KINGS MAKE MAJOR MOVE AT DRAFT
The Brooklyn Kings have gone all in on All-American pitching phenom Tommy Wilcox. Wilcox, the 21 year old righthander from Liberty College, who set both the single season and career AIAA mark for strikeouts, was widely expected to go number one in the draft. Brooklyn desperately is seeking a future ace for the pitching staff but the Kings held the 10th and 14th picks in the draft, so Wilcox appeared out of their grasp. Until today.
Brooklyn announced on the eve of the FABL draft it had made a major trade with Washington to acquire the number one overall pick from the Eagles. The Kings will get their man, but the cost was steep as Brooklyn had to part with not only the 10th and 14th picks of round one but also young third base prospect Dave Bristol, who was informed he had been dealt to Washington on his 21st birthday.
Wilcox helped Liberty College reach the College World Series finals this year before they fell to Lubbock State. The 21 year old Hartville, Ohio native was 5-2 with a 1.82 era in 8 post-season games, striking out 86 while walking just 12 in 69 innings of work. He set an AIAA regular season record for strikeouts with 196 in 127 innings of work and graduates as the all-time college strikeout leader with 498. He went 20-12 with a 2.24 era and 8 saves in 63 college appearances. Wilcox also holds the college record for strikeouts in a game with 19, which he accomplished twice.
The move for the consensus number one pick is not without some risk as the Kings parted with a pair of first round picks in what is considered to be a fairly deep draft. If Wilcox can come anywhere close to the standards he set in college it will be well worth it as the Kings brass feels they have a great young stable of position players but are desperately in need of pitching talent. The hope in Brooklyn is they will go a long ways towards solving that need when Wilcox joins the organization this spring.