Mock Draft in July
Getting the earliest start ever on an I-75 League Mock Draft, we present the dozen players sure to go in the first round of the March 2009 draft:
1. Edinson Volquez, RHP, Cincinnati. Wish the Reds' righthander happy 25th birthday on Thursday. Everyone in the league will be salivating over his card come March. Currently he sports a 2.08 ERA with 110 strikeouts in 95 innings. Opponents are batting just .202 off him, he has a 1.21 WHIP, and has given up just four homers. Projected to: Bushwood, who will trade excess talent to get into the No.1 pick and land the former Ranger.
2. Evan Longoria, 3B, Tampa Bay. The touted Rays rookie, drafted third overall by Tampa Bay in 2006, is on pace for 30-35 homers, and just hit .309 in June with a 1.048 OPS number. He'll even have shortstop on his card. Only 22, he'll be a nice upgrade at the hot corner for Detroit, projected to trade into the No.2 pick to snag Evan after Adrian Beltre's disappointing year for the Mariners.
3. Jay Bruce, OF, Cincinnati. There will probably be outfielders available with better stats, but few with better upside to the multitooled Bruce. He's cooled off since his notorious hot start, but he still has strong numbers against righties (.309/.367/.506) and at age 21, the former 12th pick overall is projected to be a low-risk gamble for a team like Margaritaville, which will trade into this position.
4. Gavin Floyd, SP, Chicago White Sox. The big fella has Volquez-like numbers without the strikeout frequency. Foes are hitting just .206 off of him, and he sports a 1.12 WHIP over 95 innings. The 25-year-old was a fourth pick overall by the Phillies in 2001. Projected to: South Grand Prairie.
5. Kosuke Fukudome, OF, Chicago Cubs. It's easy to look past his 31 years of age when you see the .405 on-base average and what will likely be 100 walks and 190-200 hits. He's only made one error in the outfield. Projected to: The Bismarck Bombers, who have been looking for a true leadoff man since Scott Podsednik flamed out.
6. Carlos Quentin, OF, Chicago White Sox. Three picks in a row from the Windy City? Who knew this guy would be this good? After a fantastic April and May, Quentin kept up a .395 on-base average for June while his power and average numbers dipped just a bit. Still, he should finish with close to 40 homers, and in the .390s for on-base. He turns just 26 this year and is a former first-round draft pick on a team likely to contend. Projected to: Margaritaville Volcanoes.
7. Ryan Dempster, SP, Chicago Cubs. FOUR picks in a row from the Windy City? Can Sammy Sosa be far behind? Dempster may already be 31, but he'll have the best available right-handed starting pitching card by the time this spot in the draft rolls around. He was just shelled in his June 27 appearance against the White Sox, giving up seven hits and eight runs in 2.1 innings, but prior to that he had allowed three runs or fewer in eight of his last nine starts. Opponents are batting just .214 off him and his WHIP stands at 1.18. Projected to: Springfield Isotopes. Projected season-ending injury for Dempster: Late spring training, 2009.
8. Nate McLouth, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates. This Muskegon, Mich., native, has cooled off considerably in June after a fantastic April and a strong May. He bears watching as he could fall off this list. You have to like the power/speed combination, where he'll easily eclipse 20/20, and he plays all three outfield positions errorlessly. Currently he's on-basing at .359 and slugging at .522, but those numbers jump to .373 and .584 when looking just at righties. Projected to: Savannah Scorpions.
9. Kerry Wood, RP, Chicago Cubs. Finally, a Chicago player drafted. Best closer on the board will be the reclamation project from the Windy City, who has 49 strikeouts and only 8 walks in 39.2 innings, holding the opposition to a .182 batting average. Plus, he's close enough to the Wisconsin border for projected owner the Wisconsin Warhawks -- who are hurting for a closer in 2009 -- to claim.
10. Justin Duchscherer, SP, Oakland. While not exactly a spring chicken at age 30, Duchscherer still has the potential to have one spectacular pitching card worth about 190 innings or so. Opponents are hitting just .197 off of him and his WHIP is 0.92, pretty awesome for a righty starter. Projected to: Tropical Heat.
11. Skip Schumaker, OF, St. Louis. Seen this guy's numbers against righties? How does .346/.404/.529 grab you? All six of his homers have come off righties as well. He plays all three outfield positions, has just two errors and eight assists for the year. We project him to make a heck of a platoon guy for the Detroit Demo Dogs.
12. Brandon Morrow, RP, Seattle. You haven't heard much about this guy yet, but he's quietly becoming a phenomenal shut-down ninth inning artist. The fifth overall pick of the 2006 draft allowed one hit the entire month of June. He only has four saves for the year, but watch for him to take off. He's allowed just 13 hits and seven walks in 23.1 innings for a 0.86 WHIP and a .155 BA. He's fanned 32 in those 23.1 innings. Projected to: Bushwood Gophers.
posted by Gary @ 6/30/2008 11:31:00 PM
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