ERYANF’s Draft Grades for Season 19

Important Note: I focused almost exclusively on the first and second round picks, so if you grabbed some diamond in the rough in the 4th or 5th and I missed it, I apologize. To evaluate the picks I used my own draft board (scouting budget 18 mil both HS and College). In the instance where a player did not appear on my draft board, I used my advanced scout (only 14 mil, so keep that in mind). I also factored in ratings such as health and make up, in determining the value of the player. In addition, I factored in whether or not a player had been signed and that player’s likelihood to sign. In the instance when my scouts did not see a player and he had not been signed, I could not evaluate that pick because I cannot see any ratings. Also note that I have no idea which players each owner could or could not see on their individual draft board, so I am limited to evaluating these players relative to the players that were drafted around them. Please keep in mind these are my off-the-cuff thoughts about these picks and are meant for fun. If you disagree with my evaluation, please do not take it personally. Ultimately this is just my meaningless opinion. Ok, have fun and good luck the rest of the season.

Grades

ALB Kings- Grade A: Three picks in the first round all three picks were very good value. Grabbing catcher Pedro Johnson with the 24th pick was one of the best picks in the draft. Solid defensive catchers that are durable and can swing the bat are like gold in HBD.

ATL Redhawks- Grade C+: Didn’t have a pick before 49th. Grabbing 3rd baseman J.P. Figureoa looks like a solid pick at 49, but after that there isn’t much to talk about in this draft class.

AUS Death Dealers- Grade B: Only one pick in the top 85, but got very good value with that one pick. Diory Quinones promises to be one of the best all-around 2nd/CFers in Mordecai. (I think he will ultimately be better suited to play 2nd.) He will probably only need one season in the minors before he’s near his peak development and after that the Death Dealers will be able to plug him in at 2nd/CF for the next 10 seasons. Also got decent value out of the 87th pick with CFer Harville.

BOS Dirt Dogs- Grade B+: Very close to an A- minus here, but Norm Gold was probably a slight reach at #3. There were still a couple potential superstars still on the board at #4. Nevertheless Gold is nothing the sneeze at. I also really like Reilly with the #36. I had him #23 on my board.

BUR Progressives- Grade A: Had four picks in the first 73 and got good value for each one.

CHA Scorpions- Grade B-: Only had one pick in the first 125 (#17), pitcher Don Bichette. He’s a solid, but not spectacular #17 pick, about what one should expect from the middle of the first round.

COL Micheladas- Grade A-: Got the second best position player in the draft Alvin Green at #5. Then followed that up by grabbing potential stud DH Ned Young #37. Grabbed another DH with good hitting ratings after that and even grabbed a potential set up B guy with the #71 pick. This grade would have been an A but drafting back-to-back DHs knocks the grade down slightly.

DOV Diamonds- Grade Incomplete: Hasn’t signed a single of his top five picks. His pick of Jake Shields (One of the best MMA fighters in the world) at #33 could be the steal of the draft if he can get him to sign.

ELP Evil Empire- Grade B-: Didn’t have a pick before #68. However, with his first three picks he did manage to grab three guys that could eventually make there way to the MLs and possibly contribute in a supporting role. No stars here, but decent value given how low the picks were.

FAR Blizzard- Grade A-: Had six picks in the top 100 and got good value out of at least 5 of them. I particularly liked the pick of Brian Gates, who I had rated about 10 spots higher than where he went at #21.

FLA Eagles- Grade B+: Had three picks in the first 55. Made a fairly mundane pick at #31 with James Robinson (there were some players I liked significantly better still on the board). But then made up for it when he got Matthew Simmons at 54 (I had Simmons rated #37 on my board).

Helena Sky-Walkers- Grade Incomplete: I can’t see the ratings of his first pick and he hasn’t signed any of his draft picks from the first five rounds.

IND BPats- Grade B: Four picks in the first 100. None of them particularly good value, but none of them were reaches. Just solid.

IA Harvesters- Grade C-?: Drafting Greenwood at #29 was probably the biggest stretch of the First round. There were about 20-25 players I had rated higher on my draft board. I can’t see the ratings of his sandwich pick so that is why I put the ? by the grade.

KC BBQ’s- Grade C: Three picks in the between 41 and 76 and it is not clear anyone of the three will develop into a contributing MLer.

