Post by Sha-Le Unique on Mar 11, 2014 16:14:41 GMT -5
I kept slacking on doing this for a while, but finally getting around to it. Most of the late auto'd picks were of similar talents and skill generally speaking, so most of the analysis will go toward rounds 1-3. Here we go!
Baltimore Orioles:
1st Round Pick: P Gary Peters
2nd Round Pick: P Moe Drabowsky
3rd Round Pick: P Jack Curtis
4th Round Pick: LF John Weekly
5th Round Pick: P Jim Derrington
6th Round Pick: RF Em Lindbeck
7th Round Pick: P Tom McAvoy
Gary Peters could become a future ace for the Orioles.
In his first draft as a member of this league, DRowe made a very solid 1st round pick in Gary Peters. Peters could be a future anchor in the Orioles' rotation and is someone DRowe can add to an already young pitching staff.
Moe Drabowsky was a good choice in the 2nd round and is already major league ready. DRowe doesn't really have a spot for him right now, but could trade at least one of Bob Turley and/or Don Larsen to make room for Drabowsky in 1957.
Jack Curtis is another solid pitcher that was taken in the 3rd round. He could use a hits increase, but should at least be a decent middle-back end starting pitcher in the future.
John Weekly is probably a backup hitter at best. Jim Derrington could be a decent reliever if he improves his control. Em Lindbeck and Tom McAvoy both do not have much potential in particular.
All in all, the O's still lack young bats aside from Brooks Robinson and Andre Rodgers in the farm system, but now certainly have more than enough pitching for the future.
Orioles 1st Round Pick Grade: A
Orioles 1956 Draft Grade: A-
Boston Red Sox:
1st Round Pick: Traded to Pittsburgh
2nd Round Pick: P Bo Belinsky
3rd Round Pick: P Ed Hobaugh
4th Round Pick: 2B Cookie Rojas
5th Round Pick: SS Don E. Williams
6th Round Pick: LF Corky Withrow
7th Round Pick: P Hector Maestri
Break traded his 1st round pick in this draft to me and I feel I used it well. In the 2nd round, he took a gamble on Bo Belinsky. I wasn't a big fan in particular of this pick. Belinsky started with D duration and has a strong winning desire. Furthermore, his consistency/clutch combo is Very Inconsistent/Suffers, which doesn't help as well. Belinsky is solid nonetheless, although Break should probably reverse his homers PD soon.
Ed Hobaugh could be another useful pitcher for the Red Sox in the future. He's already a 3 in runs and could probably use a hits or walks increase in order to become a more effective reliever. He's a bullpen piece at the very least at this point.
Cookie Rojas could be a great utility backup player in the future that can play every position. Don Williams, Corky Withrow and Hector Maestri all have very little, if any potential.
Red Sox 1st Round Pick Grade: N/A
Red Sox 1956 Draft Grade: C
Chicago White Sox:
1st Round Pick: P Juan Pizarro
2nd Round Pick: P Phil Regan
3rd Round Pick: P Jim Donohue
4th Round Pick: C Bob Uecker
5th Round Pick: 2B Jay Ward
6th Round Pick: C Al Kenders
7th Round Pick: P Don R. Williams
Mark made a solid 1st round pick in Juan Pizarro, who could be major league ready as soon as 1957. Pizarro has middle rotation potential, but with some lucky PD's, he could be studly.
Phil Regan was a good choice in the 2nd round and is probably more suited as a reliever in the future. His ratings are nice, but his starting duration is not.
Jim Donohue could be another good reliever for the future, although he will probably need a homers or walks increase to be a better pitcher.
Bob Uecker's potential in the announcer's booth is light years higher than his potential as a player. Jay Ward, Al Kenders and Don Williams (another one?) will all keep the benches warm.
White Sox 1st Round Pick Grade: A-
White Sox 1956 Draft Grade: B+
Cleveland Indians:
1st Round Pick: P Mike F. McCormick
2nd Round Pick: P Art Mahaffey
3rd Round Pick: 1B Kent Hadley
4th Round Pick: P Joe Schaffernoth
5th Round Pick: P Ed V. Donnelly
6th Round Pick: P Carl Thomas
7th Round Pick: P George Werley
With Ashes currently on military leave, Chris made auto picks for the Indians throughout the draft. Mike McCormick was a very good 1st round pick and has good middle rotation potential right now.
