Glavine Season 36 Rule 5 Draft Recap

 

Here is the breakdown of season 36 Rule 5 Draft, including rankings based on players performance after the 1^st season of the draft.

Rankings After 1^st Season of Draft

10. Al Craig   9.   Lon Nation    8.   Jack Curtis    7. Buddy Peacock     6.   Joaquin Candelaria    5.  Manny Medina    4.  Rafael Lee    3. Gonzalez Montero    2.  Mayckol Klassen     1.  Paxton Leonard

Rankings after 20 Seasons

10.  Joaquin Candelaria – 1st/LF- Drafted 16th JC burst onto the scene with a pretty solid rookie season. 9 homers, 14 steals, batted a solid 271 all while playing a very good 1^st base.  After that didn’t get much of a chance to play, getting 200 more AB’s hitting 9 homers and stealing 5 bases

9. Lon Nation – SU-   Selected first, Nation had two pretty solid seasons to begin his career, 5-1 in his rookie season, then 14 saves over 132 Innings in his sophomore season. Would only pitch 91 more innings with an ERA over 7 after that.

8. Manny Medina- SS-  Medina had kicked around the majors for a few season before getting selected 13^th in the Rule 5 draft.  He played solid defense at SS that season as well as hitting 16 homers and driving in 62 Runs, Only batted .219 that season and struck out 146 times to 9 Walks. Would only play parts of three seasons after that hitting just 5 more homers.

7. Aderlin Colin – LR-  After going almost unnoticed his first two seasons in the majors Ad found some success in Salem.  Over his three seasons with them he averaged about 90 innings, with his best season being his final in the Majors as he went 8-3 with a 3.97 ERA.  Finished his career with 154 games and over 300 innings

6. Rafael Lee – LF/1^st-  For his career was mostly used as a pinch runner and defensive sub at 1^st base and Left Field, duties he was perfectly suited for. Stole 53 bases in his 4 year career and was only caught 5 times.  Was a positive defender at LF and 1^st making 10 + plays for his career.

5. Al Craig – SU-  By no means a great career pitcher. But he did have one great season, ’39, when he went 12-4 with 4 saves in 139 innings striking out 103 batters.

4. Gonzalez Montero – CLO-  Again not a great pitcher, he did have back to back seasons in which he saved 24 games and 17 games. Over that time his ERA was about 5.50.

3. Paxton Leonard –SU-  Did not have the career peaks like Montero and Craig did, but hung around long enough to have a better overall career. 171 games 318 IP with a respectable 4.67 ERA.  Best season was in the draft year when he went 4-3 with a 3.53 ERA

2. Buddy Peacock- SU- The third last player selected, I have him ranked 7^th after the first season. Worked all the way up to #2 thanks to being a very solid workhorse arm out of the bullpen, even spending a few seasons as an opener. In ’43 saved 13 games in 15 chances while pitching to a 3.88 ERA

1. Mayckol Klassen – C-Since this was a pretty thin draft Klassen was the best player after the first year and the best player and the end of his career. The rare catcher who could steal a base (72 for his career with a high of 16).  Also won a Gold Glove in ’40,  his best offensive season when he hit 14 homers to go with 26 doubles and 2 triples.

 

 

Glavine Season 55 Rule 5 Draft Recap

 10. Joba Hagadone-LR- Taken 13th in the Rule 5 draft Joba was bit of a jack of all trades for Buffalo. He made 16 starts as well as 39 appearances out of the pen totally 146 innings. He finished with a 7-16 record as well as 3 saves. Only three times did he pitch 6 innings or more, and each of those he allowed less then 2 runs. So maybe a full time job as a Starting pitcher would better suit him next season.

9. Sparky Negrin-CF- The 5th player taken, went to Colorado and had a pretty solid season. Despite playing in the hitter friendly park he only managed 27 Extra base hits including 9 homers.  Did steal 16 bases while batting 272. Not a great fielder as he made 15 errors and 11 negative players. A move to 2nd base could be in order.

8. Roscoe Kimbrel-SP-  Way up at number 3 was Kimbrel who went to Rochester. Thru 186 innings and maintained a decent WHIP and ERA, 1.58-5.42 to go with his 10-16 record. I honestly think this guy will be better next season and could easily be a 200+ innings .500 type of workhorse arm.

7. Roosevelt Harper-SP- 4 picks after Kimbrel was the slightly more successful Harper who was drafted 7th by Fargo. Has really good stuff striking out 165 over his 187 Innings  and sporting a 11-12 record. Was wild though walking 100 batters.  I think in a few years Kimbrel will be the better pitcher but Harper has some very good stuff, and considering he was signed as an International Free Agent for 11 million he better. 