NAS Amish Electricians- Grade incomplete: I can’t see his top three picks. It looks like he gambled and went pretty aggressive in his pursuit of picks with questionable signing potential. If cinncysteve is ultimately able to sign these guys he could end up with one of the best draft classes. (Cinncysteve, trade chat me if you sign these guys and I’ll update your grade.)

NO Snuggly-Bears- Grade B: Only one draft pick of note, Tim Gaudin, but he is potential stud #1 starter. Exactly what you would expect from the #2 overall pick.

OAK Pitbulls- Grade B-: Two picks in the top 42. His first pick at #13 left something to be desired. There were several more talented players still on the board and if you are going to be taking a RP this early in the draft he should be a dominant one and Quinton Perry doesn’t project to be dominant. The Pitbulls pick at #41 was pretty solid, so that is what helps avoid a C+ grade.

OTT Hat-Tricks- Grade incomplete: Can’t see the ratings of the Hat-Tricks only pick in the top 116.

PHI Quakers- Grade B+: Royce Henson is solid pick at #20 and Von Nathan is good value at #65.

PIT Phantoms- Grade B+: Pitcher Russell Craig may have been the better pick at #10 (actual pick was Felix Everidge), it’s a close call. Reese Hurst is pretty good value at #15. Jimmy Baker is good value at #60. Kyle Adkinson could also be very good value at #72, but he remains unsigned. If the Phantoms decide to make an offer to Adkinson, draft class could be worthy of an A-.

RIC Rebels- Grade B: The Rebels got good value for their first two picks, particularly #58 Ted Benjamin. Normally this would warrant an A- minus grade, but neither pick has signed. Daal (#6) will eventually sign, but Benjamin says that he probably won’t sign and he’s asking for a ton of money. However, if he does sign the Rebels draft grade will go up accordingly.

ROC Radiation- Grade C+: Had four picks in the top 80 (starting with #16) but only selected one player that is likely to contribute at the ML level and that player (Lenardo Riley) has yet to sign. Even if Lenardo signs, he still isn’t a great value at #16 (I had him rate at #20 on my draft board).

SAL Witchcraft- Grade B: Salem did not start the draft particularly well, picking Clarence Duncan. There were several more talented players available at this pick. However, Salem recovered nicely by picking catcher Roland Moriarty at #35 (I had him rated #22 on my board). Salem also manage to squeeze some value out of their 2nd round pick #99 CF Dee Sherman.

SF Filibusters- Grade B+: San. Fran. had the #1 overall pick and used it wisely by grabbing future Cy Young candidate Zephyr Sanders. San. Fran. also got good value at #55, Joshua Barber. San. Fran.’s grade would have been an A- had they managed to get some value at #70, but Horace Lee is a future AAAA player at best due to his horrible control ratings.

SWB Dunder Mifflins- Grade C+: Scranton had three picks in the top 40, including #12 and #18. Scranton got three players that will all likely play at the ML, but in each of their first three picks, Scranton selected a player that probably belonged further down on the draft board.

STL Pathfinders- Grade B-: Pathfinders had three picks in the top 46 (starting with #25). Similar to Scranton, STL got three players that will likely play in the ML, but also like Scranton each player chosen probably belonged a little further down on the draft board. Sobolewski (#25) was the closest thing they had to a good value pick (I had Sobolewski at #26.)

SYR Esucarys- Grade C: Only had one pick in the top 85 (#8) so SYR needed to come up big with this pick and didn’t. If you are going to grab a set up man with #8 pick in the draft it should be a future Hall-of-Famer. Clem Brock doesn’t look like a future Hall-of-Famer to me, in fact his health rating and his age (22) make it unlikely he’ll reach his projections.

TAC Tools- Grade C+: The Tools’ first pick (Clarence Matthews #14 overall) is my idea of an empty calories prospect. He has a high projected overall ratings, but when you look inside at his individual ratings you realize he isn’t projected to do anything particularly well. (He was #28 on my draft board.) However, the Tools did manage to squeeze some value out of their pick at #62.

TEX War Eagles- Grade A: The War Eagles took a gamble selecting Arthur Herman and his “undecided” status. The gamble paid off. Herman signed for a very reasonable salary and the War Eagles ended up with arguably the best position player in the draft. The War Eagles also managed to get some value with their #56 pick and their #86 pick.

TOR Trancefusion- Grade C: Toronto had two picks in the top 50 (#26 and #50) and both belonged further down on the draft board.