Art Mahaffey was a decent 2nd round selection and has some potential as well. A homers or walks increase would make him even better. Better yet, his homers right now should actually get reversed.
Kent Hadley was taken in the 3rd round and could become a decent first baseman. He does not look like starter material though.
Joe Schaffernoth could be a decent reliever in the future. Ed Donnelly won't allow many home runs, but does not have that much potential beyond that. Carl Thomas shares the same name of a famous real life singer, but this Carl's potential is not high at all. The same could be said for George Werley as well.
Indians 1st Round Pick Grade: A-
Indians 1956 Draft Grade: B+
Detroit Tigers:
1st Round Pick: CF Vada Pinson
2nd Round Pick: LF Chuck Hinton
2nd Round Pick: RF Fred Valentine
3rd Round Pick: SS Leo Cardenas
4th Round Pick: 1B Tim Harkness
5th Round Pick: 2B Jerry Kindall
6th Round Pick: SS Ernie Bowman
7th Round Pick: P Scott Breeden
With so much pitching already, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that Trevor targeted hitters throughout most of this draft. Vada Pinson was a solid 1st round choice with good in hits and average in home runs. A home runs increase could turn the the speedy Pinson into a legit 30/30 threat every season. Even with fair in walks, he could still get on base quite a bit.
Chuck Hinton was Trevor's next pick. He's a decent second baseman, but could be even more valuable as a utility man in the future, being that he can play all positions except shortstop right now. Nonetheless, you don't necessarily need to use 2nd round picks on utility guys that can be found in later rounds.
Trevor's other 2nd round pick was another outfielder in Fred Valentine. Valentine is pretty much average across the board, so he could definitely use a hits increase. His potential right now is that of a fourth outfielder.
Leo Cardenas is a slight down grade compared to Hinton, with only fair in home runs. But he could be a decent shortstop or third baseman down the road. He doesn't look like a definite starter unless some good PD's come his way, but he could be a solid backup at the very least.
Tim Harkness could be a decent backup infielder. Jerry Kindall isn't bad for a 5th round pick now thanks to a great set of PD's, and is already a decent utility infielder. Ernie Bowman and Scott Breeden are likely to be minor league lifers.
Trevor had the right mindset for this draft with the team he has, but the results certainly could have been better for him.
Tigers 1st Round Pick Grade: A
Tigers 1956 Draft Grade: B+
Kansas City A's:
1st Round Pick: LF Billy L. Williams
2nd Round Pick: 1B Deron Johnson
3rd Round Pick: P Jack Lamabe
4th Round Pick: SS Elio Chacon
5th Round Pick: 1B Hal Jones
6th Round Pick: P Jim Bailey
7th Round Pick: P Alan Brice
Matt A.'s strategy of trading down to hopefully draft his beloved Billy Williams failed when Steve1213 took him third overall.
Like Trevor, Steve1213 needed bats in his system as well. With the 3rd overall pick, he broke Matt A.'s heart by drafting Billy Williams. Williams could soon be the A's franchise player once Gus Zernial starts to age more. Williams has great hitting and power potential and will draw his fair share of walks as well. A doubles or walks increase would make Williams that much better.
Deron Johnson was a solid 2nd round pick, but will definitely need a hits increase to be worth even more in the future. Unfortunately, he also has a strong winning desire, which could be a future problem for Steve1213 unless the A's start to really compete in the next few seasons. We'll see if that ends up happening, especially considering the gaping holes in the A's major league roster.
Jack Lamabe was a good 3rd round pick and could be the A's future closer down the road. A hits increase makes him even better and he's already 1 in runs at age 19.
Elio Chacon won't hit much but will draw a lot of walks. Hal Jones is a minor league lifer at worst or a major league bench bat at best. Jim Bailey and Alan Brice both have a long way to go if they ever want to see the major leagues.
Steve1213 got a few nice bats for his team, but the A's still have a long way to go before becoming a legitimate contender.
