S14 Draft Review

1. RF Carl Reitsma (ELP)
Interesting pick here…doesn’t have the glove to be anything but an extremely rangy 1B or a spectacularly frustrating RF with a cannon for an arm. Doesn’t excel at hitting the ball, but does drive it well when it is in his hitting zone. Great eye combines with great speed to make him a dangerous baserunner.
2. 2B Peter Rezepczynski (TOR)
Tremendous range and glove will allow him to be an outstanding 2B or CF. Does a good job of making contact and hits the ball with authority. Average at driving the ball consistently, but has a good eye to go along with solid baserunning skills.
3. RHP Angel Kirk (CHY)
Throws hard with solid control. Great stamina/durability combination. Does a tremendous job of keeping the ball out of the hitting zone. Great pitch combination. Keeps the ball on the ground for the most part.
byers61 says: Cheyenne management is extremely happy with the third selection in this year's draft, Angel Kirk. He was number one on our board. Kirk is an already well-developed 20 year old who projects to a 94 OVR. Every pitching category is good to excellent. His one drawback is a max of 61 in the health rating, so the Gunslingers will be jacking up the medical budget. Expect a rapid ascent through the minors and a fixture in the Gunslinger's rotation for years to come.
4. 2B Buck Broome (PIT)
Great range. Average glove. Solid speed. Above average contact and power. Does a great job of driving the ball through the hitting zone. Great eye.
5. SS Chris Chapman (PHI)
Tremendous defensive SS when combined with his offensive skills. Very good speed with solid baserunning. Above average contact and drives the ball solidly when it’s in the hitting zone too. Tremendous eye.
opie5 says: Philadelphia management was very happy to land HS SS Chris Chapman with pick 5. Chapman projects as a solid 3b with excellent on-base skills and some pop in his bat. Questions about his signability were worrisome, but agreement was reached and he’s playing on the rookie level.
6. SS Neifi Azocar (NY2)
Tremendous power. Drives the ball really well. Good eye. Above average contact. Solid speed. Depending on how important SS defense is to a team, he’ll probably shift to 2B or 3B and be a Gold Glove/Silver Slugger candidate in most seasons.
abesmem says: The Highlanders were very pleased to select and sign Neifi Azocar with the 6th overall pick. The only uncertainty with Neifi is whether he will have the range to paly SS. Otherwise, he should be a great third sacker for NY for many years. He has a great arm, solid glove and good speed. He has great power even for 3B and handles righties and lefties well. His above average batting eye and his ability to make contact should allow him to develop into a very solid offensive threat, regardless of the position he ends up playing.
7. RHP William Choi (ROC)
Struggles to locate his pitches consistently. Tremendous pitch combination. Does a good enough job against LHB and dominates RHB. Solid stamina/durability combination. Doesn’t throw hard and is average at keeping the ball on the ground.
8. SS Peter McGowan (NO)
Doesn’t have the glove to be a SS at the BL level, but doesn’t have the offense to play 3B. Looks like a solid 2B. Average contact and power. Dominates RHP and is average against LHP. Great eye. Good baserunner with average speed.
9. C Logan Coulter (LOU)
Coulter is the best power hitte rin the draft. Not sure what else needs to be said other than he should anchor the Steamboats lineup and hit for a big OPS. The one negative would be he will be pretty deficient at 1B so hopefully his offense will camoflauge that well.
hurricane384 says: Hard not to get excited about Coulter. Should hit for a lot of power with a good average and OBP. Can’t play defense to save his life…he’s not real sure which hand he puts his glove on…but man can he rake…the Steamboats will be petitioning for a move to the AL.
10. RHP Ruben Castilla (LA)
Doesn’t throw hard. Doesn’t locate his pitches. Doesn’t have anything but one outstanding pitch. Great stamina/durability combination, but might not be consistent enough to make full use of that characteristic. Does keep the ball down in the zone.
trentk says: Once again was hoping one of the hitters I liked would fall to me at this pick but it didn't happen. Castilla was #5 on my board, and was the pitcher I liked most from who I could see. Only concern is control projected out a lot lower after signing. Hopefully a guy who can eat innings in the middle of the rotation.