6. Charles Matheny-C- 3 catchers appear on this top ten list and Matheny might be the best all-around offensive of them. He was however the weakest defender, making 9 errors, throwing out about 17% of would be base stealers and calling pitchers to the tune of a 5.08 ERA. The Buffalo pick did however bat 313 with an OPS of about 840. I think he should have a pretty good career going forward.

5. Emmanuel Flores-RP-Memphis got this guy way down at #21, and I am felling pretty stupid that I left him unprotected. Despite some control issues (75BB in 112IP) he had a strong year 7 wins as well as 11 saves. The WHIP, 1.53 was high, but I think they will take a 4.43 ERA every year. It will be interesting to see if his control issues shorten his ML career.

4. Curt Matthews-C- Way down at 17 was DH Curt Matthews, he ended up catching over 1100 innings, despite not being very good at it.  Where he really shone was at the plate, he launched 32 homers and had a slugging % just under 500. Has great eye, and while I don’t see him being a star, I think he can be a solid platoon bat who can play some Catcher when required.

3. Macbeth Lunsford-C- Wow look another catcher. Big Mac was the best defender, throwing out 44% of runners and having a solid 4.66 CERA. He also hit 21 homers while batting 257 with a 755 OPS.  I don’t know if his bat is really as good as it was this season, but I think his defense will help him stick around longer if his bat starts to falter 

2. Ted Hitchcock-1st-The only rule 5 who is up for the ROY, Hitcher was selected 11th and had remarkable year. 23 Homers (61 Extrabase Hits) 94 RBI and was a perfect 11 for 11 in stolen base attempts. Also played a borderline Gold Glove defense at 1st. With all that being said…I think he hugely overachieved and I don’t think he will ever play this well again.

1. Tim West-2nd Drafted just before Hitchcock (#11) was Tim West, grandson of the Batman, Adam. This uncaped crusader had a great season hitting 20 homers and driving in 90 runs. He did all this in 120 less AB’s then Hitchcock as well. While not a great second baseman (16 Errors and 2 Negative plays) I think he could shift to LF or RF and be a solid defender.  

Glavine Season 35 Draft Recap

                 1. Texas   A+                            12.  Atlanta C+                                    23.  Syracuse C-

                 2. Helena   A                            13.  Rochester   C+                               24. Las Vegas  C-

                 3. Cincinnati  A                        14. Austin        C+                                25. Buffalo    C-

                 4. Boise    A                               15. Colorado   C+                                26. Chicago  D+

                5. Charlotte   A-                        16. Vancouver  C+                                27.  Fargo        D

                6. Kansas City   B                       17. Houston   C                                    28.  Memphis   D-

                7.   Wichita   B                            18.  Ottawa   C                                    29.  New Britain  F

                8.  Pawtucket   B-                        19. Florida    C                                    30.  Hartford     F

                9.  Monterrey   B-                        20. New York  C-                                31. Louisville    F

                10. Oakland    B-                          21. Tucson    C-                   32. San Francisco   F

                11. Chicago C+                            22. Pittsburgh  C-

Top 5 Draft Picks:  1. Steve Ellenwood (TEX)   2. Eugene Eiland  (BOI)   3. Angel Duran (CHA)          4. Trevor Ross (HEL)  5. Geoff McDade (HEL)

Top 5 Draft Misses: Calvin Suzuki 1-15 (MNT)  2.Tom Denny 1-4  (NY)  3.. Ronald Shaw  1-20 (CHI) 4. Wayne Beverlin  1-23 (SYR)   5. Kid Kimbrel 1-32 (FLA)

Top 5 Value Picks: 1. Chad Angelini 8-257  (MNT) 2. Dummy Duffy 7-240 (OTT)  3. Brad Grace 13-433 (VAN)   4. Wandy Blanco 12-382 (HEL)    5. William Aardsma 3-95  (KC)

AL NORTH

Fargo/Trenton-mannytanner  1^st Rnd Picks (1-39) (4 Years ML Service Time)

Right off the bat we see the first pick, he went unsigned though and this team would draft 2^nd next year. We will see how that worked out for them. 39, 50 and 83 did sign however and played sparingly in the majors. Greg Rizzuto stole 20 bases in 127 games, Eugene Ramsey hit 3 homers in 101 AB’s. The 83^rd pick Robert O’Donnell was actually not too bad winning 12 games and saving 9 in his short lived career (69 games)

Draft Grade: D, with the first pick going unsigned it was always going to be an upward battle for a good grade. The 3 other players with Major League playing times did little to help as well.

