GoIrish's Draft grades

yesterday someone asked me to give my input on some of the draft and asked me to make an article. Seeing as how I have the time today, here it is.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Draft Grade : B+
Best Pick: Patrick Tuyet
Notes: Tuyet I had on my draft board and he fell about where I anticipated, I had him going from 8-12 in the draft. He was a pretty safe pick and I think will be a solid 2 or 3 type of pitcher in a rotation. I really like Poland in the 3rd round for him, good health and power, he should be a good bullpen piece in 3-4 years. Wallace in the 2nd is another good pick, will play solid defense and he is a switch hitter.

Atlanta Braves
Draft Grade : B-
Best Pick: Stan Lomax (in trade)
Notes: I do think Lomax is a good pitcher and was worthy of the trade. I just scratch my head because he gave up the 1st overall pick in the draft and every round to pick him up when he is a team that needs pieces for the future. I think adding Icasiano to the trade was smart and he got some good value in return for him in this trade. I think Greenwalt will be a better OF than Icasiano but because of the higher peak rating, he picked up more prospects in return.

Baltimore Orioles
Draft Grade : D
Best Pick: Sinkovitz (via trade)
Notes: I do not think the 5th overall pick of the draft is a good value for Sinkovitz. Looking at the vitals of Sinkovitz, he looks more of a 4th pitcher in a rotation. He does not have a high ground ball percentage (28.5%) and none of his vitals are really strong. I think Baltimore would have done themselves more of a service to hold onto that pick.

Boston Red Sox
Draft Grade : C+
Best Pick: Overstreet
Notes: I think Overstreet is going to be a solid OF. He is going to be a solid 5th or 6th hitter in a lineup and should be average defensively in the outfield. The reason this grade is not a B is because of the 2nd and 3rd round picks. Louthian and McAllister both hold a health rating in the 60's. The times they get on the DL in the minors could hurt their progression. Of those 2 players, I think the 3rd round pick McAllister was a better pick than the 2nd round pick of Louthian.

Chicago Cubs
Draft Grade : C
Best Pick: Watamaro Suzuki
Notes: This draft for the cubs was high risk/high reward. On paper there were safer picks but Suzuki, Anthony, Garcia and Robinson are all picks in the 1st 2 rounds that 3 of the 4 have health ratings above 80 (Garcia at 75) and given time hopefully 1/2 can hit or exceed their potential. Cubs also feel they obtained another good RP in the 3rd round in Wildman.

Chicago White Sox
Draft Grade : B+
Best Pick: Nelson Gajou
Notes: Gajou is a real good pick for the start of the 3rd round. High Endurance, high ground ball (55%), solid control (76) and good health (74). He is a player that I can see exceeding his 80 peak, he may end up peaking in the mid 80's after a jump but could end up performing like a low 90's rating type of pitcher. I think he will be a strong 4th or 5th pitcher in a rotation. I do not give him an A because I think he missed on his 1st pick of the draft. I think his friend/domestic partner jps, ended up with the best player in the draft. I do think Trembath will be a very good ace or #2 pitcher in a rotation however, I just think he missed hitting the home run pick. Tymm and Deeter in the 2nd round were both good picks.

Cincinnati Reds
Draft Grade : A
Best Pick: Eason and Page
Notes: In my opinion, Eason was the best pick in this draft and jps had him fall into his lap. A tremendous pick with tremendous upside. I think he is going to be a monster in the future when he makes it to the ML roster. I also really like his 2nd round pick of Page. I think he will be a good defensive OF that should hit well towards the back of the lineup. Gentner was another good 1st round pick at 11, thought he should have gone a few picks ahead but some teams reached on SP. Greensite though, his health scares me a little (health rating in the 60's with a player rating in the 50's).

Cleveland Indians
Draft Grade : B
Best Pick: Dave Hyte
Notes: I think Hyte is a real good pick for the 12th pick of the 2nd round. He is 17 years old with 2 pitches already grading out in the mid 60's. He has a decent health rating at 71, so I think he is prospect that will pan out and be a very solid setup or closer. The 1st round pick of Sanquiche was decent, I think a little reach that should have gone later in the 1st. The 3rd and 4th round picks of Sullivan and DeVane are very solid picks. Sullivan should be a tremendous pick for the 3rd round. Will not be more than a .230-.240 hitter but should have a decent OBA and power that will play solid D. A very good hitter for the 6th or 7th spot in your lineup.

