Post by Sha-Le Unique on Sept 4, 2014 0:52:07 GMT -5
And now the long awaited annual NL draft grades!
NL East
Chicago Cubs:
Round 1 pick: 3B Ron Santo
Round 2 pick: CF Willie Davis
Round 2 pick: LF Shinichi Eto
Round 2 pick: P Dave Eilers
Round 3 pick: P Tony Balsamo
Round 4 pick: 2B Ron Hunt
Round 5 pick: RF Jim Hicks
Round 6 pick: 2B Nate Oliver
Lucky for Matt, his plan to trade down in the 1st round and still get Santo worked out perfectly well for him.
Matt A. was very active in the trade market last season and was able to stock up two additional 2nd round picks. In the 1st round, he actually traded down and still got his guy, Ron Santo 8th overall. It was only right for Santo to be drafted to the Cubs, where he could very likely spend his entire career. Santo could certainly use a talent increase to his hits, but knowing Matt's love for him, it's only a matter of time before that will happen. And with Shigeo Nagashima now entrenched as the Cubs' third baseman of the future, it would probably be wise for Santo to learn other positions in the meantime. It looks like Matt has gotten off to a good start with Santo already learning second base and probably more positions to come as well.
In that 2nd round, Matt first selected Willie Davis. Davis should be nice outfield depth, with good speed and great defensive range. A talent increase to his hits could make him a potential starter, but if not, he's a very solid 4th outfielder. Matt's next selection with Shinichi Eto, who like Santo and Davis could definitely use a talent increase to his hits to become a potential starter. After that, he took Dave Eilers, who could use a hits talent increase himself and is on the older side for his rating development. Eilers though could be good pitching depth for the Cubbies.
In the 3rd round, Matt went with Tony Balsamo, whose ratings aren't that great aside from the brilliant homers. He could have some potential with a little PD luck, but if not, it could be tough for Balsamo to reach the majors.
4th round pick Ron Hunt is yet another Cubs draftee that could benefit from a hits talent increase, while 5th round pick Jim Hicks and 6th round pick Nate Oliver both don't have much going for them at all.
Matt had a great draft and all those picks have only made the Cubs' organization that much deeper.
Cubs 1959 1st Round Pick Grade: A
Cubs 1959 Draft Grade: A+
Philadelphia Phillies:
Round 1 pick: C Duke Sims
Round 2 pick: C Johnny Edwards
Round 3 pick: 3B Billy Sorrell
Round 4 pick: RF Andy Kosco
Round 5 pick: 1B Moe Morhardt
Round 6 pick: LF Jim P. O'Rourke
Oren and Alon (who seems to be around here more now) started their draft by selecting Duke Sims 14th overall. Sims looks to be a very solid catcher in the future and the Gur's addressed a need as well, with the Smokey Burgess and Joe Lonnett tandem not getting any younger.
In the 2nd round, the Gur's selected another catcher in Johnny Edwards, who could have good potential himself with a hits talent increase. The same can be said as well for 3rd round pick Billy Sorrell, who at the very least could be decent corner infield depth.
4th round pick Andy Kosco doesn't look to have a major league future without PD help of some sort. The Gur's already released 5th round pick Moe Morhardt and 6th round pick Jim O'Rourke.
The Gur's had a solid draft and addressed a big area of concern for the future.
Phillies 1959 1st Round Pick Grade: A
Phillies 1959 Draft Grade: A-
Pittsburgh Pirates:
Round 1 pick: LF Willie Stargell (FPR)
Round 2 pick: P Hank Fischer
Round 3 pick: Pick Forfeited
Round 4 pick: 2B Bobby Klaus
Round 5 pick: 1B Jeoff Long
Round 6 pick: 1B John Self
With their limited options for the future, Willie Stargell was an easy FPR choice for the Pirates.