 

Ottawa/Tacoma-Tomcecil  1^st Rnd Picks (30)  (12 Years ML Service Time)

With only 1 pick in the first round, and a late one at that (30) tomcecil was only able to get a solid defender at 2^nd/CF in Micah Amaya. Hit 11 homers and 66 RBI in his best season while also stealing 11 bases. At 79 in the draft we get the bizarre Keith Kirkland, in ’43 pitched 19.2 innings allowing only 2 earned runs. In his approximately 100 other innings gave up 67. Maybe my favourite named player, Dummy Duffy was drafted at 240^th in the 7^th round, he hit 61 career homers in 1138 AB’s including a single season best of 29.

Draft Grade:  C, even Dummy Duffy can’t lift this draft grade up past average.

 

Helena/Kansas City-olemiss33   1^st Rnd Picks (12-35) (31 Years ML Service Time)

Olemiss made two very good picks in the first round, starting with the #12 Pick, Trevor Ross.  He would win Gold Gloves in both RF and LF and a Silver Slugger while playing CF. He would hit 386 homers and steal 161 bases over his career with his best overall season being ’44 when he hit 37 homers stole 20 bases while batting 282. At #35, Geoff McDade was selected and is still pitching in the majors. Currently has 164 saves, with his best being 40 in just his 2^nd season. Has pitched 1205 games with an ERA of 3.81. At 382^nd Wandy Blanco was drafted and had one very good season hitting 33 homers in just 413 AB’s. He would just hit 5 more in his next season.

Draft Grade: A, Ross is a shade below a Hall of Fame Player and to get a solid bullpen arm that has pitched over 1200 games at 35 is great haul. Excellent value considering the draft position. Two straight A’s by the Helena franchise

Chicago/Detroit-Goldenboy00   1^st Rnd Picks (27-43) (16 Years ML Service Time)

At first glance the #27 pick, MacBeth Murphy was not all that exciting…I mean I should know I drafted him. But a deeper dive shows a solid career. Twice topped 20 homers and was usually good for double digit steals. Was sub-par in the field however, when playing RF and 2^nd his two primary positions. Happy Gabriel was drafted 43^rd but never reached the majors. Kiki Bennet was taken 76^th  and despite having a solid ERA (3.96) only got to play 55 games. GB got a couple other of major league players, Flash Blanks  a catcher was taken 173^rd and got into 279 games hitting 268 with 8 homers. The 589^th pick Chip Reed pitched in 36 games and managed a 3.56 ERA but had little impact

Draft Grade:  C+, the very definition of an average draft. No stars but solid pieces.

AL EAST

Rochester/Toledo-z0601   1^st Rnd Draft Picks (17)  (16 Years ML Service Time)

The 17^th selection in the draft was the only player to make the majors for Rochester. Bret Delmonico was about .500 for his career 177-172, throwing just 5 under 3000 Innings. He id strike out 2272 batters but had a very pedestrian ERA of 4.50.

Draft Grade:  C+ , Delmonico was a solid SP for many years but beyond that this draft was bleak

 

New York/Atlanta-rquin9   1^st Rnd Draft Picks (4^th)  (15 Years ML Service Time)

Tom Denny hung around for better then 15 season collecting 2073 hits but aside from a few Okay seasons, was never really good. While a pretty good fielder 138+ plays at 3^rd base, his best offensive season was in ’44 when he hit 10 homers while batting .310 with a career high .800 OPS.

Draft Grade: C-, Denny is far below the type of player you would hope to get at #4

 

Atlanta/Charlotte-JIMMYOF   1^st Rnd Picks (22) (13 Years ML Service Time)

With the 22^nd pick jimmy took workhorse SP Marcus Fontanez, he did finish with a sub 500 record 130-165 even though at the tail end of his career he had two strong seasons back to back ’47-’48, when he went 36-17 over 430 innings with a 3.68 ERA.

Draft Grade: C+, Once again a team with only one viable major league selection and while Marcus had seasons of borderline stardom on the hole he was just an average Major leaguer.

 

Pawtucket-Shiffy   1^st Rnd Picks (25) (19 Years ML Service Time)

Wilking Candelario might be the player with least triples(12) to ever hit for the cycle. The feat was accomplished in ’44,  a season in which he hit 1 triple and batted .227.  Did hit 211 career homers including a career high of 32 in ’45. Darby Rooney was a DITR drafted 299^th overall. He won 9 games twice in his career while pitching a combined 384 innings. Was a less then stellar 33-52 for his career. Shiffy got a few seasons out of his 20^th round pick, Kurt Seitzer, a catcher who batted 210 over 251 games.

Draft Grade:  B-, Candelario is pretty solid at #25 and a couple of DITR who contributed some extra value.

