Draft Roundup S49

 Gabrielle  O. Alvarez-Tillman - Contributing Reporter.

Yet another draft season in Cobbfather, so let's round up the Rule 4 draft. We heard some grumblings about the talent pool, but nothing like in year's past. 

1. Huntington - Roger Simon (SP) -  First pitcher to go #1 overall since Season 42 when the first 5 picks were all pitchers, lead by Louis Combs at #1. This guys potential is sky high, 75 grade control who manages both lefties and righties, and a 4-seam fastball that will rival the best in the game. The nay sayers will point to his lack of pitches, as Simon only features a 4-seam, change-up, and a weak curveball that wouldn't fool a Rookie leaguer. Huntington is on pace for a top 2 pick next year, so we'll see who gets paired up with Simon next year. 

2. Los Angeles - Norm Cunningtham (SP) - The first high schooler selected and yet another pitcher. We should see a fair number of strike outs with Norm and shouldn't have too many balls leave the yard. Has two great pitches, a sinker and change up that should keep hitters guessing. With all that velocity you'd think he would have learned to throw a fastball, but I guess he prefers movement over speed. He'll handle righties extremely well and seems to be rather durable but he's on the low end of stamina for a starter, in fact Los Angeles has him pitching out of the pen in AA. That's a big move for an 18 yr old. 

3. Gotham (El Paso) - Adam West (SS) - With the franchise is disarray, the Ploppies fans took to the skies. Shining the P into the night to see who would answer the call. And who else would show up, but BATMAN!!! Many owners were surprised to see him not go in the top 2, but El Paso has to be happy about that. Might be the biggest highlight of their Season 49 season. Won't add too many home runs or stolen bases, but he'll produce that's for sure. Solid draft top 3 picks so far. 

4. Milwaukee - Jimmy Blaser (RF) - Jimmy 'the Blue Hen' Blaser, a 22 year old Senior out of the University of Delaware goes at #4. He'll be a slightly above average glove in right field. Has a 75 grade batting eye, which should help get him on base and he'll packages that with being one of the fastest regular players in Cobbfather. The downside is, he's not the best on the base paths; it's rumored he ran straight from first to third one game for Delaware. If he lives up to expectations at the bat, at his peak he'll be a .250-.260 hitter and might go 20/20 but better to temper that with a 15/15 season at best. 

5. Philadelphia - Mitch Dillard (SP) - Mitch will challenge Roger Simon as the top pitching prospect of this draft. Top notch control, and fantastic against both righties and lefties, keeps the ball on the ground, high strikeout pitcher. Similar to Simon, some will question if he's able to remain a starter and if his secondary pitch is rated high enough, but out of the pen; neither should be a problem. Consecutive years with very solid top 5 picks, the goat curse is surely over! 

6. Anaheim - Danny Bridges (P) - Anaheim a team full of young talent from a few years ago, grabs a pitcher with the 6th pick overall. Bridges control is elite and has at least average 4-seam, slider, and change up. That should keep hitters guessing! With that control, don't expect many flyballs against Danny and should net himself a fair share of strikeouts as well. His make-up is up there with Estee Lauder. Lefties should hit the best against him, but he'll do fairly decent with the righties. The biggest question will be if he starts or comes out of the pen. He's right there borderline with the stamina, but doesn't have the durability to be used regularly unless you limit his pitches. Should be interesting to see what Anaheim does with him with Crowe entering his 2nd year of arbitration next year and Bonk Burnett having one more year until he reaches arbitration himself. 

7. Washington DC - Bernard Morton (RF) - Morton's range and arm strength could see him at anywhere but Shortstop or Center Field, but sadly his glove and accuracy will likely limit him to first base. If he sticks to Right, except a lower than normal fielding percentage and a few extra bases by the opposing hitters. He may not have the speed of Jimmy Blaser but with better base running skills he could easily steal 20 a season, but likely caps out around 15. Bernard is looking like a .270 and 25 HR depending on the park. His health will be a slight concern but then again Rip Bromberg in Pittsburgh hasn't died yet, so maybe no concerns with Morton either. 