11. 1B Rodney Ford (CHR)
Tremendous power and contact. Dominates LHP. Solid against RHP. Great eye. Should be an absolute beast and could actually hold his own in the bigs right now. Probably the best overall offensive player in the draft.
hopkinsheel says: The River Dogs were ecstatic to see Ford drop to #11. We think he is the top pure hitter in the draft and if he develops could break some records down the line. His swing doesn't have a hole in it.
12. LHP Ken Charleston (LR)
First reliever off the board is a good one. Lacks ideal durability. Good control. Does a good job of getting that strikeout or GB DP when needed. Keeps the ball out of the hitting zone. Could contribute in the bigs right now. Good pitch combination.
13. CF Alex Perez (CLE)
Great range and glove. Good speed. Will make a lot of contact, but won’t take a lot of walks. Very little power. Doesn’t hit consistently against either RHP or LHP. Terrible baserunner. Very durable.
14. LHP Hank Urich (TEX)
Great control. Dominates LHB and does a good job against RHB. Throws hard. Lacks ideal pitch combination. Good stamina and durability. Injury-risk.
15. RHP Boone Phelps (LAA)
Lacks ideal SP stamina, but does possess solid durability. Solid control. Does better against RHB than LHB. Doesn’t throw hard. Has a good combination of pitches. Solid at keeping the ball down in the zone.
allright says: Boone Phelps was taken at 15. Phelps will probably wind up in the bullpen. He does not project to have the stamina to be a starter and could be much better vrh. Positives are control and a couple of dynamite pitches. A decent choice at 15; but, now that we have him, we're not certain we know what to do with him.
16. SS Matt Scott (JAX)
Solid defensively who will make up for his shortcomings on defense by being an outstanding offensive SS. Makes great contact with some pop. Dominates LHP while doing well against RHP. Has the speed to beat out a few infield and bunt hits, while also getting on base at a good clip. Should be a top offensive player for a while.
17. LHP P.J. Jarvis (SEA)
Doesn’t have good splits. Keeps the ball down in the zone while throwing decently hard. Solid control. Solid stamina, great durability. 1 great pitch, but will let you down with the rest of the pitches.
jmleave says: P.J. Jarvis , although there were better players, I ranked PJ number 1 overall because I thought there was a chance he would fall to me at 17. I consider myself lucky to get him. Although his splits keep him from being an ace, he's a solid 1a, or #2. I couldn't ask for more at #17.
18. 2B Art Carew (ELP)
Dominates LHP, but is average against RHP. Average ballplayer. Isn’t going to win any awards. May not have the arm for 2B, but doesn’t possess the offensive skillset to move to a COF slot. Best tool is probably his speed, but he has to be reminded which way to run when he does reach base.
19. CF Edwin Kirby (LAA)
Drives the ball well when it’s in his hitting zone. Doesn’t make a lot of contact or have much pop. Solid knowledge of the strike zone. Solid glove, lacks ideal range for CF. Doesn’t have offensive skillset to play COF. Can’t run the bases to take advantage of above average speed.
allright says: Edwin Kirby was taken at 19. Drafted as a cf, he will have to find a new spot. He has neither the range nor the glove to be a major league cf. He will make it to the bigs because he can hit righthanders and he has enough power and contact talent to be an excellent doubles type hitter. Neither Phelps nor Kirby will be bell cows. They can play significant roles on a major league team.
20. RHP Toby Carroll (CIN)
Might be one of the better value picks of the draft. While he won’t dominate batters, he won’t hurt himself either. He throws hard and keeps the ball down. Has decent pitch combination. Good stamina/durability combination.
