BASEBALL TODAY AND TOMORROW
2020 Eastern Division
New changes in this year’s edition of BT&T. Our
grading system will go from numeric to alpha. Drafted relief pitchers will not
be listed. Team analysis will consist of an alpha grading system with a summary
of what can be expected in each team’s performance. Enjoy.
Amsterdam
Round Position Player Grade
2 UTI Tommy
Edman B+ 4 SP Alex
Young B
4 2B Nick
Madrigal B+ 5 SP Zach
Plesac B 5 C Tony
Wolters C-
6 OF Mike
Yastrzemski B+ 6 SP Griffin
Canning C+ 7 2B Michael
Chavis B 8 C Austin
Nola C+ 9 SP Eric
Lauer C+
THE DRAFT
Amsterdam did not have a pick until the 2nd
round when they selected utility fielder Tommy Edman, we like him a solid pick.
With two picks each in rounds 4 , 5 and 6 they started the 4th round by
selecting starting pitcher Alex Young (BZ), he came out of no- where last year
for Arizona. Young’s metrics aren’t the best so we will take a wait and see
approach but he certainly helps this year’s ball club. The Bulldogs followed
that up with uncarded CWS 2B Nick Madrigal a highly regarded prospect Nick has
a great glove, offensively he’s more of a gap hitter now but he’s only 23yrs
old so the power may come. With their two picks in the 5th the Dog’s
started it off selecting SP Zach Plesac (C). Plesac suffered a little with his
control when he was called up to the big show but his minor numbers are much
better, we feel he has a good upside. Defensive C Tony Wolters was their second
pick in the round he adds depth but not much else. In the 6th they
picked OF Mike Yastrzemski who had a break out season in San Fran a great pick
this late in the draft. SP Griffin Canning (C) was their second pick in the
round, he was put on fast track with the Angels but may need more time to
develop. Boston’s 2B Michael Chavis was selected in the 7th, a
first-round pick for Boston back in 2014 Chavis has shown loads of potential
but he will have to cut down on the strikeouts to be an everyday player in the
big leagues. In the 8th utility player Austin Nola was selected as
added depth as he plays 5 positions. With their finial pick of the draft the
Bulldogs drafted SP Eric Lauer (C) if he can reduce the walks, we feel he could
be a middle of a rotation starter. Overall
Grade: B
TEAM ANALYSIS
Starting Pitching: C- Relief Pitching: C- Offense: C Defense: C+
Amsterdam ended up in last place in pitching ERA in all
of baseball in 2019 and finished in 5th place in the East. This year’s pitching again is not up to
snuff and with the second lowest OPS in baseball it may be time for Amsterdam
to come back to the US of A. A last place finish will be hard to argue at this
point. On a positive note they do have some dynamic youngsters on their roster
the future should be much brighter.
Brooklyn
Round Position Player Grade
1 SP Max
Fried B
5 SP Nate
Pearson B+ 6 OF Julio
Rodriquez B+ 6 OF Jasson
Dominquez C+ 7 OF Sam
Hilliard B
THE DRAFT
Brooklyn selected Atlanta SP Max Fried (CZ) with the 12th
overall pick of the draft. Fried has an electric arm but control has been an
issue, if he can continue to improve in this area, he could be a top of the
rotation starter. In the 5th they picked uncarded Toronto SP Nate
Pearson who has the making of a true ace he jumped three levels in 2019 ending
up in AAA. Expect to see him sometime with the big-league club in 2020. In the
6th they had two picks both were uncarded outfielders the first was
19-year-old Seattle prospect Julio Rodriquez he ended up in high A ball and
should see AA this year. He comes highly touted and has the look of being a
game changing ballplayer. OF Jasson Dominquez was the second pick he signed
with the Yankees as a 16-year-old and has yet to start his pro career. He comes
with a lot of the Yankee hype but we will take a wait and see approach. With
the Met’s final pick in the 7th they selected Colorado OF Sam
Hilliard. Hillard was having a monster year in AAA when he was called up to the
big-league club and did quite well. He’ll battle Tapia for playing time in 2020
and should win that battle. Overall Grade: B
TEAM ANALYSIS
Starting Pitching: B Relief Pitching: A Offense: A Defense: B+
Brooklyn with the best ERA in all of baseball in 2019
ended in a tie with Las Vegas for second place in the Eastern Division. The
Met’s fell to Sherwood in the second round of the divisional playoffs in 7
games. This year’s pitching won’t come close to last year’s lead leading ERA
due to the lack of control which does not bode well in the toughest division in
baseball. The Bullpen is solid so the best scenario is for the starters to
pitch five strong innings before turning the ball over to the relievers.
