As always the S14 team name is in brackets
A look at the top 5 all-time Hunter SB leaders and how their careers unfolded
1. Zeus Stewart (Currently FA): 499 SB 39 CS
1278 GP 739 R 125 HR 597 RBI.257 AVG .306 OPS .719 OPS
Zeus is known as the Greek god of steals in Hunter. His SB proficiency was an insane 92.7%. Tim Raines generally considered to be the most efficient modern base-stealer of the modern era ONLY stole bases at an 84% clip.
Unfortunately for Zeus the rest of his numbers were pedestrian in comparison, it is clear from his average and OBP he only stuck in the majors as long as he did based on his ridiculous speed.
Stewart spent seasons 1-2 with Sacramento (Honolulu) then the relocated to Vancouver as a result Stewart was sent to the minors where he spent seasons 3-4. It was in season 5 he returned to the majors for Vancouver (Hon) and posted his best SB numbers from season 5-8, topping out with a 90 SB season. During this time Stewart also collected the only two awards of his career: Gold Glove 2b (S7 & S8)
After season 8 Vancouver relocated to Boise (Hon), which meant a pink slip for Mr. Stewart. He was signed as a FA by Huntington (Austin) and played there for season 9 but under new management in season 10 he was dealt to Salem (Las Vegas) for Vin Maduro. Maduro is currently pitching for Austin in the ML and has posted career stats of 8-11 with a 5.57 ERA. Based on his talent he’ll top out as an SP4 or SP5 in the ML.
Upon reaching Salem (LV) he played there for two seasons (10-11) before leaving as a FA before the start of season 12. In his last ML go around Buffalo signed him for a single season (12) before letting him walk as a FA.
Despite being unemployed for two season Zeus has still not announced his retirement undoubtedly hoping a team will pick him up as a marketing ploy to allow him to reach 500 SB. He currently sits 1 short. At age 33 he still has 83 speed and could provide a solid pinch running option down the stretch for a team. My bet is by the end of the Jan. 13th he’ll be rostered and on his way to 500.
2. Erubil Molina (Aug) 459 SB 85 CS
1869 GP 1569 R (3rd all-time) 252 HR 1127 RBI .313 AVG .398 OPS .913 OPS
Unlike Stewart number two on the list Erubil Molinda was a bone fide SuperStar and likely first ballot Hall of Famer. He has spent his entire 14 year career with the same organization St. Louis/Augusta. During that time he accumulated the following awards: ROY (S1), 6-Time All-star, 3-time Silver Slugger & 2 time Gold Glover.
His top SB season was season 8 where he stole 92 bases and was only caught 12 times.
At age 38 Molina is reaching the end of his career he still starts in LF for Augusta but with 12 negative plays for the season he’s far from the 2-time gold glove defender he was in his prime. It also looks like his SB days are over; as his speed has decreased to 58 and he has attempted a steal all season.
Still as mentioned above Molina will likely be one of the first players ushered into the HOF when it opens. In addition to being 2nd in SB he sits 3rd on the all-time runs list.
3. Ivan Castro (Chi) 398 SB 85 CS
1497 GP 899 R 24 HR 419 RBI .284 AVG .351 OBP .684 OPS
Ivan Castro had his first cup of coffee in the ML during season 2 with the Charlotte FatNasty (New Oreleans) only getting into 8 games for a total of 33 AB. He was traded to NY before playing a single game in season 3.
NY traded away Daniel Nelson to get Castro and two other players. Nelson went on to play a total of 1213 GP and finished with career numbers of 254 HR 779 RBI .271 AVG and .827 OPS. In addition to Castro NY received Chris King who played 484 ML games and posted 59 HR 192 RBI .286 AVG .867 OPS. King last played in the ML during season 9 with the SLC franchise. NY also received Craig Nielsen who had a brief ML career (only 400 AB) and last played in the majors for Cincy in season 11. At the end of the day the trade really broke down to Castro for Nelson, which seemed to give each team a productive player.
Castro stayed in NY from season 3 till season 6 when he was dealt to Colorado as part of a blockbuster deal. This time around NY traded 3 players to get one player back. The player NY acquired was Kevin Coleman (166W-90L 3.64ERA) a three-time Cy Young award winner. Unfortunately for NY he left via FA after season 7 due to salary cap constraints on the NY franchise, which briefly caused Radek to think about selling the team.
In addition to Castro, Colorado received David Anderson (119W-70L 4.14ERA) a former Cy Young award winner who retired following season 11 & Carlton York who’s Colorado career was short lived. He was traded back to NY in season 7 and has since racked up 202 SV and 3.01 ERA for NY.
Castro himself played for Colorado until last season (S13) when he was dealt to Chicago. The deal from the Chicago side alleviated 8M in contract obligations and also netted him two prospects in addition to Castro. The first prospect was A. Gomez as SP who is only 28 and has the stuff to be a quality SP2/SP3 type. For the season he has pitched 137 innings and is 8-8 with a 4.14 ERA. Chicago also received Mitch Westson a 2b with a below average glove but a plus bat. He is a former 1st round draft pick (40th overall) who will provide 20-25HR power up the middle. At this point in his career Castro has been relegated to pinch running and defensive replacement duties for Chicago.
Colorado’s return in the Castro trade was TJ Croushure and Pablo Chavez both names will be well known to long-time Hunter owners. Croushure has always been an enigma due to his EXTREMELY low durability. As a SP for Colorado he has only been able to make 11 starts for 80 IP and has posted an ERA of 3.04. Pablo Chavez on the other hand is the best CF Hunter’s every produced not named G. Biggio. Chavez career numbers for a CF are outstanding and he has not shown signs of slowing down. His current stats for Colorado are 33 HR 83 RBI .323 AVG with a 1.003 OPS. In addition to his stats Chavez is a 2-time WS champ (Washington S4 & Louisville S12).
Castro seems to be lock to break the 400 SB mark and has an outside shot at catching Molina depending on how many more seasons the 34 year old plays.
4. Vin Quinn SS/CF (Retired) 380 SB 78 CS
1154 GP 679 R 63 HR 555 RBI .270 AVG .395 SLG .728 OPS
Of the names on this list Quinn had the most stable career. He sent all 8 ML seasons (S1-S8) with the Wichita franchise, which has since relocated to Austin. Quinn’s top SB season was season 5 during which he stole 70 bases.
For his career Vin Quinn was a below average defender and bat at SS. It’s apparent former owner ewhcippe was enamored with his speed but it may also explain why Wichita lagged behind their AL South division-mates in the early years
5. Rick Jones LF (Retired) 355 SB 101 CS
977 R 176 HR 758 RBI 355 SB .282 AVG .485 SLG .840 OPS
Jones like Molina was a complete player who just happened to steal a lot of bases. While his pedigree wasn’t quite as high as Molina he did have a quality career. He broke into the ML in season 2 with Rochester (Nor) and won ROY. He stayed with the Rochester (Nor) franchise through season 5 when he was traded to Toledo (Phi).
In addition to Jones Toledo acquired Victor Nagy a career journeyman RP (222 ML IP 6.75 ERA). Nagy is still kicking around the majors with Pawtucket and is having his best year of his career at age 35 (3.25 ERA for the season). Going back the other way in the deal was JJ Banks who now plays for the Austin franchise. At the age of 30 Banks has posted a career line of 705 R 194 HR 697 RBI .273 AVG .475 SLG. 811 OPS. His totals are likely to surpass Jones but he won’t pass Jones %’s. The deal looks to be a very good one for both sides.
After Jones landed in Toldeo he stayed with the franchise until S11. Along the way he picked of a LF Gold Glove in S7, after S11 Jones tested FA and was signed by Burlington (KC) late in the season. When I say late in the season I mean REALLY late. Jones’ Burlington career lasted all of 2 AB bats. After S12 he never played in the majors again and has since retired.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Friday, December 18, 2009
Season 2 FA Signings
Season 2 was a weak FA crop with only 3 FA garnering Type A status and at least 7M per year in salary. As always, current team name is always in brackets i.e. Sante Fe (Little Rock). Sante Fe is now Little Rock.
