Milestones

Am I the only one that goes through the career records to check them out periodically? Maybe I am, and maybe that proves how big of a stat nerd I really am. Maybe I'm not and there are other big stat nerds out there like myself. Well since I had the season story lines article written up and lost it all, I just couldn't bring myself to go back through a write it all again, but I figured I needed something to put up in it's place. This should be somewhat interesting, especially for those that don't check the records out or just don't have the time.

First off, I didn't realize how good of a player Will McCarthy has been. Earlier this season he became Pine Tar's career leader in homeruns by passing Lloyd Patrick who had 641. He's now up to 654 with time to improve it. It also looks like during the AM cycle on 2/13 with a 2 run homer he became the first player in Pine Tar to reach 2000 RBI's.

Also this season, Rafael Cervantes, became the first player to 100 career triples. Also, during the AM cycle on 2/13 he passed up Eric Presley to become the all time stolen base king of Pine Tar with 702.

In a not so prestigious milestone, Ivan Silva became the all time leader in losses by passing up Barry Gibson's old record of 159.

The last one of note is Ebenezer Brett passing up Warren Hargrave as the all time wins leader. He's old and likely to not reach the 300 mark, but he is only 28 away.

I'm sure there are other milestones that I just can't see from looking through these lists of top 5's, and I do know that there are some that are close to being hit and could by the end of the season. I just figured I'd post these to give you guys something to read about for now.

Season 18 Draft Review

I know that I'm a bit late on this, but if it's any compensation, I've been working on it for a few weeks. I've been doing a little bit each chance I get, which obviously hasn't been many. Well, here it is.

