2017
		BASEBALL TODAY AND TOMORROW
Welcome to this year's edition of BT&T as we preview the 2017 ZSABL. A couple years ago
we stated that due to the vast amount of information at the fingertips of today's general
managers that draft day is no longer only for the upcoming season but for the future as
well. Today more and more prospects who may or may not see the big leagues are being
drafted and this year was no exception. Ball clubs not drafting for the future could
find themselves left behind as their ball clubs increase in age and the top prospects
are already on ZSABL rosters.
Relief pitching has become such a hot commodity that some rosters sport 10 or more
of them on their roster. There were twelve AZ relievers available in the draft with 50
or more innings and they would be gone by the 31st pick of the draft.
Using our PIP rating method a grade 5 is a player with high impact for the upcoming
season. Prospects highest rating is 4. Relief pitchers will not be graded.
On to the ratings:
			THE WESTERN DIVISION
HARTFORD
Position	Round		Player	PIP Grade
P	2		Matt Bush	X
p	3		Miguel Gonzalez	5.0
p	4		Junior Guerra	4.0
p	5		Zach Davies	4.0
P	6		Joe Biagini	X
UTI	7		Derek Dietrich	2.5
OF	7		Michael Saunders	3.5
C	8		Chris Herrmann	2.7
P	9		Mike G. Dunn	X
SS	10		Orlando Arcia	3.5
The Draft
Hartford came into the drafting needing to build a pitching staff a daunting task indeed
and without a 1st round pick. The Cane's began their draft in the 2nd round an picked
reliever Matt Bush(AZ) followed by Miguel Gonzalez(BZ) in the 3rd round. Surprising to
see Gonzalez still sitting there in the third a nice pick for the Cane's. In the 4th round
they selected Junior Guerra (B) he has limited innings and lacks control. Zach Davies
(CZ) was still on the table and Hartford quickly tabbed him for their 5th round pick.
Very nice. Joe Biagini(BZ) reliever was selected in the 6th and Hartford had their
pitching staff. The Cane's had two picks in the 7th round and drafted a utility player
Derek Dietrich and then outfielder Mike Saunders we like the Saunders pick the Dietrich
not so much. Chris Herrmann a 30 year old catcher with a lifetime .212 batting average
and a grade(7) in the field was picked in the 8th. He has limited at bats and should be
selling cars in the greater Hartford area next year. Reliever Mike G.Dunn(BZ) was chosen
in the 8th and they ended their draft with the highly touted shortstop Orlando Arcia.
We feel Dietrich and Hermann add little to the upcoming season and certainly not in the
future. With a plethora of un-carded players available and Hartford with only two on
their current roster we would have liked to see them use those picks for younger
players. The average age of their starting pitchers is thirty-one the outfield isn't
much younger as Trea Turner moves to shortstop and the catching is a whole other
quagmire. With that being said Hartford came away with one of the better drafts of the
day albeit with a couple of hiccups.
PIP 3.60
Team Synopsis
Hartford sports the strongest offense in the league led by Big Papi David Ortiz in his
final ZSABL season. The Cane's will score plenty of runs the question is how many will
they give up? They did an admirable job of putting a pitching staff together but it
still pales to other staffs in the division. A total of only 91 innings of AZ relief is
a concern and will need to be managed wisely. Skipper Phil Z should be up to that task
but the defense is a concern as well. Hartford has not seen the postseason since 2011
but that's about to end or at least it should and what wonderful send off for the
illustrious career of the big man DAVID ORTIZ!
