Post by Ashes on Jan 6, 2015 11:03:26 GMT -5
Starting with 2014 I'm going to do things a little different (since we are now officially fictional). People familiar with UOSL or BBS will remember draft notes and whatnot. Now it's not going to exactly be the same thing, since FBB hid ratings whereas OOTP shows you them (for the most part), but I'm going to try to keep things interesting. For the main prospects I'll be updating scouting reports as the season goes along. You will see the players' talents vary as the season moves along, and there will be scouting report updates to reflect those changes. So, for the most part the ratings you see will be roughly where that player will end up by the end of the season. Or will they?? Guess we'll find out!
5/1/2013
Hugh Dillinger, Catcher, 22 years old, USA
Scouts are very high on Dillinger. This guy eats and sleeps in the batting cages. He WILL put the ball into play, and he does it better than any other player in college right now. He is a hitting machine. Really has a knack for finding the gaps too. He is a manager's dream behind the plate. Great range and has an absolute cannon for an arm. Like most catchers, he's slow as molasses. He has decent instincts on the bases, but it'd help if he didn't run like his shoes were tied together. The general consensus is he'll be ready to play in the big leagues fairly soon after being drafted. Dillinger NEEDS to win. Absolutely can't stand losing. His teammates really look to him in the clubhouse. Should be a stud. Oh, did I mention he's a switch hitter?
Ciro Chaparro, Shortstop, 16 years old, DOM
Chaparro, affectionally known as "The Dwarf," stands (barely) 5'2" and weighs about 155 (soaking wet) and some scouts wonder if he's stopped developing physically. Chaparro has been dazzling spectators since he was just a wee chaparrito. One scout described his patience at the plate as "elite, far beyond his years." Another scout boldly predicted he'd break the base on balls record if he got the chance for a long career in the pros. Still needs work though offensively. Very average hitter. When he's not fouling it off or trotting to base, he's probably grounding out. Scouts worry he may never get his bat speed up to par. Has absolutely zero power and it's unlikely he'll develop any at his stature. If he could hit negative HRs, he would. Size-wise he may be a dwarf, but defensively, he's a wizard. Scout expect him to develop into a gold-glove caliber shortstop with his fantastic speed and arm. His instincts on the bases are very good, so he's always a threat. He's really perfected the art of bunting. Has really struggled with consistency.
Markus Robinson, First Baseman, 19 years old, USA
To be frank, Robinson (ha!) is a giant. A former college PF, Robinson blew out his knee freshman season. Since he suffered the same injury in high school, he decided to turn to his tertiary sport growing up, baseball. Tales of his home run blasts have become that of legend. The search is still on for over half of his batting practice home runs. Some believe they may have gone into orbit. His power is scary, to put it very mildly. Problem is he can't make contact to save his life, and oftentimes it looks like he should went with his fourth favorite sport: golf. Running isn't something he does. Ever. Defensively he's not bad. No ball will ever sail over his head, but he doesn't cover any extra ground between the bag and 2nd. He's come up big in a few games, so you have to fear him with runners on base, but he's still got a long way to go to put that immense power to good use.
5/23/2013
Hans van Volkenburg, Starting Pitcher, 21 years old, NLD
The Dutch Wonder, Hans van Volkenburg is a very intriguing pitching prospect. Mechanically, he isn't the most sound pitcher in the draft, but his talent is scary. He is a hurler in every sense of the word. He frequents the high 90s, and has been rumored to have hit as high as 104. He was an absolute monster for the Dutch national team, and should bring a lot of that poise with him to the States. He won't need much developing in the minors, but he'll need to adjust to hitting over here most likely. His location is spotty. Even though he strikes out a ton of batter, he does struggle with command more often than you'd like. His pitch repertoire is, well, non-existent. He throws a fastball. That's it. Granted it may be the best fastball around, scouts are a little worried by the lack of ability to mix it up. He seems to keep the ball in the park more often than not, which is good, but he'll need a bit of work to be an elite pitcher.
Michael Steifel, Starting Pitcher, 21 years old, USA
Steifel is a rare knuckleballer who recently jumped on the scene with a breakout performance his junior season which saw him win 10 games with a sub 2 ERA. Steifel seems to have very solid control, but sometimes struggles with consistency. He produces a lot of groundball outs and rarely gives up blasts. He mixes in a fastball as well, but he throws the knuckle around 90% of the time. He really shows up in big moments and has great poise. His duration is questionable. Scouts wonder if he'll be able to shoulder the workload at the next level. Some worry he will struggle to go past 6 innings. Despite all that, he may be the best pitching prospect in the class.
Tim Elsberry, Shortstop, 23 years old, USA
Two-time Most Outstanding Player, Tim Elsberry has continuously proven himself at every level, yet still fails to draw the attention one would imagine from pro scouts. He doesn't have the allure of a younger projection player, but he just gets the job done. He is ready to play day one and is a very well-rounded hitter and defender. He hits pretty well for average, has solid power, and is very patient. He isn't the faster guy out there, but he has okay instincts on the bases. With Elsberry, what you see is what you get, but he's been pretty good so far. People have been doubting him since he was in high school, it might be a mistake to continue that trend.
