2055 Nokes Draft Grades

[mattynokes]

The Rank and Score are from my Scouting File. The Future Skills is calculated based off of their perceived upside on draft dray. Below is a table of where the talent falls.

Grade	Score	Criteria
A+	95.0	Elite
A	92.5
A-	90.0	Well Above
B+	87.5
B	85.0	Above
B-	82.5
C+	80.0	Avg
C	77.5
C-	75.0	Below
D+	72.5
D	70.0	Well Above
D-	67.5
F	65.0	Poor

01. :sdp2: SP Brett Wright
He should be good, very good. But I have a hard time getting as excited as some are about him. Most of the dominant Aces (think Mike Madden or Kyle Arrington...think further back to Donovan Pace or Jacob Widdup) have very good strikeout ability and Wright falls short on that category. Wright will be good, but I just don't see him dominating.

Grade:
Future Skills: 90 Con, 73 Pow, 92 Mov
Scouting File Rank: 4
Scouting File Score: 92.12

02. :nyy2: 2B Angel Fernandes
He should develop into a very dynamic hitter and a gold glove contender at either 2B or 3B. His splits are fine and while he's not fast, he shouldn't run himself into outs either. This is not only a safe pick, but one that can land you a franchise player.

Grade:
Future Skills: 86 Con, 88 Pow, 87 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 5
Scouting File Score: 91.75

03. :mia: SP Joaquin Regino
Regino has tremendous upside. At only 16, there's plenty of room to grow. One concern is that his control isn't too good and somewhat close to his movement rating. That could mean that his control doesn't develop as much as it needs to become elite. However, if his control comes around into the mid 80s, he should have elite movement.

Grade:
Future Skills: 82 Con, 89 Pow, 92 Mov
Scouting File Rank: 1
Scouting File Score: 94.86

04. CF John McNamee
I always get nervous when I feel a guy fell to me and I just got a gift. In the past, it means I overlooked something and soon as I pick the player, I get buyers remorse. I checked around to see some GM's opinions and one called him a "stud." Despite Mogul's mediocre 75 grade, he looks like he'll make a fine CF.

Grade:
Future Skills: 91 Con, 82 Pow, 92 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 3
Scouting File Score: 93.42

05. :bos2: CF Sam McCluskey
Rocky asked me about a couple of players and my advice was that I liked both, but I felt he could trade down a few spots and still get them. With that said, McCluskey is very good and definitely makes a nice CF option. He's one of the few decent speed guys that doesn't have a fetish with running themselves into outs. I would have just waited 5 or so picks to take him.

Grade:
Future Skills: 85 Con, 76 Pow, 92 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 10
Scouting File Score: 89.19

06. :kcr3: SS Travis Erwine
I think this is one where Mike convinced himself that he needed to trade up in order to get him. Maybe he did, but even if that's the case, I would let the player go elsewhere. Erwine simply isn't a must have player. What makes Erwine a reach is his poor health. It's likely that he never plays in more than 125 games a season. That's simply a lot of games to rely on the backup SS for. With better health, he's a great pick early on.

Grade:
Future Skills: 87 Con, 66 Pow, 97 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 13
Scouting File Score: 88.30

07. :phi2: SP Todd Woolgrove
I feel he's got about as perfect of a base as you'd want. He has nice control, power that is trailing just behind, and a big enough gap between his control and movement that both should develop at a normal rate. There's some risk since he doesn't have the initial upside of some other pitchers, but this pick is made with the thought that he clearly exceeds his 87 peak.

Grade:
Future Skills: 86 Con, 76 Pow, 88 Mov
Scouting File Rank: 9
Scouting File Score: 90.40

08. :mia: SP Diondre Jackson
He's a guy that I feel his movement and control are too close together (plus his control isn't very far above his overall) that his control will have a tough time developing into what's needed to become a high quality starter. Plus his HRs look quite high. He just seems to be a big tease with his high peak.

