The seventh draft day has come and gone and here is the update from BASEBALL AMERICA on the top ten picks this year.
1. NEW YORK KABOOMS -Damaso Seguignol age:20 P
Chosen with the first pick, Damaso comes with pinpoint accuracy bu has issues with velocity. His 4 seam fastball is hittable, but when he tosses in the changeup or the slider he can be downright nasty. Baseball America scribes have him listed as a potential ML pitcher within two to three years.
2. MONTERREY DESERT DAWGS - Chris Everett age: 18 P
Chris is a long term project with almost no chance of seeing the ML until at least four years from now. His velocity is a problem and left handers have been banging him all over the yard this year in HS. Monterrey's hope is that he can settle down and find himself.
3. HOUSTON COLT 45's - Ken Burns age:21 P
Ken was 7-3 with a 1.29 ERA at the Citadel this year and the scouts have all agreed that there is no reason why he can't translate his performance into professional ball. A talented three pitch hurler, Ken's only weakness seems to be his injury bug (almost 60 days missed during college) and his ability to adapt to the schedule of the pro world. As one scout remarked on draft day "Great potential, sky's the limit with dis kid."
4. TEXAS RATTLERS - Otis Tartabull age:21 SS
Picture the defense of Ozzie Smith with the power of A-Rod and you come up with Otis. His performance on defense is only enhanced by his bat. He'll put you in the lead with a mammouth HR and then make a great diving stop to save the game. Led Cal. State Poly with HR and RBI(12 45).
5. MONTREAL TRAIN WRECK - Louis Diaz age:22 RF
The University of Arkansas Fayettville was sad to see him graduate. In his four year career Louis hit .392 and dropped 90 bombs with over 220 RBI on his opponents. Leading his team to four consecutive conference championships, we here at Baseball America consider him to be the steal of the draft. This young man is ready for the big leagues now and any time spent in the minors will just be a waste of talent.
6. CHICAGO UNTOUCHABLES - Winston Spurgeon age:20 C
This pick puzzeled us as we couldn't figure out why this was the first catcher taken in the draft. Spurgeon has an excellent bat, and his batting eye will remind fans of Rod Carew. He won't strike out a lot, and he's the batter we'd love in the bottom of the ninth down by one with runners on the corners. However, he's a defensive liability. His calling is designated hitter and might as well leave the glove at home.
7. OKLAHOMA CITY LAWMEN - Valerio Abreu age:18 SS
The second SS taken in this year and with good reason. He's only a High Schooler, but he shows the makeup of a seasoned veteran. He won't impress anybody with his power but he's a student of the game and as his HS coach told us " Val spends just as much time as we do in the clubhouse studying. He believes he needs to know eveything about his next opponent." Defense and mature attitude make this pick great.
8. HELENA BULL RIDERS - Cliff Sasser age:18 P
Sasser led the Washingtoin Avengers to the Class 6A Kansas high school championship with a 6-0 0.92 record. We project Cliff to be a mid level reliever, only because he doesn't have a fastball. Cliff reminds us of a Hoyt Wilhelm who survived 20+ seasons with junk. His attitude shows greatness, but he'll need plenty of seasoning in the minors to make the jump up to the bigs.
9. DURHAM DOGSZ - Morrie Gailard age:20 2B
Morrie impressed the writing staff here at Baseball America with his unique bating style. As he stands in waiting for the pitch, the bat is all over the place like he's swatting at flies. But let him see a pitch he likes, and he'll put it into play. He'll play a decent defense but with suspect arm strength, the defense set up will have to shade the second base side. Perhaps being too rough on himself, his makeup and patience will need help. He's definatlely a project and we project him as a potential AAA starter or capable ML backup.
10. IOWA CITY INDIANS - Sparky Paul age:18 2B
Every year a pick is made that totally stumps us. I mean, like we have to sit here and wonder what the GM was smoking to make this pick. Sparky is it. Ignored by all the scouts we tried to piece together what was available. He graduated Northern HS where he was actually a sub at second. For the two years he played varsity he hit .268 with 1 HR and 35 RBI. The only plus we could find about him was the 18 SB in 19 ATT. Iowa must have some super secret scouting staff or they didn't realize that a first pick should actually make the team.
