Anaheim - Drafted a franchise 1B in Quentin Riggs who should do very well. I see him as a Will Clark kind of player.

Bo Yarnall in the second round looks like a backup C. He is ML material and Bo knows how to do everything ok, but doesn’t excel in any area.

Third round pick Max Estrada is interesting. I’ll say chances are that his ratings won’t translate into a great MLB player. His control and splits are slightly above average to mediocre, but he has two highly rated pitches might be enough to overcome the others. For a third round pick I think it was a great gamble on a guy that might have some upside.

Arizona – Pick SPs late in the first round almost always gets a guy that has a couple of warts. Allen Sisco should have a decent career, but his vR rating and 4th pitch certainly not ideal.

8 of their next 9 picks after Sisco were also pitchers. Usually this is just an accidental consequence to trying to prioritize pitchers (or another position), but it rarely seems to produce the best results in a draft. Second round pick Brian Bannister The combination of low splits and two very low pitch counts doesn’t seem to indicate success at the major league level.

Atlanta – If 1st round pick Bill Swisher signs (sorry can’t link unsigned players) they will have gotten a great hitting catcher that is passable behind the plate. His durability is low, but the almost 30 point difference in vR and vL ratings make him a great half of a tandem. Looks like he won’t sign though.

In the supplemental round the got a decent SP/LRA in Eduardo Cruz. He is versatile guy who could fill the roll of starter or a good long relief type pitcher.

In round two ATL got Shane James who has great DUR/STA ratings and solid enough numbers to make it to the majors. Like with 90% of the RPs out there whether he is actually an effective RP is up to the HBD gods.

3rd and 4th rounds they picked Charlie Rakers and Emmanuel Sanchez who look very much like their second round pick except with not quite as impressive DUR/STA ratios. 3rd and 4th round picks are iffy to be making the majors so any player that has a shot at producing in the majors is a good pick.

Atlanta always has picked toward the end of the draft, if their first round pick signs then this will be a very good draft for where they picked. If he doesn’t than at least they got half a bullpen for the future.

Augusta – Drafted SP Juan James with the 25th pick in the draft. He’s looks to be a #3,4 or 5 pitcher. Good control and 4 decent pitchers, maybe a pitching coach can get him to drop that 5th pitch which is currently rated a 9. I think in the pitch list it is actually noted as being underhanded.

In the supp round they drafted a nice hitting 1B/LF Ben Simms who will have a great BA, but won’t exactly knock the cover off the ball. He’ll do well at the major league level.

With their second supp pick they drafted Davy Duran, a slick fielding 2B/CF type guy. Actually I really like this guy and he could have been drafted sooner except for what I see as a very dismal DUR rating in the low 60s. You have to have a platoon ready for players with DUR ratings in the low 60s, but when it comes to making a choice between a talented guy with low DUR and not so talented guy with DUR in the 90s – go for the talent.

In round two they got a quality defensive SS in Roger Taylor. Hopefully that really high contact rating will keep his BA in the acceptable range to keep his glove in the lineup.

I don’t see 3rd round pick Louie Johnson as being an impact SP, but maybe he makes the team as LR/Mopup type guy.

Austin - Juan Santiago was a good pick at number 9 in the draft. He’s a quality leadoff hitter that will get on base and steal bases. He’ll never be in the MVP discussion, but he just looks like the type of player that can create a lot of havoc in a game for an opposing team.

They grabbed another CF with their next pick, Jeffrey Eaton. He has gold glove type defense and an adequate bat.

Boise - Timothy Roberts looks to be a great closer, but I will say the same thing I wrote about when Milwaukee got Gregg Goulet with the fifth pick a few seasons again. I find it hard to justify picking a player that high in the draft when he will only pitch 45-60 IPs a season. Next RPs seem to be the most volatile position in the game when there was probably options that are sure things. That said if you can solidify a position in need for 10 seasons he will look back and be happy.

I actually like Vinny Durham about as much as their first round pick. He’s a starter and has a number of highly rated pitches.

Vinny Durham picked in the 3rd round also looks like a decent RP.

Boston – Grabbed slugging 3B Charlie Towers with the 19th pick in the draft. He doesn’t have ideal contact or batting eye, but he has monster power and L/R splits.

They seemed to like Charlie Towers so much they drafted his brother Shane Towers in the next round. He will probably be a platoon type guy.

Chicago – drafted CF/2B Pat Richard in the first round. He’s playing SS now, but 55 errors in rookie league don’t seem to translate into successful big league SS. He could be a great CF/2B. He has some pop in his bat and a great batting eye. Good solid talent, but not the kind of bat that will carry a team.

For being the 67th guy picked in the draft Delino Benitez looks like a solid SP, on par with and better than many of the SPs picked late in round one or in the supplemental round.

Chicago Lookouts – Picked up the best player in the draft in Galahad Mercker. He is a virtually lock to play in multiple all-star games.