I made what should arguably be considered the best FPR choice the Pirates will ever have going forward. As a result, I was able to jump up and select Willie Stargell 1st overall. Good hits (which was increased immediately) along with brilliant home runs and good doubles and walks make Stargell a stud. It's going to take some time before he is major league ready and I most likely will no longer be the Pirates GM when it happens, but Stargell has a very bright future ahead of him and my successor will be thankful to have him.
In the 2nd round, I went with Hank Fischer. He'd need a talent increase in hits and some duration work to become more useful in the future, but with all the pitching depth the Pirates have, Fischer would just add to the depth and not really surpass many other pitchers in the end with the way things look right now. Hopefully, he will do something with his career though.
The Stargell FPR also resulted in the loss of my 3rd round pick, which was totally worth it because Stargell is good enough for such a minimal loss to happen.
4th round pick Bobby Klaus looks like backup material unless he gets PD help. I already released 5th round pick Jeoff Long and 6th round pick John Self because they would've done nothing.
I like my draft a lot, especially because Stargell has elite stud potential and Fischer isn't too bad either.
Pirates 1959 1st Round Pick Grade: A+
Pirates 1959 Draft Grade: A
St. Louis Cardinals:
Round 1 pick: P Dean Chance
Round 2 pick: LF Don Buford
Round 3 pick: P Dave Baldwin
Round 3 pick: RF Len G. Gabrielson
Round 4 pick: CF Mike White
Round 5 pick: P Vern Handrahan
Round 6 pick: RF Rex Johnston
Matt C. traded up in the 1st round to draft Dean Chance 5th overall. Chance has very good potential and could be a middle-rotation starter or even an ace for the Cardinals in the future. The A duration and good character ratings are a plus as well.
Matt then used his 2nd round pick on Don Buford, who is a hits talent increase away from being a possible stud with the B/B running/stealing and brilliant walks. Good hits makes him an actual on-base machine and great leadoff hitter. I can only imagine Matt doing this at some point.
In the 3rd round, Matt had two picks. The first was used on Dave Baldwin, who could turn into a good reliever with a walks increase. The other pick went to Len Gabrielson, who could be a good utility backup unless Matt spends on turning his hits to good, which could make him a possible starter.
4th round pick Mike White has decent potential, but not much more unless good PD's come his way. 5th round pick Vern Handrahan and 6th round pick Rex Johnston both should be minor league benchwarmers.
Matt's draft was pretty good. He traded up in the 1st round and got an extra 3rd round pick as well. Chance and Buford are studs he could one day build around.
Cardinals 1959 1st Round Pick Grade: A
Cardinals 1959 Draft Grade: A-
NL West
Cincinnati Reds:
Round 1 pick: P Jim Maloney
Round 2 pick: P Jack Aker
Round 4 pick: RF Al Luplow
Round 5 pick: 3B Gene Leek
Round 6 pick: 3B Ted Schreiber
To start his draft, Jeff selected Jim Maloney 12th overall. Maloney could use a walks increase, but has been developing nicely so far. He's also loyal and has good character ratings, which are nice as well. He looks to be a big part of the Reds' future pitching.
Jeff's 2nd round pick was another pitcher in Jack Aker. Aker has very good potential and could be a future closer if he develops well enough. It will be a long time before we know for sure how good he will become, but the potential is there.
Jeff traded his 3rd round pick to the Cardinals. 4th round pick Al Luplow, 5th round pick Gene Leek and 6th round pick Ted Schreiber all don't have much going for them at all and Luplow is the only one that should even have a chance at cracking the majors.
Jeff's draft was solid, but not particularly great. However, he does have an exciting 1960 draft to look forward to, including the FPR possibility for Pete Rose.
Reds 1959 1st Round pick Grade: A-
Reds 1959 Draft Grade: B+
Los Angeles Dodgers:
Round 1 pick: P Dick Radatz
Round 2 pick: RF Mike Hershberger
Round 3 pick: CF Cesar Tovar
Round 4 pick: CF Nelson Mathews
Round 5 pick: 1B John Herrnstein
Round 6 pick: P Ray Blemker
With the 15th overall selection, Jeremy chose Dick "The Monster" Radatz. Radatz already looks at least somewhat major league ready and will almost certainly be called up by 1961 at the latest. More than likely, Radatz will one day be the Dodgers' future closer.