MEMPHIS
Position	Round		Player	PIP Grade
OF	1		Hunter Renfroe	3.8
P	2		Alex Claudio	X
P	3		Sean Manaea	3.5
1B	4		Trey Mancini	3.5
OF	5		Tyler O'Neill	3.4
1B	6		Rowdy Tellez	3.4
UTI	7		Hernan Perez	3.4
P	8		Jose De Leon	3.7
3B	9		Austin Riley	3.3
3B	10		Dawel Lugo	3.4
P	11		Tyler Beede	3.4
OF	16		Scott Schebler	3.0
The Draft
The reigning ZSABL Champions the Memphis Sound opened their draft in a trade with
Philadelphia which gave the Sound the 9th overall pick in the draft. They selected
Hunter Renfroe a power hitting outfielder. There are some scouts that are concerned
about is strikeout rate but make no mistake the power is legit. They made a similar
move in the 2015 draft for Jorge Soler that has not paid any meaningful dividends to
date making the Sound fans a little leery of the pick. With AZ relief in short supply
they selected reliever Alex Claudio in the 2nd round followed by starting pitcher Sean
Manaea(CZ) in the 3rd round. With their 4th they selected 1B/DH Trey Mancini who they
had highly rated but there are concerns about his playing time. The 5th round saw
outfield prospect Tyler O'Neill come off the board as the Sound continued to look to
the future. Staying in that same mode they selected another prospect this time first
baseman Rowdy Tellez in the 6th. In the 7th round they selected utility infielder
Hernan Perez he plays a lot of positions none of them very well but they love guys
with double elevens. Highly touted pitching prospect Jose De Leon was taken in the 8th.
Having lost Mikel Franco in the Philly trade and Travis Shaw in a draft day deal with
Amsterdam the next two rounds saw third base prospects Tyler Austin and Dawel Lugo
drafted. In the 12th they selected pitching prospect Tyler Beede and ended there draft
with outfielder Scott Schebler. A glitch in there computer had them all over the board
with four different players selected before finally ending their draft in the 16th
round.
PIP 3.44
Team Synopsis
The Sound has 5(BZ) starters some with limited innings so David Price(CZ) will be in the
mix as well. They sport three AZ relievers only two other teams in the league can make
that claim. The Sound fields a good all around ball club but they fall way behind
Hartford and Norfolk offensively. Their draft was centered on getting younger while
still putting a competitive team on the field. Of their eleven selections only two will
see any significant playing time this year. The Sound should be in the mix for a playoff
spot but a repeat of last year will be awful hard given the more potent offensive teams
in the division.
NORFOLK
Position	Round		Player	PIP Grade
P	1		Dan Otero	X
P	2		Tyler Anderson	5.0
1B	3		Dominic Smith	3.7
1B	4		Mark Reynolds	3.8
OF	5		Manuel Margot	3.4
P	6		Jose Alvarez	X
SS	8		Amed Rosario	3.5
P	9		Dylan Bundy	3.2
P	10		Reynaldo Lopez	3.5
OF	11		Jarrod Dyson	3.4
P	12		Ty Blach	3.5
The Draft
Norfolk with the 7th overall pick in the draft looked to cover the only weakness on
their roster by selecting relief pitcher Dan Otero(ACZ). In the 2nd round they selected
starter Tyler Anderson(BZ) we are always leery of Colorado pitchers but the kid looks
legit. They selected highly rated first base prospect Dominic Smith in the 3rd round.
They looked to upgrade at first base and selected veteran first baseman Mark Reynolds
in the 4th a nice upgrade over CJ Cron. Make no mistake Cron and Smith are the future
for the Neptune's but Reynolds signed to a one year contract with an option for a second
fits the need today. They took the highly rated speedster outfielder Manuel Margot in
5th round. More relief help came in the 6th when they selected pitcher Jose Alvarez(BZ)
and followed that with highly rated shortstop prospect Amed Rosario. Pitcher Dylan
Bundy(C*)was selected in the 9th somewhat of a gamble with his past health issues.
Highly touted pitching prospect Reynaldo Lopez came in the 10th followed by outfielder
Jarrod Dyson in the 11th fielding (3) with speed. With their final pick they selected
starting pitcher Ty Blach(AB).
PIP 3.67
Team Synopsis
The strongest all around team in the Western Division the Neptune's sport all BZ starters.
The bullpen consists of three A relievers two of which have control. A solid hitting
ball club through out the lineup. If there is anything to be picky about it would be the
low innings of AZ relief. We love the new double play combination of the "DOR TWINS"
Lindor and Odor. Norfolk had a very nice draft mixing it up with veterans and prospects.
The Neptune's should win the division and battle for the 40th year ZSABL Championship.