AL SOUTH

Florida-Chunkym   1^st Rnd Picks (32-46-49)  (17 Years ML Service Time)

Chunky had three 1^st round draft picks with two making the majors, his 32^nd pick Kid Kimbrel was the one that did not.  At 46^th the big swinger Chad Gibson was selected. He hit hover 30 homers in each of his first three seasons including a career high of 41 in ’41. He also struck out 397 times in those three  years. Three picks later at 49 Gerald Niemann was taken and while he only hit 3 homers in his career hid did steal 94 bases in 396 Games. At #113 Robel Nolan a sturdy catcher from South Dakota got the call. His best, and really his only season of note was in ’44 when he hit 13 homers with 36 RBI while batting 300

Draft Grade: C, none of the 1^st round selections where all that high and none of them really panned out all that well either. After two really strong drafts this was a step back for the Florida franchise.

 

Austin/Littlerock-sylemark  1^st Rnd Picks  (10)  (14 Yeasrs ML Service Time)

Here is a pick I am pretty familiar with, Billy Beltre was drafted 10^th overall and spent 5 of his better seasons as part of my Vancouver franchise. He is still pitching effectively in the majors 10-10 in 172 innings so far. Has a solid 143-156 record with a 3.98 ERA. By no means ever an ACE he is the type of arm that most seasons you could slot in the 3/4 spot in almost any rotation.

Draft Grade: C+, Almost exactly what you expect from a #10 pick

 

Monterrey-eric1214   1^st Rnd Draft Picks (15)  (14 Years ML Service Time)

Erics pick in the 1^st round, #15 Calvin Suzuki only played for three seasons and had one good one going 6-0 with 2 saves and a 3.50 ERA. His career ERA was almost 5.00 though.  The disappointment from that first round selection can be somewhat removed after a nice pick at 257^th, Chad Angelini. He hit 128 career homers most over a 6 years stretch where he averaged 15 homers a season.

Draft Grade: B-. Suzuki might be one of the bigger misses in this draft, but Angelini seems to be one of the better surprise picks. I will call this a slight win for eric

 

Memphis/Richmond-Wallyworld    1^st Rnd Selections (2) (4 years Ml Service Time)

Wally had the 2^nd selection overall and took Beamer Moseley, he went unsigned and I think no contract was even tendered to him as no compensation pick was given the following season so that is a huge miss fire. At 51 however wally need get JD Weaver a plucky 2^nd baseman that had marginal success in the majors hitting 11 homers and stealing 19 bases as a rookie.

Draft Grade : D-, getting something in the 2^nd round is nice, but letting the first round pick, especially the 2^nd overall go without even making an offer is almost grounds for dismissal as a GM

 

AL WEST

Tucson/Los Angeles-ck22   1^st Rnd Picks (26)   (7 Years ML Service Time)

Ck22 was only able to snag one major league player in this draft, Polin James. His best season was his last in the majors when he went 15-12 while pitching almost 200 innings with a 4.72 ERA. Only won 53 the rest of his career with an ERA well over 5

Draft Grade:  C-. another rather disappointing draft for the Tucson team, with only the one major leaguer who will be forgotten when I finish this sentence

 

Oakland/Las Vegas-axtell   1^st Rnd Picks (21)  (22 Years ML Service Time)

At #21 Axtell got the long serving SP Ryan Byrd, He pitched almost 2700 innings in his career making a very solid 445 starts. Finished almost 500 going 160-167 for his career finishing with 2128 K’s. 70^th overall was Lonny Ramirezwho got up to the majors for parts of two seasons and 1 full one that saw him hit 15 homers and a 234 average. Much later at 423, relief pitcher Carl Hatcher was selected. Never had a great season, his best was a very pedestrian 4-5 with 2 saves a 4.82 ERA

Draft Grade: B-,   Getting a pitcher who can out almost 3000innings mid way thru the 1^st round is pretty good. A little more this and that helped out as well.

 

Wichita/Anaheim-nadawg77   1^st Rnd Picks (19-42) (15 Years ML Service Time)

With two first round picks nadawg was able to get one major leaguer, Leonardo Bird.  Charley Adams the 42^nd pick went unsigned.  Bird was a multiple All Star catcher who should honestly get a look at being in the Hall. 2350 career hits with a 308 AVG.  His best season was ’44 when he batted 359 with 18 homers and 84 RBI.

Draft Grade: B, Bird is a great pick at #19  but the fact that almost every other draft pick went unsigned it makes it tough for the draft as a whole to be considered a success.

 

Colorado/St. Louis-picc818    1^st Rnd Picks (7)  (11 Years ML Service Time)

Picc went for a bullpen arm at #7 in the draft and selected Kes George. He saved 218 games in his career including 5 seasons with over 30. Made the all star team 3 times and won a Fire Man award once. His final ERA of 4.28 points to some rough seasons in his career.  In lucky round 13 picc got Everett Dent who pitched 80 innings in the bigs winning 6 games and losing the same

Draft Grade:  C+, George was decent pick but not really a #7 impact kind of guy. Still a huge upgrade over the D from last season

 

NL NORTH

Pittsburgh-verik22  1^st Rnd Picks  (44,48)  (15 Years ML Service Time)

Paxton Bush was selected 44^th and actually spent one season as a terrible starter 5-13 with a 6.45 ERA and three fairly average seasons as a reliever  13-7 2 saves with and ERA around 4.50.  4 picks later was Wally Parrish, a Left fielder that hit more like a 2^nd baseman. His best season was in ’45 when he batter 305 with 19 homers. He finished with 107 homers and a 728 OPS.  Verik got a few seasons from his 13^th round pick Kent Catricala, the stocky 2^nd baseman hit 11 homers in 493 AB’s while batting 241.

