"The acquisition of Sparks definitely accelerated our plans somewhat" commented GM Chris Wilson this past week. "We felt this year we could start to turn a corner and we are seeing that right now with the team's play. We still have a losing record but look considerably better in the standings than we did last year. Adding Sparks to our rotation as soon as this year or next year means we are ready to make a leap into contending in the Pacific division. we have the youth here now already and have guys like Sparks and Thompson just waiting on the call to join us. We really think 2047 could be the year we start seeing winning seasons in Portland."
Sparks is a tall, 6 foot 5 inch pitcher with a solid fastball and a sinker/splitter combination that eliminates players for elevating the ball out of the park very often. His fastball tops out around 96 miles per hour and he's an absolute beast against right handed hitters. Many draft experts feel Sparks could be the ace of the Portland staff as soon as he signs a contract with the team. Assistant General Manager Kate Fiscus commented on that.
"It's highly unlikely" said Fiscus "that we see Ken in Portland this season. If by some chance we inch our way closer to a wild card spot or something, then yeah, we won't wait around. But at the moment, we aren't in the position to waste half of Sparks' first season up with the big league squad. Odds are, we'll treat him much like we did with Warren last season. Work him up through each level of the minors and have him ready for spring next season with us."
Here is a recap of the Lumberjacks draft thus far:
Ken Sparks
SP, Pick 2, Round 1
Lonnie Bernard
SP, Pick 41, Round 2
Listed as a starter, Bernard will be a reliever in the BBA. With solid 10-7-7 ratings and a solid cutter/slider combo, Bernard could actually see big league time if he develops. The team is also interested to see if a switch from SP to RP doesn't boost his Stuff rating. At 19, he still has quite a way to go.
So Huynh
C, Pick 84, round 3
So is an interesting pick. He's interesting because he's almost developed as a hitter and he's only 17 years old. Now granted, based on his current ability he's not ready nor will he be ready for the BBA. But at 17 years old, he was worth an early flyer in hopes he bumps.
Craig Hughes
C, Pick 117, Round 4
Another 17 year old catcher, Hughes has a straight 6 rating line which means he's not going to make it to the BBA, but if one of them bumps or perhaps he gets a favorable split vs RHP, he could become a platoon backstop. He'll need to improve as a defensive catcher however.
Alonso Bravo
2B, Pick 149, Round 5
A decent contact ability and he won't strikeout much, but as of right now he can't field for shit. So Bravo may be destined for a career in the minor leagues. But at this point in the draft, you find green and blue ratings where you can and hope!
Rod Barnett
2B, Pick 181, Round 6
He's a switch hitter and has a little better defensive ability than Bravo. Won't K a lot either. Barring a bump, he'll probably been 5-8 years in the Portland farm system and be forgotten.
John Northeast
2B, Pick 213, Round 7
If any one of these 3 2Bs make it to Portland it means we got lucky with some bumps or we suck again! Northeast had a shiny blue rating with gap power but he, like the other two, might as well not carry a fielding glove with him to the field each day.
Jose Leal
SP, Pick 245, Round 8
At this point, GM Chris Wilson searches and hopes. Leal has 6 pitches which makes him a solid RP conversion candidate. But he'll have to boost a few ratings before that happens. He's a 6-5-5 guy, but at the age of 21, time is low for Leal to show the front office much at this point.
