2019                                                                                                             

BASEBALL TODAY AND TOMORROW

Using our PIP rating method, a grade 5 is a player with high impact for the upcoming season

season. A prospects highest rating is 4. Relief pitchers will not be graded.

 

 

 

Amsterdam                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Round                  Position               Player                                 PIP                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1                            SP                          Mike Foltynewicz              4.6

               1                            SP                          Zach Wheller                     4.6

               2                            OF                         Harrison Bader                  3.7

               4                            RP                         Blaine Hardy                      XX

               4                            C                            Kevin Plawecki                  2.3

               5                            SP                          Mike Lorenzen                  3.8

               6                            2B                         David Fletcher                   3.5

               9                            UTI                        Chad Pinder                       2.5                 

THE DRAFT         

Amsterdam with the 5th and 7th picks in the first round selected starting pitchers (B) Mike Foltynewicz and (B) Zach Wheeler both solid picks. In the second round they drafted outfielder Harrison Bader a bit of a surprise especially with Mondesi and Jansen still on the board, two positions they would fill in subsequent rounds but with far less talent. In the 4th round they had two picks and selected relief pitcher (BZ) Blaine Hardy and catcher Kevin Plawecki a career average .218 hitter. Give me JANSEN! They selected starting (B) pitcher Mike Lorenzen in the 5th round a nice catch this late in the draft. Second baseman David Fletcher was selected in the sixth he of little power and they ended their draft in the 9th round with utility infielder Chad Pinder who will take up space on the 40- man roster. Foltynewicz, Wheeler and Lorenzen are the highlights of the Bulldog’s draft with the rest being suspect at best. PIP 3.57

TEAM ANYALSIS

Amsterdam has a solid starting rotation with one caveat that being control or the lack thereof. The bullpen is not up to snuff which means they will be banking on their opponents to roll like the skipper of Las Vegas. The offense is led by Ohtani, Rizzo and Hicks. There is enough talent in the starting nine that they should score runs but they will be hurt by their overall lack of power. The defense is very good with all three outfielders rated the best in fielding. They have two of the top prospects in Guerrero and Bichette down on the farm which bodes well for the franchise future.

Amsterdam finished one game under .500 last year losing a tie breaking game to Brooklyn for the third playoff spot in the division. The lack of control in the starting rotation and a thin bullpen does not bode well. But regardless of their short comings we see a slight improvement in their record and could even make a run at the playoffs.

 

 

 

 

 

Brooklyn

            Round                  Position               Player                                 PIP                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1                            RP                         Blake Treinen                    XX

               1                            RP                         Seth Lugo                           XX

               1                            SP                          Clay Bucholtz                     4.3

               2                            1B                         Luke Voit                            3.9

               3                            1B                         Ryan O’Hearn                    3.9

               6                            1B                         Steve Pearce                      3.7

               6                            SS                          Nick Ahmed                       3.9

               8                            1B                         Evan White                        3.4

               9                            C                            Reese McGuire                  3.3

THE DRAFT

The Metropolitan’s well known for their drafting savvy did not disappoint their fan base with this year’s draft. With 3 picks in the 1st round they took relief pitchers (ABZ) Blake Treinen and (AZ) Seth Lugo totaling a 181 innings of (AZ) relief and followed that up with starter (AZ) Clay Bucholtz not to shabby to say the least. In the 2nd round they selected first baseman Luke Voit who had a somewhat of a breakout season when he got traded to the Yankees. In the 3rd round they drafted first baseman Ryan O’Hearn and followed that up with yet again, you guessed it another first baseman Steve Pearce in the 6th round. They had two picks in the 6th and drafted glove man (SS) Nick Ahmed who surprised with a little bit of power last season. In the 8th round they looked to the future by selecting uncarded first baseman Evan White and with their finial pick of the draft they took catcher Reese McGuire. PIP 3.77

 

TEAM ANALYSIS

Brooklyn will throw two (AZ) starters in Walker Buechler and Bucholtz both are light in innings so they won’t throw more than five innings per start. Following them will be (BZ) starters Patrick Corbin and Carlos Carrasco              with (B) CC Sabathia filling the finial spot. When you add the relief pitching into the equation this is a strong staff. The offense is led by Goldschmidt, Rendon and the three first basemen they selected in the draft Voit, O’Hearn and Pearce. Due to low at bats all three will share the DH duties.  The Mets defense is one of the best in baseball if not the best. They have some nice prospects down on the farm in Senzel, Rogers and Ruiz.

Brooklyn won a single game playoff against Amsterdam last year to make the playoffs, the win put them just over .500 for the year. Their 2018 season ended with a loss to Philadelphia in round one of the playoffs tying them for the most losses in the playoffs by a franchise. The Brooklyn fans expect better which leaves their skipper walking a tight rope. What’s in store for 2019? 