21. RHP Cesar Nieves (ARI)
Won’t walk many. Dominates RHB while doing well against LHB. Doesn’t possess ideal pitches or stamina for a SP. Doesn’t throw hard or keep the ball down in the zone.
22. LHP Hunter Raines (CSP)
Doesn’t have good splits. Solid control. Great stamina. Solid durability. Throws hard and keeps the ball down. Solid pitch combination.
23. 1B Chili Lee (RIC)
The unfortunate thing about Chili is he struggles with his conditioning which will limit his impact for the Rebels. When he’s in the lineup, watch out. Hits for tremendous power, dominates RHP, won’t strike out much, and can work the count.
train says: I was surprised to land Chili Lee at 23; his bat is top-5. He's limited to 1B and he has Dur concerns (projects only to 66) so that could explain the drop. A bat of his quality, even with these red flags, is great value in the back third of the first round. Needless to say, I'm excited about this one.
24. RHP Bill Knotts (HON)
Great durability/stamina combination. Good control. Dominates RHB. Does well against LHB. Doesn’t throw hard and gives up his share of flyballs. Doesn’t possess killer stuff.
25. LF Nick Pederson (TEX)
Good power. Won’t strike out excessively. Solid eye. Solid splits. Has a great glove, but lacks ideal range. Solid speed.
26. 3B Alan Gordon (LR)
Will strikeout a lot. Drives the ball well when it’s in the hitting zone and he makes contact. More of a gap hitter than a power hitter. Average strike zone recognition. Average speed. If his glove wasn’t so weak, he’d be a gold glover for sure.
27. LHP Brent Kramer (CH2)
Great stamina. Better against LHB than RHB. Throws hard and does a solid job at keeping the ball down. Good pitch combination. Won’t walk a lot of guys.
28. C Seth O’Brien (MON)
Has a strong arm, but isn’t quite as accurate as you would like. Drives the ball into the gaps pretty well. Doesn’t hit for a lot of power and average at making contact. Average strike zone knowledge. Speedy for a C.
kelly_mccann says: Seth O'Brien should develop into a serviceable major league catcher eventually, but the Hornets drafted him for his bat. Hits very well for both contact and power and can handle both right and left handed pitching. Despite his natural bat skills, he's somewhat reckless at the plate and is prone to swinging at bad pitches.
29. 2B Gus Sutton (NY2)
Tremendous range. Solid glove and arm. Durable. Strikes out a lot. Doesn’t have much pop. Solid eye. Better against LHP than RHP. Pretty fast.
30. RF Yoshinori Wang (ATL)
Should be a solid defender who can hold his own at a couple positions. Solid power. Average contact. Much better against LHP than RHP. Decent eye. Average speed.
31. CF Peter O’Keefe (NB)
Best defensive CF in the draft. He can work the count really well and should be on base enough to take advantage of his elite speed. Not much pop and doesn’t drive the ball well. Average contact.
32. 2B Rymer Sanchez (LV)
Great range. Not much offensively to offer, although he’s above average at hitting the ball in the gaps and working the count. Solid speed.
33. RHP Ivan Hernandez (OTT)
Doesn’t have much stamina, but is durable. Good pitch combination. Prone to a gopher ball here and there. Won’t walk many. Does a great job at getting K’s and keeping the ball out of the hitting zone.
34. RHP Johnny  Borkowski (JAC)
Great control. Solid stamina/durability. Keeps the ball out of RHB hitting zones, while he’s prone to damage from LHB. Throws hard and keeps the ball down. One great pitch, 2 mediocre, and one terrible pitch.
quackup says: Johnny Borkowski : Sinkerballer with potentially excellent control could be a nice asset in the majors someday...
35. LF Ray Hodges (OTT)
Solid pick this late. Definitely can contribute. Makes contact, but average power and hitting the gaps. Solid eye. Great speed/baserunning. Could play CF in a pinch, but has good range and glove for the COF, even though he’s likely to not hit enough to justify a lock on either COF slot.