Let me start this by saying whatever I say here isn’t meant as some sort of an attack this is all in good fun and while I consider myself to know my stuff, I have been wrong plenty of times. This review will just be analysis of the pick only for the most part. It won’t highlight something he could have picked later in the draft that was better. This is more of what I think on the player himself.
Detroit Tigers GM GB :DET:
4th round pick 8 Overall 98th
LF Alan Reed 19 years old 63/73
He doesn’t have a whole lot going on for him. He bats switch which is nice. He has a good eye to start with although sometimes that can mean other vitals won’t grow as much. His arm is terrible so he is likely stuck to being a DH if he becomes anything even though his range is good. Ok health. Had good high school numbers. This would be a solid pick a round later. You likely didn’t need to jump on a 73 peak guy right then. Peak isn’t everything but there was some solid talent ahead of him. All in all he could become a solid bench bat, anything more than that would be surprising.
4th round pick 23 Overall 113th
SP Brian Parks 20 years old 54/75
He has the right make up to potentially grow into something good. The movement needs to catch up to that control rating but movement does grow the most but 2 out of the vitals are above his overall. My only knock on him is that he’s an old 20 with a birthday in august. However, late in the 4th in a draft class that was dwindling in talent by this time it’s a solid pick.
5th round pick 7 Overall 127
2B Sal Anderson 18 years old 63/74
I’m surprised he was even picked let alone picked at the top of the 5th round. He shows no promise whatsoever in his ability to ever hit right handed pitching. His health rating is a bit too high for my taste. Meaning that his peak is likely more a 71 or 72, which sometimes doesn’t matter but on a guy like him he needs some serious space to grow. He has good speed and his ratings indicate he can be smart on the base paths, but he’d actually need to reach base first. He could be ok in the field as long as his fielding comes up a few points but he will be far from elite there. That combined with his complete in ability to hit, I’d be surprised if he even makes the majors as a lefty platoon.
6th round pick 3 Overall 153
RP Jeremey Dinning 21 years old 48/68
Usually I don’t trust any player that starts under a 50 overall but in a draft where it was a struggle to find any talent left at this point it can be forgiven. He is an old 21 but again can be forgiven at this point. His vitals are above or meet his overall which is promising and it’s his movement that is the worse of the 3 so if he comes around he could be ok. He has low health so he should see solid growth in his vitals if he gets lucky. Solid pick here for what was left.
Overall comment: Even when drafting this late it is in my opinion you draft guys in hopes they can become every day contributors not just bench players or emergency call ups. With that said, 2 out of 4 don’t look like they even have a chance to crack your squad, but the other 2 looked pretty good so I’ll give a C grade.
Cleveland Indians GM MattyNokes :CLE:
1st round pick 2
CF Keith Oshel 19 years old 67/90
Not sure why he’s not listed at RF but at any rate Oshel is going to be a good option for you at RF. He has the defense, he’s going to hit for contact and enough speed he will grab a few bags and shouldn’t get thrown out too much when doing so. He won’t be an elite player but he has all the makings to be very good if not great. Matty should be pleased with what he grabbed with the second overall selection.
2nd round pick 19 Overall 49th
SP Basil Wright 21 years old 64/84
I assume he’s going to make him a starter even though it has him listed as short relief. Good control and movement with both those vitals being at or above his overall. Good health but not too good as to impied his growth. Great ground ball percentage and should be able to keep the ball in the park. He has all the makings to at least crack the number 3 spot in a rotation. Another good pick here.
3rd round pick 10 Overall 70th
SP Ernie Osborne 18 years old 49/80
He had his birthday already so that is always a good start when taking a look at a player. He is under my 50 overall cut-off so picking that in the 3rd round is kind of iffy. There is a lot to like here though. He has a great ground ball rate. His vitals are at or above hos overall, with his lowest being movement which grows the most. Nice health and endurance combo. It’s hard to glean any real information off his ammy stats given his overall is so low but his home run rate was solid however he still got killed in 3 of his 4 years. He’s a solid pick. He is either going to crack the rotation or be a complete bust. He has a long way to go.
3rd round pick 26 Overall 86th
2B Jason Wright 21 years old 70/84
He has high health and already not a lot of room to grow. With that said he’s a solid fielder who should be able to hit the ball. With his eye being so low he may need to get his contact and power to the mid-eighties to even be able to crack the lineup. He put up some good ammy stats though. I predict him as being a future bench bat with a chance of becoming an everyday player if he can grow fast enough.
4th round pick 12 Overall 102nd
SP Tommy Tucker 18 years old 50/78
He’s a lefty so there’s that. Not to say lefties can’t be good but mogul does seem to screw them. However, two of his vitals are above his overall with his movement just one below. As has been said before, movement grows the most so he’s fine on that front. Horrible ammy numbers but with his rating of 50 it’s hard to take that information seriously. Good endurance and health combo. He has a nice repertoire of pitches. If his movement can catch up to his control and power this will be a solid pick.
