by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger
June 8, 2015: Asheville, North Carolina – The annual PEBA amateur draft began yesterday at PEBA Headquarters and the Borealis had two goals. One, draft for pitching – a common theme in Aurora, and one they followed. Two, draft for minor league depth – which Aurora accomplished, drafting a complete lineup-worth of players on day one alone.
But first, the gamble. Aurora held the 11th and 12th selections, and with many of the top-line starters already taken, the Borealis selected Arturo Jiménez, an 18-year-old pitcher from Moody HS who had a career 17-1 record and a 2.00 ERA. In 80 innings this year, he struck out 109 and walked 17 on his way to a 9-1 season. “Massacre”, as his teammates call him, has been described as reminding people of Florida's “Moondog” York – a big, strong guy who throws the hard fastball, complemented with the strong splitter. The gamble lies in the fact that most PEBA scouts and GMs view Jiménez as closer material because he features just those two pitches, but Aurora GM Will Topham announced clearly upon drafting Arturo that he will be a starter until further notice. "This kid has been dominant as a starter in high school," began Topham, "and we expect he will continue to be so. With some work on a third pitch in the minors, he could be even better. Arturo is tireless out there. He could be a real workhorse for us!" With no solid history of two-pitch star starters, this could be a bust, though the worst-case scenario is that they have yet another outstanding reliever to join Burris, Holbrook, and Kuhn.
With the 12th pick (a comp pick for failing to sign Jacob Lilly, who joins brother Pat in Bakersfield), Aurora took another starter in 21-year-old Edgardo Rojas out of Southern Miss. A classic Aurora selection under Topham: a guy with upside and a brain. Rojas had a shaky senior year, but there's the possibility that Rojas will begin the year at A-ball – that's how far along with his skill set he is. Edgardo's weaknesses thus far are his control and his stamina. "Stamina was a problem for Franky Chávez, too, but he seems to have overcome that,” stated Topham. Rojas features (yes, once again) a live arm, topping out at 101 MPH, and a pair of nasty pitches: a slider and sinker. With “Massacre” and Rojas, Aurora has a pair of arms that could be anchoring the staff in a few years – if they can simply harness their arsenal.
Topham has been adept at making moves that have brought a number of picks to Aurora each year. and this year was no different. The deal with Arlington for Wilson Berry brought 1st and 2nd round picks. With the 1st rounder, Aurora went for need and selected who they felt was the top catcher in the draft, Rusty Butler from Purdue. "Catcher has long been a position of strength in our organization, but we dealt three during 2014 and this off-season, moving Berry, Roger Bruce (both to Arlington; Bruce in the “Sawmill” deal), and Jeff Carroll (Manchester). We needed another body to complement Juan González (2014 supplemental pick #14).” Butler hit .333 in 189 AB this year with 16 2B and 8 HR. He also threw out a third of potential base stealers on the year. The Roseville, California resident is known for his hard work and intellect – he sported a 3.45 GPA upon graduation from Purdue. Another facet of Butler's game that Aurora likes is his patience at the plate – he has a career .444 OBP, walking more than he strikes out! With González progressing nicely in his second year of pro ball at SLRC, there is no rush for Butler, who'll begin at Mokule'ia.
With the 4th pick in the supplemental round, Aurora selected Javier Sepúlveda, an outfielder. A left-handed hitter from Marshall, Javier is a career .316 hitter who plays great defense and has a cannon for an arm. Javier's selection marked the start of Aurora's systematic attempt to "fill out a lineup card", as Topham termed it. "We looked at our organization and felt that, after drafting for certain positional needs over the years, it was time to look at depth."
Aurora had five selections in the second round and began with Ángel Barrera, a SS out of Indiana. Barrera is an outstanding fielder who can play all around the diamond. But defense is not all he brings to the table; he has great gap power and is yet another hardworking, bright guy that Aurora believes can learn to be a great hitter. Barrera brings a career .327 average and.469 SLG to Hawaii as he begins his pro career for the Borealis. Ángel’s biggest question mark is that he’s coming off a season of reduced play after suffering from an elbow injury that limited the four-year starter to 17 games. He may not be the man on the infield in the foreseeable future, but he reminds scouts of Johnny Davis – good D, pretty good offense and speed. If the opportunity is there, he just might make it!
