By Scott Plack

6/8/2020 New Orleans, LA – As the dust settles on a frantic draft day by the Trendsetters, we take a look at some of the more interesting picks – bearing in mind that New Orleans picked up 9 players through the first four rounds. Of course, one of those nine included the top overall pick in the draft. Tatsuzo Ono has also agreed to give us his take on each player as well.

Round 1- Pick 1: John Turner, SP UCLA

Turner was pretty much the consensus as the top pitcher in the draft. He has a five pitch repertoire and has shown a top speed of 98 mph.

Tatsuzo Ono’s Take-

If the kid develops as he should, he will have a solid career- maybe even an all-star. Great stuff, needs to work on the movement of his pitches, above average pitch placement. He is a leader and other player’s will look up to him.

While he is probably not the next Hancock, he certainly is the best pitching prospect the Trendsetters have and have seen in a very long time. Priority one will be to lock him down which may mean a high signing bonus to be paid out.

Round 1- Pick 17: Roberto García, LF South Caldwell High School

Roberto was the first of two outfielders drafted by Trendsetter who played for South Caldwell. He helped South Caldwell lead the Interscholastic Federation in most major offensive categories with 33 home runs, 78 runs batted in, and 14 stolen bases. While he is listed as a left fielder, he actually played mostly in CF where he accumulated a +2.8 zone rating.

TO-Should be a substantial contributor, .270 hitter maybe with plus-plus power and speed. Smart kid to boot.

Roberto may ask for a large sum of money as well. But the Trendsetters do have cash reserves large enough to cover this major intake of talent. He was also the first of four straight outfielders drafted by the Trendsetters.

Supplemental Round – Pick 1: Gabe Moran, CF South Caldwell High School

Moran batted before his teammate but was picked second. He added 24 home runs, 71 runs batted in, and 24 stolen bases to South Caldwell’s dominant offense. Though he is listed as a CF it is more likely that he will be brought up through the system as a corner outfielder due to his lack of range and sure glove.

TO- I don’t like this guy at all. If he makes it to the PEBA as a regular starter…I will eat my own hat.

The front office is hoping that Moran becomes this year’s Swift. Bob Swift was picked up in the second round based more on his statistical output rather than his scout rating. He proceeded to smash 29 home runs and hit .348 at Hi-A last year. His power numbers are down a notch at AA this year, but he is still outperforming scouts predictions. Moran, unlike Swift, is just out of high school so he doesn’t have as much experience, and if he asks for a high signing bonus, he may present New Orleans with a significant risk. He has certainly been able to perform at the high school level, can he take that to the next?

Round 2- Pick 16: Jim McIntosh, CF UCONN

McIntosh continues a theme in all of the outfielders picked up in this year’s draft – power. McIntosh is listed as a CF but he spent his years at UCOnn mostly as a designated hitter. He will most likely find a home in right field. He differs a bit in skill set with the two previous outfielders in that he has the ability to draw walks at a much higher rate.

TO-Some scouts have predicted stardom others suggest just a regular guy. I will hedge bets and say he ends up in the middle of those predictions. Plus power and above average speed and smarts.

McIntosh was the lone star on a fairly weak offensive team. It will be interesting to see what he will do once he is surrounded by players of higher caliber.

Round 2- Pick 19: Andy Lee, CF Sarasota High School

Lee’s senior year was overshadowed by teammate Greg Smith’s 53 game hitting streak. He is probably the best defensive center fielder the Trendsetter drafted. He has speed to burn.

TO-Has the tools to be productive if he puts it all together. May be the fastest player in the draft. Needs to hone his power, but he works harder than anyone else on the team.

Lee walked 53 times in his senior year and was also hit by a pitch 8 times. If he can continue to get on base his speed and defense at CF will make him valuable to any team.

Round 3-Pick 1: Marcos Colón, 3B UAB

When you have as many picks as New Orleans did then there is higher propensity to take risks, and Marcos seems like one. The front office confirmed that at some point they began to look at trying to take the best player left in each position. Marcos fit the bill statistically, though he only started 2 of his 4 years at UAB. He is projected at being a very good defensive third baseman, with average offensive capabilities.

TO-Hate’ em…Next?

Bonus Pick Analysis

Round 4 Pick 1- Félix Zavala, 1B Barbe High School

Zavala may be one of the most interesting test cases for statistical preference versus scout ratings. Zavala ended his high school career of 192 games with a .445 batting average. During the past season he had 280 plate appearances and struck out just 5 times. He only struck out 11 other times over his first three years. He has average power. The front office has stated that the player he most reminds them of is Pexego.

TO-Sometimes the front office chases a pipe dream. This guy is one of those, I don’t see him making it very far at all. AAAA player at best.