In this, the second installment of The B.A.R.B. Wire's draft review series, Edgar and Chauncey discuss the selections of the Black Mesa Anomalies, who finished third in the West last year and drafted 5th overall.
Chauncey: Well that's something you don't see everyday, Edgar.
Edgar: What's that, Chauncey?
C: Reed Johnson being picked before Corey Hart, Josh Hamilton, Rick Ankiel, Kosuke Fukudome, Ken Griffey Jr., Michael Bourn, Mike Cameron, Carlos Gomez, Austin Kearns, Ryan Church and Jason Kubel.
E: I don't know, Chauncey. Johnson did hit .319 in 2006.
C: 12 homers that year in 134 games. .236 with 2 HR in 79 games last year. Not quite what you want out of a corner outfielder.
E: The Anomalies went into the 2008 draft with a new owner, salary issues and lots of aging talent, so they needed to pick up a lot of prospects and young established guys.
C: They actually do have a good number of top prospects on their AAA roster. Ian Stewart, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Dustin Pedroia, Brent Lillibridge, Adam Miller, Nick Adenhart and Homer Bailey. Their established roster going into the draft wasn't as bad as you said. Justin Morneau, Ian Kinsler, Justin Verlander, Jonathon Papelbon and John Maine.
E: You have a point. All of those guys have bright futures. Still, there wasn't much at the catcher's spot or in the outfield (other than Hideki Matsui). And they lost Maine.
C: OK Edgar, what were the good draft selections?
E: Kevin Youkilis is a much cheaper (and more reliable) option than Scott Rolen. Yuniesky Betancourt is a great defender and adequate with the bat.
C: What about Jason Varitek? He is definitely an upgrade over Bard and Mirabelli. And Maddux could bring veteran knowledge to the pitching staff.
E: Veteran knowledge, but probably not good statistics. I'd put him in the category of questionable pick for a team that should be focusing on youth.
C: There were bad picks this time, though. Namely, Reed Johnson.
E: I still have a bruise on my cheek from where I slapped myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming when I heard that pick.
C: Do you know what's worse? Nick used the pick to PULL HIM BACK! It wasn't even a new selection! He pulled back a player who wouldn't have been picked off by ANY team.
E: It wasn't the worst pick ever, though. That title goes to Kevin's first pick in 2004, Tim Worrell. An aging reliever from another team with the first pick in the draft. OUCH. Any surprise Kevin only lasted a few months?
C: Edgar, what should Nick pick up in free agency?
E: Get as much youth as possible. Guys you might be able to bring up to help this year but will definitely help in the future. I do want to say, though, that it would be an anomaly (yes, pun intended) if the Anomalies came close to the playoffs.
C: That was bad, Chauncey. I'll be generous and give the draft a C-.
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MLB history fact #1: Two different Fresno High School graduates hold franchise strikeout records of Major League teams. Jim Maloney struck out 1,592 batters while in a Cincinnati uniform from 1960-1970, and Tom Seaver K'd 2,541 opposing hitters for the New York Mets from 1967-1977.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Draft Review #1: Casselton
In this first installment of The B.A.R.B. Wire's draft review series, Edgar and Chauncey discuss the selections of the Casselton Horned Toads, who finished last in the West last year and drafted 3rd overall.
Chauncey: Well that's something you don't see every day, Edgar.
Edgar: What's that, Chauncey?
C: This franchise having a smart owner.
E: You're right. Kevin, who named his 2004 expansion team the Firebaugh Fireballs, paid attention for a few months and then quit responding. Daniel, who took over the franchise in 2005 and moved them to San Jose, was an OK owner that year but didn't even come to the draft in 2006. The team was ownerless last season.
C: So what did new owner Landon Bolt need to pick up in the draft?
E: Well, the roster certainly needed a lot of work. The roster was rather old, didn't have much depth and there were some pitching issues.
C: A total of five infielders on the roster going into the draft, though all of them were quite talented. The left-handed starting pitchers were Barry Zito and Jarrod Washburn. And 25 of the 32 players on the roster were established. Ouch.
E: So what were the good selections in Landon's first try at B.A.R.B. drafting?
C: He clearly went with "best player available" strategy. Brandon Phillips was certainly one of the best players available, but Orlando Hudson was already on the roster.
E: Geovany Soto is a good selection as well. He's capable of 15-20 HR and a .290 BA every year, along with stellar defense.
C: Don't forget Angel Villalona. He might have been overdrafted a bit, but the kid has immense talent. Some scouts think his bat will be better than Vlad's.
E: Chauncey, what were the bad selections?
C: Bolt made no bad selections. A few were questionable, though. As I already mentioned, he picked Villalona quite early. Some bats that are almost as good and much closer to the majors went after Villalona was taken. It remains to be seen whether Ken Griffey, Jr. can make it through a season without going on the DL. He has never been on a B.A.R.B. roster before, and that's probably because of his injury history.
E: But Rocco Baldelli is still on a roster somewhere, and he seems to miss at least half of every season.
