Since it is the boring off season I figured I would post my leagues amy draft. I've been this pretty deep league competitive league for 3ish years but the league has been around for 10 years. We get a pick a month too which means each team is getting 14ish players a year. If the player doesn't sign (we start the draft in July and end in October) you loose him and get a compensation pick the following year.I think the signing deadline was around pick 70. Oh and we do FA compensation based on our comish's formula so you see that here too.

Let me know what you think.

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I figured we would see something like this - but there isn't one yet.

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Interesting steal for the Twins.

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Hmmmmm.

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Much has been made about this year's draft breaking the mold. Many prospect watchers and fans have called for an overhaul. In the end, only two first rounders Washington (Tampa Bay) and Purke(Texas) refused to sign contracts. Equal to the number that didn't sign last season (Cole with NYY and Crow with WAS). Crow has a different set of circumstances surrounding his deadline, but to date, he hasn't entered the 2010 draft pool yet.

Does the draft need to be reworked? Lets take a look.

There are varying view points on what the draft really is in place for. I believe it is a combination of two schools of thought. The first and more traditional concept is to help level the playing field. The second, is to keep salaries down by limiting draftees' options. As I said before, the answer lies in between these two scenarios.

Today, Major League Baseball has a slotting recommendation which, as we saw the 16th, means absolutely nothing. Teams willing to spend money will work the system (Tigers, Royals, Yankees, As, Red Sox) and teams who don't get left behind (Mets are an obvious one). Does the current system lead to the worst teams having a shot at the best players? Yes. Does it mean they'll end up signing them? No, and that could be why they are drafting so highly in the first place. How can a team like the Nationals take the 10th best player available, when they need to sign the best player for 15.67 million? They would/could need to make sacrifices like the Pirates did with Tony Sanchez.

The draft doesn't work in a bubble however. The international system and free agency are heavily correlated to the draft. So we'll need to account for that as well.

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Yesterday was the first day in quite some time we haven't had one of these. Maybe because Minor League Splits is doing such a fantasic job.

Today we found out Villalona went down for 4 weeks with a quadrcep injury.

Pitching Today: Cortes, JC Ramirez, Jeff Allison, J. C. Sulbaran, Dave Bush (Rehab), Kyle Davies (rehab), Martin Perez, Robbie, Ross, Eric Arnett.

For a complete (or more complete) list, check out Splits.

Duel of the Day: Rome v Greenville,Randall Delgado vs. Steven Fife.

Since there wasn't a post yesterday, here are some nice lines.

Latos: 5IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 7 SO

Paker: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 SO

Alverez: 2-3 2B BB, ZERO SO (YAY) 3R

Jaff Decker 3-4, 2B BB, 3R

Chris Heisey 3-6 HR, 2B, 4RBI

Hey all,

Obviously there has been a lot of speculation about Doc this season. It seems now that J.P. will listen to offers at this point.

So let speculating begin!!!

I'm going to assume that no team in the AL East is going to be considered, if you disgree thats cool, but I won't mention them.

Phillies -- everyone has been pointing at them it seems. Could a package of Drabek, Donald, and Taylor get it done?

Mets - they have no farm, but if they want them maybe they deal  Flores, Mejia, and Martinez. Could that get it done? ( I don't think so)

Braves - They have enough, but do they really need pitching?

Florida - A great fit if they can fork up the dough. Doc could really teach that staff something. Uggla (shift hill to SS) Maybin, Stanton? Too much?

Dodgers - I don't think they NEED him, but he would certainly put the World Series in California, right? Ethier, Gordon, and Troncoso?

Colorado - They could try, but would Doc nix the deal? I think so. Gomez, Stewart, and Chacin (Friedrich too?)?

St. Louis - They need a bat, or they could invest in cloning Albert Pujols. But if they were to make a run, do they have enough?

Brewers - This seems like a good fit to me, Escobar, Gamel, and Lawrie compare to what the Phillies can offer.

Cubs - Do they have the money left? I don't think they have enough, though.

White Sox - Flowers and Beckham would have to be the starting place.

Twins - this doen't seem like their type of move.

Angles - Brandon Wood (Free Wood! Free Wood!) Reckling, Rodriguez?

Texas - Another good fit, IMO, Perez, Davis (would they take a chance on him? would tex deal him), M. Ramiriez, and Borbon?

just some quick ideas.

Top 50 Prospects with NO MLB experience. I figured I'd get into the action.

I like this better because it gets names flowing back and forth.  Having Matt Welters, McCutchen, and F-Mart a top a list has been the same for several years.  Not that I believe these players aren’t prospects, I’m just looking for fresh names to generate conversation.

