by Francis Ferry, NLN baseball beat writer

June 9, 2036: Asheville, North Carolina – After a strong April and abysmal May, June welcomes a club that we have no clue as to what they really are. But on this day, in the Ballroom of the Asheville Hotel, we do have some clue of what the future may bring for the Aurora Borealis as they welcomed the Draft Class of 2036 at the 30^th Annual PEBA Amatuer Draft. Aurora GM Will Topham and his Assistant GM Javier Padilla were on hand at the Borealis table – accompioned by Scouting Director Jose Suarez and President and CEO, Miss Lyon Topham.

This year’s draft class was deemed to be one of the deepest in years – especially on the mound, which bode well for the Borealis who once more lacked a 1^st round pick due to maneuvering around signing a compensation-eligible free agent – last year it was Francisco Montoya and this year Ramon Gonzales. To that end, Aurora had traded their 1^st round pick and other considerations to Yuma for three 2^nd round picks – one of which (Yuma’s) they lost as the compensation, and a third. Coupled with their own 2^nd round pick, that gave Aurora three 2nds and Yuma’s 3^rd round pick. Aurora had traded their own 3^rd to Hartford for Clothilde Casco.

Aurora’s first pick of the draft, at #44 – originally Tempe’s selection, set a tone for the early part of the draft – which had a heavy high school flavor. The Saints of Hidegard HS’s Leo Gerber, a closer by trade and reinforcing the fact that Aurora isn’t afraid to draft that position early in the draft – a behavior dating all the way back to 2011 and the ‘Stork’. Gerber will turn 18 in a month and is a 6’4”, 180 lb lefty who throws from the ¾ slot, bringing some heat – topping out at 97 MPH with an equally filthy fastball and curve. Leo was a starter his freshman year, going 2-2 with an outstanding 1.02 ERA, striking out 59 and walking just 10 – showing early on his immense talent. The following year – and through graduation, Gerber was used in relief – often as a closer, and in three seasons he collected 12 saves in 49 appearances. During that time he posted a 1.34 ERA – and his senitor year it was 0.35 as he helped the Saints to the IHS semi-finals, losing to the eventual champions – Point Grey HS. His postseason numbers are equally impressive – he was 2-0 with 4 saves with a. 0.59 ERA in 6 games this year (19 K, 5 BB, 15.1 IP) and in 2034 he was 1-0 with a 1.02 ERA over 8 appearances. What Aurora may have in store for Gerber is to be seen. The club’s initial thoughts are reportedly to give him a shot at starting once more – with a trip to winter ball in the near future. What we can be sure of is he will begin his pro career at Montserrat in the coming days – assuming he signs with the club. He does have an offer from Purdue on the table.

The 55^th pick of the draft originally belonged to the Niihama-shi Ghosts, but it became Aurora’s through the trade with the Yumans, and with that selection the Borealis took starting pitcher Dae-hyun Pak, from Andong HS. Pak is an pitcher much in the mould of Gerber – a 6’3”, 180 lb lefty with two dominant pitches – in Pak’s case a fastball and slider – and like his draft mate, he will no doubt find his way to winter ball to learn an additional pitch to make him a tougher foe on the mound. A hard-working lad – by all accounts from his high school coaching staff, Pak has split time between starting and relieving. Last year, in 13 relief appearances, he had 5 saves, but a 7.36 ERA as clubs slaughtered everything he threw up there. This year – and in 2034, his ERA was uder 2.00 – 1.17 in ’34 and 1.91 this year, with 113 K and 9 BB in 91.1 IP as a starter. With a commitment to Jeju University, Aurora may have to open their pocketbooks to keep both their top picks on board – particularly important for an organization that is shy on the one thing they have historically been good at on the major league level – pitching. Assuming he stays, he, too, will be off to the Paradise League.