Kevin Brown 3b
Contract: 2/20M (Team Option)
Signed by: Chicago
Former Team: Pittsburgh
Chicago signed 3b Brown away from Pittsburgh for a 2 year/10M per contract with a team option. Brown only spent 1 season in Chicago posting a batting line of 28HR 123 RBI .305 AVG .926 OPS. Brown was also selected as an All-Star for season 2. Chicago declined the season 3 option and Brown played one season for Sante Fe (Little Rock) before retiring.
As a result of the signing Pittsburgh got the #19 and #44 picks in the draft
Pittsburgh selected Hector Gonzalez with the #19 pick. Gonzalez never made the majors as a Stubba as he left Pittsburgh as a rule 5selection in season 5. Gonzalez ended up pitching 594 ML innings to the tune of a 5.33 ERA and 22-36 record. His last ML season pitched was season 11 with Pawtucket
With the #44 Charlie Ferrea was selected. He never made the majors and was released in season 5. He kicked around the minors before retiring with Chicago in season 11.
Signing Grade (Chicago): B (One all-star appearance and no regrets with the compensation pick)
Compensation Grade (Pittsburgh): D+ (Neither players were superstars but Gonzalez did kick around the MLs for a few seasons.
Dustin Walker SP
Contract: 5/49.6 M + 3M bonus (Team Option)
Signed by: Arizona (Las Vegas)
Former Team: Wichita (Austin)
Walker pitched for Arizona (Las Vegas) for season 2-6. He posted a record of 58-44 with a 5.26 ERA over that span. He left Arizona as a FA after season 7 signing with Atlanta he played in the majors till retiring with Scottsdale (Salem) after season 9
Unfortunately, for Wichita (Austin) the Arizona (LV) franchise signed 2 type A’s in season 3 and Austin (Little Rock) got the better comp pick.
The comp picks received for Walker were #46 and #94.
With the 46th pick SP Joe Young was selected. He never pitched in the big leagues. He left Wichita (Austin) as a FA after season 8 and kicked around the minors until retiring from Burlington after season 13. His minor league stats were 76-79 with a 7.24 ERA
With the 94th pick Wichita (Austin) selected SP Alfonso Romero who retired from after season 6 and never picked in the bigs.
Signing Grade: C+ (above .500 record with a suspect ERA )
Comp Pick Grade: F (Neither player appeared in the ML)
Clay Reed 3b
Contract: 5/37.2 M (Team Option)
Signed by: Arizona (Las Vegas)
Former Team: Austin (Little Rock)
Reed played for Arizona (Las Vegas) for season 2-5 then retired following season 5. Over the four seasons Clay posted stat totals of 63 HR 305 RBI .296 AVG .821 OPS.
The comp picks received by Austin (Little Rock) were #49 and #62
With the #49 pick Austin (LR) selected SP Denny Cardona who had a cup of coffee in the majors after being selected away from Austin (then Sante Fe) in the Rule 5 draft by Cleveland. Playing for Cleveland until season 12 his ML stats were 0-11 with a 7.73 ERA.
The #62 pick was SP Matt Lakasiewiez who was also selected away in the rule 5 draft by Cincy before being offered back. For his ML career Lakasiwiez was 0-1 with a 13.97 ERA
Signing Grade: C+ (Reed wasn’t a different maker but provided decent production)Comp Pick Grade: D- (Both players made the majors but both ended their ML careers with 7+ Era)
Season 2 was a weak FA crop with only 3 FA garnering Type A status and at least 7M per year in salary. As always, current team name is always in brackets i.e. Sante Fe (Little Rock). Sante Fe is now Little Rock.
Kevin Brown 3b
Contract: 2/20M (Team Option)
Signed by: Chicago
Former Team: Pittsburgh
Chicago signed 3b Brown away from Pittsburgh for a 2 year/10M per contract with a team option. Brown only spent 1 season in Chicago posting a batting line of 28HR 123 RBI .305 AVG .926 OPS. Brown was also selected as an All-Star for season 2. Chicago declined the season 3 option and Brown played one season for Sante Fe (Little Rock) before retiring.
As a result of the signing Pittsburgh got the #19 and #44 picks in the draft
Pittsburgh selected Hector Gonzalez with the #19 pick. Gonzalez never made the majors as a Stubba as he left Pittsburgh as a rule 5selection in season 5. Gonzalez ended up pitching 594 ML innings to the tune of a 5.33 ERA and 22-36 record. His last ML season pitched was season 11 with Pawtucket
With the #44 Charlie Ferrea was selected. He never made the majors and was released in season 5. He kicked around the minors before retiring with Chicago in season 11.
Signing Grade (Chicago): B (One all-star appearance and no regrets with the compensation pick)
Compensation Grade (Pittsburgh): D+ (Neither players were superstars but Gonzalez did kick around the MLs for a few seasons.
Dustin Walker SP
Contract: 5/49.6 M + 3M bonus (Team Option)
Signed by: Arizona (Las Vegas)
Former Team: Wichita (Austin)
Walker pitched for Arizona (Las Vegas) for season 2-6. He posted a record of 58-44 with a 5.26 ERA over that span. He left Arizona as a FA after season 7 signing with Atlanta he played in the majors till retiring with Scottsdale (Salem) after season 9
Unfortunately, for Wichita (Austin) the Arizona (LV) franchise signed 2 type A’s in season 3 and Austin (Little Rock) got the better comp pick.
The comp picks received for Walker were #46 and #94.
With the 46th pick SP Joe Young was selected. He never pitched in the big leagues. He left Wichita (Austin) as a FA after season 8 and kicked around the minors until retiring from Burlington after season 13. His minor league stats were 76-79 with a 7.24 ERA
With the 94th pick Wichita (Austin) selected SP Alfonso Romero who retired from after season 6 and never picked in the bigs.
Signing Grade: C+ (above .500 record with a suspect ERA )
Comp Pick Grade: F (Neither player appeared in the ML)
Clay Reed 3b
Contract: 5/37.2 M (Team Option)
Signed by: Arizona (Las Vegas)
Former Team: Austin (Little Rock)
Reed played for Arizona (Las Vegas) for season 2-5 then retired following season 5. Over the four seasons Clay posted stat totals of 63 HR 305 RBI .296 AVG .821 OPS.
The comp picks received by Austin (Little Rock) were #49 and #62
With the #49 pick Austin (LR) selected SP Denny Cardona who had a cup of coffee in the majors after being selected away from Austin (then Sante Fe) in the Rule 5 draft by Cleveland. Playing for Cleveland until season 12 his ML stats were 0-11 with a 7.73 ERA.
The #62 pick was SP Matt Lakasiewiez who was also selected away in the rule 5 draft by Cincy before being offered back. For his ML career Lakasiwiez was 0-1 with a 13.97 ERA
Signing Grade: C+ (Reed wasn’t a different maker but provided decent production)Comp Pick Grade: D- (Both players made the majors but both ended their ML careers with 7+ Era)
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Big FA Signings Season 1
I decided to go back and look at “Big” FA signings starting in Season 1 and see how the signings turned out for the teams. My definition of big was a yearly salary of 7M or more and the player had to be a Type A FA (meaning a lose of draft pick).
In Season 1 there were 4 players who fit the description above
Ivan Miller SP
Contract: 5 year 59 Million dollars (Mutual Option)
Signed by: St. Louis (Now Augusta) Former Team: Baltimore
Miller played in St. Louis for the duration of his contract. At the time the contract was the largest contract ever given to a player or pitcher. Over his 5 years in St. Louis he went 59-25 with approx. 3.3 ERA. He appeared in 3 All-star games, won a Cy young in Season 2 and was a two-time pitcher silver slugger.
The biggest knock on Miller was his poor health for his career he had 7 DL stints (5 of the 60 day variety). During his time in St. Louis his missed almost all of season 3. He left St. Louis following the end of season 5 and finished his career with NY after season 8.
Baltimore as a result of losing Ivan Miller received two comp picks #18 & 61. Baltimore took Pete Whiteside a 3b at 18 and Stevie Flaherty a SS at 61, unfortunately Baltimore was unable to come to terms with either player.