4th round pick 16 Overall 106th
1B Damian Criville 21 years old 63/77
This was a really good pick here. I was actually hoping he was going to fall to me late in the 4th. He will have to be platooned but should be able to play the good side of the platoon if all goes well. He will never be great in the field but he should be able to mash. The only thing that might hold him back is his poor health and he being 21 which is why I think people passed on him. All in all great pick here and he is destined for great things.
4th round pick 19 Overall 109th
SP Jason Bembrick 20 years old 51/77
Another guy I wish I could have gotten. He is a lefty but he did already have his birthday so he looks better than a 77 peaker normally would. His 3 key vitals are at or above his overall and where his vitals are at right now indicate to me he could be very good someday. He should at least crack a rotation. And eat up innings. He may have a home run problem only time will tell on that but with his good groundball rate put him in the right situation and he will flourish. Good pick here.
4th round pick 26 Overall 116th
SP Leif Price 20 years old 51/75
What can I say he’s a 75. His vitals are promising but with high endurance and an 83 health he may not have too much room to grow even though his overall is low. Speaking of which he knows to grow a substantial amount in those 4 to 5 years. Although pitchers have shown they can be late bloomers. At this point in the draft he was worth the gamble just don’t expect much as even if things go right he may not grow enough to even crack a rotation.
4th round pick 27 Overall 117th
C Jeff Schmid 20 years old 68/77
This could have just been a value pick here but with just nine points of upside and a birthday coming by this time next year he could be peaked. If that happens he would be borderline emergency call up. He has ok defense to start out but unless he gets that time to grow he won’t be able to hit. His one saving grace is he did put up great ammy numbers but I think this one will be a dud.
5th round pick 11 Overall 131st
CF Ross Boozer 17 years old 63/75
Like I have stated previously, at this point in the draft it was a struggle to find stuff that would even sniff the majors at some point, so this pick intrigues me. He’s young has good enough defense to be an everyday CF assuming it grows a little bit more, he will hit for power if he comes around. In my experience power hitting CF just don’t pan out but he is intriguing to say the least and young enough where you never know what could happen. Solid pick here.
5th round pick 13 Overall 133rd
CF Adrian Ray 17 years old 62/75
Odd he would take another CF here but talent is talent so I assume he will move one of them somewhere else. The key component here though is talent. In which Adrian has none. He may as take his arm to a meat grinder because it is non-existent. His range is ok but what’s that going to do for you if you can’t hold runners or throw them out. This means to me he would have to DH and there is nothing there that shows me he cans DH. No speed. Not much power or contact to speak of against righties. He may turn out to hit lefties ok, but why waste a pick on picking a platoon player? He has a very long hard road ahead of him which he will need to walk hard on to even get a whiff of what it’s like to be in the majors.
5th round pick 15 Overall 135th
SP Adolfo Sesmas 20 years old 51/73
Matty did a good job here finding some talent late in the draft. He is a lefty but he has the room to grow and his vitals are way ahead of his overall. His home runs could be an issue but with all the plus sides to him he was a no brainer selection this late into the draft.
5th round pick 20 Overall 140th
SS Timothy Isgar 16 years old 62/73
He’s very young, solid defense but even if he does grow I don’t think he will ever be able to hit righties. He may be able to hit lefties but his defense will never be elite enough for someone to carry him as a bench bat. He may crack a platoon situation so he does hold some value. Solid choice here.
6th round pick 10 Overall 160th
SP Raphael Delpino 19 years old 51/71
We are basically scrapping the bottom of the barrel here so with that in mind this is a good pick. Yes he has high endurance. Yes he has highish health which is a bad combo to have especially on a guy with this low of peak, but and this is a big but, you can’t deny his vitals are way ahead of his overall and if he doesn’t turn out to be one of those all power pitchers he could turn out be a solid innings eater.
Overall comment: I really liked what Matty did here. Were only a couple things I didn't agree with. Matty should absolutely take this draft as a success and be happy with what he did. Grade B+.
Chicago White Sox GM JHC
1st round pick 14
SP Pat Metz 20 years old 58/86
I really did not like this pick. His vitals are above his overall except for movement which is a good thing, but his power is so far out front that it may become his dominant vital which will render him almost useless. at least in the rotation. Now if his movement comes around and he keeps the ball in the park he could become a Rin type pitcher which would be fine. High endurance and low health do mean he has the room to grow but I really fear this is going to be a costly first round bust.
1st round 28th pick
SP Dustin Archer 20 years old 52/85
I like this kid. His power is out front quite a ways but his vitals are all above his overall. He has a good endurance health combo leaving him good room to grow. The fear is defenetly there that he could be just a power pitcher but at the same time looks promising.
2nd round pick 28 Overall 58th
1B Russel Jinkerson 18 years old 58/83
The fact he has a high upside and had a birthday already is why I’m to ignore that really high health rating. He still has lots of room to grow which is good. He won’t be a gold glover but his splits aren’t too bad so he should be able to hit the ball well against lefties or righties. Very solid pick here.
