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ayaghmour2 · 05-18-2023, 05:45 PM

2nd Round, 21st Overall: C Garland Phelps
School: Sheffield Fightin' Irish
1946: .550/.626/.863, 99 PA, 8 2B, 3B, 5 HR, 27 RBI, 5 SB
Career: .549/.625/.870, 201 PA, 17 2B, 3B, 11 HR, 60 RBI, 7 SB

Many GMs around the league, myself included, viewed backstop Garland Phelps as a first round talent, but his personality scared them away. I'm not as concerned, to the point even where I wanted to trade back into the first to select him. Instead, nothing materialized, and when I woke up this morning, I was very excited to see that "Einstein" fell into our laps at 21.

The brilliant, albeit, arrogant and greedy youngster won't turn 18 until April, so let's just say its immaturity, alright? He's probably the smartest guy in the pool, maybe even in the entire league, so perhaps he'll learn to at least let his teammates tolerate him? As opposed to being too smart for his own good? And he's not the worst worker out there. He'll put in more then the minimum effort, just not much more then needed to show off to his fans! Perhaps he can go the Hal Sharp route and just be selfish and not a jerk, realizing he's better then everyone but just needs to not consistently remind them. Instead, let them watch his towering shots to right! Then they'll appreciate you!

Phelps is another guy who can hit the ball hard and far, and just like Sharp, it doesn't come at the expense of his batting average. Garland actually hit for a better average then Jerry Smith, batting .549 as a sophomore and .550 as a junior. There's not the same level of power, but he's hit 11 homers in his 39 high school games, which is very good for any prep hitter, let alone a catcher. This may be the last time I mention "for a catcher" as that really disservices how good this young stud really is. OSA and Dixie Marsh can't get enough of his bat, with the scouting service raving about his "dynamic tools" that can allow him to "make an impact" in the big leagues while Dixie predicts "multiple trips to the All-Star game" if he can reach his lofty potential. Both expect above average power and a tremendous hit tool, and it's almost like we went into the lab and took the best parts of Eddie Howard and Harry Mead and mashed them together. Of course, in that process the glove was forgotten, but he has Howard's borderline elite bat-to-ball skills and Mead's power and discipline. Like all high school prospects, he carries plenty of risk, and I'm sure him and Smith are going to take a huge chunk out of our pocketbooks. It should be more then worth the cost, as I think Phelps is one of the best ten players in the draft, and he could be his generations best catcher. There's a lot of good ones, but if he can use his brain to work on the mental side of catching (read pitch calling and framing), the only missing part of his game may be footspeed. He may not have the work ethic to get it done, but sometimes cocky guys like him will put in the effort just to spite their haters. We tend to have multiple strong clubhouse presence in the minors, and a few strong mentors can help guide him on the right path while making it seem like it was all his brilliant idea. Because, let's be honest, all his ideas are brilliant!

Unfortunately, the lottery only lasts for the first two rounds, so we now have a long wait before we're up again. 23 players will go off the board before our next selection, and I'm really hoping there's still at least one of the few pitchers I like available. Luckily, I know there will be a good hitter, but that will be the case through the fourth and maybe even in the fifth and sixth. Regardless of who we end up with next, I'm very happy with how the draft has gone so far. It's another year where we got two of our scouts top ten players (3rd and 10th as he keeps moving Jerry around), and we filled one of our largest holes in terms of prospect depth. First base is the only real weakness now, and I'm pretty sure the first basemen I want will be there next time we're up. And even if he's not, there are a few corner guys that could make the move rather effortlessly. I'm somewhat worried we won't get a good pitcher, but that's more so because it appears to be a thin group of hurlers behind the obvious top dog Les Ledbetter. This may be a very hitter friendly, high school leaning class, as with our big league depth we can wait a few seasons for guys who can contribute.

05-18-2023, 05:45 PM	#1098
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,010	1947 Draft: Round 2 2nd Round, 21st Overall: C Garland Phelps School: Sheffield Fightin' Irish 1946: .550/.626/.863, 99 PA, 8 2B, 3B, 5 HR, 27 RBI, 5 SB Career: .549/.625/.870, 201 PA, 17 2B, 3B, 11 HR, 60 RBI, 7 SB Many GMs around the league, myself included, viewed backstop Garland Phelps as a first round talent, but his personality scared them away. I'm not as concerned, to the point even where I wanted to trade back into the first to select him. Instead, nothing materialized, and when I woke up this morning, I was very excited to see that "Einstein" fell into our laps at 21. The brilliant, albeit, arrogant and greedy youngster won't turn 18 until April, so let's just say its immaturity, alright? He's probably the smartest guy in the pool, maybe even in the entire league, so perhaps he'll learn to at least let his teammates tolerate him? As opposed to being too smart for his own good? And he's not the worst worker out there. He'll put in more then the minimum effort, just not much more then needed to show off to his fans! Perhaps he can go the Hal Sharp route and just be selfish and not a jerk, realizing he's better then everyone but just needs to not consistently remind them. Instead, let them watch his towering shots to right! Then they'll appreciate you! Phelps is another guy who can hit the ball hard and far, and just like Sharp, it doesn't come at the expense of his batting average. Garland actually hit for a better average then Jerry Smith, batting .549 as a sophomore and .550 as a junior. There's not the same level of power, but he's hit 11 homers in his 39 high school games, which is very good for any prep hitter, let alone a catcher. This may be the last time I mention "for a catcher" as that really disservices how good this young stud really is. OSA and Dixie Marsh can't get enough of his bat, with the scouting service raving about his "dynamic tools" that can allow him to "make an impact" in the big leagues while Dixie predicts "multiple trips to the All-Star game" if he can reach his lofty potential. Both expect above average power and a tremendous hit tool, and it's almost like we went into the lab and took the best parts of Eddie Howard and Harry Mead and mashed them together. Of course, in that process the glove was forgotten, but he has Howard's borderline elite bat-to-ball skills and Mead's power and discipline. Like all high school prospects, he carries plenty of risk, and I'm sure him and Smith are going to take a huge chunk out of our pocketbooks. It should be more then worth the cost, as I think Phelps is one of the best ten players in the draft, and he could be his generations best catcher. There's a lot of good ones, but if he can use his brain to work on the mental side of catching (read pitch calling and framing), the only missing part of his game may be footspeed. He may not have the work ethic to get it done, but sometimes cocky guys like him will put in the effort just to spite their haters. We tend to have multiple strong clubhouse presence in the minors, and a few strong mentors can help guide him on the right path while making it seem like it was all his brilliant idea. Because, let's be honest, all his ideas are brilliant! Unfortunately, the lottery only lasts for the first two rounds, so we now have a long wait before we're up again. 23 players will go off the board before our next selection, and I'm really hoping there's still at least one of the few pitchers I like available. Luckily, I know there will be a good hitter, but that will be the case through the fourth and maybe even in the fifth and sixth. Regardless of who we end up with next, I'm very happy with how the draft has gone so far. It's another year where we got two of our scouts top ten players (3rd and 10th as he keeps moving Jerry around), and we filled one of our largest holes in terms of prospect depth. First base is the only real weakness now, and I'm pretty sure the first basemen I want will be there next time we're up. And even if he's not, there are a few corner guys that could make the move rather effortlessly. I'm somewhat worried we won't get a good pitcher, but that's more so because it appears to be a thin group of hurlers behind the obvious top dog Les Ledbetter. This may be a very hitter friendly, high school leaning class, as with our big league depth we can wait a few seasons for guys who can contribute.