[Westheim]

1985 AMATEUR DRAFT

As mentioned a month earlier, the Raccoons aren’t in a bad position for the draft, but it’s also certainly not a great one, with only a few perceived top flight future stars standing out to the naked eye. At #10 in the first (and subsequent) round(s), we may not get one of those. If there’s a lot of one thing in the market, then it’s quality infielders, both of the moving-challenged power corner infielders, as of the defensively good and versatile good-contact, low-power type.

I called the following five players the main prizes when the draft pool came out:
- Corner infielder Joe Jackson, 20/13/16 bat
- Pitcher Greg Lynn, 13/17/16 with mediocre stamina, so he may rather be a murder reliever
- Reliever Jose Mendoza, 20/13/7 with a deadly slider
- First baseman Gabriel Ramirez, 19/18/17 bat, can’t field a ball for his life, though
- Outfielder Grady Young, 14/10/11 bat, but very complete all around player with speed, range, and a good eye

I may want to add the following, not quite AAA category, but possibly AA+ players (that’s not their ceiling in minor league baseball, by the way :-P)

- Pitcher Cesar Sanchez, 9/15/11, which may not seem like much, but he had a nice mix of pitches available to him. One question is whether he’s worth his $1.04M bonus demand
- Catcher Horace Simpson, 10/11/13 with great catching abilities
- Infielder Paul Bruce, 12/5/10, with a superb eye (actually two) and defense

The Raccoons pick 10th in every round, plus 9th (of 33) in the supplemental round, and 21st in the fourth round (courtesy of the Condors signing Cisco Banda).

The Washington Capitals picked first overall and selected outfielder Tomas Maguey, who had been given an unsure “Meh” from the Furballs’ head scout Nathan Bruce.

And now let me tell you something: of the eight players I listed up there, during the first nine picks, ONE was taken (Cesar Sanchez by the Rebels, #3)! And this completely threw me off balance – was my shortlist that poorly scouted? I now had complete doubt on my mind. I turned to Nathan Bruce, who suggested Joe Jackson. I know how Charlie Hough was more keen on Ramirez, but Jackson was above-average to mega in *all* categories, including defense. And you know what? We got them both!

1985 PORTLAND RACCOONS DRAFT PICKS

Round 1 (#10) – 1B/3B Joe Jackson, 20, from Columbus, OH – very good overall bat (20/13/16, plus 20 gap and /K’s), high speed, good defense, he has superstar written all over him.
Supp. Round (#33) – 1B Gabriel Ramirez, 21, from Maturin, Venezuela – he has one upside: an enormous power bat, striking fear wherever he carries it. Defense, speed and everything else are easily outclassed by this.
Round 2 (#67) – MR Jose Mendoza, 18, from Santiago, Dom. Rep. – murder slider at his disposal, but he has to learn control; stamina is very low, but he *could* become a setup or closer guy.
Round 3 (#91) – LF/RF/1B Antonio Morín, 18, from Bayamon, Puerto Rico – bats for high average and strikes out only once a fortnight, plus speed and range are good, but he has no power to speak off.
Round 4 (#115) – 1B/2B Dennis Gray, 21, from Holland, MS – very solid allrounder, but he’s not really great in any category, and has little power.
Round 4 (#126) – CL Gerald Hickman, 21, from Powell, OH – lefty with a shot at being a 7th/8th inning guy, but this depends on whether he can get his changeup into a truly great pitch.
Round 5 (#139) – 3B/2B Bartolo Ayala, 21, from San Pedro de Macoris, Dom. Rep. – solid guy, but no standout features.
Round 6 (#163) – MR Mike Shaw, 22, from Tempe, AZ – has a good curveball, but overall even for a lefty that will not be enough to get close to the majors.
Round 7 (#187) – RF/LF Ramiro Crespo, 21, from Santiago, Dom. Rep. – good contact bat for high average, but no power and unconvincing defense
Round 8 (#211) – 1B/LF/3B/2B Pedro Cardenas, 22, from San Luis Potosi, Mexico – plays a total of six positions, and can bat for a good average, but overall has very little potential to reach the majors.
Round 9 (#235) – MR Ted Montgomery, 21, from Framingham, MS – stuff is okay, but that’s it.
Round 10 (#259) – MR Tak-keung Tsang, 21, from Toronto, Canada – stuff is okay, but that’s it.

Joe Jackson was the only player assigned to the AA level. A few slackers dwelling in AA and A for the last few years were released.