[ayaghmour2]

1st Round, 11th Overall: 3B Jack Craft
School: New Albany Wildcats
Commit School: St. Dominic's
1951: .452/.548/.837, 126 PA, 11 2B, 3B, 9 HR, 35 RBI
Career: .466/.551/.785, 234 PA, 20 2B, 3B, 13 HR, 62 RBI

The prize of our draft class, one of the many mocks had Jack Craft as the second ranked player in the pool, and all of them had him higher then 10th. A talented switch hitter, Craft showcased his power as a senior, launching 9 homers with 11 doubles in 25 games. The increase in power came at a drop in his batting average, but that is a trade off we are more then willing to make. A tall third basemen with power, especially a switch hitter like Craft, is always going to be an in demand asset, and right now it's hard to find a flaw with his game other then that he's not fully developed yet. The plus power potential is intriguing enough, but when it comes with an advanced approach at the plate and an above average contact tool, we have the makings of a future All-Star on our hands. Sure, we thought the same thing of Otto Christian, who oscillates between gifted slugger and strikeout machine, but "The Walla Walla Walloper's" success hung on his ability to hit 30+ homers in a season. Even without the power, Craft could develop into a John Kincaid type with a high average, more walks then strikeouts, and enough doubles to overcome the single digit power output. That's a pretty good worst case scenario, and I'm excited to see what Craft does in his first partial season down in La Crosse.

2nd Round, 27th Overall: LHP Allie Eddy
School: Temple Tigers
Commit School: Robinson College
1951: 7-1, 84 IP, 1.18 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 18 BB, 129 K
Career: 15-3, 187.1 IP, 1.10 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 35 BB, 278 K

Depending on when you looked or who you ask, Allie Eddy is the highest ranked pitcher in the draft. I'm still partial to Mike Quigley, who went a pick before Craft, but the mock had Eddy as the first pitcher off the board, and now he's gone/can't find him. The mock means little to me, as do high school stats to some extent, but it was still nice to see "Okie Dokey" have a similar senior season to his junior year. Eddy started all 12 of his starts, going 7-1 with a 1.18 ERA and 0.87 WHIP -- both a bit higher then the 1.05 and 0.83 last year -- but he upped his K% from 35.6 to 37.2 with a slight increase in BB% that dropped his K/BB to a still impressive 7.2. Above all, the 6'2'' southpaw continued to put in a ton of energy into his improvement on the field and off, and his high school coaches couldn't say enough about how bright he is. The best part, however, is OSA and Dixie Marsh both comment on his front-of-the-rotation potential, praising the potential of his stuff and command. I love his five pitch mix, from the 88-90 sinker to his nasty change, as each offering is a potential plus pitch. 25 is weird about ranking pitchers in the prospect rankings, but I don't see a way where Eddy isn't in the top 100, and there's a very good chance he ranks ahead of all the non-Bob Allen incumbents. The current wave of Cougars is getting old, and sadly still title-less, but Eddy is looking to fill an excellent rotation that will start with Allen in the back half of the 50s.

3rd Round, 39th Overall: RHP Harry Rollins
School: Newtown Pioneers
Commit School: Brunswick College
1951: 4-1, SV, 70.1 IP, 1.15 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 12 BB, 109 K
Career: 8-1, SV, 115 IP, 1.10 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 21 BB, 182 K

It's hard to find better command in the pool then what Harry Rollins has shown, as no draft eligible pitcher walked fewer then the 12 hitters Rollins allowed in 70.1 innings pitched. No draft eligible prep pitcher had a better K/BB then his 9.1, and in 115 high school innings he allowed just one home run. This level of command is almost unheard of, especially in our system, but there is one catch: for some reason the 6'4'' righty with five pitches is now projected to be a bullpen arm. I'm floored!

