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Going Deep: Recap of a 20-team Dynasty MiLB Draft: Picks 51-60

Here we are: the last segment of the 20-team dynasty league MiLB draft. Pat yourself on the back! You made it! Click here for last week’s which will get you to the week before and so on and so forth. Let’s bang this thing out, shall we?

Reminder that the picks say 11-20 but this is the latter half of the third round of the draft:

11. Boston – Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez (SP PHI)

I’ll admit to not hating this pick at the time. It was a decent gamble for an arm that was supposedly close to big league ready. That said, the drastic reduction of the value of his contract should have given us some pause for concern. He didn’t look good in Spring Training, and while the changeup was as advertised, it didn’t seem like the rests of the arsenal was viable for the major leagues. Not a bad pick at the time, but ultimately still a bit of a bust.

12. St. Louis – Amed Rosario (SS NYM)

Another in the line of long ways a way but high upside, I love this pick at the time but am less into it now. I still love Rosario, but I think the ultimate value of taking someone 5+ years away is extremely risky. The value is still there as a third round pick in a league like this isn’t worth all that much, and Rosario could be a huge name if he can explode in short-season ball with all those tools. So I get the thinking, it’s just a long way to the payoff.

13. Pittsburgh – Trey Ball (SP BOS)

I am not and haven’t been a fan of Ball. I know the org is good at what they do, so they deserve the benefit of the doubt but he’s relatively raw for his age (he’s already 20), and I don’t think the upside is there to balance it, as a mid-rotation guy. That might seem counterintuitive based on what I said about Chi-Chi but I think the risk factor is higher in this case while the payoff is the same. Also a waste of a perfectly great basketball name.

14. NY Mets – Jose Martinez (SP ARZ)

High upside… looooooong way away. Sound familiar yet? Dealt a brutal blow along that line with the recent news of his elbow fracture, meaning he’ll miss the whole year. Not that he can’t come back but it just adds risk and the loss of development time is unfortunate. I still like the name but odds are he’s not fantasy relevant, even just in terms of asset value for two years now.

15. Miami – Pierce Johnson (SP CHC)

should like Johnson with my newfound preference for sacrificing a little bit of ceiling for the shorter-term gain in fantasy but… I just don’t all that much. Johnson is 23 years old already and is, for some reason, walking 8 per 9 innings in Double-A. I don’t think those control issues  plague him forever but I do think he’s more of a 4/5 in real life and in fantasy (he does miss bats) than anything else. I guess that’s fine, but probably not worth waiting on when it comes down to it. Still, it’s fine value given how deep we are.

16. LA Dodgers – Francisco Mejia (C CLE)

As a reminder – this is my pick. I love Mejia. I have demanded friends send me video of his BP, and perhaps got unreasonable in my tone for doing so. That said… I’m not thrilled with my decision process here. He’s another guy who is just forever away. He might not be in Short-Season this year. I love the long-term outlook and I love the package of tools but my god. Is that worth six years of occupying a roster spot? I think the answer is no, but I hope it’s yes.

17. NY Yankees – Daniel Norris (SP TOR)

I’ve never been a Norris believer, but he’s got the package of tool to make it work. He’s dominating in his second go at High-A, showing better command than he has before while maintaining his quality stuff. He’s got the legitimate upside of a no. 2 starter, and even if he’s only got a 5% chance of getting there, it’s worth it this late. There’s a good chance he’s a 3/4 and could get fast-tracked if it’s all clicking. Really nice value.

18. Minnesota – Nick Kingham (SP PIT)

I’m a late addition to the Kingham-bandwagon but I like the profile. I do tend to get worried about changeup first guys who dominate the lower minors by exploiting all those impatient bats, but Kingham has experienced success in 140 or so innings at the Double-A level. Add in that he’s not far from the majors thanks to the bulk innings at Double-A (and Jameson Taillon’s injury) and this pick looks even better. He’s not missing bats at an elite level so far this year but I don’t think that’s a long term concern. He should be something like a 7 k/9 type in the majors which should work well as a 200 IP type. Longterm 3 or 3/4 in fantasy.

19. Texas – Alberto Tirado (SP TOR)

Tirado is another one of my favorites and someone I haven’t changed my mind about despite a rough go of it in the control department early on. I think he’ll get it together as the season wears on and carries enough upside to be worth the wait. Unlike some others mentioned earlier, Tirado is at least in full season ball starting this year, and if he had dominated, his stock would have been through the roof. Just because he hasn’t doesn’t mean it’s time to bail. He’s still a young and talented pitcher whose timetable is probably in the 3-4 year range.

20. Kansas City – Domingo Santana (OF HOU)

Jealousy. That’s how I feel about this pick. He’s in Triple-A. He’s a power hitter who will strike out a bunch, but still… the proximity to the big leagues and legitimate 20-25 HR power make this an awesome selection in terms of value. If he doesn’t see time this year, I’d be surprised and even so, getting someone who should receive most of a season in 2015 with the 60th overall selection is a coup. Well done.

The Author

Craig Goldstein

Craig Goldstein

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