Familiar Tune on Draft Day 1
by Francis Ferry, NLN baseball beat writer
June 8, 2037: Asheville, North Carolina – The Aurora Borealis may be playing much stronger ball than they did last year, but the early draft theme that is now three years running continued – a very heavy high school player day 1 – and for the third straight year, a pitcher heavy day 1 was in the cards for the Borealis. After selecting Leo Gerber and Dae-hyun Pak leading off in 2036, Aurora looked to a different position – and for a somewhat different reasoning, to lead-off the 2037 draft class.
With their first pick, number 20 overall in the first round, Aurora selected Hideki Nishikawa, a primarily left fielder from Taiwan Tech University. ‘Smitty’ is a slender 6’ 1”, 175 lb, right-handed hitting speedster who led his team with a .316 average and 27 RBI in 2037. His .316 was 3rd best in the ICOL and he was a 2-tiime All-Star (’35 and ’37). What the Borealis scouts liked about this player was a potential for above average power, despite just hitting 4 HR for the Typhoon, and the exceptional ability to put the ball in play – the scouts say they are reminded of ‘Litterbug’ – which saw him walk more than he struck out during his three seasons at Taiwan Tech, and this year he posted a .395 OBP – 2nd best in the ICOL. Hideki also is rated very highly on the ‘readiness scale’, which leaves Aurora thinking he may fast-track his way through the system and quite probably be ready for his first cup of coffee as early as Fall 2038 – which will become an interesting storyline over the next 15-months. 
Nishikawa has incredible speed – which the defensive coaches hope he will learn to harness on the field, making his defense more valuable. He’s smart – a 3.7 GPA as a junior, and the Typhoon coaches say most will be hard-pressed to out-work him, so improved defense should be automatic. He hit .296 during his three years with 32-2B, 3-3B and 14 HR. He stole 23 bases in 2037 (tops in the ICOL) and was 49-69 in his career – a percentage that should improve with more work – as should the triples number once he reaches the spacious confines of Northern Lights Park. He will step into a starting position at Mokule’ia, but don’t be surprised if he doesn’t head west to SLRC by August.
Aurora would quickly turn their eyes to the mound with their pick in the second round – 59th overall, by selecting 17-year old Lyndon Marshland, a closer from Montego Bay High School. A slim 6’ 4”, 190 lb lefty, Lyndon is a hard-thrower – topping out at 97 with a quality fastball and splitter. His high school coach called him a ‘bull’ on the mound, and Aurora scouts agree – he’s a tireless worker on the mound – though the same high school coach was quoted saying, ‘but he’s not the brightest bulb’. Marshland began his HS career as a starter – he was 6-5 with a 2.67 ERA over his first two years, but was converted to a closer his junior and senior year – 5-3, 22 saves and a 1.94 ERA. There in lies the decision for the Borealis – to start or relieve. This season Montego Bay made the playoffs – exiting in the second round, but Lyndon made 6-appearances and threw 10-innings, allowed 9-hits, a run, walked one and struck out 6 – clearly not his fault his team fell well short of a title. 
You won’t find Marshland at the top of any significant stat lines in the IHS, but he did have the third best WAR for relievers – perhaps a better reflection of his effectiveness. He has committed to UAB, but those around him suggest he’s ready for pro ball instead of more school, so he should be a fairly easy sign for Aurora. He will certainly begin his career at Montserrat, and likely play for the Mystique into a 3rd season before moving him up the food chain – much as they are doing with 2035 top pick, CL Vince Raynor.
Aurora found themselves holding three picks in the 3rd round – thanks to trades with Okinawa (Richard Neely deal) and Kalamazoo (Pedro Morales trade) – as well as their own pick. With first of those, the 89st pick in the draft, Aurora selected Toshimichi ‘Cha Cha’ Ohayashi, an 18-year old right-handed pitcher from Kochi High School, whose career arc is the polar opposite of Marshland’s – Toshi began as a closer during his first two seasons – where he won the IHS PC Reliever of the Year Award as a freshman and finished second as a sophomore – posting a 7-1 mark with a 0.64 ERA and 26 saves, then pitching in a starting role his junior and senior seasons – 2-3 and a 2.11 ERA. He struck out 169 hitters and walked just 31 over 154 career IP. The 6’ 2”, 175 lbs ‘Cha Cha’ attacks you with his 101 mph fastball that coaches say is already devastating. His sinker isn’t chopped liver either. If there was one place for complaining, his coaches all concurred that he was ‘a little more than lazy’ – something Aurora hopes he will grow out of. He had two tastes of playoff baseball – during his first two-seasons – striking out 31 in 19.1 IP, but the gopherball bit him three-times – putting a downer on his statistical results. That can be looked at as an anomaly, as he allowed only 6 HR over his 154 career IP. Where Aurora settles with with Ohayashi is a question much like Marshland – both excelled at closer and starter; a difficult one, but likely as a starter for both – for now. Committed to Chuo University, should he sign, ‘Cha Cha’ will begin his pro career at Montserrat.