Offensively they are one of the best in all of baseball sporting a .908 OPS as
well as one of the best defensive ballclubs. The Met’s are certainly a playoff
caliber if not a division championship ballclub but it won’t be easy in the
toughest division in baseball.
Cleveland
Round Position Player Grade
1 SP Chris
Paddack A 2 SS Kevin
Newman B 2 OF Willie
Calhoun B 3 SP Jake
Odorizzi B 4 OF Raimel
Tapia C 6 SP Trevor
Richards C 8 SP Cam
Bedrosian C+ 9 OF Oscar
Mercado B+ 10 C Brian
McCann D 12 OF Harold
Castro C
THE DRAFT
Participating in their first ZSABL draft the Cleveland
franchise did not disappoint their fans. The Naps with the 4th
overall pick of the draft selected Padres SP Chris Paddack (BZ). Paddack burst
on the scene in 2019 and looks like the real deal an ace to anchor one’s
rotation for years to come. In the second round they had two picks first they
selected Pirate SS Kevin Newman he’ll be the starting SS and was a solid pick.
With their second pick of the round they selected Texas OF Willie Calhoun he
also will be in the lineup a nice stick but inconsistent and not much of a
fielder. Twins starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi (B) adds a solid arm to the rotation
but without control. Colorado OF Ramiel Tapia was selected in the 4th
a bit of a hiccup here, has there were stronger outfielders still on the board.
Added pitching depth came in the 6th when they picked SP Trevor
Richards (C) he blossomed when he was traded from Miami to Tampa. He’s young
and has had some good minor league numbers time will tell. Angels SP Cam
Bedrosian (B) was picked in the 8th, Cam has never had control
during his major league career leaving little upside here but he does add depth
for this year. In the 9th they selected OF Oscar Mercado once a
highly rated prospect in the St Louis organization. Mercado got his first real
taste of MLB this past year with the Indians and put up some nice numbers there
is a nice upside here. A bit of a stinker
with the selection of catcher Brian McCann in the tenth. The Naps ended their
draft selecting Detroit OF Harold Castro other than the fact he is eligible at
five positions there is not much else here to speak of. Overall Grade: C+
TEAM ANALYSIS
Starting Pitching: C+ Relief Pitching: C- Offense: C+ Defense: C+
Cleveland the newest franchise in the ZSABL will open the
2020 season in the toughest division in baseball. Other than their finial two
picks in the draft they did quite well. What was left from the 2019 Maine
Maui’s roster made for a hard road to haul for the Nap’s. Offensively they post
a .845 OPS not shabby but not up to snuff in this division. The starting
rotation has improved but the lack of bullpen hurts. Look for them to end up in
the lower tier of the West.
Las Vegas
Round Position Player Grade
3 SP Daniel
Norris C+ 3 3B Nick
Solak B+ 4 C Roberto
Perez B 5 SS Bobby
Witt Jr B 6 1B Dan
Vogelbach C+ 7 SS Jon
Berti C 9 SP Matt
Shoemaker C+ 9 1B Mike
Ford B+ 10 OF Trent
Grisham B 11 C Dustin
Garneu C 12 SP Jordan
Yamamoto C
THE DRAFT
The Crazy Horse did nor pick until the 3rd
round when they selected SP Daniel Norris (CZ) Norris’s was injured in 2018 and
bounced back to have a decent 2019 season he makes the starting rotation. In
the same round they selected Texas 3B Nick Solak he was traded from TB and got
his first taste of big-league action and did not disappoint he has limited at
bats for this year but could be something special. Indians C Roberto Perez was
selected in the 4th he had his best MLB season hitting 24 dingers.
Uncarded SS prospect Bobby Witt Jr was taken in the 5th the Royals
first round pick in 2019 he’s only 19 years old but comes highly rated. In the
6th they selected Seattle 1B Dan Vogelbach lots of power but not
much else. Miami’s utility player Jon Berti was picked in the 7th
he’ll backup Bogaerts. In the 8th they selected TOR SP Matt
Shoemaker (A&C) he’s been injured much of the past 3 seasons, he’ll
probably be used out of the pen.