Draft Grade: C-, big step back for the Pittsburgh franchise after grading A- and B+ in the last two drafts.

 

Buffalo/Columbus-ab90  1^st Rnd Pick (33,47)  (12 Years ML Service Time)

Tomas James was the only one of the two first rounders to enjoy anytime in the majors. Would mostly work as a starter, three times topping 200 innings but only twice winning over 10 games. He would finish his career 55-84 with a 4.87 ERA. At the tail end of the 2^nd round #82, Eswalin Gallardo was drafted and was really a bad major league pitcher but did throw a No Hitter in his Rookie season. I am assuming he won that start but would only win 8 more games in his career.

Draft Grade: C-, the no-hitter from Gallardo is nice but after that its weak draft result

 

Chicago/Burlington-xatomsmasher  1^st Rnd Picks (20)  (15 years ML Service Time)

Atomsmasher got 15 years of service but only 6 came from his first round selection Ronald Shaw.  Went 42-72 in his career including his best season  when he went 10-11 with a solid 4.18 ERA.  The giant Dude Jefferies (6’8) was drafted 101^st overall. He would only win 7 games in his career and would finish his career with an ERA over 6. Ham Eckstein (422) and Walt Jacquez (486) also got a shot at the bigs and combined went 50-102 in 1200+ innings with and ERA of about 5.77

Draft Grade: D+, another team with a top 20 Pick that didn’t pan out…and neither did any of the other picks

 

New Britain-nosirrommij2   1^st Rnd Picks (16,41) (0 Years ML Service)

Draft Grade: F  None of the top 6 picks were signed. Too not get a anything at all hurts, but considering that this team was a just a few years away from 3 straight 100+ wins Nosirr must have been doing something right.

 

NL EAST

Cincinnati/Hartford-goldgreen    1^st Rnd Picks (13,28,36,38,40) (74 Years ML Service Time)

This is going to be a big one, Haywood Douglass whose career is starting to wrap up. He has 171 wins against 142 losses and a 4.36 ERA. In his 17 year career his best season was in ’45 when he went 15-2 with  a 3.24.  At #28 possibly the best fielding SS this world has ever seen was selected. Takuya Tuiasosopo was only a 217 career hitter he did hit 257 homers with 7 seasons over 20.  He had 288 + plays and won an incredible 9 Gold Gloves. With the 36^th pick Heinie Tartamella who hit 385 homers was taken.  Spent some time in RF and LF but was a great 1^st baseman. Topped 40 homers 5 times including an incredible season in ’43 when he hit 62 with 145 runs batted in.  Two picks later, gold grabbed another Gold Glove SS, Jeffrey Langfels. He would win 2 Gold Gloves while being a 226 hitter with limited power (56 Homers) and speed (48 Steals).  The last of the 1^st round selections was Relief pitcher Charlie McMasters, he would pitch for parts of 8 seasons appearing in 212 games winning 20 and saving 13 more. Gold struck just that with his pick in the 2^nd round Patsy Ramirez, a relief pitcher who made the All-Star team once and would have 4 seasons in which he saved over 10 games.  Last and probably least was the 4^th rounder Pedro James. He won 10 games and had 5 saves over his 158 Game career.

Draft Grade: A,   Gold rebounded with this draft after slumping to a C- last season.  Maybe no Hall of Famers, but three very strong players and a second group of major league talent

 

Syracuse-bdrose   1^st Rnd Picks (23)  (8 Years ML Service Time)

Bdrose only had one selection that made any real impact and that was Wayne Beverlin, mostly a starting pitcher, he went 42-65 in his career with a 5.03 ERA in just over 900 innings. Only once did he have an ERA under while pitching over 100 innings. Dick Stephens was drafted 72^nd overall but never did much aside from stealing 14 bases.

Draft Grade: C-. a little bit of value from Beverlin but not what you need from a pick that high

 

Hartford/New York-Sonofodin52   1^st Rnd Picks (11)   (0 Years of ML Service Time)

Draft Grade: F   First pick went unsigned and no body else made it to the majors. The 765^th pick Adys Guerra has somehow managed to keep playing minor league baseball. He has pitched in 901 Minor league games but isn’t great down there either. This franchise is one of the worst drafting teams to this date.