8. Chicago - Edgar Amaro (P) - Another pitcher with good control going early in the draft. Some of the red flags for Amaro are his durability, while he might start it will likely be a back of the rotation guy that can be skipped every once in awhile but we could see a high 3, low 4 ERA with a 1.30 WHIP. He'll look similar to Chicago's current starter Alton Drew and bullpen arm Seth Buford. Does this mean slashtc has a type? 

9. Houston - Jeff Jones (P) - The team everyone loves to hate on, drafts the 6th pitcher of the draft in high school arm, Jeff Jones. Right around the same time Houston signed Jones, they also signed International Free Agent Tony Santos. What Santos does as a starter, Jones will do as a reliever. I can't imagine having to face the both of them in the same game. Given his intangibles, health, and ability to keep the ball on the ground with an amazing sinker that drops out of the sky, we should see this guy around for a long time. Just don't expect him to field any bunts. He was immediately moved into the closer role for the Rookie level Space Cowboys. 

10. Hartford - Charley Roberts (RF) - Well likely see ole Charley flip over to left field, but that's for his fielding coach to decide. But one thing is for sure, this guy has the highest power/speed combo of the draft. In the power department he reminds me of Colorado's Josmil Velasquez. And what is it with this players having all the speed but being poor decision makers on the base paths? Don't they teach base running anymore in pee-wee league? Will likely fall in the 20-25 range and maybe a season or two around 30 if he's lucky and Hartford lets him run and IF he can remain healthy. That speed will likely help make up for some of his short comings with his range in field. 

11. New Orleans - Hooks Mateo (P) - Who name's their kid Hooks and doesn't team him to throw a curveball? His parents get an F for raising him wrong! Similar to Bridges, we'll likely see Mateo come out of the pend with a lower stamina than most starters. He should keep the ball down most times, which will likely help in his division against HR happy fields in Santa Fe, San Juan, and Austin. Profiles similar to Tony Sosa out of Anaheim. Good upside, but only if he can manage to reach his potential. 

12. Colorado - Joaquin Villar (CF) - Profiles as a fantastic defensive center fielder. If he starts to struggle at the plate, I hope his coaches will tell him to bunt. Between his ability to place the ball anywhere down the line and his speed, he should see plenty of chances to chat with the first baseman. Easily a 30 SB guy if his coaches will let him run. Playing in Colorado will definitely help Villar; we could easily see a .290-.300 hitter in Colorado. His home/away splits might look a little different but will still get on base plenty. As with most mid early first round draft picks, he has a few question marks in the health department. 

13. Wichita - Jimmie Bryant (CF) - Drafted as a shortstop, Jimmie was immediately assigned to CF for the A- Aeros. His eye at the plate will keep his OBP close to his AVG and he makes decent contact but his power and splits are higher end. We could see him anywhere from .255-.280 with 25-30 HR. Might even see one or two 30/30 seasons out of him; I call that a HUGE win for the 13th pick. I bet a few teams directly ahead of this pick are rethinking their draft. 

14. Boston - Woodie Yarnall (3B) - After player drafted as a SS but quickly shifted elsewhere, Woodie to third base and here I thought third base meant something else. Ah well! If he mets expectations Yarnall will be your prototypical average major league bat. If Boston keeps him at 3B, we could definitely see a few gold gloves in his future. With a great combo of health and makeup, we should see a long career for him, well as long as teams are willing to keep his glove. 

15. Austin - Mark Webster (SS) - Another great glove, drafted as a CF and shifted to the infield at 2B by the Austin franchise. He'll do great against major league lefties, but pit him against an AA right and even with that power he'll struggle. Some say he has better command of a 4-seam fastball than he does at the plate against Righties. Depending on how well he can get on base, he's easily a 40 SB type of guy. That's a big IF though and will also depend on his coach letting him run. 

Let's go prospects, it's nearly your time to shine!!