Post by Sha-Le Unique on Mar 13, 2014 1:14:38 GMT -5
And now we move onto the National League teams. Let's see how they did!
Brooklyn Dodgers:
1st Round Pick: CF Curt Flood
2nd Round Pick: P Jack Baldschun
2nd Round Pick: P Jim Brewer
3rd Round Pick: 2B Julian Javier
4th Round Pick: SS Gordon Mackenzie
5th Round Pick: C Neil Wilson
6th Round Pick: CF Dick Berardino
Curt Flood could eventually become the Dodgers' center fielder of the future.
As the defending National League champion, Jeremy's draft position obviously wasn't particularly great. In the 1st round he started his draft by taking Curt Flood. Flood looks like a solid center fielder right now and could be a big part of the Dodgers' future for sure. He should probably learn a few more positions and maybe even get a walks increase before making his eventual major league debut.
In the 2nd round, Jeremy drafted Jack Baldschun who could be good future closer for him, especially if he gets a walks increase. He could even become a starter if Jeremy increases his relief duration to B, then uses two spring trainings to get to A duration and then ultimately convert into a starter. It will be interesting to see if that ends up happening.
Jeremy used another 2nd round pick he got from the Cardinals on Jim Brewer. Brewer could make it as either a starting pitcher or reliever. It depends on how Jeremy decides to use him. Brewer could use a hits increase and a duration increase to be a more effective starter if that's the route Jeremy ends up choosing.
Julian Javier looks like a decent infielder that happens to have a pretty good amount of speed. His recent PD drop in homers isn't all that bad, being that he doesn't look like a starter anyway at this point.
There isn't much to look forward to with both Gordon Mackenzie and Dick Berardino. Neil Wilson has already been released.
Jeremy did well for the position he was in during the draft. He didn't get any remarkable studs, but his picks were still pretty good.
Dodgers 1st Round Pick Grade: A-
Dodgers 1956 Draft Grade: B+
Chicago Cubs:
1st Round Pick: P Tetsuya Yoneda
2nd Round Pick: 1B Don Mincher
2nd Round Pick: CF Jimmie Hall
3rd Round Pick: P Nelson Chittum
3rd Round Pick: P Howie Koplitz
4th Round Pick: 2B Bobby Knoop
5th Round Pick: C Noboru Fujishige
6th Round Pick: P Don Choate
7th Round Pick: 1B Dave Jordan
At first glance, it's pretty clear that Matt A. had a very solid draft this season and his Cubbies needed it! He traded down in the 1st round in hopes of drafting Billy Williams. Unfortunately for him, that ended up backfiring on him. Instead, he ended up with Tetsuya Yoneda. Yoneda could be major league ready very soon and is good nearly across the board. The minimal/loyal combo is very nice as well.
The first of two 2nd round picks, Don Mincher has good potential, but will definitely need a hits increase in the future. The same could be said about Matt's other 2nd round pick, Jimmie Hall. A stealing ability increase could make him more dangerous on the bases as well.
Matt also had a pair of 3rd round picks. He used them on two pitchers. Nelson Chittum could be a good reliever in a few seasons and could use a hits increase himself. The other pitcher was another reliever in Howie Koplitz. Koplitz could become another reliever in the Cubs' future bullpen his potential right now is almost as good as that of Chittum.
Bobby Knoop, Don Choate and Dave Jordan are probably destined to be benchwarmers. Noboru Fujishige has already been released.
Matt A. had one of the best drafts of anyone. He really loaded up on young talent despite not drafting Billy Williams. The Cubs' future 5-6 years from now could be very very promising.
Cubs 1st Round Pick Grade: A
Cubs 1956 Draft Grade: A
Cincinnati Reds:
1st Round Pick: P Kazuhisa Inao
2nd Round Pick: Traded to Chicago Cubs
3rd Round Pick: P Bill Pleis
4th Round Pick: P Bob G. Allen
5th Round Pick: CF Cananea Reyes
6th Round Pick: C Bobby Catton
7th Round Pick: P Phil Mudrock
Jeff traded up in the draft to get the 2nd overall pick. While doing so, he sacrificed his 2nd round pick in addition to his own 1st round pick. With the 2nd overall pick, Jeff drafted Kazuhisa Inao who is already major league ready and could certainly join the Reds' rotation next season at just 19 years old.
In the 3rd round, Jeff selected Bill Pleis who will probably have a lot more success against left-handed hitters and could either be a starter or reliever in the future. That of course would depend on how Jeff would prefer to use him.
