Draft Review 2005

Good pick is a player that can help a team win in 2005, or a solid prospect.

OK pick is a player with questionable value for 2005 or a prospect with questionable value.

Bad pick is a player that has no business being in our league.

Where a player is drafted does not effect the ratings as a good pick is a good pick no matter what round of the selection.

1st Round:
#1 DAVIS Troy Glaus 3B ARI
Good pick. D'Backs' 3B. Glaus had 382 points in his last full season of 2002. Davis gave up Derrek Lee plus the #14 pick, #17 pick and the #24 pick  to Paul for this slot. A curious move since Lee had an impressive 433 points last year. Paul does love those Cubbies.

#2 MARK Pedro Martinez SP NYM
Good pick. Mets' Ace. Pedro has his doubters with his questionable shoulder, but he still can dominate. Could potentially be the top SP in our league this year. Mark still in shock over the Davis deal above that stole Glaus from him.

#3 BILL Greg Aquino CL ARI
Good pick. D'Backs' Closer. Bill traded Paul LoDuca and the #19 pick to Pags for this slot and washed up Charles Johnson. Aquino has a big time fastball and was successful in 16 of 19 saves chances. However, he was shaky in AAA with a terrible 1.72 WHIP in 30 IP before the surprise closer audition in the bigs. He's the D'Backs closer for now, especially with Jose Valverde allegedly failing physicals. Though, I wouldn't be surprised to see the D'Backs make a late pitch for a veteran closer, Ugueth Urbina?.

#4 DAVIS Mike Adams SM MIL
Good pick. Brewers' set up man. I like Adams a lot. He's got good stuff and had a solid rookie season. However, I do think Ricky Bottalico will close this year putting off Adams' closer debut. Adams is still a good long term pick if he continues to pitch effectively in 2005, and would close if Bottalico falters or breaks down.

#5 KEN Derek Lowe SP LA
Good pick. Dodgers' Ace. The infamous Lowe pick. Lowe's overall numbers last year were horrendous. He did score 232 the year before and 470 the year before that. Jeff Weaver had his career turn around after his move from the East Coast to Dodger Stadium and I think Lowe could have similar success.

#6 DIORIO Ryan Dempster CL CHI
Good pick. Cubs' possible Closer. The other infamous pick. I know the Chicagoans hate Dempster, but he does have a plus fastball and good curveball. He wouldn't be the first SP to turn his career around after a move to the bullpen. And until the Cubs do go out and aquire a closer I think Dempster has a shot here.

#7 MIKE A Omar Vizquel SS SF
Good pick. Giants' SS. Vizquel could score over 400 points this year batting lead off in a lineup that includes Barry Bonds.

#8 PAGS Yhency Brazoban SM LA
Good pick. Dodgers' main set up man. Brazoban has a big time fastball and could be the next Guillermo Mota pitching in front of Gagne.

#9 PAGS Scott Linebrink SM SD
Good pick. Padres' set up man. Linebrink was as good as any set up man in baseball last year. As far as closer potential the Padres are a bit crowded behind Trevor Hoffman. I think Akinori Otsuka would close before Linebrink and Brad Baker is coming fast from the minors.

#10 PAUL Chris Nelson SS COL
Good pick. #4 ranked SS by BA. Nelson isn't a great hitting prospect, but has the potential of hitting in Coors Field on his side. Didn't crack BA's top 5 list of "Best Pure Hitter" from the 2004 MLB Draft. But did rank 3rd by BA on the "Closest to the Majors" for high shool selections.

#11 BILL Christian Guzman SS WAS
Good pick. Nationals' SS. Guzman was barely a 300 point player on the turf of the Metrodome. I think his stats may take a hit playing full time on grass. Guzman has a lifetime .303 OBP, however at 27 still has time to evolve as a hitter.

#12 PAGS Stephen Drew SS ARI (unsigned)
Good pick. A gamble pick by Mike that could pay high dividends. Drew is rated on par with his brother J.D. when he was coming out of college. The problem is that Drew needs to sign. Humber has and Niemman just did as well. So this pick may work out for Mike. Drew was rated the 1st "Best Pure Hitter" from the 2004 MLB Draft by BA and the 4th "Closest to the Majors" for college selections.