PENSACOLA
Position	Round		Player	PIP Grade
P	1		Seung-hwan Oh	X
P	2		Alex Colome	X
P	3		Colby Lewis	5.0
3B	4		Ryon Healy	4.2
P	5		Jahrel Cotton	3.8
C	6		Francisco Mejia	3.5
P	7		Ian Krol	X
UTI	8		Jed Gyorko	3.3
OF	9		Elroy Jimenez	3.7
P	10		Luis Cessa	3.2
P	11		Zach Neal	3.2
P	12		Frances Marte	3.5
The Draft
Pensacola with the need to bolster their pitching staff selected three pitchers with
their fist three picks. They selected Seung-hwan Oh(AZ) with the 5th overall pick of the
draft and followed that with Alex Colome(ACZ) in the second round. Starting pitcher
Colby Lewis(BZ) was selected in the third round and their pitching staff for the most
part was complete. Well done. They selected Oakland third baseman Ryon Healy in the 4th.
Another Oakland player, pitcher Jahrel Cotton(AZ) was chosen in the 5th round we had him
highly rated and they followed that with highly touted prospect catcher Francisco Mejia
in the 6th. Two real nice picks. Ian Krol(BZ)reliever was next in round seven. Next came
utility fielder Jed Gyorko in the 8th not one of the finer fielding utility players but
sports a nice bat. The highly touted outfielder 20 year old Elroy Jimenez came next he
could be something special. The next two rounds saw starting pitchers Luis Cessa(CZ) and
Zach Neal(CZZ)selected and they ended their draft with yet another highly rated prospect
pitcher Frances Marte.
PIP 3.71
Team Synopsis
Pensacola matches up well with any team in the division in pitching, led by Kershaw(ACZZ)
and four BZ starters. The lack of offense is the Achilles heal for the Piranha. There
is one way to combat the lack of hitting and that would be to play Woody Ball!
However we do not see manager George Z putting down two six packs of PBRs per series.
With that being said look for the Piranha's to just miss making the playoffs. We were
very impressed with their draft so the future looks bright as they move in to their new
stadium next year in Billings, Montana.
SAN DIEGO
Position	Round		Player	PIP Grade
P	3		Dave Phelps	X
UTI	4		Sean Rodriquez	4.2
OF	5		Melky Cabrera	3.6
P	6		Brian Flynn	X
P	7		Kyle Ryan	X
P	8		Adam Ottavino	X
C	9		Tony Wolters	2.9
2B	10		Starlin Castro	3.4
P	11		Adam Conley	3.4
P	12		Adam Wainwright	2.8
SS	13		Luis Sardinas	2.9
P	14		Chris Friedrich	2.8
OF	15		Mickey Moniak	3.6
The Draft
San Diego did not have a pick until the third round of the draft so with the 32nd pick
of the draft they selected reliever Dave Phelps(A). In the 4th they picked utility player
Sean Rodriquez .859 OPS and 300AB. Nice. In the 5th they selected outfielder Melky
Cabrera this will mark the 6th team he has played for in his eight years of playing in
the ZSABL. The 6th, 7th and 8th rounds resulted in all relievers Brian Flynn(BZ), Kyle
Ryan(BZ)and Adam Ottavino(AZ). In the ninth round they selected catcher Tony Wolters
a good defensive glove but not much of a stick. Starlin Castro(2B) was drafted in the
10th round and we feel he's due for a good comeback year as he turns 27 years old.
Starting pitcher Adam Conley (C) was chosen next followed by another Adam, Adam Wainwright
(DZ) puzzling pick to say the least. Young shortstop Luis Sardinas was drafted in the
13th he has a good glove but no pop. Starting pitcher Chris Friedrich(D) came next???
They finished their draft with the highly touted prospect Mickey Moniak in round 15.
PIP 3.29
Team Synopsis
San Diego fields one of the better hitting teams in the division but the pitching just
isn't there for the long run. They have four B starters but only one has control. The
bullpen with only one AZ pitcher with very limited innings is devastating. The 76er's
drafted to stay competitive in the division but there lack of early draft picks resulted
in the inability to strengthen there overall pitching staff. They field one of the oldest
teams in the league which leads us to believe that they may have been better off just
drafting for the future. At best they play a spoiler in the Western Division.
