Just a few for now as I'm heading out and these are some legit (for the round, at least) draftees as opposed to the regular fodder that comes towards the end. The rest should come tonight or tomorrow morning.
11th Round, 177th Overall: 3B Bill Nash
School: Piedmont University Pipers
1947: .294/.355/.464, 279 PA, 12 2B, 5 3B, 7 HR, 55 RBI, 36 SB
Career: .294/.354/.461, 580 PA, 25 2B, 10 3B, 14 HR, 102 RBI, 68 SB
A two-year starter at Piedmont University, Bill Nash is actually a legit prospect that I most definitely should have had on my draft list, so I'm actually super psyched about this pick. Nash had a legitimately good college career in a "Good" conference, putting up seasons where he hit completely above .290/.350/.440 with at least 12 doubles, 5 triples, 7 homers, 45 RBIs, 30 steals, and 20 walks. He played 60 games a sophomore and 55 as a junior, and was an extremely reliable option at the hot corner for the Pipers. Both OSA and Dixie Marsh think he could develop into a major leaguer, but not the type of player you wouldn't upgrade over. He has a good eye and an above average contact tool, but nothing that really jumps out at you. The defense is solid, probably better then a Walt Pack or Hank Barnett, but without all of the pop. At 6'2'', he has the frame for it, but he'll need to put some muscle on if he wants to hit homers. As a college guy, he can leap frog the young shortstops we drafted, and Israel Holmes' spot in the Legislators Lineup is looking very vulnerable. Nash may be part of the second phase of signings, as I actually prefer him to 10th Rounder Willie Watson. I think both will end up signings, but since Watson is very raw, I'd rather get Nash quicker as our farm teams are not doing well this season and he could be an impact player. The Legislators (39-25) are the only other Cougar affiliate in a pennant race, and there really isn't an upgrade in the San Jose (21-33) lineup. I'm curious to see where Nash ranks in the prospect lists, as he's one of the few AI picks I'd expect to crack the list.
12th Round, 193rd Overall: RHP Jackie Reynolds
School: Clarinda Cardinals
Commit School: Springfield State Tigers
1947: 7-2, 87.1 IP, 1.75 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 35 BB, 111 K
Career: 29-11, 401.1 IP, 2.11 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 140 BB, 427 K
Yay! Another prep pitcher! Demanding $1,600 to break his commitment to Springfield State, I may actually let Jackie Reynolds fulfil his commitment. A four year starter at a tiny school in Iowa, Reynolds set personal bests for record, ERA, FIP (2.19), K/9 (11.4), and FIP- (54), which sort of shows you how the rest of his prep career went. Obviously ERAs above 2 are still impressive, but he had two of them and this was his first season with a double digit K/9. Plus, we have way too many guys that need innings in La Crosse as is. Granted, we only have 14 pitchers currently in La Crosse and there are plenty of cuttable relievers. Injuries can hit, and we may need a pen filler, as he's better then all the young free agents by a mile. He's a skinny 6'1'' righty who weights just 150 pounds. There's plenty of time for him to either grow or add weight, and since two of his three pitches are fastballs (he also has a cutter) and he tops at just 87, his stuff could improve greatly. He was throwing a mile faster this season and he commands his curve well, so it may be in his best interest if we let him develop in college. That being said, I think I'll be able to find room for him, but we took on a lot of money in Pestilli that I may want to hold onto if we need to make another upgrade.
13th Round, 209th Overall: C Bob Mundy
School: Mississippi A&M Generals
1947: .270/.346/.362, 317 PA, 9 2B, 6 HR, 46 RBI, 7 SB
Career: .267/.345/.360, 1,129 PA, 30 2B, 21 HR, 174 RBI, 29 SB
Our 13th Round selection, Bob Mundy is one of many players produced by what has been known as "Outfielder A&M". Sure
Henry DeVeaux didn't really turn out (ironically taken in the last season we didn't have a first rounder), but Mississippi A&M has produced stars like the Lightbody brothers and perhaps a next one in Dynamo third basemen Tommy Griffin. Griffin and Mundy were actually teammates as recently as last season, and as a senior Mundy played in all three seasons Griffin was a part of. Even without Griffin, A&M made the AIAA tournament, taking out 4th ranked Opelika State before falling to 5th ranked Carolina Poly, who is taking on Grange College in the finals. Mundy was part of a productive lineup, and tallied 266 hits, 282 runs, and 174 RBIs in 224 games for the Generals. He hit a strong .267/.345/.360 with 21 homers, and was a key member of the clubhouse. He worked well with the pitching staff and led by example, always putting in extra hours without being asked. Even with the addition of Garland Phelps and Mike Bordes, Eddie Howard is now in Chicago and there aren't many standout guys taking at bats. Guys like Bill Martin, Alex O'Dailey, and Ernie Frost are interesting, but they all profile as nothing more then backups. That's likely the case for Mundy, but he's far closer to the big leagues and could take a share of at bats from someone. His below slot demand makes if very appealing as well, and while his signing won't come right away, he's going to quickly agree once I know exactly how much money I have to allocate to the next level of prospects.
This is what I get for making a big trade the day of the in-game draft...
As mentioned, I'll continue with the rest of the guys later tonight. I haven't really looked at anyone after Mundy, so the next few could come in another small batch if they are still worth more then a few sentences. They're easier to digest when it's about three or four at a time, but I'm not going to spend time on guys that you likely won't see their name again.