3rd round pick 1 Overall 61st
SP Troy Malcom 22 years old 63/80
I hope he has more than 3 years to develop because if he’s ready by age 25 he will not cut the mustard every time like Benton Fry Ford. His vitals are way above his overall except for movement but again this common theme of power way ahead in pitchers could prove to be dangerous. If his movement comes around and he has more than 3 years to develop he could be a good innings eater at the low end or maybe you turn him into a closer if you see his power is staying dominant. Risky pick but I could see it paying off.
3rd round pick 24 Overall 84th
SP Kyle Kay 20 years old 53/77
Hate, hate, hate this pick. His endurance and health are way too high which is propping up that peak. His power is his only vital but at least control and movement are above overall but they need to really catch up otherwise this is bullpen material. His ammy numbers say he can’t keep the ball in the park but with his overall so low who really knows. I’m not huge on ammy stats anyway. I strongly think he just will not grow to where he needs to be to crack even a long man spot. Sorry but you whiffed on this one.
4th round pick 5 Overall 95th
3B Ron Headon 19 years old 64/77
He won’t be very effective defensively but his hitting vitals are above his overall so he may become a strong bat. If he does with being a switch hitter this be a very nice find. Health will always be a concern with him solid choice here.
Overall comment: There are some things I liked and some things I didn’t like. I don’t think you had a particularly strong draft but it wasn’t horrible either. In the future the drafts need to be better or this quasi rebuild could be ongoing. Grade C++.
Minnesota Twins GM Dan :MIN:
1st round pick 5
SP Pete Miller 16 years old 48/92
I was very high on him draft day. He has all the makings to be a great pitcher. All vitals above overall good control and movement. I think he should be converted to a starter but I myself have never had luck with conversions. With that being said I think he can be a great starter or great closer. Either way he’s destined to be great.
2nd round pick 8 Overall 38th
SS Tim McQuisten 21 years old 74/81
After going and making a great pick, he follows that up with an extreme head scratcher. He’s so close to his peak and his birthday is coming soon, you could argue he could peak during the death sim in the offseason. He needs the time to grow if he ever wants to hit a baseball. His saving grace is his good health and great vitals in the field so he can easily be a gold glover year in and year out. However you do no spend a high second round pick on a defense only player. People are always looking for this kind of guy but not at a high price so you’re only looking at getting a 5th rounder or cash with this player if you don’t keep him for your bench. The draft isn’t meant for picking up bench players. Even winter balling him won’t save this disaster.
3rd round pick 15 Overall 75th
SP Curtis Brady 21 years old 62/81
After that horrible second round pick he does redeem himself with a solid third round selection. Only one vitals is above his overall but the others are close enough. His endurance and health combo is nice and the ground ball rate is good. My only knocks on him were his possible home run concern and he is an old 21. I think he can overcome that and become something productive in a rotation. Solid pick here Dan.
4th round pick 15 Overall 105th
SP Stew Treadwell 21 years old 53/78
I thought this pick was alright. The 4th round defenetly wasn’t going to deliver any studs but he could just develop into something for his 4th to Longman roles. All vitals above overall. His power isn’t too far ahead but it is something to keep an eye on. He looks as though he should keep the ball in the park but his last ammy year he had a bit of trouble there. Keep a lookout for that as well. Another knock is his age but all things considered you did well here.
5th round pick 14 Overall 134th
LF Shawn Hutchison 21 years old 61/76
Not a lot to like here. He’s an old 21 with his birthday right around the corner. He won’t take too kindly to the field so he will be a DH for sure. If he doesn’t drop too much maybe he can develop enough hitting to be useful there as he does have a decent eye to start with. I’m just afraid that he won’t have enough time to grow so he will never develop the hitting needed to be a DH or even a bench bat.
6th round pick 9 Overall 159th
RF Matthew Watkins 19 years old 63/75
He has solid fielding and eye but man are those righty lefty splits ever scary. Drafting players below 60 contact or power against righties is always a recipe for disaster. Again in my opinion you don’t draft a guy in hopes he becomes a platoon player on the bad side of the platoon. Which even if things go right for him that’s what his ceiling will be. Likely a dud here but at the very least he should be of some use to somebody down the road.
Overall comment: You had some good, you had some bad. The important thing was you didn’t get cute with your first round pick and took what I thought was the second or third best pitcher in the draft. Don’t draft guys based on the fact they have the ceiling of bench players and you will be a good drafter someday. Grade B-.
Kansas City Royals GM Mike :KCR:
Let me preface this by saying that obviously I liked all my picks. Otherwise I wouldn’t have taken them. So in that regard I am biased and thus won’t give myself a grade. That honour will go to the pod mafia on the podcast and Hokey/Matty who I’m sure will do a 1st round write up if they have time. What I can give you though is insight as to why I took each player.