With the 12th selection in the 2nd round, Aurora took CF Juan Rodríguez from the University of Houston. Though some scouts like Juan’s offensive abilities, Aurora head scout Joe Horn viewed him as more of a defensive specialist. “He’s got some pop. How much will be determined mostly by his playing time. He benefits greatly from our organizational lack of quality centerfielders, so he’ll play initially.” A three-year starter, it wasn’t until his senior year that Rodríguez put it all together, hitting .332 with 16 2B and 15 HR. He’s a rangy, speedy outfielder with superior skills in the field. With a bit of hard work at the plate – his college coaches raved about the work he put in going into his senior year – he could be a winner.
Aurora was faced with back-to-back 2nd round selections at #18 and #19. They made an interesting decision to draft two players at a position that may arguably be the strongest in their organization: closer. In selecting Cal Holland of Georgetown and Jimmy Younger of Arizona State, Aurora picked up a hard-throwing reliever and a change-of-speed specialist who could complement each other in the pen for years. “We went with the two best pitchers available. We are firm believers in a solid bullpen,” said Topham. Holland features a hard fastball and a late-breaking slider that has kept hitters off balance to the tune of a .202 average. He walked only 29 and struck out 131 in 106.1 career innings. Younger, a 21-year-old from Visalia, California, was drafted more on potential. Aurora’s scouts liked the effort he put forth in workouts. He features a sinker and curve. Though a closer at ASU, he’ll slide into the Mokule’ia middle relief corps, perhaps as a setup man.
With Aurora’s own 2nd round pick at #23, they selected a slow-footed but sharp-eyed outfielder from Arizona. Artie Thompson played only two seasons for the Lutes (ignoring his one 2013 AB), hitting .306 and .333. Scouts love his swing and believe he has the potential to display good power… if he can just stop striking out! “He has a great eye,” said Horn. “He gets a number of walks, but like Rod Johnson, he misses just a little too much.” Thompson made the Dean’s List his last three years at Arizona and he majored in physics. Aurora hopes he can master the physics of the baseball swing and improve his contact rate with what is otherwise a solid foundation at the plate.
The remaining players chosen by the Borealis will have an uphill road to make inroads within the organization. Jeremy Steele, a catcher out of Rice selected in the 3rd round, will certainly get a shot at sticking it out for a number of years simply by virtue of being a catcher. 4th rounder Ricardo Medina looks to be a poor man’s Ángel Barrera – and thus a poorer man’s Johnny Davis. His versatility will keep him in the organization for years to come and he’s smart enough to figure out that he’ll have to work harder in the pro game. Should he, Medina could be a diamond in the rough. Ritchie Norman is a 1B out of Rutgers taken #24 in the 4th round. Norman played only two years of college ball, but with a career .360 average and a .567 SLG (he had 19 2B and 9 HR in 216 AB his senior year), Ritchie could just sneak into the conversation of great Aurora first basemen… maybe. These are just some of the names that one day might make an impact at the big league level.
All in all, I think the Borealis had a very solid first day in North Carolina. Their early pitching selections should make an impact soon, as they are fairly polished. Aurora’s infield selections have upside and potential to grow. They play multiple positions around the diamond, something past drafts have failed to deliver. Maybe the weakest part of Aurora’s draft selections was in the outfield – ain’t that a familiar story? – but like many of the infielders, they have the potential to surprise. Aurora was able to draft some centerfielders, a position of need, so that’s a plus. Will they become the hitters Aurora will need in the future? That is the question. If I were to grade the Borealis’ effort these past two days, I think I’d slide a “B+” to the top of their paper. Most of these players will be beginning their pro careers in a week at Mokule’ia. Then and only then will we be able to begin the evaluation of this year’s draft.