I obviously missed people. But let me know what you think and I'll try and make adjustments and answer questions. I hope the blurbs help with the rationale. I mostly use Fangraphs, FI, MiLB.com, and Splits.

Also, I want to apologize for any grammar/spelling//anything that looks weird. I did this pretty quickly.

If anyone wants more detailed conversation you can reach me at J.D.Sussman@gmail.com.

1. Jason Heyward – This kills me as a Mets fan, but this guy is the complete package. Offensively he will hit for more power as he gets older (which is scary), and I haven’t heard a single negative thing about his defense. Only positive.
2. Jesus Montero – No, he isn’t a catcher. But he has the best bat in the minors. He is tearing up AA at 19.
3. Jarrod Parker – Great fastball and two other plus offerings make him my top pitcher. The walks have been up in AA, but he should settle those back down.
4. Madison Bumgarner – Like parker, the strikes outs are down, and the walks are up in AA. He does have some regressing to do with his great strand rate and career HR/9 rate.  I do worry about his secondary offering, but all reports are that it has improved.
5. Chris Tillman – In my opinion, he is a larger version of Parker with 3 plus offerings.  Born in the same year as Bumgarner and Parker, he is already in AAA. His walk rate is down and he is still striking out over a better an inning.
6. Justin Smoak – Smoak is probably the most polished player in the minor leagues, he is a great hitter and fielder. The Rangers were very lucky he dropped to them in the draft.  He is already in AAA after dominating AA walking more times than he struck out (39 to 35).
7. Carlos Santana – As you can see in the MLB a good hitting back stop is tough to come by. Santana has great athleticism, and will be a good MLB back stop. Clearly, he can crush the ball as well. He has huge power, and very underrated plate discipline (His BB:SO is 58:42).
8. Mat Latos – Latos has really came into his own this season posting great numbers in both A and AA. His FIP stands at 2.06 in AA and while his HR rate will certainly change that once a few go out of the park, he has been dominate. There are some injury concerns, but no one will complain about a 4.33 K/BB ratio.
9. Brian Matusz – Like Latos, Matusz has been dominating this year. His walk rate is slightly higher than I expected for him based on the reports I heard. However they aren’t anything to worry about, just higher than expected. Also higher than expect is his strikeout rate.  Matusz has stuck out an impressive 96 batters in 85 IP. With great control and several plus pitches Matsuz could make an impact next season.
10. Buster Posey – I’ve heard good things about his defense behind the plate, but I’m honestly not sure I’ve heard enough to say anything on way or another about it. His bat is another story. He has raked this season posting a 425 wOBA in A+ ball. I’m excited to see what he’ll do at the next level.
11. Mike Stanton – Although he has hit a rough patch in AA, one can’t forget the 430 wOBA he put up in 750 PA before reaching AA (starting last season).  It has only been 100 AB in AA, so it isn’t concern yet.
12. Pedro Alvarez – Yes, thus far he has been disappointing, but his huge potential is still there, and I have faith he will figure things out. He needs to cut down the strike outs. Even scarier than the SO rate is the LD rate. I don’t know if that will regress to the mean, or mean his demise, but 8% at Lynchburg is awful. With that said, his power is still at the top of the minor league food chain.
13. Jhoulys Chacin – I love the way the Rockies are challenging him while at the same time letting him get comfortable at each level. I’m hoping they leave him in AA all year. While he doesn’t miss bats at the elite level, he isn’t a slouch. He’ll get groundballs and miss bats enough to make him a very solid number two starter in Colorado that is a difficult task.
14. Logan Morrison – Although he missed a lot of time early in the year, he is doing fantastic at AA hitting 5 HR in just under 100 AB and walking more than he is SO.  He seems to have great bat control and has a 400 wOBA despite a lowish (but not too low) BABIP. To me, he is a very safe bet to be a successful hitter at the major league level.
15. Chris Carter – You’ll notice a slew (3) 1B prospects in the next several spots. I wrote about Carter briefly the other day. While the SO are a concern, his power is real.
16. Lars Anderson – He has had his fair share of struggles in AA, but is still very young (and a HUGE 6-5). He’ll put it together, but I’d like to see his walk rate and ISO creep back up.
17. Josh Vitters – His walk rate is non-existent, but his pedigree and 50 point jump in SO (15 HR this season) make him a great prospect. From what I hear, staying at 3B isn’t a problem. I like that his SO rate has dropped, but he needs to walk more, for now, I’ll chalk that up to lack of experience and youth.
18. Neftali Feliz – While his stock has dropped in the eyes of many, I never had him THAT high to begin with. Everyone on these lists are in the top 1% of players or something like that… Anyway, he still throws as hard as anyone, and the worst case scenario is that he ends up as a dominate relief pitcher. However, I have higher hopes.
19. Brett Lawrie - As a 2B Lawrie in a good spot, if he moves to the OF, he probably falls in the 35 range for me. He has good power, a nice ISO, and a very respectable BB rate. The position will determine his future, because he'll need more power at a corner outfield spot.  He certainly doesn't need power per today's numbers. I'm not sure how "real" it is, and would like a larger sample size. If he continues to produce a 200 ISO from second base and maintains the rest of his numbers, he'll climb even higher. I do want more reports on his 2B defense, obviously without real minor league defensive data it is hard to make an accurate statement.
    