A's 1st Round Pick Grade: A
A's 1956 Draft Grade: A-
New York Yankees:
1st Round Pick: P Jim Perry
1st Round Pick: P Bob Lee
2nd Round Pick: P Hal Reniff
3rd Round Pick: Traded to Washington
4th Round Pick: C J.C. Martin
5th Round Pick: CF Ed Napoleon
6th Round Pick: 1B Rogelio Alvarez
Jim Perry was one of the better pitchers in this draft class and could help lead the Yankees to even more championships.
If any AL GM's were hoping the Yankees' run of success would soon come to an end, don't count on it. Chris has gotten the Yankees younger and still just as talented. And to top it off, the defending champions had two 1st round picks in this draft. Chris used the Senators' pick on Jim Perry who is nearly good across the board. He has at least middle rotation potential unless he gets a great PD or two in the future.
Chris' own 1st round pick went to Bob Lee. Lee could be a very good closer in the future. A walks increase would make him a beast. With current Yankees' closer Tom Gorman at 31, Chris was smart to plan for the future already.
Hal Reniff is another reliever with very good potential and one day could be Lee's setup man. Reniff is loyal as well, which is always nice.
Chris traded his 3rd round pick to the Senators. J.C. Martin could be a future backup catcher. Ed Napoleon and Rogelio Alvarez will be playing left and right bench, respectively in the minor leagues.
Chris has won two of the first three HOFFBL championships already and with the moves he has made, there is no reason to believe his postseason success will stop any time soon. Boy am I glad I'm in the National League....
Yankees 1st Round Picks Grade: A
Yankees 1956 Draft Grade: A
Washington Senators:
1st Round Pick: Traded to New York Yankees
2nd Round Pick: Traded to Detroit
3rd Round Pick: Traded to Chicago Cubs
4th Round Pick: LF Bud Zipfel
5th Round Pick: P Bert Cueto
6th Round Pick: C Nate Smith
7th Round Pick: P Bob Giallombardo
Adam was in a unique situation in this draft. He traded his 1st, 2nd and 3rd round picks to the Yankees, Tigers and Cubs, respectively. Thus, his picks in those rounds can't really be graded.
Bud Zipfel has decent backup potential. Bert Cueto, Nate Smith and Bob Giallombardo will need PD help to ever reach the major leagues.
Senators 1st Round Pick Grade: N/A
Senators 1956 Draft Grade: D (mostly by default thanks to trades)
Stay tuned for my National League draft analysis coming soon!
Baltimore Orioles:
1st Round Pick: P Gary Peters
2nd Round Pick: P Moe Drabowsky
3rd Round Pick: P Jack Curtis
4th Round Pick: LF John Weekly
5th Round Pick: P Jim Derrington
6th Round Pick: RF Em Lindbeck
7th Round Pick: P Tom McAvoy
Gary Peters could become a future ace for the Orioles.
In his first draft as a member of this league, DRowe made a very solid 1st round pick in Gary Peters. Peters could be a future anchor in the Orioles' rotation and is someone DRowe can add to an already young pitching staff.
Moe Drabowsky was a good choice in the 2nd round and is already major league ready. DRowe doesn't really have a spot for him right now, but could trade at least one of Bob Turley and/or Don Larsen to make room for Drabowsky in 1957.
Jack Curtis is another solid pitcher that was taken in the 3rd round. He could use a hits increase, but should at least be a decent middle-back end starting pitcher in the future.
John Weekly is probably a backup hitter at best. Jim Derrington could be a decent reliever if he improves his control. Em Lindbeck and Tom McAvoy both do not have much potential in particular.
All in all, the O's still lack young bats aside from Brooks Robinson and Andre Rodgers in the farm system, but now certainly have more than enough pitching for the future.
Orioles 1st Round Pick Grade: A
Orioles 1956 Draft Grade: A-
Boston Red Sox:
1st Round Pick: Traded to Pittsburgh
2nd Round Pick: P Bo Belinsky
3rd Round Pick: P Ed Hobaugh
4th Round Pick: 2B Cookie Rojas
5th Round Pick: SS Don E. Williams
6th Round Pick: LF Corky Withrow
7th Round Pick: P Hector Maestri
Break traded his 1st round pick in this draft to me and I feel I used it well. In the 2nd round, he took a gamble on Bo Belinsky. I wasn't a big fan in particular of this pick. Belinsky started with D duration and has a strong winning desire. Furthermore, his consistency/clutch combo is Very Inconsistent/Suffers, which doesn't help as well. Belinsky is solid nonetheless, although Break should probably reverse his homers PD soon.
