2025 Fargo Dinosaurs Draft

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2025 Fargo Dinosaurs Draft

#1 Post by Dinosaurs »

The Planetary Extreme Baseball Association's 2025 amateur draft was completed this past Thursday and the struggling Fargo Dinosaurs currently in the process of rebuilding the organization with young prospects with the hope of competing in the Great Lakes Division sooner rather than later. Here we will highlight a few of the notable selections made by the Dinosaurs' front office.

1st Round, 8th selection overall: SP Nathan Dempster

With their first selection the Dinosaurs took some time before finally settling on the left-handed college graduate out of Australia. The 21 year old (soon to be 22 in less than a month), completed four strong seasons totaling 240 innings pitched with a 19-7 record and 1.80 ERA in 44 starts. He carried an impressive 0.77 WHIP and 11.5 K/9. Early scouting reports on the youngster have him featuring some impressive stuff. Dempster flashes three pitches, a good fastball, curveball, and changeup, the last of which is said to be potentially elite. He throws in the low to mid 90s, does an excellent job holding the runners, and projects to have the stamina to remain a starter.

There are some questions regarding his control at this time, though he didn't have any trouble in college with walks, some scouts wonder though if he'll struggle against higher competition. He also can get lazy with his fastball at times and can be susceptible to home runs as a result. Fargo Dinosaurs front office personal expect Dempster, if signed, to start the season at short-season A-ball.

2nd Round, 41st selection overall: 3B Ken'ichi Yamasaki

The switch-hitting college graduate born in Yokohama, Kansai, Japan was viewed as a controversial pick when the Dinosaurs selected him in the 2nd round. But, this wasn't because of this hitting capabilities. The 6'1 200 lb infielder, hit for a 172 OPS+ (.297/.409/.492) in 874 plate appearances over his four years in college. He ended up with more walks than strikeouts and also stole 18 bases. Scouts rave about his strike-zone awareness and bat-to-ball skills, he's not the fastest of runners, but he's exceptionally smart on the basepaths and can easily stretch a single into a double and go from first to third if you aren't paying attention. He has a natural line-drive stroke that results in a “spray hitter” profile with a elevating swing enough to hit the ball regularly in the gaps. He'll probably be more of a doubles hitter than a homerun threat, but ultimately looks like his calling card will be his ability to reach base and should be an on-base percentage monster if everything works out.

Where the concern lies is his glove. Yamasaki has experience playing first base, third base, and right field. In college he was able to stick at third base, but there are serious concerns about his weight and the impact it will have on his range at that position. A move to first base looks likely in his future, though initial responses from Dinosaurs front office staff indicate that he'll get a long leash at third base. Unlike Nathan Dempster, the staff seem to indicate that if signed, the organization sees Yamasaki's bat as high-A level already and he should be sent directly to Bismarck instead of the short-season A league.

3rd Round, 69th selection overall: CF Rick Adams

With the third selection, the Fargo Dinosaurs took a little bit of a risk in selecting a high school prospect. Adams is a speedster who can cover a lot of ground in the outfield. In 521 plate appearances, he hit for a .244/.336/.317 (90 OPS+) and stole 21 bases while being caught just 6 times. He has a +8.4 Zone Rating in center field in high school as well. The left-handed hitter is mostly just projection at this point, at 6'1, 185 lbs, a quick first step and great instincts in the field, scouts see a player that should stick in center-field, while also being a threat on the base paths. Talking to one scout after the selection was made, he said his offensive profile compared to Fargo's 2nd round pick Ken'ichi Yamasaki in that Adams looks like he can become a doubles hitter with decent bat-to-ball skills and a good eye at the plate that likely won't be as good as Yamasaki's but when considering the defensive value Adams provides could be good enough to make it as a starter in PEBA if everything works out.

Adams is a high risk / high reward type at this point. His high-school numbers aren't all that great and he's shown little to know power with his bat, something that pitchers will take advantage of by challenging him more as he progresses through the minor league system. He'll most assuredly start in short-season A league assuming he signs.

4th Round, 102nd selection overall: 3B Cody Gould

If 2nd round selection Ken'ichi Yamasaki doesn't stick at third base, than the Dinosaurs 4th round choice Cody Gould should at least flash enough leather to remain there as an option in the future. Gould, a college player out of Quebec, Canada (continuing a heavy international flare to the top picks for Fargo this year) has a good bat and above average range and a great arm that fit well in the third base position. Gould hit for a 105 OPS+ in 653 plate appearances while stealing 14 bases.

Scouts see a player with an already advanced patience at the plate and decent hit tool. He's struggled with strikeouts though, and will have to make some progress in pitch recognition before he'll see high A ball, one Fargo Dinosaur scout said, but the early consensus around the organization is that he should be a decent hitter with a high OBP. He may some time at second base in the minors, but he isn't the most instinctual fielder around.
Cristian Shofar - GM Fargo Dinosaurs
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