I'm at a loss on how this happened, but it's definitely a major blow considering some of the bats I passed on to secure him. For now, I'm going to proceed like nothing changed, as the extreme groundballer is sitting in the 89-91 range, and with five pitches you'd think he'd be able to start. Maybe it's a stamina thing, he did start just over half (9-of-17) of his appearances as a senior, but we're going to keep throwing the hard working youngster out every sixth day. The stuff is solid, he locates his pitches well, and he should be able to keep the ball in most parks. I'm hoping with my recent scouting report Dixie will change his tune on Rollins' future, but with how awful our pen has been this year, developing a legit relief ace wouldn't be the worst outcome here.

4th Round, 55th Overall: CF Morrie Phillips
School: Forest Park Senators
Commit School: Daniel Boone College
1951: .457/.519/.664, 131 PA, 11 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 30 RBI
Career: .444/.510/.671, 490 PA, 39 2B, 8 3B, 14 HR, 122 RBI

A four year starter at the nearish Forest Park High School in the Chicago suburbs, you could make the case he saved the best season for last, as he set personal bests in batting average (.457) and WAR (2.2). Pretty consistent for the Senators, Phillips totaled 169 runs, 61 extra base hits, and 122 RBIs, offering solid defense in center. 18 in just a few days, Phillips has a nice ceiling, projected to be at least an average every day player. He generates a ton of bat speed, hitting the ball hard while consistently squaring up pitches in the zone. He's good about not chasing, and while he doesn't really have home run power, he's got raw power that will lead to a ton of extra base hits. Big stadiums will see him end up on second and third consistently, and when he really gets a hold of one he can take it deep. The issue here is we have a surplus of center fielders at all levels, so early playing time may be tough to wrestle away. His inquisitive nature should work in his benefit, as even when he isn't playing, he trying to find ways to improve

5th Round, 71st Overall: RHP Joe Holt
School: Oliver Bears
Commit School: Ferguson
1951: 9-1, 103 IP, 1.31 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 22 BB, 144 K
Career: 35-3, 382.1 IP, 1.15 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 71 BB, 560 K

Uh, oh. We have an impossible!

For some reason Joe Holt really wants to go to Ferguson, so we may not earn the services of our 5th Round pick. A four year starter at Olivier, Holt is taking a big risk that he'd be selected earlier next go around, but he did have a successful prep career and could improve his three pitch mix in college. Holt followed up a dominant 8-0, 0.77 ERA, 133 strikeout freshman season with three 9-1 campaigns, good for a 35-3 career record with a 1.15 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and 560 strikeouts. Him not signing may be good for his potential teammates, as he's been called "arrogant and condescending" and "too smart for his own good." I don't avoid bad personalities, but this makes me far less willing to throw a huge sum of cash at him to convince him to join us. His cutter is his best pitch, now up to 89-91, but his change and fastball are average at best, and if he's not the type to work on self-improvement, they may never get there.

6th Round, 87th Overall: 2B Joe Dorch
School: Frankford College Thoroughbreds
1951: .455/.519/.709 129 PA, 9 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 34 RBI
Career: .455/.519/.709 129 PA, 9 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 34 RBI

Our first college player was for some reason given high school stats, so it's really tough to understand the type of player Joe Dorch is. He's also a college senior I guess, the easiest player type to sign. A versatile athlete, Dorch appeared at first, second, third, short, and left, and I expect after signing he'll fill a utility role for San Jose or La Crosse. I like his defense, swing, and discipline, but there's a lot of question marks beyond that. Does he have any power? Is he fast? Is he going to take a lot of close strike threes? Well it's like they say on that TV show I mentioned a few posts ago: let's find out!

7th Round, 103rd Overall: C Jim Hauer
School: Lincoln Cardinals
Commit School: Eastern Oklahoma
1951: .439/.477/.735, 111 PA, 8 2B, 7 HR, 32 RBI
Career: .441/.490/.649, 471 PA, 41 2B, 3 3B, 13 HR, 120 RBI

The lone catcher of the class, we kept the trend of four-start starters with backstop Jim Hauer. After a power surge that saw him more then double his previous career homer total (6), he got some love on the mocks. Dixie now views him as a 15 home run hitter as well, a big boost from behind the plate. He still swings too much, which could keep his average a bit below .300 instead of above, and he's not the type to take a walk. That's why this new power is so big for his big league viability, as we don't have many clues on how his defense is. I expect him to be a later signing, as we have last year's 3rd Rounder Ed Freeman waiting to make his season debut, and it could be of benefit for Hauer to start in a limited role. He's another guy who uses his energy to improve his baseball skills, and I'm sure he'll take advantage of catching as many bullpen sessions as possible. He's nowhere near Garland Phelps in terms of upside, but he's always going to need a backup, and one that can change games with late homers is a desired trait.

