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.
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2 comments:
Conspiracy Theory: Hatfield ordered his pitchers to throw at Estrada INTENTIONALLY!
"I hate all players named 'Johnny' with a passion," said Hatfield by way of explanation. "The same goes for 'Timmy' or 'Bobby' or 'Billy' etc. If they sound like a kid on a sitcom, forget it!'
Given it was Casselton's first draft, this was a A draft because he made no glaring error picks, ala Tim Worrell or Reed Johnson. He brought in a lot of talent in Villalona, Santos and LaPorta. I think the selection of Escobar, late in the draft, was good because if Escobar pitches he may very well be a commodity. Teams like Brooklyn and Darwin could look to get a veteran arm down the stretch and take a risk on Escobar. If he doesn't play this season, then next season Escobar is likely to float through the draft and can be resigned at half price. Brilliant selection the more I think about it!
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