Yankee’s 1B Mike Ford was picked in the 9th he has put up
some good numbers in the minors and had 12 diggers in only 143AB for the
Yankee’s but playing time could be a question if he gets to play he could put
up some nice numbers. In the 10th they selected OF Trent Grisham a
former 1st round pick of the Brewer’s he is coming off his best pro
season and was traded to San Diego in the off season at 22yrs old there is a
lot to like here. In the 11th and having only one catcher on their
roster they selected the veteran C Dustin Garneu to backup Perez. With their
final pick in the 12th they selected Miami SP Jordan Yamamoto (C) if
he can improve his command there will be an upside here. Overall Grade B-
TEAM ANALYSIS
Starting Pitching: B Relief Pitching: B Offense:
B+ Defense: B
Vegas ended tied with Brooklyn for second place in the
West and lost to Brooklyn in 6 games of the 2019 playoffs. Offensively they
sport a strong .888 OPS but the starting pitching doesn’t measure up to some of
the other clubs in the division and the bullpen is a little light. Also, the
Vegas skipper is not one of the stronger rollers in the league which compounds
the other issues. Look for them to finish in the middle of the tough Eastern
Division.
Philadelphia
Round Position Player Grade
2 OF Shin
Soo Choo C+ 2 OF Mark
Canha B+ 4 C Stephen
Vogt C+ 5 OF J.D.
Davis B+ 7 OF Hunter
Pence B 8 OF Shogo
Akiyama C 9 2B Eric
Sogard B 11 1B David
Freese B 12 OF Cameron
Maybin B 17 SS Orlando
Arcia C+
THE DRAFT
With two picks in the 2nd round Philadelphia
started the 2020 draft by selecting veteran Texas OF Shin Soo Choo, you could
hear a groan coming from the Black Sox’s faithful. They followed that up with
A’s OF Mark Canha one of the stronger bats in the draft and a solid pick. In
the 4th they selected vteran C Stephen Vogt he’ll be the starting
catcher for the Sox’s but he has limited at bats. The Met’s 3B J.D. Davis was
picked in the 5th he had a fine year and will be the starting third
baseman. In the 7th they selected veteran OF Hunter Pence who had a
fine year but cut short by injuries he also has limited at bats. Uncarded
Japanese OF Shogo Akiyama signed by the Red’s was selected in the 8th
he’ll be 32 at the start of the season an although he has a great career in
Japan, he’s a little to old to be taking a flier on. In the 9th they
selected Veteran 2B Eric Sogard now with the Brewer’s he has a good glove and
had a decent year with the bat. 1B David Freese was picked in the 11th
he has a 1.002 OPS but only 162AB so he’ll split 1B duties with Flores. OF
Cameron Maybin who had a nice year with the Yanks was picked in the 12th
for added depth and will see playing time. In the 17th and with
their final pick they took glove wiz Orlando Arcia but has yet to figure out
major league pitching. Overall Grade: B
TEAM ANALYSIS
Starting Pitching: B+ Relief Pitching: B- Offense:
B Defense: C-
The Black Sox’s just missed out for the playoffs in 2019
finishing 4th in the division. They did a nice job in the draft to
improve their chances for 2020 with the one caveat being they added a lot of
aging veteran players to do so. The future is now in Philly. They sport two AZ
starters so that’s a big plus but the pen has only one AZ reliver that’s a big
minus. The offense with a .866 OPS will score runs but will it be enough? The
defense has a lot of holes. We see them battling for that final playoff spot.
Rochester
Round Position Player Grade
1 SP John
Means B+ 4 OF Jordan
Luplow B 5 C James
McCann B 6 2B Dereck
Dietrich C 11 2B Hanser
Alberto B 12 UTI Brad
Miller C+ 17 OF Matt
Joyce C
THE DRAFT
Rochester with the 5th overall pick in the
draft selected Baltimore SP John Means (BZ). Means had a terrific year for a
horrible ballclub. A solid pick and potential ace. In the 4th they
selected OF Jordan Luplow he toiled in the Pirates minor leagues before
breaking out with Cleveland this past year. He certainly will help the Rockers
this year, however he will need to prove himself to assure a starting job in
the Indians outfield in 2020. The 5th round pick was White Sox’s
catcher James McCann who started the MLB season on a torrid pace he slowed a
little in the second half but still put up very good numbers. He’ll be the
starting catcher and we were surprised to see him still on the board. The
Rocker’s drafted 2B Dereck Dietrich in the 6th he hit 19 home runs
but batted .187 is poor defensively and 31yrs old. We would have gone younger.
