[StLee]

Top 5

1-1 Roxbury - SP Eugene Gym

Skills: 3-pitch repertoire, with his fastball able to overwhelm hitters when matched with his changeup and knuckle curve. Needs to work on his movement on his off-speed pitches, but in time he will be able to place those pitches anywhere he wants to. Will be on a fast track towards being an ace in the CBO.

Personality: Dedicated teammate, willing to take on a leadership role. Takes responsibility for his own mistakes. Doesn't get down on missed pitches. May need a good coach to help his progression since he can get locked in to bad habits if not corrected.

1-2 Atom - SP Scruffy Taguchi

Skills: 4-pitch repertoire. All of his pitches have movement, so he needs to work on getting that movement above average to be successful in the CBO. His movement in youth league play led to lots of ground balls, so he needs a solid infield behind him. His splitter will help him strike out lots of batters. Needs to work better on placement to increase those possibilities. May become an ace, may become a #2 pitcher. Likely to succeed.

Personality: Wants the ball. Will work harder than almost anyone else. Takes charge and pushes people to get better. Highly coachable and likely to add more pitches to his repertoire through a desire to learn.

1-3 County Crossing - 3B Ajani Peacock

Skills: Considered the most talented player in the draft. Listed as a third baseman, but limited side-to-side agility may make him a 1B in the CBO. Strange thing is he is one of the faster straight-line runners in the draft, so he could be a base stealer. Great eye and bat control means that he will eventually find himself batting 2nd or 3rd in a CBO lineup.

Personality: Workout warrior-one of few players looking to build strength over agility.

1-4 Jamaica Plain - LF Gunner Eyesocket

Skills: Great bat that could make him a future Triple Crown prospect. Puts the bat on the ball, but sometimes refuse to wait for the right pitch. High power potential, hitting a lot of homers and deep balls in youth league action. Good outfielder with a strong arm but slow. Will play in the corner outfield only, but should be on the field. Catches everything in his range and keeps runners from advancing when the ball comes his way.

Personality: Introverted and keeps to himself. Off-putting to teammates sometimes with shrugs and short answers. Coaches do not give him a lot of one-on-one attention because of their own discomfort around him.

1-5 Vault 81 - 1B Chase Doctorman

Skills: Great bat, liability on defense. One of the most patient batters, will not swing at a pitch not in his zone. Sometimes that means watching third strikes, but often it means tearing the cover off the ball. Has the highest power potential, but likely to be a .300 hitter, too.

Personality: Steely personality. Does not stand out in a crowd and will not commit to anyone. He is cool, slow, and methodical, which keeps him neutral on the emotional scale.

Nordhagen Beach

Draft Grade: D

Analysis: There were better players to take at every pick. We don't understand two catchers in the first two rounds when one of those would have been more than enough. First-round pick Dopey Meanie is the only one with legitimate future talent to make the CBO. The others are probably career BMUers.

Rd 1 (#22) - C Dopey Meanie

Skills: Good bat control and avoids strikeouts. Puts the bat on the ball, but does not have a lot of power. Decent catcher skills, though needs to work on throwing out more runners. Has potential to be a future starter but more likely to be a career backup in the CBO. If they needed a player with potential only, David Yellowsky picked behind him and Bottlecap Go could have a steadier path to the CBO despite a different position.

Personality: Introverted and hesitant to call pitches. Needs to work on confidence when wearing the catcher's gear. Not going to take responsibility for mistakes but will take credit when things go right.

Rd 2 (#22) - C Benji Masterson

Skills: Waits for his pitches, but swings for the fence too often rather than adjusting for situation. Has plus-power potential which could make him a good pinch hitter in key situations. Not likely to be a top catcher in the league. Has a decent arm but not from a squatting position. Not likely to be CBO quality. Strange choice since two catchers taken just three and four picks later--Press Earthquake and Rumple Skinstilt--have much more potential.

Personality: Daydreams too often, sometimes while on the field. Coaches moved him to catcher to keep his mind on baseball when playing. Often responds that he is imagining what will happen. Needs coaches to push him to improve, won't do it on his own terms.

Rd 3 - No pick

Rd 4 (#22) - SP Lackadaisical Macnamara

Skills: Was not expected to be drafted. Has three pitches, two of them fastballs. May need to switch to a relief pitcher to have a shot at the CBO. However, unless he has the right coaching, his pitches may not get much better than they are now. Gave up too many home runs, even in youth leagues, because he often pitches the ball right down the pipe.

Personality: Questions about his love for the game. Willing to step on the mound but complains about other workouts like running and weightlifting. Needs an in-your-face coach rather than a hands-off one. Nicknamed "Lackadaisical" by his coaches for a reason.

Rd 5 (#11) - SP Jaden Chavis

Skills: Has three pitches but relies on fastball more than others, making him likely to move to the bullpen as a setup man or closer. Best ability is keeping runners close to the base to prevent stolen bases and extra bases on hits. Needs a lot of work on how he delivers pitches at a higher level. Not likely to make it to the CBO.

