The 2055 Draft Review
We had the 11th pick in the draft this year. Windsor had the #1 overall pick in the draft and once it started they wasted no time in choosing CF Thierry “Dynamite” Gauthier (21 B-R) who quickly vaulted up to the #1 overall prospect in the GLBL.
Here are a listing of the 1st round draft picks and their associated prospect rankings.
1.) Windsor selects CF Thierry “Dynamite” Gauthier #1 overall prospect
2.) Milwaukee selects SP Pat Crudge (20 T-R) #15 overall prospect
3.) Detroit selects SP Herb “Tippy” Boyar (19 T-R) #2 overall prospect
4.) Kingston selects SP Jimmy “Moriarity” Brown (22 T-R) #3 overall prospect
5.) Duluth selects SP Ezra “Rodeo” Rainey (21 T-R) #6 overall prospect
6.) Hamilton selects SP Roy “Shortcut” Lapointe (21 T-R) #42 overall prospect
7.) Toledo selects 2B Chris Moulds (21 B-R) #20 overall prospect
8.) Traverse City selects 2B Vincent Fernandez (19 B-L) #35 overall prospect
9.) Toledo selects SP Brian Axworthy (19 T-L) #36 overall prospect
10.) Owen Sound selects 3B John “Waco” Meilleur (18 B-L) #71 overall prospect
11.) Chicago selects SP Mike Hayes (18 B-S T-R) #44 overall prospect
12.) Thunder Bay selects 1B Xavier Maisonneuve (22 B-R) #7 overall prospect
Seven pitchers were taken in the 1st round, a CF, two 2B, a 3B and a 1B. As we came up on the clock to make our pick we thought long and hard about taking Maisonneuve. He has an elite hitting tool but lacks power as a 1B. He bats right handed and we have a lot of right hander hitters in our organization, so we decided to pass and take the pitcher. If we had drafted Xavier, he would be applying his craft in LF as I believe he could be a very good hitter, but he has no speed at all. Still that bat and eye could be a very valuable #2 or #3 hitter someday, even if he is at DH.
Who we decided to take was SP Mike Hayes. During my tenure here in Chicago I have been trying to rebuild the pitching staff. We went after a lot of arms during last season acquiring Jose Cedeno, Yale Hulburt, Bill Lutz and also signing as a free agent JJ Walker. This off-season we acquired another SP in Val Imbert. These guys are all in their 30’s except for Walker so having some fresh arms who are inexpensive in the near future will be good to keep our team hopefully in contention year after year.
SP Mike Hayes is a 6’1 180 lbs right handed pitcher from North Dakota. He currently is clocked between 90-92 MPH as an over the top finesse pitcher. He figures to top out on the radar gun at 92-95 someday. Our scout feels that “when he is fully developed his repertoire should include a good fastball, a good change up, a nifty slider and a decent sinker. He has “fringy” stuff but makes up for it with pinpoint control. Hayes could rise to the level of a #3 SP or better”. OSA scouts love him even more saying “Hayes projects to have a 4-pitch repertoire. He pounds the zone and has good movement on his pitches which should help keep the ball in the park. Hayes might not have the talent to anchor a rotation, but would likely be a #2 guy for most teams.
Hayes has been at class A Marquette where he has started 10 games, going 6-2 with a 2.75 ERA in 75 innings. He is only walking 2.6 batters per 9 and is striking out 7.6 batters per 9. We like what we see in Hayes so far.
With our 2nd round pick we choose what I think is one of the better power bats in the whole draft in OF/1B Ronnie Crosby (18 6’1 200lbs B-R). He is rated the #76 prospect in the GLBL and is currently playing at Class A Marquette where he is hitting 293/380/903 with 7 HR 33 RBI and 32 runs scored. Our scout says “Crosby has tons of raw power and someday he’ll challenge for home run titles. He is very patient at the plate and should draw plenty of walks. He could be a solid defensive LF. Crosby has potential to unleash his obvious talent both on the field and at the plate. OSA feels that besides the power which they agree on, “he understands the strike zone and should use that to his advantage. While he doesn’t make consistent contact, he projects to be an above average big league LF.”
In what some might call the steal of the 3rd round (based on prospect rankings) CF Don Hill was our pick. Hill is currently ranked as the #43 prospect in the GLBL and is hitting 325/429/1.046 with 9 HR and 33 RBI’s with 36 runs scored at class A Marquette. To be a center fielder Hill will have to work some more on his defensive abilities. While he has great range (4), his arm and judgement (2) need work. Our scout really likes him in LF but he has the ability to play all 3 OF spots. Hill is a line drive hitter with a great work ethic. Our scout says “He doesn’t get perfect reads but his sheer speed makes up for it. He projects to be an above average contact hitter and is developing raw power that will rival that of an everyday player.” OSA likes him better as a LF and states “ Hill has the talent to flourish in the majors. He’s a sure handed LF with the ability to pick the ball up off the bat. He has the potential to display above average power from the right side of the plate.”
Our 4th round pick is RHRP Bill Greenberg (17 6’0 175lbs T-R). Greenberg ranks as our 17th rated prospect and falls in at the #145 ranking overall. We had really been looking to take another pitcher in the 3rd round but things didn’t fall our way on that. Greenberg has immediately become the closer at class A Marquette where he has pitched 20 innings with a 1.80 ERA and 14 saves. He is striking out 11.7k/9 and walking 3.6BB/9. He currently tops the radar gun at 94-96 and scouts feel he could reach 100+ someday. This kid is a great young man with high loyalty, adaptability, work ethic and baseball IQ traits. Our scout feels that he might eventually be a key man in our bullpen. He will be rated high in strikeouts every year but walks will sometimes be the price for that. Control is his biggest concern and one we hope to work on.
#5 pick 1B Cedric Hodges is a 19-year-old switch hitter who stands 6’2 and weighs 210 lbs. While playing mostly 1B in high school we see him with some ability to perhaps a corner OF spot although with his arm he would be better served in LF than RF most likely. Our scout says “He has plus power potential and has an above average contact potential and could hit for a 310 average.” OSA feels he should develop into an average big league ballplayer. Hodges didn’t make our top 25 prospect list falling in at #36, but we feel he does have a strong upside. He is hitting 318/400/920 with 8 HR and 34 RBI’s 32 runs scored at class A.
Here are the rest of our picks
#6 SP Tom Bradshaw (18 T-L 6’2 185lbs) #24 and #234 overall
#7 3B Gabe O’Neil (18 B-R 6’2 200lbs) #18 and #169 overall
#8 RP Wilbur Crosby (21 T-L 5’10 180lbs) #37 and #378 overall
#9 2B Jesus Sanchez (18 B-R 6’3 185lbs) #34 and #340 overall
Our #10 pick C Josh Maclean didn’t make the Marquette squad and was released.
Overall picking in the #11 slot I think our draft was pretty good. We picked up 3 top 76 prospect talents in the first 3 rounds. We continue to be the #2 overall organization in the prospects rankings based on our top 5 guys.