Upperdeck Season 26 Rule 5 Draft Recap

 

Here is the breakdown of season 26 Rule 5 Draft, including rankings based on players performance after the 1^st season of the draft.

Rankings After 1^st Season of Draft

10. JD Paul   9. Damaso Benitez  8. Phillip Knotts   7. Yadier Eusebio   6. Juancito Fernandez   5. Kelly Mariot   4. Miguel Nesbitt   3. Khris Hudson    2.  Joe O’Shea    1. Max Gonzalez

Rankings after 20 Seasons

10. Damaso Benitez-C  The 23^rd player taken is one of many that was selected by the now Sacramento franchise. Had his best season right after the draft smacking 16 long balls in 252 AB’s. Was an okay defender for his career catching 25% of runners and having a 4.58 CERA. Was ranked 9^th after his first season in the bigs.

9. Jesse Campbell-3^rd Another Sacramento pick, this time the 19^th player selected. Campbell was unranked after the first year and honestly while he didn’t get a lot better after that season. He was a solid defender at 3^rd (23+ plays) and hit about as well as you would expect from a 25^th man on the roster

8. Joe O’Shea-SU Way up at #6 was O’Shea, and after a solid rookie season he was ranked 2^nd among Rule 5 draft picks. He had a 1.20 WHIP and 3.72 ERA in his first season and followed that up with a solid sophomore season and a 3.80 ERA over 45 IP.  He only played one more season in the majors.

7. Juancito Fernandez-SU Drafted 11^th Juancito was 6^th after 1 season and stayed pretty much there 20 years later. He won 18 games in his three seasons all out of the pen. While his ERA was 4.60 for his career he did pitch about 70 innings a year which is pretty solid for a Rule 5 player

6. Kelly Mariot –C  Taken 4^th, Kelly moved up after his first season mostly due to his strong defensive work behind the plate.  He threw out 38% of runners for his career and also added a bit of pop with the bat. 3X he hit over 10 homers finishing with 60 in his career to go with 85 doubles

5. Khris Hudson-RF  Number 3 after 1 season, Khris was taken 30^th overall. Was a powerful free swinger who hit 31 homers in his rookie year and twice more would top 30 and 2 more times 20. He would also strike out…a lot, Including 185 in his rookie year. A bad Right fielder but a solid 1^st baseman

4. Kenny Howard-SS  He was unranked after his 1^st season that was only 105 AB’s. Blew up after that hitting 20 Homers in ’27  and 6 other times would hit double digits.  His main value was from his glove though where he made 54+ plays at SS for his career and 27 more at his other defensive positions.

3. Miguel Nesbitt-LR From the pen to the rotation, Nesbitt was a solid innings eater who had some pretty good seasons. Went 8-8 in 24 starts with a 3.80 ERA in ’31. Finished his career with 1300 innings and almost 900K’s

2. Wilton Brown-2^nd/LF  Taken 3^rd, another Sacramento player, Brown, just missed out on the top 10 from the draft year but did manage to climb his way almost all the way to the top by the end. He hit 303 Homers and finished with an OPS just under 800.  Had a borderline MVP season in ’33 when he hit 41 homers and drove in 123 runs.

1. Max Gonzalez-CF, drafted 1^st, the best player after 1 season and by far the best after 20 years. Good for about 50 steals a season that helped lead to about 100 Runs scored a season. Not a great batting average kind of guy, could hit double digits in homers. Aside from the top flight speed was also a dynamic fielder making 111+ plays in CF for his career.

Upperdeck Season 45 Rule Five Draft Recap

 

10.  Russell Branson-CF-Houston  The 9^th player taken in the Rule 5 was the lanky switch hitting CF’er. He only made 3 starts but was a solid fielder and a decent bat off the bench when called upon. He may very well wind up in AAA next season but his ability to steal might also be called on again.

9. Charlie Wooten-SP-Houston   Another Houston pick (24^th Overall-3^rd by Andyr104) Wooten was not very good, but did provide 131 innings. Finishing with a 6-9 record and a 6.51 ERA.  Best starts was in the final month when he went 7 innings giving up 2 runs on 5 hits while striking out 5.

8. TitoHaniger-RP-Milwaukee  Taken 12^th in the draft Haniger was a useable bullpen arm. He only pitched 28 innings but kept his ERA to a 4.88 and WHIP of just 1.16.  Most of his appearances lasted less then one inning and I cant imagine that will change going forward due to a low durability and stamina

7. Jacob Satou-SS-Sacramento   #6 was a guy who should have been a better fielder then his #’s show. 31 errors and 8 negative plays. He projects to be a very good defensive player and with what looks like a solid bat might end up being a good overall player. Hit 9 homers and stole 8 bases and should be good for 15/15 type seasons going forward.

6. Eugenio Pimentel-RF-Philadelphia  At #4 clark grabbed a solid Corner Outfield type. While he only hit 6 homers and stole 5 bases, it was in limited playing time (237 AB’s). Could very well be a 20 homer guy in the future and with his solid arm he will become a good option in RF or LF.

