The inaugural amateur player draft was held on Thursday, April 21st and featured 17 position prospects and 15 pitching prospects selected in the first round. The Yankees kicked off the draft with an unconventional first overall pick, a relief pitcher, Barry Harding. Harding, a high school prospect out of Haines City, Florida, does project to be a lights out closer but the announcement of his name as the first overall pick still "wowed" many in the room.
After Harding went first the next nine picks slightly skewed to pitching with a run on left handed starting pitchers at picks 6, 7, 9 and 10. The best rated position prospect, high schooler Pascual Vargas was taken 4th by San Francisco. There seemed to be more value placed on younger prospects this season, with 20 of the 32 first round picks used on high school prospects. There were some quality players taken this season but their impact likely won't be felt until Season 5 or 6.
#1 Yankees: Barry Harding, Haines City HS, RP
Harding was the first name announced in the For Life league, and will be the future closer in Pinstripes for a long time to come. As a lefty, his potential splits look to be killer, combine that with pin point control and triple digit velocity and the recipe for the perfect relief pitcher is there. Many in the Bronx will question taking a relief pitcher #1, but with his ratings, sign ability, and health, Harding was a very safe, solid, pick.
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#2 Royals: David Martin, Wayne County CC, C/DH
Martin is the definition of a slugger. Great eye, contact, power, and righty splits will make Martin the terror of the AL for a long, long time. He will never develop into a good catcher behind the plate, but any deficiencies on defense will be more than made up for at the plate. Worst case scenario Martin DH’s and puts up monster stats anyways. If he has any weakness at the plate, the lefty will only be good against lefties, not outstanding like he will be vs. righties.
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#3 Cubs: Diego Ramirez, Baylor University, SP
The Hispanic-Canuck blood mix may not seem like a good fit for a ballplayer, but Ramirez is an ace. He was the Cubs #1 target, and when he fell in their laps at 3 the front office could not wait to call his name. Diego, a southpaw, will be a work horse in Wrigley. Ramirez has all the makings of a future Cy Young winner. The one knock early is he does not have dominating pitches, but his velocity, control, and splits should make up for that. It will not hurt that he is a ground ball pitcher, in a hitter friendly division in terms of ball park.
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#4 Giants: Pascual Vargas, Liberal HS, SS/3B
Vargas may just be the best overall player in the draft. He is the definition of a 5 tool player, with good speed, power, contact, arm and glove. The only major knock on Vargas will be his durability. He will never be an ironman, but when he is in the lineup he will be a solid all-around player.
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#5 Rangers: John Takada, Sherburne HS, CF
The early reports on Takada all indicate he will be a fantastic leadoff hitter to go along with great defense patrolling the outfield in Arlington. Takada also has a little pop to go along with his fantastic eye, and should be a great bat for years, especially in the Rangers home park. Takada has good speed, but his base running skills are lacking, which may hinder his effectiveness in the SB department.
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#6 Mariners: Vladimir Rodriguez, Hesston College, SP
Vladimir was the 2nd south paw starter taken in the top 6, and he looks like a fantastic option for the Mariners. Some in Seattle would argue they had a bigger need for a bat, the M’s took a fantastic starter who will put up all-star numbers in Safeco. The only two negatives for Vladimir are a low velocity, which is more than made up for with a good ground ball and three very good pitches, and a shaky health rating. If he manages to avoid the DL he will be an anchor for a very good rotation.
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#7 Rays: Bubbles Malone, Portsmouth HS, SP
He has a funny name, and humongous ears, but Bubbles is a solid right handed starter and will be a great addition for the Rays. He does not have the stamina to be a 200+ inning workhorse, but with fantastic stuff, especially against righties, Malone will be an effective 6 inning starter.
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#8 Mets: Bernie Torres, Holyoke CC, 2B/COF
The early reports on the “mighty midget” Torres are he is a solid #2 hitter but not a real game changer. He has fantastic patience at the plate, and is a good base runner, but Torres will not provide much pop, and does not look like he will develop into a stud 2B with the glove.
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#9 Angels: Slim Evans, Ideal HS, RP
After legally changing his name and dying his hair to match the famous rapper, Slim took to the mound in the hopes of becoming a big leaguer. The lefty, Slim, truly is an intriguing prospect, he does not have the stamina to be a starter, but has fantastic stuff and could be an anchor in the pen.
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#10 White Sox: Branch Wellemeyer, Coleman HS, SP
Another stud lefty pitcher taken by a Chicago team, the Sox are hoping Branch can outshine #3 pick Ramirez. The young sinker baller has a long way to develop, but if he reaches his potential he will be an absolute steal at 10. IF teams do manage to get on base Branch will be a double play inducing machine.