 

Kansas City/Scranton-pitboss13   1^st Rnd Picks (14)  (26 Years ML Service time)

The 14^th pick overall was Tom Eppley who in his Rookie season went 17-9 and in his last season in the majors he went 13-4. In between all that he was pretty much a 500 pitcher going 165-162 pitching almost 3000 innings with a 4.19 ERA.  Alex Bochtler #63 was decent for a couple of seasons 8-8 in one and 10-13 in the next but his career was short lived and over two years later. #95 William Aardsma  was a free swinging catcher who racked up 851 K’s in just 3700 AB’s. He did mash 173 homers including a career high 32 in his first full season to go with an 828 OPS

Draft Grade:  B, solid drafting by pitboss   getting a workhorse SP and a solid catcher in the third round.

 

NL SOUTH

Charlotte/New Orleans-purplehaze54   1^st Rnd Picks (5)  (17 Years ML Service Time)

Angel Duran was drafted 5^th overall and is a borderline hall of famer in my humble opinion.  A top flight defender at 2^nd base he was also a great offensive player. 370 homers 218 steals and over 2300 career hits. His best season was ’47 when he hit 36 homers with 121 RBI and 26 steals while batting a best 293. JO Miro who was the 54^th pick taken and played for parts of 5 seasons. While he did go 8-8 in his rookie season he sported a 6.51 ERA that season and a 5.61 for his career.

Draft Grade:  A-, you could argue that Duran is the best player drafted. But after the draft was a disappointment

 

Texas/Durham-sbdmasters  1^st Rnd Picks (3-9) (37 Years ML Service Time)

Is the #3 pick a Hall of Famer? Steve Ellenwood was a professional hitter from day one of his major league career. Finishing with 2361 hits and an incredible 317 AVG. He popped 311 homers and stole an amazing 520 bases.  Multiple awards including an MVP in ’41 but it could be argued that isn’t his best season.  With a 2^nd early first round pick at #9 sbd grabbed a solid catcher Ralph Hollins. He was a multiple all-star and had a strong if not spectacular career with 226 Homers and a .296 AVG.  At #52 a defense first SS was drafted. Sean Douglass excelled with the glove (82+ plays) but was less exciting at the plate. A career 234 hitter he had his best season in ’40 when he hit 13 homers with a 259 avg.  The #85 pick was Andy Slaughter, great grand son of Enos.  The boy could draw a walk but was a pretty basic batter and his career was over after 534 AB’s

Draft Grade: A+, love this draft. A hall of famer?, An Allstar Catcher and a defensive SS.

 

Louisville-Mattster24   1^st Rnd Picks None (0 Years ML Service Time)

Draft Grade: F  Louisville has gone from a solid C to a D+ to an F. Not a positive trend

 

Houston/Nashville-Kingkai53  1^st Rnd Picks (18,37)  (14 Years ML Service Time)

Only one of kingkais picks made it to the majors for any length of time. Joey Luebbers the #18 pick took a few seasons to get his act together. After that he was a pretty solid 20+ homer guy for a few seasons, finishing with 258 round trippers while also stealing 212 bases.

Draft Grade:  C, Joey is a solid pick and this is there best draft in three seasons.

 

NL WEST

Vancouver/Omaha-outlaw 6-4-3   1^st Rnd Picks (31-45)  (13 Years ML Service Time)

Miller Wisdom some how hung around for 5 seasons despite not being a very good hitter.  He was a solid defender while playing 3^rd but for his career was just a 224 hitter that hit 19 homers and stole 18 bases in 300+ games.  Dennis Bailey the 45^th pick burst onto the scene in his rookie season with a 827 OPS and 24 homers. Fell off a bit in his sophomore season but still managed to hit 18 homers in 299 AB’s  But after that never appeared in a major league game again. Way down in the 13^th round Brad Grace was drafted and hung around for 6 seasons as a pretty decent bullpen arm. He finished with a solid 24-11 record while appearing in 334 games.

Draft Grade: C+, this grade pretty much hinges on one very good season from Bailey and a surprise career from Grace

Boise-Hawkeyeone  1^st Rnd Draft Picks (6,29,34)  (24 Years ML Service Time)

#6 Eugene Eiland, did we not put this guy in the Hall yet?   That’s stupid if we didn’t. Dynamic fielder at 3^rd and 2^nd. All types of awards. 475 homers, 512 steals and a career OPS of 807. I don’t care what his average was, this guy was baseball!  At #29 Julio Soriano was decent defender up the middle, and could steal a base, 115 while only being caught 16 times. The last of the 1^st rounders was #34 Javier James, the starting pitcher twice won over ten games but also lost 18 one season while getting shelled to the tune of a 6.26 ERA

