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It’s nearly that time of year again. BLB GM’s are combing over their draft lists, talking to their scouts and consulting carnival fortune tellers to help unearth their next superstar. Most will fail miserably, but a lucky few will strike gold in the 2038 BLB Draft. Will the team end up with JJ Plumley, or be stuck with Nelson Marquez? Only time will tell.
After a long dry spell in which little elite pitching talent entered the BLB, the run of good pitching drafts appears to be continuing in 2038, as most of the top names in the pool are on that side. There’s no shortage of pitchers that could slot into the top half of a rotation and there’s the usual supply of flame throwing relievers. At first glance, the hitting talent doesn’t appear to be quite as good or deep, but there are some notable names there as well.
What follows is an exhaustive list of the top prospects in the draft class, in no particular order:
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Christian Vines, RHP, Rice - Right off the bat, I’ve lied. The list isn’t in “no particular order”, because Vines is clearly #1. The right-hander from Rice looks like an otherworldly talent, sent from a distant galaxy to dominate BLB hitters. NCAA hitters have been comically overmatched by Vines, whose ERA in over a season and a half is barely above 1. He’s striking out over 16 hitters per 9 innings, threw a no-hitter earlier this season and may only be vulnerable if he gets bored and starts throwing left-handed, and I’m not sure if that would slow him down.
The remaining prospects, in no particular order:
Cole Stone, LHP, Rice - Vines’ nearly equally dominant teammate. His ERA is also barely above 1 for his career, and he strikes out just as many people as his rotation partner. But, OSA scouts see him as a “borderline starter” and if his third pitch doesn’t develop he may find his future in the bullpen. He also doesn’t quite match Vines’ control. Still, he’s a potentially elite left-handed pitcher, whether that’s in the rotation or as a late-inning reliever.
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Kyle Olmsted, OF, Texas - The best hitter in the draft? It certainly looked that way when Olmsted destroyed the NCAA in his freshman season in 2036 - hitting .436 (1.513 OPS) on his way to a runner up finish in Outstanding Hitter voting. He hasn’t matched that production since, but scouts still rave about the all-around skills of Olmsted, who should hear his name called early.
Wes Smart, RHP, LSU - Another potentially elite pitcher from the college ranks, a strong year for that group. Smart features an “extreme groundball” profile, hits the mid-90s on the gun and has been one of the best NCAA pitchers in 2038, his only season in college. Reports indicate that Smart “isn’t afraid to speak his mind” and could cause waves in the clubhouse, but the talent will be hard to pass up.
Saul Wang, RHP, Texas A&M - Add Wang’s name to the list of college pitchers making hitters look foolish and putting up remarkable strikeout numbers. After finishing 3rd in Outstanding Pitcher voting last season, Wang has been more hittable this time around, but is still punching out boatloads of batters. With a personality that’s “always looking for a new edge,” perhaps Wang is just experimenting with a new approach on the mound and will figure it out again soon?
Bailey Bolger, RHP, Cretin-Derham HS - The top HS pitcher in the draft? Three strong seasons and rave reviews from OSA scouts seem to indicate Bulger has the potential to top a BLB rotation one day. Off the field, he’s a mess and is “likely to make poor decisions,” but on the mound, it all looks good.
Chaz Welliver, 1B, Jackson HS - Scouts are high on Welliver’s ability to make contact with the ball, and send it flying a long way when that contact is made. The rest of his game needs some work and he’s probably never going to play anywhere other than 1B, but the ceiling is high at the plate and every team needs a masher to build the lineup around.
Adrian Gramling, 1B, Saline HS - It’s looking like a down year for high school hitting talent, particularly if you’d like your player to use a glove at some point in their career. Gramling is another hitter who is slow-footed and unable to field routine grounders, but at the plate it looks good. He finished 2nd in Outstanding Hitter voting in 2036, but injuries and defensive inability have prevented a repeat performance. If a BLB team is able to keep him on the field, he could be a big-time hitter.
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Lou Miler, C, Yarmouth-Dennis - The top-rated catcher in the draft, Lou Miller looks to be a solid prospect both with the glove and at the plate, and could develop into an All-Star caliber player. Runner Up for the Cape League Outstanding Hitter a year ago when he put up one of the best seasons ever by a catcher in the Cape. It hasn’t gone as well in the first half of 2038, but the sideburns are still top notch.
