The 1976 WPK Amateur Draft is currently underway and heading into the 4th round, but let's take a quick look at the first five players to be taken this year.
The expansion Houston Cavaliers had the right to pick first and they chose wisely, if both Denver scouts and the OSA are to be believed, when they grabbed 18-year old center fielder Chris Heisler out of Fresno State.
Heisler is young and still pretty raw, and could be a risky pick, but the feeling is that his well-rounded tools and great intelligence will allow him to develop into a star caliber big leaguer in time. He has elite raw speed and defensive range and profiles as developing elite contact skills to go along with plus (or plus plus) power and a decent eye at the plate. Heisler could certainly prove to be the player around whom the Cavaliers build a brighter future.
With the second overall pick the Charlotte Sting took the hard-throwing left-handed starting pitcher Justin Matthews out of Glendale College. The 21-year old with an already big league ready fastball and a curve-ball that needs development but profiles as potentially elite, will likely have some issues giving up the long-ball, but with already advanced control, this shouldn't keep him from being at least a fine mid-rotation starter at the WPK level before too long, if not an outright ace. If Matthews durability proves to match up with his great stamina, he could be a real workhorse.
Apparently the Portland Wild Things scouting staff saw 21-year old collegiate (Dallas College) shortstop Ricky Stidham much the same way the Brewers scouts did, as they chose him 3rd overall, in spite of the OSA not predicting him to go this high. Stidham is a glove-first middle infielder but has the chance to develop an above average hit tool which would make him a very valuable player. There might be some concern that his raw speed, which is average at best, might lead to a switch to second base, but with his great intelligence and raw defensive skills, he should still prove to be a plus player at the WPK level.
The San Francisco Velocity then chose center fielder Greg Dohman with the 4th pick. In the eyes of the Brewers scouting staff this was a reach, though the OSA is certainly higher on Dohman. What is clear, no matter who is looking at the 21-year old out of Glendale College, is that he has dynamic speed and superior defensive abilities. Whether his hit tool is potentially elite, as the OSA believes, or merely average at best, as the Brewers scouting staff projects, is the real question.
Finally, with the 5th pick, the El Paso Dawgs chose 18-year old prep center fielder Bill Bussard. Although the youngster is still very raw, and a risky pick this high in the draft, he does already have a reputation as a leader among men, and like Dohman possesses great speed and defensive talent. Again, there is some discrepancy between what the OSA and the Brewers scouting staff think about his bat potential, but in this case the gap isn't quite as large, with the OSA seeing elite potential while Denver scouts project above average results once he is fully developed.
In the first round, 8 starting pitchers were drafted, 7 center fielders, 3 shortstops, and 1 of each of the following positions: relief pitcher, catcher, second baseman, and third baseman. A pretty typical first round grouping. (And obviously some of the players, particularly starting pitchers and center fielders, will end up in different roles should they ever make the WPK.)
Will report a bit later about the Brewers first round pick, and beyond, once a bit more progress has been made in the draft.