Season 18 Draft Review
Pick	Player	Team	Offense	Defense	Pitching
1	Jo-jo Frandsen	Vancouver	A+	C	-
Frandsen is a very good top of the draft pick here. He should develope into a .300 hitter with 25+ homer power. His eye at the plate will put him close to a 400 OBP, and the guy could use that to steal a lot of bases. He's a leftfielder/firstbaseman in the field, but it's not a strong suit of his. His durability and health could be an issue.
2	Omar Carrasco	Louisville	B+	C+	-
Carrasco should become a good hitter in the future. He has a good eye and some decent pop. He should be a .290 hitter with 25+ homer potential. His speed on the bases should get him some steals as well. He projects as a corner outfielder, but doesn't have a very good glove.
3	Carlos Zorrilla	Oklahoma City	A-	B+	-
Zorrilla is a very well rounded player. He could be a good hitter with a really high OBP. He has 30 homer potential and could be a 30/30 guy. He has a great glove but lacks great range. He's ideally a really good corner outfielder that could play center. There are concerns about his ability to stay healthy.
4	Octavio Armas	Iowa City	B+	C+	-
Armas should be a good hitter in his carreer. He has decent power and the ability to get on base. He lacks speed. He'll be a decent corner outfielder. The team better not tick off this guy though, he has a temper of 0.
5	Junior Yang	Tampa Bay	A-	A-	-
The run at offense at the top of the draft continues with this pick. He should be a really good hitter with awesome contact and power. He has decent abilities on the bases and should steal a few. His glove is really good, but he lacks the range for shortstop. I see him as a really good thirdbaseman. There are some concerns about his health.
6	Ryan Wilkins	Kansas City	-	-	B+
Wilkins should be a solid starter in the future. He has good stamina and control. He has decent splits and real good velocity projections. His fastball is a good 1st pitch and he has a good slider and curveball to go with it.
7	Giovanni Magnuson	New Orleans	-	-	A-
Magnuson looks like a good prospective starting pitcher. He has good control and splits. He doesn't have good velocity, but should force a lot of groundballs. He has a real good 4 seamer and curveball with a decent cut fastball. His drawback would be his lower stamina and durability.
8	King Ashburn	Colorado Springs	A	A	-
I like the value Colorado Springs got with this pick. Ashburn should be a solid hitter with 300 potential. He has really good speed as well and should steal some bases. He has 15 homer power and a decent eye. Ashburn should be a good centerfielder and has a good arm for that position. He likely won't win gold gloves, but he does have a good enough glove for center.
9	Houston Graves	Helena	A	C	-
I really like Graves. He has very good contact and a good eye at the plate. He should be a 300+ hitter regularly. He has great base stealing potential as well. He lacks good power, but should still be able to reach double digits. He is likely destined to play left field or firstbase. He isn't going to be known for his defense. One draw back for him is going to be his ability to stay healthy.
10	Ralph Hatcher	Seattle	A	B-	-
Hatcher is a good pick at #10. He has good contact and real good power. He should be able to hit in the 290's and knock out close to 40 homers. He is not a speed threat. His glove and arm is good enough to be a solid rightfielder, but he won't contend for any gold gloves.
11	Shane Osik	San Juan	-	-	A
Osik was a steal at this spot. He has good control,great velocity and he's a groundball pitcher. He'll be real tough on right handed hitters and fairly tough against lefties. His first pitch curveball should be real good and his fastball and change up are decent.
12	Eddie Burns	Cincinnati	D+	A	-
Cincinnati went for defense with this pick. Burns is a great glove at short with excellent range and an even better arm. While he has good contact, he really lacks power and likely won't hit for even a decent average. His great eye at the plate will help some, but he's no threat offensively and even lacks speed.
13	Jake Ashley	Dover	B	B	-
Ashley projects as a good hitter with a good glove. While he isn't great at either, he is a well rounded player. He has average contact ability with little power. He should hit for a decent average and has a good eye. He doesn't have much speed but is great at making decisions on the bases. He could be a fill in shortstop, but he has the glove to play just about any other position above average.
14	Donnie Friend	Durham	B	C+	-
At this point the draft has fallen off a bit. Friend is a solid pick, but no superstar. He lacks good contact, but has 20 homer power. He can hit righties well and has a good eye. He's an average hitter. He has a decent glove and range and would be a good secondbaseman or really good corner outfielder.
15	Eddie Stevenson	Tampa Bay	B-	C+	-
Stevenson is another draft pick of an average player. He has decent contact with little power. He should hit for a decent average, but lacks the eye at the plate to bat at the top of a lineup. His glove is average for a thirdbaseman, but he'd be a pretty good rightfielder as he has a good arm.
16	Bert Heiserman	Scottsdale	B+	D+	-
This pick is solid. Heiserman should develope into a real good hitter. He has a bit lower contact, but his power is great. He likely won't hit for a very high average, but he has a real good eye. He also has great speed, but his base running is suspect. He isn't a defensive player, but could play left field or firstbase.
17	Dewayne Rivera	Salem	C	C+	-
Not a good pick here, but it looks like Rivera isn't going to sign and Salem will reap the benefits of another 1st round pick next season.
18	Julian Preito	Fargo	B-	A+	-
Preito is a really good pick at 18. He should develope great range and a really good glove. He should have a good arm as well and will be a gold glove caliber shortstop. He has lower contact, but good power. He should hit righties good and do decent against left handers. His eye isn't very good, but he'll hit well for a shortstop with the fielding capabilities that he possesses.