#13 PAGS Jose Capellan SP MIL
Good pick. Brewers' SP, #5 ranked RH SP prospect by BA. Capellan was acquired from the Braves for closer Danny Kolb. Capellan is a highly regarded prospect, I'm a bit skeptical after his 8 inning pounding in the bigs last year. Previously was receiving some long term closer hype with the Braves, but I think the Brewers want him to succeed as a starting pitcher.

#14 PAUL Brian Dopirak 1B CHI
Good pick. #5 ranked 1B prospect by BA. I think Dopirak is getting over rated in our league due to the fact that there weren't many quality prospects available. He's a solid prospect, but I would like to see him have success above low A ball before I get too excited.

#15 KEN Joe Valentine RP CIN
OK pick. Reds' set up man potentially. I'm very skeptical on Valentine. Yes he was 4 for 4 in save chances with Graves on the DL in the 2nd half last year. But he walked 25 hitters in 29 IP overall. Those kind of numbers could get him sent back to AAA.

#16 BILL David Eckstein SS STL
Good pick. Cardinals' SS. Eckstein is probably a mid 300 point player batting a top the vaunted Cardinals' line up this year, with a shot at 400 points.

#17 PAUL Zach Duke SP PIT
OK pick. #8 ranked LH SP prospect by BA. I'm not a fan off left handed starting pitching prospects that don't throw too hard. The majority of prospects that fit Duke's profile don't succeed in the majors. There aren't many Tom Glavine's out there.

#18 PAUL Greg Golson OF PHI
OK pick. #25 ranked OF prospect by BA. I'm also skeptical of "speed" prospects. The best tool you want in a prospect is hitting, not speed. Paul also took these too prospects pretty early. I might have taken Golson towards the end of the draft, and wouldn't have pulled the trigger on Duke.

#19 PAGS Chris Snyder C ARI
Good pick. D'Backs' shared C. I like Snyder more long term than short. I believe the D'Backs are higher on their other young catcher in Koyie Hill. But I like Snyders' potential offensively.

#20 ALEX Jayson Werth OF LA
Good pick. Dodgers' LF. Werth came out of no where to emerge as a promising young hitter last year. Has some doubt for 2005 with potential elbow surgery. However he's still a good long term pick as long as he can continue his new found success of 2004.

#21 BILL Clint Barmes SS COL
Good pick. Rockies' SS. On any other team Barmes has little to no value. But he's getting a starting nod in Coors Field. Has questionable long term value but could put up 400 points in Coors this year.

#22 PAGS Brad Baker RP SD
Good pick. #10 ranked RP prospect by BA. Baker doesn't have a big time fastball, but his career has taken off after a move from the rotation. I think he could possibly emerge as a set up man with the Padres this year and with success in the majors be considered a future closer.

#23 DIORIO Russell Branyan 3B MIL
OK pick. Brewers' 3B. Branyan doesn't hit lefties at all, so probably plays vs. RHP only this year, which is the good side of a platoon. Branyan has had very good power potential for some time, but needs to make it happen this year or he may never get another shot.

#24 PAUL Homer Bailey SP CIN
Good pick. #20 ranked RH SP prospect by BA. Bailey has great stuff and could take off as a prospect with a strong showing in the minors this year.

#25 ALEX Raul Mondesi OF ATL
Good pick. Braves' RF. Alex was fired up that Mondesi fell to this slot. I was surprised as well considering how valuable starting players are in our league. Mondesi's age does't fit the mold of Alex' team as he will trade him before the season. However, he's over valuing him a bit right now. Mondesi is a mid 300 point player when he's not flipping off his manager. Alex is trying to pull a Jose Vidro with him.

#26 KEN Joe Randa 3B CIN
Good pick. Reds' 3B. The Joker is getting up there in age but is still a decent hitter. He's a solid support player for a contending team.

#27 DAVIS Damian Miller C MIL
Good pick. Brewers' C. Miller isn't a great hitter, but in a league with very little quality catchers he has some value as a 200 point catcher.

