2039 UMEBA Draft Grades

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2039 UMEBA Draft Grades

Post by ThePreyingManta » Sun Jul 14, 2019 4:53 pm

The United Middle East Baseball Association is an odd league, in that most players enter the league after failed or stalled careers in the BBA. In an attempt to become more than just a repository for Brewster rejects, the UMEBA struck a deal with the Oceania Baseball Academy prior to the 2038 season that would allow UMEBA teams to draft (mostly) Australian players directly out of high school. Baseball is a growing sport in Australia and Oceania, but the OBA is still incapable of producing a sufficient number of quality players at this stage. The UMEBA first-year player draft consists of ten rounds, but most analysts agree that after the second or third round all of the decent players are gone. After the first few rounds, most players are drafted simply based on intangible attributes, or, as is often the case, nepotism.

Here we will take a look at the 2039 UMEBA Draft, analyzing picks from the first two rounds. The other eight rounds of picks are all shots in the dark, and although some players may develop, it would be nearly impossible to predict their success at this point.

Round 1

1 (1). SP Joe D’Antonio – Beirut Cedars

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The 18-year-old knuckleballer out of Sydney was not the consensus #1 pick in mock drafts, but he will be a very interesting player in the UMEBA. D’Antonio’s knuckleball should give UMEBA hitters fits, but time will tell if his control will develop enough to be an effective starter. Over the past two seasons, D’Antonio has not posted the numbers that you would expect from a #1 pick, posting a 4.50 ERA in 2038 and a 4.86 ERA in only four starts this season.

Grade: B



2 (2). 1B Adam Backhouse – Istanbul Bosphorus

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Most pundits predicted Backhouse to be the #1 overall pick in this year’s draft, and the Bosphorus may have gotten a truly transcendent hitter. If Backhouse develops how most scouts expect, his ceiling is as one of the best hitters in the world, UMEBA or otherwise. In the UMEBA, he can be expected to routinely lead the league in batting average and home runs, although he will struggle to draw walks. In only 24 games with the Majuro Bruins, Backhouse hit a whopping 20 home runs with a .500 average. His defense is, however, atrocious, even as a first baseman. When all is said and done, Backhouse should absolutely mash in the UMEBA and be picked up by a BBA team as soon as possible.

Grade: A



3 (3). 1B Marco Acheson – Baghdad Kings

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Although not expected to be the offensive threat that Backhouse is, Marco Acheson was the easy choice for the second best hitter in this draft class. The left-handed hitter is an excellent contact hitter with plenty of power. Acheson is a much better fielder than Backhouse, and he could someday play 2B or 3B with some improvement. However, there are some major concerns regarding signability for Acheson, as he has indicated to some teams that he does not wish to play in the UMEBA. It is possible that there is an agreement in place with Baghdad, but most people are not expecting Acheson to sign with the Kings.

Grade: C-



4 (4). SP Gerry Devereux – Bucharest Impalers

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If you look through the right lens, Gerry Devereux has all that it takes to be a reliable starter in the UMEBA: a solid three-pitch mix, good control, and an above-average ability to keep the ball in the park. However, there are some warning flags regarding Devereux’s ability to develop into a top of the rotation starter. The biggest concern is that his control will never develop to the point necessary to succeed in the UMEBA, as scouts are currently rating it a 1/10. Also, his changeup shows signs of potential but is a work-in-progress. With a solid fastball and a middling curve, the changeup will have to become an out pitch for Devereux to be a useful starter, something that I would be willing to bet against, especially with a better pitcher still on the board.

Grade: C



5 (5). SP Johan Trojka – Manama Pearls

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It came as quite a surprise when Trojka fell to #5 overall. The 19-year-old was the oldest player in this year’s class, and almost certainly has the highest floor of any pitcher. Despite not playing this season and only working as a reliever last year, Trojka has a great mix of five pitches with the potential for plus control. Much like the other two pitchers taken ahead of him, Trojka does struggle with command, but he is a much more well-rounded starter than either D’Antonio or Devereux.

Grade: A+



6 (6). SP Bernie Kesterton – Beirut Cedars

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A bit of a reach at #6, Kesterton has the lowest ceiling of any player drafted in the first round. Lacking quality stuff, the 6’8” righty will need to develop his control, an attribute that many scouts believe will become elite. Just like Devereux, Kesterton has a massively underdeveloped changeup which he will need to improve to ever see a UMEBA rotation.

Grade: D



7 (7). CF Baden Goulding – Mumbai Metro Stars

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The Metro Stars were extremely fortunate that Goulding fell this low, as many see him as the most well-rounded player in the draft class. Able to make contact with the best of them and with very good power, Goulding should be a perennial UMEBA all-star at CF. He will need to work on laying off pitches a bit more to ever amount to much in the BBA, but he should be a great asset to have in the UMEBA. In addition to being a good hitter, Goulding is the only player in this year’s draft class to also possess any semblance of a glove, with the ability to serve as a solid center fielder or a plus defender in the corner outfield.

