Baseball Today and Tomorrow
This year’s 2015
ZSABL draft was thin on hitting making it difficult for teams to improve their
overall offensive numbers. This can be attributed to the vast amount of
information and projections used by today’s ZSABL general managers when making
their draft strategies for the present and future. We believe this to be a
continuing trend for the foreseeable future. Here at BT&T we incorporated a
new grading system (PIP) last year to rate each player drafted and it was well
received. We have made two changes this year to our grading system.
1.
A player 5 rating is a player with immediate high impact for the upcoming
season.
2.
Due to the abundant number of “A” relievers they will not be rated this year.
Position
Round Player PIP Grade
P 1 Dallas
Kuechel 5
P 1 Dellin
Betances x
3B 2 Luis
Valbuena 3.8
OF 3 Chris
Coughlan 3.8
P 3 Jared
Hughes x
OF 4 Kevin
Kiermaier 3.3
INF 5 Marwin
Gonzalez 3.2
C 6 Kurt
Suzuki 3
P 7 Joakim
Soria x
OF 9 Jake
Smolinski 3.2
3B 10 Yangervis
Solarte 2.8
P(UC) 11 Kyle Freeland 3.5
P 12 Brandon
League x
P(UC) 13 Ian Clarkin 3.1
THE DRAFT
Pensacola
had 2 picks in the 1st round and took two pitchers Dallas Kuechel
and reliever Dellin Betances. We realize it’s hard to pass on a 200 Inning (AZ)
starter but their rotation was not where they needed the help and (A) relievers
were a dime a dozen. Here at BT&T we would have taken Pearce or Martinez
with the 1st pick and Swihart or Seager with the 2nd,
enough said. In the 2nd round they took third basemen Luis Valbuena
he qualifies at 2B and that is where they’ll play him, moving Zobrist to short.
Nice. With 2 picks in the 3rd they chose OF Chris Coughlan and (A)
reliever Hughes, Coughlan certainly will help. Kevin Kiermaier was their 4th
round pick and will add OF depth. Infielder Marwin Gonzalez was a nice pick in
the 5th as he can play just about anywhere and won’t kill you with
his bat. In the 6th round they took catcher Kurt Suzuki and in the 7th
Joakim Soria a BZZ not bad. Outfielder Jake Smolinski was taken in the 9th,
the jury is still out on just how much of that pop is for real but what the
heck he’s worth a flier. In the 10th they took third basemen Solarte he’ll be
starting at 3B for San Diego but Will Middlebbrooks is knocking on the door.
They took uncarded pitcher Kyle Freeman a 1st round pick for the
Rockies, a lot of upside here but a couple of years away from the show.
Reliever Brandon League was taken in the 12th round and they
finished their draft in round 13 with Ian Clarkin a 2013 1st round
pitcher for the Yankees. He’s a few years away. PIP 3.47
THE ROSTER
Adding
Kuechel (AZ) makes for one of the strongest pitching staffs in the division and
he makes a nice compliment to Kershaw. The rest of the staff is quite capable
as well, consisting of 4 BZ starters. With a team total OPS of .792 you would
think they don’t have much of a chance to make the playoffs, guess what? It is
the third highest OPS in the Western division perhaps making an argument for
their 1st round pick of Kuechel. They definitely picked up players
in the draft that will help so you have to say a playoff spot is not out of the
picture. Still, with only one player with at least 400 at bats and a OPS over
.800 the Piranha manager will need to be at the top of his game to make that a
reality.
Norfolk
Position Round Player PIP Grade
2B 1 Joe
Panik 3.9
1B 2 C.J.
Cron 3.9
P 3 Aaron
Sanchez x
SS 4 Wilmer
Flores 3.5
P 5 Santiago
Casilla x
C 6 Andrew
Susac 3.3
3B 7 Jake
Lamb 3.5
P 8 Dominic
Leone x
P(UC) 9 Alex Meyer 3.4
P 12 Aroldis
Chapman x
THE DRAFT
The
Neptunes picked second basemen Joe Panick with their first round selection. Is
he worthy of a first rounder? In most years probably not but there were few
impact players in this draft. With the 12th selection overall, the
only young players remaining and worthy of a 1st round were arguably
Seager and Swihart. That being said, Panik certainly would be gone by the time
Norfolk would pick again in the second round. And they just couldn’t let that
happen. In the 2nd round they picked C.J. Cron a nice pick here as
they try to solidify their 1B situation. In the 3rd they picked a
(AB) reliever in Sanchez. With the 4th round pick they selected SS
Wilmer Flores he was a highly regarded prospect with the Mets and at the age of
23 has a nice upside. In the 5th they took reliever Casilla. The 6th
round pick was catcher Andrew Susac he presently backs up Posey but has all the
makings of a very good backstop himself. But until Posey moves to first he will
have limited at bats. In the 7th round they took 3B Jake Lamb here
at BT&T we feel that Tomas will end up in the OF for Arizona giving Lamb
another chance to prove himself. Reliever Leone was picked in the 8th.