Needless to say the Miller FA signing can be counted as a success for St. Louis as they made the playoffs every season during Miller’s run
Al Castilla 3B
Contract: 5 year 43 Million dollar with a 10 M bonus
Signed by: Honolulu (Now St. Louis) Former Team: Seattle (now Scottsdale EDIT: Honolulu)
The 53M-dollar deal including bonus was the 2nd largest deal ever and was the largest ever given to a position player.
Castilla played 4.5 seasons in Hon/Tuc/Santa Cruz (all the same franchise) before being traded to SF part way through season 5. For the five seasons this deal covered Castilla averaged 29.4 HR 104 RBI and .277 batting average. Clearly respectable numbers however probably less than was originally hoped for.
Castilla was traded to SF for Shawn Pulpisher who played 243 games for Tucson (now St. Louis) before retiring. Over that stretch Pulpisher posted a stat line of 33 HR 154 RBI .345 AVG and .900 OPS. He retired after season 6.
Seattle (now Scottsdale) as compensation received picks 32 and 60 in the draft. With the 32nd pick Seattle (Scottsdale) selected Bernie Marreo who went on to play 1218 games at the ML level with 367 HR 935 RBI .254 AVG .808 OPS. During that time he made 3-Allstar teams and won gold gloves at SS, LF and 3b. He was a member of Scottsdales until season 12 when he signed with SF.
With the 60th pick Seattle (Scotts) selected Max Saenez LF who had a cup of coffee in the majors playing 162 games hitting 13 HR 68 RBI .272 AVG and .705 OPS. He retired following season 8 with LA.
Based on the monster contract and the fact Marrero outperformed Castillo directly this is probably one that the St. Louis franchise would like back.
Mario Giles C
Contract: 5 year 42.5 M with 5M bonus
Signed by: Atlanta Former Team: Mexico (Now Richmond)
Mario played all fives seasons of his deal in Atlanta over that time he averaged 86.2 R 25.4 HR 103 RBI and batted .288. During that stretch he also made one All-star team. He left Atl following season 5 and last appeared in the ML as part of Colorda in season 11 (played 60 games). The last two seasons he’s bounced around the minors of Lou and SF.
As compensation for losing Giles Mexico (Richmond) got the 20th pick and the 45th pick in the draft.
With first pick Mexico (Richmond) selected Jack Wilson who pitched in 180 ML games with a career record of 24-48 5.78 ERA. Wilson last pitched in the majors for Portland in season 10. With the 2nd pick Derrick Hines (2b) was selected he played 1216 games in majors and authored a line of 116HR 624RBI .296 avg and .803 OPS, he also made 1 all-star team. His last ML season was season 12
I think both the Atlanta franchise and Richmond had to be pleased with the outcome of this signed. Atlanta got above-average hitting and fielding C for 5 seasons and Mex (Rich) got a serviceable ML 2b.
Red Powell P
Contract: 3 years 22.5M with 1M bonus
Signed by: Tex Former: Pawtuckt Green Sox (Now KC)
Of the major season 1 FA signings Red Powell received the smallest contract but may have been the biggest disappointment. Red pitched in Tex for 2 seasons posting a record of 27-23 with a 5.6 ERA before being traded to SF at the beginning of season 3.
In addition to Powell, SF received J. Gonzalez who went on to post a career record of 152-120 with a 4.6 ERA and retired with Cleveland following season 13. Powel himself retired after season 3 with San Fran. For Powel and Gonzalez Texas received K. Gomez a low control reliever who gave Texas four seasons and an ERA of 4.6, D. Ortiz a back of the rotation SP who went 9-13 with a 4.4 ERA and B. Vallarta a career minor leaguer.
Needless to say J. Gonzalez successful career always stuck in Wolfhound’s craw.
Finally we look at the compensation Pawtucket (KC) received for Powell. The draft picks were #30 and #46. With the 30th pick in the draft Paw (KC) selected Garret Bouchard, yes that was an audible groan from Wolf that you just heard. Bouchard was a 1-time all-star, 2-time silver slugger and has authored a career line of 314 HR 972 RBI .291 AVG and .895 OPS. Bouchard is still playing in the ML with Atlanta. The 2nd pick was 46th overall and was used to select Pat Martin who had a modest ML career (57 HR 222 RBI .263 AVG and .782 OPS).
In the end Powell was tied to Texas’ loss of a long-term quality SP and 1b all for 2 seasons of average work. Given a time machine this is a signing that Texas would like to undo
I decided to go back and look at “Big” FA signings starting in Season 1 and see how the signings turned out for the teams. My definition of big was a yearly salary of 7M or more and the player had to be a Type A FA (meaning a lose of draft pick).
In Season 1 there were 4 players who fit the description above
Ivan Miller SP
Contract: 5 year 59 Million dollars (Mutual Option)
Signed by: St. Louis (Now Augusta) Former Team: Baltimore
Miller played in St. Louis for the duration of his contract. At the time the contract was the largest contract ever given to a player or pitcher. Over his 5 years in St. Louis he went 59-25 with approx. 3.3 ERA. He appeared in 3 All-star games, won a Cy young in Season 2 and was a two-time pitcher silver slugger.
The biggest knock on Miller was his poor health for his career he had 7 DL stints (5 of the 60 day variety). During his time in St. Louis his missed almost all of season 3. He left St. Louis following the end of season 5 and finished his career with NY after season 8.
Baltimore as a result of losing Ivan Miller received two comp picks #18 & 61. Baltimore took Pete Whiteside a 3b at 18 and Stevie Flaherty a SS at 61, unfortunately Baltimore was unable to come to terms with either player.
Needless to say the Miller FA signing can be counted as a success for St. Louis as they made the playoffs every season during Miller’s run
Al Castilla 3B
Contract: 5 year 43 Million dollar with a 10 M bonus
Signed by: Honolulu (Now St. Louis) Former Team: Seattle (now Scottsdale EDIT: Honolulu)
The 53M-dollar deal including bonus was the 2nd largest deal ever and was the largest ever given to a position player.
Castilla played 4.5 seasons in Hon/Tuc/Santa Cruz (all the same franchise) before being traded to SF part way through season 5. For the five seasons this deal covered Castilla averaged 29.4 HR 104 RBI and .277 batting average. Clearly respectable numbers however probably less than was originally hoped for.
Castilla was traded to SF for Shawn Pulpisher who played 243 games for Tucson (now St. Louis) before retiring. Over that stretch Pulpisher posted a stat line of 33 HR 154 RBI .345 AVG and .900 OPS. He retired after season 6.
Seattle (now Scottsdale) as compensation received picks 32 and 60 in the draft. With the 32nd pick Seattle (Scottsdale) selected Bernie Marreo who went on to play 1218 games at the ML level with 367 HR 935 RBI .254 AVG .808 OPS. During that time he made 3-Allstar teams and won gold gloves at SS, LF and 3b. He was a member of Scottsdales until season 12 when he signed with SF.
With the 60th pick Seattle (Scotts) selected Max Saenez LF who had a cup of coffee in the majors playing 162 games hitting 13 HR 68 RBI .272 AVG and .705 OPS. He retired following season 8 with LA.
Based on the monster contract and the fact Marrero outperformed Castillo directly this is probably one that the St. Louis franchise would like back.
Mario Giles C
Contract: 5 year 42.5 M with 5M bonus
Signed by: Atlanta Former Team: Mexico (Now Richmond)
Mario played all fives seasons of his deal in Atlanta over that time he averaged 86.2 R 25.4 HR 103 RBI and batted .288. During that stretch he also made one All-star team. He left Atl following season 5 and last appeared in the ML as part of Colorda in season 11 (played 60 games). The last two seasons he’s bounced around the minors of Lou and SF.
As compensation for losing Giles Mexico (Richmond) got the 20th pick and the 45th pick in the draft.
With first pick Mexico (Richmond) selected Jack Wilson who pitched in 180 ML games with a career record of 24-48 5.78 ERA. Wilson last pitched in the majors for Portland in season 10. With the 2nd pick Derrick Hines (2b) was selected he played 1216 games in majors and authored a line of 116HR 624RBI .296 avg and .803 OPS, he also made 1 all-star team. His last ML season was season 12
I think both the Atlanta franchise and Richmond had to be pleased with the outcome of this signed. Atlanta got above-average hitting and fielding C for 5 seasons and Mex (Rich) got a serviceable ML 2b.