Ed Hobaugh could be another useful pitcher for the Red Sox in the future. He's already a 3 in runs and could probably use a hits or walks increase in order to become a more effective reliever. He's a bullpen piece at the very least at this point.
Cookie Rojas could be a great utility backup player in the future that can play every position. Don Williams, Corky Withrow and Hector Maestri all have very little, if any potential.
Red Sox 1st Round Pick Grade: N/A
Red Sox 1956 Draft Grade: C
Chicago White Sox:
1st Round Pick: P Juan Pizarro
2nd Round Pick: P Phil Regan
3rd Round Pick: P Jim Donohue
4th Round Pick: C Bob Uecker
5th Round Pick: 2B Jay Ward
6th Round Pick: C Al Kenders
7th Round Pick: P Don R. Williams
Mark made a solid 1st round pick in Juan Pizarro, who could be major league ready as soon as 1957. Pizarro has middle rotation potential, but with some lucky PD's, he could be studly.
Phil Regan was a good choice in the 2nd round and is probably more suited as a reliever in the future. His ratings are nice, but his starting duration is not.
Jim Donohue could be another good reliever for the future, although he will probably need a homers or walks increase to be a better pitcher.
Bob Uecker's potential in the announcer's booth is light years higher than his potential as a player. Jay Ward, Al Kenders and Don Williams (another one?) will all keep the benches warm.
White Sox 1st Round Pick Grade: A-
White Sox 1956 Draft Grade: B+
Cleveland Indians:
1st Round Pick: P Mike F. McCormick
2nd Round Pick: P Art Mahaffey
3rd Round Pick: 1B Kent Hadley
4th Round Pick: P Joe Schaffernoth
5th Round Pick: P Ed V. Donnelly
6th Round Pick: P Carl Thomas
7th Round Pick: P George Werley
With Ashes currently on military leave, Chris made auto picks for the Indians throughout the draft. Mike McCormick was a very good 1st round pick and has good middle rotation potential right now.
Art Mahaffey was a decent 2nd round selection and has some potential as well. A homers or walks increase would make him even better. Better yet, his homers right now should actually get reversed.
Kent Hadley was taken in the 3rd round and could become a decent first baseman. He does not look like starter material though.
Joe Schaffernoth could be a decent reliever in the future. Ed Donnelly won't allow many home runs, but does not have that much potential beyond that. Carl Thomas shares the same name of a famous real life singer, but this Carl's potential is not high at all. The same could be said for George Werley as well.
Indians 1st Round Pick Grade: A-
Indians 1956 Draft Grade: B+
Detroit Tigers:
1st Round Pick: CF Vada Pinson
2nd Round Pick: LF Chuck Hinton
2nd Round Pick: RF Fred Valentine
3rd Round Pick: SS Leo Cardenas
4th Round Pick: 1B Tim Harkness
5th Round Pick: 2B Jerry Kindall
6th Round Pick: SS Ernie Bowman
7th Round Pick: P Scott Breeden
With so much pitching already, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that Trevor targeted hitters throughout most of this draft. Vada Pinson was a solid 1st round choice with good in hits and average in home runs. A home runs increase could turn the the speedy Pinson into a legit 30/30 threat every season. Even with fair in walks, he could still get on base quite a bit.
Chuck Hinton was Trevor's next pick. He's a decent second baseman, but could be even more valuable as a utility man in the future, being that he can play all positions except shortstop right now. Nonetheless, you don't necessarily need to use 2nd round picks on utility guys that can be found in later rounds.
Trevor's other 2nd round pick was another outfielder in Fred Valentine. Valentine is pretty much average across the board, so he could definitely use a hits increase. His potential right now is that of a fourth outfielder.
Leo Cardenas is a slight down grade compared to Hinton, with only fair in home runs. But he could be a decent shortstop or third baseman down the road. He doesn't look like a definite starter unless some good PD's come his way, but he could be a solid backup at the very least.
Tim Harkness could be a decent backup infielder. Jerry Kindall isn't bad for a 5th round pick now thanks to a great set of PD's, and is already a decent utility infielder. Ernie Bowman and Scott Breeden are likely to be minor league lifers.