With the 91st overall, Aurora turned their attention back to the fielders, taking a young 2B from Klein-Collins High School – 2B Pedro Luján. The right-handed swinging 17-year old is tall – 6’ 5”, lanky – 185 lbs, for a 2B who has also played some SS – though not as effectively. His defense is graded as just over average, and his running skills grade out as a good runner on the bases, despite below average speed. What fans may find to their liking is that he rates similarly to Nishikawa – the potential for some pop, high contact rate, gap hitting and good at putting the ball in play. Pedro hit .275 for the Hellcats and is known for just coming to practice and doing his job. He has a commitment to Tulane and we’re told he’s pretty sold on making the journey from his home in Houston to New Orleans. Should he sign, he’s expected to be the starting 2B for the Mystique, playing across the bag from 2035 3rd round pick Robert Godefroy.
With the pick that belonged to themselves (93rd overall) the Borealis went out on a limb and took a chance – took a risk on a player that might be the biggest roll of the die in the entire draft. They selected Jonathan Mason, a left-handed, hard-throwing (topping out at 99) starting pitcher out of Lakewood High School. We say big risk not because of his career stats for the Lancers – 16-8, 1.51 ERA over 38 career starts and 209 IP. Not for the 205 K and 28 BB – nor the 0.6 HR/9 or .205 BABIP. Nope. On May 3rd, as Lakewood and Boone HS competed in game 7 of the first round of the playoffs – after completing 3-innings of 1-hit ball, Mason came out of the game with a ruptured UCL – and just like that Tommy John surgery was in his future. Mason’s season was over. Without Mason the Lancers lost to the Rocky Mountain High Grizzlies in 7-games in the 2nd round – having lost what would have been his start in the series. Lakewood would be a three-year playoff qualifier and Mason would make 8-starts – 4-2, 0.90 ERA. He threw 40-innings with 40 K, 10 BB and no HR allowed. What that tells us is he is a winner. It’s expected he will have a 9-month recovery period, so he won’t be ready until spring training – where he’ll be able to rehab at the major league training site in Grand Junction and spend time with the full array of Aurora legends/coaches – Provost, ‘Tugboat’, ‘Stork’, ‘Vulture’, ‘Sleepy’, and George Thompson – unlike his fellow draftee and minor leaguers. He then will be re-evaluated – does he get a jump start at Mokule’ia, or will they continue to show patience and wait a full 12-months for the start of the IBC? We expect the Borealis to be patient – he may be very good, but he is raw. Aurora has had some good results with guys recovering from UCL injuries, let’s hope this becomes another example – making this a jackpot of a risk. Jonathan was a two-time All-Star (’34 and ’36), won the 2036 IF HS WL Outstanding Pitcher and he has a commitment to USC.
The Borealis lacked a 4th rounder this year – off to Kentucky in the Ortega trade, so their next – and last pick of day 1, was the 156th overall pick which they used to take SP Jack McRae out of Immaculata High School. Aurora scouts grade McRae much as a left-handed version of Ohayashi – tall (very tall at 6’ 7”), slender (195 lbs) with an extremely hard, powerful fastball and a nearly as devastating slider. And like ‘Cha Cha’, a winter ball trip to learn another pitch may be in his future. For Jack, that’s where the comparisons end. His HS career began well – he as an IHS All-Star his freshman year and finished 2nd in the Oustanding Pitcher voting, but then it all fell apart. His sophomore year was waylaid by a torn biceps – missing half the year; an injury that may have been perculating all season as he posted an 11.08 ERA over his 5 GS. He spent five weeks of his junior year battling a sore shoulder and back spasms – to the effect of a 5.47 ERA and more walks than strikeouts. Those back spasms continued this year, limiting him to 8 starts, but he showed marked improvement statistically – a 1.91 ERA with 28 K and just 5 BB – returning to the promise of his freshman year (0.45 ERA, 84 K, 4 BB in 59.2 IP). The Aurora coaching and training staff were convinced after film study that Jack’s problems primarily stem from poor mechanics – a result of his tall stature and hard throwing. Michel Provost told me via text that ‘he throws way to hard; he tries to hard. He needs to channel his inner Randy Johnson’. One look at the film and you see it – he’s all knees and ankles with his delivery. McRae has a commitment to Marshall, and he seems firm about that decision, but Aurora may be able to convince him that he will grow more – and faster, working in their system. He would slot into the Mystique rotation.
So there you have Day 1 of the draft for the Borealis – four pitchers, a 2B and an outfielder. If history pans out, expect Day 2 to be more a case of filling depth with the best available by position. It’s hard to predict if there will be a specific lean, but you can read all about it in my colleague Ray’s blog tomorrow.