Bob Allen has decent relief potential but will probably need a hits increase to amount to anything special. Cananea Reyes, Bobby Catton and Phil Mudrock should make themselves at home in the minor leagues because that is almost certainly as far as they will ever go.
Jeff had a good draft for someone that traded his 2nd round pick. He will need all the minor league help he can get to compete in the future.
Reds 1st Round Pick Grade: A+
Reds 1956 Draft Grade: A-
Milwaukee Braves:
1st Round Pick: RF Jim L. Hickman
2nd Round Pick: P Tracy Stallard
3rd Round Pick: SS Ron Hansen
4th Round Pick: C Chris Cannizzaro
5th Round Pick: P Gordon Seyfried
6th Round Pick: LF Don Miles
Jim Hickman was an original real life Met and could become yet another premier slugger for the Braves here.
Searching through all the many useless scrubs Steve has in his minors (and probably should have released already), I was finally able to find the guys he drafted.
Steve drafted Jim Hickman in the 1st round. He is a decent player overall, but is only average in hits. Hickman's homers are also average, but he recently got a bad PD there. Steve would be wise to use some of his many points to reverse that homers PD and then use even more points to increase his hits. If he does all that, Hickman will be a legit stud for sure.
Tracy Stallard is a solid swingman that could be effective as a starter (with an increase to D duration) or a reliever. He may give up his fair share of walks, but should still be a good pitcher regardless.
Ron Hansen is a mediocre hitter that could turn into a useful utility infielder, but that he already knows every infield position. He will need a lot of PD help to even have a chance of being a starter somewhere.
Chris Cannizzaro, Gordon Seyfried and Don Miles will keep the Braves' benches warm.
Steve's draft was good, but not great by any means. Again, Hickman will need that homers reversal and a hits increase for Steve's draft to look particularly good. Stallard and Hansen were decent picks, but neither are that special.
Braves 1st Round Pick Grade: A-
Braves 1956 Draft Grade: B
New York Giants:
1st Round Pick: C Gene Oliver
2nd Round Pick: P Ron Taylor
3rd Round Pick: C Cam Carreon
4th Round Pick: 3B Frank Kostro
5th Round Pick: CF Jack Ladra
6th Round Pick: P Dave Tyriver
It's too bad Spencer isn't as active here as he is in BBSBL. My guess is he is waiting for the Giants here to finally move to San Francisco, which will happen soon enough.
Spencer began his draft by selecting Gene Oliver. Oliver has nice ratings for a catcher and could use a hits increase for sure. A catcher with good in both hits and home runs is rare and obviously very nice to have. The Giants have very little catching depth right now, so all signs point to Oliver being their catcher of the future.
I really wanted to draft Ron Taylor, being that he was a real life Met in 1969. First I miss Al Jackson to the Cardinals and now this...oh well. Anyway, Taylor has really good ratings for a reliever and with a SP duration increase, could become a productive starter as well. If Spencer later decides to use Taylor as his closer, that would definitely be a good choice.
Spencer then took another catcher in Cam Carreon. Carreon is more likely to be a backup catcher, but he would be decent as a backup and not just a pushover. Spencer could make him useful with a hits increase though.
Frank Kostro could possibly be a future utility player. Jack Ladra and Dave Tyriver should start working on their golf games because both of their potentials in baseball are not high at all.
Spencer made a great 1st round pick in Oliver and the Taylor pick was nice too. He probably could've done better in the 3rd round than Carreon though.
Giants 1st Round Pick Grade: A
Giants 1956 Draft Grade: A-
Philadelphia Phillies:
1st Round Pick: P Don Lee
2nd Round Pick: P Jay Ritchie
3rd Round Pick: C Clay Dalrymple
4th Round Pick: 3B Bob Aspromonte
5th Round Pick: P George Perez
6th Round Pick: 3B Joe Sparks
Oren's draft began with selecting Don Lee in the 1st round. Lee is already major league ready and should be in the Phillies' 1957 rotation. He is good nearly across the board and his duration could be increased to C as well. Pretty damn good for a 13th overall pick. Oren seems to always find the diamonds in the rough that others may overlook. He's got a good eye like that.
Jay Ritchie could be a future piece to the Phillies' bullpen and should be even more useful if he gets a hits increase. He's also loyal which only makes him look that much more valuable.
Clay Dalrymple could be a future backup catcher for the Phillies, but with Smokey Burgess and Joe Lonnett already on the roster, there may not be any room for him down the road. Despite not being the best hitter, Dalrymple should provide reliable defense.
