Draft Review 2008

Draft Review 2008

Good pick is a player that can help a team win in 2008, or a solid prospect.

OK pick is a player with questionable value for 2008 or a prospect with questionable value.

Bad pick is a player that probably doesn't deserve a roster spot in our league.

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

Prospect rankings and future projections are from Baseball America.

1st Round:
#1 PHIL Kosuke Fukudome OF CHI
Good pick. Cubs' RF. Phil took Fukudome to trade and did so a few days after the draft getting #2 pick Matt LaPorta and J.R. Towles from Ken, but also gave up Yorvit Torrealba. So taking Fukudome over LaPorta got Phil to get Towles for Torrealba. Ichiro was a stud, Hideki Matsui was a stud, Kaz Matsui was a bust...we'll so how Fukudome does.

#2 KEN Matt LaPorta OF MIL
Good pick. Brewers' future LF. The first big surprise of the draft, as Ken took LaPorta over valuable set up men in Carlos Marmol and Heath Bell. But Ken was after Fukudome and did get his guy. Alex went public with his love for LaPorta after Dan traded Ubaldo Jimenez and Jair Jurrjens for the #7 pick to grab him. LaPorta seems like a can't miss stud college hitter, but he could get traded with Fielder at 1B, Braun in LF and Hart in RF.

#3 DIORIO Geovany Soto C CHI
Good pick. Cubs' C. Soto looks like a stud catcher who could have a break out season this year. But there is some skepticism as Soto came out of no where last year to emerge as a top prospect.

#4 DIORIO Carlos Marmol RP CHI
Good pick. Cubs' potential Closer. Marmol is in the Cubs' closer mix this Spring Training with Wood and Howry. He had dominant numbers last year after moving to a relief role. Marmol could be a high scoring holds guy if he doesn't close. The Chicagoan were down on Marmol after he blew game 1 of the NLDS to the Diamondbacks.

#5 BOB Luis Castillo 2B NY
Good pick. Mets' 2B. Bob went with a need pick taking the veteran 2B to place behind Orlando Hudson. Castillo had 343 points last year.

#6 BOB Rick Ankiel OF STL
Good pick. Cardinals' RF. Bob went with another need pick as he needed OF depth. Ankiel was a surprise story last year after failing as a pitcher. I'm skeptical on Ankiel as he had mediocre numbers versus right hand pitching last year and also had a low OBP in AAA, but his power potential is intriguing.

#7 DAN Heath Bell RP SD
Good pick. Padres' top setup man. Dan was looking at LaPorta or Heyward with this pick, but Bell slipped after Ken took LaPorta #2. Bell had dominant numbers last year after a mediocre career to that point. Bell could be in line to close in 2009 if he can repeat his success and Hoffman finally retires.

#8 MIKE A Jason Heyward OF ATL
Good pick. Braves' future LF. Heyward may end up being the best long term player taking in this draft. Heyward could be on the verge of a break out season in the minors, shooting up the prospect charts.

#9 PHIL Jordan Schafer OF ATL
Good pick. Braves' future CF. Schafer could be the Braves' CF in 2009 with more development in the minors this year. I like Schafer, but I don't get too excited about non middle of the batting order type prospects.

2nd Round:
#10 PHIL Julio Teheran SP ATL
Good pick. Not in Braves' future lineup. I love Teheran's potential and was hoping to get him later in the draft. Jim Callis of BA has made Felix Hernandez comparisons for the 17-year-old.

#11 KEN Brandon Jones OF ATL
Good pick. Not in Braves' future lineup. Jones could win a platoon role with Matt Diaz in LF with a strong Spring Training. I'm a bit skeptical on Jones as he's a late blooming prospect and hit just .158 in 19 major league AB's last year.

#12 DIORIO Jarrod Parker SP ARI
Good pick. D'Backs' future #2 starting pitcher. Parker has a high upside with the best fastball for high schoolers from last years' MLB draft. We'll see how good he is in his pro debut this year.

#13 ALEX Tim Alderson SP SF
Good pick. Giants' future #4 starting pitcher. Alex continued the early trend of the draft of taking prospects over veterans. (Gone are the days of getting solid prospect later in the draft). Alderson is another high school prospect from last years' MLB draft who could move quickly through the minors. Alex dealt Alderson to Bill in the Jose Bautista trade.

#14 PAGS Manny Parra SP MIL
Good pick. Brewers' future #3 starting pitcher. I think Parra is getting a bit over rated as a prospect. The Brewers' have a deep starting staff, so Parra may pitch mostly in relief if kept in the majors this year.