5. Al Terrero-SS-Philadelphia  Back to back Philly picks here, this one was #15. Al is a dynamic fielder who probably needs a bit more polishing (8+ plays, but 25 errors in just over half a season). Only hit .199 for the season with 7 homers. Probably best suited for a platoon role.

4. Elian Despaigne-RP-Pawtucket Taken right after Terrero at #16 Despaigne had an effective season out of the bullpen for Pawtucket. 56 games and 56 innings while sporting a 4.98 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. I can see his career lasting awhile as long as he doesn’t start asking for too much money.

3. Rudy Bigley-RF-Colorado Springs- svick smartly selected at #2 a very fun offensive player. Bigley only hit 7 homers but stole 14 bases in just 307 AB’s while playing a flawless RF making 2 plus plays and collecting 3 assists.  Playing in Colorado for a few seasons it will interesting to see if he can continue to grow his game.

2. Mookie Glover-SS-Det  Mookie was the 1^st player selected and had the best offensive season of all the Short Stops drafted.  In just 257 AB’s he hit 9 homers with a solid 265AVG and a 743 OPS.  Not a great fielder he did only make 11 errors at SS in about half a season.

1. Benji Roque-CLO-Pawtucket  The 5^th player taken is the only one up for Rookie of the Year. He saved 23 games while making 70 appearances and having a solid 3.65 ERA. While used mostly as a closer he might be better suited as a multiple inning type relief pitcher.

Upper Deck Power Rankings #5

 

Commentary

Milwaukee Hawks: The Hawks have hit a dry spell, falling 10 spots on the power ranking list to 16. During their 1-9 drought, The hawks faced above average competition against Houston (0-4) and Trenton (1-3), dropped 2-3 against division rival Montreal Smoked Heaters. Over this span, The hawks are giving up 5.8 runs per game while only scored 2.9 runs per game. Their schedule doesn't get any easier as they face off for a four game set against Houston, 3 game set against London, and a game set against Anaheim.

Houston Colt 45's: Ever since we started the power rankings, Houston has always been a bottom dweller on the board. over the years, Andy's patients has produced results. Houston currently sits at 8 while riding a 8 game win streak, and a recent rout against London London Tottenham HotSpurs vs. Houston Colt 45's - Box Score - Sep 23 PM2 | Hardball Dynasty (whatifsports.com)

Player Profile: Julio Diaz - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports has solidified the middle of the order. Putting up .311/.421/.726 for a league leading OPS of 1.147.

Player Profile: Alex Gongora - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports Has proven to be a true number one, Completely dominating batters with stats of .164/.225/.247 for a league leading ERA of 1.69 

Salem Witch Hunts: Holding the top spot on the board, Salem continues to dominate their division with a league best 15-6. A week division and a very favorable remaining schedule (11/15 remaining series against below .500 teams) Salem has a very good chance of holding the top spot on the power rankings board, as well as that coveted number one seed. 

NL East: 

London has slipped on the board, as well as the division. The past 5 series against Trenton, Scranton, Anaheim, New Orleans, and Houston, London has come out with a record of 7-9. with recent additions of Player Profile: Benny Owen - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports and Player Profile: Noah Palmer - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports , Xtra looks to improve one of the worse pitching rosters in the league, and help the league leading lineup. 

Trenton unlike previous seasons, Trenton has continued to stay competitive for the NL east division. with the recent acquisition of Player Profile: Eric Lindor - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports and offseason trades for Player Profile: Bernie Candelario - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports Player Profile: Oswaldo Cruz - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports Jake has improved his lineup and pitching staff for what could be his first division title since Season 32. 

Scranton has surged up the board with recent wins over Sacramento, Montreal and Las Vegas. Climbing within 1 game of London, after being down 7 games. In his contract year, Player Profile: Mariano Neris - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports has put up MVP type numbers of 38 HR,128 RBI for a slash line of .299/.359/.608

As the Hunt for Red October heats up, the NL East may be sending 3 representatives. 

Season 25 Amateur Draft Recap

 

Upperdeck Season 25 Amateur Draft Recap/Rankings

1.       Salem   A                             12. Vancouver B-                             23. Richmond  C

2.       Pawtucket   A                    13.Helena  B-                                     24.Las Vegas  C

3.       Indianoplis  A                    14. Louisville  B-                               25. Philadelphia  C-

4.       Houston  B+                       15. Pittsburgh  B-                             26.  Chicago  C-

5.       Boise   B+                            16.  Iowa   B-                                      27.  London   C-

6.       Atlanta  B+                         17. Mexico City  B-                          28.  Montreal D+

7.       Detroit  B                             18. Trenton  B-                                  29. Scranton  D+

8.       Jackson  B                           19. Milwaukee  C+                          30.  Baltimore  D+

9.       Sacramento  B                   20.  New Orleans  C+                      31.  Minnesota  D+

10.    Anaheim  B                        21. Colorado  C+                               32. Cincinnati  D

11.   Buffalo B-                            22.  Tampa Bay  C

Top Five Best Players Taken: 1. Eddie Anderson (IND)     2. Douglas Wise (ATL)     3. Henry Pavano (PAW)     4. Gary Smith (SAL)   5.  Lorenzo Cedeno (SAC)

