Draft Review 2003 1st Round Bill JIM THOME 1B phi Good Pick Can't go wrong with one of the best offensive players in baseball with a 6 year contract. Thome's 508 points from 2002 would have ranked him 9th in the NL last year. Now why did Bill trade Scott Rolen and his 7 year contract? That would have been one heck of an IF with Thome and Rolen on the ends. Ken JUNIOR SPIVEY 2B ari Good Pick There's still some skepticism with Spivey. He never was a top prospect and hit his way from a utility role to starter last year. I like Spivey and think he will overcome the skepticism. Mike RAY DURHAM 2B sf Good Pick Where will Durham play...CF or 2B. Well with the signing of Jose Cruz Jr to play RF...Grissom can play CF and Durham 2B...with Neifi Perez off the bench. However if Grissom slumps or there are injuries in the OF, Durham could go to CF with Perez jumping to 2B. Durham is a good offenisive player and yes I would have selected him over Cliff Floyd as well...too many DL stints for Floyd. Mark CLIFF FLOYD OF ny Good Pick Floyd is a terrific hitter. The draw back is the injuries. Floyd has one 150 plus GP seasons and three 140 plus seasons...not exactly Cal Ripken here. Floyd will spend July and August on the DL with a pulled hammy and the Met fans will whine all over WFAN. John DAMIAN MOSS SP sf Good Pick Moss got a little overhyped in my opinion. His .221 BA against and 3.42 ERA are impressive. However his 111 to 89 K to BB ratio is not. Moss was not a top prospect and still has a lot to prove. I'm not saying he can't develop in to a front line starter, just that it's no lock and I could see him end up being a swing man. DiOrio ROBERT FICK 1B atl Good Pick Fick was not real impressive offensively last year. His .764 OPS isn't anything to get excited about. However he can hit LHP and is a starting IF...a very hot commodity in our league. Not an all-star, but a decent infielder. Davis PAUL BYRD SP atl OK Pick I'm real skeptical on Byrd. He was very good on a bad Royals team last year. His track record prior to last year is shaky. He could be no more than a 4th or 5th starter. Chris shocked me with this pick. Kazmir over Byrd??? Expansion teams need to stay away from questionable veterans. Chris' intentions were to deal Byrd...and Bill wants him. Bill LUIS VIZCAINO RP mil Good Pick A hot commodity. It seemed everyone wanted Vizcaino. He's a top set up guy who throws cheese. And with the skaky Mike DeJean ahead of him, Vizcaino became very appealing. The A's and Rangers inexcusably couldn't get Vizcaino on to their 25 man rosters prior to the 2002 season which prompted his arrival to Milwaukee. I like Vizcaino, not convinced he will end up closing...did anyone check out Jayson Durocher's stats? Ken RANDALL SIMON 1B pit OK Pick Dan cut Adrian Burnside a couple of days before he was dealt for Simon...thus missing out on the gift. Simon is a decent hitter and starting IF. However he gets murdered by LHP and I don't think he has a good long term outlook. Jeff BRANDON LARSON 3B cin Good Pick I like Larson a lot. He could be the sleeper of this 1st round. Larson was a good hitting prospect when he came out of LSU. It took him a while to make it, but he gets his chance in 2003. Jeff starts his affinity with Cincy players with this pick. Mike SCOTT KAZMIR SP ny Good Pick Kazmir should of went higher. He was the best prospect available in the draft. Kazmir has an electric arm...one of the special ones you don't see often...Billy Wagner, Kerry Wood type stuff. Barring injury Mike has a real good one here. Then again he could turn out to be Rick Ankiel. Rated as the #1 LH SP prospect in baseball. DiOrio TODD HOLLANDSWORTH OF flo OK Pick I'm not a Hollandsworth guy. I still think of him as a reserve OF. He gets murdered by LHP and is a bit of an injury guy. Not sure what the Marlins were doing here...Kevin Millar is a much better hitter...just ask Theo Epstein. Alex MARK BELLHORN 3B chi OK Pick Bellhorn went from utility player to 27 bombs. Thus he has a lot of skepticism and has a lot to prove. Bellhorn is a much better hitter vs. LHP. Not a good sign for his long term outlook. You have to hit RHP to be a productive player since the majors are predominantly made up of RHP. I say he doesn't develop in to a good every day player. 