Jeremy then picked Mike Hershberger in the 2nd round. Hershberger could have some potential if his hits get increased, but more than likely, he will be a good backup down the road.
In the 3rd round, Jeremy went with Cesar Tovar. Tovar has B/B running/stealing and could be a useful leadoff hitter with a hits talent increase at some point. Maybe Jeremy will be able to find some use for him.
4th round pick Nelson Mathews will need PD help to get anywhere. 5th round pick John Herrnstein and 6th round pick Ray Blemker have both already been released.
Jeremy's draft was very good, considering the low picks he had in each round. His already stacked team got that much deeper.
Dodgers 1959 1st Round Pick Grade: A
Dodgers 1959 Draft Grade: A-
Milwaukee Braves:
Round 1 pick: P Jim Bouton
Round 2 pick: P Bill Kelso
Round 3 pick: C Elrod Hendricks
Round 4 pick: P Dave Thies
Round 5 pick: 2B Ossie Chavarria
Round 6 pick: LF Elvio Jimenez
Steve began his draft by selecting Jim Bouton 13th overall. Bouton has some nice middle rotation potential, which of course could increase with a good PD somewhere. Steve's minor league system right now needs all the help it can get, so this is at least a good start for him.
Steve then chose Bill Kelso in the 2nd round, who could use a walks increase and some SP duration work to be a more valuable pitcher. He is good bullpen depth at the very least right now.
In the 3rd round, Steve picked Elrod Hendricks, who looks to be no more than a backup catcher in the future. Steve could have done better with this pick, but maybe Hendricks will get a great PD or two in the future and become more useful. You never know.
4th round pick Dave Thies will need a PD in hits or walks to become useful later on, but he is no more than bullpen depth most likely. 5th round pick Ossie Chavarria had a really nice PD earlier in the season, but still needs a hits talent increase and other improvements to ever get to the major leagues. 6th round pick Elvio Jimenez should have already gotten released by now.
Steve could have certainly done better in the 3rd round, but nonetheless, his draft still does not look particularly impressive. The Braves really need to restock the farm system with a good chunk of the team really starting to age. Hopefully, Steve will put in more work to make it happen.
Braves 1959 1st Round Pick Grade: A-
Braves 1959 Draft Grade: B-
San Francisco Giants:
Round 1 pick: 1B Boog Powell
Round 2 pick: P Larry Miller
Round 3 pick: P Paul Doyle
Round 4 pick: 2B Tommy Helms
Round 5 pick: P Al Neiger
Round 6 pick: 3B Weldon Bowlin
As if the Giants don't already have a few big sluggers, Boog Powell should soon add to the growing list.
In the 1st round, Spencer made a very good selection by drafting Boog Powell 9th overall. Powell clearly needs a hits talent increase, but should turn into yet another feared slugger for the Giants. Being that Willie McCovey will hold down the fort at first base for the foreseeable future, Powell will likely be an outfielder once he is major league ready. Once that hits talent increase happens though, it wouldn't be a big surprise if Powell turns out to be one of the best players from this draft in the future.
In the 2nd round, Spencer chose Larry Miller. Miller himself could use a hits talent increase and some duration work to be more effective and valuable to the Giants.
Then, Spencer went with Paul Doyle in the 3rd round. Doyle could turn into a decent reliever with a walks increase and maybe even a closer with a great PD down the road.
4th round pick Tommy Helms has backup utility infielder potential. 5th round pick Al Neiger has already gotten a great PD to turn himself into a potential back-end starter or middle reliever. The poor doubles are not good, but Neiger is decent depth for now. 6th round pick Weldon Bowlin will probably be a minor league lifer.
Spencer's draft looks really nice, especially with Powell in the fold. Again, if he gives Powell that hits talent increase he needs, he will turn into a big time stud.
