Going Deep: Recap of a 20 Team Dynasty MiLB Draft (Picks 11-20)
Last week, we recapped the debacle that was taking Roberto Baldoquin over such talents as Nomar Mazara and Craig Goldstein’s adopted son, Jake Thompson. This week we will take a look at picks 11-20, also known as the back half of the first round. Picks 1-10 and a brief rundown of the league rules are here in case you missed last week’s post. An interesting feature of this league’s draft is that MiLBers that have not appeared in a major league game are not able to be added in-season, so that leads to a larger than normal pool of available talent:
11. Los Angeles Angels – Luis Severino (SP, New York Yankees)
Whether you feel that Severino ends up as a Yankee rotation member or high leverage reliever, getting the prospect widely regarded as the Yankees best is always a nice trade chip to have. Odds are there is somebody in your league that will give you a nice package for Severino if you aren’t sold on his ability to make the adjustments necessary to stick in a rotation long term.
12. Milwaukee – Jose Peraza (2B, Atlanta Braves)
Peraza is another guy that you’re probably not going to get with the twelfth pick in a ‘normal’ MiLB draft, but you’re probably jumping up and down with glee if you actually are able to add the 43rd overall prospect on Bret’s Dynasty 101 with a pick outside the top ten. The Braves have Peraza working out in center field a bit this spring in an effort to add further versatility to the former shortstop’s profile. Having center field eligibility would certainly make Peraza a tick more valuable in leagues with outfield positional distinctions, such as this one.
13. Pittsburgh – Rafael Devers (3B, Boston Red Sox)
Devers is a guy that may be available to be picked in shallower MiLB drafts this spring because he played his first professional season stateside as a 17-year old. If he is indeed available to be drafted, you’re probably going to have to jump on him a lot earlier than pick thirteen. Devers has been shooting up prospect lists all offseason (already at #77 on the Dynasty 101 and fifth overall in the Red Sox system) and figures to further climb up the rankings as his gains more experience. He may not end up at third base as he ages, but the bat will play anywhere and should enable him to be a fast riser through the Red Sox system.
14. St. Louis – Bradley Zimmer (CF, Cleveland Indians)
The second college bat to be selected in this draft from the 2014 June class, Zimmer doesn’t have huge upside, but his floor should be pretty good from a fantasy perspective, especially if he is able to stick in center field. Zimmer could see time in Cleveland as early as 2016, when the Michael Bourn era in center should be nearing it’s conclusion.
15. Boston – Aaron Nola (SP, Philadelphia Phillies)
This pick was made prior to the Phillies’ questionable decision (a phrase typed often this winter) to not invite Nola to big league camp this spring, but with the combination of Cliff Lee’s injury, the potential for a Cole Hamels deal looming and rotation consideration being given to guys like Joely Rodriguez, the seventh overall pick doesn’t figure to spend much time in the minors.
16. New York Yankees – Nick Gordon (SS, Minnesota Twins)
Gordon should stick at short, but doesn’t have the typical high upside profile of a middle infielder taken in the first five picks of an amateur draft, which is why he ends up in the teens in most dynasty drafts this offseason.
17. Minnesota – Manuel Margot (CF, Boston Red Sox)
Margot fits the prototypical table-setting center fielder with the ability to swipe 30-40 bags profile, albeit with a bit more pop. He is also another guy who may be available in your draft, as he didn’t experience a statistical breakthrough until 2014, so check to see if Manny Fresh is available in your league.
18. Texas – Jeff Hoffman (SP, Toronto Blue Jays)
In a draft where Tyler Kolek went fifth overall, getting Hoffman at pick number eighteen is downright thievery. He’s already ten months clear of his Tommy John surgery, and anytime you can get a pitcher who profiles as a borderline fantasy ace when healthy towards the back end of the first round, that’s a risk you take every single time.
19. Kansas City – Reynaldo Lopez (SP, Washington Nationals)
Lopez is certainly a popular name in MiLB drafts this offseason and for good reason, he had an obscene 2014 season (1.08 ERA in 83.1 IP across two lower levels) that went unnoticed by many until he started popping up on various prospect lists this winter. Baseball Prospectus pegged Lopez fourth among Nationals prospects and he should have plenty of eyeballs on him this season pitching in the same rotation as Lucas Giolito, which could lead to even more helium this summer.
20. Toronto – Hector Olivera (2B/3B, Free Agent)
It’s curious that a league that doesn’t allow in-season minor league transactions allows a player that is unsigned to be drafted, but these aren’t my rules. Olivera should find a home in short order and appears to be big league ready. There are questions about the soon-to-be thirty year old’s elbow, but that won’t stop him from garnering a contract that will most likely range in the neighborhood of $30-$50 million. If you can get a big league ready bat outside of the top ten, it’s usually a good idea to do so.
3 Comments
so did the team that drafted baldoquin not know that olivera was eligible?
[…] you missed our last two endeavors, we are recapping an offseason MiLB draft of the man who generates the most thought […]
[…] why taking Roberto Baldoquin over Nomar Mazara (and Jose Peraza) is generally a horrible idea Part Two featured virtually all top-100 dynasty prospects being snatched off the board, and again, why you […]