Top Five Best Value Picks: 1.  William Harbin 20-660 (BOI)  2. Charles Erdos 22-708 (PAW) 3. Ronn Taylor10-319 (IND) 4. Dane Pimentel 7-223 (IND)  5.Eudy Mann 12-408 (RIC) 

Top Five Biggest Busts: 1. Bill Brandt 1-4 (PHI-AL)     2. Daryl Glover 1-18 (TAM)    3. Herman Barber 1-2 (MON)   4. Julian Sucre 1-37 (PIT)  5. Stephen Medders 1-33 (PHI)       

AL NORTH

Philadelphia/Rochester-jwperry 1^st Rnd Picks (4-28-30-33-41-42) (29 Years ML Service)

With 3 picks in the top 30 and 3 more picks in the next 12, JW looked poised to have a huge draft year. The first three did play 29 years in the majors with Osvaldo Aguilar being the best of the three. Osvaldo is still currently pitching in the majors and has passed over 1000 innings, all out of the bullpen.  Jwperrys first selection (4^th) was how ever a big miss.  Bill Brandt went 79-122 in his career twice losing over 20 games in a season. Ted Gentry didn’t fair much better going 52-94 in his career with an ERA of 5.55.  Picks 33, 41,42 only saw one player sign and he never reached the majors

Draft Grade: C-,  Aguilar was a solid pick at 28, but with almost no value from the other 5 first rounders and no hidden value outside of the first round, this draft has to be considered a huge failure.

 

Cincinnati/Sioux Falls-Kylo_Ren 1^st Rnd Picks (39)  (2 Years ML Service)

Kylo selected an OF named Wandy Liz with the 39^th pick in the draft. He never reached the majors but with the 475^th selection Yorman Guerrero was taken and did manage some time in the majors. In his 550 at bats he hit 31 homers while batting 222, he also struck out 134 times.

Draft Grade: D, kylo choose the dark side this draft and came up very empty as this marks three very drafts in a row for the Cincinnati franchise

 

Minnesota/New Britian-dflom2008 1^st Rnd Picks (12) (6 Years ML Service)

Picking 12^th overall dflom grabbed a catcher by the name of Wayne Fields. He played for parts of 6 seasons usually hitting in the high teens for homers and twice he finished over 20. He did however never have an OBP over .300 as he only walked 53 times in his 610 career games

Draft Grade: D+, Only one player made the majors from this draft and he wasn’t all that great of a player, while this is a slight upgrade for Minnesotas draft its still lacking

Pawtucket-Burk  1^st Rnd Picks (8-43) (29 Years ML Service Time)

With the 8^th selection overall burk was able to take a very smooth fielding 1^st baseman, Henry Pavano. He won a Gold Glove and had three seasons in a row where he hit 30+homers as well as 100+ RBI. With the 43^rd and 68^th picks Bryan Murphy and Heath Paulsen were selected and while they did play their careers did not amount to much.  Lenny Baker was drafted 452^nd overall and was a pretty solid CF’er, his career best season was in ’34 when he smacked 29 HR-78 RBI and batted .261.  Then with the 708^th pick burk grabbed Charles Erdos a Catcher who actually made the All-Star team once while hitting 124 homers. He was also the starting Catcher for 2 World Series winning teams.

Draft Grade: A, burk really stepped it up this year. A first rate pick at #8 as well as two very strong sleeper picks.

AL EAST

Pittsburgh-cshake93  1^st Rnd Picks (29-37) (12 Years ML Service)

Picking 29^th overall cshake selected a pretty solid bat in Deven Veras. He spent most of his career in RF and LF. He had a nice 4 year run in which he averaged 25 homers and 75 RBI, his career finished with a respectable 178 homers and a 258AVG.  Julian Sucre was drafted 37^th but never reached the majors. They did get 322 games out of the 65^th pick Melky Igeslias who was a good defensive LF and could steal a base when needed.

Draft Grade: B-, not a bad draft  for cshake considering he was drafting so late in the 1^st round.

 

Baltimore-Krisr  1^st Rnd Picks (20-49-56-59) (6 Years ML Service)

4 picks in the first round with only 1 ever making the majors, that being the 20^th overall selection Neal Cedeno. He didn’t have a huge amount of success until towards the end of his major league career when he went 22-25 over two seasons and about 384 Innings with an ERA just over 4.00.

Draft Grade: D+, You can’t expect to get great players every year late in the draft. But to only 6 years of major league playing time out of 4 players taken before #60 is disappointing. This is three straight poor drafts for this franchise.