2nd Round:
#28 BILL Salomon Torres SM PIT
Good pick. Pirates' set up man. Jose Mesa is as shaky as the come. So if he falters the Pirates could turn to Torres. Mike Gonzalez is the guy long term, but Torres may get the gig in the short term if and when Mesa implodes.

#29 ALEX Dustan Mohr OF COL
Good pick. Rockies' probable RF. Mohr was going to be Dan's last pick in the draft. That was until the Giants unexpectingly cut him. He signs with Colorado and his value takes off. Mohr could score well over 400 points this year if he doesn't pull a Danny Bautista. (For those who don't get that, Bautista failed as a 4th OF trying to make it as a regular player).

#30 BILL Noah Lowry SP SF
Good pick. Giants' SP. I like Lowry a lot as one of the better young pitchers in the NL. He had a solid rookie season.

#31 MARK Yusmeiro Petit SP NYM
OK pick. #8 RH SP prospect by BA. Here goes Levitz again picking the SP prospects. Petit has put up great numbers in the minors, but doesn't have a great fastball. I'm very skeptical on Petit similar to my concerns with Duke and his lack luster fastball. At 6' 230 lbs, Petit doesn't exactly have the build of a Roger Clemens.

#32 PAGS Mark Rogers SP MIL
Good pick. #21 RH SP prospect by BA. I put Rogers right with Homer Bailey. First year players who's careers could take off with strong minor league showings this year.

#33 DAVIS Brandon Backe SP HOU
Good pick. Astros' rotation. Backe only went this high due to the Alonso Soriano rumors. He pitched well in the playoffs, but overall wasn't anything special. I believe the Astros turned down Soriano for Backe and Chris Burke. I don't understand why. Did that they expect to get Soriano for free? Maybe DiOrio is doing some consulting for the Astros.

#34 KEN Jon Lieber SP PHI
Good pick. Phillies' rotation. Lieber is a solid pick in this slot as Ken continues to pick up good support players.

#35 DAN Brady Clark OF MIL
Good pick. Brewers' CF. Dan saw Clark sliding and starting offering Spooneybarger all over the league. Davis, a long time Spoon fan, cooperated and dealt this pick for him. Clark had 239 points in 353 AB this past season. He could get over 400 this year if he doesn't pull a Danny Bautista.

#36 MARK Kyle Davies SP ATL
Good pick. #11 ranked RH SP prospect by BA. Levitz continues with the SP prospects. At least this is a good one. Peter Gammons got a little excited over Davies dropping his name as potentially the Braves' 5th starter this year.
#37 BILL Todd Hollandsworth OF CHI
OK pick. Potentially Cubs' LF. Hollandsworth hit very well last year on a limited basis. I'm not convinced the Cubs will give him a starting job this year, but if they do he could surprise as a later developing hitter.

#38 PAUL Anthony Reyes SP STL
Good pick. #10 ranked RH SP prospect by BA. I like Reyes a lot. He's got good stuff, had solid numbers in the minors and the Cardinals like to promote their young SPs quickly.

#39 PAGS Neil Walker C PIT
Good pick. #10 ranked C prospect by BA. Walker is a good power hitting catching prospect who is 1 year out of high school.

#40 BILL Ambiorix Concepcion OF NY
OK pick. Unranked prospect by BA. I like Concepcion even though BA didn't get too excited about him. I think he could have a break season this year.

#41 DAVIS Desi Relaford UTL COL
OK pick. Rockies' utility player. I wanted this to be the 1st bad pick, but Relaford does play in Coors Field now. He could be a 200 point player out of a utility role.

#42 KEN Jose Valentin 3B LA
Good pick. Dodgers' 3B. I guess no one else wanted solid support players as Ken grabbed another one. Not sure how Davis takes Relaford in the spot right in front of Valentin?

3rd round:
#43 DAN Ryan Freel 2B/3B CIN
OK pick. Reds' utility player. Freel is good enough to be a regular in the majors, but for now is a utility player. Will need more Cincy injuries to approach the 274 he put up last year.

