Draft Recap 2010 Round 2

By Brendan Hart

13) Miguel Sano (Monsters) – When most NKFBL league members went through the 2010 Handbook for the first time they came to Miguel Sano and read that he “has thunder in his hands and forearms and could hit 30 homers annually down the line”. After reading that most league members needed to do laundry. Sano was the top international signee from this past offseason and was highly coveted despite being only 16 years old. He is currently seen as an infielder (probably 3B) but will most likely have to move to the outfield because of his size. The Monsters were more than happy to scoop him up with the first pick in the second round and will easily be able to afford the four to five year wait for Sano to be MLB ready. Despite the long wait (and potential bust factor) the Monsters may have just drafted a future superstar who could turn into the next great Dominican player.

ETA: 2015
Best Case: Miguel Tejada
Worst Case: Andy Marte
Pick Analysis: Steal
Better Pick: None


14) Casey Kelly (Pigeons) – Casey Kelly was a lock to be drafted by Billy or Sully. When Billy passed on Kelly in the first round it seemed likely that Sully would grab him in the second round. Even as a second round pick I think Kelly is slightly overrated. I agree that his stats are impressive, albeit in Low A baseball. It’s unknown if Kelly’s success will continue when he moves into the upper minors and eventually into the majors because of his lack of overpowering velocity. BA says that Kelly will gain velocity as his body develops – but that is far from a certain thing. For a team such as the Pigeons Kelly was a risk not taking, especially considering their needs on offense. I think Bochering, Norris, Myers or even Josh Bell would have been better selections.

ETA: Late 2010
Best Case: Kevin Brown
Worst Case: Brian Rose
Pick Analysis: Slight reach
Better Pick: Bochering, Norris


15) Christian Friedrich (Anchormen) – The Anchormen’s draft strategy with pitchers resembles their owners poker style: conservative at all times. Arrieta, Hellickson, Castro and now Friedrich are all pitchers that are likely to surface as major league regulars, albeit without star power. Friedrich’s K/9 statistics are among the best in the minors and seem to suggest that his future will be determined by whether or not he can develop better command. If he develops command he could turn into a number 2/3 starter for the Rockies. If he does not he could turn into a power lefty out of the bullpen

ETA: 2011
Best Case: Ted Lilly
Worst Case: Matt Thornton
Pick Analysis: Expected
Better Pick: None


16) Bobby Bochering (Pandas) – At 6’4” 200lbs Bobby Bochering has the body that suggests he could hit for a lot of power in the future. The Pandas’s drafted him with the 16th pick hoping that he can develop that power and turn into the long term replacement for Casey McGehee. While Bochering was the second 3rd basemen selected in the 2010 draft he has the ability and upside to be the more valuable fantasy player. At only 19 years old it is likely that he will not see the MLB before 2014 or 2015.

ETA: 2015
Best Case: Chipper Jones
Worst Case: Alex Gordon
Pick Analysis: Expected
Better Pick: None


17) Derek Norris (Pandas) – Catchers that hit home run’s are hard to find. Catchers that hit home runs and take 90 walks are almost impossible to find. Norris did just that last season and looks to be the future catcher for the Nationals and the Pandas. Since he’s only 21 and new to catching it’s likely that he’ll spend 2/3 more years in the minors. The Pandas got a steal with Norris at the 17th pick and likely got lucky that there were a couple surprise selections in the first round.

ETA: 2013
Best Case: Brian McCann
Worst Case: Ramon Hernandez
Pick Analysis: Steal
Better Pick: None


18) Zack Wheeler (Ballers) – In a pitching strong draft Eamonn wisely drafted another high upside starter Zach Wheeler to go along with his first round selection of Tyler Matzek. Both high school pitchers are advanced and BA made a point of noting that Wheeler is ahead of top Giants pitching prospect Madison Bumgarner when he was drafted. Seeing as the Giants have been very successful recently developing pitchers such as Lincecum, Cain and Bumgarner, it would not be a surprise to see Wheeler in the bigs in under 3 years.