The Mets have a better starting rotation than last year and a strong bullpen plus they have one of the better offenses in the division. Add that all up and they should make the playoffs and hopefully have better results once they do.

 

 

 

 

Las Vegas                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Round                  Position               Player                                 PIP

               1                            OF                         Juan Soto                           5.0

1                            RP                         T J McFarland                    XX

2                            RP                         Victor Arano                      XX

2                            RP                         Kirby Yates                         XX

3                            RP                         Corbin Burnes                    XX

4                            2B                         Joey Wendle                      4.2

5                            2B                         Jeff McNeil                        3.8

5                            SP                          Andrew Heaney                4.0

6                            SP                          Adalberto Mejia                3.5

7                            SS                          Garrett Hampson              3.9

7                            OF                         Nick Martini                       2.8

8                            SP                          Yusei Kikuchi                      3.4

9                            RP                         Victor Alcantara                XX

10                          OF                         Alex Kirilloff                       3.5

11                          RP                         Tony Barnette                   XX

12                          SP                          Brandon Woodruff           3.7

 

THE DRAFT                                                                                                                                                                              

The management in Las Vegas once again put together a solid draft and having the first overall pick never hurts. Welcome to Las Vegas outfielder Juan Soto. With their second pick in the same round they selected relief pitcher (AZ) TJ McFarland. The Crazy Horse had two picks in the second and they used both of them for additional bullpen help in (AZ) Victor Arano and (AZ) Kirby Yates. Still not satisfied with the strength of the pen they selected relief pitcher (AZ) Corbin Burnes in the third round. Here at BT&T we feel they missed an opportunity by not selecting first baseman Jesus Aguilar as Freddy Freeman is the only real first baseman on the roster. In the fourth round they filled a big hole at second base by selecting Joey Wendle followed by second baseman Jeff McNeil and starting pitcher (CZ) Andrew Haney in the fifth. Very nice. Starting pitcher (A) Adalberto Mejia was selected in the 6th round. With two picks in the 7th they took SS Garrett Hampson and OF Nick Martini. If Hampson makes the opening day roster in MLB this could be a steal, meanwhile Martini will take up space on the 40- man roster. In the 8th round they selected the newest Japanese starting pitcher in MLB in uncarded Yusei Kikuchi. In the 9th round they selected uncarded outfielder Alex Kirilloff he was highly rated in many sport magazines in the country and we were one of them. Relief pitcher (AZ) Tony Barnette was selected in the 11th round and they ended their draft with perhaps another steal in pitcher C(B) Brandon Woodruff. PIP 3.78

 

TEAM ANALYSIS

Las Vegas made two major trades in the off -season acquiring pitchers (AZ) Justin Verlander and (AZ) Clayton Kershaw they along with (BZ) Kluber , (B)Sanchez and (CZ)Heaney fill out the rotation. The bullpen is very deep only Brooklyn comes close to matching Vegas’s pitching in the division. The offense is the best in baseball led by Martinez, Soto, Machado and Freeman and has an overall OPS of .881.  The defense is suspect as the starting outfield has no top tier defenders.

 

Las Vegas was considered one of the best teams in the Eastern Division last year but ended up in last place stunning the baseball world. Despite an OPS of .870 they ended the season 10th in batting!!! By the end of the year the fans were calling for the skipper’s head. This year they enter the season with an even better team, can they possibly implode once again? We think not, but stranger things have happened.

The Crazy Horse should not only make the playoffs but anything less than playing for a World Championship would be a major disappointment. BUY SOME NEW DICE!             

 

Maine 

Round                  Position               Player                                 PIP

1                            1B                         Max Muncy                        5.0

2                            SP                          Brad Keller                    4.1

3                            RP                         Adam Ottavino                  XX

5                            SP                          John Gant                           3.5

6                            RP                         A J Minter                           XX

7                            OF                         Alex Verdugo                     3.6

8                            RP                         Jordan Hicks                      XX

9                            RP                         Tim Mayza                         XX

10                          SS                          Wander Franco                 4.0

SD                         SP                          Tyson Ross                         3.4

SD                         SP                          Junior Guerra                     3.4

 

THE DRAFT

Maine under new ownership came to the 2019 draft with an urgent need to put together a starting rotation and bullpen, not an easy task. However, they showed no fear of being able to accomplish that objective when they selected not a pitcher but first baseman Max Muncy with the third overall pick of the draft. Ballsy. In the second round they selected starting pitcher (B) Brad Keller we like him. In the 3rd round they went for bullpen help and selected (A) Adam Ottavino. Starting pitcher (B) John Gant was selected in the 5th round followed by relief pitcher (B) AJ Minter in the 6th. The Maui’s went for offense in the 7th round and selected young outfielder Alex Verdugo he has been touted as one of the best players in the minors the past couple of years. The next two rounds saw more relief help in (BW) Jordan Hicks and (B) Tim Mayza. In the 10th round the selected highly touted shortstop the uncarded Wander Franco. Very nice. They were able to secure two starting pitchers in the supplemental draft (C) Tyson Ross and (C) Junior Guerra. PIP 3.85