C: You have a point. Another questionable pick, in my mind, is Kelvim Escobar. Sure, he is a very good pitcher. But he's another injury-prone player. I hope the Horned Toads weren't planning their rotation around him. Not the greatest pick for a rebuilding team.
E: Not to mention Sergio Romo. Good relief prospect, but he wasn't even listed in the San Francisco Giants top-30 prospects prior to this season, as rated by Baseball America. He has put up great stats, though.
C: Edgar, did Casselton's draft fulfill the needs you talked about?
E: They added some talent in the minors, which was getting thin. Guys like Matt LaPorta, Fautino de los Santos, Villalona and Romo make the future a little brighter. They needed to find relief pitching (a common theme among many teams in this draft) but really only picked up one guy who might help them this year in Lee Gardner. It might have been better to select a young arm (like Colorado's Casey Weathers) who could reach the majors this year and dominate as an unestablished player in B.A.R.B. for a few years.
C: They didn't really address their depth, either. That can be done in free agency, though. Pick up a few middle infielders and a pitcher or two and they very well could be battling to be at .500 all year instead of being down near .400 like last year.
E: Sum up Casselton's first draft, Chauncey.
C: Beefed up the farm with good prospects, a few guys will help the big league team immediately and another couple could make the team legitimate if they get and stay healthy. Depth and the 'pen are still some issues, though. Overall, a solid B. They won't compete for the West crown this year with what they picked up, but the future looks pretty promising.
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B.A.R.B. history fact #1: Johnny Estrada was hit by a whopping 40 pitches (by far a B.A.R.B. record) while playing for the Worcester Eliminators and Yuma Firebirds during the 2004 season.
Chauncey: Well that's something you don't see every day, Edgar.
Edgar: What's that, Chauncey?
C: This franchise having a smart owner.
E: You're right. Kevin, who named his 2004 expansion team the Firebaugh Fireballs, paid attention for a few months and then quit responding. Daniel, who took over the franchise in 2005 and moved them to San Jose, was an OK owner that year but didn't even come to the draft in 2006. The team was ownerless last season.
C: So what did new owner Landon Bolt need to pick up in the draft?
E: Well, the roster certainly needed a lot of work. The roster was rather old, didn't have much depth and there were some pitching issues.
C: A total of five infielders on the roster going into the draft, though all of them were quite talented. The left-handed starting pitchers were Barry Zito and Jarrod Washburn. And 25 of the 32 players on the roster were established. Ouch.
E: So what were the good selections in Landon's first try at B.A.R.B. drafting?
C: He clearly went with "best player available" strategy. Brandon Phillips was certainly one of the best players available, but Orlando Hudson was already on the roster.
E: Geovany Soto is a good selection as well. He's capable of 15-20 HR and a .290 BA every year, along with stellar defense.
C: Don't forget Angel Villalona. He might have been overdrafted a bit, but the kid has immense talent. Some scouts think his bat will be better than Vlad's.
E: Chauncey, what were the bad selections?
C: Bolt made no bad selections. A few were questionable, though. As I already mentioned, he picked Villalona quite early. Some bats that are almost as good and much closer to the majors went after Villalona was taken. It remains to be seen whether Ken Griffey, Jr. can make it through a season without going on the DL. He has never been on a B.A.R.B. roster before, and that's probably because of his injury history.
E: But Rocco Baldelli is still on a roster somewhere, and he seems to miss at least half of every season.
C: You have a point. Another questionable pick, in my mind, is Kelvim Escobar. Sure, he is a very good pitcher. But he's another injury-prone player. I hope the Horned Toads weren't planning their rotation around him. Not the greatest pick for a rebuilding team.
E: Not to mention Sergio Romo. Good relief prospect, but he wasn't even listed in the San Francisco Giants top-30 prospects prior to this season, as rated by Baseball America. He has put up great stats, though.
C: Edgar, did Casselton's draft fulfill the needs you talked about?
E: They added some talent in the minors, which was getting thin. Guys like Matt LaPorta, Fautino de los Santos, Villalona and Romo make the future a little brighter. They needed to find relief pitching (a common theme among many teams in this draft) but really only picked up one guy who might help them this year in Lee Gardner. It might have been better to select a young arm (like Colorado's Casey Weathers) who could reach the majors this year and dominate as an unestablished player in B.A.R.B. for a few years.
C: They didn't really address their depth, either. That can be done in free agency, though. Pick up a few middle infielders and a pitcher or two and they very well could be battling to be at .500 all year instead of being down near .400 like last year.
E: Sum up Casselton's first draft, Chauncey.
C: Beefed up the farm with good prospects, a few guys will help the big league team immediately and another couple could make the team legitimate if they get and stay healthy. Depth and the 'pen are still some issues, though. Overall, a solid B. They won't compete for the West crown this year with what they picked up, but the future looks pretty promising.
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B.A.R.B. history fact #1: Johnny Estrada was hit by a whopping 40 pitches (by far a B.A.R.B. record) while playing for the Worcester Eliminators and Yuma Firebirds during the 2004 season.
Monday, April 7, 2008
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Coming Soon: Draft Review, The Wild Western Division!
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