2022 Draft Utility is live - Draft clock starts Wednesday 7/12

[BradZ]

And it continues, WAS takes a CF prospect I wanted to take a flyer on.

[liquidcrash]

And it continues, WAS takes a CF prospect I wanted to take a flyer on.

Obviously, we're both having excellent drafts.

[Pat]

1.1 - Johnny Swope - I'm obviously happy with the pick but when picking #1 you will always be looking at the prospects that went shortly after to see who turns out the best. It's often not the first pick. I went back and forth between Swope and CF Robby Brooksher. I also highly considered trading down into the #3-#9 range. I think SP Pat Arballo has the best potential of any prospect in the draft but I went RH HS SP #1 last season and knew I would go collegiate hitter this season. He potentially has positional versatility all over the diamond but ultimately might stay at 3B when he reaches the BLB level. With Ulloa and Nieto in the fold, we desperately needed a RH power hitter to protect them and Swope could be in the BLB by seasons end. I think a few prospects will debut above him but I think he has the best chance to be the top hitter from this class but it will be interesting to see where he ends up as a defender.

2.1 - SS Jimmy Collins - This draft was unusually deep at SS. After three went in the first round, I couldn't wait any longer to get one of the "good ones." Collins might have lasted a bit longer but he was the top SS on my board and I think he has a good chance to be a two-way threat at a position devoid of those types of talents. His HR potential fits well for my park and I'm hopeful he can cut down on the errors. I consider going with OF/P J.D. Fazlic in this spot, or again, trading down. I have always wanted to a legit prospect who can be a pitcher or hitter, just to see what how I could manage them in the IL.

3.1 P Ron Valentine - His makeup actually reminds me a lot of a pitcher I bet none of you have heard of or remember. Back in 1988 I acquired a 19-year-old RP named Ivan Garcia. He was armed with three plus pitches and three stamina. That was the year we converted to a new version and any pitcher with three pitches and more than "2" stamina, was able to be a SP. He immediately jumped from nowhere on the prospect list to Top 10 and I tried him out as a SP. In seven Triple-A starts he had a 0.63 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 11 K/9. He was promoted to the BLB at 20 and blew out his arm. Fast forward to current day, Valentine has a 3 stamina (4 from my scout) and three plus pitches, including a circle change potential of 8. He won't turn 18 until December and his control needs work but I like what I see so far. It was between him and C Dave Blackmon. I think he has a good chance to be the best catcher in this draft but I do have some decent talent at the position in the BLB and a prospect I'm fairly high on in Double-A. However, I have no doubt Blackmon will be good for Washington.

4.1 SP Milt Wolfe - OSA loves him at 5-6-7, three plus pitches (four total), groundball and very high intelligence. High school stats are hard to read into sometimes but he looks like the 4th best statistically behind Arballo, Dunn and Brunke. It was between him and RP Robby Wilson who went to Pawtucket. Wilson has low intelligence and low work ethic, which was the difference in the selection. But he has the potential to be a good closer and might even make it as a starter.

4.23 CF Pat Cerveny - A defense first CF who is out for the year with an ACL. He won the 2021 DWI for CF and might have won it a 2nd year if he stayed healthy. The injury is somewhat worrisome as his strength is OF range and running speed but I think he will make a full recovery. It was between him, 1B B.J. Garbarino and RP Colin Lorden. After passing on Brooksher at #1, I really wanted to land a CF prospect as we are without anything close to a Top 100 CF in or our minors. Garbarino mashed everything in sight but wouldn't have a position here. I love Lorden and I think he ends up a really good pitcher.

5.16 "SS" Johnny Satterfield - He is not a SS. Probably a more natural 3B, I will try and teach Satterfield LF/RF. A bit of a ratings selection as both my scout and OSA think he will be a BLB quality hitter. Maybe playing out of position for two years hurt him at the plate? It was between him and the player I selected at 6.1.

6.1 C Dwayne Boyles - OSA isn't a huge fan but his stats project more to what my scout thinks. After passing on Blackmon, I did want to add another C prospect to the system. Not a huge need, but we only have one I think is a for sure BLB player. Boyles is a little greedy but I was intrigued by the fact that he hit .400 on the road this year. Not a good defender but has a chance to reach the BLB soon if his bat continues his statistical trend. OF Tristen James was #2 on my list at the time.

