While we gave the organization a B- in how it handled finances, we are giving them an A- on their strategy here. Much of the same reasons that bumped their finances grade down brings their draft strategy down slightly as well.Draft Strategy:
If we are going to be bad. Be bad. Don't take, but be bad. Get high draft picks early on. Build up a stable of good prospects. And by good prospects, GET THE PITCHING.
Let's talk about the positives first. The team has most definitely acquired pitching over the first 5 years from the draft and young pitching pieces. Here is a list of the guys the club has drafted in that span:
| Player | Year Acquired | How Acquired |
|---|---|---|
| Terrence Kelly | 2039 | Trade |
| Stan Cyr | 2040 | Scout Find |
| Gusby Pinkerton | 2041 | Draft |
| Francisco Franco | 2041 | Draft |
| Itze Woertgen | 2042 | Draft |
| Christian Burgos | 2043 | Draft |
| Chris Thompson | 2044 | Draft |
Staying with the positives still, you have Itze Woertgen and Christian Burgos. Both pieces that have since been traded after being drafted by Portland. Woertgen got sent off to Edmonton in a trade that acquired Robert Menzies and Myeong-hwan Kim for the Lumberjacks. Both young starters for the Lumberjacks, both accumulated 2.9 WAR last season for the club. For Menzies, that was over just 70+ games of action. Menzies has given the Lumberjacks a young, superstar player to build the team around. The same can be said for the Burgos trade to New Orleans that brought in young catcher Pedro Gomez. The organization sacrificed two of its young pitching draft picks
to fill holes at positions that aren't easy to fill with top notch talent in the league. That's catcher and shortstop. So it is hard to knock the organization for that. NOt to mention, the front office wasn't very high on Burgos due to his age. The 16 year old Burgos has a long way to go to be developed and ready for the big leagues. Not to mention he has one of those infamous 1/9 changeups.
There are two reasons why I'm bumping the grade down to an A-. First is the Cyr trade to Las Vegas for Bartolo Ortiz. The front office got blinded by a good early start in 2043 and thought it needed more power offense. Cyr, a scout find the club felt may never blossom, became a sacrifice the front office was willing to make to acquire some pop in the lineup. Cyr had 4 movement at the time of the trade and the organization didn't think he'd really pan out. Since the trade, Cyr has continued to grow. He's bumped his MO to 5 and is showing 3 good pitches. He's still projected to be a 70 ranked pitcher and is the 33rd ranked prospect in the BBA. Down from 17th last season.
The second reason for the drop, and this may not be entirely the organization's fault, is it has failed to find the hidden talent beyond the first round of the draft to this point. The drafts over the first 5 seasons have not been entirely deep. But a hidden gem or two always emerges. Portland hasn't found that gem yet. Antonio Garcia, taken in the 2nd round last year, may be the best bet for that at the moment. His high movement rating could make him a candidate for a 5th starting job as soon as 2045 or 2046. There are some hints that the team may convert Felipe Vega to a reliever this off-season. If that works out, he could possibly become a mid level relief guy for the Lumberjacks. The 2nd round pick in 2041 has a 6-pitch repertoire and solid stuff. Dropping 4 of the 6 pitches could potentially boost his other two into the high ranking marks while also giving his stuff enough of a boost to be a viable, yet wild, reliever.
So there you have it. Overall, Portland has accomplished it's goal in regards to the Master PlanTM. Get the Pitching! And get the pitching they have done!