19	Yadier Cora	St Louis	B	B-	-
Cora has decent contact and lower power potential. He should hit decent against righties, but will struggle against lefties. He has a good eye though and should get on base. He has decent range and a decent glove. He should be a future secondbaseman or left fielder.
20	Victor Waner	Anaheim	-	-	A-
Waner is a good bullpen arm. He has good stamina and durability for the pen. He should have real good control and should cause fits for right handers. He has a good first pitch fastball and a decent slider.
21	Greg Parrott	Boston	C+	A	-
Parrott is a steal at pick 21. He has good contact, but lacks any sorts of power. He should hit right handers pretty good. He has a below average eye at the plate. His speed and baserunning should allow him to become a great base stealer. His range is real good and his glove is good as well. He has a decent arm, and better than average for a centerfielder.
22	Donovan Nolasco	Chicago	-	-	C
I really don't like this pick. Nolasco has all the tools except one big one and that is control. He will never have good enough control to be effective in the majors. His splits are decent and he has a couple great pitches, but without the control it's just not going to be enough.
23	Bryan Edwards	Charlotte	B-	C	-
It's obvious at this point that the talent in the draft is dropping off. Edwards has good contact and power, but he'll struggle to hit well. He does have a good eye at the plate though. His speed and base running are decent and he could steal a few bases. He has decent range, but not much of a glove. I see him as a left fielder.
24	Henry Coscarart	Milwaukee	C-	A	-
While Coscarart isn't a real good player, I do like what he offers as a future ML player. He isn't much of a hitter, but he does have a good eye and should hit decent against lefties. His positive attribute will be his glove. He has good range, a good glove and a good arm. He'll be a good option at shortstop.
25	Joaquin Gutierrez	Hartford	-	-	C+
Gutierrez has the potential to be a decent starter in the majors. His control will never be good, but he should dominate left handed hitters and do ok against righties. He has decent velocity and 3 good pitches. His fastball is real good, his slider is good and his curveball is a good pitch as well. I see him as a low end of the rotation starter.
26	Kevin Griffiths	Philadelphia	B-	D	-
At pick 26 this is a good pick. Griffiths doesn't project as an all star, but he should be a helpful piece in the future. He has good contact and double digit homerun power. He should be a 270+ career hitter and his eye is decent. He isn't a very good base runner. He should be a solid firstbaseman, but he doesn't have the glove for anywhere else.
27	Esmerling Gil	Pittsburgh	-	-	C+
Gil projects as a starter with good durability. He has low control, but good splits. His velocity isn't very good, but he has some good pitches. His fastball is solid, his curveball is a good 2nd pitch, the change up is solid for a 3rd pitch and he has a decent 4th pitch slider.
28	Napoleon Hampton	Pittsburgh	B-	B-	-
With back to back picks, Pittsburgh went offense with this one. Hampton should be a decent hitter that should hit in the 270's and add some homers with that. His eye isn't very good so his OBP won't be very good. He has some speed, but his base running isn't good enough to make him a threat. He has decent range and glove. He could play left field really well, but being a left hander will leave him there.
29	Fausto Cantu	Jacksonville	C	C+	-
Cantu has decent contact, but not much power. His splits are on the lower side, and his eye isn't very good either. He does have real good speed and base running which will help him get on base some. His range is decent and he has a good glove for thirdbase. His arm is solid for that position as well.
30	Bartolo Ethier	Mexico City	D	C+	-
Ethier doesn't look like a future major leaguer to me. The lack of depth in the draft is starting to show. Ethier has low contact, a little bit of power, but won't be much of a hitter. His eye is decent but not good. He has decent range and glove and his arm is solid. He could play third or right field, but the hitting problems may keep him from reaching the big leagues.
31	Bernie Ramos	Trenton	B	C	-
As soon as it looks like the good players are gone then Trenton grabs this guy. Ramos may lack good contact, and has only decent power, but he should hit righties and lefties real well and he has a really good eye. He has a decent glove with some range and a good arm. I could see him playing second base or a corner outfield spot.
32	Stephen Salmon	St Louis	C	A+	-
I really like this pick. Salmon won't hit for contact and lacks power, but he has good splits and a good eye. He should be a decent hitter. The plus to his game is defense. Gold glove type defense. He has great range, a great glove and a great arm. He could win multiple gold gloves at shortstop.
33	Howard Tartabull	Jackson	-	-	B-
Tartabull has good stamina and durability projections. He has really good control, should be real good against left handers and decent against righties. He has low velocity and below average pitches that bring his value down. I think Tartabull will be a solid major league starter.
34	Glenn Durbin	Mexico City	-	-	C-
Durbin really has some of the tools to be a solid major leaguer, but his control is just too bad. He has the stamina and durability to pitch a lot of innings. His splits are good and he has good velocity. He has a real good Knuckleball and a solid curveball. I'm interested to see if he can ever be a solid big league starter.
35	Harry Munson	Nashville	-	-	B+
With the last official first round pick Nashville got a steal here. Munson has the stamina and durability to rack up 250 innings a season. His control is a bit low, but not too low to affect him. He has real good splits and good velocity as well. He's not much of a groundball pitcher though and his pitches are below average. Munson should be a solid major league starter.