#15 DIORIO Steve Pearce OF PIT
Good pick. Pirates' future RF. I like Pearce a lot. Could be the Pirates' starting RF by the second half. Pearce had impressive minor league stats last year and held his own in promotion to the majors.

#16 BILL Justin Maxwell OF WAS
OK pick. Nats' future LF. I thought Bill took Maxwell too early. I don't think he's going to hit in the majors.

#17 MIKE A Felipe Paulino SP HOU
Good pick. Astros' future #3 SP. Paulino is known for his triple digit fastball. I'm skeptical on him as a starter as he hasn't dominated in the minors, but he could take off if moved to the bullpen.

#18 KEN Jayson Nix 2B COL
Good pick. Rockies' potential 2B. Nix had dropped off as a prospect in recent years, but the Rockies are giving him a look at 2B after Matsui took off. Nix is strong defensively, but there are plenty of questions about his bat...maybe Coors Field will help if he does win the job.

#19 PAUL Elijah Dukes OF WAS
OK pick. Nats' potential reserve OF. Dukes has plenty of talent, but has a Carl Everett\Milton Bradley type attitude. The Nats' have plenty of OF depth and Dukes may end up in jail before a spot opens up.

#20 PAGS Ross Detwiler SP WAS
Good pick. Nats' future ace. Detwiler is a very good starting pitching prospect and could get to the bigs for good by next year. Detwiler might be the best prospect taking in this prospect loaded round two.

#21 MARK Peter Moylan RP ATL
Good pick. Braves' top setup man. Moylan had impressive numbers after spending 2 years in independent baseball. I like Moylan as he's the Braves' next in line closer behind the fragile Rafael Soriano. Mark traded Moylan to Dan in the Dmitri Young trade.

#22 DIORIO Tim Beckham SS high school
Good pick. #2 rated high school prospect. Beckham is a toolsy SS who may go #1 to Tampa Bay or #2 to Pittsburgh in this year's MLB draft.

#23 MIKE A Hiroki Kuroda SP LA
Good pick. Dodgers' starting pitcher. Not surprised Kuroda went at this point in the draft, but was surprised the rebuilding Mike took him. Kuroda is 33 and profiles as a mid rotation starting pitcher.

3rd Round:
#24 PHIL Chin-Lung Hu SS LA
Good pick. Dodgers' future SS. Hu is a defensive whiz who's showing promise with the bat. Could take over SS from Furcal in 2009 and may be the next Adam Everett with more power.

#25 KEN Brad Hennessey RP SF
Good pick. Giants' setup man. Hennessey failed as the Giants' closer last year and now enters this season as a setup man to Brian Wilson.

#26 DIORIO Deolis Guerra SP NY
Good pick. Mets' future #4 SP. This pick almost landed Chris, Johan Santana but ended up being a wasted pick. Guerra isn't a stud, but is young enough to develop in to one.

#27 KEN Tyler Walker RP SF
Good pick. Giants' setup man. Ken takes the Giants' other setup man to go with Hennessey. Walker has closed a bit in the past, but has been an inconsistent pitcher.

#28 PAGS Casey Weathers RP COL
Good pick. Not in Rockies' future lineup. Weathers is a hard throwing reliever from the 2007 MLB draft who could get to the majors quickly.

#29 BILL Chris Coghlan 2B FLO
Good pick. Marlins' future 2B. Coghlan isn't a stud prospect but could be in line for the Marlins' 2B job in 2009 with further development in the minors this year.

#30 BILL Devin Mesoraco C CIN
OK pick. Reds' future C. I see Mesoraco as a mediocre prospect. Just a high school draftee and is a long range prospect.

#31 MIKE A James McDonald SP LA
OK pick. Not in Dodgers' future lineup. McDonald is decent starting pitcher prospect.

#32 PAUL Tadahito Iguchi 2B SD
Good pick. Padres' 2B. The fallen man finally gets selected late in the third round. Iguchi ended 2007 as a bench player, but suddenly became wanted in the free agent market this off season. Then he signed just a 1 year deal in the grave yard that is Petco Field. Iguchi may struggle to reach 250 points this year.

#33 DAVIS Alcides Escobar SS MIL
OK pick. Brewers' future SS. Escobar is a slick fielding SS with a questionable bat. I'm very skeptical.

#34 ALEX Jose Ceda RP CHI
Good pick. Not in Cubs' future lineup. Ceda throws gas and came out of no where last year to emerge as a prospect. He could disappear as quickly as he appeared. Alex dealt Ceda to Bill in the Jose Bautista trade.