1st round pick 27
SP Luke Mawdesley 16 years old 52/88
I was honestly quite surprised when he was still there. I had liked two different pitchers here and tried to trade down but people seemed to be content on staying put on draft day unless it was to deal picks for cash. All his vitals are above his overall. His endurance and health combo is good. My fears on him are that his control lags behind his power and movement too much and the obvious part where he is only 16 so he’s risky. Also he may or may not have a home run issue; it’s too early to tell. All in all I peg him to be at least a number 3 starter.
2nd round pick 30 Overall 60th
SP Ricky Clyburn 20 years old 53/82
Righty pitching was lacking in this draft so where it made sense I was eager to draft it. He was killed the last two years of his ammy career. If he doesn’t straighten out this could easily be a bust. His vitals are above his overall but his power is defenetly ahead. That could be a problem and lead to his downfall as he has a low groundball rate.
4th round pick 7 Overall 97th
C Soi Bento 20 years old 68/81
Pure value pick here. Normally I wouldn’t draft a guy who has a birthday right around the corner like that. I don’t do that because I fear he will take a significant drop. Especially on this guy since it looks like he’s had a significant spike in his development so he may very well come back down to reality. With all that said there are a plethora of things to like and makes me scratch my head a bit as to why in a league that’s hard to find good catchers or even good bench catchers he fell so far. His defense is already starting quality. He could use some development to his arm but if everything else there stayed the same I’d be fine with it. He has all the makings of a guy who will hit for contact. Health is a concern especially at catcher but considering this was a 4th round pick I was ecstatic to grab a guy at a spot that is hard to fill.
4th round pick 24 114th overall
2B Jeff Messier 20 years old 66/79
He had his birthday already and his defense is solid. He has the makeup of becoming a good power hitting second baseman. He killed it in high school but I question his intelligence considering he didn’t graduate until he was 20.
5th round pick 4th Overall 124th
SP Justin Murray 18 years old 51/77
He is a lefty but there is so much to like here. His vitals match or are above his overall. His health is in that sweet spot to where that 90 endurance shouldn’t hurt him, and he’s only 18. I don’t like his home run rate but I have never been worried about ammy stats and my park makes home run pitchers look better.
5th round pick 6 Overall 126th
LF Gunyoung Cajina 21 years old 66/75
He is on the older side but he can be a nice power hitting leftfielder when all is said and done. And he hits lefty to boot. If he springs back to his previous peak ratings he could be something nice. He will have to be platooned but he can play the good side of the platoon.
5th round pick 24 Overall 144th
SP Brian Hightower 20 years old 50/74
Honestly I picked him because he’s had his birthday. We were getting into the crap here. I figured at least his vitals are above his overall except for movement. His endurance and health combo is fine, he’s righty and if his movement comes around he could be solid. Most likely used as trade fodder.
5th round pick 26 Overall 146th
1B Kenny Wortley 22 years old 66/75
Again he’s had his birthday so I’m hoping he can jump to his previous peak. Not too special in the field. If things go right I could expect him to DH but I’m leary of those splits. Age and health are also concerns.
6th round pick 2 Overall 152nd
RP Tom Smith 20 years old 48/70
I think GB wanted him so that was a nice feeling to stick it to him a bit. His vitals match or are above his overall but he only has one good vital. This late in the draft I figured if the movement can come around he could be a good pick but I’m almost certain he will turn into nothing much like any other pick in the 6th round.
6th round pick 16 Overall 166th
SS Devin Butler 22 years old 66/73
If you are going to draft something specifically for your bench this is where you do it. He will never hit a baseball especially against righties but he can play defense. And being able to play defense here at this position holds value. He can likely be flipped by the time he’s peaked to someone who needs a good defensive whiz at SS in which I should be able to at least pick up another mid-6th round pick.
6th round pick 19 Overall 169th
CF Jamie Clayton 21 years old 64/72
I was shocked he was still there. Would likely need to be a DH but he should hit for contact and has good speed and decision making, although his base stealing is a bit shaky. Also a switch hitter to boot. He is 21 and has really high health inflating his peak some but worth the risk at this point in the draft.
6th round pick 20 Overall 170th
SP Sandy Kawakami 20 years old 53/70
He’s a lefty so that kind of sucks but his vitals are above his overall. Home run rate seems to be ok. He also has a nice groundball rate. I will likely convert him to the pen as I have too many starters. Likely won’t be anything special but worth throwing a dart at.
6th round pick 22 Overall 172nd
RF Gil Flanagan 18 years old 56/71
Literally picked him because his birthday had passed. He doesn’t really have any redeeming qualities, I’m just hoping for a jump.
Overall comment: I think I had a good draft as I stated from the beginning. Although I could have been more prepared as there was a few times I saw I could have selected someone I thought was better, but what can you do. It was scout the draft even more than I did already (3 or so hours before sim 4) or chill with friends and do a quick scan on the sim 4 file to make sure no one jumped or dropped too much.