Bob Aspromonte and George Perez will be pending more time soaking up Florida sunshine than actually playing in the minor leagues. By the time all their teammates advance through the minor leagues and possibly even reach the major leagues, those two will most likely be coaching back at their old high schools. As for Joe Sparks, Oren already sent him packing to who knows where.
Oren's draft started out very well and was very solid overall.
Phillies 1st Round Pick Grade: A
Phillies 1956 Draft Grade: A-
Pittsburgh Pirates:
1st Round Pick: P Mike Cuellar
1st Round Pick: RF Felipe Alou
2nd Round Pick: LF Tommy Davis
3rd Round Pick: P Wes Stock
4th Round Pick: C Buck Rodgers
5th Round Pick: P Ron Moeller
6th Round Pick: P Jim Heise
7th Round Pick: 1B Moose Stubing
Mike Cuellar helped lead the Orioles to a pair of World Series championships in reality. Hopefully, he will one day be able to lead the Pirates to the promised land in this league.
For the third consecutive season, I had the first overall pick in the draft. It was a no-brainer for me to take Mike Cuellar. A pitcher with brilliants in both home runs and walks, plus good in hits and A duration is sick! Cuellar has a ton of potential and could be yet another big piece to an already young and talented Pirates' rotation. For as good as my current major league pitchers could become, I expect Cuellar to be that much better than them all. His ground ball percentage is really good as well.
I then used my other 1st round pick that I got from the Red Sox on Felipe Alou. Alou can already play every position except second base and could be a very good hitter in the future. He recently got a bad PD to his home runs, but I chose not reverse it because he might just end up being backup depth for me unless I trade him, which could also happen.
In the 2nd round, I added even more young outfield depth in Tommy Davis. At just 17, Davis, like Alou can already play every position other than second base. He has very good potential himself as a hitter but will need years to develop.
I then selected Wes Stock in the 3rd round to add as future bullpen depth. In spring training, I was able to increase his starting duration to D just in case any other teams are interested in him as a starter. Stock has nice potential as either a starter or reliever and is already 2 in runs.
Buck Rodgers could be a future backup catcher one day, but he isn't the only catcher in my organization that could one day be Elston Howard's backup. Ron Moeller looks mediocre but may be able to find his way to my roster one day. Time will tell. Probably won't happen though.
Moose Stubing got released immediately after the draft was completed and Jim Heise followed him shortly after. They were taking up space and had no use for my team, so I simply told both of them (at different times of course) to get the fuck out.
I really like my draft here. The only other GM that could have had a better than me would be Matt A. and his Cubs. Having top picks in each round certainly helped, but I just really liked the choices I made in the first three rounds. I think Cuellar could become a future ace, while Alou and Davis could be starting outfielders once they get to the majors. Stock could certainly be part of my future rotation or bullpen as well.
Pirates 1st Round Picks Grade: A+
Pirates 1956 Draft Grade: A
St. Louis Cardinals:
1st Round Pick: P Fred Gladding
2nd Round Pick: Traded to Brooklyn
3rd Round Pick: RF Joe Gaines
4th Round Pick: P Ed Bauta
5th Round Pick: CF Barry Shetrone
6th Round Pick: P Ron Goerger
7th Round Pick: P Steven Watson
Matt C. took Fred Gladding with his 1st round pick. Gladding has very good potential for a future closer. He is nearly good across the board and has a very nice ground ball percentage. Matt had a few other options available that would have possibly been better, but if finding future bullpen upgrades was his goal, he did well with it.
Matt traded his 2nd round pick to his arch-nemesis Jeremy and the Dodgers. He then selected outfielder Joe Gaines in the 3rd round. Gaines has decent potential, but will need a hits or home runs increase to become more than just a future backup for the Cardinals. He's loyal, which is nice, but defensively, he could be a bit of a liability.
Ed Bauta was one of the better 4th round picks. Matt lucked out there. He has some potential to be a future bullpen piece. Barry Shetrone made headlines in spring training by losing his ability to play the outfield. He is now a first baseman with a terrible fielding percentage. There is nothing else fascinating about him besides that. Pitchers Ron Goerger and Steven Watson don't offer much at all to the Cardinals and both should probably get cut.
Matt had a decent draft, but could have done a bit better in the 1st round.
Cardinals 1st Round Pick Grade: B+
Cardinals 1956 Draft Grade: B-
That's all for this year! Volume 4 coming in 1957. In the meantime, keep an eye out for some FPR rankings for the NL teams!