20. Jenrry Mejia – I see him a lot like people saw Feliz last year. Though, my understanding is that his changeup is a better offering than what Feliz is/was showing.  He is only 19 and holding his own in AA and missing a ton of bats.
21. Kyle Drabek – He is about two years older than Mejia, but his numbers have been nasty in A+ ball. Striking out over 10 per 9 with a 1.82 FIP.  Of course, that has to do with Drabek not allowing a single HR in 61.2 IP. His rates have dropped significantly in 20 less IP in AA, but I’d expect him to rebound has he gets more comfortable.
22. Michael Taylor – Talk about a breakout. Taylor, 22, is putting on a clinic in AA. His wOBA is 442, however is this really a breakout when he has been over 400 for the past 500 AB? He could be a superstar.
23. Brett Wallace – Sometimes it is hard to peg the young guys who are being challenged, but I am really confidence in Wallace’s bat. Where he winds up defensively is another story. If he stays at third he’ll be even higher up the list.  I think his walk rate will bounce back over time as well.
24. Jake Arrieta – I like him a good deal, he misses a good chuck of bats, gets ground balls, and is consistent.  ERA and FIPs of 2008: 2.87/3.39 2009: 2.59/3.08, 2.92/3.08. I think his K rate will increase in AAA as well.
25. Dominic Brown – Though he really needs to be challenged in AA, he has been great in A+ ball with a 410 wOBA. He has the tools and they seem to be turning into skills.
26. Tim Alderson – I’m a fan of him, though I don’t see his ceiling higher than a 3rd starter. I honestly believe his strange leg kick effects minor league hitters to a small degree. With that said, it is hard to argue with his command and minor league numbers.
27. Tyler Flowers – He is doing very well in AA, I didn’t realize how old he was though. I thought he was around 20, but he is 22 and a January birthday as well. There are still questions about his defense, but the bat seems to be for real. He needs to cut down the SO though.
28. Michael Saunders – How can’t one love what he is doing this season? I really like Canadian prospects because when they break out, they tend to explode and that is what Saunders ahs done this year.
29. Casey Kelly – I’m a believer, though I hope he gains some velocity on his fastball so he can be a true number 1. If he is sitting at 90 he’ll have to rely on his already great control and secondary stuff, which isn’t always easy to do. Given his youth and desire to play SS, I love the way BOS is handling him.
30. Dee Gordon – I’m a big believer in his bat and walk ability. The steals are pretty insane and given how raw he is, he really could break out even further.
31. Hector Rondon - He is doing really well in AA, has good rates, and very little regression from what I can see. I love that his BB have decreased from last year.
    