Iowa City-rschaitkin  1^st Rnd Draft Picks (27-52-57) (23 Years ML Service Time)

Only one of Iowa’s three first rounders made the majors and that was William Stewart. He won a Gold Glove and had a very solid season in ’34 going 13-10 with a 3.93 ERA in just about 200 Innings. He went 66-86 for his career. Many picks later, 375^th to be exact, Iowa selected Clinton “Hawkeye” Blanton. A sometimes SP sometimes RP that appeared in 290 games winning 43 while losing 67.  With the 695^th pick rsch selected Henderson Curtis he played in Baltimore for parts of 4 years hitting 20 homers in 306 AB’s but struggled fielding RF, his primary position.

Draft Grade:  B-, none of these picks really blow me away but sometimes a draft is all about getting useable pieces.

 

Indianapolis-egide10  1^st Rnd Draft Picks (3)  (43 Years ML Service Time)

Drafted 3^rd overall, the future Hall of Famer Eddie Anderson has won almost every award there is. Primarily a Short stop he finished his career with 523 homers, 354 steals and a combined 3200+ runs and RBI.  Drafting early in the 2^nd round Leyson Osuna was selected but the defensive minded catchers career never panned out and he finished his career with 1567 AB.  Another catcher Dane Pimentel was selected in the 7^th round. He won two gold gloves while racking up almost 1500 career hits including 104 homers. Indy got one more major leaguer with their 10^th round selection. Ronn Taylor was serviceable defender at 3^rd base, he excelled when batting though…136 career homers including a career high of 31 and two seasons later hit .300.

Draft Grade: A, a hall of famer, and then two of the best steal picks you could ask for. A huge draft for egide10

 

AL SOUTH

Mexico City-acerothstein  1^st Rnd Picks (19-48-55-58-60) (25 Years ML Service Time)

Ollie Triunfelwas drafted 19^th by acer and was about what you would expect from a player at that spot. 116 Career wins, and about 2000 innings. Career best season was in ’34 when he went 18-6, over 240 innings with a sharp 3.16 ERA.  With the next 4 first rounds acer got 13 more ML seasons, 1 bad one from Don Kershaw, 88 AB’s and 6 homers from Catcher Neil Montague, then finally 8 from 60^th pick Russell Featherston.  Russ was a terrible batter, hitting .206 for his career with 2 homers in just over 3000 AB’s. He did win a Gold Glove at 3^rd, and made 73+ plays between SS/3^rd/CF/2^nd

Draft Grade: B  I think acer got exactly what he wanted in this draft, a SP with more Good seasons then bad and some pieces that played…if even not all that great at times

 

Tampa Bay-jmaese  1^st Rnd Picks (18)  (16 Years ML Service Time)

Daryl Glover, who was drafted 18^th by jmaese looked pretty good in his rookie season. 10 homers, a 272 AVG and 759 OPS while playing CF and 2^nd.  Only hit 13 more homers in his next 900 AB’s or so.  Almost making up for that was Lawrence Stokes, he was drafted 302^nd but managed to hit 102 homers, all while being a solid Major League Catcher

Draft Grade: C, a big swing and a miss in the first round is almost redeemed with a solid pick in the 9^th. The usually solid drafting franchise took a small step back this season .

 

Atlanta/Oklahoma-rkdixon  1^st Rnd Picks (9) (20 Years ML Service Time)

Still firing away in the majors, this 5 time All-Star was drafted 9^th overall. Douglas Wise has a shot at the Hall Of Fame when its all said and done.  Currently has 267 wins, 2866K’s, and incredible 120 complete games. Maybe the best pitcher taken in this draft?  Dixon got one more major league player, Von McGehee, in the 10^th round. He had one solid season when he hit 11 homers and stole 25 bases while playing a very good 2^nd. His other two seasons were very forgettable.

Draft Grade: B+, anytime you can get a potential Hall Of Famer, especially with the 9^th overall pick you did well. But without really any more value this draft comes up short of being great

 

 

Louisville/New Orleans-geedub  1^st Rnd Picks (11) (13 Years ML Service Time)

For a time Clyde Hoover the 11^th player selected may have been the most dominant closer in the game. His season in ’33 was epic, saving 44 games with 6 wins, His WHIP was 0.88 and ERA was 1.77. Finished his career with a very solid 288 Saves in almost 750 games.

Draft Grade: B-, Hoover at 11 is a very solid pick, but nothing else made the majors keeping this grade low.