Red Powell P
Contract: 3 years 22.5M with 1M bonus
Signed by: Tex Former: Pawtuckt Green Sox (Now KC)
Of the major season 1 FA signings Red Powell received the smallest contract but may have been the biggest disappointment. Red pitched in Tex for 2 seasons posting a record of 27-23 with a 5.6 ERA before being traded to SF at the beginning of season 3.
In addition to Powell, SF received J. Gonzalez who went on to post a career record of 152-120 with a 4.6 ERA and retired with Cleveland following season 13. Powel himself retired after season 3 with San Fran. For Powel and Gonzalez Texas received K. Gomez a low control reliever who gave Texas four seasons and an ERA of 4.6, D. Ortiz a back of the rotation SP who went 9-13 with a 4.4 ERA and B. Vallarta a career minor leaguer.
Needless to say J. Gonzalez successful career always stuck in Wolfhound’s craw.
Finally we look at the compensation Pawtucket (KC) received for Powell. The draft picks were #30 and #46. With the 30th pick in the draft Paw (KC) selected Garret Bouchard, yes that was an audible groan from Wolf that you just heard. Bouchard was a 1-time all-star, 2-time silver slugger and has authored a career line of 314 HR 972 RBI .291 AVG and .895 OPS. Bouchard is still playing in the ML with Atlanta. The 2nd pick was 46th overall and was used to select Pat Martin who had a modest ML career (57 HR 222 RBI .263 AVG and .782 OPS).
In the end Powell was tied to Texas’ loss of a long-term quality SP and 1b all for 2 seasons of average work. Given a time machine this is a signing that Texas would like to undo
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Season 7 Draft Review
It's time for the latest draft review. This should have come out last season. My apologies for the delay. As always, we look at first round selections only.
1.Willie Perez (RP) Drafted by gocubz for the Chicago Fire. Traded in S12 for Alejandro Feliz, Erik Barclay and Manny Cameron. It's pretty unusual for a reliever to go #1 overall. Perez is certainly a special reliever with sky high splits, velocity and pitches. He broke into the majors with CHI in S8 and has been a closer since that day, making 2 All Star appearances. He's racked up 131 saves and a 3.03 ERA in his career. He was used as a setup man with NB after the trade, where he posted a dominating season in 127.2 relief innings.
The Fire got some good players in return for Perez. Cameron is a high quality closer prospect who is currently in AAA. Barclay is a young SP with promising ratings, but poor control. His rookie season in S13 was rough as he posted a 6-17 record with a 6.51 ERA and a WHIP over 1.8. Feliz is a talented young SP who was allowed to walk after only 1.5 seasons as a Free Agent.
Grade: A- for draft pick (I can't give an A to taking a closer #1 overall) and a B- for the trade (it would have been better had he kept Feliz).
2.Trace Manning (2B) Drafted by KSBeachbums for Iowa City (now the Cincinnati Jerry Springers). Manning is a solid player for the Springers. He's a middling defensive 2b (4+, 10-) with a good stick. He has posted a career OBP of .364 and has 164 SB in 4 full seasons. He has a touch of power and had his best season is S13, posting a .308/.386/.468 line making the NL All Star team for the first time.
Grade: B+ He's a fine player, but not quite a superstar.
3. Ted Bolick (1B) Drafted by bearclan1 for the Sante Fe Flyers. Traded in S9 to the St. Louis Mashers for Benji McGee. Now with the Louisville Sluggers. Bolick is your classic mashing 1b/DH type. Bolick broke into the majors with Lousiville in S10 and has posted a .298/.365/.525 line in 3+ seasons. S13 was his best as he hit .308 with 42 HR and 117 RBI and made the All Star Team.
The trade for McGee was inexplicable. He had been horrid for the seasons leading up to the trade. He pitched 11 IP for St. Louis before retiring.
Grade: B+ for draft, F for trade.
4. James Owens (2B) Drafted by jag884. unsigned.
Grade: F
5.Anthony Butler (C) Drafted by shmish0. Butler is a catcher who can rake, and calls a pretty decent game behind the plate as well. His throwing arm is weak, but for Piazza like production, it's worth it. In 5+ seasons, Butler has posted .320/.402/.569 and made 3 All Star teams. He's also won 2 Silver Sluggers. Butler was a key cog in the Mormons first pennant in S13.
Grade: A
6.Joe House (SP) Drafted by dufferman for the Baltimore BayDogs. House was a promising pitching prospect who hasn't quite hit the ceiling, ratings wise, he was thought to have, partly due to injuries. That said, he has produced pretty well for the BayDogs. His first full season was S11, when he went 13-11 with a 3.44 ERA in 211.2 innings. After another solid season in S12, he was felled by elbow surgery in S13. He is back in S14 and it remains to be seen how he will bounce back from surgery.
Grade: B-
7.Larry Dixon (2B/LF) Drafted by rockydawg07 for the Cleveland MooseDawg. Traded to Louisville in S8 with Alberto Cordero for Miguel Lugo and Hector Tavarez. Dixon brings a power bat to the table. In his first full seasons (S13), Dixon hit 40 HR on his way to a .287/.346/.587 line for the Sluggers. His glove is light for 2B, so jahu has Dixon play LF a fair bit of the time. He received a Gold Glove for his LF play. Jahu also received Cordero, who was flipped in another trade. Rocky received Lugo, a solid RH SP who has posted consistent seasons of 190-200 IP and ERA's between 3.50 and 4.00. His best season was 17-8 3.59 ERA in S10. Tavarez is a subpar RP who was lost in a Rule V draft.
Grade: A- for selection, a solid A- for the trade. Both parties won in this trade.
8.Al Pulido (SP) Drafted by redsox666666 for the Honolulu Hurricanes. Traded to the Buffalo Nickels in S10 along with Vladimir Martin and Santos Cedeno for Al Wise and Woody Barnes. Currently pitching for New Orleans. Pulido is a hard throwing RHP with awful control. He has stunk up the joint everywhere he's been. In 324.2 innings, he's posted a 6.04 ERA. Of the players traded, only Barnes has made any impact as a modestly talented SP.
Grade: F for selection, the trade was inconsequential.
9.Willie Moses (SP) Drafted by wolfhoundkl for the Texas Beefeaters. Moses is big, strapping 6-7 righthander who throws hard and has a good assortment of pitches. He also gives up a lot of fly balls ,which results in a very large opponents' SLG. After breaking in the majors in S11, Moses has posted a 29-24 mark, mostly as a SP, with a 4.84 career ERA and 1.44 WHIP. Moses has enough stuff to compete in the majors and make most teams as a #4 or #5 starter. He is probably not what was hoped for with the #9 overall selection.
Grade: C-
10.Miguel Jacquez (RP) Drafted by Oli35 for the Scottsdale Aces. Currently with the same franchise (now the Salem Witch Hunters). Jacquez is an immensely talented, fireballing LHP with pinpoint control and 2 plus, plus pitches. He has probably underachieved a little bit since his debut in S10, but he posted an All Star S12 when he went 12-5 in 75 games with a 3.16 ERA in 79.2 IP. He has a career ERA of 3.57 in 253 relief outings. In S14, he has started the season 15/15 in saves in 15 games. Perfection.
Grade: A-
11.Vin Maduro (SP) Drafted by thunderstrik for the Arizona Thunderstrikers. Traded to the Memphis Redemption (now Austin) in S10 for Zeus Stewart. Maduro is a hard throwing LHP with poor control, but good stuff. He has pitched only one season in the majors, S10, going 7-9 in 26 starts with a 5.60 ERA in 146.1 innings. He has languished in AAA since, providing yet another cautionary tale about starters with poor control. Stewart is a "SS" with poor fielding ability. He played 2 seasons as the starting SS for the then Salem Bald Beavers. he posted anemic OBP's in his 2 seasons in Salem, but showed some pop, averaging about 15 HR and 40 2b a season. He is a speed demon with 499 career SB against just 39 CS. He is currenly an unsigned FA.