Grade:
Future Skills: 77 Con, 89 Pow, 89 Mov
Scouting File Rank: 20
Scouting File Score: 87.15

09. :min2: SP Mel Brown
He was the other SP that I considered taking for PHI. He's uber young, so the sky's the limit. I think Brown may have a higher ceiling, but will have a tougher time reaching it with a bit lower control than Woolgrove. Brown features a lot of things I like in a SP. Low HRs to go with a nice repertoire and one pitch that could be dominant to go along with the right initial balance in his build to develop and exceed his current peak.

Grade:
Future Skills: 80 Con, 81 Pow, 88 Mov
Scouting File Rank: 7
Scouting File Score: 91.17

10. :hou3: 3B Brian McGormery
This guy is very interesting. Right now, he has questionable contact and eye. However, he has so much time to develop, that both may very well get into the low 80s. What's known is that he has scary power potential and already elite defense. The fact that he could top out at 100 arm and fielding could make him the best fielding 3B in the file.

Grade:
Future Skills: 80 Con, 96 Pow, 80 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 2
Scouting File Score: 94.61

11. :tex2: SP Ezra Gustavo
If it weren't for his senior year, showing slightly high home runs, I would have picked him for PHI. He should fix the HR problem (if there is one) and have a dominant Fastball to go with a plus Curve. It's a toss-up for who you like more; Gustavo, Woolgrove, or Brown. All project around the same skill level, so in 6 or 7 years it'll be interesting to see which one was the better pick.

Grade:
Future Skills: 82 Con, 82 Pow, 90 Mov
Scouting File Rank: 8
Scouting File Score: 91.17

12. :det2: SP Patrick Wilcox
I'm a little surprised that he fell this low, but also impressed that he fell this low. On the surface he looks like a surefire top 5 pick, but once you see that his health inflates his peak and his home runs are concerning, he doesn't look so promising anymore. He could still become a very good pitcher (the vitals should be strong), but it'll be a question of will his performance match the vitals?

Grade:
Future Skills: 88 Con, 74 Pow, 93 Mov
Scouting File Rank: 6

13. :mia: 1B Joe Harren
My draft note on him was "Potential to terrorize pitchers, but contact is a concern." He should really launch baseballs into the stands and be a walk machine. The question is where will his contact end up? As long as his contact vs RHP is above 70, he should be fine. Chances are he'll get there, but if he misses, he'll be nearly useless.

Grade:
Future Skills: 78 Con, 99 Pow, 92 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 18
Scouting File Score: 87.66

14. :chc2: SP Jamie Solozano
He's this year's Sammy Penela. At least that's what the Cubbies are hoping. He's got a fantastic build with what should be a dominating Fastball, a plus Curve, and a show-me Two Seamer. His health is a little low, but that might also help his vitals shine through.

Grade:
Future Skills: 83 Con, 77 Pow, 86 Mov
Scouting File Rank: 28
Scouting File Score: 85.66

15. :mia: CF Curt Vincent
He's a guy that could rise through the minors pretty quickly. If he could walk more and was a better baserunner, I think he'd make a hellacious leadoff man. Since he's not, I think he's just a second tier leadoff guy. Which isn't bad, but limits this pick from being great.

Grade:
Future Skills: 92 Con, 65 Pow, 79 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 19
Scouting File Score: 87.57

16. :mia: LF Jacob Plumb
He's already great defensively and his bat should be good, but what holds him back from being great is his age. If he were 18 or 19, he would be a great prospect. But he's on the older side of things, so there's less of a chance for him to be great. Given the circumstances, I think he's mid-2nd talent.

Grade:
Future Skills: 84 Con, 82 Pow, 77 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 35
Scouting File Score: 84.10

17. :cin2: 3B Steve Washington
He has fairly limited upside, so I doubt his Contact will ever be great. However, he should have solid Power to go along with an epic Eye. His defense could be borderline above average, which sets up the Reds to have a solid 3B on their hands.

Grade:
Future Skills: 77 Con, 86 Pow, 99 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 14
Scouting File Score: 88.09

18. :stl2: CF Richard Weindruch
If he could, in any way, run the bases, he'd be a fantastic pick (and let's face it, he wouldn't still be on the board either). He should have elite Contact to go along with a pretty good Eye and fine Range in CF. It's just that terrible baserunning that makes me cringe. He'll run himself into way too many outs.