Billy Lock, Third Baseman, 22 years old, USA
Billy Lock is your prototypical, switch-hitting third baseman. He has average bat skills but has some decent pop. He gets on base a lot, but tends to strike out more than you'd like. Lacks speed or athleticism, but is a solid defender at the hot corner. He tends to disappear when you need him to come up big, but in general you get a pretty good game out of him. He'll probably need a year or two in the minors, and he isn't going to wow anyone, but overall he'll end up a pretty solid player.
5/1/2013
Hugh Dillinger, Catcher, 22 years old, USA
Scouts are very high on Dillinger. This guy eats and sleeps in the batting cages. He WILL put the ball into play, and he does it better than any other player in college right now. He is a hitting machine. Really has a knack for finding the gaps too. He is a manager's dream behind the plate. Great range and has an absolute cannon for an arm. Like most catchers, he's slow as molasses. He has decent instincts on the bases, but it'd help if he didn't run like his shoes were tied together. The general consensus is he'll be ready to play in the big leagues fairly soon after being drafted. Dillinger NEEDS to win. Absolutely can't stand losing. His teammates really look to him in the clubhouse. Should be a stud. Oh, did I mention he's a switch hitter?
Ciro Chaparro, Shortstop, 16 years old, DOM
Chaparro, affectionally known as "The Dwarf," stands (barely) 5'2" and weighs about 155 (soaking wet) and some scouts wonder if he's stopped developing physically. Chaparro has been dazzling spectators since he was just a wee chaparrito. One scout described his patience at the plate as "elite, far beyond his years." Another scout boldly predicted he'd break the base on balls record if he got the chance for a long career in the pros. Still needs work though offensively. Very average hitter. When he's not fouling it off or trotting to base, he's probably grounding out. Scouts worry he may never get his bat speed up to par. Has absolutely zero power and it's unlikely he'll develop any at his stature. If he could hit negative HRs, he would. Size-wise he may be a dwarf, but defensively, he's a wizard. Scout expect him to develop into a gold-glove caliber shortstop with his fantastic speed and arm. His instincts on the bases are very good, so he's always a threat. He's really perfected the art of bunting. Has really struggled with consistency.
Markus Robinson, First Baseman, 19 years old, USA
To be frank, Robinson (ha!) is a giant. A former college PF, Robinson blew out his knee freshman season. Since he suffered the same injury in high school, he decided to turn to his tertiary sport growing up, baseball. Tales of his home run blasts have become that of legend. The search is still on for over half of his batting practice home runs. Some believe they may have gone into orbit. His power is scary, to put it very mildly. Problem is he can't make contact to save his life, and oftentimes it looks like he should went with his fourth favorite sport: golf. Running isn't something he does. Ever. Defensively he's not bad. No ball will ever sail over his head, but he doesn't cover any extra ground between the bag and 2nd. He's come up big in a few games, so you have to fear him with runners on base, but he's still got a long way to go to put that immense power to good use.
5/23/2013
Hans van Volkenburg, Starting Pitcher, 21 years old, NLD
The Dutch Wonder, Hans van Volkenburg is a very intriguing pitching prospect. Mechanically, he isn't the most sound pitcher in the draft, but his talent is scary. He is a hurler in every sense of the word. He frequents the high 90s, and has been rumored to have hit as high as 104. He was an absolute monster for the Dutch national team, and should bring a lot of that poise with him to the States. He won't need much developing in the minors, but he'll need to adjust to hitting over here most likely. His location is spotty. Even though he strikes out a ton of batter, he does struggle with command more often than you'd like. His pitch repertoire is, well, non-existent. He throws a fastball. That's it. Granted it may be the best fastball around, scouts are a little worried by the lack of ability to mix it up. He seems to keep the ball in the park more often than not, which is good, but he'll need a bit of work to be an elite pitcher.
Michael Steifel, Starting Pitcher, 21 years old, USA
Steifel is a rare knuckleballer who recently jumped on the scene with a breakout performance his junior season which saw him win 10 games with a sub 2 ERA. Steifel seems to have very solid control, but sometimes struggles with consistency. He produces a lot of groundball outs and rarely gives up blasts. He mixes in a fastball as well, but he throws the knuckle around 90% of the time. He really shows up in big moments and has great poise. His duration is questionable. Scouts wonder if he'll be able to shoulder the workload at the next level. Some worry he will struggle to go past 6 innings. Despite all that, he may be the best pitching prospect in the class.
Tim Elsberry, Shortstop, 23 years old, USA
Two-time Most Outstanding Player, Tim Elsberry has continuously proven himself at every level, yet still fails to draw the attention one would imagine from pro scouts. He doesn't have the allure of a younger projection player, but he just gets the job done. He is ready to play day one and is a very well-rounded hitter and defender. He hits pretty well for average, has solid power, and is very patient. He isn't the faster guy out there, but he has okay instincts on the bases. With Elsberry, what you see is what you get, but he's been pretty good so far. People have been doubting him since he was in high school, it might be a mistake to continue that trend.
Billy Lock, Third Baseman, 22 years old, USA
Billy Lock is your prototypical, switch-hitting third baseman. He has average bat skills but has some decent pop. He gets on base a lot, but tends to strike out more than you'd like. Lacks speed or athleticism, but is a solid defender at the hot corner. He tends to disappear when you need him to come up big, but in general you get a pretty good game out of him. He'll probably need a year or two in the minors, and he isn't going to wow anyone, but overall he'll end up a pretty solid player.