[ayaghmour2]

16th Round, 255th Overall: SP Neal Wilkinson (Brooklyn HS Trojans): Pretty decent high school numbers, finishing 12-8 with a 3.13 ERA (132 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, and 103 strikeouts in 175.2 innings. As a senior, was 3-1 with a 3.06 ERA (156 ERA+), 1.32 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts. He's a groundballer with four pitches. He throws in the 85-87 MPH range, but none of the pitches are all that great right now. Will need to develop an out pitch if he wants to start, but he's at least decent filler.

17th Round, 271st Overall: RF Dick Earl (Meridian HS Rebels): Here's a late round pick I am really excited about. As a senior, Earl hit .434/.541/.787 (232 OPS+) with 10 homers and 37 RBI's in 157 trips to the plate. The power numbers are a huge increase, but for his career he still hit a really good .335/.444/.574 (173 OPS+) with 15 homers and 71 RBI's. He's a lefty hitter with a good eye at the plate, but he will rack up the strikeouts. His biggest weakness, however, is he tends to deal with injuries, playing in just 86 of the possible 120 games in his three years at Meridian HS. None of the injuries were major, but if he can't stay on the field, it doesn't matter how good he hits.

18th Round, 287th Overall: SP Frank Gordon (Trenton HS Titans): Finished his high school career 5-12 with a 3.44 ERA (122 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, and 128 strikeouts in 164.2 innings pitched. Doesn't really have a third pitch, so he's destined for the bullpen. Could be a decent minor leaguer, but he'll be on a relatively short leash.

19th Round, 303rd Overall: LF Larry Robison (Queens HS Islanders): His best season was as a sophomore, where he hit .395/.464/.667 (215 OPS+) with 6 homers, 22 steals, and 24 RBI's. Those 22 steals were second most All-Time at Queens HS and his 48 are the second most for a career. He never replicated that dominant triple slash, but still finished his career with a .380.436/.588 (178 OPS+) mark to go with 13 homers and 74 RBI's. He's an above average defender out in left due to his speed that allows him to track down most balls hit out there. I think he's got a lot of talent, but he may be more Joe Davis then Bobby Sprague.

20th Round, 319th Overall: 1B Elmer Field (Lynn HS Legends): This pick is all my scout. Field only appeared this year, hitting .305/.332/.385 (81 OPS+) with zero homers and 18 RBI's. He's a good fielder at first with a little experience behind the plate. He's also a switch hitter, but I don't think he's going to play much in our system.

21st Round, 335th Overall: SP Roy Blount (Cleveland HS Barons): If he wasn't a Buffalo Grove native, I would have released him right now. In High School he was 5-11 with a 4.15 ERA (99 ERA+), 1.48 WHIP, and 76 strikeouts. "Spud" is a soft-tossing groundballer with his sinker really his only alright pitch. If he adds some velocity, the change could be effective, but his slider isn't too good. He does have good command, but it won't be enough.

22nd Round, 351st Overall: 1B Cuno Myer (Norfolk HS Navigators): After a really good sophomore and junior year, he was awful as a senior hitting just .272/.330/.420 (90 OPS+) with 5 homers and 28 RBI's. For his career, he's a much better .331/.389/.475 (140 OPS+) hitter with 11 homers and 80 RBI's. He's a switch hitter, but an absolutely terrible defender. It may be hard for him to find playing time, and he may not be with the team after minor league camp ends. He actually ranks as our 20th Prospect currently, so perhaps he will be worth hanging on to.

23rd Round, 367th Overall: SP Johnny Moore (Ellery Bruins): Another guy I want to release, but I'll at least hold on to him for now. Somehow, he ranks as our 26th best prospect despite not pitching at all this year. I'm hoping once our draftees sign he'll fall out of the top 40 so I won't feel bad about releasing him. He was decent in 1931, going 6-2 with a 2.95 ERA (137 ERA+), 1.13 WHIP, and 77 strikeouts in 91.2 innings pitched. Considering they had four guys in their rotation with ERA's above 4.50, there has to be a reason they weren't using him.

24th Round, 383rd Overall: C Harry Grade (Central Ohio Aviators): Hit just .248/.360/.333 (81 OPS+) with 6 homers and 57 RBI's in 609 college plate appearances. He'll be released.

25th Round, 399th Overall: 2B Ken Colvin (Pierpont Purple): Hit .266/.388/.513 (141 OPS+) with 29 homers and 96 RBI's in 647 trips to the plate. Probably the best 25th Round Pick we've ever had. He's a really good defender and he's got some good power too.

The Rule-5 draft is next. I have five open 40 man spots after DFA'ing SP Ed Stevens and SS Jack Rogers. I usually take a bunch of guys here, and as of now there are a lot of unprotected guys I am interested in taking a chance on. I don't expect to use my bench very often, and especially in the outfield, there's room for a player who doesn't need to play very much. I might try to keep a pitcher too, as our rotation should be strong enough that we don't need to use the pen too often.