 

TEAM ANALYSIS

With very little time to prepare for the draft Maine’s new management did a very good job of putting together their team. The rotation has four new starters led by (B) Keller and (B) Gant but pales compared to the other teams in the division. The bullpen is solid led by (AZ) Edwin Diaz and (AZ) Craig Stammen. Offensively they are led by Betts, Muncy and Ramirez and post a .838 OPS the second highest in the division. The defense is pretty solid with only the outfield showing some weakness. Betts will have to cover a lot of ground out there but will get help from bench player Billy Hamilton. They have a couple nice prospects with Trammell and Franco down on the farm.

The Maui’s ended the 2018 season second to last in the division. They did their best in the draft to fill the holes in their rotation but there just wasn’t enough quality starters available. The bullpen is strong but will only be able to do so much. The Maui’s should end up with a better record in 2019 due to their offense. We see them still finishing in the lower tier of the division but some nice additions in the draft bodes well for their future. They should be fun to watch this season with the offense putting runs on the scoreboard.

 

Philadelphia 

Round             Position          Player                          PIP

2                            RP                         Scott Oberg                        XX

3                            RP                         Ryan Pressly                    XX

3                            RP                         Jose Alvarado                    XX

4                            OF                         Ben Zobrist                         4.1

8                            UTI                        Brock Holt                          3.8

8                            SP                          Diego Castillo                    3.2

9                            RP                         Robert Stock                      XX

10                          OF                         Christin Stewart                3.0

11                          C                            Curt Casali                          2.9

12                          SS                          Brandon Crawford           3.7

THE DRAFT

Philadelphia’s first objective was to bolster their bullpen and that’s exactly what they did starting in the second round when they selected (AZ) Scott Oberg followed by relievers (A) Ryan Pressly and (A) Jose Alvardo in the 3rd. The three relievers drafted up to this point total a 194 innings of (A) relief not bad. They picked their starting second baseman Ben Zobrist in the 4th round then had to wait till the 8th round where they had 2 selections the first was utility player Brock Holt followed by starting pitcher (B) Diego Castillo. Philly added a little more bullpen in the 9th round with (A) Robert Stock. Young outfielder Christin Stewart was selected in the 10th round lots of power but has some misses in his swing. Being a little light in the catching department they picked veteran Curt Casali in the 11th round. With release of Brandon Crawford by Norfolk the Black Sox’s found their starting shortstop and swept him up for the final pick of their draft PIP 3.45                                      

 

TEAM ANALYSIS

Philly has one of the strongest rotations in the division led by (ACZ) Hyun-jin Ruy and (AZ) Chris Sale. Joining them in the rotation is (BZ) Alex Wood, (B) Charlie Morton and (B) Madison Bumgarner. The bullpen is deep with 6 (A) and 2 (BZ) relievers but only closer Scott Oberg has control so they will have to use their (BZ) relief wisely. Offensively they are led by Matt Carpenter, Mitch Haniger and David Dahl. The Sox’s OPS is one of the lowest in the division at .821 fortunately for them the offenses in the division are not as strong as previous seasons. The defense has some holes fortunately they were able to fill some of them in the draft but not all of them.

Philly made it to the big show for the first time in 2018 losing to the World Champion San Diego 76er’s. We see them fighting for a playoff spot but it will be no easy task.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

 

 

Rochester 

Round             Position          Player                          PIP

3                            SP                          Wade Miley                       4.0

4                            SP                          Jeremy Hellickson          3.7

5                            SS                          Lourdes Gurriel                 3.8

7                            RP                         Vidal Nuno                         XX

8                            UTI                        Yairo Munoz                      3.4

9                            1B                         Tyler Austin                        3.0

10                          RP                         Reyes Moronta                 XX

11                          3B                         Yandy Diaz                         3.0

12                          SP                          Kohl Stewart                      3.0

SD                         SP                          Casey Kelly                         3.0

SD                         SP                          Chris Bassitt                       3.0

SD                         C                            Kevan Smith                       2.9

SD                         OF                         Matt Kemp                         4.0

SD                         1B                         Matt Adams                       3.4

SD                         OF                         Travis Jankowski               2.8

SD                         1B                         Justin Bour                         3.0

SD                         RP                         Xavier Cedeno                   XX

