We have reached that magical day, one of the most anticipated of the WPK annual schedule: Draft Day!
Early indications are that this year's draft class might be one of the weaker we have seen thus far.
The early rounds were heavy on second baseman, with 3 of the first 6 players chosen having that as their primary position. It looked to be a particularly weak year for pitching but perhaps because of that there was an early run on starting pitchers and teams tried to at least grab up those handful who might have a chance at the the WPK level. Eight of the first round draft picks were starting pitchers with one reliever chosen at #18.
A look at the 5 top picks will give some idea of the weakness of this class:
Number 1 overall was 18-year old prep star Nick Johnson. While Johnson was primarily a second baseman in his prep career it appears that the Pittsburgh Roadrunners are committed to having him learn first base. Johnson has great contact hitting potential and could be a dangerous gap hitter with his line drive heavy approach. He is very speedy and a smart base runner who can pick up a handful of stolen bases a year as well. But his defense is pretty average which is likely why Pittsburgh is looking to transition him to first. The only problem with that is that he certainly doesn't profile with the type of power that would ordinarily be expected out of a corner infield position. On the other hand, Johnson is believed to have advanced character traits- he's smart, hard working, adaptable- and the feeling is that the young man has a very good chance to reach his potential as a #1 overall pick.
Next, the Portland Wild Things chose second baseman Chance Moore out of Las Vegas College (his name is Chance and he went to Las Vegas College- how good is that?). Moore is comparable to Johnson in terms of speed (and a better base stealer), is quite a bit better defensively and likely to stay at second base, and while he doesn't have the sheer contact skill potential of Johnson he should hit for more over-the-fence power. While Moore is something of an introvert and a leader by example only, he does possess, like Johnson, great smarts and a strong work ethic.
With the 3rd pick of the draft the San Francisco Velocity grabbed prep outfielder Brian Paul. Although Paul came into the draft as a center fielder, it appears that his future in professional baseball, at least while he is in the S.F. system, is in right field. This makes sense as his range is good but not great while he has a very strong arm. He has natural speed but is not very skilled on the bases. He is unlikely to hit for a very high batting average but could develop advanced power in time. He is a strong leader and hard worker, so even though he is far from a finished product he should have a decent chance of living up to his raw potential.
The Milwaukee Cadets then chose the first pitcher of the draft with the 4th pick as they went with 18-year old right hander Sean Camille out of the University of Washington. While there was general consensus that Camille was the best pitcher available in the draft, this should give you some idea of how weak the position was this year. Camille could develop elite stuff over time and almost surely will have above average movement, but his control is suspect, his third pitch- a change up- is likely to never develop to the point of usefulness, and his stamina is sub-par. To many observers he looks ultimately like a capable bullpen arm, but not much more.
Different, but equally compelling, concerns surround the 5th pick of the draft: starting pitcher Adam Gonzalez out of the University of Miami. Like Camille, Gonzalez is an 18-year old righty, but unlike Camille Gonzalez could have 4 quality pitches and possesses good stamina. On the other hand, while his movement should be the equal of Camille's, his stuff is thought to be marginal and he will also likely struggle with control. Most concerning though is the perception that Gonzalez is likely to be very injury prone and though he seems to have solid makeup there is a very good chance he will never reach his full potential.
Overall in the first round (out of 20 players), 8 starting pitchers were chosen, 4 second baseman, 3 outfielders, 2 shortstops, 1 first baseman, 1 third baseman, and 1 relief pitcher. No catchers were selected in the first round.