Tony O'Neill is actually a pretty good pickup and I can see him as a core player for this team for many years.

3rd round choice Willie McMillon couldn’t hit a RH pitcher to save his life, but he might be the best defensive SS drafted this season. Much worse players could have been picked in the third round.


Cincinnati – With the 13th pick choose Andrew Malone. He’s a solid pitcher, not spectacular but should hit the majors. 2 of his four pitcher look good, but 2 look below average, and his splits are just average ML material. His OVR rating is bumped up by his rubber arm which could though 250+ innings if you wanted him on the mound that long. He could be pitching in the big leagues in two seasons though as he is already pretty far along in development.

Colorado – While first round pick Otis Roth didn’t seem to indicate that he would hold out, it looks like the sixth pick in the draft might not sign. Too bad since he looked like a good player that could hit both lefties and righties, even at 19 he could probably play on numerous teams today. His vL and vR ratings are already at 63 now.

Unfortunately second round pick Andy Adcock just proves that poor control can doom the best rated pitchers. Every other number is major league material, but that control has doomed him to a 10.70ERA in rookie ball.

While he’s not without blemish, 3rd round pick RP Yannick Andrews actually looks like he could be a decent relief guy.

Dover – Got one of the stars in the draft with Brett Bell with the 5th pick in the draft. Sure you wish his Stamina topped out in the mid 80s instead of upper 60s, but he will still be a stellar SP and should win many awards. The bad news is that he broke his arm this season, at least on the bright side for going on the 60 day DL he only dropped 2 OVR points.

It seems pretty clear that WifS changed some player creation matrix and added the extreme platoon player, and one of the best could be Jeff Sutton. Outside of his vL rating he could be an all-star. Played correctly and he will be a very productive player at the big league level.

Watty Brumfield would have a solid bat for a gold glove type SS or 2B, unfortunately he can only play DH or 1B and would be below average at those power hitter type positions.

Florida – Took an interesting player at #18 in William Harris. He has a great bat and I could see him hitting .330+ in the majors. But he has some unique skills, for instance he projects to having a superb glove. But his range is a bit low for 2B and his arm is well below average. Not often do we see a great glove rating with all the other defensive skills being average to below average. He also could be the fastest guy in the league with 100 speed rating, but his base running skills are suspect. He’s already tearing up the rookie league, and I’m sure in 3-4 seasons he will be doing the same in the bigs.

George Herman looks to be another in a trend of very talented players that can only hit from one side of the plate. Oddly enough he is a lefty that can only hit lefties, but should do it very well.

Fifth rounder Luis Alvarez looks to be a very good defensive backup catcher.

Hartford – This team had 6 picks in the first 2 rounds, but none before #29. Richie Cox is a superb hitter, but his catching skills leave a lot to be desired. Hartford has already tried experimenting with him at LF, but not sure this is his best chance at the majors either.

With the 37th pick they grabbed future 1B Mateo Dominguez who looks like he could be a star. Hits everything well and should be a very good 1B for many seasons.

Ok we get it, Chone likes slugging 1B types. Orber Mullin picked at #47 is very similar to the guy they grabbed 10 picks earlier, but he doesn’t hit RH pitchers as well. Three picks later they grabbed another one of these guys, but he won’t sign.

Connie Grant won’t be able to pitch a ton of innings, but he’s a solid RP that should make the majors. Later in the 2nd round they got another RP Tracy Gold who should also be in the majors in a few seasons.

Indianapolis - Christopher Brewington is a good hitting RF and was picked about where he should be in the draft. Won’t be a superstar, but will be a solid core player for this team.

B.J. Durham has a decent bat, but it might be a little light if he can only play in a traditional power position like RF/LF/1B.

Las Vegas – Got a pretty good SP Patrick Champion with the 12th pick. Solid all around he should be a major league pitcher for many seasons.

Supplemental pick Dwight King might make is as a major league SP, but that control is borderline.

Louis Castillo looks like a decent setup man in a few seasons for Vegas.

Little Rock – Well Arte got a steal of a player at #28, Hipolito Prieto is a solid guy that should have a great career for LR.

Late in the second round they also got a pretty good setup man in Sherm Blair.

He won’t be a star, but 4th round pick Alexander Gibson might actually get some meaningful ABs in the majors. Pretty good for a 4th rounder.

Louisville – Is another team that had multiple 1st and 2nd round picks. With #23 they got DH/C/1B Vincenzo Osborne who is a talented hitter that they are going to have to find a place for on the field.

With multiple first round picks you can gamble on a quality SP with low health. Sammy Paniagua is a quality player, but his low health rating has already landed him on the DL with a major injury. Here’s hoping he is able to recover and get back on track.

2nd round pick Tomas Lee looks like a nice closer for the future. Norman White is one of those tweener type pitchers with his STA/DUR combo that will probably end him up as a long relief type guy.