Un-carded pitcher Alex Meyer was taken in the 9th round, a highly
regarded prospect for the Twins, control issues have held him back from the big
show. At this point their draft was completed, that was, until Brooklyn
released Aroldis Chapman in the 12th and the Neptunes quickly swept
in and grabbed him. PIP 3.58
THE ROSTER
This
is the strongest pitching staff in the division led by Wainwright and
Zimmerman. With Lance Lynn(A) and Porcello(BZ) filling out a very formidable
staff. On offense they are lead by Stanton, Morneau and Lind. Lind has limited
at bats. We went back to 2004 when the ZSABL began listing player OPS numbers
and Norfolk was never below .800 in fact one year they had an OPS over.900!
That shows you the state of hitting in MLB today. But some owners are hinting
that perhaps Norfolk management has lost some of their touch. Here at BT&T
we don’t think so. Even with their low OPS number this year the Neptunes will
be battling for a playoff spot in the weaker Western division.
San Diego
Position Round Player PIP Grade
SS 1 Danny
Santana 5
P 3 Mike
Fiers 3.8
3B 4 Trevor
Plouffe 3.9
P 6 Zack
Duke x
C 7 Steve
Vogt 3.4
P 8 Adam
Warren x
P 9 Joe
Beimel x
OF/1B 10 Ryan Rau 3.4
P(UC) 11 Aaron Nola 3.4
P 12 Shane
Greene 3
OF 13 Anthony
Gose 3
THE DRAFT
With
their 1st selection the 76ers surprised just about everyone when
they chose SS Danny Santana. Here at BT&T we felt they would go for offense
since it was in such limited supply and Santana was the logical choice looking
at their roster. Hopefully he stays at SS. Their second pick of the draft came
in the 3rd round and they selected starting pitcher Mike Fiers(A) who has
limited innings but an (A) is an (A). In the 4th they took 3B Trevor
Plouffe an excellent pick. Relief help came in the 6th with Zach
Duke and in the 7th round they selected catcher Steve Vogt, he’ll
fit in nicely on this roster. In the 8th and 9th rounds
more relief help was added. In the 10th they selected OF/1B Ryan Rau
a nice pick this late in the draft. Un-carded Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola was
next and may make the big show in 2015. They selected pitcher Shane Greene he
may end up being the 5th starter in Detroit so there is upside here.
With their final pick in the 13th round they took a flier on Anthony
Gose, not much pop but will be given the chance in Detroit to start. PIP 3.61
THE ROSTER
Though
this pitching staff is not as strong as others in the division, it is still
very capable with Hamels being the ace of the staff. The offense lacks big time
pop as Chris Davis struggled last year. However they did make picks in the
draft Santana, Plouffe and Fiers that will keep them in the hunt for a playoff
spot.
Hartford
Position Round Player PIP Grade
P 2 Scott
Kazmir 4.4
P 3 Drew
Storen x
INF 4 Kris
Negron 3.2
OF 5 Seth
Smith 3.8
2B(UC) 5 Jose Peraza 3.3
P 6 Jesse
Hahn 3.6
P 8 Jake
Petricka x
2B(UC) 8 Micah Johnson 3.3
THE DRAFT
Hartford’s
first pick of the draft came in the second round where they selected starting
pitcher Scott Kazmir(BZ). In the third they took relief pitcher Drew
Storen(ABZ). In the 4th round they took utility infielder Kris
Negron who at the age of 29 had a good year with the Reds but he may see less
playing time this year. Outfielder Seth Smith was selected in the 5th
round, which surprised us that he was available this far in to the draft.
Un-carded 2B Jose Peraza was next for the Hurricanes, a prospect in the Atlanta
organization who will have a shot this spring for the starting gig. Peraza has
lots of speed and bats for a high average but lacks power. In the 6th
they selected starting pitcher Jesse Hahn of the Oakland A’s, the kid looks
like he could be something special. With two picks in the 8th round
they picked relief help and un-carded second baseman Micah Johnson a highly
touted second basemen in the White Sox’s organization.
PIP
3.60
THE ROSTER
Much
like San Diego’s pitching staff Hartford’s may not be the strongest but is more
than capable with Alex Wood leading the way. The addition of pitcher Scott
Kazmir(BZ) helps immensely. On offense they have the second highest OPS in the
division led by Jose Bautista and Big Papi David Ortiz. Getting Seth Smith adds
a nice player to their mix as well. If there is one thing about this roster
it’s that they should have released at least 3 players and taken some more
young un-carded prospects. With that being said, Hartford has enough to make
the playoffs in this wide-open division.
Seattle
Position Round Player PIP Grade
UTI 1 Josh
Harrison 5
P 3 Jason
Hammel 3.5
P 5 Scott
Feldman 3.2
P 6 Mike
Morin x
P 7 Jeremy
Affeldt x
P 8 Sam
Dyson x
P 9 Danny
Farquhar x
P 10 Kevin
Jepsen x
1B/Of 11 Garret Jones 3
OF 12 Gregor
Blanco 2.0
C 13 Rene
Rivera 3.8
P 14 Chris
Hatcher 2.0
P 15 Fernando
Salas 2.0
THE DRAFT
Seattle
selected Josh Harrison with the 2nd pick of the 2015 draft, you’ll
get no complaints here. In the third round they took starting pitcher Jason
Hammel and with the 5th round they selected starting pitcher Scott
Feldman, why? We do not know. Both these picks should have been used for more
offense. Their next 5 picks in rounds 6 thru 10 they took four (A) relievers.
