[ifspuds]

Let's take a look back at the last two years of Bay League drafts. Some of these names are familiar to fans, some will almost certainly be familiar someday, and some are just plain obscure and likely to stay that way. Enjoy!

2015 Draft
1. 1B Walter Sebring, Allison Spelunkers
(7/4/9/10/7 ratings, 8/5/9/10/7 talents, 5 stars, age 19)

If you haven't heard this kid's name, you haven't been paying attention to the Bay League. The 2015 Top Rookie, Sebring went right to the Spelunkers and never swung a bat in anger in the city leagues. This year he's hitting for plenty of power, but his average and plate discipline have both suffered. Still, he's one of the most promising young players in the league.

2. Matt Roy, Marsein Knights
(4/4/4/4/4 ratings, 9/7/9/5/7 talents, 5 stars, age 20)

Roy began his Bay League career at the midlevel city league, where he had a solid, if unspectacular, 2015 season (.284/.367/.353). The lack of power had the Knights concerned, so they left him at the same level for 2016, and he's absolutely blossomed, hitting .327/.422/.491 in 45 games. He might see a few at-bats for the Knights in the final month, but if nothing else, expect him to challenge for a spot at the top city league or even with the Knights come 2017.

3. SP Ahmad Reese, Tifton Generals
(5/6/6 ratings, 8/8/8 talents, 4.5 stars, age 23)

Reese just recently got the call up to the last-place Generals, where he... is a reliever. It's hard to argue with the choice from a talent standpoint: the Generals should have one of the better rotations in the league, but it's woefully underperforming. So Reese has a single inning to his credit, which was scoreless. Reese should probably be starting, but the Generals have failed to do much right in their first three seasons, so it's not much of a surprise to see him wasting away in a bullpen that's rarely used.

4. 1B Richie Jones, Silver Beach Whales
(5/5/4/4/4 ratings, 7/6/4/6/6 talents, 3 stars, age 23)

Jones made his Bay League debut late in the 2015 season, getting a single in 3 at-bats. He'd been called up from AA to get those 3 at-bats, and no one expected him to remain with the Whales when the 2016 season started. It was a bit of a surprise to see him back at AA, but he did get called up to the high-level city league halfway through the season, where he's hitting .256/.400/.302.

5. SP Damien Latimer, Gentry Hills Scouts
(4/4/5 ratings, 10/7/7 talents, 5 stars, age 23)

There aren't many trades in the Bay League. Whether it's because the owners don't trust one another or they're reluctant to deal for players they know little about, it's hard to say. But the Scouts are likely to look back in 10 years on a trade they did make and kick themselves. The Scouts, in the middle of May this season, dealt Latimer and 27-year old reliever Wahhab Duncan for 35-year old second baseman Shane Capel. Capel had all of 100 Bay League at-bats to his credit, and despite getting 100 more this season with Gentry Hills, he's still nothing more than a fill-in. Latimer, in the meantime, is scorching the midlevel city league (3.12 ERA, 1.13 WHIP). He'll be a good one.

6. SP Mike Dodson, Deepvale Ferrymen
(3/5/3 ratings, 8/10/10 talents, 5 stars, age 25)

No one, even the Ferrymen, are entirely sure what happened to Dodson between 2015 and 2016, but a one-time mid-level prospect came back to play this year showing far more promise than he ever had. He pitched very well at the low-level city league in his first season (14-5, 2.46), but nothing like this. He's at the middle level now, 4-5 with a 2.77 ERA and 69 Ks in 81 innings, and ought to see Bay League action before long, considering he's already 25 years old.

7. CF Lannce Barber, Elliott Springs Tornadoes
(5/6/6/6/5 ratings, 6/7/6/8/6 talents, 3.5 stars, age 21)

Some good things were expected from Barber to start the season, and there were some questions about whether the Tornadoes would trust him to play full time, but he's taken over the full time center field job with a vengeance, hitting .296/.375/.633 thanks mostly to a red-hot month of July (his first full-time month): .345/.418/.724. The Tornadoes look to have a brilliant outfield for years to come (see below).

8. 2B Sherman Wells, Lorris Greens
(3/6/3/4/4 ratings, 4/7/4/6/4 talents, 2 stars, age 19)

Wells hasn't shown any indication that he's going to be a productive Bay League player someday, with his only real skills his speed and his glove. He's drawn a lot of walks at low-level city league ball this year, which might indicate he's figured something out, but he'll have to learn how to put the bat on the ball (.225 career average in the city leagues) before he has much of a shot.