Memphis – Actually had the fortune of having two picks in the top 20. At #17 they got IF William Satou, who has a very good bat and will be a core player for them. He probably won’t be able to play SS in the majors, but his bat is good enough that you don’t have to worry about him not producing enough at another position.

With pick #20 the got power hitting OF Tiny Gardner, this is the kind of guy that can carry a team offensively. Nice to see a team get extra draft picks and they produce such a good crop of guys.

2nd rounder Thumper McIntosh looks like a nice setup/closer type, and bringing in a closer named Thumper just sounds cool.

Milwaukee – Second pick in the draft was David Cooper, a solid fielding IF with a great bat. Looks like this is the last time Milwaukee will be picking this high for a while as they have been flirting all season with the second best record in the AL.

Didn’t pick again until the third round and got a very good player in Will Richardson. He could be a core player in the future for this team. 4th rounder Quilvio Santiago looks like a decent backup IF.

Minnesota – Had 4 picks between 24 and 49, and they signed them all. Justin Shields is a quality IF that is doing very well in rookie ball so far.

I’m not sure if Willis Roundtree will become a successful major leaguer. He has great numbers all around except for L/R splits which are below average. His pitch ratings are nice and he has great control, so maybe he does make it.

Felix Kimura is a supplemental pick that should turn out to be a good 2B with nice OBP.

Both Chad Torrealba and Alex Pinzon are fringe talent that could end up on the roster.

Monterrey – Has a history of drafting well, and is starting to show some signs of improving at the ML level. Dale Presley is another solid pick. I kind of see him as a #3 or #4 starter that can throw a ton of innings.

Didn’t pick again until the third round and got Jim Moriarty. Chances are his control limits him from being a star, but a pretty good pick for a SP in the third round.

Nashville – With the 8th pick in the draft the grabbed Tim Cook who offensively looks a lot like Timothy Bryne , who I think is one of the unheralded stars in this league. Cook’s numbers will probably be very similar to Bryne’s with a .330 career BA, .950 OPS, will produce at any spot in the batting order from 1-5, but only average about 450 ABs per season. He’s a very nice pickup.

Second round pick Boomer Roth actually might have a glove good enough to play SS, and he has a pretty good bat to go with that. Another quality pickup at this point in the draft.

NY - Harry Lugo looks like a pretty standard MLB OF. Decent numbers all round, but nothing extremely well. He is tearing it up in rookie ball.

Salem – Picked up a decent SP with the 15th pick in Dion Wilkerson. Very nice pitch rating and should be able to throw a ton of inning.

Miguel Furcal looks to be a typical OF for the ML team.

I actually really like their 3rd round pick, the 100th guy taken in the draft. Curt Palmer has good stuff, stamina is a bit low for most SPs but he should be able to get 5 good innings a game. He’s doing well so far.

Salt Lake City – Picked up the premier RP in the draft with Neil Meadows at #21. He’s raw and has a long way to go, but it’s a good pick and should play for many seasons in SLC despite his rough start so far in the minors.

Rip Lawrence is probably going to be a decent long reliever. Control will be an issue for him. Randy Brown is also a borderline productive ML’er, which is what you expect so late in the second round.

Kyle McNamara looks to be a pretty good defensive CF, that can maybe hit well enough to start.

Scottsdale – Had the third pick in the draft. This won’t be pretty for Scottsdale because the guy really looked like just a slightly above average major league ball player, but he spurned the offer and didn’t sign. Wayne Wheeler looks like a capable RP. The good news is that by next draft this former rookie owner will have completed 6 drafts and I’m sure he’ll land something decent with that pick.

Texas – Drafted a powerful slugging IF Ron Conti with pick #10. He should have a respectable average and OBP, and could easily hit 45-50 HRs in any season.

2nd round pick Henry Simpson looks to be a decent prospect that should make the team in 3-4 seasons.

Toronto – I’m still somewhat torn about Yorrick Walton being a successful big league player. Maybe its my poor scouting, but I see his vR rating really low and he doesn’t seem to have a good enough pitch ratings to overcome his vR rating. That said he is doing well in the rookie league so far.

Second round pick didn’t sign, but the third rounder Bernard O'Neil looks to at the very least be a speedy defensive CF off the bench, and maybe more.

Vancouver – The first of three first round picks was Rob Neal who is a very raw closer prospect. Given time he should develop into a quality RP, but he is probably at least 4-5 seasons away.

David Perez looks like he will develop into a productive ML starter, but probably won’t get his glove quite up to the SS requirements. Might be good enough at least be an emergency backup for SS while manning 3B/2B. One note about this player, combine poor HS scouting with average advance scouting and you get a player that projects a whopping 10 points below what my HS scout thought he was, ouch.

The final first round pick was Rudy Patterson who is a Hal Morris like 1B.

2nd rounder Abraham Waters might have a career as a platoon OF.

Washington – Didn’t pick until the supplemental round, Kris Cobb probably tops out at being a 5th starter/Long Relief type pitcher.