Brooklyn Dodgers:
1st Round Pick: CF Curt Flood
2nd Round Pick: P Jack Baldschun
2nd Round Pick: P Jim Brewer
3rd Round Pick: 2B Julian Javier
4th Round Pick: SS Gordon Mackenzie
5th Round Pick: C Neil Wilson
6th Round Pick: CF Dick Berardino
Curt Flood could eventually become the Dodgers' center fielder of the future.
As the defending National League champion, Jeremy's draft position obviously wasn't particularly great. In the 1st round he started his draft by taking Curt Flood. Flood looks like a solid center fielder right now and could be a big part of the Dodgers' future for sure. He should probably learn a few more positions and maybe even get a walks increase before making his eventual major league debut.
In the 2nd round, Jeremy drafted Jack Baldschun who could be good future closer for him, especially if he gets a walks increase. He could even become a starter if Jeremy increases his relief duration to B, then uses two spring trainings to get to A duration and then ultimately convert into a starter. It will be interesting to see if that ends up happening.
Jeremy used another 2nd round pick he got from the Cardinals on Jim Brewer. Brewer could make it as either a starting pitcher or reliever. It depends on how Jeremy decides to use him. Brewer could use a hits increase and a duration increase to be a more effective starter if that's the route Jeremy ends up choosing.
Julian Javier looks like a decent infielder that happens to have a pretty good amount of speed. His recent PD drop in homers isn't all that bad, being that he doesn't look like a starter anyway at this point.
There isn't much to look forward to with both Gordon Mackenzie and Dick Berardino. Neil Wilson has already been released.
Jeremy did well for the position he was in during the draft. He didn't get any remarkable studs, but his picks were still pretty good.
Dodgers 1st Round Pick Grade: A-
Dodgers 1956 Draft Grade: B+
Chicago Cubs:
1st Round Pick: P Tetsuya Yoneda
2nd Round Pick: 1B Don Mincher
2nd Round Pick: CF Jimmie Hall
3rd Round Pick: P Nelson Chittum
3rd Round Pick: P Howie Koplitz
4th Round Pick: 2B Bobby Knoop
5th Round Pick: C Noboru Fujishige
6th Round Pick: P Don Choate
7th Round Pick: 1B Dave Jordan
At first glance, it's pretty clear that Matt A. had a very solid draft this season and his Cubbies needed it! He traded down in the 1st round in hopes of drafting Billy Williams. Unfortunately for him, that ended up backfiring on him. Instead, he ended up with Tetsuya Yoneda. Yoneda could be major league ready very soon and is good nearly across the board. The minimal/loyal combo is very nice as well.
The first of two 2nd round picks, Don Mincher has good potential, but will definitely need a hits increase in the future. The same could be said about Matt's other 2nd round pick, Jimmie Hall. A stealing ability increase could make him more dangerous on the bases as well.
Matt also had a pair of 3rd round picks. He used them on two pitchers. Nelson Chittum could be a good reliever in a few seasons and could use a hits increase himself. The other pitcher was another reliever in Howie Koplitz. Koplitz could become another reliever in the Cubs' future bullpen his potential right now is almost as good as that of Chittum.
Bobby Knoop, Don Choate and Dave Jordan are probably destined to be benchwarmers. Noboru Fujishige has already been released.
Matt A. had one of the best drafts of anyone. He really loaded up on young talent despite not drafting Billy Williams. The Cubs' future 5-6 years from now could be very very promising.
Cubs 1st Round Pick Grade: A
Cubs 1956 Draft Grade: A
Cincinnati Reds:
1st Round Pick: P Kazuhisa Inao
2nd Round Pick: Traded to Chicago Cubs
3rd Round Pick: P Bill Pleis
4th Round Pick: P Bob G. Allen
5th Round Pick: CF Cananea Reyes
6th Round Pick: C Bobby Catton
7th Round Pick: P Phil Mudrock
Jeff traded up in the draft to get the 2nd overall pick. While doing so, he sacrificed his 2nd round pick in addition to his own 1st round pick. With the 2nd overall pick, Jeff drafted Kazuhisa Inao who is already major league ready and could certainly join the Reds' rotation next season at just 19 years old.
In the 3rd round, Jeff selected Bill Pleis who will probably have a lot more success against left-handed hitters and could either be a starter or reliever in the future. That of course would depend on how Jeff would prefer to use him.