 

AL WEST

Salem-Auggieward  1^st Rnd Picks (14-46) (25 Years ML Service Time)

Gary Smith, 14^th was Auggies opening selection. And for good reason, a 2 X All Star as well as hitting for the cycle twice. He had some huge offensive seasons, including two 30-30 seasons and 8 seasons in a row to start his career with 100+ runs scored. Was also a tremendous 1^st baseman, averaging around 15+ plays a season there. With his last pick in the 1^st Round Auggie selected Howard Carr (46^th). He won 3 Gold Gloves at SS and made the All-star team twice. Did hit 20 homes one time, but his career avg was just 232.  188+ plays at SS for his career is one of the higher totals in this world. Auggie got 5 more solid seasons out of the 714^th selection Willie Heving. The DITR catcher crushed 91 homers in less then 2000AB’s including 21-23-33 in an every other season stretch. I am actually a little surprised he didn’t get to play more/longer

Draft Grade: A, Great value picks made by Auggie. I think Smith could have been a HOF type player with 3-4 more years like he had, and the late pick of Heving was great.  A nice bounce back draft for Salem.

 

Helena/Albuquerque-tomcecil   1^st Rnd Picks (22)  (28 Years ML Service Time)

Tomcecil started off strong with the 22^nd pick in the draft when he selected Aubrey Presley, he spent equal times as a reliever and as a starter/opener type pitcher. His best season cam in his second last when he went 14-8 with 3.33 ERA in almost 180 innings. He finished 62-64 for his career  and a 3.89 ERA. In the 8^th round tom grabbed Gerardo Feliz, a free swinging catcher who made 1 all-star team. He struck out about 25% of his at bats but did hit 90 homers with a high of 19 in ’34.  Much later in the draft with the 562^nd pick, another catcher, Morgan O’Sullivan, who also made 1 all-star game, hit 97 career homers with a high of 18  in season ’37.

Draft Grade:  B-, a pretty solid draft for tom, Presley was a solid arm and to get two potential All-Star quality DITR catchers is a ok draft.

 

Boise/Fresno-Hofstad_c  1^st Rnd Draft Picks (24-51) (29 Years ML Service Time)

Drafting 24^th overall Hofstad grabbed a work horse bullpen arm who is still plugging away. Brian Hernandez is approaching 800 games and just over 1100IP.   At number 532 in the draft Asdrubal Valdes was drafted, he went 6-17 in his career in 45 starts with a 4.41 ERA. Very late in 660^th overall in fact, maybe the best late pick who some how wasn’t a DITR was selected. William Harbin was a SS/3^rd who actually was a strong defender at the hot corner. He finished with 224 homers, 283 Steals, 1764 hits and a 263 AVG

Draft Grade:  B+,  Harbin might go down as one of the sneakiest picks in a draft of all-time.

 

Vancouver/Honolulu-kkrab  1^st Rnd Draft Picks (7)  (23 Years ML Service Time)

Drafting early (7^th) kkrab got a very solid fielding 3^rd baseman, Mickey Ramirez, 1 Gold Glove, 78+plays for his career. Not a bad offensive player, 295 homers and 148 steals while batting .258. While a solid player not a superstar was he.  With the 99^th selection kkrab got about 300 at bats out of Hipolito Vargas a smooth fielding (11+ plays 2^nd/SS) spark plug (5’5-169lbs).  In the 15^th round a DITR catcher, Fred Hill, was drafted. A pretty generic batter and fielder he nonetheless hung around for 1000+ games batting .251 for his career.

Draft Grade:  B-, Vargas and Hill are nice additions for picks outside of the 1^st round, and while Ramirez wasn’t a bad player, more would be expected out of a top ten draft pick.

NL NORTH 

Detroit/Chicago-alogman1  1^st Rnd Picks (5) (16 Years ML Service Time)

With the 5^th selection in the draft alogman handpicked the recently retired Casper “TheGhost” Lewis. He was a borderline hall of famer who somehow never won and hardware and was only selected for two all-star games. He won 214 games for his career, twice winning over 20, including a career high 22 in ’33 when he could have won the Cy Young with a 2.79 ERA over 213 IP.

Draft Grade: B, just the one Major League Player taken, but Lewis was a very solid pick and was capable of carrying the draft all by himself.

 

Milwaukee/Syracuse-Hatton-98  1^st Rnd Picks (15-36) (14 Years ML Service Time)

The 15^th selection in the draft, Kerry Reuter, didn’t reach the majors until ’31, but between ’32 and ’37 he averaged 29 homers and about 90 RBI with a 300avg and 360 OBP. After that he had 178 at bats  and his career was over. 21 picks later Hatton grabbed Bernie Pagan who pitched in 199 games going 36-49 with 4 saves and an ERA just over 5. In the 10^th round he picked Bo Griffiths who pitched one season ’29 going 3-7 with a 6.83 ERA.

Draft Grade:  C+, not a bad draft, Reuter was a solid player with a short career. But after that it is pretty downhill.

 

Chicago/Dover-GoGogiants   1^st Rnd Draft Picks (10-31-34-44) (14 Years ML Service)

Yangervis Lucano was a starting pitcher drafted 10^th overall, he never had a great season, even though he did go 14-11 with a 4.66 ERA. For his career he went 69-100 with a 4.64 ERA.  At 31 gogo got Jairo Delgado a decent little 2^nd baseman who in his final season hit 13 homers while batting 282. He didnt play major league ball after that.  With 34^th and 44^th picks, Geovany Rojas and Jean Meacham where drafted but had very little of an impact in the bigs.