Grade: F for the pick, B for the trade. Getting anything useful for Maduro was a good move.
12.Darron Stoddard (CF) Drafted by eclipse33 for the Vancouver Velvet Vultures. Traded to the Washington Generals with Lon Wilkinson and Orlando Vega in S11 in a 6 player deal that netted Carlos James, Willie Gutierrez and Irv Peterson. Wow, where to begin. Stoddard is a slick fielding 2b with big power and speed. His debut was in S12, but his coming out party was an All Star S13 when he hit .274/.324/.587 with 44 HR and 111 RBI. Throw in 11 + plays in CF and you have a high impact player. Washington also got Wilkinson, a patient 2b with a good stick. He debuted in S14 with good results thus far. Vega was a banjo hitting speedster who has retired. In return, the (then) Twilight got James, an immensly talented LH starter who's main weakness is an inability to go much deeper than 5-6 IP per start. He posted a horrible 4.90 ERA in one season before being dealt to the LA Baja Racers. Gutierrez is a talented workhorse LH reliever who was excellent after the trade. Peterson has, thus far, been a journeyman RH reliever. It would seem that Washington definitely got the better end of this mega-deal.
Grade: Draft: A Trade: C-
13.J.R. Cox (CF) Drafted by mase4342 for the Rochester Scorpions. Traded to the Scottsdale Aces for Marquis Fischbach. Cox is a Willie Mays/Andruw Jones type defensive talent in CF. No one can hold his jock when it comes to patrolling the OF. In 2 full big league season, he has 2 Gold Gloves with an astounding 57 + plays in those 2 seasons. That was before the fix!!! He has blazing speed and is a top notch baserunner. His offense isn't as good, but it is certainly respectable. In S13, he posted a .293/.342/.481 line with 23 HR, 107 runs and 68 SB. I think anyone would take this combo of studly defense, speed and solid hitting in a heartbeat. But what did Rochester get in return? Fischbach is a RH hitting RF with a good eye. He has been around since S4, posting a career .294/.379/.449 line with 186 HR. He has posted solid .800-.850 OPS type seasons since coming to Rochester (now Norfolk). He's certainly a nice player, but he's no Cox.
Grade: A+ for draft, C- for trade.
14.John Robinson (UT) Drafted by cliff357 for the El Paso Kamikazees. He was traded in S13 to the Richmond War Pigs for Ricardo Martinez. Robinson is a mediocre RHH with no special talents. His metrics are best suited for RF, his hitting has produced a pedestrian .720 OPS in 450+ AB. He is an unremarkable player who can probably fill bench roles. Martinez is another journeyman RH reliever who has posted a 5.18 ERA in over 700 career innings. He did go 20/20 in saves for Richmond after the trade in S13.
Grade: D- for the pick, C+ for the trade
15.Frank Cunningham (SP) Drafted by pfontaine for the Atlanta Cheese Grits. Traded in S10 to the Memphis Redemption with Craig Byrne and Tim Morton for Ignacio Cruz. Cunningham is a big innings eater with nice control and a decent assortment of pitches, but is not overpowering. In his debut season in S13, he got roughed up to the tune of 8-14 with a 5.64 ERA in 143.2 innings boucing between starting and relieving. He was dealt with Byrne, a talented, but injury prone RHP who had a solid 13-9 season with Louisville in S13 and Morton a 1B who hits LHP well. In return, Atlanta got Cruz, a talented RH starter who helped propel the Grits to 4 straight postseason appearance during his tenure in Atlanta. His best season was S11, when he went 24-4 with a 2.59 ERA and captured the AL Cy Young award. He won 17 games in S13 and is currently off to a good start with Las Vegas.
Grade: C- for the pick, A for the trade
16.Frankie Haas (SS) Drafted by ewchippe for the Wichita Bad Boys (now Austin Coeur D'Alenes). Haas is a switch hitting SS with good range and throwing arm, but a weak glove. He is patient and a good baserunner, but a weak hitter. He's done OK in very limited time in the big leagues, posting a .291/.375/.378 line in 127 big league AB. He is unlikely to maintain that level of performance over the long haul. He will probably stick as a utility man long term.
Grade: C-
17. Chief Van Poppel (3B) Drafted by dizzlebob for the Pittsburgh Studdabubbas. Unsigned.
Grade: F
18.Deivi Pelaez (C) Drafted by djbradford for the New Britain Yorkies. Pelaez is a strong throwing catcher with a thunder in his bat. He has patience, power and makes excellent contact. In 3 full seasons plus, he has put up a .318/.421/.582 line. He hit a career high 25 HR in S12. His one flaw is his durability, which limits him to 90-100 games per season.
Grade: A-
19.Billy Crabtree (RP) Drafted by 13black for the Tucson Shockers. Traded to Hartford The Whale in S10 with Wilfredo Pena for Sammy Nichting. Crabtree is a hard throwing LHP with excellent stuff. He was ultimately acquired by the Buffalo Nickels in S11. He has racked up 85 SV in 4+ seasons with a 4.20 ERA in 287.1 IP. He is certainly capable of better and should be a strong asset for many seasons. Pena is a LHH LF with some power and good contact. After a lackluster rookie year, he powered 30 HR and 98 RBI in S13 for Syracuse. They were dealt for Nichting, a RH starter who's pitched 10 big league seasons. He's never been a frontline starter, posting a 100-125 record with a 5.37 ERA. He was flipped to LA the following season.
Grade: B+ for the pick, D for the trade.
20.McKay Mitchell (1B) Drafted by baldric for the San Juan Ring to Rule Them All. Mitchell is your prototypical power hitting RH 1B. In his first full season in S13, he smacked 45 HR and drove in 139 runs to go with a .264 AVG. He won't walk a whole lot or hit for high average, but he brings plenty of power production. Should be an excellent power hitter for years.
Grade: B+
21. Rigo Gonzalez (P) Drafted by tbook for the Helena Hashies. Unsigned.
Grade: F
22.Chad Blake (RP) Drafted by lets_try for the Minnesota Explorers. Traded to Tucson in S9 for Macbeth Ward. Rule V'd by Washington. Blake is a hard throwing LH reliever with decent stuff.
He's had just a cup of coffee in the bigs, taking a beating with Washington in S11, posting a 6.81 ERA in 38.1 IP. Currently in AAA. He'll never be a great pitcher, but he probably will merit another look in the bigs at some point. Could stick as a SuB somewhere. Ward, now retired, was a RH starter who went 13-12 in 33 starts the season after the trade with a 4.43 ERA in 178 1/3 IP. He walked as a FA after that season.
Grade: D for the pick, C for the trade
23. Gary Lemon (LF) Drafted by the_e_man for the Toledo Mud Hens. Unsigned.
Grade: F
24.Walt Darr (RP) Drafted by bjb2378 for the San Francisco Night Demons. Darr is a crafty LH long reliever with an assortment of quality pitches. He has pitched 3+ big league seasons, posting a 3.97 career ERA in 315 big league innings with a 1.29 WHIP. Darr is a quality arm out of the pen and fills an important role. He has consisitently put up 90+ IP in each full season. Darr was a compensatory pick after the Buffalo Nickels signed Type "A" free agent Chris Rose.
Grade: B
25.Stuart Cloud (SP) Drafted by bkdries for the Burlington Black Sox (now Scranton Scrapples). Currently a Free Agent after being removed from the 40 man roster at the start of S14. Cloud has Nuke LaLoosh type control to go with mediocre stuff. He will never sniff the big leagues.
Grade: F
26.Cesar Acevedo (2B/CF/3B/SS) Drafted by radek for the New York Metropolitans. Traded to the Kansas City Knights in S8 with J.J. Richardson and Torey Barkley for T.J. Croushore and Dean Lukasiewicz. Acevedo has big time power and the flexibility to play 3 different positions fairly well. He was dealt 2 more times, ultimately landing with Washington. He burst onto the scene in S12, posting a .279/.347/.586 line with 42 HR and 110 RBI and winning AL Rookie of the Year. He posted another solid season in S13. He's best suited to man 3B, but can also capably play 2B and RF. With his power and versatility, he is certainly a nice asset to have. He was dealt with offensive C Richardson to KC. Richardson did little in KC before moving on to Pittsburgh. KC also got Barkley, a career minor league LF who is now retired. In return, NY got the famous Croushore, who is known for his prodigious talent that can only be used on a limited basis. Croushore pitched well in NY, when he pitched, and helped NY win the championship in S9. Lukasiewicz is a utility man who has a cup of coffee in the bigs and probably will never hold down a job in the majors.
