As with any prospect, any projection is at the whim of fate. Even the most promising of prospects have a habit of failing in PEBA either by retiring or injury, those of us who have been around for a long time know how turbulent a minor league system can be. Even college players who are used to a longer season may find themselves unable to deal with the stressors of a full professional season.
In the first of what I hope are several articles, I will break down each player and their fit within the organization that OSA expects those players to join. I hope to finish the entire first and supplemental rounds.
- (FLA) CF Gordon Knopp – An obvious choice at the front of the draft features a center fielder who many scouts find the most apt comp with none other than perennial all-star and MVP candidate Pat Watson. While Knopp looks promising to have a long, fruitful career in PEBA, his batting profile is not quite as dynamic as Watson’s showing more of a penchant to swing at pitches out of the zone, leading to weak contact and strikeouts. These fears have thus far been unfounded as Knopp has put up consistently mind-boggling numbers in his four years at Arizona State. Over four years, Knopp has managed to accrue 25.08 WAR, absolutely obliterating the long-standing record set by the younger Raines whose 18.19 WAR had held for 14 years. After his season wraps up (the Solar Angels made a strong resurgence in the second half of their season to progress to the playoffs), Knopp will hold many USCBA records and be in the top 10 in even more due to his consistent elite performance. This is to say nothing about his defensive prowess. In four years starting with Arizona State, Knopp made one error. Not per year. For his entire career. And it happened like a month ago. If you think that’s because he doesn’t make difficult catches, Knopp is ranked second in ZR. To put it simply, if there ever is a USCBA Hall of Fame, the building should carry Knopp’s name.
- (FLA) 1B Vito van Wondel – A fellow Dutchman, hailing on an hour or so from Luppe van Dam’s stomping grounds, Vito has been everything that Knopp’s offensive output has been except even more impressive. With a career slash of .415/.503/.818, van Wondel has had the most impressive offensive career in the history of amateur baseball. While you may think this would classify him as the number one pick, van Wondel’s limiting factor is his glove. As a first basemen, van Wondel’s stock has a ceiling. It may be one of the highest ceilings for a first basemen in recent memory… but there is a ceiling. To illustrate just how prodigious he was, van Wondel’s worst season was 2030 where he slashed .396/.467/.758. As Knopp is to USCBA, van Wondel is to ICOL. Van Wondel being #2 is less of a disparagement of his abilities and more of a celebration of Knopp.
- (FLA) 2B Michael Roberts – OSA seems pretty sure that Florida is opting for all offense with the first three picks in the draft and really, who can blame them? While the first two picks show college players who have already reached the apex at the highest level of amateur play, Roberts is a bit more of a question mark at only 18 years old. The obviously gifted teen has had great success in his high school career, capping it off with a tremendous 2031 campaign where the youngster hit .365/.465/.503. Over his four years in high school, Roberts has shown the ability to change up his approach, seemingly understanding well ahead of time that his speed and bat-to-ball skills parlay nicely into a leadoff role, Roberts fit that niche to a “T” in 2031, upping his OBP by 80 points and hitting the least amount of homers in a season. That is not to say Roberts doesn’t have any pop – far from it – the young phenom seems to see himself in a leadoff position and running roughshod on the empty basepaths that such a position provides.
- (AMA) LF Sandor Vis –In a world where Knopp and van Wondel do not exist, Vis would have been an almost unanimous first pick, knee injuries notwithstanding. An already polished hitter, Vis looks ready to start making a difference almost immediately, hitting a PEBA roster as early as 2032. Vis pairs his world class bat with a passable defense in LF where he will not be a liability. In a farm is made up predominantly of pitching, Vis is an obvious choice here for the Lions.
- (KAL) P Mike Robinson – The first pitcher taken in the draft is Mike Robinson. A flame-throwing righty out of Seton Hall, Robinson was off to a flying start this year before being sidelined due to shoulder inflammation back in March. Already advanced in his stuff and movement, Robinson’s main opportunity for growth is in his control. Although not evident from his stats (Robinson has continually improved on his BB/9 stats since entering college), Robinson may find professional ball less forgiving to a hurler that relies on his overpowering stuff. This would be an interesting pick for Kalamazoo who is already deep on pitching talent, but as the adage goes: “you can never have too much pitching.”
- (AMA) P Brenden Clymo – Coming into the year, Clymo had an inside track to being a top 3 pick, but it’s clear that OSA predictors have soured slightly on Clymo due to his highest season ERA (it’s important to note here that the ERA was still a measley 2.82), subsequent uptick in FIP, and a decrease in K/9. Still, the young phenom has talent to spare for an Amsterdam team that looks to further bolster their stock of young arms like Manuel Canales and Bang-Xao Niu. Plus, look at those sideburns. WOW!
- (SS) C Iwao Yamamoto – As the second high school player taken, Yamamoto looks to be a sort of second coming of a young Marvin Hanson. Yamamoto has one of the most projectable bats in the draft. More of a spray hitter, Iwao creates front spin on his batted balls, causing his hits to have a preternatural ability to drop behind infielders and in front of outfielders. It would be an interesting project for Shin Seiki but one thing is for certain: Yamamoto wants to play.
- (CST) P Kyle Colquhoun – Colquhoun burst onto the scene this year, putting up fantastic numbers for the Collegio San Carlo Kings. His last 6 starts were the exclamation point, pitching a 0.79 ERA through 34 innings and striking out 43. For a growing system like Charleston, Colquhoun would be a great fit.
- (WV) LF Chris Krebs – A conservative pick here for West Virginia who, let’s face it, doesn’t need to take a ton of risks. Krebs is widely regarded as the most polished player in the draft and could find himself in a major league lineup within a year. With an ageing Don Mercer set in Alleghenies blue until 2033, Krebs would be a perfect shoo-in as Mercer’s contract expires.
- (CST) 2B Ewan Kody – Rounding out the top 10 is the English “Big Dipper,” Ewan Kody. Hailing from Liverpool, Kody has made a name for himself in ICOL, depositing doubles down the left field line for four years at Pontificia Universidad. With the makeup of a leadoff hitter and enough power to left, Kody has a particularly good shot to end up at second base for a long time. Kody is also interesting in that he has had better luck versus righties than lefties – a rare true opposite split guy. Especially in a leadoff role, this could prove to be invaluable to a team looking for their path to victory.