32. Brad Holt – It is exciting to see a few Mets prospects on a top 50 list for something other than hype, but Holt is very similar to some other high velocity SP. He has a high floor because he would probably be successful in an MLB pen today. His AA sample size is way too small to even make mention.  But his other numbers are fantastic.
33. Martin Perez – It almost seems that you could have entire top 50 list filled with young Texas pitching, but Perez’s SO rate really stands out for someone born in the 90s (4/4/91). If he can get his walks down even slightly, I think he’ll be a top 10 pitcher when everyone a top this list graduates next year.
34. Desmond Jennings – Tools and sometimes hurt, Jennings has been outstanding this season. He could be a 7 skill player when he reaches the majors. His injury tendency is a concern though.
35. Yonder Alonso – His small sample size in AA is disappointing, but then again it is a SSS.  His A+ ball numbers were expected. He needs to bring his game up in AA, and I think he will.
36. Matthew Moore – Has he walked a ton of people? Yes. Has he also struck out 13 batters per 9? Yes. Even with the high walk rate he has only allowed 44 hits this season in 70.2 IP.  He also has some slight GB tendencies.
37. Jordan Lyles – Another filthy youngster, Lyles brings both stuff and control to the hill for the Astros.  He might have been slightly over looked last year with an abnormal HR rate added to his season line in 2 A- starts.
38. Jason Knapp – All three of these guys have put up remarkable numbers, but you can’t mention the first two without mention Knapp too. This 6’5” righty also misses a ton of bats.
39. Nick Barnese –Barnese gets a ton of GB, but was gimpy to start the year. Sadly, this season he has a small sample size, just 28 IP (1.29 ERA, 19:6 SO: BB). But last season he was dominate striking out 84 in 66 IP.
40. Freedie Freeman - I like Freedie, but I have some concerns. First, his stats are very BA dependant and he has a very high BABIP. I'd like to see him gain a few percentage points in his walk rate and add at least 50 points to his ISOP. He is young, but without the pop he won't be a major leaguer.
41. Adrian Cardenas – Very consistent for a IF, though I believe it remains to be seen if he could play 2B at the MLB level. Most likely he’ll be at 3B with Weeks at 2B. I do believe that hurts is value some because he doesn’t have 3B power. His on base skills are great though. The power could be developed down the line.
42. Brandon Snyder – I was hoping that it would be Rowell that had the break out. But it was Snyder who increased his BB rate and his ISO significantly in AA this year. If he can cut down the walks and his power continues to develop he could certainly replace Huff next season.
43. Chris Heisey – The oldest guy on this list, Heisey broke out this year with a .457 wOBA in AA. Cutting down his SO rate had to help, and I’m sure those additional HRs didn’t hurt either.
44. Derek Norris – A bright light for the Nationals in terms of hitting, Norris has great pop and instincts at the plate, but it remains to be seen if he’ll stick behind it. Moving to 1B would really hurt his value. The Nationals aren’t going anywhere though, and can be leisurely with their efforts to move him off catcher.
45. Jemile Weeks – Weeks is electric and has shown more pop than I think anyone expected with 7 HR in his first 28 games.  He does strike out a bit much for my liking, though maybe it is his size that makes me think lead-off hitter.
46. Wilmer Flores – While I didn’t really like the ARL take that the Mets had with F-Mart and him “holding his own” all those years in the minor leagues, I do like Flores a lot. The fact that be blasted 8 balls last season at age 16 is amazing to me. While he hasn’t hacked in the minor leagues, his ISO has been sliced in half from last year to this one.
47. Thomas Neal – Old for A+ ball, and I think he needs to jump to AA to justify this spot.  Its hard to ignore the 13 HRs he has hit thus far though.
48. Nick Weglarz – I’ve never been high on him, but he has been very consistent. Can he stay in the OF? If he can, that’ll make him have solid value if he doesn’t butch the ball. He is a walk machine, who hits for very solid power.
49. Lonnie Chisenhall – The doubled SO rate stands out to me, but so does almost three times the amount of HRs. If he can stick at SS, I think he’ll skyrocket (if he keeps the SO down too).
50. Wade Davis – I used to love him, now I’m not so high on him because of the iffy SO rate when added to the iffy BB rate. He is a solid three.
51. Tim Beckham – I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt (but not Hosmer). The scariest part of his not so hot numbers is the high BABIP, SO rate, and low walk rates.  On the surface his triple slash line of 283/338/420 look decent for a SS, but the wOBA of 337 is just too low for a number one overall pick.  He needs to cut down the SO and take some bases.
52. Robbie Ross – Ross is a small lefty, but is missing bats at an alarming rate. His 15.05 K/9 is outstanding. But he also has the control, 1.77 BB/9 really stands out for someone his age. His strand rate is very high, but so his BABIP. I think his numbers will get better as his BABIP normalizes, and maybe with less base runners his strand rate too will normalize with less negative effect. He has also been a groundball machine (65%).  If though it has only be 20 IP, I’d like to see him start the second half in A+ ball, skipping A.

DISCLOSURE:  THE FOLLOWING PLAYERS ARE ON MY FANTASY TEAM, WHICH I HAVE DRAFTED OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. IT IS A VERY VERY DEEP LEAGUE WITH HUNDREDS OF MINOR LEAGUERS ON EACH TEAM.

PARKER, TILLMAN, MORRISON, CARTER, KELLY, RONDON, BARNESE, ROSS. RECENTLY I'VE TRADED VILLALONA, ALDERSON, LATOS, CODY JOHNSON, GREG HALMAN, NOLAN REIMOLD.

I think my rationale backs up my opinions well. This isn't just another baseless list. I don't believe I have a  bias towards my guys, but you can be the judge.  If you would like to hear more from me (I have tons of time in the summer) let me know by posting something or rec'ing this.

Rip away.