If anyone wants to request I do a review of their draft just send me a request by pm or in the xat. Vert has already done so and I will be getting his when I have slept before I go too far down this mogul rabbit hole I seem to be in right now.
Detroit Tigers GM GB :DET:
4th round pick 8 Overall 98th
LF Alan Reed 19 years old 63/73
He doesn’t have a whole lot going on for him. He bats switch which is nice. He has a good eye to start with although sometimes that can mean other vitals won’t grow as much. His arm is terrible so he is likely stuck to being a DH if he becomes anything even though his range is good. Ok health. Had good high school numbers. This would be a solid pick a round later. You likely didn’t need to jump on a 73 peak guy right then. Peak isn’t everything but there was some solid talent ahead of him. All in all he could become a solid bench bat, anything more than that would be surprising.
4th round pick 23 Overall 113th
SP Brian Parks 20 years old 54/75
He has the right make up to potentially grow into something good. The movement needs to catch up to that control rating but movement does grow the most but 2 out of the vitals are above his overall. My only knock on him is that he’s an old 20 with a birthday in august. However, late in the 4th in a draft class that was dwindling in talent by this time it’s a solid pick.
5th round pick 7 Overall 127
2B Sal Anderson 18 years old 63/74
I’m surprised he was even picked let alone picked at the top of the 5th round. He shows no promise whatsoever in his ability to ever hit right handed pitching. His health rating is a bit too high for my taste. Meaning that his peak is likely more a 71 or 72, which sometimes doesn’t matter but on a guy like him he needs some serious space to grow. He has good speed and his ratings indicate he can be smart on the base paths, but he’d actually need to reach base first. He could be ok in the field as long as his fielding comes up a few points but he will be far from elite there. That combined with his complete in ability to hit, I’d be surprised if he even makes the majors as a lefty platoon.
6th round pick 3 Overall 153
RP Jeremey Dinning 21 years old 48/68
Usually I don’t trust any player that starts under a 50 overall but in a draft where it was a struggle to find any talent left at this point it can be forgiven. He is an old 21 but again can be forgiven at this point. His vitals are above or meet his overall which is promising and it’s his movement that is the worse of the 3 so if he comes around he could be ok. He has low health so he should see solid growth in his vitals if he gets lucky. Solid pick here for what was left.
Overall comment: Even when drafting this late it is in my opinion you draft guys in hopes they can become every day contributors not just bench players or emergency call ups. With that said, 2 out of 4 don’t look like they even have a chance to crack your squad, but the other 2 looked pretty good so I’ll give a C grade.
Cleveland Indians GM MattyNokes :CLE:
1st round pick 2
CF Keith Oshel 19 years old 67/90
Not sure why he’s not listed at RF but at any rate Oshel is going to be a good option for you at RF. He has the defense, he’s going to hit for contact and enough speed he will grab a few bags and shouldn’t get thrown out too much when doing so. He won’t be an elite player but he has all the makings to be very good if not great. Matty should be pleased with what he grabbed with the second overall selection.
2nd round pick 19 Overall 49th
SP Basil Wright 21 years old 64/84
I assume he’s going to make him a starter even though it has him listed as short relief. Good control and movement with both those vitals being at or above his overall. Good health but not too good as to impied his growth. Great ground ball percentage and should be able to keep the ball in the park. He has all the makings to at least crack the number 3 spot in a rotation. Another good pick here.
3rd round pick 10 Overall 70th
SP Ernie Osborne 18 years old 49/80
He had his birthday already so that is always a good start when taking a look at a player. He is under my 50 overall cut-off so picking that in the 3rd round is kind of iffy. There is a lot to like here though. He has a great ground ball rate. His vitals are at or above hos overall, with his lowest being movement which grows the most. Nice health and endurance combo. It’s hard to glean any real information off his ammy stats given his overall is so low but his home run rate was solid however he still got killed in 3 of his 4 years. He’s a solid pick. He is either going to crack the rotation or be a complete bust. He has a long way to go.
3rd round pick 26 Overall 86th
2B Jason Wright 21 years old 70/84
He has high health and already not a lot of room to grow. With that said he’s a solid fielder who should be able to hit the ball. With his eye being so low he may need to get his contact and power to the mid-eighties to even be able to crack the lineup. He put up some good ammy stats though. I predict him as being a future bench bat with a chance of becoming an everyday player if he can grow fast enough.
4th round pick 12 Overall 102nd
SP Tommy Tucker 18 years old 50/78
He’s a lefty so there’s that. Not to say lefties can’t be good but mogul does seem to screw them. However, two of his vitals are above his overall with his movement just one below. As has been said before, movement grows the most so he’s fine on that front. Horrible ammy numbers but with his rating of 50 it’s hard to take that information seriously. Good endurance and health combo. He has a nice repertoire of pitches. If his movement can catch up to his control and power this will be a solid pick.