THE DRAFT

Much like Las Vegas, Rochester replaced 43% of their roster in the draft and didn’t have a pick till the 3rd round.        Not satisfied with their starting rotation of four (CZ) pitchers the Rockers selected starter (A) Wade Miley in the 3rd and (BZ) Jeremy Hellickson in the 4th round both with limited innings. In the 5th round they selected SS Lourdes Gurriel we think he has a very good future. In the 7th round came relief help in (ACZ) Vidal Nuno. They looked for utitlity help in round 8 and picked Yairo Munoz followed by first basemen Tyler Austin in the 9th.  More relief help came in round ten (AW) Reyes Moronta followed by third baseman Yandy Diaz in the 11th. Starter (B) Kohl Stewart with limited innings was selected in the 12th round.  The Rocker’s selected 8 players in the supplemental draft setting a record that may never be broken. Most of the teams were shocked that the commissioner took it upon himself to set such precedent but have kept mum out of fear of being fined. So, with that being said the Rocker’s selected (B) starters Casey Kelly and Chris Bassett both with very limited innings. Outfield help in Travis Jankowski and Matt Kemp and first basemen Matt Adams and Justin Bour. They also selected catcher Kevan Smith and relief pitcher Xavier Cedeno.  PIP 3.29

 

TEAM ANALYSIS

It looks as though Rochester will use a mix and match strategy to their starting rotation as most of their best carded pitchers have very limited innings, it should be interesting to see how they go about it. (A) Wade Miley and (BZ) Jeremy Hellickson both with limited innings are the best of the pack followed by four (CZ) starters in Leake, Nova, Strasburg and Suter. The bullpen is adequate but the overall status of their pitching staff rates behind most teams in the division. The offense is led by Trout, Harper and Bryant.  Total OPS is .826 leaving them in the middle of the pack. Defensively they lack a second baseman and the outfield is subpar.

The Rockers were the best team in baseball in 2018 finishing with an 85-53 record good for a .616 winning percentage. They were eliminated for a chance at a World Championship in a tough 7 game playoff loss to Philadelphia. This year’s ballclub is not near as strong. Starting the draft in round three gave them little chance of improving enough to be a contender in 2019 and they have no help down on the farm.

 Look for them to finish in the lower half of the division.

                

Sherwood 

Round             Position          Player                          PIP

4                            OF                         Mallex Smith                      4.0

4                            RP                         Yonny Chirinos               XX

6                            RP                         Roenis Elias                        XX

7                            1B                         Ji-Man Choi                        3.6

7                            SP                          Daniel Ponce de Leon      3.2

8                            SP                          Edwin Jackson                   3.6

8                            RP                         Robby Erlin                         XX

8                            RP                         Edubay Ramos                  XX

9                            RP                         Tony Sipp                            XX

9                            SP                          Matt Koch                          3.6

10                          SP                          Joey Lucchesi                    3.6

13                          RP                         Taylor Cole                        XX

THE DRAFT

Sherwood likes going into most drafts with their roster set and this year was no different. Other than two fielding positions the rest of their picks went for pitching. With their first two picks in the 4th round they selected speedster outfielder Mallex Smith and relief pitcher (BZ) Yonny Chirinos. In the 6th round they selected relief pitcher (A) Roenis Elias. With two picks in the 7th round they drafted first baseman Ji-Man Choi and starting pitcher (A) Daniel Ponce de Leon. The Machine had three picks in the 8th round where they like to hunker down and weed through available players. They decided on starter (B) Edwin Jackson and relief pitchers (CZZ) Robby Erlin and (A) Edubay Ramos. In the 9th round they selected relief pitcher (AC) Tony Slip and starter (CZ) Matt Koch. Round 10 saw starting pitcher (C) Joey Lucchesi come off the board and they ended their draft with reliever (A) Taylor Cole. PIP 3.60

 

TEAM ANALYSIS

Sherwood one of the most successful franchises in the history of baseball fell upon hard times last year as they ended up 5th in the East. To find out the last time they didn’t make the playoffs you would have to go back to the 2009 season. Impressive. So how does this season look for the Machine, let’s start with the rotation. While not the best rotation in the division it still pretty strong led by three (BZ) starters in Kyle Hendricks, Noah Syndergarrd and Ross Stripling. The rest of the rotation will be a combination of limited inning pitchers grading from (A) to (CZ)       . The bullpen is set with (AZ) Taylor Rogers and (AZ) Tony Watson forming the setup and closing roles. Offensively they are led by Trevor Story, Eugenio Suarez and Rhys Hoskins with a total OPS .820 one of the lowest in the division.             Defensively they are average.

Sherwood will be in the thick of the things in the East as they put the 2018 season behind them and move on to brighter days in 2019. Look for them to secure a playoff berth.