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15 June 2050
FANGRAPHICS
Live feed: Devon Showercurtain presents our live coverage of the SCL’s first-year player draft. The destiny of over 150 talented young baseball players will be decided over the next few hours.
9:32AM
1st round, 30th overall pick: Magpies select Becker
9:33AM
Alex Becker (age 22, bats L, 3* potential) is a versatile bat who excelled against good quality pitching in college. He’s a good all-round hitter who is particularly effective against right-handers and has a very good eye. His best positions are 2B (where the Magpies lack good prospects) and RF but he can also play 3B and SS well. A very good player, and a nice pick by DePodesta.
10:34AM
1st supplementary round, 56th overall pick: Magpies select Cruz
10:36AM
The Magpies don’t exactly need more pitching, but all the best players left on the board at the moment are young arms, and Pablo Cruz (age 20, throws R, 5* potential) is probably the best of the lot. He’s a huge groundballer (75% of hits against him in college were ground balls) and keeps the ball in the park. Both his sinker and slider are A- grade quality pitches, and he is probably barely a year away from being ready for the big leagues.
11:49AM
2nd round, 89th overall pick: Magpies select Vásquez
11:50AM
Magpies sources tell me they just went for the best player available, given they hardly need yet another young arm! Relief pitcher Octávio Vásquez (age 20, throws R, 4.5* potential) throws a lethal fastball/slider combination which has dominated hitters throughout his high school and college career. This son of Cuban immigrants can reach 98-99mph when at his best. He still needs to develop more control, but profiles to be a similar hurler to Magpies setup pitcher Jesús Benítez.
1:23PM
3rd round, 119th overall pick: Magpies select Adams
1:24PM
So the Magpies have gone for infielder Martin Adams (age 17, bats S, 1* potential), the top-rated hitter remaining on the board at this point. He has excellent speed, and is versatile defensively but doesn’t excel at any one position. His ability to make contact on a consistent basis is his biggest question mark.
1:29PM
4th round, 121st overall pick: Magpies select French
1:30PM
So with their other compensation pick for losing Jeremy Williams to St. Paul, the Magpies go back to the ‘best player available’ principle and pick flame-throwing reliever Ronald French (age 22, throws R, 5* potential). French has out of this world stuff on his fastball and slider, but must overcome his tendency to hang them over the plate and give up the long ball.
3:01PM
4th round, 149th overall pick: Magpies select Prince
3:02PM
Al Prince (age 22, bats L, 1* potential) is an outstanding defensive outfielder with excellent range. He doesn’t possess great speed but in the field has an uncanny ability to read the ball off the bat quickly and chase it down. Realistically likely to have a career only on the minor league roster as his bat is no match for his glove.
4:34PM
5th round, 179th overall pick: Magpies select Seki
4:35PM
And the 2050 SCL draft concludes with the Magpies picking young Japanese first baseman Tokutomi Seki (age 17, bats L, 1* potential). A huge long-shot prospect who projects to develop reasonable power. The Magpies are understood to be more attracted by his left-handedness and durability than anything else.
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