SEATTLE
Position	Round		Player	PIP Grade
OF	1		Adam Duvall	4.3
P	2		Steven Wright	3.8
1B	3		V.Chris Carter	3.6
C	4		Cameron Rupp	3.3
P	5		Rick Nolasco	4.0
P	6		Martin Perez	3.3
P	7		Dan Straily	3.3
P	8		Brad Hand	X
P	9		Hansel Robles	X
C	10		Dioner Navarro	2.6
SS	11		Alcides Escobar	2.6
P	12		Tom Koehler	3.0
2B	13		Whit Merrifield	2.9
P	14		Bryan Shaw	X
INF	15		Adam Rosales	3.3
P	16		Clayton Richard	2.6
The Draft
Seattle needing to build a pitching staff surprised when they chose outfielder Adam
Duvall with the 10th overall pick of the draft. A true power bat and a fielding (3)
not to shabby. In the second round they selected starting pitcher Steven Wright(B). In
the third round they selected another power bat in Chris Carter it's all or nothing
with Carter and fielding (2) adds to his woes. Catcher Cameron Rupp was selected in the
4th followed by starting pitcher Rick Nolasco(CZ). Two starting pitchers Martin Perez
(C)and Dan Straily(C) were selected in rounds 6 and 7. These two pitchers were once
highly talented prospects perhaps they can rebound in Seattle. Don't count on it. Two
relievers came in rounds 8 and 9 Brad Hand(B) and Hansel Robles(B)both without control.
In the 10th round they selected another catcher in Dioner Navarro we are not sure why.
Sticking with veteran ball players they selected SS Alcides Escobar in the 11th. Starting
pitcher Tom Koehler(C) was next if he adds anything it's depth. They chose second baseman
Whit Merrifield in the 13th followed by relief pitcher Bryan Shaw in the 14th round.
Veteran infielder Adam Rosales was taken in the 15th and they ended their marathon with
(C) pitcher Clayton Richard.
PIP 3.28
Team Synopsis
The Scouts had their work cut out for them just to field a ball club. Needing just about
all 16 rounds in the draft to do so. Not one for un-carded players and suspect to any
player under thirty makes this the oldest team in the league. Overall they did a good job
for the kind of ball club they like to put on the field. However they do not have an AZ or
BZ reliever on their roster and they have two C pitchers with no control in their starting
rotation. It looks like Seattle is in for a long season but there will be some surprises
due to the fortuitous rolling of one Woody Kleinhaus.
Union Station
Position	Round		Player	PIP Grade
OF	2		Max Kepler	3.8
P	3		Kendall Graveman	4.0
P	4		Blake Treinen	X
P	5		Joe Musgrove	3.8
OF	6		Victor Robles	3.5
P	7		Mike Lorenzen	X
SS	8		Tim Anderson	3.9
2B	9		Ian Happ	3.5
P	10		Anderson Espinosa	3.4
C	11		Zack Collins	3.4
P	12		Josh Hader	3.5
The Draft
The Cowboys opened their draft trading their 1st round pick to Brooklyn for second baseman
Jonathan Schoop they also threw Scooter Gennett in on the deal. So they began their draft
in the second round by selecting outfielder Max Kepler we had him rated high. Starting
pitcher Kendall Graveman(CZ)was selected in the 3rd round followed by reliever Blake
Treinen(A)in the 4th. Starting pitcher Joe Musgrove(CZ) was selected in the 5th round we
like him a lot. Highly touted outfield prospect Victor Robles was picked in the 6th just
19 years old and on the fast track to the major leagues. Relief pitcher Mike Lorenzen (BZ)
was selected in the 7th round. Next came shortstop Tim Anderson who should only improve with
more playing time. With their final four picks they took a page out of Baseball America
and drafted 2B Ian Happ, P Anderson Espinosa, C Zack Collins and P Josh Hader. Impressive.
PIP 3.64
Team Synopsis
Union Station had one of the best drafts of the day. It won't play out for this season but
in the very near future that will change. Of course there is a good chance half these players
will be traded before that future arrives. The Cowboys will be hard pressed to repeat last
year's impressive season. The lack of hitting and the fact they field all two's in the
outfield, a fielding two first baseman and a seven at second base doesn't bode well for the
the Cowboys. Look for them to take a step backwards and end up in the lower half of the
division.