8th Round, 119th Overall: SS Warren Ross
School: Central Ohio Aviators
1951: .281/.367/.365, 283 PA, 10 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 42 RBI
Career (COL): .272/.359/.372, 768 PA, 31 2B, 12 3B, 4 HR, 104 RBI
Career (HS): .434/.515/.653, 266 PA, 27 2B, 9 3B, HR, 57 RBI

The first member of the class to actually get college stats, we're signing Warren Ross this time around, as the switch hitter had a nice three year career at Central Ohio. While no Freddie Jones, Ross is a talented middle infielder who spent most of his time at short and his arm is strong enough for third. He hits like a shortstop, contact focused, disciplined, and not afraid to take tough pitches, but he's not a high contact guy either. That's something I'd like to see him improve, as he doesn't protect the plate well with two strikes and has a tendency to get caught looking. Without much power, I want him focused more on putting the ball in play, else he'll join the growing stack of good defensive shortstops who hang around longer then they should. It's going to be tough for him to earn starts, but he's a good clubhouse personality and the exact type of guy you want captaining the infield.

If only he could hit some too...

9th Round, 135th Overall: RHP Ben Helm
School: Sumter College Wildcats
1951: 9-4, 120.2 IP, 3.43 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 33 BB, 125 K
Career: 25-12, 347.1 IP, 3.50 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 116 BB, 342 K

Making up for potentially losing our 5th Round pick is Ben Helm. A three year starter at Sumter College, Helm regained some of his freshman year form, pitching closer to the 3.37 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and 2.8 K/BB then the 3.76, 1.38, and 2.4 from his sophomore season. In fact, Helm actually had career bests in K% (24.0) and BB% (6.3), leading to an impressive 3.8 K/BB in 120.2 innings pitched. Another five pitch pitcher, his stuff is already good enough to project as a starter, and he could rise quickly into a depth starter role. His change up is filthy, one of the bests there is, and while it's one of his only obvious strengths, he doesn't have any weaknesses. He's pretty much average or better in everything else, making him an ideal innings eater in the minors or majors. Recently turned 21, I'm toying with the idea of starting him in Lincoln, but my best guess is he'll make a few starts in San Jose. If we had a need for FABL pitching, he's the type of pitcher worth rushing up, and if he dominates the minors he could be a useful trade pieces to bring back someone with more upside.

10th Round, 151st Overall: CF Alex Caraballo
School: Murphy Eagles
1951: .456/.480/.675, 125 PA, 14 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 29 RBI
Career: .456/.480/.675, 125 PA, 14 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 29 RBI

Rounding out the first part of our class is the now 19-year-old Alex Caraballo, who went from town ball to Murphy High School so he could be selected in the FABL amateur draft. He looked pretty good, slashing .456/.480/.675 with 18 extra base hits, 39 runs, and 29 RBIs. He's got a center field position rating now too, but I still think he's a bat first prospect who belongs in a corner. He's got more upside then a decent amount of the guys taken before him, as Dixie and OSA both think the bat could get him to the bigs. He's an above average contact hitter who can muscle some balls out of the park. I love his swing and the batspeed it produces, but I'm worried he's going to strike out a lot and never walk. This makes the power huge, as you can tolerate swing and miss if the swings that connect go far. If it wasn't for Dorch, he'd be the prospect with the biggest question marks, but I'm leaning towards this being a really nice late pick. His makeup isn't great, but the tools are legit, and if all breaks right he'll be a FABL regular.