#35 MARK Dan Ortmeier 1B SF
Good pick. Giants' future 1B. Ortmeier had disappeared as a prospect then showed some promise in the bigs last year. Ortmeier may be a pretender, but the Giants' could give him a lot of AB's at 1B this year. Mark traded Ortmeier to Dan in the Dmitri Young trade.

#36 KEN Greg Dobbs 3B PHI
OK pick. Phillies' bench player. Really a Bad pick, but the Phillies didn't have Pedro Feliz at the time of the draft. Ken gets a pinch hitter here.

#37 DIORIO Greg Reynolds SP COL
OK pick. Rockies' future #5 SP. Reynolds is a decent SP prospect, but doesn't throw too hard and will be pitching in Coors when he gets there.

#38 BILL Ryan Tucker SP FLO
OK pick. Marlins' future Closer. Tucker is currently a starting pitcher, despite the BA projection. I'm not a big fan, but could be if he has success if and when moved to the bullpen.

4th Round:
#39 PHIL Madison Bumgarner SP SF
Good pick. Giants future #5 SP. Bumgarner is another high school pitching prospect with a plus fastball, we'll see how he does in the minors this year.

#40 KEN Ryan Franklin RP STL
OK pick. Cardinals' setup man. Franklin came off the srap heap to put up 25 holds with St. Louis last year, I'm skeptical the 35-year-old will repeat that success.

#41 MIKE A Cole Rohrbough SP ATL
Good pick. Braves' future #3 SP. Rohrbough is a solid lefty starting pitching prospect.

#42 MIKE A Josh Donaldson C CHI
OK pick. Not in Cubs' future lineup. Donaldson is a 2007 draftee who is a decent long term catching prospect.

#43 DAN Jared Burton RP CIN
Good pick. Reds' setup man. Dan's long wait is over. Burton had an impressive 2nd half last year emerging as a solid setup man.

#44 DAN Sean Gallagher SP CHI
Good pick. Cubs' future #3 SP. Dan took Gallagher with an eye towards a Brian Roberts trade. Gallagher isn't overpowering, but is a solid starting pitching prospect.

#45 DAN Nick Noonan 2B SF
Good pick. Giants' future 2B. Dan was discouraged to see all the prospect fly off the board in front of him, and felt Noonan was the last good prospect available in the draft. Dan dealt Noonan to Davis in the Dmitri Young trade.

#46 DAVIS Lou Marson C PHI
OK pick. Phillies' future C. An OK catching prospect.

#47 PAUL Manny Acosta RP ATL
Good pick. Braves' setup man. Acosta had impressive numbers in limited innings in the bigs last year and could emerge as a holds guy in front of Soriano this year.

#48 PAUL David Riske RP MIL
Good pick. Brewers' setup man. Riske could be a decent holds guy in Milwaukee. Get some value with the erratic Gagne in front of him, but may not be next in line with Turnbow still around.

#49 MIKE A Adam Ottavino SP STL
OK pick. Cardinals' future #4 SP. An OK starting pitching prospect.

#50 BOB Joe Savery SP PHI
OK pick. Phillies' future #4 SP. Savery is a solid prospect who has had some injury problems.

5th Round:
#51 PHIL Aaron Crow SP college
OK pick. #2 ranked college prospect. We'll see where his stock stands after this coming college season.

#52 KEN Matt Diaz OF ATL
OK pick. Braves' reserve OF. Diaz is a solid hitter, but the Braves aren't willing to give him regular AB's. Projected to platoon with Brandon Jones in LF this year.

#53 DAVIS Angel Salome C MIL
OK pick. Brewers' future C. Intriguing catching prospect, but did get caught for steroids last year.

#54 MARK Justin Miller RP FLO
Good pick. Marlins' setup man. Miller came out of no where last year to put up 17 holds. I like Miller, and he could be a solid holds guy at this point in the draft.

#55 DAN Eddie Kunz RP NY
Good pick. Mets' future Closer. Hard throwing 2007 draftee who's expected to the get to the majors in a hurry.

#56 DAVIS Mike Stanton OF FLO
OK pick. Not in Marlins' future lineup. No not the ancient lefty setup man. Stanton is a 2007 high school draftee, who's a solid long term prospect.

#57 BILL Pedro Feliciano RP NY
OK pick. Not in Mets' future lineup. Feliciano is an OK lefty holds guy. Bill dealt Feliciano to Alex shortly after the draft in the Jose Bautista trade.