Draft Grade:  C-, with four first round picks you would hope for more then a backend SP

 

Montreal/Kansas City-Urbanwarrior  1^st Rnd Picks (2) (9 Years ML Service Time)

Most years we talk about the top 1-5 picks as being hall of famers, Herman Barber was not a Hall Of Fame Player. He did play parts of nine season, mostly in RF. He did hit 168 homers and stole 159 bases but for the most part is not the type of you want at the 2^nd overall pick.

Draft Grade: D+, this is another big miss for the Montreal franchise. With a pick that high you need to get a star.

NL EAST

London/Philadelphia-xtrahits  1^st Rnd Picks (16-47-54)  (14 Years ML Service Time)

Of the three first round picks only one, #16, Christopher Park reached the majors. He pitched almost 2000 innings and won 115 games. He did also lose 126 games while sporting a 4.46 ERA. Had a handful of decent seasons including one in which he pitched mostly out of the pen and went 11-4 with 4 saves and a 3.02 ERA in 113 innings.

Draft Grade: C-, not a failure by any means. Park was a solid major league pitcher, but the other two picks, one never reaching and the other going unsigned hurt the grade.

 

Trenton/Charlotte-Dwobble  1^st Rnd Picks (6) (16 Years ML Service Time)

Taken 6^th overall Rudy Coke might be one of the higher drafted relief pitchers ever taken. He was selected twice for the all-star team as well as twice saving over 40 games. He was for his a career a very good swing and miss type pitcher, racking up 866k’s in his almost 1000 innings on the bump.  At #98 dwobble selected a very free swinger, Bobby Herrman. He hit 55 homers in his two seasons while also striking out almost 300 times in just 1100AB’s

Draft Grade: B-, Coke was a solid closer but not the impact type player usually taken so early in the draft.

 

Scranton/New York-tedwilliams1  1^st Rnd Picks (38) (5 Years ML Service Time)

Claude Conewas the only player selected by ted to make it to the bigs. He was a terrific fielder winning a Gold Glove for his work at 3^rd in ’31. He made 100+ plays there across 731 games. He was not as smooth when batting however and finished his career with a 243 AVG and a 660 OPS.

Draft Grade: D+, I guess getting a major league player at 38 is pretty good, but Cone was his one and only success and not a great one at that.

 

Buffalo/Scranton Willkes-wxscott  1^st Rnd Picks (17) (14 Years Ml Service Time)

Scott only had one first round pick, and only one player he drafted made it to the majors, both were Victor Estrella. Vic was a multi tool player that one gold gloves, silver sluggers and made 5 all-star teams.  His game mostly revolved around using his speed (395 stelas) but was also a pretty solid hitter 269 homers. And a 280 AVG. His best all-around year was ’35 when he went off for 29 homers-102 RBI with 114 Runs scored, while batting a career high 319.

Draft Grade: B-, three years in a row this team has been in the B range. Estrella is great player for 17^th, but with no other players having an impact its just a slightly better then average draft.

 

NL SOUTH

New Orleans/Mexico City-Feamster   1^st Rnd Picks (26)  (10 years ML Service Time)

Feamster was drafting late in the first round but did manage to get a decent bullpen arm in Yasmani Pena.  He pitched for parts of 11 seasons, mostly as a set up guy but did have great season closing in ’35 when he went 30 for 33 in save chances while sporting a 3.19 ERA. He would finish his career with a 3.44 ERA and I am sure most would want him as member of your bullpen but he wasn’t really much to write home about

Draft Grade: C+, Not a bad draft, you get what you can drafting that late. But once again no surprises or late picks keep this grade down .

 

Houston-andyr104  1^st Rnd Picks (13-35-45)  (28 Years Ml Service Time)

Taken 13^th overall, Paul Zavada peaked in ’33 when he tossed a No-Hitter, he would go 14-8 that season, his only one where he would reach 200+ innings. He would also strike out a career high 178 batters while keeping his ERA down at 3.17. His career would finish at 144-114 in just over 2300 Innings.  22 picks later Houston got themselves a stellar closer. Matt Bryant saved 304 games in his career, 3 times going above 40 in a season. Over 726 games he kept his ERA at 3.06

Draft Grade:  B+  Borderline stars taken with the first two picks but nothing after that. Solid draft again for Houston.

 

Jackson-berrysboys  1^st Rnd Picks (23)  (21 years ML Service Time)

At 23^rd berrys got a workhorse Catcher that would play for parts of 16 seasons. Paul Minor only once had over 450AB’s but did manage to hit 297 homers, including a career high of 40 in ’39 in just 449 ab’s.  He was solid platoon catcher his entire career in Jackson.  Darby King was picked with the 339^th pick and in his first three season had double digit homers and steals every season.  Flamed out after that only hitting 13 more homers and stealing 14 bases.

