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ayaghmour2 · 10-30-2023, 02:30 PM

The draft went slowly on the weekend, and we're likely to finish it up tonight or tomorrow. Since there is still plenty of time before Spring Training, I'll slowly go through the guys we've selected. This one will cover two picks while the final two will have three a piece. I'll still do daily CWL writeups, and guess what? Zane Kelley did something amazing again! You're stuck hearing about him again later!

3rd Round, 45th Overall: CF Fred Crawford
School: Hardwick Friars
1948: .548/.567/.835, 127 PA, 18 2B, 6 3B, HR, 35 RBI, 32 SB
Career: .541/.564/.808, 253 PA, 35 2B, 10 3B, 2 HR, 70 RBI, 67 SB

I really didn't want to take a center fielder here, I wanted Dick Houston who went 8th in the Round to the Minutemen, but Fred Crawford isn't your average center fielder. In both of his seasons at Hardwick, he hit at least .535, he's about as fast as it gets, and always is putting extra effort in the cage and on the field. That includes taking groundballs, as along with all three outfield positions, Crawford has spent time at second and third base, allowing him to play almost anywhere a need is. Short may be the only position he can't play, but that could be something we work on for him. One thing for sure, is Crawford is going to be in the lineup, probably in the leadoff spot, and he made a huge step forward in the power department. He added a double and two triples in one more trip to the plate, and he had 25 extra base hits in 25 games. The speedster from Massachusetts projects to be a well above average player, with an excellent combination of athleticism and hit tool. He does hit the ball on the ground a lot, but that's not the worth thing, as his grounders down the line can turn into triples and a chopper on the infield grass is 50/50 for an extra base hit. He puts the ball in play almost every at bat, which should lead to an average in the .330s. Add in potentially elite defense and almost no strikeouts, and he gives you everything except power from center field. Depending on how his senior year goes, I may try to push him to San Jose to start his pro career, but wherever Crawford ends up, he'll be playing most days of the week while we look to capitalize off of his versatility.

4th Round, 61st Overall: LHP Buster Clark
School: Santa Cruz Pirates
1948: 4-0, SV, 58 IP, 1.09 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 11 BB, 94 K
Career: 4-0, SV, 58 IP, 1.09 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 11 BB, 94 K

There were a lot of pitchers in this class I liked, but didn't love, and we were running out of those guys. I snapped up southpaw Buster Clark, who like Wilson McKinney, just played as a junior and didn't throw many innings. No extra pitches were gained for Clark, but he already five, with an above average slider the best of the bunch. He uses his sinker a lot as well, which allows him to generate a lot of groundballs and keep the ball in the yard. In a nice change of pace for Cougar hurlers, he already has strong command, which Dixie thinks will develop into "pinpoint command" and he likes his movement enough to expect it to "limit the number of home runs he allows." Despite all the praise, he views him as more as a back of the rotation arm, and I think that may be a little harsh. He's not an ace, and not really a #2, but I think he has all the tools to fill the middle of a rotation. I'm a big fan of guys with strong K/BB numbers, and he seems likely to excel in that metric. At times he can graze 90, and if we can get him in the 91-93 range like a George Oddo, I'd find it very hard to keep a guy like Clark out of a rotation. He does come with risk, including a huge difference between his current and potentials, but he's on the lazier side. That's not to say he doesn't put in the work, he just doesn't do any extra, and needs an extra push to put in the work. Like most prep arms, he'll start his career out in La Crosse, and I'm hoping we can get the most of him.

10-30-2023, 02:30 PM	#1248
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,142	1949 Draft: Rounds 3 and 4 The draft went slowly on the weekend, and we're likely to finish it up tonight or tomorrow. Since there is still plenty of time before Spring Training, I'll slowly go through the guys we've selected. This one will cover two picks while the final two will have three a piece. I'll still do daily CWL writeups, and guess what? Zane Kelley did something amazing again! You're stuck hearing about him again later! 3rd Round, 45th Overall: CF Fred Crawford School: Hardwick Friars 1948: .548/.567/.835, 127 PA, 18 2B, 6 3B, HR, 35 RBI, 32 SB Career: .541/.564/.808, 253 PA, 35 2B, 10 3B, 2 HR, 70 RBI, 67 SB I really didn't want to take a center fielder here, I wanted Dick Houston who went 8th in the Round to the Minutemen, but Fred Crawford isn't your average center fielder. In both of his seasons at Hardwick, he hit at least .535, he's about as fast as it gets, and always is putting extra effort in the cage and on the field. That includes taking groundballs, as along with all three outfield positions, Crawford has spent time at second and third base, allowing him to play almost anywhere a need is. Short may be the only position he can't play, but that could be something we work on for him. One thing for sure, is Crawford is going to be in the lineup, probably in the leadoff spot, and he made a huge step forward in the power department. He added a double and two triples in one more trip to the plate, and he had 25 extra base hits in 25 games. The speedster from Massachusetts projects to be a well above average player, with an excellent combination of athleticism and hit tool. He does hit the ball on the ground a lot, but that's not the worth thing, as his grounders down the line can turn into triples and a chopper on the infield grass is 50/50 for an extra base hit. He puts the ball in play almost every at bat, which should lead to an average in the .330s. Add in potentially elite defense and almost no strikeouts, and he gives you everything except power from center field. Depending on how his senior year goes, I may try to push him to San Jose to start his pro career, but wherever Crawford ends up, he'll be playing most days of the week while we look to capitalize off of his versatility. 4th Round, 61st Overall: LHP Buster Clark School: Santa Cruz Pirates 1948: 4-0, SV, 58 IP, 1.09 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 11 BB, 94 K Career: 4-0, SV, 58 IP, 1.09 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 11 BB, 94 K There were a lot of pitchers in this class I liked, but didn't love, and we were running out of those guys. I snapped up southpaw Buster Clark, who like Wilson McKinney, just played as a junior and didn't throw many innings. No extra pitches were gained for Clark, but he already five, with an above average slider the best of the bunch. He uses his sinker a lot as well, which allows him to generate a lot of groundballs and keep the ball in the yard. In a nice change of pace for Cougar hurlers, he already has strong command, which Dixie thinks will develop into "pinpoint command" and he likes his movement enough to expect it to "limit the number of home runs he allows." Despite all the praise, he views him as more as a back of the rotation arm, and I think that may be a little harsh. He's not an ace, and not really a #2, but I think he has all the tools to fill the middle of a rotation. I'm a big fan of guys with strong K/BB numbers, and he seems likely to excel in that metric. At times he can graze 90, and if we can get him in the 91-93 range like a George Oddo, I'd find it very hard to keep a guy like Clark out of a rotation. He does come with risk, including a huge difference between his current and potentials, but he's on the lazier side. That's not to say he doesn't put in the work, he just doesn't do any extra, and needs an extra push to put in the work. Like most prep arms, he'll start his career out in La Crosse, and I'm hoping we can get the most of him. Last edited by ayaghmour2; 11-01-2023 at 01:15 PM.