#44 ALEX Jason Marquis SP STL
OK pick. Alex loves Marquis. I'm skeptical due to his mediocre 1.42 WHIP, plus he was bad in the playoffs.

#45 PAUL Michael Bourn OF PHI
OK pick. #22 ranked OF prospect by BA. Bourn is another Phillies speed prospect. Could be a decent hitter, I'm not excited yet.

#46 MARK Mitch Eintertson OF HOU
Good pick. #21 ranked OF prospect by BA. I like Eintertson's offensive potential. BA would have gotten more excited buy they held back since Eintertson was a late round pick. Ranked 1st by BA for "Best Pro Debut" from the 2004 MLB Draft for high school selections.

#47 PAGS Chris Resop RP FLO
OK pick. #6 ranked RP prospect by BA. Resop has an over powering fastball and had dominating numbers last year. However, he's yet to pitch above low A and relief prospects don't have a good track record of success.

#48 ALEX Fred Lewis OF SF
OK pick. #17 ranked OF prospect by BA. Another speed first prospect. Also a bit old for a prospect at 24.

#49 DAVIS Eddy Martinez-Esteve OF SF
Good pick. Unranked prospect by BA. Martinez-Esteve was a 2nd round pick in the 2004 MLB Draft and has good hitting potential. BA holds back on rating 1st year players in their position rankings, but did rank Martinez-Esteve the 2nd "Best Pure Hitter" from the 2004 MLB Draft.

#50 DIORIO Chad Qualls RP HOU
OK pick. Astros' RP. Qualls had a surprising year in the Astros' bullpen after being converted from a starting pitcher. Could emerge as the Astros' top set up man this year.

#51 DIORIO Paul Wilson SP CIN
OK pick. Reds' rotatation. Wilson is a decent SP far removed from his future phenom days back in the mid 1990's.

#52 DAVIS Tony Pena SS ATL
Bad pick. Unranked prospect by BA. Pena is a 24 year old SS prospect who had a .280 OBP at AA. Actually I don't think he is a prospect, maybe Tony Pena the manager would have been a better pick.

4th round:
#53 ALEX Cameron Maybin OF high school
Good pick. Maybin is the 2nd ranked high school prospect behind Justin Upton for the 2005 MLB Draft. He was BA's 2004 Youth Player of the Year.

#54 DAN Luis Gonzalez 2B/3B COL
Good pick. Rockies' utility player. Gonzalez had 178 points as a Rule V utility player last year. Could be a good sleeper pick if he steals the 2B job from Aaron Miles.

#55 MARK Ryan Speier RP COL
OK pick. #9 ranked RP prospect by BA. Speier doesn't throw hard but has put up good numbers in the minors with a side arm delivery. Could emerge to play a role in the Rockies bullpen in 2005.

#56 DIORIO Bobby Hill 2B PIT
OK pick. Pirates' back up IF. I think Hill is a better offensive player than Jose Castillo, but the Pirates love Castillo. Hill may be a reach selection at this point, but I think at 26 he still could evolve in to a starting 2B.

#57 BILL Gary Majewski RP WAS
Bad pick. Nationals' potential middle reliever. Majewski doesn't have much upside and is no lock to pitch in the majors this year.

#58 KEN Scott Dohmann RP COL
OK pick. Rockies' middle reliever/potential set up man. Dohmann had an impressive 49 K in 46 rookie IP last year. Didn't pitch well vs. right hand hitters though, so his ceiling may be limited for now.

#59 BILL Ryan Church OF WAS
OK pick. Unranked prospect by BA. Church gets some decent prospect hype despite the snub by BA, but he's 26 and hit .175 in 63 rookie AB last year.

#60 DAN Brian Fuentes SM COL
Good pick. Rockies' setup man. Fuentes breaks up a streak of shaky picks. Has value now in a thin Rockies bullpen. Fuentes could have a high holds total this year, and could possibly get some saves as the Rockies' have an unproven closer in Chin-Hui Tsao.

#61 ALEX Alex Gordon 3B University of Nebraska
Good pick. Gordon is a BA 1st Team All-American and is the top ranked college hitter for the 2005 MLB Draft. He's not on the Mark Teixeira or even Stephen Drew level, but could have his stock rise depending on how he hits in the upcoming college season.

