[Westheim]

A little follow up on the feature from last season, where I complain about all my draft picks. Here's an update on the top 5 picks from every round.

1977

Round 1 - OF Daniel Hall – To date has 552 H and 72 HR in the major leagues for the Raccoons, with the latter rising steadily, he's in the top 30 in home runs now - all time that is.
Round 2 - SP Jaime Garcia – A total bust, he has never made it out of AA ball, and is bouncing between A and AA now for some time.
Round 3 - 1B Matt Workman – Made the majors two years ago and has instantly made him a key piece to the lineup there. His defense is not great, but he's wielding a .280+ bat with a good bit of power.
Round 4 - MR Miguel Bojorquez – Was with the Raccoons 1980-81 as situational lefty with a 7.25 ERA, and sent back to AAA. He is still there, but there are other lefties ahead of him now.
Round 5 - SP/MR Jorge Rodriguez – was traded to the Titans this winter and made his major league debut with them, but is back at AAA, where he has already spent some years.

1978

Round 1 - MR Richard Cunningham – He developed a killer arm with a slight tendency to go wild. Joined the Raccoons in late ’81 and is a murder 7th/8th inning guy. Has almost 9 K/9 in the majors so far.
Round 2 - SP/MR Gary Simmons – Was beaten up as a starter with the Raccoons in 1980-81, and was traded to Nashville this winter, where he is on the major league roster as reliever.
Round 3 - 1B Johnny Snow – Never progressed above AA ball - bust.
Round 4 - MR Marvin Large – Has spent years in AA, but has never gotten hold at the AAA level with a 6.30 ERA there.
Round 5 - C Eric Gregory – Is a good catcher, but too weak a batter to make it to the majors, plays AA ball at the moment.

1979

Round 1 - MR Grant West – Local boy from Portland, is the Raccoons' closer now. Has a 1.61 ERA and 65 SV in just over two years of work.
Round 2 - SP Pepe Acevedo – Was shipped off to Cincinnati in the Jack Pennington trade before the 1981 season, where he finally got into AA ball - total bust.
Round 3 - MR Fletcher Kelley – He has shredded the opposition on his way to the majors, which he made in ’81. He has a tendency to give up home runs, which is hurting his ERA and reputation.
Round 4 - LF/RF Gary Carter – Moved up to AAA in 1981, but hardly got playing time if not for injuries. Doesn't have the beef to make the majors.
Round 5 - C Dave Stewart – The “bit of power” we saw before drafting him has never materialized, his bat is very weak and he has never progressed past A ball.

1980

Round 1 - SP Carlos Gonzalez – Was mega-hyped after the draft as THE next pitcher, but can not get a decent ERA even in AA ball in his fourth year of trying.
Round 3 - SP Ray Willis – He has not gotten out of A ball yet and has been severely rated down by scouting departments since being drafted.
Round 4 - 1B/2B Darren Campbell – Has slowly moved up to AAA ball, where he is batting .250 and fielding well.
Round 5 - LF Jose Perez – Can not progress past the AA level, struggles at the plate.

1981

Round 1 - 3B/2B Orlando Lantán – Plays AA ball, but has been rated down by three different scouts now - BUST.
Round 2 - C Greg Thornburg – He is a genious catcher, but unfortunately can't bat for his life and can't even get out of A ball - BUST.
Round 3 - OF Kelly Weber – Moved up to AA late in ’81 and is playing very well there, but has not gotten over the hump where we'd be confident he can do it at the AAA level.
Round 4 - MR Pedro Vazquez – Has moved quickly to the AAA level after initially being overlooked. He is a right-handed fireballer with severe control issues, which if ironed out would allow him to join the majors.
Round 5 - CL Emerson MacDonald – Has also joined the AAA team quickly and performs well there, but is also a righty and you have to wonder if the majors pen can hold 'em all.

1982

Round 1 - LF/RF Alejandro Lopez - He had a terrible rookie season at the A level and is only slowly improving.
Supp. Round - INF Carlos Miranda - Quickly dashed through the A level; now at AA he is still refining his bat a bit, but his fielding is very good.
Supp. Round - OF Matt Olson - Bats a solid .250 clip at AA, but does not improve (he skipped the A level entirely).
Round 2 - MR Jason Bentley - Does a very good job as the AA team's closer, although his ERA is a bit high and he walks too many.
Round 3 - C Odwin Garza - Batted .295 in his rookie season in A; bats 100 points lower, still in A, this season.
Round 4 - 1B Mariano Duarte - Whatever we saw before the draft, it has not materialized yet in A ball.
Round 5 - RF/LF Paul Blake - He shot all the way up to AAA ball in his rookie season, but can't piece it together there yet, but he could be a future big leaguer.