4th round pick 16 Overall 106th
1B Damian Criville 21 years old 63/77
This was a really good pick here. I was actually hoping he was going to fall to me late in the 4th. He will have to be platooned but should be able to play the good side of the platoon if all goes well. He will never be great in the field but he should be able to mash. The only thing that might hold him back is his poor health and he being 21 which is why I think people passed on him. All in all great pick here and he is destined for great things.
4th round pick 19 Overall 109th
SP Jason Bembrick 20 years old 51/77
Another guy I wish I could have gotten. He is a lefty but he did already have his birthday so he looks better than a 77 peaker normally would. His 3 key vitals are at or above his overall and where his vitals are at right now indicate to me he could be very good someday. He should at least crack a rotation. And eat up innings. He may have a home run problem only time will tell on that but with his good groundball rate put him in the right situation and he will flourish. Good pick here.
4th round pick 26 Overall 116th
SP Leif Price 20 years old 51/75
What can I say he’s a 75. His vitals are promising but with high endurance and an 83 health he may not have too much room to grow even though his overall is low. Speaking of which he knows to grow a substantial amount in those 4 to 5 years. Although pitchers have shown they can be late bloomers. At this point in the draft he was worth the gamble just don’t expect much as even if things go right he may not grow enough to even crack a rotation.
4th round pick 27 Overall 117th
C Jeff Schmid 20 years old 68/77
This could have just been a value pick here but with just nine points of upside and a birthday coming by this time next year he could be peaked. If that happens he would be borderline emergency call up. He has ok defense to start out but unless he gets that time to grow he won’t be able to hit. His one saving grace is he did put up great ammy numbers but I think this one will be a dud.
5th round pick 11 Overall 131st
CF Ross Boozer 17 years old 63/75
Like I have stated previously, at this point in the draft it was a struggle to find stuff that would even sniff the majors at some point, so this pick intrigues me. He’s young has good enough defense to be an everyday CF assuming it grows a little bit more, he will hit for power if he comes around. In my experience power hitting CF just don’t pan out but he is intriguing to say the least and young enough where you never know what could happen. Solid pick here.
5th round pick 13 Overall 133rd
CF Adrian Ray 17 years old 62/75
Odd he would take another CF here but talent is talent so I assume he will move one of them somewhere else. The key component here though is talent. In which Adrian has none. He may as take his arm to a meat grinder because it is non-existent. His range is ok but what’s that going to do for you if you can’t hold runners or throw them out. This means to me he would have to DH and there is nothing there that shows me he cans DH. No speed. Not much power or contact to speak of against righties. He may turn out to hit lefties ok, but why waste a pick on picking a platoon player? He has a very long hard road ahead of him which he will need to walk hard on to even get a whiff of what it’s like to be in the majors.
5th round pick 15 Overall 135th
SP Adolfo Sesmas 20 years old 51/73
Matty did a good job here finding some talent late in the draft. He is a lefty but he has the room to grow and his vitals are way ahead of his overall. His home runs could be an issue but with all the plus sides to him he was a no brainer selection this late into the draft.
5th round pick 20 Overall 140th
SS Timothy Isgar 16 years old 62/73
He’s very young, solid defense but even if he does grow I don’t think he will ever be able to hit righties. He may be able to hit lefties but his defense will never be elite enough for someone to carry him as a bench bat. He may crack a platoon situation so he does hold some value. Solid choice here.
6th round pick 10 Overall 160th
SP Raphael Delpino 19 years old 51/71
We are basically scrapping the bottom of the barrel here so with that in mind this is a good pick. Yes he has high endurance. Yes he has highish health which is a bad combo to have especially on a guy with this low of peak, but and this is a big but, you can’t deny his vitals are way ahead of his overall and if he doesn’t turn out to be one of those all power pitchers he could turn out be a solid innings eater.
Overall comment: I really liked what Matty did here. Were only a couple things I didn't agree with. Matty should absolutely take this draft as a success and be happy with what he did. Grade B+.
Chicago White Sox GM JHC
1st round pick 14
SP Pat Metz 20 years old 58/86
I really did not like this pick. His vitals are above his overall except for movement which is a good thing, but his power is so far out front that it may become his dominant vital which will render him almost useless. at least in the rotation. Now if his movement comes around and he keeps the ball in the park he could become a Rin type pitcher which would be fine. High endurance and low health do mean he has the room to grow but I really fear this is going to be a costly first round bust.
1st round 28th pick
SP Dustin Archer 20 years old 52/85
I like this kid. His power is out front quite a ways but his vitals are all above his overall. He has a good endurance health combo leaving him good room to grow. The fear is defenetly there that he could be just a power pitcher but at the same time looks promising.
2nd round pick 28 Overall 58th
1B Russel Jinkerson 18 years old 58/83
The fact he has a high upside and had a birthday already is why I’m to ignore that really high health rating. He still has lots of room to grow which is good. He won’t be a gold glover but his splits aren’t too bad so he should be able to hit the ball well against lefties or righties. Very solid pick here.
