best hitters with huge power with a great batting eye and contact. He owns lefties, but not quite as good vs. righties. His defensive upside is probably as a poor left fielder, but he has the potential to be one of the top hitters in the league when he reaches the majors. 2nd rounder IF Oscar McNally is a decent hitter who could probably be a major league utility guy. 3rd rounder hurler Steve Evans is a nice value pick and could make the majors.
Final Synopsis: Jeffries is a future star, and they got a couple of other nice players as well.
Grade: A-
Dover Diamond Dogs
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Top draft choice Carmine Hooper remains unsigned, which takes us to their supp round pick Rolando Gonzalez, a contact hitting specialist of a catcher with a bit of power too. He’s got nice splits, especially vs. RH and a solid batting eye. He’s passable as a catcher defensively, but won’t be great, and doesn’t have great durability, so he’ll need some rest during the season. All in all, nice grab in the supplemental round – he probably should have gone earlier. Also in the supp round, they took reliever Roy Thompson, who has closer potential in the bigs. They kept going pitching after that, getting a few decent prospects that could hit the majors.
Final synopsis: Both their supplemental round picks were steals – if Hooper signs, this may be the one of, if not the best draft this season.
Grade: A-
New York Primetimers
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NY took Jorel Buck with the 26th pick overall. Buck is currently being used in relief at Low A, but could also start if need be. His projections are solid across the board, but not great. Again, with this being a thin class, there wasn’t a lot better to pick from at 26. Supplemental round choice Dave Rhodes, is a nice hitter with great contact who could make a major league lineup. They got a couple of decent arms in Sutton and Herzner in round 2, and added a few more in the later rounds.
Final Synopsis: It was a pretty deep draft for the Primetimers, they made the best of the picks they had, but they won’t get any stars out of this class.
Grade: B
UP NEXT: AL EAST