Bob Allen has decent relief potential but will probably need a hits increase to amount to anything special. Cananea Reyes, Bobby Catton and Phil Mudrock should make themselves at home in the minor leagues because that is almost certainly as far as they will ever go.
Jeff had a good draft for someone that traded his 2nd round pick. He will need all the minor league help he can get to compete in the future.
Reds 1st Round Pick Grade: A+
Reds 1956 Draft Grade: A-
Milwaukee Braves:
1st Round Pick: RF Jim L. Hickman
2nd Round Pick: P Tracy Stallard
3rd Round Pick: SS Ron Hansen
4th Round Pick: C Chris Cannizzaro
5th Round Pick: P Gordon Seyfried
6th Round Pick: LF Don Miles
Jim Hickman was an original real life Met and could become yet another premier slugger for the Braves here.
Searching through all the many useless scrubs Steve has in his minors (and probably should have released already), I was finally able to find the guys he drafted.
Steve drafted Jim Hickman in the 1st round. He is a decent player overall, but is only average in hits. Hickman's homers are also average, but he recently got a bad PD there. Steve would be wise to use some of his many points to reverse that homers PD and then use even more points to increase his hits. If he does all that, Hickman will be a legit stud for sure.
Tracy Stallard is a solid swingman that could be effective as a starter (with an increase to D duration) or a reliever. He may give up his fair share of walks, but should still be a good pitcher regardless.
Ron Hansen is a mediocre hitter that could turn into a useful utility infielder, but that he already knows every infield position. He will need a lot of PD help to even have a chance of being a starter somewhere.
Chris Cannizzaro, Gordon Seyfried and Don Miles will keep the Braves' benches warm.
Steve's draft was good, but not great by any means. Again, Hickman will need that homers reversal and a hits increase for Steve's draft to look particularly good. Stallard and Hansen were decent picks, but neither are that special.
Braves 1st Round Pick Grade: A-
Braves 1956 Draft Grade: B
New York Giants:
1st Round Pick: C Gene Oliver
2nd Round Pick: P Ron Taylor
3rd Round Pick: C Cam Carreon
4th Round Pick: 3B Frank Kostro
5th Round Pick: CF Jack Ladra
6th Round Pick: P Dave Tyriver
It's too bad Spencer isn't as active here as he is in BBSBL. My guess is he is waiting for the Giants here to finally move to San Francisco, which will happen soon enough.
Spencer began his draft by selecting Gene Oliver. Oliver has nice ratings for a catcher and could use a hits increase for sure. A catcher with good in both hits and home runs is rare and obviously very nice to have. The Giants have very little catching depth right now, so all signs point to Oliver being their catcher of the future.
I really wanted to draft Ron Taylor, being that he was a real life Met in 1969. First I miss Al Jackson to the Cardinals and now this...oh well. Anyway, Taylor has really good ratings for a reliever and with a SP duration increase, could become a productive starter as well. If Spencer later decides to use Taylor as his closer, that would definitely be a good choice.
Spencer then took another catcher in Cam Carreon. Carreon is more likely to be a backup catcher, but he would be decent as a backup and not just a pushover. Spencer could make him useful with a hits increase though.
Frank Kostro could possibly be a future utility player. Jack Ladra and Dave Tyriver should start working on their golf games because both of their potentials in baseball are not high at all.
Spencer made a great 1st round pick in Oliver and the Taylor pick was nice too. He probably could've done better in the 3rd round than Carreon though.
Giants 1st Round Pick Grade: A
Giants 1956 Draft Grade: A-
Philadelphia Phillies:
1st Round Pick: P Don Lee
2nd Round Pick: P Jay Ritchie
3rd Round Pick: C Clay Dalrymple
4th Round Pick: 3B Bob Aspromonte
5th Round Pick: P George Perez
6th Round Pick: 3B Joe Sparks
Oren's draft began with selecting Don Lee in the 1st round. Lee is already major league ready and should be in the Phillies' 1957 rotation. He is good nearly across the board and his duration could be increased to C as well. Pretty damn good for a 13th overall pick. Oren seems to always find the diamonds in the rough that others may overlook. He's got a good eye like that.
Jay Ritchie could be a future piece to the Phillies' bullpen and should be even more useful if he gets a hits increase. He's also loyal which only makes him look that much more valuable.
Clay Dalrymple could be a future backup catcher for the Phillies, but with Smokey Burgess and Joe Lonnett already on the roster, there may not be any room for him down the road. Despite not being the best hitter, Dalrymple should provide reliable defense.