ETA: Mid 2013
Best Case: Madison Bumgarner (2008 Version – Fastball in the 90’s)
Worst Case: Madison Bumgarner (2009 Version – Fastball in the 80’s)
Pick Analysis: Expected
Better Pick: None


19) Jenrry Mejia (Dogs) – Jenrry Mejia’s fastball has been the talk of Met’s spring training and created some buzz that he may break camp with the team. If he does end up making the trip up north to New York in the coming weeks it will almost surely be as a reliever. Tom Duggan and the Dogs decided that Mejia’s talent was too much to overlook and took him with the 19th pick. While Mejia is talented enough to justify this pick he could also become the second middle reliever that the Dogs will be keeping at seasons end (Feliz).

ETA: Mid 2010
Best Case: Pedro Martinez
Worst Case: Franklin Morales
Pick Analysis: Slight reach
Better Pick: Domingo Santana, Alex Colome


20) Domingo Santana (Pandas) – The Pandas followed up their Juan Duran pick in last years draft with another toolsy teenager Domingo Santana. The 17 year old is a beast at 6’5” 200 lbs, while running the 60 yard dash in 6.7 seconds. In an organization that has lots of toolsy outfielders such as Dominic Brown and Jiwan James, Santana may own the highest upside. In his first pro season last year he hit slightly under 300 with 6 hr’s in only 118 ab’s. The Panda faithful will hope that the early success continues and that Domingo travels with Juan Duran to Polska sometime before 2017.

ETA: Late 2016
Best Case: Jermaine Dye
Worst Case: Join’s the countless teenage busts before him.
Pick Analysis: Slight reach
Better Pick: None


21) Matt Moore (Walnuts) – There’s a reason the Walnuts took only 27 seconds to scoop up Moore with the 21st pick. In three pro seasons he’s had a K/9 over 12, a BAA under 200 and stands a few less walks away from becoming one of the best pitching prospects in the minors. The Rays have no need to rush Moore considering their prospects close to the majors and starters already in the rotation. The Walnuts just hope he’ll one day be in the rotation next to Verlander, Weaver, Anderson and Martin Perez.

ETA: Late 2012
Best Case: Jon Lester
Worst Case: Doesn’t find command and turns into a RP.
Pick Analysis: Expected
Better Pick: None


22) Will Myers (Walnuts) – The Walnuts were hoping to use the 22nd pick on Miguel Sano, but saw him long gone by the time they were drafting. Will Myers was viewed by the organization as the best hitter remaining, and as someone who could hit for both average and power. In his short 18 game debut at the end of last season he hit over 400 with 4 hr’s. With Miguel Montero dealt in the offseason the Walnuts won’t mind if Myers sticks at catcher and can provide some insurance incase Geovany Soto never regains his rookie form.

ETA: 2013
Best Case: Jorge Posasa
Worst Case: Kurt Suzuki
Pick Analysis: Expected
Better Pick: None


23) Kyle Gibson (Brew Crew) – Going into the draft I though Gibson would be more of a third round selection due to some red flags I read about. In his final college season he injured his pitching forearm and scouts wondered whether the injury might lead to further elbow trouble. I also read that scouts didn’t like how he seemed to pitched off of his offspeed pitches instead of his fastball. The first red flag made my worry about a reoccurring injury and the second red flag made me think of Clay Bucholtz’s time with the Red Sox to date. Nevertheless BA seems to think that he has ace potential and it’s hard to argue with any move made by the Brew Crew. Just by writing this review Gibson will probably turn into the next Josh Johnson.

ETA: 2013
Best Case: Clay Bucholtz
Worst Case: Justin Duchscherer
Pick Analysis: Expected
Better Pick: None


24) Alexander Colome (Pandas) – Alex Colome is yet another high upside Rays pitcher with the chance to develop into an ace. A fastball regularly clocked at 95 mph and an 11-5 curveball with late bite helped Colome earn a #6 overall ranking in the Tampa Bay top 10 done by BA. He instantly becomes in the highest upside starter in the Pandas minor league system and will develop under Pandas pitching coach Randy Johnson.

ETA: 2014
Best Case: AJ Burnett
Worst Case: Doesn’t transalate from A to AA and turns into a RP
Pick Analysis: Expected
Better Pick: None