Got a nice power hitting 1B Pete Mitchell with the 40th pick.

Also got a quality OF in the second round Nate Taylor. Nice player that has a good glove and a good enough bat.

Pitching Projections

I know I posted on the World Chat that I was going to be an analysis/projection on some of the pitchers in our World to attempt to project them throughout a career. My first choice was Earl Wilkerson. I compared him to Greg Maddux. That was really just a hunch. As I looked deeper though, they are very comparable. Wilkerson has averaged 156 K's per season for his career while Maddux's 162-game average is 155. 46 walks for Maddux versus 77 per season for Wilkerson, but the comparison will have to do.

I can't really explain what I did very well, but here it goes.
1st 4 years of the career - Maddux w% was .526 with a decision % of 81.2%.
I took the 81.2% minus 73.4% (Wilkerson's career decision percentage for the 8 seasons of data that we have). This gave me 7.8%. I adjusted each of Maddux's first four full seasons down by this amount to determine the projected/predicted number of decisions Wilkerson would have had in his first four seasons. I did the same thing with the winning percentage, only this time adjusting Wilkerson's wins upwards based on the fact that his career W% was higher than Maddux's. I did the same thing for the final 9 seasons of Wilkerson's career.

The final projection for Wilkerson is a record of 365-141. Let me know if what I did makes sense and if anybody would be interested in more of these...

World Series Factoids

Season 1 - Toronto (NL) defeats Washington, DC (AL) 4-3
Pitching - 16th; ERA - 5.02
Batting - 16th; RS - 1,003
Fielding - 5th; F% - 98.2%

Season 2 - Washington, DC (AL) defeats St. Louis (NL) 4-0
Pitching - 1st; ERA - 4.32
Batting - 22nd; RS - 1,058
Fielding - 6th; F% - 98.3%

Season 3 - Scottsdale (AL) defeats Atlanta (NL) 4-1
Pitching - 10th; ERA - 4.62
Batting - 2nd; RS - 1,137
Fielding - 10th; F% - 98.1%

Season 4 - Scottsdale (AL) defeats Hartford (NL) 4-1
Pitching - 5th; ERA - 4.11
Batting - 1st; RS - 1,318
Fielding - 5th; F% - 98.4%

Season 5 - Atlanta (NL) defeats Sacramento (AL) 4-1
Pitching - 2nd; ERA - 4.40
Batting - 7th; RS - 1,060
Fielding - 16th; F% - 97.8%

Season 6 - New York (AL) defeats Atlanta (NL) 4-2
Pitching - 8th; ERA - 4.82
Batting - 2nd; RS - 1,153
Fielding - 2nd; F% - 99.2%

Season 7 - Boston (NL) defeats Sacramento (AL) 4-1
Pitching - 14th; ERA - 5.00
Batting - 17th; RS - 912
Fielding - 5th; F% - 99.1%

Season 8 - New York (AL) defeats Atlanta (NL) 4-0
Pitching - 3rd; ERA - 4.25
Batting - 7th; RS - 979
Fielding - 4th; F% - 99.0%

World Series Winners (seasons)
Scottsdale - 2 (3, 4)
New York - 2 (6, 8)
Toronto - 1 (1)
Washington, DC - 1 (2)
Atlanta - 1 (5)
Boston - 1 (7)

World Series Appearances (seasons)
Atlanta - 4 (3, 5, 6, 8)
Washington, DC - 2 (1, 2)
Scottsdale - 2 (3, 4)
Sacramento - 2 (5, 7)
New York - 2 (6, 8)
Toronto - 1 (1)
St. Louis/Monterrey - 1 (2)
Hartford - 1 (4)
Boston - 1 (7)

Championships
AL - 5
NL - 3

Wins
AL - 25
NL - 16

Last one (sorry it took so long)

NL West

Colorado Creampuffs- ($18.75m/year) This franchise’s only two international signings in the previous five seasons were Pascual Espinosa and William Hukata. Here’s to warswics turning things around, assuming he wants to invest in this area. Colorado has two international prospects on the current roster, and a grade of F.

Anaheim Redbirds- ($9.5m/year) Since taking over, hopkinsheel has reduced the international budget to zero and lowered his prospect budget to the minimum, instead focusing on training and scouting for the amateur draft. Still, before his arrival, there were two notable signings. In season 6 the franchise landed Antonio Nakamura, who has great velocity, and in season 5 signed Al Rivera, who will be a good case study in investigating the importance of pitch ratings. This team also has two international on the ML club, and a C+ grade.

Las Vegas Gamblers- ($14.25m/year) robbie04, despite never spending a whole lot on int’l scouting, has signed a remarkable seventeen total internationals in the past four seasons, but none for more than $2.5 million. Most noteworthy are Hawk Swann, Willie Mercedes, and Emil Julio, and Octavio Guevara, and despite this depth the impact at the ML level wont be great. This team also has two internationals on the ML team, and a grade here of C-.