7.1 CF Tommy Catchings - He's a gamble. OSA thinks he will never hit good enough to be a BLB player but my scout thinks he has a chance to at least be an average CF hitter. He won the 2022 DWI and was by far the highest remaining prospect on the Draft List. Who knows what that means though as it often doesn't follow true when you get further down the names. His intangibles are terrible and I'm sure wherever he plays his teammates will hate him. But, to get a potential DWI CF in the 7th, I took a shot. My board got ravaged at the end of the 6th round: Pat Rene, Alexis Moran and

Bo Bates were my top three.

7.16 OF Dave Fink - I was pretty happy to land him here after trading up. He won the 2021 CCBL Hitter of the Year, mashing 20 HRs and posting a gaudy 177 OPS+...while playing out of position in CF. Then in 2022, he was only a part time player seeing action at 3B, LF, CF and RF, but only 82 ABs and 32 games. His production was pretty poor during this season. I don't know how the CPU handles these things. Did they get a good CF at the school and didn't want to bench other players at LF/RF/DH? Did he take a major ratings hit and they removed him from the lineup? I couldn't imagine in real life a player winning batter of the year and then getting benched. In the past I have selected players based off one-year-wonder statistical seasons and none have panned out. But, I think Fink might be different.

9.23 - TBD - I should go pitcher here but my big board is still loaded with hitters. I will probably shop the pick as well because our Single-A team is flooded with teenagers.

[Pat]

SP Vic Berry was the top pitcher on my board. Good pick.

[Guest]

Took SS Mike Kill at 8.8....has the work ethic of a dead deer, but my scout has him at 6/5/5/6/5 potential, also a potential defensive wizard.

[PaulC]

It's been an odd draft for us as California has had only our pick each round, which did not allow for much excitement in Kodiak land.

With pick 7.25 we finally take our first pitcher. We took pitcher Tony Garcia out of Rice. His stats are terrible, but 5/6/6 potential and three plus pitches to go with a 6 stamina and a 64% roundball rate was too much potential to pass on in the 7th round.

For only having the 25th pick in each round, we hopefully restocked a farm system that is currently 12th, but devoid of any much top level talent.

3 picks to go... And still guys in our queue... Not sure if that's good or not?!

[BDub]

Best name in the draft?

C Smush Brundidge

[Delandis]

FA folllowing the draft should be interesting.

[Pat]

Sorry for delay guys.

Went to put baby to bed, with utility ready.... slept until feeding....slept some more.

[umd]

My draft is done. I'm happy with how it turned out. I drafted an entire rotation for the Rum Runners:

1.3 SP Pat "Baja" Arballo - it'll be about eight years to see if this just turned 17 year old is the ace he projects as.

1.24 SP Erik Peterson - we went "safe" here taking the SP that my scout liked a bit better than OSA. His control and plus pitch potential outweighed fireballer Philip Williams who my scout projected to have serious control issues.

2.19 SP Federico Cabrera - almost took Cabrera at 1.24 and then tried to trade up for him. Luckily he fell to me in the middle of the 2nd. My scout matched OSA with four plus pitches. Too many blue bars in the pitch selection to pass up.

3.13 SP Francis Duarte - another guy I passed on that I expected to be gone. My scout matches OSA and projects him to have three plus pitches and slots as a hopeful mid rotation starter.

8.3 SP Dave Walton - A 5-5-5 type, we'll put Walton in the rotation in A. However he projects as a hard throwing (97-99 mph) middle reliever for us at the BLB level.

9.3 CL Ron Warner - a walk machine, if Warner can tighten up his control he might be useful.

1.6 CF/SS Dave Tibbs - has all the tools to be successful at the top of a lineup in the BLB. Tibbs will start in CF, improve in RF and learn LF. There's also the possibility of converting him to middle IF should he hit well enough at his natural positions.

4.15 3B Johnny Admire - two time allstar who projects as a 2B/SS. My scout and OSA agree that he could be a starting regular with decent contact, power, and eye.

5.3 2B Wyatt Allen - A stat and OSA contact pick, my scout hates Allen. Voted most likely not to make it.

6.17 2B Tom Adkins - the opposite of Allen. He's a stat and scout pick. Projects as a solid to above average defensive 2B who could have just enough offensive skill to platoon.

7.3 2B Tom Dunbar - another middle IF who could be a possible utility IF with a strong eye.

10.3 C Pat Usher - decent stats and rating for the end of the draft. A lack of low minor catching prospects means Usher could stick.

[Carlos]

We autoed three guys in the early late rounds. I like two of them and overall I'm happy with our draft.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk

[PaulC]

Best name in the draft?

C Smush Brundidge

We need to make a trade.

Imagine, "Scooter Nackers delivers a hard one to Smush Brundidge!" Awesome!!