Draft Grade:  B, I really like Minor, every team needs a guy like that.

 

Richmond-trubrecrew   1^st Rnd Picks (53)   (11 Years ML Service Time)

The 53^rd pick Turner Kennedy, did which the majors for 13 games  and 18.2 innings but they didn’t amount to much. However in the 12^th round (408^th) trube grabbed Eudy Mann, a very dependable reliever. He once saved 29 games but in his best season, ’37 he went 7-7 with 4 saves pitching to a 2.66 ERA over 128 innings with 107K’s.

Draft Grade: C, Nice DITR pick up late, but with only obe player reaching the majors this draft is just average. Still their best draft in three seasons.

 

NL WEST

Anaheim/Santa Cruz-bigpop34   1^st Rnd Picks (21-50)  (22 Years Ml Service Time)

At 21, the franchise at the time located in sunny Santa Cruz selected a smooth fielding 1^st baseman, Elvis O’Day. He won two gold gloves and hit 312 career homers. Was pretty quick stealing 83 bases, but struggled to hit for a good average (249) or get on base all that much (321 OBP).  Bigpop would also get some solid ML time from his 369^th pick Don Thomas and his 497^th pick Maximo Buss.   Thomas pitched 318 games all out of the pen, sporting a career record of 16-22 with 7 saves and a 4.31 ERA.  Buss was slightly better, even winning 13 games in his rookie season while throwing 204 innings and having an incredible 0.98 WHIP and 2.64 ERA.

Draft Grade:  B, the best draft by this team while not amazing, had some solid players

 

Sacramento/Oakland-brianplath   1^st Rnd Picks (1)  (21 years Ml Service Time)

Finally we get to the #1 pick, Lorenzo Cedeno. He burst onto the scene going 15-12 in his rookie season. Winning 206 games for his career and striking out just over 3000 batters. His career ERA (3.09) and WHIP (1.12) where both very good. With the 1^st pick in the second round, Ismael Abad was selected. He stole 110 bases in a fairly short 757 career games.

Draft Grade:  B, Cedeno is pretty good, but not the best player taken in the draft and that is what you want from the 1^st pick.

 

Las Vegas-jtpsops  1^st Rnd Picks (25)  (8 Years ML Service Time)

Jt got two players that played in the majors, the 25^th pick Robinson Jamison and the 437^th Buddy Lockart.  The later pick actually had a better major league career hitting 142 homers over 6 seasons with a career high of 38.  Jamison only played for parts of three seasons and was better known for his speed, stealing 45 bases with a single season high of 19 in his rookie year.

Draft Grade:  C, Lockhart saves this draft but he doesn’t make a good one.

 

Colorado/Scottsdale-alexkluge  1^st Rnd Picks (32-40)  (29 years ML Service Time) 

Ozzie Porzoi was drafted 32^nd and while never a star did pitch in 487 games, saving 32 and winning 64 with a career high of 10 in his rookie season.  The 40^th, 88^th, 92^nd picks Mike Roache, Willard Lewis and Alex Funaki played for parts of 5 years in the majors never really having much of an impact.  However at 636^th another one of the DITR catchers was selected, R.A. Griffith. He would win 2 gold gloves, 3 World series rings, he was a 270 hitter in the post season with 11 homers in 267 AB’s.  In the regular season was solid with the bat but unspectacular hitting 111 homers and sporting a slash line of 257/320/385.

Draft Grade: C+, alex, grabbed bodies in this draft but honestly non of this bodies make this grade better then average

 

 

Upper Deck Power Rankings #4

 

Commentary:

NL East: The NL East continues to dominate the power rankings; holding 3 of the top 10 spots, and then the 11th. London holds a slim 2 and 3.5 games on NJ and Scranton. NJ is looking to add an older but still formidable Player Profile: Eric Lindor - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports to its impressive pitching depth for its first playoff birth in 4 seasons. After 5 losing seasons, Buffalo is in prime position to chase down one of the wild card spots. 

New Orleans Breeze: New Orleans built an impressive roster over the past 13 seasons under Pete's ownership. The early years were a bit rough record wise, but with great draft hits such as Player Profile: Alvin Lincoln - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports and Player Profile: Richard Sung - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports . International hits such as Player Profile: Rougned Borges - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports and Player Profile: Joaquin Pascual - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports . Pete has built an impressive roster that put up impressive series wins against Trenton and London. 

Anaheim Anteaters: The Anteaters have climbed back within 3 points of the top spot in the power rankings. Though Anaheim's rosters is aging (20 players over the age of 28) they still boast a top 5 offense (.281/.341/.450) and pitching group (.234/.301/.359 for an era of 3.31). Anaheim's rain of top Dog continues as they look to solidify the top spot, facing off against Scranton, London and New Orleans prior to the All Star Break. 

 Upper Deck at a glance: Upper Deck has come along way, and its impressive the league boasts 20 teams at .500 or better. 6 teams within 5 games of .500. 