Grade: A



8 (8). C Wally Dingle – Jerusalem Hebrew Hammers

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As the options began to run out, Wally Dingle was an excellent pick at #8. The 17-year-old catcher is described as having a great ability to take the bat to the ball, as well as being able to drive the ball out of the park from time to time, something that has not shown up yet in games. Dingle’s main downside is that he is terrible behind the plate. Despite having a great arm, he struggles to corral the ball and does not understand how to call a game. Dingle will have to improve that part of his game to ever be a reliable asset at catcher.

Grade: A-



9 (9). LF Willem Snijders – Cairo Chariot Archers

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Yet another solid hitter with no ability to play the field, Snijders should be a fantastic contact hitter with little else to offer. He has some speed, but not enough to be a baserunning threat, some power, but not enough to be a home run threat, and some discipline, but not enough to be an on-base threat. There are also rumors that Snijders has no intention of playing in the UMEBA, making this pick very risky.

Grade: D+



Round 2

1 (10). RP Arthur Barlow – Beirut Cedars

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Yeah, he has six pitches, but really? Barlow posted a 9.00 ERA in 22 appearances with Pago Pago, although he was much better a year ago. Besides his ability to throw six very bad pitches, he has almost no control and will allow home runs at a record pace if he ever reaches the UMEBA. He looks like a great BP pitcher though… maybe that’s what Beirut was looking for here.

Grade: F



2 (11). 2B Takechi Eida – Istanbul Bosphorus

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Takechi Eida is another interesting case of “How did he fall this far?” The Japanese second baseman has great contact ability as well as a fantastic eye for the ball. Although not the fastest player in the league, he could steal 20-30 bases. At this point in his career, Eida is a below average fielder, but he could develop into a solid 2B with practice.

Grade: A



3 (12). SP Wally Bowden – Baghdad Kings

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The last of the “Big Four” pitching prospects in the 2039 Draft class, an argument could be made that Bowden is better than both D’Antonio and Devereux, both of whom were drafted well before him. Bowden has a solid four pitch mix but could run into some issues due to his lack of a true breaking ball. Some of his former coaches have also given the impression that he is uncoachable and lacks hustle. However, Bowden has a solid all-around makeup that should make him one of the most valuable picks in this draft.

Grade: A+



4 (13). RF Fraser Tindale – Bucharest Impalers

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After Dingle, Snijders, and Eida, there was a huge drop-off in talent for the hitters in this class. Sitting next in line was Fraser Tindale, a 17-year-old right fielder with solid contact and power. Tindale especially excels at driving the ball to the gap. He’s still a bit of a work in progress in the outfield, but with proper coaching he should develop into a decent right fielder.

Grade: B



5 (14). CL Norman Chivers – Manama Pearls

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The first relief pitcher taken in the draft, Chivers does not really profile as a typical closer. He throws a fastball and a splitter, neither of which are exceptional pitches. Profiling as an extreme flyball pitcher, Chivers could struggle to keep the ball in the park. While he should become a valuable member of a UMEBA bullpen, I would not pencil Chivers in as a team’s long term solution at closer.

Rating: C+



6 (15). 3B Ivan Lovett – Mumbai Metro Stars

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Coming off of two excellent seasons with the Weno Crush, Ivan Lovett is another solid all-around hitter with no standout tools. Lovett is currently listed as a third baseman but looks more like a second baseman, which is where he will likely end up playing. Although he may never reach all-star status, Lovett should become a solid starter for a UMEBA team within the next five years.

Grade: B+



7 (16). SP Wayne Whiskin – Jerusalem Hebrew Hammers

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A sign that the talent was almost completely gone, Whiskin will need to improve greatly to ever see a UMEBA roster. The 17-year-old had a good season with Pago Pago in 2038 but struggled this season. Whiskin throws a decent fastball and splitter with a downright terrible changeup. He also lacks control and really anything to make himself stand out.

Grade: F



8 (17). SP Mitch Lee – Cairo Chariot Archers

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One of the last prospects worth discussing in this year’s draft class, Lee has the potential to make it to the UMEBA, but he will have to get lucky. He throws a solid fastball and curveball but is still working on his changeup. Lee has more advanced control than anyone else in the draft, which should give him a bit of an edge. If he can develop his third pitch, Lee could be one of the best players in this draft class. But that’s a big “if.”

Grade: A-
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Re: 2039 UMEBA Draft Grades

Post by bcslouck » Mon Jul 15, 2019 7:30 am

Nice work!
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Re: 2039 UMEBA Draft Grades

Post by TheKenwyne » Mon Jul 15, 2019 12:29 pm

Nice! Happy to have received a net positive grade lmao

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Re: 2039 UMEBA Draft Grades

Post by elkcat » Sun Jul 21, 2019 1:32 am

Appreciate the effort. Barlow will put on 30lbs and 5-10mph. He just turned 17. He pitched lights out as a jr and as a sr still found time to be college bound. yall new to this game?

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Re: 2039 UMEBA Draft Grades

Post by Joshua Biddle » Sun Jul 21, 2019 12:24 pm

Nice article
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Re: 2039 UMEBA Draft Grades

Post by RonCo » Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:40 pm

Backhouse's libertarian stance against taking the free pass could make him the perfect long-term UMEBA guy. :)
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