Grade:
Future Skills: 95 Con, 65 Pow, 87 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 24
Scouting File Score: 86.54

19. SP Chip Watson
He didn't even make my draft list. High home runs and concerning vitals versus his overall are very concerning. It's possible that he becomes rotation worthy as a #5, but I see him as bullpen fodder.

Grade:
Future Skills: 76 Con, 83 Pow, 82 Mov
Scouting File Rank: 59
Scouting File Score: 81.23

20. :nym2: CF Chip Doyle
I keep looking at him, thinking that I want to like him, but I just can't. Being a lefty, his splits are the right kind of drastic. He should develop a dynamic do-it-all bat. But then the bad comes in. His Glovework is atrocious (and I've said before, that's more important to me than Fielding for OFs) and despite his speed, he is not a good base runner. I feel like he may not be reliable in the field and when he gets on-base, he'll be an easy out when he makes a poor decision.

Grade:
Future Skills: 80 Con, 82 Pow, 82 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 23
Scouting File Score: 86.67

21. DH Wes McGraw
On one hand I like him, on the other I hate him. Haters first. He already jumped. He can't play the field. Good job, you wasted a 1st on a DH. But wait, he should still have 90+ Power and Eye. Oh and notice how as a Righty, his Power is actually better against RHP! Yes, his contact sucks, but it should be above the 70 threshold vs RHP and he will launch bombs from the Rays fortress to keep all the haters out.

Click the link, it's fucking smart! We don't fuck around with draft grades.

Grade:
Future Skills: 75 Con, 92 Pow, 91 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 37
Scouting File Score: 83.79

22. :bal3: DH Ed Caballero
I'm a big fan of him. Yes, I realize he can't play the field, but he could be an elite bat. In this part of the 1st, BAL may have just found them a middle of the order masher. I don't have a lot more to say. This guy could be a legit hitter and I think many wrote him off because he can't play the field. They missed out.

Grade:
Future Skills: 91 Con, 90 Pow, 85 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 17
Scouting File Score: 87.70

23. :mil2: DH Rikyu Hamanaka
Is this a run on DHs or what? Like Caballero, I think Hamanaka was overlooked due to being a DH. Though I don't think he's such a slam dunk as Caballero. Ham should have a nice bat, but goes around where expected.

Grade:
Future Skills: 88 Con, 87 Pow, 85 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 29
Scouting File Score: 84.90

24. :mia: SP Wes Edney
I think he's very much a tease. All that control makes him look very promising. But it's so far ahead of his Power and Movement that they aren't likely to develop much. His High School OBA numbers are terrible. Not one season was under .275. And he never paid for drugs. Not once.

Grade:
Future Skills: 90 Con, 73 Pow, 84 Mov
Scouting File Rank: 27
Scouting File Score: 86.11

25. :tor3: SP Fred Morris
Looks like a good build, but there are a few drawbacks. His HRs look awful and his very high health likely takes a little away from his Peak. All said though, for what's left pitching wise, he's not a bad guy to roll the dice on. His vitals should be solid and if he can kick the HR habit, he'll be good.

Grade:
Future Skills: 81 Con, 76 Pow, 86 Mov
Scouting File Rank: 21
Scouting File Score: 86.84

26. :nym2: 1B/3B Jim Wetmore
He didn't score well on my system, but this is a time where scores be damned! The kid is just 16, so there's plenty of time to grow. Despite Mogul only grading him as 66 at 3B (which is due to low Predicted games there), he's got decent vitals there and could eventually be pretty solid at the hot corner. He should have a pretty decent bat as well.

Grade:
Future Skills: 76 Con, 86 Pow, 81 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 76
Scouting File Score: 80.15

27. :sea2: 3B Harris Gaynor
Like the other 3B, Washington, he should have an epic Eye, solid power, and defense that will be respectable. Basically, these guys were clones. Not sure why he fell so low. Maybe it's cause of the name?