Arizona Scottsdale- ($24.75m/year) Season 4 was wonderin32’s biggest season on the IFA market, and since then he has only signed 4 players, all of whom are decent, but not all of whom one would expect to make the Bigs. The best asset acquired is David Mendoza’s bat, but by Doug Connelly’s standards it is meek. William Hayashiand Javier Paniagua are both pitchers who are maybes for the majors, but I expect Hayashi to work out as a back of the rotation starter. Last, Luis Sanchez has an okay bat, but lacks the tools necessary to make him more than a bench player. This team merits a C+ grade, and currently has five IFAs on the big league roster.

IFAs

AL West

Salem mad monks- ($13.25m/year) In season 5 buckeyejeff hired no one to scout players internationally, whereas in Season 8 he poured 12 million into this endeavor. Never a big time player on this scene, he’s still landed a smattering of players with shots at playing a role on the ML club at some point. Benny Garces is by far the best signee, and should contribute in the bullpen. Beyond him is just average talent like Fausto Gutierrez and Yorvit Escobar. Salem has 1 int’l on the ML roster, and a D grade.

Scottsdale Snowbirds- ($24.5m/year) This franchise, back in season 2, signed Placido Gil at the ripe age of 13. They learned from this, and would later sign Karim Feliz in Season 8 for $17 million, who should turn out to be a super-reliever at the ML level; if he throws less than 162 innings, he will have been under-utilized. After him, there are a whole lot of okay players, but no one possessing any eye-popping tools, such as Vicente Cabrera, Carlos Johnson, and Julio Polanco. This team also has only one international on the big leagues squad, and a grade here of C+.

Vancouver Shrugging Atlases- ($27m/year) I hate to say it, but once again TheJester74 has done a great job. His pick ups here include two defensive short stops, Rigo Vizcaino and Guillermo Roque, an offensive catcher Trenidad Macias, and a good bull pen arm Pedro Figureoa. And while Vic Solano wont make this team despite a $9.5 million bonus, Orlando Martin and his $12.3 million bonus were instrumental in acquiring Hersh Knight. 2 internationals on the current Vancouver roster, and a grade of A-.

Salt Lake City Air Force- ($15.75m/year) Before willcatfan’s arrival this franchise signed Rafael Cedeno in season 2, our world’s first big time, ML ready signee. Since then, there has been a steady flow of quality talent with defensive SS Quilvio Molina, and the very solid Harry Gonzales. Moreover, he signed pitchers Javier Ugueto and Louie Posada, who were subsequently sent to Boise in trades for ML ready bats. This team garnishes an A- grade as well, having 5 internationals on the current big league roster.

IFA's

To those who are new to Morgan, this is a review of the last four seasons of International Free Agent signings in Morgan world. Their posted one division at a time (still two to go), but if you look back on the blog you can see how your franchise's previous owwner did in that department. Without further ado...

NL South

Louisville Wild Turkeys- ($22.5m/year) t2bott has made really only one big signing, and a handful of minor pickups in the IFA market. But that one bigger signing was Jumbo, that is, Jumbo Soriano, who lacks the stamina to be a regular starter, but should make for a great long reliever. Included in those minor signings are Jose Romero, who has great velocity, and Pedro Cueto, who may make the ML team as a speed guy off the bench. Currently Miguel Santos is the only IFA on the big league squad, and a grade here of C-.

Atlanta Braves- ($27m/year) Since season 1 joemac55 has been the best in Morgan in the IFA market, with an astounding nine players on the current ML team signed internationally. In each of the past four seasons Atlanta has signed a player with a bonus over $9 million. Season 5 brought Ivan Gonzalez, a stellar fielder with some speed. Season 6, Alex Rivas a solid defensive shortstop with pop. Season 7 saw the signing of Ivan Johnson, a nice corner outfielder. Then Season 8 brought Ramiro Suarez, an offensively minded second baseman. Thus, an A grade for Atlanta.

Monterrey Habaneros- ($26.25m/year) The franchise thedutchman took over in season 5 needed rebuilding, of which signing internationals has been a big part. Here, I see four names worth mentioning. First is Tomas Guerrero, who’ll be the starting SS in years to come. Next is Frank Sasaki, who ought to be the future closer for this team. Then there are pitchers Kevin Chen and Victor Ramirez, who both have flaws, but whose strengths are good enough to break through at the ML level. Overall a B+ grade for a team that has 2 IFAs on the current roster.

Austin Wranglers- ($26m/year) Each of the last six seasons chrispy has steadily been increasing the amount of money allotted to signing prospects. While there has been a high volume of prospects signed, none receive a bonus larger than $7 million dollars. That includes Vinny Hukata, who will start for this team if he can stay healthy, Jose Flores who has a lot of pop in his bat, and Benji Perez who should find a spot in the bullpen as a lefty specialist. This team has 5 intl’s on the big league club, and a grade here of C-.