2nd Round Davis KHALIL GREENE SS sd Good Pick I ranked Kazmir the best prospect, then down a level to Greene as the second, then everyone else. Greene isn't a great hitting prospect, but he is a decent one. The intriguing thing is Padres management talking about Greene coming fast to the majors to fill their void at SS. If he hits, he could come real fast. Rated as the 8th best SS prospect in baseball by BA. Bill ROYCLE CLAYTON SS mil OK Pick OK he's a starting IF. But that's all you can say on the positive side. Clayton's .660 OPS from 2002 is embarrasing. Clayton has 2 years tops remaining as an every day player. Ken MIKE STANTON RP ny Bad Pick Way too early for an aging, on the decline set up man. I like that Ken is filling his holes in the bullpen, but there were better options at this point in the draft. Mike DAVE ROBERTS OF la OK Pick Mike dealt Roberts to Jeff in the Mo Vaughn deal after the draft. Roberts had a .340 OBP vs. RHP last year and was a 30 year old break through player. I don't like him. I see a reserve OF in a few years. Mark OLIVER PEREZ SP sd Good Pick Perez was one of my favorites of the draft. He's real young and was real impressive in the minors and majors last year. Barry Bonds was on record raving about Perez. I could see a break out year in 2003 for Perez. Not a surprise Mark went with Perez, since he is the biggest Inside Pitch fan in the league. John VLADIMIR NUNEZ RP flo OK Pick Nunez is a good set up guy. He was a closer for part of 2002 before fumbling it away. I think his closer days are over, but he's is a valuable set up guy. Nice to see John filling his holes in the bullpen. Jeff RAINER OLMEDO SS cin Bad Pick Olmedo is a young light hitting, defensive prospect. Jeff goes with Cincy again. DiOrio TIM WORRELL RP sf OK Pick Worrell is a solid set up guy. He passed Felix Rodriguez to grab the SF holds last year. Rodriguez still has the great stuff and could get his hold gig back, which would diminish Worrell's value. Ken ALEX SANCHEZ OF mil Bad Pick Sanchez can't hit LHP and isn't that good vs. RHP. He's got reserve OF written all over him...just give him time. Dan ZACH DAY RP/SP mon OK Pick Dan went with Day for his closer potential. He could still end up in the Expos rotation. However if he does go to the bullpen he could end up closing. Day's stuff was much better as a RP than a SP last year. Scott Stewart is no closer. Stewart kills LH, but isn't nearly as effective vs. RH. Rated the 7th best RP prospect in baseball by BA. Also named as the Expos future closer by BA. Mike MARK LORETTA 2B sd Good Pick Padres starting 2B. Dan cut Loretta days before he signed to start with the Padres. Loretta is an underrated hitter...he's no Royce Clayton. He could be a pleasant surprise in 2003. Dan had hoped to get him back in the draft. Alex CHRIS STYNES 3B col Bad Pick Come on did you really think the Rockies were going to go with Stynes at 3B? Jose Hernandez says no. Utility player. Dan BRYAN BULLINGTON SP pit Good Pick I believe Bullington should of went higher in the draft. He's was the #1 pick in the draft and throws in the low to mid 90's. I believe he compares favorably to Kris Benson and Ben Sheets. Mark MIKE KOPLOVE RP ari Good Pick Solid young set up guy. Should be Mantei's caddy with Kim in the starting rotation. Has long term closer potential. This is the type of guy you need to pick over Stanton in the 2nd round Ken. The Inside Pitch had Koplove next in line to close. DiOrio NEIFI PEREZ 2B sf Bad Pick Perez doesn't hit much and doesn't have a job. The Jose Cruz Jr signing kills him. His .563 OPS from 2002 is horrendous. 