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+--- Thread: 2080-85 Draft Steals (/showthread.php?tid=54919)
2080-85 Draft Steals - cadmus2166 - 06-19-2019
STEALS OF THE DRAFT, 2080-85
My only criteria was that I only included players taken in rounds 4-6.
2080
SP Arne Dejesus, CHW Round 4 Pick 9: This CHW pitcher’s limited 2087 debut was a sign of things to come, posting a 2.16 ERA over 6 starts. A full length rookie season the following year had a few bumps, but a 3.45 ERA is nothing to sneeze at. Everything came together in 2089, with a 2.85 ERA and .209 OBA. He could be a dominant force in the AL for the next several years.
2B Lou Van Cortlandt, DET Round 5 Pick 2: Van Cortlandt is a well traveled player, already having been traded 3 times in his relatively young career. He has been a mainstay in the CLE lineup for the past 4 ½ seasons, following 2 ½ seasons in CHW, and a brief debut stint in SEA. Lou is not an All-Star caliber of player, but he combines a solid bat with good defense at 2B, and you can’t ask for much more than that out of a 5th round pick.
RF Chris Waldrep, CHW Round 6 Pick 23: A new member of SEA, Waldrep had his break out season in 2089 with CHC, crushing 36 HR after a couple of seasons of showing off his power while only playing part time. He’ll never hit for average, but the power is real, and he walks enough to have a respectable .OBA. It’ll be interesting to see if he can find the playing time in Seattle to repeat those numbers, but considering where he was chosen, he has to already be considered a draft steal.
2081
SP Greg Williamson, SDP Round 4 Pick 1: He has since yet to measure up to his 1 All-Star season in 2085, but Williamson has been a reliable innings eater for 6 seasons now. The longball is his downfall, but when your career .OBA is .244 you’re doing something right.
3B Sam Minan, BAL Round 5 Pick 19: This Baltimore slugger didn’t look like anything special when he was taken in the back half of the 5th round in 2081, but he sure has developed since. He has steadily improved every season, having earned 2 All-Star nods in his 4 years as a starting 3B. His combination of power and solid on-base skills have more than offset his iffy, but improving defense. He should be an offensive force in the league for at least another 5 seasons or so.
SS Alan Woodfork, STL Round 6 Pick 11: He didn’t look like much more than maybe a potential bench player when he was selected in the last round of the draft, but Woodfork developed steadily in the minors and eventually earned a shot in 2087. Over the past 2 ½ seasons he’s been a .288 hitter with some solid speed and a decent .OBP to go with it. While he’s not a defensive wizard, he’s also not as bad as the defensive metrics suggest, either. Overall, he’s a solid starter, and just getting to that point is a win for a guy chosen in the final round.
RF José Adorno, OAK Round 6 Pick 21: Who knew this guy was going to be a solid starter in the league? He’s another guy that took the slow and steady development route before essentially forcing his way into the lineup in 2086. All he’s done since then is .301/.352/.455. That’s absolute burglary for a guy who was chosen in the bottom 10 players drafted in 2081.
2082
C Brian Schalk, ATL Round 4 Pick 11: He was moved to Texas after only a half season in the ATL system, and it’s starting to pay off for the Rangers. He earned his first All-Star nod in 2089, and has become a solid presence in the TEX lineup. He’s never going to win any awards for his defensive work, but he has to be considered a pleasant surprise.
OF John Yakovchuk, CHW Round 4 Pick 15: He’s already been traded 4 times at 25 years old, but he seems to have found a home in KC. He’s earned an All-Star berth in his 2 seasons in the bigs, and he’s put up rock solid numbers both seasons. He could be a mainstay in KC for years to come.
2B Marcus Dimmick, BOS Round 4 Pick 17: A solid infielder with good defense, speed, and solid hitting ability in the last half of the 4th round? Yes, please! Dimmick’s 2 MLB seasons have been absolutely solid, and there’s no reason that can’t continue for the next few years.
CF Dustin Wing, SEA Round 4 Pick 20: The mid 4th round of the 2082 draft is looking like a treasure trove, and Wing is no exception. He’s been a steady presence in WAS for the past 3 seasons. If he could somehow put his 2087 speed together with the rest of his 2088 numbers, he’d take another step forward.
2083
LF Mike Thurmond, COL Round 4 Pick 2: A solid starter in COL for 3 seasons prior, Thurmond broke out in a big way in 2089, winning the NL (and league) batting title, while setting a career high with 20 SB as well. Now if he can just add his 2087 power numbers to that mix, he might be able to earn his first All-Star nod.
