The Goat Rope 2036.3

[GoldenOne]

It's everyone's favorite time of the year - the Draft is upon us! For those teams that are already out of it, it gives the fans something to talk about besides firing the Manager and/or GM. For those teams destined to return to the playoffs, its a chance for fans to puff out their chest and proclaim that their Scouts and GM are the best in the business. For the GMs and Scouts, its those many months of dog-earring pages in the Sears catalog about to come to life. No matter where you stand, its also a time for those many long months of road trips and cheap hot dogs at the ballpark to be flushed when the beer-belly fans call for the GM's head when they disagree with any (and probably all) of the team's picks. With that in mind, let's take a look at the first three draftees of the Goats' Class of 2036.

Round 1: With the 3rd pick of the 1st round, the Goats selected 19yo Utility-man Kidane Ata from Nakuru, Kenya. We call him the Utility-man because he was listed as a 1B on the Draft board. However, with OF Fielding Ratings of 11/7/8, and IF Ratings of 2/2/7/2 its really hard to imagine even GM Golden to think Ata will play anywhere other than CF. And with a batting potential of 9/10/9/5/7, Ata can mash any ball he gets a hold of and if it finds a gap instead of being over a wall...well his 11-rated running speed will see him standing on 3rd before you know it. But wait, we did call him a Utility, correct? Yeah, we did. What else would you call a CF that can hit like that AND can pitch! Ata has the potential of a 9/8/9 pitcher with a 9 sinker and a 10 curveball. Only the drunkest of fans had anything to say to GM Golden (not that they would know him even if he was sitting in front of them) for the Ata pick and even then it was only half-hearted.

Round 2 (44th Overall): What do you do after drafting an elite CF/RP? That's right, find that Starting Pitcher that can round out that future rotation. While Israel Villa, the 18yo left-hander out of Santo Domingo, Nicaragua, might not project as a no-doubt hall-of-famer, he should be finding himself on more than a few All Star games and have his name mentioned in future Nebraska Award discussions. Even though he lost a little bit of movement following his May 2035 torn flexor tendon (he is expected to be back up to plenty of strength for his first spring training) he still has the potential of an 8/7/7 starting pitcher. Villa throws a cutter (7 POT), slider (8), forkball (7), and a changeup (9). The 18yo has had issues with developing his changeup but if Villa can learn from some of the veterans in the Goats organization, he may well find himself in those Hall of Fame discussions one day.

Round 3 (88th Overall): OF Ernesto Germán, the 22yo from Ciales, Puerto Rico might not beat teams with his 6/6/3/6/6 batting potential but his 10/7/8 OF Fielding Ratings and his 7/5/6/5 IF Ratings are sure to keep him in the lineup. And once he gets on base, watch out for his 10 Speed and 12 Stealing Ability and 10 Base-running.

[usnspecialist]

ata could be a really good 2 way player, and already relatively developed on the pitching side for being an offensive monster. I wonder which part of him would be BBA ready first?

[Ted]

Villa has some real question marks, given his 1/9 change and injury, but also a ton of upside. He slid a bit further than he should have based on sheer potential, and that was a really good time to nab him.

[Lane]

going to be really exciting watching Ata. Could be a legitimate two way star.

[usnspecialist]

Villa has some real question marks, given his 1/9 change and injury, but also a ton of upside. He slid a bit further than he should have based on sheer potential, and that was a really good time to nab him.

The nice thing about villa is even if that change never turns out. He still has 1 great and 2 useful pitches that can make him a starter. He isn't completely dependant on the change.

[GoldenOne]

Decent slider, cutter, and forkball....that'll play, especially from a lefty with decent movement.

[Lane]

Decent slider, cutter, and forkball....that'll play, especially from a lefty with decent movement.

absolutely. sure, the injury history and intangibles are not great, but this is a great pick for the second round

[GoldenOne]

His injury history in-game is at Normal. Hopefully it gets to stay that way. "Putting the kid-gloves on now."