~Metty

Hey all,

Since we are around the mid-season point, I figured now would be a good time to talk Rookie of the Year. While there haven't been huge performances to date, a few rookies do stand out. I'm only going to mention people with over 100 AB.

NL

Colby Rasmus - Rasmus has more AB than any other rookie and has a triple slash line of 270/313/455. The walks really aren't there yet, but the power has been nice. According to UZR, Rasmus has been great this season being +10 in the OF.

Andrew McCutchen - Just over 100 AB at this point, but he has impressed. Only one homerun to date, but 5 triples. Obviously, we'll need a larger sample size.

Chris Coghlan - He has played 2B in the minors, but is now in the OF blocked by Uggla. His 262/360/360 line isn't great, but he has shown some pop in the minors. With the Marlins in the chase, he'll need to step it up a little.

Tommy Hanson - He has really battled this year getting to 4-0, his SO are down in the MLB and his walks are way up, but his ERA is a shiny 2.48. His LOB% is an insanely high 87.6% so his ERA should rise. If he can keep the hits down, as he has and stop walking batters he could put together a nice year.

Kenshin Kawakami - Another Braves pitcher. He was signed out of Japan and is 34. 4-6 with a 4.25 ERA, he has missed a good amount of bats, but the walks are a little high. His numbers look solid, but one has to wonder if he'll start to let up a few more HR.

Jordan Zimmermann - Zimmermann has great SO numbers, and not an awful amount of walks (8.92 K/9, 2.50 BB/9).. His ERA is high for a Rookie of the Year candidate (4.52) but that has to be a product of the Nationals league worst defense to some degree. His FIP stands more than a full run lower than his ERA at 3.38. With improved defense behind him, and some better luck, Zimmermann could pull away from this pack. That could be a nice story for the Nats (whom rarely have nice stories). He'll have to win more games, because one has to assume that Hanson will improve.

AL -

Nolan Reimold - One of two AL players with over 100 AB (his teammate Weiters is at 85 with an OPS of 685) he has crushed the ball thus far. His OPS is 883, the highest of any rookie by a large margin. His 9 HR also lead all rookies, and he has a nice K/BB ratio 24/17. His wOBA is 383. However, his defense hasn't been great UZR has him at -11 thus far in the OF.

Elvis Andrus - One can't say the same about Andrus's defense. Anchoring SS during a revival of the Ranger's defense. UZR has him at +5.3. While he hasn't shown much with the bat, he has exceeded my expectations by a large margin. 269/330/380 is his current line, but one can't over look his 15 SB with just 1 CS.

Ricky Romero - He has been pretty filthy lately. His season stats are looing great at this point,  2.85 ERA with 61 SO in 72.2 IP. However, like Hanson his strand rate is awfully high at 86.9% and his FIP shows some regression in his ERA. The 6-3 record will help him with voters though, especially if he can duplicate that record in the 2nd half.

Brad Bergesen - Kind of a dark horse here, but his ERA is a nice 3.53. I don't this he has the stuff though moving forward. His SO are extremely low, and his BABAIP is quite low as well.

Rick Porcello - The 20 year old top prospect has throwing 83 innings already this season with a 3.80 ERA. His GB rate has been great, but he really needs to miss more bats (4.77 K/9). He has been hurt by the long ball, and those numbers could regress. Though, when a pitcher is only has a  20% FB rate, I guess he'll have a few more go out. His 8 wins put him in great position though.

Andrew Bailey - Bailey has sliced his way through the AL this season dominating batters in the late innings. His SO rate is phenominal (10.84) and while his walks are high, they aren't awful (3.61 BB/9) especially when he isn't allowing many hits. Baily does have some regression coming to his stats though. His BABIP (254) LOB% (84.5%) and HR rate 5.8% per FB all could bring his ERA (2.09) down.

(AL Notables - Matt Weiters and Gordon Beckham)

Conclusion:

I'm going to take Zimmermann and Porcello with the runners up being Rasmus (followed by Hanson) and Gordon Beckham (followed by Nolan Reimold). I think the addition of Nyger Morgan will help Nationals pitchers immensly. Porcello's also a great story with pedigree. Pitching this well at his age 20 season is going to be tough to beat. He'll need those other guys to regress some though.

Sorry if you think I missed someone.

FOUNTAIN HILLS, Ariz. (AP) -- The wife of Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Scott Schoeneweis has been found dead at her home.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office says deputies found the body of 39-year-old Gabrielle Dawn Schoeneweis on the floor of the master bedroom in the family's suburban home shortly after noon Wednesday.

Authorities say her 14-year-old daughter called the sheriff's office to report that she had found her mother lying there and unresponsive.

The sheriff's department says the cause of death hasn't been determined.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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