Giants 1959 1st Round Pick Grade: A
Giants 1959 Draft Grade: A-
My final article of the season will be coming soon!
NL East
Chicago Cubs:
Round 1 pick: 3B Ron Santo
Round 2 pick: CF Willie Davis
Round 2 pick: LF Shinichi Eto
Round 2 pick: P Dave Eilers
Round 3 pick: P Tony Balsamo
Round 4 pick: 2B Ron Hunt
Round 5 pick: RF Jim Hicks
Round 6 pick: 2B Nate Oliver
Lucky for Matt, his plan to trade down in the 1st round and still get Santo worked out perfectly well for him.
Matt A. was very active in the trade market last season and was able to stock up two additional 2nd round picks. In the 1st round, he actually traded down and still got his guy, Ron Santo 8th overall. It was only right for Santo to be drafted to the Cubs, where he could very likely spend his entire career. Santo could certainly use a talent increase to his hits, but knowing Matt's love for him, it's only a matter of time before that will happen. And with Shigeo Nagashima now entrenched as the Cubs' third baseman of the future, it would probably be wise for Santo to learn other positions in the meantime. It looks like Matt has gotten off to a good start with Santo already learning second base and probably more positions to come as well.
In that 2nd round, Matt first selected Willie Davis. Davis should be nice outfield depth, with good speed and great defensive range. A talent increase to his hits could make him a potential starter, but if not, he's a very solid 4th outfielder. Matt's next selection with Shinichi Eto, who like Santo and Davis could definitely use a talent increase to his hits to become a potential starter. After that, he took Dave Eilers, who could use a hits talent increase himself and is on the older side for his rating development. Eilers though could be good pitching depth for the Cubbies.
In the 3rd round, Matt went with Tony Balsamo, whose ratings aren't that great aside from the brilliant homers. He could have some potential with a little PD luck, but if not, it could be tough for Balsamo to reach the majors.
4th round pick Ron Hunt is yet another Cubs draftee that could benefit from a hits talent increase, while 5th round pick Jim Hicks and 6th round pick Nate Oliver both don't have much going for them at all.
Matt had a great draft and all those picks have only made the Cubs' organization that much deeper.
Cubs 1959 1st Round Pick Grade: A
Cubs 1959 Draft Grade: A+
Philadelphia Phillies:
Round 1 pick: C Duke Sims
Round 2 pick: C Johnny Edwards
Round 3 pick: 3B Billy Sorrell
Round 4 pick: RF Andy Kosco
Round 5 pick: 1B Moe Morhardt
Round 6 pick: LF Jim P. O'Rourke
Oren and Alon (who seems to be around here more now) started their draft by selecting Duke Sims 14th overall. Sims looks to be a very solid catcher in the future and the Gur's addressed a need as well, with the Smokey Burgess and Joe Lonnett tandem not getting any younger.
In the 2nd round, the Gur's selected another catcher in Johnny Edwards, who could have good potential himself with a hits talent increase. The same can be said as well for 3rd round pick Billy Sorrell, who at the very least could be decent corner infield depth.
4th round pick Andy Kosco doesn't look to have a major league future without PD help of some sort. The Gur's already released 5th round pick Moe Morhardt and 6th round pick Jim O'Rourke.
The Gur's had a solid draft and addressed a big area of concern for the future.
Phillies 1959 1st Round Pick Grade: A
Phillies 1959 Draft Grade: A-
Pittsburgh Pirates:
Round 1 pick: LF Willie Stargell (FPR)
Round 2 pick: P Hank Fischer
Round 3 pick: Pick Forfeited
Round 4 pick: 2B Bobby Klaus
Round 5 pick: 1B Jeoff Long
Round 6 pick: 1B John Self
With their limited options for the future, Willie Stargell was an easy FPR choice for the Pirates.
I made what should arguably be considered the best FPR choice the Pirates will ever have going forward. As a result, I was able to jump up and select Willie Stargell 1st overall. Good hits (which was increased immediately) along with brilliant home runs and good doubles and walks make Stargell a stud. It's going to take some time before he is major league ready and I most likely will no longer be the Pirates GM when it happens, but Stargell has a very bright future ahead of him and my successor will be thankful to have him.