#62 BILL Ryan Langerhans OF ATL
OK pick. Braves' reserve OF. Unranked prospect by BA. Bill doesn't get a Bad Pick here because at the time of the draft Langerhans was a possible starter in LF for the Braves, who have since signed Brian Jordan for that spot. Langerhans is a mediocre prospect.

#63 BILL Rick Ankiel SP STL
OK pick. Cardinals' potential SP. Still just 25 Ankiel has plenty of time to make a comeback. It was 5 years ago that he had a 194 K, 3.50 ERA season.

5th round:
#64 DAN Todd Jones SM FLO
OK pick. Marlins' setup man. Jones put up 223 points last year, but still tumbled down to the 5th round. He has been shaky over the past few years, but could have another solid season now setting up Marlins' new closer Guillermo Mota.

#65 DAN Ricky Bottalico CL MIL
Good pick. Brewers' potential closer. Dan was very high on Bottalico at the draft and really wanted to get the free agent in the middle rounds. He was solid in a middle/set up role with the Mets last year and teams seem to always dip back in to the closer well. Mike Adams went 4th in the draft and Bottalico went 65th and Bottalico could end up the Brewers' closer.

#66 MARK Craig Hansen CL St. Johns' University
OK pick. Hansen is a BA 1st Team All-American who has good stuff. He was the lead story on BA.com the day of the draft and Levitz jumped all over it.

#67 DAN Mike Lamb 3B HOU
OK pick. Astros' back up IF. Lamb is a good hitter with out a position. Put up 179 points last year in 278 AB. He may be a better hitter than Morgan Ensberg, but is shaky on D and stuck on the bench.

#68 DAN Jason Michaels OF PHI
Good pick. Phillies' platoon CF. Michaels is another solid hitter with out a position. He had 166 points last year in 299 AB. Michaels will platoon in CF this year with Kenny Lofton and could take over CF full time in 2006.

#69 KEN Jason DuBois OF CHI
OK pick. Cubs' potential platoon LF. DuBois has never been a top prospect, but could surprise this year as he had a monster year at AAA last year.

#70 BILL Ramon Colon RP ATL
OK pick. Braves' potential middle reliever. Unranked prospect by BA. Colon has never been a prospect, but throws hard and could be a surprise in the Braves bullpen this year.

#71 BILL Allan Simpson RP COL
OK pick. Rockies' middle reliever/potential setup man. Simpson is similar to Scott Dohmann. Simpson had 46 K in 39 rookie IP last year, but needs to evolve further as a pitcher to become a solid setup man: was hit hard by left hand hitters.

6th round:
#72 DAN Blake DeWitt 3B LA
Good pick. 8th ranked 3B prospect by BA. DeWitt was the 28th pick in the 2004 MLB draft. I did have his size confused with the Royals 3B 1st round pick Billy Butler, who's 6' 2" 225 lbs. DeWitt is a legitimate power prospect despite his size of 5' 11" 175 lbs. Rated the 4th "Best Pro Debut" for a high school player by BA.

#73 DAN Jon Zeringue OF ARI
Good pick. Unranked prospect by BA. Zeringue was a 2nd round pick from the 2004 MLB Draft. Again, BA doesn't rate 1st year players high on their position rankings. They did rate Zeringue the 3rd "Best Pure Hitter" from the 2004 Draft. Also rated 1st by BA for the "Best Pro Debut" for a college player.

#74 DAN Cory Dunlap 1B LA
Good pick. Unranked prospect by BA. Dunlap was a 3rd round pick from the 2004 MLB Draft. Rated the 5th "Best Pure Hitter" by BA from the 2004 Draft. Also rated the 1st "Best Pro Debut" by BA for a Junior College player.

7th round:
#75 DAN Glendon Rusch  SP CHI
OK pick. Cubs' rotation. Rusch had a surprise 214 point season last year as a swingman. He has taken a beaten for a good part of his career, but Rusch just may have turned it around in 2004.