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#11 Minnesota Twins: Buddy Washington, Peabody HS, SP
At #11 overall Washington becomes the top pitching prospect in the Twins system. Only 18 years old, his sinker has already been dubbed "big league ready" and only projects to get better. What the team is most excited about, though, is his control, which they project to be among the best in the league. The ability to bounce back quickly in between starts and a clean health record are the cherry on top.
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#12 Philadelphia Phillies: Ernie Mantei, Manatee Community College, SP
The sixth starting pitcher and fifth lefty taken, the Phillies took a flyer on the injury prone Mantei. The hard thrower has shown only average control thus far in his career but has the ability to get quick outs if he pitches to contact with this plus sinker. He also features a plus change up and and a serviceable slider.
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#13 Oakland Athletics: Dave Reames, Lawrence University, DH/1B
A safe pick here in the 13th slot, the A's opted for a college senior who still has room to improve. Reames, who figures to fit in more as a DH than a 1B, already has big league power but will need a season or two in the minors to improve his plate discipline before he can truly be effective. Although not projected to be a great hitter for average, Reames has already shown a flash of his potential in 18 games at the rookie league level, hitting .378 while bashing 9 homers.
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#14 Atlanta Braves: Jaime Trammell, Mainland HS, SP
A nice selection at fourteen, Trammell continues the run on lefty starting pitching. Like Mantei, Washington and Wellemeyer before him, he also features a plus sinker and the ability to consistently get groundball outs. Although he doesn't pack the same velocity that some of the other pitchers do, the pinpoint control he showed in school is a major plus and a big reason why the Braves were high on him. The main drawback on Trammell is his history of skipped starts. A strict pitch count may help keep him fresh enough to throw every five days, or perhaps simply getting him away from Trump Plaza may prove to be the cure.
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#15 San Diego Padres: Russell Crawford, Melrose-Mindoro HS, 2B
Drafted as a second basemen, some scouts doubt Crawfords ability to get it done defensively at second base, suggesting instead that he move to the outfield. Whatever the Padres decide, Crawford will bring a steady bat to the plate with him, with strong plate discipline to boot. If he does pan out at second Crawford's ability to get on base will make him a great value at the position.
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#16 Toronto Blue Jays: Angel Sanchez, Bethany Christian HS, SS
Baton Rouge born Angel Sanchez was the Blue Jays top pick. While he mainly played shortstop for Bethany Christian High School, Sanchez projects more to third base at the pro level. The main attraction for Sanchez is not his fielding chops, though, as he projects to be the type of power hitting third baseman that most teams would love to have. His struggle with discipline at the dish may have hampered him from being a top 10 pick, but I'm sure Toronto is very happy to get him with the 16th overall pick.
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#17 Los Angeles Dodgers: Marshall Olson, Rogers HS, RF (Unsigned)
Before the draft it was well known that slugging prospect Marshall Olson had many offers to play football at the Division 1 level, but that didn't stop the Dodgers from drafting him 17th overall. Now Olson will have to decide which sport he loves best. If he chooses baseball he is projected to develop into a top power hitter who can play either of the corner outfield positions.
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#18 Detroit Tigers: Olmedo Guardado, Sheridan College, P
The Tigers had to be happy with Guardado falling to them at 18. The twenty year old projects to be a very solid relief pitcher and will probably be capable of spot starting for the Tigers. His current velocity already puts him up there in big league territory and scouts believe he will develop into one of the leagues premier fire ballers. He will need to work on his marginally effective change up and curveball if he hopes to keep big league hitters off balance, though.
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#19 Knights: Buzz Cole, Hostos CC, SP (Unsigned)
Buzz had questions marks surrounding more than one aspect of his game, the biggest being his sign-ability. It looks like the hard throwing lefty will be returning to his Community College for another year. If he does sign, his stuff will be dynamic but his control will be awful.
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#20 St. Louis Cardinals: Pat Chong, Chilton County HS, SS
Almost all of Chong's tools project him to be a big league shortstop. Almost. There are doubts as to whether or not Chong has the fielding acumen to play the position as a pro. Instead, he projects to be an elite fielding third or second baseman. At the dish Chong is no slouch and many in the Cardinals organization hope he will be a guy who can hit at the top of the lineup.
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#21 Arizona Diamondbacks: Vernon Turner, University of Nebraska - Kearney, SP
Turner put up solid numbers for Division II Nebraska-Kearney but struggled with his command at times. As a pro the DBacks hope Turner can settle down and he should be aided by four plus pitches including a stellar fastball and changeup. Curiously, Turner added a knuckeball to his stable of pitches with very limited success, DBacks brass will need to convince him to drop the pitch and keep the ball in the yard.
