Now that the damage is done for the draft class of 2064, it is time to review the previous draft classes and determine if the draft process is working in Valencia or if the process is just a load of bollocks.
We will next review the draft class of 2061 . Out of the 21 players selected in that draft there is the following breakdown:
Playing in BBA: 4
Plenty of players from this draft have rapidly worked their way through the farm system to have their rookie seasons in 2063.
One of those four players was first round pick Bill Nesbitt, Bill hit .254/.298 in his rookie season with 18 homers. With Juilo Sanchez and Luis Vela coming of age in their rookie season this year, Bill is now only playing half of the time. Bill's averages have improved this season to .281/.343 and is on pace to hit 10 homers in half the at bats. Bill's ratings took a slight hit this off-season with his plate discipline moving down a notch.
Bradley Russel is one of two catchers picked up in this draft. Bradley was picked at the end of the first round with a supplemental pick. Bradley hit .297/.312 last season with 10 homers.
Ed Bush has developed beyond the scouts' expectations to an overall rating of 60. Ed has hit for an average of .296 and an on-base average of .359 this season to go with his 23 homer pace. This is on track with his 24 home run output during his rookie season.
Although Bernd Helwich was picked six rounds later than Bradley Russel, Bernd has gotten the slight majority of playing time to date. Bernd is hitting .308/.347 so far this season.
Playing in AAA: 3
Miguel Gonzales plays most of his AAA games in right field in his first season at this level. The former 4th round pick has not quite developed to the overall potential of 50 and is currently hitting .257/.340 and is on a 20 homer pace for the season.
Harry Green is one of two relievers with an original potential of 40 that now has an overall potential of 60 from this Valencia draft. Picked in the 8th round, Harry has so far posted a 2.82 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP so far this season.
Raul Fierro is the other reliever that has had an increased potential from 40 to 60. Raul was picked in the 11th round and has a 1.93 ERA and 0.93 WHIP this season. Raul is on pace to get 26 saves this season with he and Harry being a pretty good 1-2 punch late in the games.
Playing in AA: 2
Alejandro Castro hit .290/.347 playing full time at first base last season. He is not seeing many at bats this year and so far is only hitting .245/.350. Alejandro is on the bubble for making it the rest of the season at best.
Javier Lara has developed quite a bit more than originally predicted. Even with that he still has a higher than desired ERA of 5.65 although the reliever is sporting a 3-1 record out of the pen.
Playing in A: 2
Lewis MacQuarrie was drafted as a third baseman in the tenth round. He has developed to his original potential of 30 but it will probably not be enough to last the next round of cuts. Lewis has hit .283/.353 so far this season.
Ricardo Silva has already developed up to his original potential as well but the 11th round pick will probably be leaving soon as well. Ricardo has hit .241/.328 in his 112 at bats this year.
No longer with Valencia: 10
Overall grade of the draft: A
This draft was the best of the three reviewed so far and could very well be the best overall draft class during the Greathouse era. Four picks are already in the BBA including the first three picked. Another two will have a high likelihood of being with the BBA team next season bringing the total to six. Throw in a few other 45 POT type players and this is a class that the Valencia faithful wishes they would have every year.
Below is a screenshot of the class: