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reds1 · 06-29-2016, 07:05 AM

December 6, 1944

1944-45 Amateur Draft Results

Pulberry, Oxford (BP) – The United Leagues eighth annual Amateur Draft was held at the Ashburton Hotel overlooking the picturesque Amburg Inlet in the west coast city of Pulberry today.

The consensus among team scouts and general managers was that this was one of the deeper draft pools in recent memory. General Manager Bill Byers, whose team, the Fort Richmond Generals, will select first, could barely contain his pleasure at the makeup of this year’s draft. “We agree that this year’s draft is deep. Our feeling is that there are quite a few players who would have been worthy of a first-round selection in any other year, but will not be selected until later in the second or even third round. Naturally, as we have the first overall pick, we are quite optimistic that we can acquire a good selection of potential impact players.”

The Generals are not alone in that appraisal, and it will interesting to see how the draft class of 1944-45 pans out in a few years’ time – whether it will have lived up to its advanced billing, or whether is all just hype.

Following the Fort Richmond Generals, the Downie Chiefs and Wellington Athletics made the next two picks. Here is a brief sketch of the 16 players taken in the first round:

1st Pick – Fort Richmond Generals:

OF Dylan Moyne (51/80) – 22-years old; 5’-8”, 170 lbs.; Hits LH/Throws RH.

Moyne is a sensational young player who appears ready to step into a major league lineup now. The Balmoral native projects to be a hitting phenom, with terrific contact and outstanding power potential. Combine that with solid defense and blazing speed and you have an all-star waiting in the wings.

Update: As expected, the Generals announced shortly after the draft proceedings, that Moyne will immediately join the big league club where he is expected to man centerfield and lead-off.

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2nd Pick – Downie Chiefs:

OF Alfonso León (21/78) – 19-years old; 5’-9”, 160 lbs.; Hits RH/Throws RH.

As they did last year, the Downie Chiefs selected second overall. Their pick is almost a carbon copy of Moyne, as León has outstanding batting skills who may one day challenge for a batting title. Originally from Puerto Rico, León has tremendous power potential as well. However, his speed and defense are not quite as good as Moyne. León will join the Minto Tribe, Downie’s AA farm team.

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3rd Pick – Wellington Athletics:

SS Rupert Bricknell (21/55) – 19-years old; 5’-9”, 160 lbs.; Hits RH/Throws RH.

With all the talent available in the draft, the Athletics raised some eyebrows with their first pick. Bricknell’s greatest strengths are his speed and his patience at the plate; however, he is not projected to be anything more than average with his bat or in the field. For me, the issue isn’t that Bricknell won’t be a decent player – it’s just that he, in all probability, would have been still available in a later round for Wellington to select. Bricknell will report to Wellington’s AA farm team, the Evansville Clowns.

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4th Pick – Cobourg Red Stockings:

C Jason Lymer (36/76) – 21-years old; 6’-2”, 200 lbs.; Hits LH/Throws RH.

The second consecutive player hailing from Fort Richmond, Cobourg goes with a catcher with plus-plus contact and decent defense. But he will need to work on his plate discipline. He will start his professional career with AA Cardiff Crushers.

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5th Pick – Wolseley Unions:

IF/OF Connor Reddick (23/68) – 20-years old; 5’-9”, 160 lbs.; Hits SH/Throws RH.

The Unions also selected 5th overall last season, and this time they went with a versatile fielder with solid contact, terrific eye and decent speed. Although Reddick can play both the infield and outfield, 2B is his strongest position. He will be assigned to AA Waterloo Whips.

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6th Pick – Embro Suns:

LHP Carl McBroom (27/80) – 18-years old; 6’-1”, 175 lbs.; Hits LH/Throws LH.

The first pitcher selected in the draft, McBroom possesses outstanding movement and command. However, he may not become quite the dominant pitcher unless he can bring his stuff up a notch or two. He will head down to work on it with Embro's AA farm team, the Lythmore Atoms.

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7th Pick – Hespeler Stars

2B/SS Oliver Aland (24/75) – 20-years old; 5’-10”, 170 lbs.; Hits LH/Throws RH.

With the 7th overall pick, the Stars take Aland, a kid with plus-plus contact, good speed and reliable defense. Power is not part of his game and plate discipline will be an issue. He will need to really work on hitting from the inside of the plate. He will begin his career with the AA Muir Electrics.

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8th Pick – Sherburn Tigers:

RHP Bartolo Sánchez (22/75) – 21-years old; 6’-3”, 205 lbs.; Hits RH/Throws RH.

The Sherburn Tigers, already blessed with promising pitching prospects, pick up another in Sánchez. Hailing from Cuba, Sánchez has some decent stuff, amazing movement and great control. Six pitches fill out his repertoire: fastball (35/40), curveball (25/30), changeup (20/30, splitter (40/400, screwball (25/35) and knuckle curve (25/35). He will report to Sherburn's AA club, the Hannon Greyhounds.

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Here is the rest of the first round, selections 9-16:

9th Pick – Pulberry Trolleys:

LHP William Say (22/80) – stuff (50/60), movement (55/70) and control (30/45). 22-years old; 5’-11”, 190 lbs.; groundball tendency; 90-92 Mph velocity; Hits RH/Throws LH.

The host Trolleys selected relief pitcher William Say who is expected to skip the minors and report directly to the parent club. Say has awesome stuff and movement on his pitches, but his command is average at the moment. He boasts two terrific pitches: fastball (50/55) and a slider (50/65).

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10th Pick – Cambria Cannons:

OF Howard Ockey (22/69) – contact (40/50), gap power (35/40) and eye (35/45). 21-years old; 5’-10”, 170 lbs.; normal hitter; Hits LH/Throws LH.

The Cannons selected the Hespeler native Ockey, who should be a solid contact hitter. Power and plate discipline however are not strengths of his. But he is a natural defender, especially in rightfield (75) and has decent speed.

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11th Pick – Braeland City Monarchs:

RHP Malcolm Willis (47/80) – stuff (45/65), movement (65/70) and control (35/45). 23-years old; 6’-1”, 200 lbs.; groundball tendency; 93-95 Mph velocity; Hits RH/Throws RH.

Another relief pitcher that is expected to skip the minors, Willis, a native of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin is blessed with plus-plus stuff and movement. Only his command can be considered average. He throws two great pitches: fastball (50/65) and a slider (50/70).

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12th Pick – Queensland Eagles:

IF/OF Bob Sobel (23/74) – contact (45/65), gap power (35/45) and eye (40/55). 20-years old; 6’-1”, 185 lbs.; normal hitter; Hits LH/Throws RH.

The Eagles picked 12th overall last year and with this year's pick, they went with a guy with great contact, little power and decent eye. While speed is not a strength, he is a superior defender, able to play 2B, SS and RF (all 60), as well as 3B (65). The Eagles have assigned him to the AA Innerkip Oysters.

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13th Pick – Brunswick Legends:

OF Stewart Muirhead (23/76) – contact (40/50), gap power (45/50) and eye (45/60). 22-years old; 5’-10”, 180 lbs.; pull hitter; Hits LH/Throws RH.

Brunswick selected Downie's Stewart Muirhead, who is another solid contact hitter with little power but with a very good eye. He will be a constant threat to steal and can play all three outfield positions well: leftfield (70), centerfield (60) and rightfield (60).

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14th Pick – Balmoral Giants:

OF Elton Larkin (21/69) – contact (30/50), gap power (25/45) and eye (30/55). 17-years old; 5’-11”, 170 lbs.; normal hitter; Hits RH/Throws RH.

Balmoral takes the Kingston native who has pretty decent batting skills and well above average foot speed. Defense is not his strong-suit however, as LF is his best fielding position (40). The Giants have assigned him to the AA Georgetown Goldbugs.

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15th Pick – Stratford Barons:

RHP Bill Wolf (20/76) – stuff (30/35), movement (55/75) and control (25/55). 18-years old; 6’-0”, 170 lbs.; groundball tendency; 85-87 Mph velocity; Hits SH/Throws RH.

The Barons take a future starter in the first-round, as Wolf boasts some nice stuff, great movement and solid control. He has five pitches in his arsenal: fastball (30/35), curveball (30/40), slider (30/35), changeup (25/40) and forkball (35/45). He will start his professional career with the AA Brockville Bears of the Heritage Leagues.

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16th Pick – Kingston Pelicans:

OF Benjamin Nishikawa (21/63) – contact (35/55), gap power (40/60) and eye (20/40). 18-years old; 5’-9”, 165 lbs.; normal hitter; Hits RH/Throws RH.

The final pick of the first-round, Nishikawa's best tools are his decent contact (projects to be a .270 hitter) and top of the charts power potential. He will really need to work on his plate discipline, however, as it is a severe liability at the moment. His defense is merely average (40 at LF; 35 at RF) and he is rather slow on the basepaths. He will start with the AA Elgin Angels.

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Here are the standings as of December 31:

06-29-2016, 07:05 AM	#279
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	December 6, 1944 1944-45 Amateur Draft Results Pulberry, Oxford (BP) – The United Leagues eighth annual Amateur Draft was held at the Ashburton Hotel overlooking the picturesque Amburg Inlet in the west coast city of Pulberry today. The consensus among team scouts and general managers was that this was one of the deeper draft pools in recent memory. General Manager Bill Byers, whose team, the Fort Richmond Generals, will select first, could barely contain his pleasure at the makeup of this year’s draft. “We agree that this year’s draft is deep. Our feeling is that there are quite a few players who would have been worthy of a first-round selection in any other year, but will not be selected until later in the second or even third round. Naturally, as we have the first overall pick, we are quite optimistic that we can acquire a good selection of potential impact players.” The Generals are not alone in that appraisal, and it will interesting to see how the draft class of 1944-45 pans out in a few years’ time – whether it will have lived up to its advanced billing, or whether is all just hype. Following the Fort Richmond Generals, the Downie Chiefs and Wellington Athletics made the next two picks. Here is a brief sketch of the 16 players taken in the first round: 1st Pick – Fort Richmond Generals: OF Dylan Moyne (51/80) – 22-years old; 5’-8”, 170 lbs.; Hits LH/Throws RH. Moyne is a sensational young player who appears ready to step into a major league lineup now. The Balmoral native projects to be a hitting phenom, with terrific contact and outstanding power potential. Combine that with solid defense and blazing speed and you have an all-star waiting in the wings. *Update:* As expected, the Generals announced shortly after the draft proceedings, that Moyne will immediately join the big league club where he is expected to man centerfield and lead-off. -------- 2nd Pick – Downie Chiefs: OF Alfonso León (21/78) – 19-years old; 5’-9”, 160 lbs.; Hits RH/Throws RH. As they did last year, the Downie Chiefs selected second overall. Their pick is almost a carbon copy of Moyne, as León has outstanding batting skills who may one day challenge for a batting title. Originally from Puerto Rico, León has tremendous power potential as well. However, his speed and defense are not quite as good as Moyne. León will join the Minto Tribe, Downie’s AA farm team. -------- 3rd Pick – Wellington Athletics: SS Rupert Bricknell (21/55) – 19-years old; 5’-9”, 160 lbs.; Hits RH/Throws RH. With all the talent available in the draft, the Athletics raised some eyebrows with their first pick. Bricknell’s greatest strengths are his speed and his patience at the plate; however, he is not projected to be anything more than average with his bat or in the field. For me, the issue isn’t that Bricknell won’t be a decent player – it’s just that he, in all probability, would have been still available in a later round for Wellington to select. Bricknell will report to Wellington’s AA farm team, the Evansville Clowns. -------- 4th Pick – Cobourg Red Stockings: C Jason Lymer (36/76) – 21-years old; 6’-2”, 200 lbs.; Hits LH/Throws RH. The second consecutive player hailing from Fort Richmond, Cobourg goes with a catcher with plus-plus contact and decent defense. But he will need to work on his plate discipline. He will start his professional career with AA Cardiff Crushers. -------- 5th Pick – Wolseley Unions: IF/OF Connor Reddick (23/68) – 20-years old; 5’-9”, 160 lbs.; Hits SH/Throws RH. The Unions also selected 5th overall last season, and this time they went with a versatile fielder with solid contact, terrific eye and decent speed. Although Reddick can play both the infield and outfield, 2B is his strongest position. He will be assigned to AA Waterloo Whips. -------- 6th Pick – Embro Suns: LHP Carl McBroom (27/80) – 18-years old; 6’-1”, 175 lbs.; Hits LH/Throws LH. The first pitcher selected in the draft, McBroom possesses outstanding movement and command. However, he may not become quite the dominant pitcher unless he can bring his stuff up a notch or two. He will head down to work on it with Embro's AA farm team, the Lythmore Atoms. -------- 7th Pick – Hespeler Stars 2B/SS Oliver Aland (24/75) – 20-years old; 5’-10”, 170 lbs.; Hits LH/Throws RH. With the 7th overall pick, the Stars take Aland, a kid with plus-plus contact, good speed and reliable defense. Power is not part of his game and plate discipline will be an issue. He will need to really work on hitting from the inside of the plate. He will begin his career with the AA Muir Electrics. -------- 8th Pick – Sherburn Tigers: RHP Bartolo Sánchez (22/75) – 21-years old; 6’-3”, 205 lbs.; Hits RH/Throws RH. The Sherburn Tigers, already blessed with promising pitching prospects, pick up another in Sánchez. Hailing from Cuba, Sánchez has some decent stuff, amazing movement and great control. Six pitches fill out his repertoire: fastball (35/40), curveball (25/30), changeup (20/30, splitter (40/400, screwball (25/35) and knuckle curve (25/35). He will report to Sherburn's AA club, the Hannon Greyhounds. -------- Here is the rest of the first round, selections 9-16: 9th Pick – Pulberry Trolleys: LHP William Say (22/80) – stuff (50/60), movement (55/70) and control (30/45). 22-years old; 5’-11”, 190 lbs.; groundball tendency; 90-92 Mph velocity; Hits RH/Throws LH. The host Trolleys selected relief pitcher William Say who is expected to skip the minors and report directly to the parent club. Say has awesome stuff and movement on his pitches, but his command is average at the moment. He boasts two terrific pitches: fastball (50/55) and a slider (50/65). -------- 10th Pick – Cambria Cannons: OF Howard Ockey (22/69) – contact (40/50), gap power (35/40) and eye (35/45). 21-years old; 5’-10”, 170 lbs.; normal hitter; Hits LH/Throws LH. The Cannons selected the Hespeler native Ockey, who should be a solid contact hitter. Power and plate discipline however are not strengths of his. But he is a natural defender, especially in rightfield (75) and has decent speed. -------- 11th Pick – Braeland City Monarchs: RHP Malcolm Willis (47/80) – stuff (45/65), movement (65/70) and control (35/45). 23-years old; 6’-1”, 200 lbs.; groundball tendency; 93-95 Mph velocity; Hits RH/Throws RH. Another relief pitcher that is expected to skip the minors, Willis, a native of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin is blessed with plus-plus stuff and movement. Only his command can be considered average. He throws two great pitches: fastball (50/65) and a slider (50/70). -------- 12th Pick – Queensland Eagles: IF/OF Bob Sobel (23/74) – contact (45/65), gap power (35/45) and eye (40/55). 20-years old; 6’-1”, 185 lbs.; normal hitter; Hits LH/Throws RH. The Eagles picked 12th overall last year and with this year's pick, they went with a guy with great contact, little power and decent eye. While speed is not a strength, he is a superior defender, able to play 2B, SS and RF (all 60), as well as 3B (65). The Eagles have assigned him to the AA Innerkip Oysters. -------- 13th Pick – Brunswick Legends: OF Stewart Muirhead (23/76) – contact (40/50), gap power (45/50) and eye (45/60). 22-years old; 5’-10”, 180 lbs.; pull hitter; Hits LH/Throws RH. Brunswick selected Downie's Stewart Muirhead, who is another solid contact hitter with little power but with a very good eye. He will be a constant threat to steal and can play all three outfield positions well: leftfield (70), centerfield (60) and rightfield (60). -------- 14th Pick – Balmoral Giants: OF Elton Larkin (21/69) – contact (30/50), gap power (25/45) and eye (30/55). 17-years old; 5’-11”, 170 lbs.; normal hitter; Hits RH/Throws RH. Balmoral takes the Kingston native who has pretty decent batting skills and well above average foot speed. Defense is not his strong-suit however, as LF is his best fielding position (40). The Giants have assigned him to the AA Georgetown Goldbugs. -------- 15th Pick – Stratford Barons: RHP Bill Wolf (20/76) – stuff (30/35), movement (55/75) and control (25/55). 18-years old; 6’-0”, 170 lbs.; groundball tendency; 85-87 Mph velocity; Hits SH/Throws RH. The Barons take a future starter in the first-round, as Wolf boasts some nice stuff, great movement and solid control. He has five pitches in his arsenal: fastball (30/35), curveball (30/40), slider (30/35), changeup (25/40) and forkball (35/45). He will start his professional career with the AA Brockville Bears of the Heritage Leagues. -------- 16th Pick – Kingston Pelicans: OF Benjamin Nishikawa (21/63) – contact (35/55), gap power (40/60) and eye (20/40). 18-years old; 5’-9”, 165 lbs.; normal hitter; Hits RH/Throws RH. The final pick of the first-round, Nishikawa's best tools are his decent contact (projects to be a .270 hitter) and top of the charts power potential. He will really need to work on his plate discipline, however, as it is a severe liability at the moment. His defense is merely average (40 at LF; 35 at RF) and he is rather slow on the basepaths. He will start with the AA Elgin Angels. -------- Here are the standings as of December 31: __________________ United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 07-11-2017 at 08:39 PM.