[ayaghmour2]

6th Round, 95th Overall: SP Ray Shipman
In 1929, the Pittsburgh Miners selected Shipman in the 8th Round. He decided not to sign, and it initially did not go well for him. He was undrafted last season despite going 4-3 with a 2.85 ERA (188 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 31 walks, and 44 strikeouts in 101 innings pitched. He decided to bet on himself, as last year's class was really deep. Senior year didn't do as well, going 4-4 with a 4.32 ERA (115 ERA+), 1.40 WHIP, 24 walks, and 42 strikeouts in just 73 innings. I'm betting on his 1923 season being his peak and the 1933 is a little closer to the baseline. In 416.2 innings between high school and college, he went 26-18 with a 3.67 ERA (141 ERA+), 1.33 WHIP, 117 walks, and 260 strikeouts. The Travis College righty is tall, standing at 6'2'', and I really thought he would have added velocity right now. He looked really good in high school, one of the reasons I decided to go with him now. With so little options available, I'm betting on the raw tools and what he's shown. He's got a nice four pitch arsenal, but he hasn't quite polished them out. I'll give him a shot to work as a starter, but perhaps his future lies as a swingman or mop up role.

7th Round, 104th Overall: CF Harry Schad
Schad never quite stood out in college, but the Rainer College center fielder looked really good in the outfield this year. He had a nice +7.3 zone rating and 1.085 efficiency. The zone rating was new, but he's had a positive efficiency each season and a career 1.034 in 200 games out in center. His batting line was respectable, batting .265/.375/.440 (109 OPS+) with 28 homers, 38 steals, and 124 RBI's. His senior year was his best, however, batting .276/.389/.495 (123 OPS+) with 10 homers, 37 RBI's, and 9 steals. I'm betting on this new found power, as with his glove any sort of power is a plus. Schad has speed to burn and an excellent eye at the plate, but if this power is legit, Schad could be a future big league starter. He is going to be 23 in January, so he could jump through the system, but that also could hurt him as he likely won't be debuting until 25 at the earliest. Late bloomers aren't all that uncommon (see Dick Leudtke) so perhaps Schad has some untapped potential. Unfortunately, I think his experience helped him hit homers this year, and it may not show in future seasons. Here's to hoping I'm wrong!

Quick interlude so I can talk about Dick Leudtke: Hal Bean loved Dick Leudtke (one of the reasons I traded for him), but new scout Marv Branson loves him even more. I've never seen such a favorable review for Leudtke, as Branson thinks "There should be no problem slotting Leudtke in as the #1 starter on most teams." Scouts generally aren't nice to pitchers, but Branson also says Jim Crawford "[is] a valuable second starter, and the ace on some teams."

7th Round, 111th Overall: SP Bill Scott
After going with college seniors, I decided to take a risk on a high school senior. After an average 1932 season, the Holyoke HS righty added some velocity in the offseason (and then more in this offseason!) and looked really good in 58.2 innings pitched. He was 5-2 with a 2.91 ERA (211 ERA+), 1.36 WHIP, 21 walks, and 33 strikeouts. It was a strong end to a solid prep career, where he was 13-8 with a 2.84 ERA (177 ERA+), 1.32 WHIP, 57 walks, and 119 strikeouts in 164.2 innings with the Oaks. Honestly, I think he's better then my last two picks, but he's an extremely risky arm. He's young and his stuff and control do not look like they will hold enough for him to pitch in an FABL rotation. I do like his velocity, as his fastball sits in the upper 80s, lower 90s. If he adds a little more on his fastball, it can really increase the effectiveness of his slider and curveball. It can make up for the wildness as he can work to overpower instead of place. I'm hoping we can get him to bulk up, as he weighs just 150 pounds, as adding some muscle could really help Scott turn into a future big league starter.

8th Round, 127th Overall: Tommy Shark
A Brunswick Knight, "Cubby" is another senior. I almost never draft seniors, but in this class, it's been a majority of my picks. Generally, seniors aren't very good, but last year's draft class was elite. A lot of guys stayed an extra year hoping to be taken higher. Sharp was one, and he got an 8th Round selection. He's a career .291/.356/.470 (125 OPS+) hitter with 28 homers, 140 RBI's, and 41 steals. He's a decent defender out in center, but I think he's going to end up in left. He's got really good speed, but he hasn't quite excelled defensively in center.

9th Round, 143rd Overall: SP Elmer Foreman
This pick was a mistake, he will not be signed...

10th Round, 159th Overall: LF Nat Doane
A Canadian outfielder, Nat Doane spent his time at Dickson and stayed for a senior season after bicep tendinitis limited his junior year. He hit an impressive .294/.437/.622 (166 OPS+) with 13 homers and 37 RBI's. It was the best of his four seasons, and he finished with a .303/.403/.557 (142 OPS+) batting line. He hit 36 homers and 113 RBI's in an impressive college career. A gifted hitter, I'm not quite sure where he'll play, but he may see time at first base. He's spent most his career at first, but he spent most of last season in right and this season in left.

This marks the end of the human draft. Not sure how many AI draftees I will take, but I'll still write up a bit on them. I'm not too excited about this class, but that's mainly because I thought there were a lot of better players available because the game said this was their draft year (even though they weren't in the pool). Also, with how good last year's class was, there was no way this year's could compete. The in game portion will be tomorrow morning, so while I won't redo top prospects, I will give an update on which new draftees crack the top 30.