In the 2nd round, I went with Hank Fischer. He'd need a talent increase in hits and some duration work to become more useful in the future, but with all the pitching depth the Pirates have, Fischer would just add to the depth and not really surpass many other pitchers in the end with the way things look right now. Hopefully, he will do something with his career though.
The Stargell FPR also resulted in the loss of my 3rd round pick, which was totally worth it because Stargell is good enough for such a minimal loss to happen.
4th round pick Bobby Klaus looks like backup material unless he gets PD help. I already released 5th round pick Jeoff Long and 6th round pick John Self because they would've done nothing.
I like my draft a lot, especially because Stargell has elite stud potential and Fischer isn't too bad either.
Pirates 1959 1st Round Pick Grade: A+
Pirates 1959 Draft Grade: A
St. Louis Cardinals:
Round 1 pick: P Dean Chance
Round 2 pick: LF Don Buford
Round 3 pick: P Dave Baldwin
Round 3 pick: RF Len G. Gabrielson
Round 4 pick: CF Mike White
Round 5 pick: P Vern Handrahan
Round 6 pick: RF Rex Johnston
Matt C. traded up in the 1st round to draft Dean Chance 5th overall. Chance has very good potential and could be a middle-rotation starter or even an ace for the Cardinals in the future. The A duration and good character ratings are a plus as well.
Matt then used his 2nd round pick on Don Buford, who is a hits talent increase away from being a possible stud with the B/B running/stealing and brilliant walks. Good hits makes him an actual on-base machine and great leadoff hitter. I can only imagine Matt doing this at some point.
In the 3rd round, Matt had two picks. The first was used on Dave Baldwin, who could turn into a good reliever with a walks increase. The other pick went to Len Gabrielson, who could be a good utility backup unless Matt spends on turning his hits to good, which could make him a possible starter.
4th round pick Mike White has decent potential, but not much more unless good PD's come his way. 5th round pick Vern Handrahan and 6th round pick Rex Johnston both should be minor league benchwarmers.
Matt's draft was pretty good. He traded up in the 1st round and got an extra 3rd round pick as well. Chance and Buford are studs he could one day build around.
Cardinals 1959 1st Round Pick Grade: A
Cardinals 1959 Draft Grade: A-
NL West
Cincinnati Reds:
Round 1 pick: P Jim Maloney
Round 2 pick: P Jack Aker
Round 4 pick: RF Al Luplow
Round 5 pick: 3B Gene Leek
Round 6 pick: 3B Ted Schreiber
To start his draft, Jeff selected Jim Maloney 12th overall. Maloney could use a walks increase, but has been developing nicely so far. He's also loyal and has good character ratings, which are nice as well. He looks to be a big part of the Reds' future pitching.
Jeff's 2nd round pick was another pitcher in Jack Aker. Aker has very good potential and could be a future closer if he develops well enough. It will be a long time before we know for sure how good he will become, but the potential is there.
Jeff traded his 3rd round pick to the Cardinals. 4th round pick Al Luplow, 5th round pick Gene Leek and 6th round pick Ted Schreiber all don't have much going for them at all and Luplow is the only one that should even have a chance at cracking the majors.
Jeff's draft was solid, but not particularly great. However, he does have an exciting 1960 draft to look forward to, including the FPR possibility for Pete Rose.
Reds 1959 1st Round pick Grade: A-
Reds 1959 Draft Grade: B+
Los Angeles Dodgers:
Round 1 pick: P Dick Radatz
Round 2 pick: RF Mike Hershberger
Round 3 pick: CF Cesar Tovar
Round 4 pick: CF Nelson Mathews
Round 5 pick: 1B John Herrnstein
Round 6 pick: P Ray Blemker
With the 15th overall selection, Jeremy chose Dick "The Monster" Radatz. Radatz already looks at least somewhat major league ready and will almost certainly be called up by 1961 at the latest. More than likely, Radatz will one day be the Dodgers' future closer.