NY WINS WORLD SERIES

The NY Mugger Funk beat the Atlanta Braves to capture their 2nd World Series Trophy.

They pulled off a sweep, but each game was close. Game one the tying run was at the plate in the bottom of the ninth, Game two was a two run game up until the bottom of the eighth inning, Game three was 3-1 going into the eighth inning, and the final game went into extra innings.


Vin Burks gets the MVP, not just for his great job in the World series, but for going 4-0 with 0.95 ERA in the playoffs.

Internationals

AL South

Little Rock Boulders- ($18.25m/year) Arte’s ML team has only one IFA, Ruben Dali, who signed in season 4. Since then, Arte has continuously cut funding to this endeavor, which has shown in the quality of prospect he has signed. See Hector Rodriguez, Brian Wanatabe, and Al Guerrero as evidence of the reductio in quality prospects. So then it isn’t particularly condemning or unfair to give out an F grade here.

Texas Black Socks- ($27.5m/year) noccolo has clearly increased his focus on IFAs simply based on his spending pattern, but it is only now beginning to pay dividends. Pat Zhang is a nice pick up out of Japan who will put up good numbers in the Bigs. Beyond him, Texas has netted some guys who could fill out their bullpen, with Carlos Colon and Delino Castillo. Will give a grade of C here to a team with 4 IFAs on the ML club.

Memphis Elvi- ($16m/year) mh17 has never put a whole lot of investment into signing IFAs. In fact, the largest signing bonus a prospect received was 1.3 million to Al Garrido. Other players who’ve been signed include Bartolo Gonzalez, Manuel Lopez, and Lou Roundtree. Still, an increased amount allotted to int’l scouting seems to hint that mh17 may soon become a player on the IFA market. But still for now, an F grade, noting that 2 IFAs at the big league level.

Nashville Hound Dogs- ($18m/year) This is another franchise that has never spent a lot towards getting top end IFAs, but as a result of an extra large prospect budget this past season, psanders84 landed Sammy Martin, who I see topping out as a #2/#3 starter, only because he isn’t great with righties. Beyond him there is Harry Alvarado, who ought to break through to the ML level because of his great defense with a below average bat. The only other player that’s been signed is Bernie Garces. Nashville has 3 IFAs at the show, and a grade here of C.

International Prospect Analysis

NL North

Cleveland Cleveland Stormtroopers- ($16.5m/year) As the proud owner of this franchise, I can say that a great job with IFAs in seasons 2 and 3 is fueling this team currently, with the inexpensive additions of Louie Alvarado, Jesus Perez, and Willie Pena. But since then the team has made only one signing that I feel is worth mentioning in Torey Brito, who may platoon at first in Cleveland with Antonio Maduro. Cleveland has only the three aforementioned IFAs on the ML roster, and earns a grade of C-.

Toronto Storks- ($28.75m/year) In his first six seasons, barjaz only dabbled in the international market, but in the last two seasons Toronto has placed a new focus on IFAs. The fruits of this labor are three big time signings. The first is Jimmie Gabriel, who I see as a solid number three starter. The second is Jimmie Astacio, who could be a superb closer, but may better serve the team as a long reliever or setup type so that he can get many more innings than simply closing would allow. Last is Hector Guzman, who cannot produce like Yamid Sierra has, but should still get on base well. 3 IFAs on the team currently, and the highest grade I’ve given thus far, an A-.

Boise Falcons- ($34.25m/year) hurricane384, like douglasdao, simply hasn’t been able to hit any homeruns on the IFA market, repeatedly transferring money out of his prospect budget as a result of nothing coming along. Boise has not signed any prospects that demanded a signing bonus greater than five million(Louie Fernandez). An example of what has been typical for this franchise are signings like Juan Montanez, Edgar Estalella, and Ugueth Martin, all of whom have the potential to help out the ML club, but none of whom I would consider to be late-first/early-second round talent. 2 IFAs on the current roster, and a C- grade.

Augusta Mainiacs- ($26.75m/year) Augusta has been relatively quiet on the IFA front, signing only two players. One of those two, Sammy Blasco, should be a super sub for this team, with the ability to play every position and ridiculous speed. The other one was one of the top two signings of season 6 in Eduardo Merced, who represents the elusive plus defender at short who can also rake. The ML team has 3 IFAs, and a grade of B for getting lucky in season 6.

Various Information

Just some miscellaneous information that I find interesting that I feel like posting...