3rd Round Bill ENDY CHAVEZ OF mon OK Pick Chavez is the Expos starting CF. He's the best of the light hitting CFs available in the draft over Roberts and Sanchez. Chavez never was much of a prospect, but he killed AAA last year. I think he's worth watching in 2003, however I don't have a good long term gut feeling on him. Alex JAMES LONEY 1B la Good Pick It seemed everyone wanted Loney, but didn't expect him to go until later in the draft. Loney has a really high upside offensively. A solid 2003 and Loney will be a big time prospect. Just a matter of time before Alex deals him to Chris Davis. Rated as the 5th best 1B prospect in baseball by BA. Ken AARON COOK SP col Bad Pick Cook has a great arm, but we are talking Coors Field here. Way too early as well. What is he the next Jason Jennings?...we'll talk about that later. Rated the 8th best RH SP prospect in baseball by BA. Mike ROBERT MACHADO C mil OK Pick Nice job by Mike grabbing one of the few available starting catchers. Machado isn't much of a hitter, but he'll get the ab's in Milwaukee this year. He should end up as a back up catcher eventually. Mark JAY WITASICK RP sd OK Pick Witasick is a decent RP. He doesn't have a lot of experience setting up, but has appeal in 2003 since Trevor Hoffman is coming off shoulder surgery and the Padres have no one else in the bullpen. The Inside Pitch had Witasick next in line to close. Ken JOSE CASTILLO SS pit Good Pick Castillo is an overlooked prospect. He could get a crack at the Pirates SS job next year...move aside Jack Wilson. Rated as the 7th best SS prospect in baseball by BA. Dan PABLO OZUNA 2B col OK Pick Ozuna is in the 2B mix for the Rockies. He still has a high upside offensively, despite being 3 years older than previously believed. If Ozuna does win the 2B job this spring and stays healthy, I believe he'll be a pleasant surprise with the support of Coors Field. Mark CHAD MOELLER C ari OK Pick The other available starting catcher. I think of him as a future back up, however his .852 OPS from last year bears watching in 2003. Mark BRIAN BOEHRINGER RP pit OK Pick A solid set up guy. The Inside Pitch had Boehringer next in line to close...where have we heard that before? DiOrio TY WIGGINTON 3B ny OK Pick Wigginton is the Mets starting 3B as of right now....Shea Hillenbrand could still be on the way. Wigginton wasn't much of a prospect, but hit well in the majors last year. I believe Wigginton could be a pleasant surprise is given the ab's in 2003. I don't believe he has a good long term outlook. Alex JASON JENNINGS SP col OK Pick Jennings had decent value in our league after his ROY season. Give him time...Coors will get him...it gets everyone. Let me see him do it again before I jump in. 4th Round Davis JUSTIN HUBER C ny Good Pick Huber is solid catching prospect who can hit. Good quality prospect for the 4th round. Piazza has to end up end 1B one of these years. Rated the 4th best C prospect in baseball by BA. Jeff MARK REDMAN SP flo OK Pick Redman wasn't nearly as bad as his 8-15 record last year with the Tigers would indicate. He doesn't have much of a track record and has struggled with injuries. Redman has a lot to prove in 2003. DiOrio REY SANCHEZ SS ny Bad Pick Sure Sanchez is the Mets starting SS right now. Jose Reyes is coming real fast and could supplant Sanchez at any time. Sanchez is Rey Ordonez offensively. Mark ELMER DESSENS SP ari OK Pick Dessens joins the 2 headed ace staff of the D'Backs. He was solid last year for a mediocre Reds team with a 3.03 ERA. Dessens isn't a frontline starter, but is a decent middle of the rotation guy. Alex JEREMY HERMIDA OF flo OK Pick Hermida is the 2nd prospect Alex drafted that was in high school last