Zander Howard, “LF”, Jackson HS - A positionless player, Howard combines with Welliver to form the most fearsome duo in high school. Watching the two hitters kick the ball around when they’re in the field makes you wonder what happened to the Tom Emanski tapes, but Howard is an undeniably good hitter. He’ll likely hear his name called late in the 1st round by a desperate GM who’s sworn that he’s not taking any more DH’s that early.
Brice Daniels, RHP, Oklahoma - Another college pitcher striking out 2 batters per inning. Yawn. Daniels has been out for most of this season with a hamstring injury, so BLB GM’s will have to judge him by what he showed in 2037, when he was really good. He throws sidearm, a rarity for a SP and could lead to some platoon issues.
Shawn Allison, LHP, Orleans - The top lefty in the Cape league, Allison is a workhouse who can throw deep into games with ease.
Isaac Lawson, RHP, Cotuit - The only people more afraid of Lawson than opposing batters are his own teammates. Lawson’s rage knows no bounds, but his talents are considerable. Just stay out of his way and let him pitch.
Brian Wallace, CF, Chatham - A switch hitting CF that’s batting almost .400 so far in 2038, Wallace has improved dramatically over an already good first season.
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Corey Galindo, RHP, Arizona St.
Aaric Matsuno, RHP, Texas A&M
Dustin Morse, RHP, Woodstock HS
It wouldn’t be the BLB if I didn’t highlight some relievers, so here’s a few names. By my count, OSA gives 21 relievers in this draft a full “80” potential for Stuff, so there’s plenty of hard-throwing strikeout machines coming in this draft. Matsuno has only a 75 rating there, but he did win the Top Reliever award in the NCAA last year, finishing the season with 17 saves, a 0.32 ERA and a 54:6 K:BB rate (9:1 if you’re into reducing your fractions).
Daryl Walken, CF, Northwestern HS - It feels like I need another position player for this list, so how about a HS prospect who might actually be able to take the field defensively? Walken’s only been average defensively in center, but his glove should profile well in a corner outfield spot and he’s hit nearly .400 for his career with three seasons of good hitting to show off to scouts.
So, there you have it. Those are all of the prospects you need to know about in the 2038 Draft. A clear #1, good pitching talent and depth, and some question marks on the hitting side.
After a long dry spell in which little elite pitching talent entered the BLB, the run of good pitching drafts appears to be continuing in 2038, as most of the top names in the pool are on that side. There’s no shortage of pitchers that could slot into the top half of a rotation and there’s the usual supply of flame throwing relievers. At first glance, the hitting talent doesn’t appear to be quite as good or deep, but there are some notable names there as well.
What follows is an exhaustive list of the top prospects in the draft class, in no particular order:
player_15321.png
Christian Vines, RHP, Rice - Right off the bat, I’ve lied. The list isn’t in “no particular order”, because Vines is clearly #1. The right-hander from Rice looks like an otherworldly talent, sent from a distant galaxy to dominate BLB hitters. NCAA hitters have been comically overmatched by Vines, whose ERA in over a season and a half is barely above 1. He’s striking out over 16 hitters per 9 innings, threw a no-hitter earlier this season and may only be vulnerable if he gets bored and starts throwing left-handed, and I’m not sure if that would slow him down.
The remaining prospects, in no particular order:
Cole Stone, LHP, Rice - Vines’ nearly equally dominant teammate. His ERA is also barely above 1 for his career, and he strikes out just as many people as his rotation partner. But, OSA scouts see him as a “borderline starter” and if his third pitch doesn’t develop he may find his future in the bullpen. He also doesn’t quite match Vines’ control. Still, he’s a potentially elite left-handed pitcher, whether that’s in the rotation or as a late-inning reliever.
player_15183.png
Kyle Olmsted, OF, Texas - The best hitter in the draft? It certainly looked that way when Olmsted destroyed the NCAA in his freshman season in 2036 - hitting .436 (1.513 OPS) on his way to a runner up finish in Outstanding Hitter voting. He hasn’t matched that production since, but scouts still rave about the all-around skills of Olmsted, who should hear his name called early.