Colorado Rockies
Draft Grade : C+
Best Pick: Barker
Notes: Colorado traded their 1st and 3rd round picks for the rights to Mike Chitty. Chitty has tremendous eye and power while playing above average defense. I just think they could have obtained Chitty at a much less of a cost than their 1st and 3rd. I think their 2nd round pick of Barker should be good, He appears to be the type of player that could either be a solid bench player with a chance of being a solid starter hitting in the back of your lineup.

Detroit Tigers
Draft Grade : A
Best Pick: Brian Singer
Notes: I think Singer should have gone higher than a lot of the other starting pitchers selected ahead of him. I think he is a tremendous fit in detroit with that 65% ground ball. Guidero was more of a need selection for Stang as he did not have any 3rd base prospects in his system. He could end up being a decent player. I really like the 4th round selection of Gonzaba, in time he could be a real solid short relief pitcher.

Florida Marlins
Draft Grade : C
Best Pick: Jamie Shadwell
Notes: The top 3 picks for Hokey all have a health rating in the 60's. I think he is hoping that these players turn into trade bait for bigger pieces that he is looking to acquire. I think Bunning was not a bad pick for the end of the 1st round and Johnson was not bad in the 2nd. These 3 players if they stay healthy could turn this draft into an A or if they get injured could turn this draft into a F.

Houston Astros
Draft Grade : B+
Best Pick: Peter Conwell
Notes: DJ did a lot of drafting with a total of 14 picks in this draft. Most of those picks (12) coming in the 3rd round and later. I think Conwell is going to be a solid player and should be able to hit at the top of a lineup with that speed. I really like the defensive rankings on a lot of his picks, I think that is a stat that is sometimes overlooked. Tremendous draft by DJ to find some gems like Nufio, Porcell and McQueen.

Kansas City Royals
Draft Grade : inc
Best Pick: none
Notes: Mike did his normal routine of getting rid of picks for cash so he can sustain a higher budget.

LA Angles
Draft Grade : C+
Best Pick: Brian Smith
Notes: I think the 7th overall pick was a little high for Smith. I thought he should have gone about 6-9 picks later in the draft. He should be a solid reliever with some good upside. His next 3 picks all have a contact rating in the 50's. Not sure how many of them will pan out.

LA Dodgers
Draft Grade : C +
Best Pick: Yoshizumi Ii
Notes: Mhall traded his 1st and 2nd round pick to the Cubs to get Ii, which he is using now as a starting pitcher as opposed to a bullpen piece. Which makes a lot of sense since his endurance is at 45. He is 1-1 since the conversion pitching a great outing vs SDP but getting shelled against ARZ. This was a move I toyed with and thought of doing a few times with Ii but I had the horses already in my rotation.

Milwaukee Brewers
Draft Grade : B
Best Pick: Gongolez
Notes: Milwaukee had 3 picks in the draft and all 3 of those picks were in the top 35 picks. I think Gongolez has some good upside, I just was surprised that he took him with Eason still on the board. Poez I thought was a little bit of a reach as well and Powell is a solid 2nd round pick that could end up being a real good everyday player.

Minnesota Twins
Draft Grade : B+
Best Pick: Larry Zimmerman
Notes: I think Zimmerman was a tremendous pick for that late in the 1st round. I think he should have gone much earlier in the 1st and was passed up by people going after starting pitchers. Reiter is about where I thought he would go in the draft and Crawley at 17 was a little bit of a reach. If he would have picked a little better in that slot, this draft could have been an A.

New York Mets
Draft Grade : A-
Best Pick: Carlo Elizarraz and Thomas
Notes: The 1st 2 picks by Corey were tremendous values for where he picked them in the draft. Thomas I feel should have gone a little earlier in the draft ahead of some of the other pitchers and Carlo is a tremendous prospect. I think Corey will move him to SS or 2nd base and he will go from being an average 3rd basemen to being one of the best MI prospects in this draft. I am now kicking myself for not reaching on him at pick #30 in the draft. Moyne in the 3rd round is another pitcher that will be a solid bullpen piece.

New York Yankees
Draft Grade : B+
Best Pick: Sanetomo Kijimuta
Notes: I think Kiji at the end of the 1st is a great pick. I feel he should have gone 5-7 picks ahead of where he was taken. However, I think Kesterson was a little bit of a reach. I like the picks of Huckle and Bentaro in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Both should be solid to above average players.