Draft Grade:  A, got a hall of famer at #6. Considering the 1^st two picks of this seasons drafts went unsigned that is a huge get

 

 

San Francisco/Portland-She said    1^st Rnd Picks (8)  (0 Years ML Service Time)

Draft Grade: F, the #8 pick went unsigned, its looks like refusal as opposed to a lack of an offer. Even still no players equals an F

 

Las Vegas/Vancouver-aaronbrown99    1^st Rnd Picks (24)  (7 Years ML Service Time)

Andrew Cox was a 7 year pro who was pretty good in seasons that he wasn’t bad in. Threw 90 innings with a 2.98 ERA in his second season.  Finished his career with a respectable 3.43 and 1.28 WHIP in 352 Innings

Draft Grade: C-, Andrew would be nice as a 2^nd or 3^rd player drafted by a team but as the first and only major league player taken it’s a bit of a loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Iron Aquino

 Way back in ’37 mydmond made a draft selection at #17 that would go on to break one of the most incredible records of all time.  Maicer Aquino, some how fell to 17^th in the draft and after an amazing season in rookie ball 21 homers-353 avg-1136OPS. After a promotion the next season all the way up to AA he was almost as good. 26 Homers-20 steals and a 295/371/547 slash line.  Two season in AAA, when honestly he may have already been ready for the bigs, he combined for 53 homers-40 steals-while hitting well over 300.  It would be at the end of that  season that the record breaking would start. He would play 25 games that season and then 2320 more after that for a total of 2345 games in a row.  During that period he would win Rookie of the Year, MVP, 2 Gold Gloves, 3 Silver Sluggers and get selected to the All-Star team 4 times.  He would be a 20/20 guy 11 times, and a 30/30 guy once.  10 times he would top 100 RBI, 11 times 100 Runs.  Hall of fame?  Hell ya!  As he closes in on 3000 career hits, 1000 Extra Base hits, with a 301 AVG and 337 steals he is also an incredible fielder at 1^st with 135 Plus Plays and only 19 Errors across 1415 games there. When the injury bug finally bite him this season, it might honestly have been for the best. With diminishing power and speed he is probably doing more harm then good to his team. With two seasons left under contract it will be interesting to see how many more milestones he can reach on his way to Cooperstown.

Hall of Fame Class of '55

 

Glavine 300 Welcomes Kendrys Almonte as the class of ’55 Lone Hall Of Fame Representative

In season ’34 Almonte signed as a massive international free agent, a whopping amount of 27 Million dollars. The Mexican native was best suited to play 1^st base, where he did spend about 2/3rds of his playing time making 81+ plays against 31 negatives. He did play almost 800 games in RF where he made a crazy 98 negative plays.  After a bit of a slow star in his rookie season, 26 homers and a 257 AVG.  He then hit 154 homers in his next three seasons combined. He would top 50 homers three more times including 59 in his best overall season that would see him hit 307 with 172 RBI and win his first of two MVP’s. He would win again in season ’46 when he hit a career hit 40 doubles with 54 homers 161 RBI and bat 305.  His career would finish with 2777 hits, 742 of them being homers(4^th all-time), 1886 RBI and a slash line of 286/350/560 and a 910 OPS.  By comparison I have him 7^th among all 1^st basemen in the Hall behind Benito Monatez and ahead of Michael Wang. Having just retired Almonte seems to be enjoying his down time and travelling the world when not spending time with his new wife, Giselle (27) a former model for the Spanish Beauty magazine El Espectador (The Looker)

Glavine300 Season 35 Rule 5 Draft Recap

10.  Darryl Hunter-The 2^nd of two players selected by the then St.Louis franchise, now Colorado. Won two Gold Gloves in his two full seasons playing Left Field (43+ plays). On the offensive side he was pretty much a slap and spray type hitter who could steal a few bases (70 over three seasons) but with a 625 Career OPS his time in the majors didn’t last very long. He is a driving instructor in Eastern Canada specializing in defensive driving during winter months.

9. Carl Lewis-One of two players taken by the Helena franchise Carl was pretty bad his first two seasons going a combined 12-32 with an ERA around 5.70. Put it together in his 3^rd season when he went 9-10 with a solid 3.91 ERA over 177 innings. Lewis now ironically coaches track at his old college, Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology.

8. Walter Montgomery- Taken 5^th overall Walter didn’t have any great statistical seasons but was very solid in his three big league years. He went 10-9 with a 3.34 ERA in 183 Innings while pitching mostly out of the bullpen. Monty retired after his three seasons and went back to school, getting a degree in Nuclear Physics he now is an engineer at the  Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant.

