[Hrycaj]

The 1928 ametuer draft is upon us. This is an exciting time for each organization as GM’s put the finishing touches on their lists and are gearing up to hopefully select their clubs next superstar. Currently, we are in round six, but before we break down the selections we have a few important bits of news to share. Boston will no longer be using Denver as it’s AAA affiliate. The Plainsmen have made a decision to leave the Century League where they had been a member since 1907 and become an independent franchise. The move prompted the Minutemen to strike a deal with the Columbus Titans who have an interesting history in their own right. The Titans, who were originally the Peoria Bunnies, joined the Century League in 1897. The Peoria club moved to Columbus in 1904 and then out of the Century League altogether during the 1906 season. From 1906 to 1928 the Titans were a member of the Union League where they finished first four times to go with their two championships from their Century League days. For the 1929 season the Titans have moved back to the Century League and will provide a closer home for Boston’s prospects. As if that weren't exciting enough we have even more news to share. The FABL has decided to strike a deal with the Gulf States league and the Upper Mississippi Valley Association to provide a new level of minors for each of its clubs. The new “C” level of the minor leagues will house all of the organizations youngest prospects. Many of the players taken in this draft will fill this roster. Boston’s affiliate will be the Hattiesburg Top Hats that play in the Gulf States League. I am really excited about this new level of minors because it will give a lot of playing time to prospects that have been languishing on my Arlington clubs bench. Now we can break down some prospects.

Round 1: With the 11th overall pick in the draft we took 1B Barney Meeker a 21 year old from Commonwell Catholic College. Although we have a number of good 1B prospects in the system Meeker was just too good to pass on. He probably would have been taken very shortly after if we didn’t pick him. He was on many shortlists as top college bat available. As a 20 year old Meeker belted 14 homers and hit .349. As a 21 year old he once again hit 14 homers but upped the average to .388 with a .436 OBP. Meeker can also really pick it at first base. I do not know if Meeker will start in Hattiesburg or Arlington just yet. We are just happy he is in the organization.

Round 2: We once again picked 11th in this round and went with another college infielder in 2B Andy Bethel. Andy was the highest rated 2B on our list. Bethel who played for Lubbock State last season is a contact and speed guy who hit .396 last season. Bethel was on base at a 46% clip and used his legs to steal 42 bases in his two year college career. The glove is still a work in progress. He is considered a plus college fielder but he definitely has some room for improvement. He will very likely be playing 2B for Hattiesburg next season.

Round 3: With pitcher flying off the board we needed to grab one of our own with our 3rd round pick. Our 3rd round pick was the 43rd overall pick in the draft and by that point 18 pitchers had already been selected. GM’s though that this was a deep pitching draft but I wasn’t as sold on that assessment. However, pitching is always an area of need and their were a few guys we had our eye on. Our pick Vincent Burrows from Henry Hudson College. The 21 year old right hander went 7-2 with a save for the Explorers this season. His ERA is a bit higher than what we would like out of a 3rd rounder but he has five pitches, is confident, and has an 11.2 K/9 rate for the 1928 season. Hopefully he can develop into something solid.

Round 4: With our 4th pick we went bold. We took a two way high school player in Bill Miller from the Elmira Emeralds. Miller plays LF and is a starting pitcher. Miller hit really well in his first two years of high school but really fell off this last season. Even still, my scouting department loves the kid. Thinks he can hit .350 in the show. I was a bit more sold of the arm myself. He had three solid pitching years in high school and I think if we use him correctly can turn some heads in our organization. This was a gamble pick for sure as he may have gone undrafted for a bit or some savvy GM may have noticed his pitching potential and nabbed him. Miller will be in the Hattiesburg starting rotation and roaming LF on his off days.

Round 5: With our 5th round pick we were high on HS 1B Doc Dill. He almost fell to us but Brooklyn scooped him up a pick before ours. So pivoting away from that we went to our 3B list to select a guy that we thought was the best overall HS 3B in the draft. Monte Jordan and Rich Gourley were two HS kids taken before our guy and both of those players had great hitting seasons. Neither though were rated on my defensive spectrum at all. I like to get the all around guy if I can. So the guy we went with was 3B Ernie Hull out Portland HS. Hull’s bat has been better each year and the glove is already playing at a high level. We think this young man has a ton of upside and he will be manning the hot corner in Hattiesburg this season.

It looks like we will not get a chance to draft our 6th rounder tonight so we will cover the rest of our players in a later analysis.