This first category is the franchise that has drafted players making up the highest percentage of players in their system...
1. Minnesota (78.3%)
2. Wichita (75.0%)
3. Arizona (71.7%)

The least...
30. Las Vegas (49.4%)
31. Houston (48.9%)
32. Sacramento (42.4%)

The second category is the franchise that has internationals making up the highest percentage of players in their system...
1. Las Vegas (30.8%)
2. Boise (28.9%)
3. Atlanta (27.7%)

The least...
30. Augusta (5.8%)
31. Nashville (5.6%)
32. Minnesota (4.3%)

Oldest ML team
Anaheim - 31.7 yrs old
Youngest ML team
Bosie - 24.4 yrs old

Most expensive per player
Vancouver - $3.7M
Least expensive per player
Boise - $545K

International Signings Review

AL North

Minnesota St. Paul Sots- ($7.63m/year) Daggers actually spent nothing on international scouting in season 8. Not sure if he still gets mail from his four international scouts, and if so where they go to look for talent. The franchise has made five signings in four seasons, a group of uninspiring players who shouldn’t top out above AA, led by relief pitcher Jesus Martin. The most expensive signing was his cousin, Benny Martin, at $2.5 million. Minnesota has no internationals on the big league club, and a D grade here, because there is at least an effort to minimize wasteful spending.

Chicago Knights- ($17.5m/year) katauska really doesn’t have the prospect budget to be pursuing top tier internationals, but of his five signings, there are two noteworthy relief pitchers signed. The good one is Antonio Kim, who signed for $5.7 million in season 5 and has potential to be a closer, and the bad one is Andres Ramirez, who has enough stuff to break in on the ML roster if he reaches projections. Damaso Estrada is the only foreign born player on the ML roster for the knights, and a C grade.

Dover Gophers- ($23.25m/year) badhame7 has realized the impact potential of international free agent signings, increasing the budget in this area every season he has owned the team. Season 6 saw the addition of a nice relief pitcher for $2.5 million in Edgar Elcano. Season 7 included the addition of a great defensive catcher in Delino Sanchez for $3.6, who may not be as useful going forward given today’s update. Then finally season 8 saw a coronation to this new commitment to IFAs in the $10 million dollar signing of Vic Suarez, who will lead off for this team for many seasons to come. Dover currently has 3 IFAs on the ML club, and a grade of B-, but expect more to come.

Milwaukee Gurus- ($54m/year) douglasdao has been incredibly aggressive pursuing IFAs for five or six seasons, with nearly 30% of his budget going towards this pursuit. To be honest it is a tough grade to give, as he has gotten some great talent, but it has been a little bit like driving a hummer when gas is $4.30 a gallon; inefficient. Still, he has added the back of the future rotation (Clayton Serrano, Enrique Mendoza, Ruben Lucano), a great hitting catcher and his defensive minded platoon-mate (Orlando Amaral and David Sardinha), and an average SS/CF (Rolando Castro). So then, as for a grade, I can’t give this franchise higher than a B+; take it as a sign of the luck that is required in the IFA process. The ML club has 5 internationals currently.

Where Are They Now? Season 2

Time now for another installment of "Where Are They Now?"

Bonk Linton– Majors (Vancouver Shrugging Atlases)
#1 – Honolulu Volcanoes (RF)
855 G
.297 BA
.381 OBP
.561 SLG
213 HR, 646 RBI, 98/158 SB.
RF - .981 FLDG%, 25 A, 20 E, 5 +, 1 - in 768 G

Brant Stevenson– Majors (Little Rock Boulders)
#2 – Tucson Mad Jesters (P)
148 G/143 GS
5.21 ERA
1.49 WHIP
640 K
47 – 55, 8 CG
872-2/3 IP

Felipe Rodriguez– Majors (Vancouver Shrugging Atlases)
#3 – Nashville Sounds (2B)
442 G
.303 BA
.380 OBP
.573 SLG
524 H, 100 HR, 415 R, 141/167 SB
2B - .986 Fldg%, 28 E, 2 + plays, 7 – plays – 386 G

Sherman Woods – Not Signed
#4 – Cleveland Cleveland Stormtroopers (2B)

Bob Thompson– Majors (Salem mad monks)
#5 – Colorado mad monks (P)
84 G/84 GS
4.46 ERA
1.40 WHIP
541-1/3 IP
39 – 31

First, an example of the kind of talent that has not been coming down the pipeline in our world, but has been in others- Pedro Seneca (not sure if it shows projections, but 97 ovr, with 84/89/94/100/92 for dur/ctr/vL/vR/velocity)

NL East

Hartford Harpoons- ($17.75m/year) Hartford has only 5 IFAs who signed for 600K plus in the period under investigation, including one big impact player and two guys who can add some depth. That impact player is Albie Torres, the most expensive signing in Morgan in season 5 at $12.8 million, and sports an ERA that is not reflective of how well he has pitched. And while it’s tough to break through on a good team like Hartford, William Lim and Vin Matos, both season six signees, will add depth to the ML squad. Hartford has three internationals on the ML roster, and a grade of B-, for the good of seasons 5 and 6 and the bad in seasons 7 and 8.