7. Kendry Matos- Taken 6^th overall, Kendry was a pretty solid bullpen arm over parts of 6 seasons and 1 season as Opener type arm. 416 total innings with a 17 wins and 11 saves isn’t anything great but he did twice pitch over 50 games and twice went over 100 innings while keeping his ERA a respectable 4.15. He is now a “promotor” in his hometown of Tijuana Mexico.

6.  Rico Martinez- The 2^nd player taken Rico had a high ceiling when he was player, hit for the cycle in his final season where he hit 298 with 10 homers and 14 steals. Stole 56 bases in his two other seasons combined but his OBP was barely over 300. The Laguana Beach native now owns a chain of successful Laundromats (Ricos Spin and Cycle).

5. Giovanny Grey- Had some very good seasons, once saving 31 games, then followed that up with three seasons in a row with 90+ innings and an ERA around 3.50. Signed his biggest contract the next season with Colorado and celebrated it by having an ERA over 10.  Grey now writes for his hometown paper and serves on the city council.

4. Bryson Spring-Not sure why Spring stopped playing as he had three very good seasons. Averaged 18 homers and 75 RBI with 20 steals while batting a solid 267. Was below average in RF but was good in LF.  After his baseball career ended no one is really sure what happened to him, the last time he was scene was purchasing a ticket for the movie Nomadland.

3. Alving Baez-A Gold Glove Catcher, Baez was not a real great hitter though. But hell he played 11 seasons and kept his average over 250 for his career while being a tremendous defender at the toughest position in baseball. Alving runs a baseball clinic in the Dominican and a son that is looking to be an International Free Agent next season.

2. Mario McDowell- Hit 170 major league homers with three seasons over 30 and two seasons with over 100 RBI.  Mario only hit 254 for his career but that is a lot of homers.  Was an okay fielder at 1^st base but better suited for time at DH. McDowell now spends his time at home with his family that includes 5 kids and 13 grandchildren.

1. Dustan Kirkland- Taken third overall, Kirkland won a Gold Glove in RF, but was known for his glove work at SS where he made 29 Positive plays.  6 times he reached double digits in homers with a career high of 22 in season ’38.  The smooth fielder is now a spokesperson for a weight loss supplement as the one time 5’8 163LBS Shortstop ballooned to almost 295lbs after his retirement.

Glavine Season 54 Rule 5 Draft Recap

While no future stars seem to have been taken this year we did got some solid role players that look like they might be around for some time.

10. Stefan Mulder-1^st Gorshar selected two players in the draft both of whom would make the top ten this year. Mulder looks like a solid platoon option at LF/1^st as he really dominates lefties. He hit 304 with a 861 OPS while stealing 9 bases in just 247 AB’s

9. Yoo-NahJang-2^nd   The 3^rd player selected in the draft, Jang had a pretty solid season in Colorado playing mostly 2^nd Base. 7 homers and 8 steals in 339 AB’s he also drove in 52 runs.  Not sure his skills will lead to a long career in the Majors.

8.  David Torres-3^rd   Torres was the first player taken and used his defensive abilities to play almost everyday. His offensive highlights were 18 doubles and 8 homers but really shined on the field as he made 10+ plays at 3^rd.

7. Scott Scanlan-SS Another defensive wiz selected by BCP.   He made 11+ plays at SS and connected for 19 homers while stealing 10 bases. Did only hit .188 though. Has the raw tools but it remains to be seen if he can play everyday.

6.  Tony Lee-1^st   Drafted second this season, Lee had a very good all-around season. 14 homers and 15 steals in 421 AB’s while making 10+ plays at 1^st base. The 245 AVG and 318 OBP leave something to be desired.

5. Ugueth Rondon-RP  For a 59 Overall player Ugueth really over achieved. Spinning 66 quality innings going 5-1  and sporting a solid 3.82 ERA and 1.21 WHIP

4. AJ Kennedy-RP  1 of 4 players taken by Goldenboy Kennedy had a great season out of the bullpen. Just under 85 innings he won 5 games while striking out 58 batters. His ERA 3.19 and WHIP 1.22 where super solid as well.

3. Abel Ellis-LF  Of all the batters selected in the draft Ellis looks to be the most dynamic offensive player.  17 Homers and 22 steals he also had 46 Extra base hits. His defense isn’t great and is best suited for 1^st base with some time in LF.

2. Dan Latimore-LR  Danny bounced between the rotation and the bullpen making 17 starts and 22 appearances out of the pen. He went 9-8 in 166 innings striking out 130 batters. The ERA 4.18 was a little high but a solid 1.28 WHIP leads me to believe he can do this again for many seasons

1.  Chase Baltz-RP  Had actually spent parts of two fairly solid season in the majors before this, otherwise might have been a front runner for ROY.  85 games with 129 IP, he went 7-4 with 5 saves.  Struck out an incredible 111 batters while having a low ERA and WHIP 3.20/1.03