*1998 BLB Amateur Draft*

[Clay]

Thoughts on Ladd/Adame/Bertrand/Rodriguez, Clay?

All Top 100 IMO

LADD should debut the highest. Top 50 for sure. In fact, he'll compete with the Catcher (SANTANA) as the Top Position Player from this draft on the day after the draft.

ADAME would be next. He's in a tier with the DWYER kid who was taken last. Top 75 for sure... maybe as high as high 40's. Those two are pretty interchangeable by the way this list seems to be calculated.

I think there are at least two other position players that fall in the mid-tier between LADD and ADAME/DWYER.

BERTRAND and RODRIGUEZ are on the high side of the Top 100 to me. I have 5 IFs in the Top 100... these two are #4-5 on the list. Though, to be fair, that group is really tight for me.

****

NOW.... taking off my "what I think the game/OSA/Top Prospects List will think of the draft" hat.... here's my personal take on these 4....

Ladd - Hometown kid goes to DC. Poor man's TJ Knudson type project. Quite poor though. He doesn't run quite as well. His defense isn't as good. And, even at full potential, he's only 80% of Knudson. That being said, he's got potential but a LONG way to go. The injuries would have scared me off this kid. You just can't develop if you're not playing. That being said, someone like this needs a team the manages the shit out of their minors. Perfect landing spot for him is a place like DC. If he ends up somewhere like Los Alamos, he's out of the universe by 22.

Adame - He's a Virginia type guy. His BLB OBP will be more in the .350 range which I don't love... but good lefty stick with wheels to burn. Wish he was a better defender (feeder league defensive stats tend to be misleading), but still think he has a great chance of a strong future in the BLB. Like the pick very much.

Bertrand - One of those weird guys who rode the bench for an entire season in the middle of his career (Sophomore year). I think he's too high here. One thing I've noticed in the last two versions of the game, far fewer 1B prospects in the draft. I think Bertrand is a 1B when push comes to shove. If he was a legit middle infielder, I think he's a good pick Top 10.... he's not.

Rodriguez - He's BLB ready. He'll play by the end of this year on the right team. Like Bertrand, I think he's a 1B/DH type or a really, really rough 3B. At 23, needs to go to a team that wants to play him almost immediately. Really like his upside.

[Spectre]

I'm about to make the pick FYI, bear with me

[Spectre]

Took Joey Simpson, probably a bit of a reach given that its hard to project whether he's a starter or reliever. Basically, my scout thinks he's got three pitches though his third pitch is garbage. His fastball and cutter are very good pitchers. If he can maintain that third pitch, I think he'll be a middle of the rotation starter. If I miss, I think he'll be at worst a solid reliever. Not so much bust potential but not a ton of boom potential either. Like I said above, a little bit of a reach but I really wanted to nab a starter with one of my two first round picks. Also, none of the positional players really stood out to me at this point in the draft.

[Z]

Simpson was on my board for that pick. Solid choice.

[tomr1962]

stuck at work with no scout...I thought the young SS would be around. Crap shoot now

[Dave]

It's ok. There was really no way to prepare for the possibility, however remote, that the one guy you wanted would be taken 15 picks into the draft. Take your time.

[spot]

It's ok. There was really no way to prepare for the possibility, however remote, that the one guy you wanted would be taken 15 picks into the draft. Take your time.

[Delandis]

It's ok. There was really no way to prepare for the possibility, however remote, that the one guy you wanted would be taken 15 picks into the draft. Take your time.

And the draft has officially begun.

[BradZ]

Wilmington pick is in, New Orleans is on the clock

[Jistic]

And the draft has officially begun.

I miss Skerik sometimes.

[Clay]

Wilmington is in. Mr Happy is up.

[Jistic]

Mr Happy is up.

That's what she said?

[Z]

I miss Skerik sometimes.

[Dave]

New Orleans drafts closer Zachary "Attackery" Mack. We expect him to debut in the 99-100 range on the top prospects list and then slowly fade into obscurity, culminating in his retirement from baseball by age 25 and subsequent conviction of a violent crime.

[Z]

New Orleans drafts closer Zachary "Attackery" Mack. We expect him to debut in the 99-100 range on the top prospects list and then slowly fade into obscurity, culminating in his retirement from baseball by age 25 and subsequent conviction of a violent crime.