S12 Draft Review

1. RF Cesar Vazquez (LA) - unsigned
   paladn24 says: Simply put, if Cesar Vasquez gives up on his concussed future as an nfl player he can and will be one of the greatest hitters to play the game. that is a big if though, and LAC has done everything they can to convince this future all star baseball is his sport. With supreme ability to hit LHP and RHP as well as a little pop, he has all the makings of a world class talent at the dish as well as the ability to play the corners in the infield.
2. SS Yusmeiro Guzman (MNT) - unsigned
   kelly_mccann says: Montgomery and 2nd overall pick Yusmeiro Guzman are locked up in a fierce game of chicken. Guzman, a slick fielding SS/3B with tons of speed on the base paths and decent pop, declined to sign the contract his agents brought to the Hornets and now his camp have raised their demands. The Hornets front office claims that they have made their best offer to Guzman, and will not budge. Guzman's people, on the other hand, say Yusmeiro will accept a scholarship to play at Florida Gulf Coast University if their demands aren't met.
3. LHP Hulk Davidson (PIT)
   Solid splits. Good control. Good combination of pitches. Doesn't throw hard. Decent at getting GBs. Exceptional STA/DUR.
   hurricane384's take: This guy could start 40+ games while pitching 300 innings. He's not going to be a dominant starter, so the question is going to be whether you want him pitching that much. 
4. CF Jayson Allen (SEA)
   Great defensive CF. Great power. Great contact. Drives the ball better against LHP than RHP. Great eye. Good speed.
   hurricane384's take: Um...#4 overall?! This guy anchors CF for the next 10 seasons and is an all-star, gold glove, silver slugging, MVP candidate. Makes me wonder if I'm seeing the right information.
   jlmeave says: He was at the top of my board, I feel fortunate to land him at #4. There were other low health players that were enticing, but might've been too risky for me. If he meets projections, he'll be a great hitter with big power and decent speed. His vR is a little worrisome, but I'll live with it if his contact and batting eye get there.
5. SS Jorge James (ARI)
   Tremendous defensive SS. Great power and contact. Better against LHP than RHP. Good eye. Good speed.
   hurricane384's take: Wow...back-to-back franchise cornerstones. Already well-developed. If he hits his projections, he'll dominate the league...if he misses the projections, he's still a top-notch 3B who will hit a ton.
6. RHP Bart Wolcott (ROC)
   Iffy stamina and durability. Great job of keeping the ball out of the hitting zone. Throws hard. Lacks ideal pitch combination. Good control. Good GB tendencies.
   hurricane384's take: Won't necessarily dominate since his pitches aren't very good, but he should still be a valuable member of the bullpen for seasons to come.
   z0601 says: The Rochester front office is very happy to have drafted Bart Wolcott with the #6 pick in this years draft. Wolcott should develop to be able to handle hitters on both sides of the plate with good control. While Wolcott won't over power anyone, he should be a nice long reliever and spot starter for us in the seasons to come. Management just hopes to be around long enough to see him hit the bigs.
7. LF Jason Tracy (CHR)
   Tremendous contact ability. Doesn't have much defensive ability. Good power. Dominant against RHP and good against LHP. Very good eye.
   hurricane384's take: Not often you get 3 franchise cornerstones in the first 7 picks of a draft...and that's without seeing the top 2 picks yet. Tracy will be a dominant offensive player for seasons to come. He could be good right now in the Bigs.
   hopkinsheel says: Hasn't signed yet, but willing to pay if/when he increases his demand. We had him ranked 4th on our big board. We're sweating it out right now because he is thinking about going back to college. If he does sign, he should develop into the best hitter the River Dogs have ever had except for possible future Hall of Famer Stephen Risley. Typically shy away from taking COFers/1B this early in the draft, but Tracy is a special talent.
8. RHP Vincenzo Quinn (CH2)
   Great control. Solid splits. Good pitch combination. Leans towards GB. Great stamina/durability. Doesn't throw hard.
   hurricane384's take: Not a dominant SP by any stretch, he's still going to be a good one. His GB tendencies will more than offset the lower RHB split.
   mamidu says: I had Quinn at #5 on my board. I have to say, I really wanted one of my top 4, but I'm not complaining. Top notch stamina+dur with elite control and very good splits. His 3 pitches are ML caliber. He is a college SR, so he is well developed already. I hope he reaches his potentials, because he could be an outstanding SP in the bigs. Welcome to the Black Sox Vincenzo!
9. RHP Luis Cortes (ARI)
   Great STA/DUR. Great control. Does a good job at keeping the ball out of the hitting zone. Great pitch combination. Throws hard. Lacks consistent ability to get GBs.
   hurricane384's take: Could be an ace for years to come. Although we would like to see a better GB rating, that essentially won't matter as much when combined with his other ratings. 