8th round:
#76 DAN Ramon Ortiz SP CIN
OK pick. Reds' rotation. Ortiz looked like a rising star in the AL a few years ago, but has since regressed. Still has good stuff and could turn things around in the NL this year.

#77 MARK Humberto Cota C PIT
OK pick. Pirates' part time C. Cota doesn't get a lot of attention as a potential starting catcher. I like him as he's only 25 and had a .500 SLG last year, even though it was in only 66 AB.

#78 MIKE A Eric Young UT SD
OK pick. Padres' utililty player. Young has evolved in to a utility player and had 224 points last year in 344 AB with the Rangers.

9th round:
#79 DAN Mike Koplove RP ARI
OK pick. Diamondbacks' setup man. Koplove doesn't have great stuff, but is a decent holds guy as he had 19 last year.

#80 MARK Ian Bladergroen 1B NY
Good pick. Only because this pick turned in to Doug Mientkiewicz who had 366 points in his last full season of 2003. Big Theo fan, but don't get why he chose Millar over Mientk. I don't think Millar is that much better a hitter than Mientk, and Mientk may be the best defensive 1B I've ever seen.

#81 MIKE A Antonio Perez IF LA
OK pick. Dodgers' utility IF. I like Perez long term as I think he can be a decent starting 2B. He's blocked in LA by Jeff Kent. Could get some AB at 3B vs. lefties as Jose Valentin hit .191 against them last year.

10th round:
#82 DAN Chad Fox RP CHI
OK pick. Cubs' potential setup man. Fox is a gamble pick. He's a solid setup man when healthy, but has trouble staying off the DL. We'll see how he holds up in Spring Training.

#83 MARK Chuck Tiffany SP LA
OK pick. #10 ranked LH SP by BA. A decent prospect for this point in the draft, as Mark continues his obsession with SP prospects. Tiffany is similar to Zach Duke, as both have put up big numbers in the minors but are lefties that don't throw hard.

#84 MIKE A Benito Santiago C PIT
OK pick. Pirates primary C. Santiago is at the end of the line, but he could have a decent season depending on how many AB Humberto Cota does or doesn't steal from him.

11th round:
#85 DAN Luke Hudson SP CIN
Good pick. Reds' potential starter. Hudson has good stuff and had an impressive 2.42 ERA in 9 rookie starts last year. He has a plus fastball and very good curve as Dan is predicting a move to the bullpen with an Eric Gagne like career transformation.

#86 DAN Duaner Sanchez RP LA
OK pick. Dodgers' middle reliever/setup man. Sanchez didn't have great numbers last year, but has an upper 90's fastball and is just 25.

12th round:
#87 DAN Mike Wuertz RP CHI
OK pick. Cubs' potential middle reliever. Wuertz had these impressive numbers in the 2nd half last year: 12 IP 3 H 7 BB 18 K. Not sure if he throws hard though, but if he does Dan will love this pick.

#88 MIKE A Tim Stauffer SP SD
OK pick. Unranked prospect by BA. Dan was high on Stauffer at one point, but is disappointed now in how hard he throws. He was the 4th overall pick in the 2003 MLB Draft and is known for excellent command.

13th round:
#89 DAN Kevin Gryboski RP ATL
OK pick. Braves' setup man. Gryboski is similar to Koplove in that he doesn't have a high ceiling but is a decent holds guy, had 16 last year.

#90 MIKE A Miguel Cairo 2B NY
OK pick. Mets' utility IF. Cairo had 204 points last year in 360 AB. Needs an injury to either Jose Reyes or Kaz Matsui to gain value this year.

14th round:
#91 MIKE A Chris Hammond RP SD
Bad pick. Padres' middle reliever/setup man. Hammond had only 92 points last year as he had only 4 holds with the A's. Maybe Mike thinks Hammond will be used more as a late inning reliever this year with the Padres. Only the 2nd bad pick of the Draft behind Davis' stunning Tony Pena pick.

#92 MIKE A Jeff Allison SP FLO
OK pick. Unranked prospect by BA, but was #44 on the BA Top 100 before his drug problem came to light. Allison obviously needs to overcome the drug problem but is just 20 and has had his stuff compared to Josh Beckett in the past..