New York Metropolitans- ($18.5m/year) New owner ajf00529 has not focused on the international scene, and previous owners have been scatterbrained in this area as well. If Tony Blanco can work through his control problems and Alex Martinez can work through his control problems these two can contribute at the ML level. Beyond them, there isn’t much here. Alex Villano is ajf’s only signing, a nice defensive pick up for just $670K. There is only one international on the Met’s ML team currently, and a grade here of C-.

Wichita Twisters- ($14.25m/year) Of the first eight teams Wichita has spent the least. To be perfectly candid I believe that peteskin would be well served by investing more money into college and int’l scouting. That said, all three int’l signings have been solid. Orlando Candelaria is a solid switch-hitter, Felipe Ortiz will get on base, and Diego Santana posted a .847 ops in his cup of tea with the ML club this season. So, in spite of my criticism, a B- grade for a team with 3 internationals on the ML club.

San Juan Jumping Beans- ($32.13m/year) The biggest spender of teams looked at thus far, San Juan has signed five players with signing bonuses greater than $5 million. I am of the opinion that the two season five signees were misses, in Santiago Barcelo and Sammy Rodriguez, but beyond that there is some real talent. Enrique Mercedes and Tino Lee are both nice back of the rotation pitchers in that they lack stamina, Hiram Whang had a great glove, and Jose Soto is a nice catching prospect. Still, I get the feeling that San Juan has been jockeying to get in position for that HoF talent that simply hasn’t come along in our world. They have accumulated 6 internationals onto the ML roster, and I would give a grade here of B-. It’s the same grade as less talented Wichita and Hartford earned, but jarazix has been spending twice as much and it has not amounted to a vast difference in talent. As he won a WS, I don’t feel guilty saying this.

International Signings Review

Alright, I’m going to begin doing a review of international free agent signings. So, as before, I’ll begin by defining my methodology: First, this will be a review of seasons 5-8 only. Next, I’m going to stick to reviewing players who received a signing bonus of/greater than 600K, which is slot money for a player taken with the last pick of the first round of the amateur draft. Third, like with the prospect reviews, I’ll go one division at a time. Fourth, I will include a team’s budget in international scouting and prospects (counting one million for every two transferred out, two million for every one million transferred in, and then subtracting 6 million for spending on amatuers). Then grades will be given based on potential added ML impact and depth against money spent. Also, while the numbers are easily found in the franchise rankings tab, I will list the number of IFAs on each franchise’s ML team, which wont be considered in grading. I expect these grades to be unrefined, arbitrary, and maybe unfair; but whatever, because everyone likes seeing an actual grade. Last, I want to remind the group that our world, compared to others, has had some abysmal IFA classes of late.

AL East

Indianapolis Hoosierdaddies- ($27m/year) Fourteen players signed over the four year period, including four catchers and seven pitchers. Joaquin Pascual was the most expensive signing, and is already contributing at the ML level, but his numbers aren’t great. Rafael Merced could turn into a nice ML catcher, and two other catchers, who aren’t great at catching, wield ML bats, in Tomas Alarcon and Felipe Martinez. Currently 4 IFAs on the ML roster and a grade here of C.

Huntington Herd- ($24.75m/year) Three times spent over five million on a signing bonuses, with ten total IFAs, by my count. Those three are David Ramirez, Jimmie Lee, and Rico Delgado. Lee and Delgado both offer two or three tools at the ML level if they reach projections, and Ramirez will be a great bullpen arm, a bullpen which may be constructed with three or four other IFAs. Currently there are 3 IFA’s for Huntington at the ML level, and a grade here of C+.

Florida Phoenix- ($28m/year) Before chazzzzzzzz took over there was almost no focus on international signings. Al Vazquez, Florida’s most expensive signing, is going to be an average ML player at best (in this author’s opinion), but beyond him there are a few things to like, such as Geronimo Beltran’s bat and eye, Pedro Berroa can be a closer, and Albert Pena has gold glove range with a decent enough bat. Has 4 IFA’s at the ML level, and a grade of B for some savvy pick-ups.

New York Mugger Funk- ($17.75m/year) Three key components to the Mugger Funk’s current success are IFA’s from seasons 1-4, in Esteban Montanez, Del Mercedes, and Alex Gutierrez. But despite these signings paying dividends, NY has turned away from a focus on international signings. In fact, in four seasons they have signed just four players, and only one worth mentioning, Ruben Pizzaro. He brought in a $5.8 million dollar bonus, but even then Pizzaro is no lock for the majors. NY has four IFAs at the ML level, but a D for money being inefficiently spent.

S8 Playoff Team Rankings

	Pitching	Hitting	ML Salary
Augusta	4	6	$54M
Cleveland	5	12	$64M
Hartford	8	3	$76M
Atlanta	6	4	$64M
Houston	14	5	$77M
Arizona	16	2	$74M
Minnesota	10	11	$84M
NY	3	7	$100M
Little Rock	9	15	$90M
Memphis	12	24	$86M
Vancouver	1	1	$94M
Sacramento	11	10	$77M