10. SS Jimmie Barrios (NO) - unsigned
    balance71 says: The Zydeco are happy to welcome Jimmie Barrios to the organization. Although he was listed as a SS, he projects to be an outstanding 3B or corner OF. He should have elite bat skills and will be excellent against lefties and righties. He should also be a top shelf baserunner, with great speed and strong baserunning IQ. His only real deficiency is power. With a excellent durability, health, and makeup, he could spend a decade as an all-star level player. On the other hand, he hasn't signed yet. If he doesn't, the owner of the Zydeco will throw his laptop into the alley and run over it repeatedly with his Subaru.
11. SS Hawk Black (JAX) - unsigned
12. P Daniel Herndon (PHI) - unsigned
13. P Les Thurman (LR)
    Solid pitches. Good stamina. Great durability. Great control. Great splits. Lacks arm strength. Good GB tendencies.
    hurricane384's take: His pitches leave something to the imagination, but the rest of his projections should make for a very good pitcher.
    jvig says: Had Les Thurman ranked 8th overall, taken with my 13th overall pick, my projections showed a completely different pitcher (projections showed L/R splits of 78/86 with stamina at 70 with 2 solid pitches, unfortunately these are not the numbers we have on him AFTER the draft but he seems like he could be a decent pitcher down the road.
14. 2B Slick Steenstra (CLE)
    Good glove. Solid range. Decent arm. Good speed. Solid power and contact. Better against LHP than RHP. Decent eye.
    hurricane384's take: He'll be a contributor and can definitely help a team out. Won't be a superstar.
15. 1B Chris Adams (ATL)
    Good defense. Good power. Good contact. Better against LHP. Solid eye. Durable.
    hurricane384's take: This is a solid pick. He's not going to dominate, but definitely can help. His defense at 1B is likely going to be his calling card. 
16. RHP Harry Broome (LAA)
    Good control. Keeps the ball out of the hitting zone against RHB. Struggles against LHB. Gives up a ton of flyballs. Throws hard. Good stamina and durability. Lacks ideal pitch combination.
    hurricane384's take: Due to his pitch combination and inability to keep the ball on the ground, he's going to struggle some. He'd be better off in a BIIIIIIIIIIIG ballpark.
17. RHP Victor Polonia (CHY)
    Great pitch combination. Great stamina/durability. Good splits. Solid control. Doesn't throw hard. Great GB pitcher.
    hurricane384's take: I like this pitcher. He's got the pitches to dominate and should develop the splits to not have that ability off-set. He's a GB pitcher which helps a lot too.
18. LHP Matty Peterman (CSP)
    Good control. Solid stamina/durability. Better against LHB than RHB. Mediocre GB and velocity. Solid pitches.
    hurricane384's take: Hard to get excited about this pick...but that doesn't mean it's disappointing either. Solid middle of the 1st round pick.
    joekendall says: We were happy to pick up a SP with our 18th pick. If he develops well, Matty Peterman will be a #1 or #2. 
19. 2B Earl Barber (ELP)
    Tremendous range. Great speed. Lacks ideal glove or arm. Solid contact. Struggles against RHP. Solid against LHP. Not much power. Good eye.
    hurricane384's take: We've reached the part of the 1st round where role players rule. This is your quintessential platoon player/utility guy who won't excel, but should still be good enough to warrant a spot on the Big League roster.
20. 2B Albert Guillen (NB)
    Great range and glove. Makes good contact. Not much power. Average eye. Better against RHP than LHP. Solid speed.
    hurricane384's take: This is a versatile pick as he could play both 2B or CF and not be overwhelmed offensively.
    mikejuggalo says: Albert Guillen will hopefully be a ML bench player someday....not a pick we are particularly proud of.
21. LHP Bruce Schmidt (JAX)
    Dominant against LHB. Solid against RHB. Great control. Solid durability/stamina. Good pitches. Doesn't throw hard but does get GBs.
    hurricane384's take: First true reliever off the board and he's a good one. Would like to see the vsR and vsL flipped, but still should be solid in the 7th/8th innings. 
22. RHP Mark Cho (CSP)
    Good control. Solid pitches. Struggles against LHP. Good against RHP. Throws hard. GB pitcher. Great stamina/durability combination.
    hurricane384's take: Could be a liability with his vsL, but his pitches are solid and he isn't going to walk many. Could see a ton of innings.
    joekendall says: With the 22nd pick, we chose a RP in Mark Cho. He will be able to pitch many quality innings for us.
23. RHP Will Scott (LV)
    Solid stamina/durability. Good splits. Doesn't throw hard. Mediocre at getting GBs. Some solid pitches. Good control.
    hurricane384's take: Surprising to find a pitcher like this so late in the process, but he's got a lot going for him.
    tk21775 says: We ended up with our 5th player on the board at the #23 spot, while he's lower than what our scouts saw now that he signed, our draft budget should be closer to where he'll perform. Great control, good splits with two solid pitches, the Bookies are very happy to get this type of player this deep in the 1st round. Wish his makeup was a little higher but if that's all I can find to complain about with the 23rd pick I'll take it any day.