RP Drew Petsch, SDP Round 4 Pick 12: His rough 2087 rookie season in no way foreshadowed the dominant reliever Petsch would become in the past 2 seasons. The interesting thing is that his profile appears pretty nondescript except for his excellent Movement rating, but that appears to be enough.
C Bryan Webb, CHW Round 4 Pick 23: He was traded to CIN in 2087 after developing in the CHW minors for a few seasons. His debut season in 2088 was solid, but nothing to write home about. But in 2089 Webb looked like he had taken the next step. He more than double his HR output from the previous season, added 30 points to his average and 40 points to his .OBA, making him look like an above average MLB catcher through the 90’s.
C Brian Crawley, COL Round 5 Pick 2: He was injured for much of last season after being traded to WAS, but up to that point was a solid starting catcher for the previous 3 seasons. His bat is decent and he’s even a plus defender, which is a rare find for a late round catcher.
3B Tyler MacHugh, NYY Round 6 Pick 28: He’s never going to measure up defensively, but come on! We’re talking about the 3rd last player drafted in 2083. He has a nice bat with decent power and an excellent eye. He’d make a great DH somewhere which would negate his defensive shortcomings altogether.
2084
LF Bill Bookman, SFG Round 4 Pick 5: Okay, who knows at this point if his batting average last season was a fluke or part of his development, but this guy can rake no matter what! Add in his excellent eye and some sneaky speed, and there is a lot to like about this young OF.
C Ross Salak, CHC Round 4 Pick 9: This is complete projection, since he hasn’t made his major league debut yet, but this guy is a tailor made DH that Cleveland was crafty enough to pick up in a trade early in his development.
1B Isidoro Adrian, MIL Round 4 Pick 28: This young player has already been on 4 teams, but he seems to have found a home in CIN. A fairly major injury kept him out for awhile last season, but he was essentially on pace to put up similar numbers to his 2088 NL Rookie of the Year campaign. If he stays healthy I wouldn’t be surprised to see him surpass his ROY numbers on a regular basis.
RP Vern Usher, MIL Round 5 Pick 12: After a breakout campaign in the LAA bullpen, Usher was traded to PIT, where he served as the team’s regular closer last season. His wicked movement, combined with an excellent fastball should allow him to be a solid closer for years to come.
RF Takashi Kitamura, SFG Round 5 Pick 18: No one thing stands out about him, he’s just a solid all around hitter with some moderate power and decent speed to work with. He’s even an above average RF. Combine it all together and SFG has a pretty nice draft steal on their hands.
2085
OF Joey Cochrane, SEA Round 4 Pick 8: This is another pick based purely on projection, as he has yet to make his true MLB debut yet. But the combination of excellent contact, excellent defense, a good eye, and solid speed make him a guy to watch in the coming seasons. Add in a hitter friendly park in COL, and he may even hit for a bit of power as well.
SS Brian Brookshire, ARI Round 4 Pick 14: He really stepped up last year, hitting 31 HR and earning his 1st All-Star berth. He also played excellent defense at the all important SS position. If he can manage to up his SB %, he could take his game to another level still.
3B Louis Chambliss, BOS Round 4 Pick 21: Another projection pick, but he has a lot going for him as a lefty 3B with growing power who also defends well. If he can peak out in the upper 80’s he looks like his defense and power will make him plenty valuable.
LF Justin MacNamara, MIL 4th Round Pick 26: He has more of a CF type build, but there’s a lot to like about him. He has elite contact and eye, and above average speed. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a major jump in production this season with his rookie year now out of the way.
3B Tanner Carlock, COL Round 5 Pick 1: He hasn’t had his MLB debut yet, but it looks like it should be within the next year, if not sooner. Whenever he is ready, he looks the part of a prototypical power hitting 3B that should also have a decent eye. His minor league defensive stats leave a question as to if he can really play 3B, but his range and arm ratings suggest he’ll be fine there.
LF/SS Stu Ramakrishna, NYY Round 5 Pick 6: He’s a rare player who is being converted to SS from LF. He looks like he’ll be able to hold his own here, and I would be surprised if he doesn’t put up better offensive numbers, particularly HR and .OBA this season now that his rookie year is out of the way.
C Ethan Wetton, NYY Round 6 Pick 3: Look out, this guy just had a solid rookie season, and he looks like he should only get quite a bit better from here on out. At the very least, I expect a good uptick in his HR and average. He doesn’t have a great arm, but it isn’t awful either. In any case he should be interesting to watch.