year...Loney being the other. Hermida struggled in his initial pro debut last year, but scouts love him and he bears watching. Davis PRINCE FIELDER 1B mil Good Pick Fielder is a very good hitting prospect. The skepticism comes in with his weight...which he needs to keep under control. The Brewers as loaded at 1B with Rixie Sexson, Fielder, Brad Nelson and Corey Hart who was moved to 3B. Rated as the 9th best 1B prospect in baseball by BA. John FRANCIS BELTRAN RP chi Good Pick Beltran throws gas and is considered the Cubs future closer. Rated the 3rd best RP prospect in baseball by BA. Ken RICKY STONE RP hou OK Pick Stone is a solid young set up guy. Ken loves the Astros organization....Saarloos, Brad Lidge, Chad Qualls, John Buck and Chris Burke. There was some head scratching when Ken made this pick; but Ken new what he was doing on this one. 5th Round Davis FELIX PIE OF chi Good Pick Pie is a good prospect with a high ceiling. He could shoot up the prospect charts with a solid 2003. A solid prospect for the 5th round. Rated the 17th best OF prospect in baseball by BA. Jeff CLINT EVERTS SP mon Good Pick Jeff's 1st non Red pick. Everts is a solid SP prospect and was on the same high school staff with Kazmir. Everts has top of the rotation stuff. DiOrio ANDY MARTE 3B atl Good Pick Marte is a good young prospect. Nice pick up for the 5th round. Already traded twice ending up with Chris Davis. Rated the 3rd best 3B prospect in baseball by BA. Mark DARREN HOLMES RP atl OK Pick Holmes came out of nowhere last year to emerge as a solid set up guy. Can he do it again??? The Inside Pitch had Holmes next in line to close. 6th Round John MIKE CRUDALE RP stl Good Pick I like Crudale. He's a good young set up guy with long term closer potential. Crudale had a sub 2.00 ERA in 53 rookie IP last year. Jeff MARK SCHRAMEK 3B cin Bad Pick Schramek is a late signing 2002 draftee who has yet to make his pro debut. Jeff goes with his 3rd Red in 5 picks. Ken TAGG BOZIED 1B sd OK Pick Bozied was a decent prospect coming out of college. He struggled some last year but then was real good in the Arizona Fall League to get back on the prospect charts. Alex LASTINGS MILLEDGE OF high school Bad Pick Milledge is a 1st team high school all-american entering his senior year in high school. High school hitters take the longest to develop in the majors...it took 1st rounder Trot Nixon 7 years. Besides he could to to the AL. Bill KIRK RUETER SP sf OK Pick Rueter is an OK SP. He'll never be anything more than he is now. OK guy to have as your 5th SP. Dan MARK DEROSA 3B/2B/SS atl OK Pick The Braves are high on DeRosa as he tries to beat the utility rap. He should compete with the inept Vinny Castilla at 3B this Spring. DeRosa could also end up playing 2B over Marcus Giles and serves as insurance at SS for Rafael Furcal. Maybe not this year, but I think DeRosa will develop in to a decent every day player. Alex DELMON YOUNG OF high school OK Pick BA's 2002 Youth Player of the Year and younger brother to Detroit's Dmitri. A 1st team high school all-american entering he senior year in high school as well. Should be a 1st round pick in this years' draft. Alex AUSTIN JACKSON OF high school Bad Pick Named BA's 15 year old of the year for 2002. Jackson is entering his sophomore year in high school. You are killing me here Alex. This kid has 3 more years of high school to go!!! This gives Alex 5 picks that were in high school in 2002. Alex will never admit this. But this is my take on his extreme drafting of high school players. Alex understands that Dan's team is much better now and for the future. Alex is trying to retool for the future. Not sure high school hitters is the way to go. Mark MATT DUFF RP stl Bad Pick Duff had very good numbers at AA last year; but he's 28. Duff is not a prospect and was no where to be seen on The Inside Pitch closer