#58 BOB Daniel Moskos RP PIT
OK pick. Not in Pirates' future lineup. Moskos may get to the bigs quick, but has limited value as a potential left hand setup man.

#59 DAVIS Wendell Fairley OF SF
OK pick. Not in Giants' future lineup. Chris continues to pound the prospects. Fairley is a 2007 draftee who's yet to debut in the pros, a decent long term prospect.

#60 DAN Aaron Cook SP COL
OK pick. Rockies' #2 SP. Dan wanted to go prospects in this draft, but ended up taking several major league players when all the prospects were dried up. Cook is an OK starter to have at the back of a fantasy rotation. Not sure why Pags' wasn't looking here.

Sixth Round:
#61 PHIL Brian Matusz SP college
OK pick. #4 ranked college prospect. Phil continued his love of amatuer players.

#62 KEN Emilio Bonifacio 2B ARI
OK pick. Not in D'Backs' future lineup. I'm not a fan, see a utility player at best here.

#63 BOB Mat Gamel 3B MIL
Good pick. Not in Brewers' future lineup. I like Gamel's bat a lot, but he's a mess defensively at 3B. Could be an interesting prospect if he does improve defense this year with Ryan Braun moving to the OF. Bob dealt Gamel to Mike A in Adrian Gonzalez\Andruw Jones trade.

#64 MARK Russ Springer RP STL
OK pick. Cardinals' setup man. Springer is 39, but had very impressive numbers last year.

#65 DAN Sean Marshall SP CHI
OK pick. Cubs' swingman. Another Brian Roberts pick for Dan, or maybe Joe Nathan. Dan likes Marshall long term if he doesn't get dealt to the AL.

7th Round:
#66 PHIL Brandon Crawford SS college
OK pick. #10 ranked college prospect. Don't know anything about him.

#67 DAN Cody Ross OF FLO
OK pick. Marlins' reserve OF. Dan's love for 4th OF's jumps out late in the draft. Ross is the Marlins' back up plan for Maybin. Ross hit like crazy in limited action in the bigs last year.

#68 ALEX Todd Frazier SS CIN
OK pick. Reds' future 3B. Frazier is a decent hitting prospect. 2008 could be a telling season as to whether or not Frazier is a fraud. Alex dealt Frazier to Bill in the Jose Bautista deal.

8th Round:
#69 MIKE A Matt Dominguez 3B FLO
OK pick. Not in Marlins' future lineup. Dominguez is very good defensively, but has a questionable bat, hit a buck 58 in pro debut.

#70 DAN Kyle Kendrick SP PHI
OK pick. Phillies' #3 SP. Kendrick dropped badly in this draft. Never was much of a prospect and doesn't throw hard, but Dan will see if can carry his 2007 success in to this year.

#71 MIKE A Eli Iorg OF HOU
OK pick. Not in Astros' future lineup. Iorg has some upside offensively, but may be a long shot.

#72 PAUL Juan Morillo RP COL
OK pick. Not in Rockies' future lineup. Morillo is a long shot, but is worth a flier with his upper 90's gas.

#73 MARK Jayson Werth OF PHI
OK pick. Phillies' reserve OF. Decent pick for this point in the draft. Werth is still fairly young and will platoon in RF with the inconsistent Geoff Jenkins.

9th Round:
#74 DAN Brian Barton OF STL
OK pick. Not in Cardinals' future lineup. Barton was with Cleveland at the time of BA's posting of the Cardinals' Top 10. Barton then went to St. Louis in the Rule V draft and is ranked #4 on the Cardinals' list in the BA Handbook. Barton has had some success in the minors and could surprise at the major league level this year, as the Cardinals will have to keep him up or send him back to Cleveland.

#75 PAGS Joel Pineiro SP STL
OK pick. Cardinals' #3 SP. Not a bad pick for this point in the draft. Pineiro has been inconsistent over the past few years, but did pitch well after coming over to St. Louis from Boston.

#76 MIKE A Kyle Blanks 1B SD
OK pick. Not in Padres' future lineup. I've been intrigued by Blanks' offensive potential in the past, not sure why BA has little love for him.

#77 PAUL Hector Gomez SS COL
OK pick. Not in Rockies' future lineup. Gomez has good defensive potential, but has a questionable bat. Not a fan.

#78 MARK Ramon Castro C NY
OK pick. Mets' backup catcher. Well not everyone was looking for prospects in the draft has Mark takes a back up catcher in Castro.

