The inaugural Amateur Draft was as intense, if not more intense, then our initial draft that lasted 100 rounds. This draft would last only ten, and to say it's critical to get that impact player in the first round, whether he helps you in a year, or two to three, is a huge understatement!
And for as many teams as we have, 24, we have about that many philosophies on how to have a successful draft. Meeting with Ed and Head Scout John Mizer, we felt there were needs at three main positions. Starting pitching, when is that never needed, first base, and catcher. We had targeted several players that we thougt would be around with the 12th pick. One was catcher Powell Shoemaker, although his stock had dropped some due to a recent shoulder injury, and yes it was his throwing arm. We had really only one first baseman on our draft board, and that was Chris Scott, who most people felt would be an impact player. The starting pitchers that we liked and felt we could get was Antonio Moran, or if all the stars aligned, Juan Mendoza.
And so the draft began:
With the first overall pick, the Lebanon Chix chose centerfielder Cornell "Superfly" Peel.
