Jackson Blazers
The Blazers selected left-fielder George Morris as there first pick in the first round. Morris is one of the best pure hitters in the draft this season with some pop in there as well. Morris will most likely be an All-Star sometime during his career. The question about Morris is that he is really set on going to college and it doesn’t matter what the Blazers offer him it doesn’t look like he will this season. Ranking A (unsigned)
The Blazers had also selected right-fielder Michael Rath also in the first round. Rath has some has a great bat and will destroy left-handers during the season and Rath will also make pitchers very nervous when he’s on base. Rath is the second best right-fielder in the draft this season. The question about Morris is that he has some struggles in the field and will struggle against good right-handed pitching. Ranking A-
The Blazers did a great job a finding some good offensive players and with seven picks during the first five rounds they really found some talent that will help in the future. Ranking B+
Monterrey Stars
The Stars selected pitcher Nerio Taylor as there first round pick. Taylor is going to be scary on the mound as he can just make you look extremely silly with his off-speed pitches. Taylor is the seventh best pitcher in the draft this season. The question about Taylor is the lack of power in his arm going to hurt him as a closer. Ranking A-
The Stars also selected pitcher Luther Pritchett in the second round. Pritchett is another junk ball pitcher that has the ability to make you pound the balls into the ground. Pritchett is the 10th best pitcher in the draft this season. The question about Pritchett is that he’s another soft throwing reliever and it makes you wonder how long he can survive that. Ranking B+
The Stars is one of the few teams that were able to find good pitching during the draft even though it was relievers that they found. Ranking B
Louisville Groundhogs
The Groundhogs selected catcher Gordon McGlinchy as there first round pick. McGlinchy is going to be scary at the plate during his career as he has great bat control, pop and an excellent eye when he’s standing at the plate. McGlinchy is the best catcher in the draft this season. The question about McGlinchy is that he’s only an average catcher but he won’t hurt you there as well. Ranking A+
The Groundhogs also selected shortstop Todd Burke in the second round. Burke was selected in the second round for his great defense and that is the only thing that could be considered great about him. Burke is the 8th best shortstop in the draft this season. The question about Burke is how bad is he going to hurt you at the plate and will that be enough to justify him in the lineup. Ranking B+
The Groundhogs did a really good job finding good players during there first two picks but going after pitching once again hurt another team. Ranking B-
Charleston Gullah's
The Gullah’s selected shortstop Harry Long in the second round. Long just has an average bat with some pop in there but it’s his defense that people will be talking long after he has left baseball. Long is the fourth best shortstop and the best defense shortstop in the draft this season. The question about Long is how quickly he will be rushed to the major leagues because I think he might need some time in the minors. Ranking A
The Gullah’s also selected pitcher Vinny Watkins in the first round. Watkins has a really live arm that seems to be ready to pitch when ever you need him to pitch after that he’s an average pitcher with great command. Watkins is the 21st best pitcher in the draft this season. The question about Watkins is that he can get real predictable as he has a couple of great pitches but nothing special after that. Ranking C
The Gullah’s had a good draft not a great one it might have been a great one if they didn’t go after so much pitching. Ranking C-
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
National League South Draft
USMLB FIRST-HALF AWARDS
AMERICAN LEAGUE FIRST-HALF MVP:
Other Finalist:
Luis Nunez
Darren Higginson
Alex Lee
Carmen Garcia
NATIONAL LEAGUE FIRST-HALF MVP:
Other Finalist:
Bobby Henry
Wes Withem
Rondell Lowe
Eric Flynn
AMERICAN LEAGUE FIRST-HALF CY YOUNG:
Other Finalist:
Larry Rath
Magglio Salinas
Cliff Sheets
Donne McClellan
NATIONAL LEAGUE FIRST-HALF CY YOUNG:
Other Finalist:
Greg Flanagan
Raymond Pavlov
Ed Jefferson
Wilson Fisher
AMERICAN LEAUGE ROOKIE OF THE FIRST HALF:
NATIONAL LEAUGE ROOKIE OF THE FIRST HALF:
AMERICAN LEAUGE FIREMAN OF THE FIRST HALF:
NATIONAL LEAUGE FIREMAN OF THE FIRST HALF:
BEST TEAM:
Monterrey Stars
WORST TEAM:
Philadelphia HeadHunters
MOST IMPROVED TEAM:
Ottawa Crawdaddies
MOST DISAPPOINTING TEAM:
Durham Bulls
MOST IMPROVED POSITION PLAYER:
MOST DISAPPOINTING POSITION PLAYER:
MOST IMPROVED PITCHER:
MOST DISAPPOINTING PITCHER:
BEST HITTING TEAM:
Monterrey Stars
WORST HITTING TEAM:
Salem Gangstas
BEST PITCHING TEAM:
Tacoma Pioneers
WORST PITCHING TEAM:
Philadelphia HeadHunters
BEST FIELDING TEAM:
Louisville Grumbling Groundhogs
WORST FIELDING TEAM:
Toledo Boltz
BEST DIVISION:
NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH
WORST DIVISION:
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
PLAYOFF RACES TO WATCH FOR:
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST DIVISION RACE (St. Louis Cornerstone, Pittsburgh Pirates and Toledo Boltz)
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST DIVISION RACE (Tacoma Pioneers and Tucson Chupacabras)
NATIONAL LEAGUE WILDCARD RACE (Chicago Blackhawks, New Britain Fisher Cats, Pittsburgh Pirates, Jackson BlaZers and Louisville Grumbling Groundhogs)
AMERICAN LEAGUE NORTH DIVISION RACE (Ottawa Crawdaddies, Portland Landports, Minnesota Milfoils and Scranton Beet Farmer's)
AMERICAN LEAUGE EAST DIVISION RACE (Cincinnati Highlanders, Atlanta Brave Vawts, Boston Braves and Columbus Pride)
AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST DIVISION RACE (Anaheim Beefpound and Arizona Sting)
AMERICAN LEAUGE WILDCARD RACE (Atlanta Brave Vawts, Kansas City Bobcats and Arizona Sting)
Monday, March 16, 2009
American League West Draft
Colorado Rockies
The Rockies selected second basemen Ivy Zagone as there first pick in the first round. Zagone has a great bat with a decent amount of power behind it and a great eye that will bring a lot of contact with the bat. Zagone is the second best second basemen in the draft. The question about Zagone is that sometimes he struggles a little with right handed power pitching. Ranking A+ (unsigned)
The Rockies had also selected right-fielder Johnnie Conine also in the first round. Conine has some great pop in his bat and will probably hit for a high average to go with it. Conine is the best right-fielder in the draft this season. The question about Conine is that he could really hurt the team with his defense and may be better suited as a DH in the American League. Ranking A (unsigned)
The Rockies did a great job a finding some good offensive players during the draft and if he would have signed his first too picks he would have had the best draft of any team this season. Ranking A-
Anaheim Beefpound
The Beefpound selected third basemen Troy Green as there fourth round pick. Green is going to be known more for his defense then offensive as he can be a vacuum at third base but his bat might struggle at times. The question about Green is that his power those have some pop to it but will it be good enough to play third base. Ranking B+
The Beefpound also selected shortstop Harvey Barber in the fifth round. Barber is one the best defense shortstop in the draft this season and will quickly become a pitcher best friend. Barber is the 19th best shortstop in the draft this season. The question about Barber is the defense good enough to make up for the butchery that he displaces at the plate. Ranking C+
The Beefpound really did a good job with finding some very good defense players but like a lot of teams they went after pitching in the first rounds and that hurt them in the overall ranking. Ranking B-
Arizona Sting
The Sting selected shortstop Jim Franklin as there first round pick. Franklin has a good amount of pop in his bat, quick speed around the base paths and defense that very few shortstops will ever play at. Franklin is the third best shortstop in the draft this season. The question about Franklin is that can he get on base enough to really take advantage of his speed. Ranking A+
The Sting also selected shortstop Chick Raben in the second round. Raben is equal to Franklin in the defense category but lacks the pop in his bat that Franklin has but will still be good hitter in his own right. Meacham is the 13th best shortstop in the draft this season. The question about Raben is that he may need to find another position to play or be traded down line as Franklin may be blocking him to the majors in the future. Ranking B
The Sting did a really good job of finding some good defense players to play the middle of the field and Franklin could really be a great find for them. Ranking C+
Cheyenne Xpress
The Xpress selected shortstop Walter Houston in the third round. Houston could really just become an average player as everything about him is average from his bat, eye and defense. Houston is probably better off playing second base during his career then shortstop. The question about Houston is that he may go through long struggles at the plate followed by some hot streaks. Ranking B-
The Xpress also selected pitcher Vincenzo Scharein in the first round. Scharein has great control and is just deadly to any left hander at the plate to face him. Scharein is probably the best set-up man in the draft as he doesn’t have the stamina to be a starter and right hander’s can hit hard at times to become a long term closer. The question about Scharein is that he worth being a first round pick just to be a set-up type of pitcher? Ranking B-
The Xpress had a good draft not a great one but a good one that could see a couple players at the major league level in the future. Ranking C-