In the 11th they picked 1B Garret Jones to backup Francisco. In the
12th round they selected outfielder Blanco most likely for his
fielding 3 rating. Catcher Rene Rivera was the next in round 13, a very nice selection
this late. For their final 2 picks in rounds 14 &15 they took two (BZ)
relievers again, we are not sure why. PIP 3.06
THE ROSTER
The
Scouts came into the draft with a set rotation led by Doug Fister and they
added Hammel for depth. It’s a solid pitching staff. Offensively, Cuddyer, Cruz
and the newly acquired Harrison lead the way. Cuddyer has limited at bats. Josh
Donaldson is solid at third. With their fortuitous rolling of the dice don’t
count them out for a playoff spot.
Union Station
Position Round Player PIP Grade
P 1 Phil
Hughes 5
C/OF(UC) 3 Kyle Schwarber 3.7
1B 4 Kennys
Vargas 4
OF 4 Dave
Peralta 3.5
C(UC) 5 Peter O’Brien 3.4
OF(UC) 5 Aaron Judge 3.4
P 6 Wily
Peralta 3.5
1B 7 Ben
Paulsen 2.8
P 8 Brad
Boxberger x
P 9 Neal
Ramirez x
P 10 Brett
Anderson 3.7
P 11 Fernando
Rodney x
P 12 Pedro
Strop x
THE DRAFT
Part
of a big trade at the start of the draft, USMC acquired arguably the best
prospect in baseball in Kris Bryant, forfeiting 2 first round picks in the
draft. However with one remaining they selected starting pitcher Phil
Hughes(BZZ). In the 3rd round they selected un-carded C/OF Kyle
Schwarber from the Cubs, he comes with a big time bat. With 2 picks in the 4th
round they selected Ken Vargas and Dave Peralta. BT&T had Vargas rated
high. Peralta gives them the highest OPS outfielder on their roster. In the 5th
they also had 2 picks and took two un-carded prospects in Peter O’Brien and
Aaron Judge. Catcher O’Brien hit 34 HR’s between A+ and AA in 2014. Arizona
will have him on the fast track if his defense is up to snuff. Judge is a
highly rated prospect as well. In the 6th round they selected
starting pitcher Wily Peralta. First basemen Ben Paulsen was picked in the 7th
round however, he doesn’t excite us. In their two next rounds they picked
relief pitching. Round 10 saw Brett Anderson as their pick and we do like this
flier. Their final two picks in rounds 11 and 12 were (A) relief. PIP 3.67
THE ROSTER
Led
by their 1st round pick in the draft Phil Hughes USMC boasts all (B)
starters but only 2 with control. Their offense has the lowest OPS in the
division at .736. The roster is loaded with young talent and if they jell in
the 2015 MLB season USMC will be a contender for years to come, until than they
will struggle.
Memphis
Position Round Player PIP Grade
OF 1 Jorge
Soler 4.4
P 2 Jacob
de Grom 4
OF 2 Lorenzo
Cain 3.7
P 4 Wade
Davis x
P 4 Hector
Rondon x
2B(UC) 7 Devon Travis 3.5
2B 8 Dilson
Herrera 3.5
P 9 Shawn
Tolleson x
SS 10 Chris
Taylor 3.2
1B(UC) 11 D.J. Peterson 3.2
OF 12 Desmond
Jennings 3.3
1B(UC) 14 Greg Bird 3
THE DRAFT
The
Sound with the 1st overall pick of the draft selected Cub outfielder
Jorge Soler. In round two Memphis had two picks and with a(A) starter still on
the board they quickly picked Jacob de Grom and followed him with OF Lorenzo
Cain. In the 4th they had 2 picks as well and selected relief help
in Davis and Rondon. In the 7th round they picked un-carded prospect
Devon Travis who will get a shot to start in Toronto. In the 8th they
picked the Mets second baseman of the future Dilson Herrera. A relief pitcher
came next in round 9 in Shawn Tolleson. In the 10th they took SS Chris
Taylor as they needed an eligible player for their roster at that position.
However we do like his upside as well. In the 11th they picked
Seattle Prospect D. J. Peterson who hit 31 hrs between A+ and AA ball in 2014.
They were surprised when Desmond Jennings was released by USMC and grabbed him
in the 12th round. Their final pick was NYY 1B prospect Greg Bird.
PIP
3.53
THE ROSTER
Memphis’s
pitching staff is made up of 3 (A) and 3 (BZ) pitchers and they will need every
one of them due to low innings. It is not as strong as some staffs in their
division but should be strong enough. The offense is the best in the West with
a OPS of .834. The team is lead by Abreu, Puig and Posey. Soler, who they
coveted, will fill in at bats for AJ Pollock who has only 265 AB. Overall this
is a very good ball club and they will be shooting for their first division
championship. But there is a lot of ball to be played before that can come to
fruition.