2045 Draft and How the Rookies are Performing

[BrianH]

The 2045 UMEBA draft has come and gone and many of the players selected in the draft have now had an opportunity to play a few games with their new squads. it's easy to judge a GM for his or her selection of a prospect, but now that said prospects have had an opportunity to play a few games. Lets see how the Beirut GM first draft looks now.

Round 1, Pick 6- Leo Sutherland SP Although Leo is young and a bit underdeveloped, The Beirut GM said he had Sutherland as his #1 SP in this draft class. Time will tell if he is correct about Sutherland but early returns have been a mixed bag. Sutherland has started 7 games in (R) and pitched 22.2 innings. Walking 13, Striking out 18, and allowing 4 HR. Although the numbers haven't been great the staff is still very excited about Leo, and believe in a year or two Sutherland could be the best pitcher in the UMEBA. Stock Down

Round 2, Pick 14 - Jamie Angwin CF Angwin was considered a 1st Talent by the Beirut staff and they were very excited to grab him in Rd 2. Angwin is a very balanced player who, once developed should proved above average offense and defense. Angwin started in (AA) due to his high floor and solid all around play. Through 28 games Angwin has hit just .207 with a .273 OBP, but he has put up 10 RBI's and 3 HR's. We believe that Angwin will develop and Beirut pushing him will help him develop quicker. Stock Even given the immediate jump to AA.

Round 3, Pick 22 - Nelson Juarez (SP) Juarez is a solid looking SP, with three plus pitches and slightly above average stuff. The real reason Beirut drafted Nelson was his polish and ability to move thru the minor league system quickly. Juarez was immediately slotted in at the (A) ball level and has been dominate to this point. In 8 starts Juarez has complied 41.2 innings of work and a 0.86 ERA. Further more he has provided 10.8 K's per nine while limiting HR (0.4) and walks (2.8) per nine. The scouting report suggested that Nelson Juarez was a spot starter at best but his numbers suggest so much more. Only time will tell if Juarez is the real deal, but his impressive start coupled with his ERA+ 501 suggest he may be more than meets the eye. Stock Up

Round 4, Pick 30 - Nicolai Reshetkov 3B - Reshetkov has all the physical tools to be a great 3B. Beirut really liked Reshetkov, and in the pre draft process hoped that he might be available in Rd 3. When round 3 came and Nelson Juarez was there the war room was split, but reluctantly the new Beirut GM chose to bolster the pitching staff, and wait one more round on Nicolai. When Beirut was back on the clock in round 4 that may have been the least amount of time Beirut took the entire draft to make a selection. Early returns on Nicolai Reshetkov have definitely warranted the selection. Reshetkov started his career in (R) league and has been on a tear. Through 33 games Nicolai has a .381 batting average and an OBP of .469 and an OPS of 1.402. All while hitting 22 HR in just 33 games. While his defense is very average, his offensive output is so good, he looks like a future All-star caliber 3B. Stock Up

Round 5, Pick 38 - August Reithoffer SP - Reithoffer is the type of pitcher that Beirut considered not only extremely safe with a high floor, but very polished in this draft. This is typically not the words associated with a 19 yr old SP prospect, but Reithoffer is no ordinary 19 yr old. selected in the 5th Rd August Reithoffer has had a bit of a chip on his shoulder since the day he way drafted. Stating many times to anyone who would listen that he should he been a first round pick. He was a 2045 College All-Star and top 35 prospect, that just happened to be in the most deep position in this draft class, which was starting pitching. We have told August it doesn't matter where you start your career only where you finish it, and I believe he has taken that to heart. He started his young career in (A) ball, and has been fantastic so far. In 11 Games Started Reithoffer has thrown 50.1 innings of work striking out 54 batters while allowing only 10 free passes. His ERA 3.22 and his FIP have been solid. Reithoffer looks like the real deal, as long as he doesn't lose that chip on his shoulder! Stock Up

Round 6, Pick 46 - Stewart Cannell CF - Cannell is the classic do everything well but nothing spectacular type of player. Every scout and GM is looking for the Next Mike Trout, or Mookie Betts, but we can't overlook solid players that can and will contribute to a UMEBA roster. Enter Stewart Cannell a solid offensive/defensive CF. Cannell lasting to the 6th round was a major boon for Beirut as I believe he will be the future CF in two years. Cannell has started his career in (R), and in 19 games so far this year he has hit .382 Average, .447 on base percentage 3 HR and 11 RBI's. All while providing plus defensive and a great attitude in the locker room. Cannell is another guy Beirut feels very good about and loves his versatility to play all three outfield positions. Stock Up

Round 7, Pick 54 - Aberto Dinatali SP - Dinatali is another great SP prospect in a loaded class that seemed to slide further than he should have. He has slightly above average stuff and 4 solid pitches, with his best pitching being a splitter. Dinatali is a groundball heavy pitcher who should help to prevent the long ball in any park. Once developed Beirut believe he could slide into the middle of a rotation and have success. Dinatali started his UMEBA career in (R) ball. He performed so well that he has already been called up to (A) ball. His numbers in A ball have been solid so far.4.86 ERA looks high but his .349 BABIP suggest he's pitched better than that. Looking deeper into the number he is currently giving up approx 1 HR, 2.2 walks, and 12 strikouts per nine. Very solid numbers indeed, and all this has been after the step up in competition. Dinatali looks very good so far. Stock Up

Round 8, Pick 62 - Jordan Knowles SP - At the very young age of just 18 yrs old, Jordan Knowles has a way to go development wise. Thus the reason why he lasted till round 8. Knowles has a very interesting skill set for sure. Great command of the strike zone, and solid movement yet does not really have a strikeout pitch per say, but given the right situation Knowles could and will flourish. Due to his age and current development Knowles has started his career in (R) ball. To this point Knowles has made 8 starts and compiled 33 innings of work to the tune of a 6.82 ERA. His strikeout numbers are down, while his walk and HR rate have went up in comparison to his high school numbers. Most would expect this given that the level of competition is vastly improved. In his last two starts Knowles, has pitched 8.2 innings and only given up 3 runs. Which is much better. Has Knowles started to find his grove? Only time will tell. Stock Even

more to come on the rest of the prospects