3rd round pick 1 Overall 61st
SP Troy Malcom 22 years old 63/80
I hope he has more than 3 years to develop because if he’s ready by age 25 he will not cut the mustard every time like Benton Fry Ford. His vitals are way above his overall except for movement but again this common theme of power way ahead in pitchers could prove to be dangerous. If his movement comes around and he has more than 3 years to develop he could be a good innings eater at the low end or maybe you turn him into a closer if you see his power is staying dominant. Risky pick but I could see it paying off.
3rd round pick 24 Overall 84th
SP Kyle Kay 20 years old 53/77
Hate, hate, hate this pick. His endurance and health are way too high which is propping up that peak. His power is his only vital but at least control and movement are above overall but they need to really catch up otherwise this is bullpen material. His ammy numbers say he can’t keep the ball in the park but with his overall so low who really knows. I’m not huge on ammy stats anyway. I strongly think he just will not grow to where he needs to be to crack even a long man spot. Sorry but you whiffed on this one.
4th round pick 5 Overall 95th
3B Ron Headon 19 years old 64/77
He won’t be very effective defensively but his hitting vitals are above his overall so he may become a strong bat. If he does with being a switch hitter this be a very nice find. Health will always be a concern with him solid choice here.
Overall comment: There are some things I liked and some things I didn’t like. I don’t think you had a particularly strong draft but it wasn’t horrible either. In the future the drafts need to be better or this quasi rebuild could be ongoing. Grade C++.
Minnesota Twins GM Dan :MIN:
1st round pick 5
SP Pete Miller 16 years old 48/92
I was very high on him draft day. He has all the makings to be a great pitcher. All vitals above overall good control and movement. I think he should be converted to a starter but I myself have never had luck with conversions. With that being said I think he can be a great starter or great closer. Either way he’s destined to be great.
2nd round pick 8 Overall 38th
SS Tim McQuisten 21 years old 74/81
After going and making a great pick, he follows that up with an extreme head scratcher. He’s so close to his peak and his birthday is coming soon, you could argue he could peak during the death sim in the offseason. He needs the time to grow if he ever wants to hit a baseball. His saving grace is his good health and great vitals in the field so he can easily be a gold glover year in and year out. However you do no spend a high second round pick on a defense only player. People are always looking for this kind of guy but not at a high price so you’re only looking at getting a 5th rounder or cash with this player if you don’t keep him for your bench. The draft isn’t meant for picking up bench players. Even winter balling him won’t save this disaster.
3rd round pick 15 Overall 75th
SP Curtis Brady 21 years old 62/81
After that horrible second round pick he does redeem himself with a solid third round selection. Only one vitals is above his overall but the others are close enough. His endurance and health combo is nice and the ground ball rate is good. My only knocks on him were his possible home run concern and he is an old 21. I think he can overcome that and become something productive in a rotation. Solid pick here Dan.
4th round pick 15 Overall 105th
SP Stew Treadwell 21 years old 53/78
I thought this pick was alright. The 4th round defenetly wasn’t going to deliver any studs but he could just develop into something for his 4th to Longman roles. All vitals above overall. His power isn’t too far ahead but it is something to keep an eye on. He looks as though he should keep the ball in the park but his last ammy year he had a bit of trouble there. Keep a lookout for that as well. Another knock is his age but all things considered you did well here.
5th round pick 14 Overall 134th
LF Shawn Hutchison 21 years old 61/76
Not a lot to like here. He’s an old 21 with his birthday right around the corner. He won’t take too kindly to the field so he will be a DH for sure. If he doesn’t drop too much maybe he can develop enough hitting to be useful there as he does have a decent eye to start with. I’m just afraid that he won’t have enough time to grow so he will never develop the hitting needed to be a DH or even a bench bat.
6th round pick 9 Overall 159th
RF Matthew Watkins 19 years old 63/75
He has solid fielding and eye but man are those righty lefty splits ever scary. Drafting players below 60 contact or power against righties is always a recipe for disaster. Again in my opinion you don’t draft a guy in hopes he becomes a platoon player on the bad side of the platoon. Which even if things go right for him that’s what his ceiling will be. Likely a dud here but at the very least he should be of some use to somebody down the road.
Overall comment: You had some good, you had some bad. The important thing was you didn’t get cute with your first round pick and took what I thought was the second or third best pitcher in the draft. Don’t draft guys based on the fact they have the ceiling of bench players and you will be a good drafter someday. Grade B-.
Kansas City Royals GM Mike :KCR:
Let me preface this by saying that obviously I liked all my picks. Otherwise I wouldn’t have taken them. So in that regard I am biased and thus won’t give myself a grade. That honour will go to the pod mafia on the podcast and Hokey/Matty who I’m sure will do a 1st round write up if they have time. What I can give you though is insight as to why I took each player.