Oakland A's
Draft Grade : A
Best Pick: Greg Manwaring (via trade)
Notes: Oakland gave up their 1st and 2nd round picks for Manwaring, who I feel is a very good pitcher that is well worth those 2 picks. Only bad thing is that JPS turned that pick into the best player in the draft.

Philadelphia Phillies
Draft Grade : B
Best Pick: Kurt Wilson
Notes: They moved a lot of their picks in the draft but they picked up a steal of a pick at 19. Kurt Wilson should have gone a bit earlier in the draft but was pushed off by some of the over-value in the SP's in this draft.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Draft Grade : A
Best Pick: Paul Poisal
Notes: Poisal is a player that should have gone at the end of the 1st round. He is going to be a gold glove outfielder being able to play any of the 3 positions and it looks like he is going to be a quality hitter. I like the pick of Vail, he should be a pretty good 2 in a rotation. Not sure he is going to be a dominate ace type but will be very solid. I also really like the vitals on Coildoron (minus his health).

San Diego (whales vagina) Padres
Draft Grade : C
Best Pick: Carlo Gonzales
Notes: I think the 1st round pick of Taylor was very weak. Not sure he is going to be anything tremendous. Gonzales in the 2nd round however is a great pick. Ed Diaz in the 3rd has some good potential and could end up being something in his future bullpen.

San Francisco Giants
Draft Grade : A-
Best Pick: Joseph Meyer
Notes: I think Meyer in the 2nd round is a tremendous pick. He will be a very good OF. I think the paring of Meyer and Koehler in this draft is tremendous synergy. Both should be good fielders on the corners and both good hitters. One from the right side of the plate and the other from the left. Maxim at 2nd base in the 3rd round is another really good pick and tremendous for where he picked him up.

Seattle Mariners
Draft Grade : C-
Best Pick: Midwinter
Notes: Midwinter in the 3rd round is a real good pick. He already has solid defensive numbers and he has the potential to being elite on the defensive side. If his offense ever catches up with his defense he will be a steal. Ainza at 14, I thought he was a little bit of a reach. He should have gone late 1st to early 2nd.

St. Louis Cardinals
Draft Grade : B
Best Pick: Billy Rogers
Notes: I think Rogers will be very good when he makes his way to a ML roster. In this past sim he dipped 4 rating points but I think he will have a jump or two once again when it is all said and done. I think he will be very similar to Chitty that Colorado picked up in a trade with the NYY but I think Rogers has the potential to be a little bit better with contact. I really like Vafiadis in the 2nd round. I was set to take him at 30 and I am kicking myself for not taking him with my 23rd pick in the 2nd round.

Tampa Bay Rays
Draft Grade : A-
Best Pick: Brandon Robertson
Notes: Robertson should have gone earlier in the draft. He fell to 24 because he did not have a higher peak rating. However, his vitals, ground ball % are all very very good. I think eventually you will see him take a jump and become a low 90's peak and will be a tremendous 2-3 in a rotation. King was another great value pick for Tampa, he should have gone at the end of the 1st round but the SP run pushed him down in the draft. Poseo is another quality pick in the 3rd that could be a solid pick in the future with a jump.

Texas Rangers
Draft Grade : B+
Best Pick: Windham
Notes: I think Windham went about where he should have gone in the draft about 4-8. I think he would have been better suited to be drafted by a NL team (92 hitting) but will be a solid mid/upper rotation type of pitcher. I think the 2nd round pick of Tynsdale is interesting, it will be a question of him staying healthy (66 health) if he pans out or not. He could either be really good or really bad.

Toronto Blue Jays
Draft Grade : B+
Best Pick: Matteson
Notes: Like always, Andy did a good job in the draft. He loaded up on draft picks and picked a lot of mid round players that have the potential to being really good. I really think Wiedemann in the late 3rd round will be a good player. Matteson at the end of the 1st round is a tremendous pick.

Washington Nationals
Draft Grade : B+
Best Pick: Andy Warden
Notes: Warden in my opinion was the best RP prospect in this draft. 50% ground ball with solid movement and power numbers. His health rating of 73 make him less of a risk in the long run. He should be a very good closer. Todd Gardner in the 2nd round is another real good RP that I wish would have remained on the board for another 3 picks. Strong Power throws 2 of his 3 pitches real well right now. He has a good ceiling.