watch...not sure what Mark was doing here. 7th Round John JEFF FRANCOEUR OF atl Good Pick Francoeur is another 2002 high schooler. He has a high upside offensively. Alex wanted Francoeur badly...for real. Jeff JOEY VOTTE C cin Bad Pick Votte is a 2002 draftee who had a good pro debut in 2002. He's a decent hitting prospect. That makes it 4 of 6 picks as Reds for Jeff. Alex SEAN BURNETT SP pit OK Pick Burnett is a good prospect who has been putting up big numbers in the minors. He doesn't throw hard though, thus the skepticism enters. Rated the 2nd best LH SP prospect in baseball by BA. Jeff HENRI STANLEY OF hou Bad Pick Stanley was very good at AA last year, but he's 25 and not much of a prospect. Drops Jeff's Red count to 4 out of 7. 8th Round Bill MIKE RIVERA C sd OK Pick River is in a 3 way race for the Padres' catcher job with Wiki Gonzalez and Gary Bennett. Rivera was a good offensive prospect in the minors and is worth a flier. I say he doesn't develop in to a regular catcher. Mike ANDY SISCO SP chi Good Pick Sisco is a big time SP prospect and a steal this late in the draft. He's 20, 6 foot 9 inches and throws gas. Rated the 8th best LH SP prospect in baseball by BA. Jeff BOBBY BASHAM SP cin Good Pick Basham is a good SP prospect on the rise after a solid Arizona Fall League showing. Make that 5 out of 8 Reds for Jeff. DiOrio MIKE HINCKLEY SP mon OK Pick Hinckley is a decent SP prospect. He doesn't have ace potential. Dan CHAD TRACY 3B ari OK Pick Tracy is a good hitting prospect with suspect power. I like his hitting prowess and think the power can develop. Could challenge for the D'Backs 3B job in 2004 with Matt Williams and Tony Womack moving on...and Craig Counsell moving to SS. Rated as the 9th best 3B prospect in baseball by BA. 9th Round DiOrio SCOTT THORMAN 1B atl OK Pick Thorman is a decent hitting prospect. Needs a solid 2003 to strengthen his prospect status. Jeff CAMILO VAZQUEZ SP cin Bad Pick A 2002 draftee who signed too late to debut. Jeff checks out with 6 Reds in 9 picks. OK I'll reveal why Jeff was all over the Reds organization. The Reds minor leaguer report was posted on ESPN.com the day before the draft. Jeff printed that bad boy off and went with it. Good thing an NL team was posted on that day or Jeff really would have been struggling. DiOrio DEREK TEMPESTA 1 year old toddler Traded to Alex for Todd Hundley. As far as Alex having his son on his roster I'll say this. I'll keep it simple. Alex has a 39 man roster and we all have 40 man rosters. It's just dumb Alex. Dan BRAD HAWPE OF col OK Pick Hawpe isn't a great prospect, but he put up huge numbers at high A ball last year and is in the Rockies organization. Dan has an awful track record trying to grab Rockies prospects with hopes of reaping the benefits of Coors Field. The list goes from Edgard Clemente, Ben Petrick, Jody Gerut to Garett Gentry. 10th Round Bill COREY HART 3B mil OK Pick Hart's a decent prospect who was moved to 3B from 1B due to the Brewers over load at 1B. Rated the 10th best 3B prospect in baseball by BA. Mike MIKE NICOLAS RP sd OK Pick Nicolas is a flame throwing RP prospect. His fastball reaches the upper 90's. Dan DONTRELLE WILLIS SP flo Good Pick Willis is a good SP prospect. He had a break through 2002 season after being a throw in by the Cubs prior to the season in the Antonio Alfonseca deal. Rated as the 5th best LH SP prospect in baseball. 11th Round Dan JONATHAN FIGUEROA SP la Good Pick Figueroa had a break through 2002 as well. He's only 19 and has front line starter stuff. Rated the 6th best LH SP prospect in baseball by BA. 12th Round Dan ALFREDO GONZALEZ RP la OK Pick Gonzalez is a fast moving prospect. He's rumored to have a legitimate shot at making the Dodgers' bullpen in a set up role this Spring. He was good this winter in a starting role. Rated the 5th best RP prospect in baseball by BA. |