Bob Aspromonte and George Perez will be pending more time soaking up Florida sunshine than actually playing in the minor leagues. By the time all their teammates advance through the minor leagues and possibly even reach the major leagues, those two will most likely be coaching back at their old high schools. As for Joe Sparks, Oren already sent him packing to who knows where.
Oren's draft started out very well and was very solid overall.
Phillies 1st Round Pick Grade: A
Phillies 1956 Draft Grade: A-
Pittsburgh Pirates:
1st Round Pick: P Mike Cuellar
1st Round Pick: RF Felipe Alou
2nd Round Pick: LF Tommy Davis
3rd Round Pick: P Wes Stock
4th Round Pick: C Buck Rodgers
5th Round Pick: P Ron Moeller
6th Round Pick: P Jim Heise
7th Round Pick: 1B Moose Stubing
Mike Cuellar helped lead the Orioles to a pair of World Series championships in reality. Hopefully, he will one day be able to lead the Pirates to the promised land in this league.
For the third consecutive season, I had the first overall pick in the draft. It was a no-brainer for me to take Mike Cuellar. A pitcher with brilliants in both home runs and walks, plus good in hits and A duration is sick! Cuellar has a ton of potential and could be yet another big piece to an already young and talented Pirates' rotation. For as good as my current major league pitchers could become, I expect Cuellar to be that much better than them all. His ground ball percentage is really good as well.
I then used my other 1st round pick that I got from the Red Sox on Felipe Alou. Alou can already play every position except second base and could be a very good hitter in the future. He recently got a bad PD to his home runs, but I chose not reverse it because he might just end up being backup depth for me unless I trade him, which could also happen.
In the 2nd round, I added even more young outfield depth in Tommy Davis. At just 17, Davis, like Alou can already play every position other than second base. He has very good potential himself as a hitter but will need years to develop.
I then selected Wes Stock in the 3rd round to add as future bullpen depth. In spring training, I was able to increase his starting duration to D just in case any other teams are interested in him as a starter. Stock has nice potential as either a starter or reliever and is already 2 in runs.
Buck Rodgers could be a future backup catcher one day, but he isn't the only catcher in my organization that could one day be Elston Howard's backup. Ron Moeller looks mediocre but may be able to find his way to my roster one day. Time will tell. Probably won't happen though.
Moose Stubing got released immediately after the draft was completed and Jim Heise followed him shortly after. They were taking up space and had no use for my team, so I simply told both of them (at different times of course) to get the fuck out.
I really like my draft here. The only other GM that could have had a better than me would be Matt A. and his Cubs. Having top picks in each round certainly helped, but I just really liked the choices I made in the first three rounds. I think Cuellar could become a future ace, while Alou and Davis could be starting outfielders once they get to the majors. Stock could certainly be part of my future rotation or bullpen as well.
Pirates 1st Round Picks Grade: A+
Pirates 1956 Draft Grade: A
St. Louis Cardinals:
1st Round Pick: P Fred Gladding
2nd Round Pick: Traded to Brooklyn
3rd Round Pick: RF Joe Gaines
4th Round Pick: P Ed Bauta
5th Round Pick: CF Barry Shetrone
6th Round Pick: P Ron Goerger
7th Round Pick: P Steven Watson
Matt C. took Fred Gladding with his 1st round pick. Gladding has very good potential for a future closer. He is nearly good across the board and has a very nice ground ball percentage. Matt had a few other options available that would have possibly been better, but if finding future bullpen upgrades was his goal, he did well with it.
Matt traded his 2nd round pick to his arch-nemesis Jeremy and the Dodgers. He then selected outfielder Joe Gaines in the 3rd round. Gaines has decent potential, but will need a hits or home runs increase to become more than just a future backup for the Cardinals. He's loyal, which is nice, but defensively, he could be a bit of a liability.
Ed Bauta was one of the better 4th round picks. Matt lucked out there. He has some potential to be a future bullpen piece. Barry Shetrone made headlines in spring training by losing his ability to play the outfield. He is now a first baseman with a terrible fielding percentage. There is nothing else fascinating about him besides that. Pitchers Ron Goerger and Steven Watson don't offer much at all to the Cardinals and both should probably get cut.
Matt had a decent draft, but could have done a bit better in the 1st round.
Cardinals 1st Round Pick Grade: B+
Cardinals 1956 Draft Grade: B-
That's all for this year! Volume 4 coming in 1957. In the meantime, keep an eye out for some FPR rankings for the NL teams!