Wes Smart, RHP, LSU - Another potentially elite pitcher from the college ranks, a strong year for that group. Smart features an “extreme groundball” profile, hits the mid-90s on the gun and has been one of the best NCAA pitchers in 2038, his only season in college. Reports indicate that Smart “isn’t afraid to speak his mind” and could cause waves in the clubhouse, but the talent will be hard to pass up.
Saul Wang, RHP, Texas A&M - Add Wang’s name to the list of college pitchers making hitters look foolish and putting up remarkable strikeout numbers. After finishing 3rd in Outstanding Pitcher voting last season, Wang has been more hittable this time around, but is still punching out boatloads of batters. With a personality that’s “always looking for a new edge,” perhaps Wang is just experimenting with a new approach on the mound and will figure it out again soon?
Bailey Bolger, RHP, Cretin-Derham HS - The top HS pitcher in the draft? Three strong seasons and rave reviews from OSA scouts seem to indicate Bulger has the potential to top a BLB rotation one day. Off the field, he’s a mess and is “likely to make poor decisions,” but on the mound, it all looks good.
Chaz Welliver, 1B, Jackson HS - Scouts are high on Welliver’s ability to make contact with the ball, and send it flying a long way when that contact is made. The rest of his game needs some work and he’s probably never going to play anywhere other than 1B, but the ceiling is high at the plate and every team needs a masher to build the lineup around.
Adrian Gramling, 1B, Saline HS - It’s looking like a down year for high school hitting talent, particularly if you’d like your player to use a glove at some point in their career. Gramling is another hitter who is slow-footed and unable to field routine grounders, but at the plate it looks good. He finished 2nd in Outstanding Hitter voting in 2036, but injuries and defensive inability have prevented a repeat performance. If a BLB team is able to keep him on the field, he could be a big-time hitter.
player_15405.png
Lou Miler, C, Yarmouth-Dennis - The top-rated catcher in the draft, Lou Miller looks to be a solid prospect both with the glove and at the plate, and could develop into an All-Star caliber player. Runner Up for the Cape League Outstanding Hitter a year ago when he put up one of the best seasons ever by a catcher in the Cape. It hasn’t gone as well in the first half of 2038, but the sideburns are still top notch.
Zander Howard, “LF”, Jackson HS - A positionless player, Howard combines with Welliver to form the most fearsome duo in high school. Watching the two hitters kick the ball around when they’re in the field makes you wonder what happened to the Tom Emanski tapes, but Howard is an undeniably good hitter. He’ll likely hear his name called late in the 1st round by a desperate GM who’s sworn that he’s not taking any more DH’s that early.
Brice Daniels, RHP, Oklahoma - Another college pitcher striking out 2 batters per inning. Yawn. Daniels has been out for most of this season with a hamstring injury, so BLB GM’s will have to judge him by what he showed in 2037, when he was really good. He throws sidearm, a rarity for a SP and could lead to some platoon issues.
Shawn Allison, LHP, Orleans - The top lefty in the Cape league, Allison is a workhouse who can throw deep into games with ease.
Isaac Lawson, RHP, Cotuit - The only people more afraid of Lawson than opposing batters are his own teammates. Lawson’s rage knows no bounds, but his talents are considerable. Just stay out of his way and let him pitch.
Brian Wallace, CF, Chatham - A switch hitting CF that’s batting almost .400 so far in 2038, Wallace has improved dramatically over an already good first season.
player_15252.png
Corey Galindo, RHP, Arizona St.
Aaric Matsuno, RHP, Texas A&M
Dustin Morse, RHP, Woodstock HS
It wouldn’t be the BLB if I didn’t highlight some relievers, so here’s a few names. By my count, OSA gives 21 relievers in this draft a full “80” potential for Stuff, so there’s plenty of hard-throwing strikeout machines coming in this draft. Matsuno has only a 75 rating there, but he did win the Top Reliever award in the NCAA last year, finishing the season with 17 saves, a 0.32 ERA and a 54:6 K:BB rate (9:1 if you’re into reducing your fractions).
Daryl Walken, CF, Northwestern HS - It feels like I need another position player for this list, so how about a HS prospect who might actually be able to take the field defensively? Walken’s only been average defensively in center, but his glove should profile well in a corner outfield spot and he’s hit nearly .400 for his career with three seasons of good hitting to show off to scouts.
So, there you have it. Those are all of the prospects you need to know about in the 2038 Draft. A clear #1, good pitching talent and depth, and some question marks on the hitting side.
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