2016 Draft

1. 1B Steven Underwood, Tifton Generals
(8/5/8/9/7 ratings, 9/5/9/10/7 talents, 5 stars, age 18)

Looking for your 2016 Top Rookie favorite? Look no further. Underwood spent 12 games in the city leagues, but it was pretty clear that the Generals had little intention of keeping him down there. All he's done in the Bay League is hit .379/.458/.583. While observers commented at draft time about his high ceiling, none of them projected him to skyrocket through it so quickly.

2. SP Tyrus Fuchs, Gentry Hills Scouts
(2/6/4 ratings, 9/10/8 talents, 5 stars, age 17)

The Scouts love Fuchs, who many thought was the best player available in the 2016 draft, and he's mostly lived up to the high expectations. Though he's 4-11 with a 4.01 ERA, he's fanned 113 and walked just 26 in 132 innings at low-level city league play. He's still several years away, though.

3. LF Tim Bohm, Elliott Springs Tornadoes
(5/6/7/10/5 ratings, 6/6/8/10/6 talents, 5 stars, age 20)

Bohm is extremely patient -- some say too patient -- so he had to be shocked when the Tornadoes yanked him up from midlevel city league play to be the full-time starter in left field in July. He's been slow to catch on (.194/.265/.323), but the Tornadoes say they're going to be patient with the youngster despite challenging for first place in the standings.

4. 3B Mekeli Masters, Deepvale Ferrymen
(2/4/2/3/2 ratings, 6/6/6/5/7 talents, 2.5 stars, age 23)

Bigger things were expected of Masters, who was thought to be relatively advanced in skills. The Ferrymen must have seen something the pundits missed, as they sent him to play low-level ball. He's hit well enough (.310/.385/.342) but for little power and his swing has turned out to be a lot longer with a lot more work needed before he can make a contribution. Just goes to show you how difficult it can be to scout players in the far-flung Outposts.

5. SP Chezley Harris, Allison Spelunkers
(3/6/5 ratings, 4/6/5 talents, 1 star, age 18)

Harris pitched very well in the midlevel city leagues (3.23 in 100 IP, 29 BB to 71 K), but scouts have curiously soured on the young left hander, who say his control is not as sharp as originally believed and the heavy sinker he threw so well in predraft tryouts has strangely deserted him. The Spelunkers have called him up to the top city league, where he was shelled in his only start, but they're remaining hopeful he can return to the solid potential he was drafted with. Harris is still just 18, and has a lot of time to work out the kinks in his game.

6. SP Arlie Hammick, Lorris Greens
(2/1/3 ratings, 5/6/7 talents, 2 stars, age 19)

The Greens just don't seem to have much luck with youngsters. While other teams seem to pluck diamonds out of the muck, the Greens get exactly what they expect. Unfortunately, that isn't anything special. Hammick has been thoroughly average at low-level city league play (5-8, 3.63, 1.39 WHIP) and doesn't have a terribly high ceiling.

7. CF Jason Driggers, Marsein Knights
(4/7/5/3/5 ratings, 5/7/5/3/5 talents, 2 stars, age 24)

No one was particularly high on Driggers during the draft, and it looked like the Knights weren't either when they sent him to the lowest city league level to start the season. Then, curiously, after just 5 unspectacular games, they brought him all the way up to the Bay League, where he starts against left-handers (of which there are few) and backs up Simon Burks in center. He's hitting .333/.412/.600 in 15 at-bats with one steal.

8. CF Ben McAfee, Silver Beach Whales
(4/5/5/5/7 ratings, 5/6/6/8/7 talents, 3.5 stars, age 19)

The Whales surprise people in the standings, and they seem to have the same knack for the dramatic in the draft as well. No one expected McAfee to go in the first round prior to the draft. One scout said disdainfully, "he's not much of a hitter and may never get on base enough to take advantage of his speed." The Whales must have known what they were doing: after hitting an astounding .380/.507/.704 in 14 games at the midlevel city league, the Whales brought him up to the Bay League, where he's currently a backup, but it's hard to see them holding him back for long, considering neither of their center fielders are particularly good.