2088 Nokes Draft Grades

[mattynokes]

01. SP Rex Minard
Initially, I thought Dana Balota. But I'm also reminded how I was hesitant if Balota's good amateur numbers were because of his advanced skills and tepid if he could be an Ace with poor power. As it all played out, I was wrong and I could be about Minard. That's not to say I don't like Minard. I think he's very good. The control, movement, and low home runs look to be rock solid. I'm just a little tepid at being all-in on him becoming a consistent Ace.

Grade:
Future Skills: 87 Con, 71 Pow, 97 Mov
Scouting File Rank: 5
Scouting File Score: 88.99

02. 2B/SS Werner Crumley
I'm real high on him. He should walk a good amount, should be very successful at stealing bases, and has intriguing stats for a 58 power. I chalk the drop up to "shit happens", so that isn't a worry. Defensively, I think he should stick at 2B as I think he'll make too many errors at SS. I would normally stay away from middle infielders early, but he's one to break that stance.

Grade:
Future Skills: 88 Con, 66 Pow, 87 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 6
Scouting File Score: 88.86

03. SS Jose Souza
Meh. This is a build that has a lot of fail rate. Even when the build develops, I think the player is woo-ee. Admittedly, Souza does look better than a lot with this build. He'll at least have passable defense. His bat is interesting. It projects to develop decently and I don't see an extreme low K eye to think that his contact is all fluff. Still the big draw is his speed and these builds have shown to only be 30-40 SB threats rather than the hopeful elite 60+ steal guy that his speed has you to believe.

Grade:
Future Skills: 87 Con, 81 Pow, 84 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 1
Scouting File Score: 93.14

04. SP Xavier Radriguez
He has a nice opening build, but like Minard, Radriguez is a soft tosser and could fall short of being someone to truly anchor a rotation. I think a lot will hinge on how many years he has to develop. If he has 5 years to develop, then I really like his chances to be very good. If he only has 3 years to develop, then I'm pessimistic on him being more than a guy to fill out a rotation. However, the GB% paired will low ammy home runs makes him worth seeing how it goes.

Grade:
Future Skills: 85 Con, 68 Pow, 92 Mov
Scouting File Rank: 26
Scouting File Score: 85.90

05. SP Larry Sutton
On one hand I cringe at some of his home run years. On the other, I really like the distance on his control to movement. They project to develop very well. I would not be surprised if he ends up every bit as good as Minard (maybe even better). But I also wouldn't be shocked if he ends up as one of those good build SPs that's held back from stardom with higher home runs.

Grade:
Future Skills: 91 Con, 72 Pow, 94 Mov
Scouting File Rank: 2
Scouting File Score: 89.96

06. 3B/1B Greg Levinson
First off, I don't think he can stick at 2B. He'll either be a 3B or 1B (or DH). He has the Gabusi build and while Gabusi has started out strong, you may be delusional if you think a 77 contact isn't getting extremely lucky to hit .300. At ant rate, Gabusi will be a good indicator to what we can expect from Levinson. He certainly should have the vitals, so we'll see if he hits like it.

Grade:
Future Skills: 79 Con, 92 Pow, 93 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 9
Scouting File Score: 88.52

07. LF/RF Ivan Slerra
He's great defensively at either corner spot and has an interesting hitting profile. He doesn't walk a lot, but he strikes out a hefty amount (which is good for projecting how his contact will perform). If his power can stay above contact, he can be very effective. Even if not, he should be a fine bat. Plus he should develop well enough vs LHP to not be a platoon guy.

Grade:
Future Skills: 85 Con, 89 Pow, 76 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 4
Scouting File Score: 89.14

08. 3B/2B Randy Laidlaw
He projects to be a pretty balanced bat. With him being 17, he may be able to beat his projection. I don't think he projects well enough to be relied on at 2B, but he can play there in a pinch. He should be pretty good at the hot corner. Overall, I think he could be a pretty good player. A good bat, some position flexibility, and good health.

Grade:
Future Skills: 83 Con, 85 Pow, 80 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 14
Scouting File Score: 87.68

09. SP Max Mijangus
He has a nice starting build, but doesn't seem to to have a lot of upside left. He should easily become a rotation worthy arm, but I think his ceiling is pretty limited.

Grade:
Future Skills: 84 Con, 82 Pow, 84 Eye
Scouting File Rank: 21
Scouting File Score: 86.82