Upper Deck Power Ranks #2

 

Commentary:

NL East - By far the strongest division, London continues to surge forward, winning 8 of 10 on the backs of Jose Baez (.306/.377/.527) and Albert Candelaria (.353/.407/.728) for the division lead. After a strong start, Trenton has played .500 ball, but ultimately relinquishing the top spot. Scranton and Buffalo are keeping pace, with Scranton putting together a good 7-3 record over 10. All four teams have strong lineups and above average pitching, this division will go down to the wire once more. 

Cincinnati Boom Sticks - After a disappointing second place season last year, the Boom sticks have regained there former hitting glory and name sake. The team is slashing .269/.331/.421 and leads the AL in home runs (73) and RBI (220). With a clean sweep @ Indy and a potential split @ Tampa, we will see if the Boom Sticks can replicate or exceed past performances in front of their home field crowd against said teams. 

Jackson Generals - IT...IS....ALIVEEEEE, yes the Generals have exited their early season slump and rumor has it commissioner cshake  has order drug tests to be conducted by all players. Exited the last ten with a 9-1 record, the Generals have reached .500 and are only 5 games back of New Orleans. The road ahead looks tough. Matchups against Montreal, Milwaukee, London and Buffalo are going to test whether the generals are back and read to reclaim the division lead. 

Las Vegas Desert Dogs - Those Las Vegas Deserts not only help cool the nights, but also cools their baseball team. Las Vegas has went in the opposite direction as the Generals. The Dogs dropped 9 of 10 earlier in the week, and as of late are playing .500. Hopefully in the coming weeks JT can see increase production out of Peters (.239/.294./.422) to help jump start that lineup game in and game out. 

Upper Deck Power Rankings #1

 

Highlights: 

Las Vegas Desert Dogs - After a disappointing 7 year run, Las Vegas is off to a hot start. Strong starting pitching and a heavy use of the long ball propelled them to first place. It remains to be seen how long JT can rely on Dutch Gagne and Bobby Allen to anchor the middle of his lineup, and an injury prone Lloyd Forbes to head his rotation. 

Jackson Generals - After being one of the most consistent teams in the league, Jackson finds themselves in a 7 game slump and second to last in the power rankings. Barry oversaw the departure of his top pitchers Felipe Gomez and Miles Matthews in favor of younger, more controllable players. So far the Generals have posted a team ERA of 5.45, A number his newly acquired bats just can't make up for. 

Anaheim Anteaters - A .500 record is a sight to behold for the 3 time World Series winner. MJD traded long tenured CF Oswaldo Cruz and others who are on the wrong side of 30 for cheaper, more controllable players. A bit of karma? we will see, but I'd put my money on Anaheim reclaiming the first ranked mantel sooner, rather then later. 

Upper Deck Season 45 Hall Of Fame Inductees

Slim McGowan (RP)  23 Votes,  Slim had been on the ballot for several seasons and finally got the respect that so many of us thought he deserved.  While his awards cupboard is very modest (4 X All-Star and nothing else) he was one of the most consistent and dominate relievers our world has ever seen.  Drafted 15^th overall as an 18 year old out of high School in season ‘15 he reached the majors in season ’18 and saved 16 games.  He would never save under 10 games in his 20 year career until his final season when he saved 7.  With 481 career saves (3 times saving over 40 games, twice with a career high of 44) he was a model of a consistent bullpen arm.  Didn’t get much chance to pitch in the post season (15 games with 8 Saves) but did manage to hit 1 homerun with only 4 career hits in 55 AB’s.

 

Howard Rolls (RF) 20 Votes, First time up for vote and he went straight into the Hall. A 6 time All-Star and 1X Silver Slugger while playing 3^rd base. Spent most of his career in RF where he was less then average with the leather.  Was a solid fielding 1^st baseman and a adequate Left Fielder in about 400 games at each of those positions. With the bat is where he really shined, 3230 career hits including 632 Doubles and 429 Homers. He also stole 272 bases and hit an even 300 for his career. Was the perfect #3 hitter blending power/speed/and the ability to draw a walk.  Was drafted 1^st overall in ’23 and reached the majors just two years later hitting .314 in 48 games and never looked back on his way to Cooperstown.

 

Yonder Lopez (SP) 22 Votes, ROY, Gold Glover, 2 X CY, 3 X AS.  Yonder has the hardware our other two nominees don’t. Signed as an International Free Agent for 9.8 Million in ’21 he took his time reaching the bigs.   But in ’25 burst onto the scene going 15-5 with a 2.81 ERA and won the Rookie of the Year. Would make his first All-Star team in ’27 when he went 20-5 with a 2.75 ERA but wouldn’t win his 2 Cy Youngs until ’36 –’37 when he went a combined 35-11 with a 2.69 ERA.  In 24 post season starts how ever he was a disappointing 4-10 with a 4.68 ERA.