Trevor had the right mindset for this draft with the team he has, but the results certainly could have been better for him.
Tigers 1st Round Pick Grade: A
Tigers 1956 Draft Grade: B+
Kansas City A's:
1st Round Pick: LF Billy L. Williams
2nd Round Pick: 1B Deron Johnson
3rd Round Pick: P Jack Lamabe
4th Round Pick: SS Elio Chacon
5th Round Pick: 1B Hal Jones
6th Round Pick: P Jim Bailey
7th Round Pick: P Alan Brice
Matt A.'s strategy of trading down to hopefully draft his beloved Billy Williams failed when Steve1213 took him third overall.
Like Trevor, Steve1213 needed bats in his system as well. With the 3rd overall pick, he broke Matt A.'s heart by drafting Billy Williams. Williams could soon be the A's franchise player once Gus Zernial starts to age more. Williams has great hitting and power potential and will draw his fair share of walks as well. A doubles or walks increase would make Williams that much better.
Deron Johnson was a solid 2nd round pick, but will definitely need a hits increase to be worth even more in the future. Unfortunately, he also has a strong winning desire, which could be a future problem for Steve1213 unless the A's start to really compete in the next few seasons. We'll see if that ends up happening, especially considering the gaping holes in the A's major league roster.
Jack Lamabe was a good 3rd round pick and could be the A's future closer down the road. A hits increase makes him even better and he's already 1 in runs at age 19.
Elio Chacon won't hit much but will draw a lot of walks. Hal Jones is a minor league lifer at worst or a major league bench bat at best. Jim Bailey and Alan Brice both have a long way to go if they ever want to see the major leagues.
Steve1213 got a few nice bats for his team, but the A's still have a long way to go before becoming a legitimate contender.
A's 1st Round Pick Grade: A
A's 1956 Draft Grade: A-
New York Yankees:
1st Round Pick: P Jim Perry
1st Round Pick: P Bob Lee
2nd Round Pick: P Hal Reniff
3rd Round Pick: Traded to Washington
4th Round Pick: C J.C. Martin
5th Round Pick: CF Ed Napoleon
6th Round Pick: 1B Rogelio Alvarez
Jim Perry was one of the better pitchers in this draft class and could help lead the Yankees to even more championships.
If any AL GM's were hoping the Yankees' run of success would soon come to an end, don't count on it. Chris has gotten the Yankees younger and still just as talented. And to top it off, the defending champions had two 1st round picks in this draft. Chris used the Senators' pick on Jim Perry who is nearly good across the board. He has at least middle rotation potential unless he gets a great PD or two in the future.
Chris' own 1st round pick went to Bob Lee. Lee could be a very good closer in the future. A walks increase would make him a beast. With current Yankees' closer Tom Gorman at 31, Chris was smart to plan for the future already.
Hal Reniff is another reliever with very good potential and one day could be Lee's setup man. Reniff is loyal as well, which is always nice.
Chris traded his 3rd round pick to the Senators. J.C. Martin could be a future backup catcher. Ed Napoleon and Rogelio Alvarez will be playing left and right bench, respectively in the minor leagues.
Chris has won two of the first three HOFFBL championships already and with the moves he has made, there is no reason to believe his postseason success will stop any time soon. Boy am I glad I'm in the National League....
Yankees 1st Round Picks Grade: A
Yankees 1956 Draft Grade: A
Washington Senators:
1st Round Pick: Traded to New York Yankees
2nd Round Pick: Traded to Detroit
3rd Round Pick: Traded to Chicago Cubs
4th Round Pick: LF Bud Zipfel
5th Round Pick: P Bert Cueto
6th Round Pick: C Nate Smith
7th Round Pick: P Bob Giallombardo
Adam was in a unique situation in this draft. He traded his 1st, 2nd and 3rd round picks to the Yankees, Tigers and Cubs, respectively. Thus, his picks in those rounds can't really be graded.
Bud Zipfel has decent backup potential. Bert Cueto, Nate Smith and Bob Giallombardo will need PD help to ever reach the major leagues.
Senators 1st Round Pick Grade: N/A
Senators 1956 Draft Grade: D (mostly by default thanks to trades)
Stay tuned for my National League draft analysis coming soon!