Leo Gerber’s battery mate at Hildegard was the choice at #64 – Aurora’s own 3^rd round pick, as they selected switch-hitting catcher Karsten Koertig. The 6’2”, 195 lb backstop may require some development behind the plate – he will remind folks of current starter Pedro de la Cruz, but he does have some offensive potential.A high contact hitter, who drives the ball gap-to-gap, coaches praise him for his ability to keep the ball in play while keeping the strikeouts to a minimium. As a 4-year starter, Karsten managed to hit 7 HR in each of three of the years. He also finshed with 12-2B in those same three years. Twice he has won the Platinum Stick at his position – with a good chance of winning it again in the Atlantic Conference as he led all catchers in average (.344), RBI (25), OBP (.388), SLG (.563), hits (52), 2B, WAR (1.7), and his homer total was second in the conference. Defensively he threw out 52% of potential basestealers. Padilla told us that Koertig was the 2^nd catcher on their list, with Moromao Yokoyama being selected by San Antonio earlier at #48. Karsten, who does not turn 18 until the PEC arrives, will follow Gerber and Pak to Montserrat and he is expected to be the starter behind the plate. Aurora has only had two catchers that they drafted that became a regular starter – Scott Vinson and ‘Fido’ Castro. Rusty Butler, also a draftee, started from time to time. Aurora is hopeful that Koertig will be the next. UPDATE: Karsten was named the Atlantic Conference Platinum Stick at catcher.

With Yuma’s pick, the 70^th overall, in the 3^rd Aurora made it 4-4 on high schoolers selecting ‘Senor Siesta’ – 1B Mark Newton, out of Katy HS. The first you might notice about Newton is how he reminds one of a young Raul Munoz. Similar body type – though the soon to be 18-year old is lacking a few pounds, they move around the bag at first and handle the glove in much the same manner, and aside from Munoz having a bit of pop in his bat, they both are high contact, gap-hitting hitters who don’t strikeout much and aren’t afraid to take a walk. Perhaps the other place they vary is Newton’s great speed with quality baserunning – although he led the Eastern League in SB, he also led the Eastern League in CS. During all four years of Mark’s high school career Newton was a starter and the Katy Tigers were playoff teams – winning their division the last three. With the exception of a dismal sophomore season, Newton put up years of .304, .320 and .307. Mark Newton also excelled in the classroom, where he was an All-Interscholastic Academics team member. With a commitment to Central Florida, Aurora is expected to make a competitive offer for a quality – if not unconventional, first baseman.

To that end, Aurora is expected to make very strong, competitive bonus offers to their first four selections, recognizing that they were fortunate to have this many selections in the top 70 in a talent laden draft – all four may project to be future contributers on The Front Range. Fans in the Greater Denver area may finally have some quality prospects to follow and root for – and the front office isn’t going to let that get away.

The remainder of Aurora’s picks fell in their own spot and in the 4^th the took USC starting pitcher George Anderson – the first college player drafted by the Borealis. This may also be the first risk pick for Aurora, as in 2035 Anderson lasted 2-starts and 9 IP (3 H, 5 K) as he was shelved his junior year with elbow soreness that required elbow decompression surgery. The tall (6’4”) powerful right-hander bounced back this year and made 12 starts with a 1.11 ERA, striking out 57 and walking just 7 in 64.2 IP – enough to get some Outstanding Pitcher considerations – and certainly comeback player nods. That effort reflects his sophomore season in which he was 5-4 with a 1.23 ERA in 13 GS, with 91 K in 80 IP. He features a dominating fastball that tops out at 100 MPH, which he matches with an average looking set of a curve, slider and change – all potentially enough to complement his fastball. His efforts this year lead the Travelers to first in the Western-10 title – before being rudely dismissed by the eventually USCBA Champs – the Michegan State Persians. His 0.60 WHIP was the best in the USCBA. Anderson will report directly to Mokule’ia in the Surf and Snow, and instantly becomes the best pitcher on that squad – that has begun the year at 10-2.

Lastly, on the first day, in the 5^th round Aurora selected CL Arthur Massingham out of the University of Queensland, 163^rd overall. The 6’2” lefty features a pair of equally difficult pitches for hitters to manage – a fastball that tops out at 96, and a late-breaking slider that he will use to catch RHB on the backside of the plate. Massingham was 4-1 with a 1.93 ERA, with 22 K and 11 BB – the worst ratio of his college career. Over 23.1 IP he did not allow a homer. He instantly becomes the best reliever at Mokule’ia and is expected to take over the position for a pitching staff that expects to look stronger thanks to the draft.

Day 2 is expected to be a day for depth at both lower levels for Aurora – with no doubt better talent than they have acquired in those later rounds than in the past. My colleague Ray D. Enzé will cover the rest of the draft tomorrow in his Aurora Storealis blog. But after day 1, Aurora walks away much happier than they have been in years. Now the hard part – nursing these players upward and into Aurora Blue.