KINGS ADD TWO MORE IN DRAFT
Brooklyn Kings head scout Rube Carter is extremely happy with the way the draft has gone for his club through their first four picks. On draft day every team is full of optimism and happy with their draft picks but the Kings are even more so, despite failing to get their number one objective in Doug Lightbody's younger brother Frank. Frank, from Mississippi A&M, was off the board well before the Kings first selection came at pick 15.
Brooklyn went for positions of need in rounds one and two, getting Milwaukee High School shortstop Rabbit Mudd in round 1 and Asheville High School pitcher Art Blake in the second round at picks 15 and 31 overall. Mudd was ranked in the top 10 players to watch by BNN and Blake was the second highest ranked pitcher on the Kings board. Brooklyn is very thin in young middle infield and pitching prospects but these two go a long ways towards addressing that issue.
With the 46th pick the Kings added power-hitting first baseman Nick Bennett from Ellery College in Rhode Island. In 50 games this past season for the Bruins, the 21 year old hit .308 with 12 homeruns. He projects to have plus talent at the plate and plenty of power. Bennett was rated 13th overall and the number 1 first baseman on Rube Carter's draft board.
The Kings next pick was the 4th one in the fourth round (52 overall) and came courtesy of a mid-season deal with Pittsburgh. Brooklyn got another player listed on the BNN top 10 to watch list by going back to Mississippi A&M and taking outfielder Loren Morgan. Morgan hit .327 with 16 homers in 50 games for the Generals and is another in the long list of outfielders to come out of the Jackson, Mississippi institution that includes current Kings Doug Lightbody and Clarence Hall and former King Jim Renfroe.
"I think it makes up for not getting Lightbody's brother," said Kings aging owner Malcolm Presley. "From what I am told this kid outplayed Lightbody and should have been the guy we were after instead."
In truth Morgan and the younger Lightbody put up very similar numbers with Lightbody having a slightly higher batting average and on-base percentage while Morgan had the better slugging numbers.
Those 4 picks were felt to be a real coup for the Kings as they were the four guys being debated about as candidates to be taken in the first round when Brooklyn's pick came up at #15 overall. To get all 4 of them is beyind the Kings wildest expectations for the draft. The FABL draft continues through the weekend.
Code:
BROOKLYN PICKS SO FAR
RD PICK POS NAME AGE SCHOOL
1 15 SS Rabbit Mudd 18 Milwauke High School
2 15 P Art Blake 18 Asheville High School
3 15 1B Nick Bennett 21 Ellery College Bruins
4 4 OF Loren Morgan 21 Mississippi A&M Generals