1st round pick 27
SP Luke Mawdesley 16 years old 52/88
I was honestly quite surprised when he was still there. I had liked two different pitchers here and tried to trade down but people seemed to be content on staying put on draft day unless it was to deal picks for cash. All his vitals are above his overall. His endurance and health combo is good. My fears on him are that his control lags behind his power and movement too much and the obvious part where he is only 16 so he’s risky. Also he may or may not have a home run issue; it’s too early to tell. All in all I peg him to be at least a number 3 starter.
2nd round pick 30 Overall 60th
SP Ricky Clyburn 20 years old 53/82
Righty pitching was lacking in this draft so where it made sense I was eager to draft it. He was killed the last two years of his ammy career. If he doesn’t straighten out this could easily be a bust. His vitals are above his overall but his power is defenetly ahead. That could be a problem and lead to his downfall as he has a low groundball rate.
4th round pick 7 Overall 97th
C Soi Bento 20 years old 68/81
Pure value pick here. Normally I wouldn’t draft a guy who has a birthday right around the corner like that. I don’t do that because I fear he will take a significant drop. Especially on this guy since it looks like he’s had a significant spike in his development so he may very well come back down to reality. With all that said there are a plethora of things to like and makes me scratch my head a bit as to why in a league that’s hard to find good catchers or even good bench catchers he fell so far. His defense is already starting quality. He could use some development to his arm but if everything else there stayed the same I’d be fine with it. He has all the makings of a guy who will hit for contact. Health is a concern especially at catcher but considering this was a 4th round pick I was ecstatic to grab a guy at a spot that is hard to fill.
4th round pick 24 114th overall
2B Jeff Messier 20 years old 66/79
He had his birthday already and his defense is solid. He has the makeup of becoming a good power hitting second baseman. He killed it in high school but I question his intelligence considering he didn’t graduate until he was 20.
5th round pick 4th Overall 124th
SP Justin Murray 18 years old 51/77
He is a lefty but there is so much to like here. His vitals match or are above his overall. His health is in that sweet spot to where that 90 endurance shouldn’t hurt him, and he’s only 18. I don’t like his home run rate but I have never been worried about ammy stats and my park makes home run pitchers look better.
5th round pick 6 Overall 126th
LF Gunyoung Cajina 21 years old 66/75
He is on the older side but he can be a nice power hitting leftfielder when all is said and done. And he hits lefty to boot. If he springs back to his previous peak ratings he could be something nice. He will have to be platooned but he can play the good side of the platoon.
5th round pick 24 Overall 144th
SP Brian Hightower 20 years old 50/74
Honestly I picked him because he’s had his birthday. We were getting into the crap here. I figured at least his vitals are above his overall except for movement. His endurance and health combo is fine, he’s righty and if his movement comes around he could be solid. Most likely used as trade fodder.
5th round pick 26 Overall 146th
1B Kenny Wortley 22 years old 66/75
Again he’s had his birthday so I’m hoping he can jump to his previous peak. Not too special in the field. If things go right I could expect him to DH but I’m leary of those splits. Age and health are also concerns.
6th round pick 2 Overall 152nd
RP Tom Smith 20 years old 48/70
I think GB wanted him so that was a nice feeling to stick it to him a bit. His vitals match or are above his overall but he only has one good vital. This late in the draft I figured if the movement can come around he could be a good pick but I’m almost certain he will turn into nothing much like any other pick in the 6th round.
6th round pick 16 Overall 166th
SS Devin Butler 22 years old 66/73
If you are going to draft something specifically for your bench this is where you do it. He will never hit a baseball especially against righties but he can play defense. And being able to play defense here at this position holds value. He can likely be flipped by the time he’s peaked to someone who needs a good defensive whiz at SS in which I should be able to at least pick up another mid-6th round pick.
6th round pick 19 Overall 169th
CF Jamie Clayton 21 years old 64/72
I was shocked he was still there. Would likely need to be a DH but he should hit for contact and has good speed and decision making, although his base stealing is a bit shaky. Also a switch hitter to boot. He is 21 and has really high health inflating his peak some but worth the risk at this point in the draft.
6th round pick 20 Overall 170th
SP Sandy Kawakami 20 years old 53/70
He’s a lefty so that kind of sucks but his vitals are above his overall. Home run rate seems to be ok. He also has a nice groundball rate. I will likely convert him to the pen as I have too many starters. Likely won’t be anything special but worth throwing a dart at.
6th round pick 22 Overall 172nd
RF Gil Flanagan 18 years old 56/71
Literally picked him because his birthday had passed. He doesn’t really have any redeeming qualities, I’m just hoping for a jump.
Overall comment: I think I had a good draft as I stated from the beginning. Although I could have been more prepared as there was a few times I saw I could have selected someone I thought was better, but what can you do. It was scout the draft even more than I did already (3 or so hours before sim 4) or chill with friends and do a quick scan on the sim 4 file to make sure no one jumped or dropped too much.
If anyone wants to request I do a review of their draft just send me a request by pm or in the xat. Vert has already done so and I will be getting his when I have slept before I go too far down this mogul rabbit hole I seem to be in right now.