Grade: A solid A for the pick. The trade was really to KC's benefit, but Croushore helping NY win it all is a strong mitigating factor. A solid B+ for the trade.
27.Sean Wills (SP) Drafted by jahu43 for the Louisville Sluggers. Traded to the New Orleans Zydeco in S11, along with Alberto Delgado and Grover Chase for Yamid Molina. Wills ultimately ended up on the Richmond War Pigs. Wills is your typical journeyman RH starter. In 2+ full big league seasons, Wills has posted a 17-25 record with a 4.71 ERA and 1.51 WHIP in 346 IP. Wills should be able to stick as a #4 or #5 type starter for a number of seasons. Delgado is a power hitting RHH LF. His best season was his first in NO, posting a .302/.362/.538 line with 40 HR and 102 RBI. He's probably closer to his career totals as a player, .272/.337/.476. Nice player, but not special. Chase is a LH starter who was subsequently flipped to Washington by NO. Chase is a journeyman, posting a 33-30 4.59 ERA in 106 career starts. Molina is an 3 time all-star power hitting RF. In 9+ seasons he has hit 533 career HR with a .298/.356/.628 line.
Grade: C for the pick, A+ for the trade, which created some controversy on the chat boards at the time, but ultimately went through unchallenged.
28.Iago Andrews (SS) Drafted by mdukes13 for the Washington Generals. Traded to Louisville in S11 along with Pablo Chavez for Cesar Acevedo (him again?) and Omar Tavarez. Andrews has a solid/average glove at SS with an average bat. He has had very little playing time in the majors thus far, posting a .716 OPS in 201 AB. He is more than capable of manning the SS position on a regular basis, but does no one thing really well. Could bounce between starting and utility work in his career. Chavez is a big time power hitting CF now with Colorado. His range is a little light for CF, but his hitting is first class. He mashed 41 HR in 3 stops in S13. In return, the Generals for Acevedo (profiled above) and Tavarez, a talented 1-2 batter reliever.
Grade: Solid C+ for the pick, B for the trade. Both teams got some quality with Acevedo and Chavez.
29.Del Silva Drafted by mdukes13 for the Washington Generals. Silva was a compensatory pick for the Type "A" FA signing of Dan Miller by Charlotte. Silva was traded to Louisville in S12 along with Harry Astacio for Derrick LaRocca. Silva is a RH power hitting 3B with a mediocre glove. He's now with the LA Baja Racers. He's been a part time player in 2 seasons with only 1 season as a full time player, S11. He hit 31 HR, but posted just a .244/.297/.467 line. He doesn't get on base enough to justify playing full time, nor is he a good enough fielder. Can be a useful bench player. Astacio is a nice RH reliever enjoying some success in his first big league season, also in LA. LaRocca is a solid RH starter who pitched very well in Washington before going back to Lousiville in Free Agency. He had some mixed results in Louisville.
Grade: D+ for the pick, B+ for the trade.
30.Steven Sanders (RP) Drafted by leppykahn for the Colorado Blasters. Sanders is a talented RH reliever with good control and a hard fastball. He's capable of closing or can be a prime SuA. He's posted a 4.53 ERA in 232 2/3 relief innings. In Coors Field, that's pretty good. He should be an excellent reliever for years.
Grade: A for this spot in the draft
31.Lyle Kinney (SP) Drafted by jdbkaput for the St. Louis Clydesdales (now Augusta Caesars). Kinney is a mediocre RH starter with 3 middling to weak pitches but solid control. He's a #5 starter at best, posting a 32-53 career record in 126 starts (138 games overall) with a 5.38 ERA.
Grade: D+
32.Frank Morris (DH/1B) Drafted by bjb2378 for the San Francisco Night Demons. Traded to the Colorado Blasters in S11 with Felipe Bournigal for Quentin Lary and Carlos Castillo. Morris was later traded to the NO Zydeco. Morris is a wicked RH power hitter. He's a DH masquerading as a 1B since he's playing in the NL. In 2 full big league seasons plus, he's hit .301/.357/.573. He hit 43 HR with 115 RBI in S11. He's best suited to the AL. Bournigal is, of course, Hunter's greatest pitcher. He was on his last legs when leppy took a gamble that he could put the Blasters over the top in S11. Alas, it was not to be as he ended up on the 60 Day DL and the Blasters fell short. The price was steep as the Demons got Lary, a superbly talented LH starter who went 17-6 in S13 with a 3.46 ERA. He should anchor the Demons staff for many seasons to come. Castillo is a minor league utility man.
Grade: B+ for the pick, A+ for the trade.
1.Willie Perez (RP) Drafted by gocubz for the Chicago Fire. Traded in S12 for Alejandro Feliz, Erik Barclay and Manny Cameron. It's pretty unusual for a reliever to go #1 overall. Perez is certainly a special reliever with sky high splits, velocity and pitches. He broke into the majors with CHI in S8 and has been a closer since that day, making 2 All Star appearances. He's racked up 131 saves and a 3.03 ERA in his career. He was used as a setup man with NB after the trade, where he posted a dominating season in 127.2 relief innings.
The Fire got some good players in return for Perez. Cameron is a high quality closer prospect who is currently in AAA. Barclay is a young SP with promising ratings, but poor control. His rookie season in S13 was rough as he posted a 6-17 record with a 6.51 ERA and a WHIP over 1.8. Feliz is a talented young SP who was allowed to walk after only 1.5 seasons as a Free Agent.
Grade: A- for draft pick (I can't give an A to taking a closer #1 overall) and a B- for the trade (it would have been better had he kept Feliz).
2.Trace Manning (2B) Drafted by KSBeachbums for Iowa City (now the Cincinnati Jerry Springers). Manning is a solid player for the Springers. He's a middling defensive 2b (4+, 10-) with a good stick. He has posted a career OBP of .364 and has 164 SB in 4 full seasons. He has a touch of power and had his best season is S13, posting a .308/.386/.468 line making the NL All Star team for the first time.
Grade: B+ He's a fine player, but not quite a superstar.
3. Ted Bolick (1B) Drafted by bearclan1 for the Sante Fe Flyers. Traded in S9 to the St. Louis Mashers for Benji McGee. Now with the Louisville Sluggers. Bolick is your classic mashing 1b/DH type. Bolick broke into the majors with Lousiville in S10 and has posted a .298/.365/.525 line in 3+ seasons. S13 was his best as he hit .308 with 42 HR and 117 RBI and made the All Star Team.
The trade for McGee was inexplicable. He had been horrid for the seasons leading up to the trade. He pitched 11 IP for St. Louis before retiring.
Grade: B+ for draft, F for trade.
4. James Owens (2B) Drafted by jag884. unsigned.
Grade: F
5.Anthony Butler (C) Drafted by shmish0. Butler is a catcher who can rake, and calls a pretty decent game behind the plate as well. His throwing arm is weak, but for Piazza like production, it's worth it. In 5+ seasons, Butler has posted .320/.402/.569 and made 3 All Star teams. He's also won 2 Silver Sluggers. Butler was a key cog in the Mormons first pennant in S13.
Grade: A
6.Joe House (SP) Drafted by dufferman for the Baltimore BayDogs. House was a promising pitching prospect who hasn't quite hit the ceiling, ratings wise, he was thought to have, partly due to injuries. That said, he has produced pretty well for the BayDogs. His first full season was S11, when he went 13-11 with a 3.44 ERA in 211.2 innings. After another solid season in S12, he was felled by elbow surgery in S13. He is back in S14 and it remains to be seen how he will bounce back from surgery.