Jeremy then picked Mike Hershberger in the 2nd round. Hershberger could have some potential if his hits get increased, but more than likely, he will be a good backup down the road.
In the 3rd round, Jeremy went with Cesar Tovar. Tovar has B/B running/stealing and could be a useful leadoff hitter with a hits talent increase at some point. Maybe Jeremy will be able to find some use for him.
4th round pick Nelson Mathews will need PD help to get anywhere. 5th round pick John Herrnstein and 6th round pick Ray Blemker have both already been released.
Jeremy's draft was very good, considering the low picks he had in each round. His already stacked team got that much deeper.
Dodgers 1959 1st Round Pick Grade: A
Dodgers 1959 Draft Grade: A-
Milwaukee Braves:
Round 1 pick: P Jim Bouton
Round 2 pick: P Bill Kelso
Round 3 pick: C Elrod Hendricks
Round 4 pick: P Dave Thies
Round 5 pick: 2B Ossie Chavarria
Round 6 pick: LF Elvio Jimenez
Steve began his draft by selecting Jim Bouton 13th overall. Bouton has some nice middle rotation potential, which of course could increase with a good PD somewhere. Steve's minor league system right now needs all the help it can get, so this is at least a good start for him.
Steve then chose Bill Kelso in the 2nd round, who could use a walks increase and some SP duration work to be a more valuable pitcher. He is good bullpen depth at the very least right now.
In the 3rd round, Steve picked Elrod Hendricks, who looks to be no more than a backup catcher in the future. Steve could have done better with this pick, but maybe Hendricks will get a great PD or two in the future and become more useful. You never know.
4th round pick Dave Thies will need a PD in hits or walks to become useful later on, but he is no more than bullpen depth most likely. 5th round pick Ossie Chavarria had a really nice PD earlier in the season, but still needs a hits talent increase and other improvements to ever get to the major leagues. 6th round pick Elvio Jimenez should have already gotten released by now.
Steve could have certainly done better in the 3rd round, but nonetheless, his draft still does not look particularly impressive. The Braves really need to restock the farm system with a good chunk of the team really starting to age. Hopefully, Steve will put in more work to make it happen.
Braves 1959 1st Round Pick Grade: A-
Braves 1959 Draft Grade: B-
San Francisco Giants:
Round 1 pick: 1B Boog Powell
Round 2 pick: P Larry Miller
Round 3 pick: P Paul Doyle
Round 4 pick: 2B Tommy Helms
Round 5 pick: P Al Neiger
Round 6 pick: 3B Weldon Bowlin
As if the Giants don't already have a few big sluggers, Boog Powell should soon add to the growing list.
In the 1st round, Spencer made a very good selection by drafting Boog Powell 9th overall. Powell clearly needs a hits talent increase, but should turn into yet another feared slugger for the Giants. Being that Willie McCovey will hold down the fort at first base for the foreseeable future, Powell will likely be an outfielder once he is major league ready. Once that hits talent increase happens though, it wouldn't be a big surprise if Powell turns out to be one of the best players from this draft in the future.
In the 2nd round, Spencer chose Larry Miller. Miller himself could use a hits talent increase and some duration work to be more effective and valuable to the Giants.
Then, Spencer went with Paul Doyle in the 3rd round. Doyle could turn into a decent reliever with a walks increase and maybe even a closer with a great PD down the road.
4th round pick Tommy Helms has backup utility infielder potential. 5th round pick Al Neiger has already gotten a great PD to turn himself into a potential back-end starter or middle reliever. The poor doubles are not good, but Neiger is decent depth for now. 6th round pick Weldon Bowlin will probably be a minor league lifer.
Spencer's draft looks really nice, especially with Powell in the fold. Again, if he gives Powell that hits talent increase he needs, he will turn into a big time stud.
Giants 1959 1st Round Pick Grade: A
Giants 1959 Draft Grade: A-
My final article of the season will be coming soon!