24. LHP Lou Lewis (CLB)
    Terrible against RHB. Very good against LHB. Great stamina/durability combo. Great control. 2 dominant pitches and 2 terrible pitches. Doesn't throw hard but is a GB machine.
    hurricane384's take: I am baffled by this guy. He does a lot right, but what he does wrong is a big negative. Nothing wrong with seeing what he can do and how he develops, but I would be surprised if he showed up as a full-time starter in the bigs. Those outstanding pitches and GB rating might be enough to off-set the vsR.
    anml34 says: What more can you ask for with a mid-first round pick. Happy to get a middle of the rotation pitcher with this pick.
25. P Karl Barfield (NY2) - unsigned
    abesmem says: NY will be very happy with pitcher Karl Barfield, assuming we can sign him. He was our 7th ranked player overall and to get him at 25 is pretty lucky. He brings 5 pitches in his repertoire with very good control and the stamina to be a top of the rotation starter. His make-up and health are both real good, so if signed, he should be a solid starter for many seasons.
26. P Jerry Simpson (CHR) - unsigned
    hopkinsheel says: We got this pick after Dean Matthews signed elsewhere as a type A FA. Simpons looks to be a solid SP prospect who probably dropped to 26th because he'll be a tough sign. Currently his heart is torn between baseball and hockey. Hopefully he decides to stick with baseball. He's developed enough he should be good to go within two seasons.
27. 3B Bryan Williams (HON) - unsigned
28. SS Christopher Slusarki (LR)
    Good defensive ratings. Durable. Makes a ton of contact with good power. Lacks dominant splits. Decent eye. Some speed.
    hurricane384's take: Hell of a nice pick with the 28th overall. Offense will make up any defensive deficiencies at SS or he could be a GG/SS 3B as well.
29. C Hub Powell (CIN)
    Good splits. Great eye. Great arm. Can call a decent game. Lacks power. Struggles some with contact.
    hurricane384's take: This is a good solid pick this late in the draft. The C position was really lacking this season, so to get the top ranked C is a coup.
30. RHP Milton Lankford (LOU)
    Dominant against RHB. Solid against LHP. Throws hard and keeps the ball down. Great control. Great durability/stamina combination. Lacks dominant 2nd pitch.
    hopkinsheels take: Always tough pickling at the bottom of the first round, but it appears the Steamboats grabbed a solid, if not spectacular relief prospect with their pick. Should end up as a good setup B and with a decent STA/DUR combo he should be able to throw a good number of innings.
    hurricane384 says: I'm very happy with this pick. He will be a dominant RP. I'm a little worried about the 2nd pitch, but I hope his peripheral ratings will more than off-set that. 
31. RHP Tim Suppan (JAC)
    Great DUR/STA. Great pitches. Throws hard and keeps the ball down. Average splits. Will walk himself into trouble.
    hurricane384's take: Solid pick here. Will struggle with consistency due to his inability to hit the strike zone, but should still perform admirably.
    quackup says: Some potential as a grounder-inducing setup if he can overcome his control issues.
32. LHP Daryl Einertson (CIN)
    Throws hard. Lacks ideal control. Solid pitches. Great stamina. Better against LHB than RHB. Doesn't keep the ball down consistently.
    hurricane384's take: A solid pick, would like to see the vsR & vsL flipped.
33. P Myron Reagan (OTT) - unsigned
    mlhutch says: Picking so low I had to gamble for talent. I took a shot at Myron Reagan who would have a decent #3-4 type SP if he had signed. Sadly, he did not sign.
34. 2B Paul Kuroda (TOR)
    Solid range. Great glove. Solid arm. Great eye. Great speed. Lacks ideal offensive ratings.
    hurricane384's take: He's not going to be an all-star by any means, but definitely is a very useful player who can start and contribute.
35. RHP Del Mays (RIC)
    Doesn't throw hard. Doesn't keep the ball down. Interesting pitch mix. Great control. Keeps the ball out of the hitting zone. Great durability. Good stamina.
    hurricane384's take: This is a solid pick. He isn't going to blow anybody away, but definitely can be a workhorse who will recover quickly and throw some quality innings.
    train says:  I was really excited that my first round pick was #35 overall due to all of the type D picks. Really fantastic; I hope nobody signs their picks this year. I did manage to land a guy that I at least kinda like; decent pitcher who will probably end up in the pen due to stamina issues. He does project to good control and splits, and hey, at 35 that ain't bad.
36. 1B Patrick Helms (OTT)
    Great power. Great eye. Average at making contact. Struggles against RHP, but is good against LHP. Good glove. Durable.
    hurricane384's take: The power and eye should more than off-set his weakness against RHP. He will not make many errors at 1B.
    mlhutch says: My 2nd first round pick Patrick Helms had nice power and eye. He is more of a DH than a 1B so I see him more as a good bench player for the Outlaws. All in all, I gambled for talent and lost in this draft. Oh well, my shiny trophy takes away most of the disappointment :)
37. CF Vince Tomlinson (ROC) - unsigned
    z0601 says: Vince Tomlinson will be a project in the Rochester organization. If Mr. Tomlinson is willing to put in the work, he could be an above average outfielder for us at some point. If Vince decides to be lazy at any point in his career, he will spend that career in the minors.