Grade: B-
7.Larry Dixon (2B/LF) Drafted by rockydawg07 for the Cleveland MooseDawg. Traded to Louisville in S8 with Alberto Cordero for Miguel Lugo and Hector Tavarez. Dixon brings a power bat to the table. In his first full seasons (S13), Dixon hit 40 HR on his way to a .287/.346/.587 line for the Sluggers. His glove is light for 2B, so jahu has Dixon play LF a fair bit of the time. He received a Gold Glove for his LF play. Jahu also received Cordero, who was flipped in another trade. Rocky received Lugo, a solid RH SP who has posted consistent seasons of 190-200 IP and ERA's between 3.50 and 4.00. His best season was 17-8 3.59 ERA in S10. Tavarez is a subpar RP who was lost in a Rule V draft.
Grade: A- for selection, a solid A- for the trade. Both parties won in this trade.
8.Al Pulido (SP) Drafted by redsox666666 for the Honolulu Hurricanes. Traded to the Buffalo Nickels in S10 along with Vladimir Martin and Santos Cedeno for Al Wise and Woody Barnes. Currently pitching for New Orleans. Pulido is a hard throwing RHP with awful control. He has stunk up the joint everywhere he's been. In 324.2 innings, he's posted a 6.04 ERA. Of the players traded, only Barnes has made any impact as a modestly talented SP.
Grade: F for selection, the trade was inconsequential.
9.Willie Moses (SP) Drafted by wolfhoundkl for the Texas Beefeaters. Moses is big, strapping 6-7 righthander who throws hard and has a good assortment of pitches. He also gives up a lot of fly balls ,which results in a very large opponents' SLG. After breaking in the majors in S11, Moses has posted a 29-24 mark, mostly as a SP, with a 4.84 career ERA and 1.44 WHIP. Moses has enough stuff to compete in the majors and make most teams as a #4 or #5 starter. He is probably not what was hoped for with the #9 overall selection.
Grade: C-
10.Miguel Jacquez (RP) Drafted by Oli35 for the Scottsdale Aces. Currently with the same franchise (now the Salem Witch Hunters). Jacquez is an immensely talented, fireballing LHP with pinpoint control and 2 plus, plus pitches. He has probably underachieved a little bit since his debut in S10, but he posted an All Star S12 when he went 12-5 in 75 games with a 3.16 ERA in 79.2 IP. He has a career ERA of 3.57 in 253 relief outings. In S14, he has started the season 15/15 in saves in 15 games. Perfection.
Grade: A-
11.Vin Maduro (SP) Drafted by thunderstrik for the Arizona Thunderstrikers. Traded to the Memphis Redemption (now Austin) in S10 for Zeus Stewart. Maduro is a hard throwing LHP with poor control, but good stuff. He has pitched only one season in the majors, S10, going 7-9 in 26 starts with a 5.60 ERA in 146.1 innings. He has languished in AAA since, providing yet another cautionary tale about starters with poor control. Stewart is a "SS" with poor fielding ability. He played 2 seasons as the starting SS for the then Salem Bald Beavers. he posted anemic OBP's in his 2 seasons in Salem, but showed some pop, averaging about 15 HR and 40 2b a season. He is a speed demon with 499 career SB against just 39 CS. He is currenly an unsigned FA.
Grade: F for the pick, B for the trade. Getting anything useful for Maduro was a good move.
12.Darron Stoddard (CF) Drafted by eclipse33 for the Vancouver Velvet Vultures. Traded to the Washington Generals with Lon Wilkinson and Orlando Vega in S11 in a 6 player deal that netted Carlos James, Willie Gutierrez and Irv Peterson. Wow, where to begin. Stoddard is a slick fielding 2b with big power and speed. His debut was in S12, but his coming out party was an All Star S13 when he hit .274/.324/.587 with 44 HR and 111 RBI. Throw in 11 + plays in CF and you have a high impact player. Washington also got Wilkinson, a patient 2b with a good stick. He debuted in S14 with good results thus far. Vega was a banjo hitting speedster who has retired. In return, the (then) Twilight got James, an immensly talented LH starter who's main weakness is an inability to go much deeper than 5-6 IP per start. He posted a horrible 4.90 ERA in one season before being dealt to the LA Baja Racers. Gutierrez is a talented workhorse LH reliever who was excellent after the trade. Peterson has, thus far, been a journeyman RH reliever. It would seem that Washington definitely got the better end of this mega-deal.
Grade: Draft: A Trade: C-
13.J.R. Cox (CF) Drafted by mase4342 for the Rochester Scorpions. Traded to the Scottsdale Aces for Marquis Fischbach. Cox is a Willie Mays/Andruw Jones type defensive talent in CF. No one can hold his jock when it comes to patrolling the OF. In 2 full big league season, he has 2 Gold Gloves with an astounding 57 + plays in those 2 seasons. That was before the fix!!! He has blazing speed and is a top notch baserunner. His offense isn't as good, but it is certainly respectable. In S13, he posted a .293/.342/.481 line with 23 HR, 107 runs and 68 SB. I think anyone would take this combo of studly defense, speed and solid hitting in a heartbeat. But what did Rochester get in return? Fischbach is a RH hitting RF with a good eye. He has been around since S4, posting a career .294/.379/.449 line with 186 HR. He has posted solid .800-.850 OPS type seasons since coming to Rochester (now Norfolk). He's certainly a nice player, but he's no Cox.
Grade: A+ for draft, C- for trade.
14.John Robinson (UT) Drafted by cliff357 for the El Paso Kamikazees. He was traded in S13 to the Richmond War Pigs for Ricardo Martinez. Robinson is a mediocre RHH with no special talents. His metrics are best suited for RF, his hitting has produced a pedestrian .720 OPS in 450+ AB. He is an unremarkable player who can probably fill bench roles. Martinez is another journeyman RH reliever who has posted a 5.18 ERA in over 700 career innings. He did go 20/20 in saves for Richmond after the trade in S13.
Grade: D- for the pick, C+ for the trade
15.Frank Cunningham (SP) Drafted by pfontaine for the Atlanta Cheese Grits. Traded in S10 to the Memphis Redemption with Craig Byrne and Tim Morton for Ignacio Cruz. Cunningham is a big innings eater with nice control and a decent assortment of pitches, but is not overpowering. In his debut season in S13, he got roughed up to the tune of 8-14 with a 5.64 ERA in 143.2 innings boucing between starting and relieving. He was dealt with Byrne, a talented, but injury prone RHP who had a solid 13-9 season with Louisville in S13 and Morton a 1B who hits LHP well. In return, Atlanta got Cruz, a talented RH starter who helped propel the Grits to 4 straight postseason appearance during his tenure in Atlanta. His best season was S11, when he went 24-4 with a 2.59 ERA and captured the AL Cy Young award. He won 17 games in S13 and is currently off to a good start with Las Vegas.
Grade: C- for the pick, A for the trade
16.Frankie Haas (SS) Drafted by ewchippe for the Wichita Bad Boys (now Austin Coeur D'Alenes). Haas is a switch hitting SS with good range and throwing arm, but a weak glove. He is patient and a good baserunner, but a weak hitter. He's done OK in very limited time in the big leagues, posting a .291/.375/.378 line in 127 big league AB. He is unlikely to maintain that level of performance over the long haul. He will probably stick as a utility man long term.
Grade: C-
17. Chief Van Poppel (3B) Drafted by dizzlebob for the Pittsburgh Studdabubbas. Unsigned.
Grade: F
18.Deivi Pelaez (C) Drafted by djbradford for the New Britain Yorkies. Pelaez is a strong throwing catcher with a thunder in his bat. He has patience, power and makes excellent contact. In 3 full seasons plus, he has put up a .318/.421/.582 line. He hit a career high 25 HR in S12. His one flaw is his durability, which limits him to 90-100 games per season.