Grade:
Future Skills: 77 Con, 86 Pow, 99 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 15
Scouting File Score: 88.04

28. :det2: SP Samuel Salano
Not bad, but I don't think he's great either. He could be a late bloomer or a quick riser, but as of now, he's a bit old for his overall. He should have epic HR/9 ability though to go along with a dominant Fastball. He should be solid, but I question if he can be more than a #4/5.

Grade:
Future Skills: 79 Con, 78 Pow, 82 Mov
Scouting File Rank: 52
Scouting File Score: 82.09

29. :was2: RF Joseph Orth
This may be the steal of the draft! This guy should walk a ton. The rest of his makeup in the batter's box looks promising too. Some may not like his defense, but Glovework is always more important to me with OFs than overall Fielding. With Orth, it's his good arm that makes him stand out. He won't be great defensively, but he'll throw some base runners out for you and is better than the 65 Glovework OF that can't catch the baseball.

Grade: (Yes, that's not an error. I gave Peetear a Blue Chip grade!)
Future Skills: 87 Con, 85 Pow, 97 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 11
Scouting File Score: 88.95

30. :oak2: SP Steve Winston
He has solid vitals to go along with a dominating Fastball and another plus-plus pitch in his Two-Seamer. He was picked about right, but considering who went before him, I think some people missed out.

Grade:
Future Skills: 78 Con, 78 Pow, 82 Mov
Scouting File Rank: 11
Scouting File Score: 84.04

31. :sea2: DH/RF Marty Cowley
Maybe he can play RF, maybe. If he can actually play the field, it would raise his value a lot. But as of now, I see him being a DH. His splits aren't the greatest, but they also aren't the kiss of death -3 drop. He should be a well balanced hitter and a pretty solid one.

Grade:
Future Skills: 89 Con, 84 Pow, 88 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 26
Scouting File Score: 86.17

32. :chw2: DH Tod Martinson
This guys has amazing power potential, but has very concerning contact. He basically needs to hit his 89 Peak or he won't even be reliable enough to start. I just don't know that you gamble on a guy like that in this spot.

Grade:
Future Skills: 72 Con, 98 Pow, 88 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 33
Scouting File Score: 84.33

33. :chw2: CF Jacob Beisel
If he booms, he could be good, but this is a guy you take a chance on in the 3rd, not here. He's great defensively and has nice Power and Eye. But his Contact is so putrid that you can't spend an early pick on him. Mark my words, this guy will only be a super 4th OF platooning vs LHP. He'll never be starter worthy vs RHP.

Grade:
Future Skills: 66 Con, 87 Pow, 85 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 109
Scouting File Score: 76.27

34. :chw2: SP Matt Sackett
Not a terrible pick, but I still think there were some better pitchers on the board. He's got nice vitals to go with a very nice repertoire, but his HRs are a legit concern.

Grade:
Future Skills: 78 Con, 80 Pow, 80 Mov
Scouting File Rank: 46
Scouting File Score: 82.57

All-in-all congratulations JHC, you let 3 very good pitchers go to FA to net you a DH, 4th OF, and #5 SP. You could have re-signed them to short term deals and traded them after a year or so and got a much better return. Epic fail!

35. :nym2: 2B/IF Gary Bender
I wonder if this guy will ever walk and it's hard to tell how good of an average he'll hit for, but he's got some things working for him. The Contact is nice and he's a very smart base runner. Oh and that defense is epic! I wonder where he'll end up. Maybe SS? Surely gmoney sees his 1 game there in High School.

Grade:
Future Skills: 89 Con, 70 Pow, 76 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 12
Scouting File Score: 88.53

36. :nym2: C Ryokai Gato
He's the best catcher in this class and I'm surprised he fell this far. What I like the most about him is, like Kirk Waering, his defense is a recipe for Mogul to suddenly give him a great (90+) Arm. Even if that doesn't happen, he's still going to be flawless in the field while immensely helping out pitching staffs. And offensively, he should be a good average/high walks guy. Even with him being Asian, I would have loved to have had him fall to me at 40.

Grade:
Future Skills: 87 Con, 65 Pow, 92 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 16
Scouting File Score: 87.83