VC Harbormasters- Grade B+: The Harbormasters only had one pick in the top 95 (#19) but they made the most of it by picking D.T. Zimmerman, projects to be a gold glove 3rd baseman or a solid SS with very good power.

Know That Owner: Michael Sargent

Hello, my name is Michael Sargeant and my WIS handle is the creatively named msarg. I appreciate the opportunity to join your very active league and Smoelheim's invitation. I own the Indianapolis BPats and this is my third HBD franchise.

I have been a lifelong baseball fan. Growing up in central New Jersey, my father raised my brother and I to be Dodger fans. Almost as long as I can remember the Dodgers have been a major part of my life. My younger brother and I would stay up on the east coast nearly every night just to hear the Dodgers score on the west coast. I still stay up nearly every night following west coast baseball.

While my dream of becoming the GM of the Dodgers hasn't come to fruition, I have a career I truly enjoy. As Executive Director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee(DLCC), I oversee, manage and help fund the Democratic Party's efforts in state legislatures. While the results of the last election were disappointing, it hasn't shaken my resolve that we are working everyday to improve our country.

I am truly blessed to have a beautiful wife and a soon to be 14 month old baby girl. They are the lights of my life and give me more joy and love than I ever thought possible.

I appreciate this opportunity to play HBD with a great group of people and hopefully win my first World Series.

Know That Owner: Brian Kowalski

Hi fellow HBDers. My name is Brian Kowalski, but you may know me as bfkfraser. I am a lifelong resident of Detroit's northern suburbs. I was born in Warren, MI, grew up in Sterling Heights, MI and currently reside in Fraser, MI. I am 36 years of age, a cancer survivor and have always been a sports fan, particularly hockey, football and baseball. I once was the stranded potential tying run on third in a championship game that my little league team lost. But, I would have to say my favorite sports moment was when the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in 1997.

I went to a local small business school - Walsh College - and have my Bachelor's Degree in Accountancy. I am employed as an accountant for an plastic injection molder that primarily manufacturers auto parts. It has been a tough couple of years as many small companies such as the one I work for were hit hard due to the struggles of the Big 3 that we all know about. Outside of a layoff and medical leave, I have been with the company for about 11 years.

I started playing GD on Wis about 4 or 5 years ago after seeing someone post about it on a message board on another site. I started playing GD and after a few seasons started making the playoffs regularly. Another coach suggested I try HBD, which I enjoyed. Unfortunately, I had to quit HBD when I realized my surgery would coincide with free agency and coach hiring. Now, that I am healthy and working, I have started playing HBD again. I am in 2 worlds - this one plus caray world with many GD coaches.

In addition to WIS and watching sports, I do play some golf, tennis, street hockey (not as often as I did 10 years ago) and am a league bowler. My best game was a 234; my average is 160. I attend Detroit Tiger and Red Wings games occasionally and have traveled to see the Wings play in Columbus, Pittsburgh, Toronto, and Chicago.

Know That Owner: Stephen Anderson

My name is Stephen Anderson (cincysteve). I was born and raised in the Cincinnati area. Huge Cincinnati sports guy. I can remember crying on the couch as Joe Montana threw that freakin last second TD to Taylor when I was in 8^th Grade. I am old enough to remember the joy of the wire-to-wire season for the 1990 Reds, but not old enough to really remember the Big Red Machine. I love sports. Played soccer in college. I have torn both my ACL’s from soccer and basketball. These days I stick to golf and WIS.

I will be turning 36. I graduated from Cincinnati Bible College in 1998. I got married to my wife Laura in 1999. I did youth ministry in Livonia Michigan for five years before moving back to Cincinnati to get my Masters degree for teaching. Wife got pregnant, bought a house, and never finished. I have been working in the online loan industry since 2004. We will do about 50million in business this year. Only 60 employees in my division. I hate my job. I am getting promoted to the head trainer of the group in January. (will still hate my job) Okay, it’s not that bad, but I would rather be teaching. My wife teaches at one of the top private schools in Ohio. Yes I’m bragging :) She is an awesome teacher. I hope to someday finish my degree so I can teach 8^th grade American History and have my summers off with the wife and kids. That is my dream job. I have two wonderful daughters Adyson 5 and Ellasyn 2. I am not looking forward to the dating years.

I’m excited about being in this world with you and look forward to getting to know all of everyone.