10th Round:
#79 DAN Josh Roenicke RP CIN
OK pick. Reds' future Closer. Hard throwing relief prospect.

#80 PAGS Tyler Yates RP ATL
OK pick. Braves' middle reliever. Almost went with a bad pick here. Yates throws hard, but he's inconsistent. Also, behind Moylan and Acosta on the holds depth chart in front of Soriano.

#81 MIKE A Kazumi Saito RP Japan
OK pick, I guess. Not sure who this pick was. Do I have the right guy Mike...35-year-old Japanese reliever who may come over next year...

#82 PAUL Dominic Brown OF PHI
OK pick. Phillies' future CF. I like Brown's potential. Could take off as a prospect with a successful season in the minors this year.

#83 MARK Jorge Cantu IF FLO
Bad pick. Marlins' potential utility player. Any value Cantu may have been a long shot to obtain, were squashed with the Dallas McPherson signing.

11th Round:
#84 DAN Brant Rustich RP NY
OK pick. Not in Mets' future lineup. Rustich is a 2007 draftee with a big time fastball. Could get to the bigs in a hurry.

#85 PAGS Jesus Colome RP WAS
OK pick. Nats' setup man. Almost a bad pick. Colome has had an inconsistent career, not sure he keeps it in a positive direction in 2008.

#86 MIKE A Tony Thomas 2B CHI
OK pick. Cubs' future 2B. I like Thomas' bat a lot, but there are questions on his defense to stay at 2B.

#87 MARK Jason Bergmann SP WAS
OK pick. Nats' #3 SP. I like Bergmann. Pitched well in bigs last year. Mark dealt him to Alex in the Valverde\Rollins deal.

12th Round:
#88 DAN Matt Latos SP SD
OK pick. Padres' future #3 SP. Latos has a good fastball and could take off as a prospect in 2008 with a successful minor league season.

#89 PAGS Ryan Spilborghs OF COL
OK pick. Rockies' reserve OF. Spilborghs is a 4th OF, but could put up decent puts with further ab's if the Rockies' OF has injuries.

#90 MARK Wandy Rodriguez SP HOU
OK pick. Astros' #2 SP. I'm not a big fan.

13th Round:
#91 DAN Fred Lewis OF SF
OK pick. Giants' future LF. Lewis has hit well in his time in the majors and could emerge from a reserve OF role this year to start for the Giants.

#92 PAGS Tim Melville SP high school
OK pick. #1 ranked high school prospect. Don't know much about him.

#93 MARK J.C. Romero RP PHI
OK pick. Phillies' setup man. Romero struggled with the Red Sox last year, then was a decent lefty setup guy in Philly.

14th Round:
#94 DAN Rajai Davis OF SF
OK pick. Giant's reserve OF. Davis hit well in bigs last year. Never much of a prospect, but could end up with the Giants' CF job this year.

#95 PAGS Gerardo Parra OF ARI
OK pick. Not in D'Backs' future lineup. Nice prospect pick this late in the draft. Parra could take off as a prospect this year.

15th Round:
#96 DAN Seth McClung RP MIL
OK pick. Brewers' potential reliever. McClung was suppose to be the D'Rays' closer a couple of year ago, but he stunk. Pitched better when came over to the Milwaukee system and still young enough to turn it around.

#97 PAGS Brent Brewer SS MIL
OK pick. Not in Brewers' future lineup. Maybe this is a bad pick, don't see much of a prospect here.

16th Round:
#98 DAN Matt Treanor C FLO
OK pick. Marlins' potential starting catcher. Treanor is a journeyman backup catcher, but will compete for AB's with Mike Rabelo this year.

#99 PAGS Eric Hosmer 1B high school
OK pick. #4 ranked high school prospect. Got me here.

17th Round:
#100 DAN Rob Bryson SP MIL
OK pick. Brewers' future Closer. Dan ran out of picks on his sheet and ran to his prospect handbook for this pick. Dan traded Bryson to Mike A in the Hatteberg deal.

#101 PAGS Tim Lahey RP CHI
Bad pick. Not in Cubs' future lineup. Lahey is a Rule V pick of the Cubs who most likely won't stick around. Dan and Alex coached Tim 16 years ago in little league when he was a stud catcher.

18th Round:
#102 DAN Ryan Ludwick OF STL
Bad pick. Cardinals' reserve OF. Come on, I ran out of picks.

#103 PAGS Josh Outman SP PHI
OK pick. Phillies' future #5 SP. Don't like him.

Prior year Draft Reviews