In the 11th they selected Oriole 3B Hanser Alberto who got a chance
to play every day and put up some nice numbers. It looks like Alberto will
slide over to second base to start the MLB 2020 season a nice pick that could turn
into much more. Boy how they like multiple position players in Rochester as
they drafted journeyman Brad Miller in the 12th round he adds even
more depth to the infield. Of the 14 infielders on the Rocker’s roster 12 are
eligible at multiple positions! There final pick in the draft was veteran
outfielder Matt Joyce. Joyce had a nice season in Atlanta he adds depth but is
36yrs old and probably will see little playing time in Rochester. Overall
Grade: B-
TEAM ANALYSIS
Starting Pitching: B+ Relief Pitching: A Offense:
A Defense: C+
Rochester finished in 6th place in the West in
2019 their offensive numbers tell the story as they ended dead last in all of
baseball in that category. This year however will be different story as they
sport a .922 OPS so they should put up some impressive offensive numbers. The
starting rotation is solid and the bullpen is one of the best in the division.
Defense is their only weak link. Much like Brooklyn they have every makings of
a championship ballclub. So, who will it be?
Sherwood
Round Position Player Grade
1 2B Cavan
Biggio B+ 1 C Will
Smith B 5 OF Mike
Tauchman B 5 SP Jose
Urquidy B 6 SP Randy
Dobnak B+ 7 SP Austin
Roth C+ 9 SP Alec
Mills C+ 10 SP Tony
Gonsolin C+ 11 SP Adrian
Houser B
THE DRAFT
Sherwood had their heart set on one player as they traded
up with Memphis for the overall 1st pick of the 2020 draft and
selected Toronto 2B Cavan Biggio a star in the making and a Notre Dame grad to
boot! The Machine also had a second pick in the first round and selected LAD
catcher Will Smith, the power looks legit but he could struggle to hit for
average none the less a nice player for 2020 and perhaps beyond. With two picks
in the 5th they selected NYY OF Mike Tauchman who came to the Yankee
organization from Colorado in 2019. Tauchman toiled in the Rockies minors
before the breakout season with the Yanks a solid pick. Starting Houston
pitcher Jose Urquidy (CZ) was selected with the second pick of the round he
could be special we like his upside. In the 6th they selected
another starting pitcher which will be a recurring theme for the Machine from
here on out in the draft. SP Randy Dobnak (ACZ) posted a 1.59 ERA in 28 innings
for the Twins he’s legit and we had him ranked high. In the 7th they
picked Washington SP Austin Voth (BZ) he put up some nice numbers in a short
stint but his minor league stats suggest it isn’t sustainable. In the 9th
Cubs starting pitcher Alec Mills (A) was picked he is slated for the bullpen to
start the MLB 2020 season and that’s where he will be for Sherwood as well.
Dodger SP Tony Gonsolin (B) was selected in the 10th he’s not slated
to start the season with the MLB club but adds depth for Sherwood and could be
one of the first called up if needed in LA. The Machine ended their draft in
the 11th with SP Adrian Houser (C) of the Brewers there is more here
than meets the eye. Houser came over in the Houston trade that involved Josh
Hader. He’s slated as the number two starter for Milwaukee and could be the
surprise pick of the draft for Sherwood. Overall Grade: B
TEAM ANALYSIS
Starting Pitching: C+ Relief Pitching: C+ Offense:
B Defense: C
Sherwood won the Eastern Division crown (surprise) and
beat Brooklyn in the divisional playoffs in 7 games. But a World Championship was not to be as they lost to San Diego
in 6 games. For 2020 the Machine sport a .865 OPS putting them in the middle of
the pack in the division. The starting pitching is a mish mash of low inning
pitchers which will take manager Tarantino all he can muster to make it into a
starting rotation for the whole season. The pen is light in quality relief and
the defense is sub-par. So, what does all this mean? When it comes to Sherwood
nothing! With one of the most astute managers in all of baseball you can’t
count them out regardless of the above grades. Look for them to battle for a
playoff spot but the lack of relief will be hard to overcome.