Personality: Even personality that does not have ups and downs. Strikes out a batter and then waits for the ball from the catcher. Gives up a home run and then waits for the ball from the umpire.

(#22) - 2B Paul Warwick

Skills: Potential lies in his defensive skills, which is his only path to the CBO. Does not have a strong enough arm so bound to be a 2B or switch to outfield. Has raw speed that helps him on the base paths. Not a good hitter but can work a walk. Does not swing at poor pitches but not likely to do much with good ones. Will have to fight for his life to get any play time at the BMU level. Could benefit from a second level of minors.

Personality: Not related to Wally Warwick but does try to copy him, including adopting Wally's family name. Changed name when he was playing youth league ball and Wally was his mentor at a baseball camp. Kind of a follower but will stick to the rules when pressed. Studies the game but needs to improve physically.

Fort Hagen

Draft Grade: B+

Analysis: No top talent but good picks in the first round, third round, and fourth round. Whether or not any of their picks make the CBO, they have multiple players that could make it in time on a talented team that may be the favorites to win the NCA in 2299. Draft picks definitely restocked the CIT Ruins Refractors roster in 2299 and beyond.

Rd 1 (#16) - RF Gargoyle Falcone

Skills: Taken where projected. Good bat potential and already ready for playing outfield in the CBO. One of the best defensive players in the draft. Not quite fast enough to play CF but has the tools to be a defensive player of the year in RF. Energetic both in the field and at the plate. May not have all the tools to be a great hitter. Won't be a home run hitter which is considered a plus at RF. Likely to be a career backup but his defense will get him in games often in low-scoring affairs. If bat improves, definitely CBO material.

Personality: Curious person who bombards coaches with questions. Bugs coaches but also makes them happy to know he appreciates their knowledge. Seems like a future coach. Unassuming.

Rd 2 - No pick

Rd 3 (#16) - 3B Yip-Yip Author

Skills: Defensive skills are pretty good with a good glove made for being a corner infielder. Bat control is not very good. Will wait for his pitches but swings and misses way too much. Despite being a big guy, not good power which makes him a liability at the plate for his team, probably preventing him from being CBO-ready anytime soon.

Personality: Extremely confident, sometimes to his own demise. Unwavering in his position. Stubborn which puts his coachability into question. Approaches life in an all-or-nothing manner. Lots of friends, lots of enemies.

(#19) - CF Beachy Masters

Skills: A 3rd-round steal--was expected to go in the middle of the 2nd round. Needs to work on his bat, but he will be a good OF at whatever level he plays at. Should focus all energies on bat control and seeing off-speed pitches. Had high number of hits in youth league play but almost exclusively on fast balls. On the base paths, he can pick up a few steals and extend the bases on singles and doubles, making him a good top of the order player in his future if he can improve his contact potential. Does sometimes take too many risks on extra bases and misses the coach's stop signal sometimes.

Personality: In control of his own destiny. Seems destined to succeed, though that depends on if potentials increase. Never greedy. Shares everything with friends and strangers.

Rd 4 (#2) - SP Joe Hanson

Skills: 3-pitch repertoire but more confident in only two of them, which means he will likely move to the bullpen exclusively. Could be a middle man in the bullpen and emergency starter if necessary. Stuff is decent but pitches lack movement, even his slider, and he misses the strike zone too often. Will have to see how he fares against BMU batters to better project his future. Best guess is BMU reliever at best.

Personality: Moved a lot with his family makes him adaptable to different places. WIll adjust well if circumstances change. Should fit in most organizations without issue. Won't be a character concern.

(#10) - SP Unrivaled Grossman

Skills: Another steal, but will change position. Highly confident in slider and fastball, but changeup is seldom used. Will be moved to the bullpen unless he develops more pitches. If a bullpen, potential future closer in CBO due to great stuff, high-speed pitches, and the ability to paint the corner. A bit on the lanky side, so needs to put on more weight. Some teams passed probably for long-term durability concerns since he had a few arm problems in youth leagues that limited his time two out of the last three years.

Personality: Feels alive in pressure situations. Considered joining Brotherhood of Steel but wanted to try out baseball first. Mental fortitude.

5 (#16) - RF Ian Motherson

Skills: Has the potential to develop a decent .250/15/50 bat but not at all likely. Needs some kind of deus ex machina to make it happen. Lucky to be picked at all because there are some slightly less talented players that are hungrier than he is. Does not have the glove to give coaches excuses to play him in the outfield or first base. Likely to be a pinch hitter in the BMU at best for at least a few years unless his bat booms.

Personality: Clowns around too much and wants to be the center of attention. Annoys coaches because of his low work ethic. Might not have the drive to ever thrive in his life. Doesn't ask much of others but also doesn't ask much of himself.