Grade: A-
19.Billy Crabtree (RP) Drafted by 13black for the Tucson Shockers. Traded to Hartford The Whale in S10 with Wilfredo Pena for Sammy Nichting. Crabtree is a hard throwing LHP with excellent stuff. He was ultimately acquired by the Buffalo Nickels in S11. He has racked up 85 SV in 4+ seasons with a 4.20 ERA in 287.1 IP. He is certainly capable of better and should be a strong asset for many seasons. Pena is a LHH LF with some power and good contact. After a lackluster rookie year, he powered 30 HR and 98 RBI in S13 for Syracuse. They were dealt for Nichting, a RH starter who's pitched 10 big league seasons. He's never been a frontline starter, posting a 100-125 record with a 5.37 ERA. He was flipped to LA the following season.
Grade: B+ for the pick, D for the trade.
20.McKay Mitchell (1B) Drafted by baldric for the San Juan Ring to Rule Them All. Mitchell is your prototypical power hitting RH 1B. In his first full season in S13, he smacked 45 HR and drove in 139 runs to go with a .264 AVG. He won't walk a whole lot or hit for high average, but he brings plenty of power production. Should be an excellent power hitter for years.
Grade: B+
21. Rigo Gonzalez (P) Drafted by tbook for the Helena Hashies. Unsigned.
Grade: F
22.Chad Blake (RP) Drafted by lets_try for the Minnesota Explorers. Traded to Tucson in S9 for Macbeth Ward. Rule V'd by Washington. Blake is a hard throwing LH reliever with decent stuff.
He's had just a cup of coffee in the bigs, taking a beating with Washington in S11, posting a 6.81 ERA in 38.1 IP. Currently in AAA. He'll never be a great pitcher, but he probably will merit another look in the bigs at some point. Could stick as a SuB somewhere. Ward, now retired, was a RH starter who went 13-12 in 33 starts the season after the trade with a 4.43 ERA in 178 1/3 IP. He walked as a FA after that season.
Grade: D for the pick, C for the trade
23. Gary Lemon (LF) Drafted by the_e_man for the Toledo Mud Hens. Unsigned.
Grade: F
24.Walt Darr (RP) Drafted by bjb2378 for the San Francisco Night Demons. Darr is a crafty LH long reliever with an assortment of quality pitches. He has pitched 3+ big league seasons, posting a 3.97 career ERA in 315 big league innings with a 1.29 WHIP. Darr is a quality arm out of the pen and fills an important role. He has consisitently put up 90+ IP in each full season. Darr was a compensatory pick after the Buffalo Nickels signed Type "A" free agent Chris Rose.
Grade: B
25.Stuart Cloud (SP) Drafted by bkdries for the Burlington Black Sox (now Scranton Scrapples). Currently a Free Agent after being removed from the 40 man roster at the start of S14. Cloud has Nuke LaLoosh type control to go with mediocre stuff. He will never sniff the big leagues.
Grade: F
26.Cesar Acevedo (2B/CF/3B/SS) Drafted by radek for the New York Metropolitans. Traded to the Kansas City Knights in S8 with J.J. Richardson and Torey Barkley for T.J. Croushore and Dean Lukasiewicz. Acevedo has big time power and the flexibility to play 3 different positions fairly well. He was dealt 2 more times, ultimately landing with Washington. He burst onto the scene in S12, posting a .279/.347/.586 line with 42 HR and 110 RBI and winning AL Rookie of the Year. He posted another solid season in S13. He's best suited to man 3B, but can also capably play 2B and RF. With his power and versatility, he is certainly a nice asset to have. He was dealt with offensive C Richardson to KC. Richardson did little in KC before moving on to Pittsburgh. KC also got Barkley, a career minor league LF who is now retired. In return, NY got the famous Croushore, who is known for his prodigious talent that can only be used on a limited basis. Croushore pitched well in NY, when he pitched, and helped NY win the championship in S9. Lukasiewicz is a utility man who has a cup of coffee in the bigs and probably will never hold down a job in the majors.
Grade: A solid A for the pick. The trade was really to KC's benefit, but Croushore helping NY win it all is a strong mitigating factor. A solid B+ for the trade.
27.Sean Wills (SP) Drafted by jahu43 for the Louisville Sluggers. Traded to the New Orleans Zydeco in S11, along with Alberto Delgado and Grover Chase for Yamid Molina. Wills ultimately ended up on the Richmond War Pigs. Wills is your typical journeyman RH starter. In 2+ full big league seasons, Wills has posted a 17-25 record with a 4.71 ERA and 1.51 WHIP in 346 IP. Wills should be able to stick as a #4 or #5 type starter for a number of seasons. Delgado is a power hitting RHH LF. His best season was his first in NO, posting a .302/.362/.538 line with 40 HR and 102 RBI. He's probably closer to his career totals as a player, .272/.337/.476. Nice player, but not special. Chase is a LH starter who was subsequently flipped to Washington by NO. Chase is a journeyman, posting a 33-30 4.59 ERA in 106 career starts. Molina is an 3 time all-star power hitting RF. In 9+ seasons he has hit 533 career HR with a .298/.356/.628 line.
Grade: C for the pick, A+ for the trade, which created some controversy on the chat boards at the time, but ultimately went through unchallenged.
28.Iago Andrews (SS) Drafted by mdukes13 for the Washington Generals. Traded to Louisville in S11 along with Pablo Chavez for Cesar Acevedo (him again?) and Omar Tavarez. Andrews has a solid/average glove at SS with an average bat. He has had very little playing time in the majors thus far, posting a .716 OPS in 201 AB. He is more than capable of manning the SS position on a regular basis, but does no one thing really well. Could bounce between starting and utility work in his career. Chavez is a big time power hitting CF now with Colorado. His range is a little light for CF, but his hitting is first class. He mashed 41 HR in 3 stops in S13. In return, the Generals for Acevedo (profiled above) and Tavarez, a talented 1-2 batter reliever.
Grade: Solid C+ for the pick, B for the trade. Both teams got some quality with Acevedo and Chavez.
29.Del Silva Drafted by mdukes13 for the Washington Generals. Silva was a compensatory pick for the Type "A" FA signing of Dan Miller by Charlotte. Silva was traded to Louisville in S12 along with Harry Astacio for Derrick LaRocca. Silva is a RH power hitting 3B with a mediocre glove. He's now with the LA Baja Racers. He's been a part time player in 2 seasons with only 1 season as a full time player, S11. He hit 31 HR, but posted just a .244/.297/.467 line. He doesn't get on base enough to justify playing full time, nor is he a good enough fielder. Can be a useful bench player. Astacio is a nice RH reliever enjoying some success in his first big league season, also in LA. LaRocca is a solid RH starter who pitched very well in Washington before going back to Lousiville in Free Agency. He had some mixed results in Louisville.
Grade: D+ for the pick, B+ for the trade.
30.Steven Sanders (RP) Drafted by leppykahn for the Colorado Blasters. Sanders is a talented RH reliever with good control and a hard fastball. He's capable of closing or can be a prime SuA. He's posted a 4.53 ERA in 232 2/3 relief innings. In Coors Field, that's pretty good. He should be an excellent reliever for years.
Grade: A for this spot in the draft
31.Lyle Kinney (SP) Drafted by jdbkaput for the St. Louis Clydesdales (now Augusta Caesars). Kinney is a mediocre RH starter with 3 middling to weak pitches but solid control. He's a #5 starter at best, posting a 32-53 career record in 126 starts (138 games overall) with a 5.38 ERA.
Grade: D+
32.Frank Morris (DH/1B) Drafted by bjb2378 for the San Francisco Night Demons. Traded to the Colorado Blasters in S11 with Felipe Bournigal for Quentin Lary and Carlos Castillo. Morris was later traded to the NO Zydeco. Morris is a wicked RH power hitter. He's a DH masquerading as a 1B since he's playing in the NL. In 2 full big league seasons plus, he's hit .301/.357/.573. He hit 43 HR with 115 RBI in S11. He's best suited to the AL. Bournigal is, of course, Hunter's greatest pitcher. He was on his last legs when leppy took a gamble that he could put the Blasters over the top in S11. Alas, it was not to be as he ended up on the 60 Day DL and the Blasters fell short. The price was steep as the Demons got Lary, a superbly talented LH starter who went 17-6 in S13 with a 3.46 ERA. He should anchor the Demons staff for many seasons to come. Castillo is a minor league utility man.
Grade: B+ for the pick, A+ for the trade.
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