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#22 Chicago Cubs: Kent Stewart, Georgia College & State University, C
Their second pick of the first round yielded the Cubs catcer Kent Stewart. With three years of college under his belt Stewart has the experience to step in and contribute to the Cubs immediately if necessary. Although lacking power he hit for a high average at the Georgia school and is expected to translate this same success in the pros. Behind the dish he has a cannon of an arm but has yet to develop the pin point accuracy his new coaches want to see.
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#23 Florida Marlins: Michael Lombard, Seminole State College, 2B
Tulsa born Michael Lombard blossomed into a top second baseman during his time at Seminole and should see an unobstructed path to the same position for the Marlins. He is a threat on the basepaths with great speed and good instincts, but will need to improve his skills in the batters box to maximize his potential. He did show flashes of power in college and has steadily developed his plate discipline.
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#24 Milwaukee Brewers: Gorkys Delgado, Rockwall Christian Academy, LF (Unsigned)
The Brewers hope to sign the 18 year old out of Mesquite, Texas, but he has said he will take the time to weigh the many baseball scholarships he currently has on the table versus jumping to a pro career. The corner outfield prospect has a few tools at the dish that the scouts like; gap power, plate discipline and speed. Although his defensive tools aren't the best, his arm accuracy is suitable for an outfield position.
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#25 Pittsburgh Pirates: Farmer Wagner, Troy Buchanan HS, CF
With the 25th pick the Pirates may have had the steal of the first round. The youngster has the athleticism and skills and projects to a fine everyday center fielder for the Bucs. Add in developing instincts on the base paths, big league bunting ability and patience at the plate and you may well have a perennial All Star once he sees the big leagues.
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#26 Cleveland Indians: Sam Dickerson, Canton Public HS, RP (Unsigned)
The Indians opted to take a shot at the high school graduate despite his large draft bonus demand and repeated statements that he's headed to college. Regardless, the kid projects to have what it takes to be a top closer in the ML and, at the age of 18, already possesses big league velocity. Dickerson excels at keeping hitters off balance with a great four seamer and a knee buckling hook. Dickerson will definitely need to go through a maturing period whichever decision he makes - in his time at Canton he had a few run-ins with team staff as well as the local authorities, though no charges were ever pressed.
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#27 Washingtion D.C. Nationals: Neifi Flores, Woodsville HS, CF
A step below fellow center field prospect and #25 pick Farmer Wagner, Flores should fill the position adequately for the Nats. Like Wagner he has the foot speed and instincts to make him a constant threat if he's on. In his time at Woodsville High Flores had a tough time against lefties but scorched righties and showed decent power. Flores also proved to be very durable in his four years at the school, never missing a game.
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#28 Montreal Expos: Tony Rogers, Palo Verde HS, RP
Rogers dominated hitters in California as a high school senior and should be a part of the Expos bullpen for Season 5. Whether or not he will be the closer, only time will tell, but Rogers has the stuff necessary to make a push for the spot. Pitch command, a flaming four seamer and a slider with enough movement to fool the hitter has helped him reach this point in his career and there's no reason to believe they won't continue to do so.
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#29 Boston Red Sox: Timo Young, Kerman High HS, 2B (Unsigned)
Coming out of high school as second baseman, Young will likely see a conversion to the outfield in the Red Sox organization. A speedster with some base running skill, Young was successful in reaching base as a high schooler more because of his eye at the plate as opposed to his hitting skills, though he did show some power. If he can find his way to the Sox big league lineup he will likely hit towards the bottom and will need to utilize his speed to stay in the show.
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#30 Houston Astros: Brace House, Boaz HS, LF
Health concerns likely dropped House to the bottom end of the first round but the Astros are excited to have him. House was a men among boys as a high school senior, relentlessly punishing opposition pitchers with raw power. Although he didn't hit for average scouts say didn't seem to be concerned because of his potential to improve in that area and because of unusual patience at the plate for an 18 year old. While House hasn't had any major injuries, he failed to play a complete season in any of his four years at Boaz High School.
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#31 Cincinnati Reds: Angel Bennett, New Mexico Highlands University, 1B
Three years experience at the small DII school was enough for Bennett to be a first round pick. A first baseman for his entire career, Bennett has the power you seek at the corner position, although he strikes out at a higher than average rate. A rare tool for a first baseman to possess, Bennett is one of the speedier players taken in the first round, although his base running skills are still raw.
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#32 Baltimore Orioles: Miguel Molina, Old Town HS, RP
The Yankees opened the draft by selecting a relief pitcher and the Orioles closed out the first round by doing the same. Molina showed impeccable command as a senior and, while lacking the velocity the other first round relievers have, was able to get out hitters with a four seamer and a plus slider. He seems destined to make a nice setup or situational pitcher but don't be surprised if he challenges for the closer spot in Season 5 or 6.
