Wise Kraken 7.2: Draft Recap

[aaronweiner]

The MBWBA just finished up their draft, and Carolina can say one thing for sure: they're not going to need a first base prospect for quite some time. Carolina drafted first base/DH types for the first two picks of the 2013 MBWBA draft, though they seemed very happy about the haul.

"Obviously we're thrilled with the players we picked up in this draft," said GM Aaron Weiner. "We were looking long-term this year and I think we've picked up some very strong talent in this draft."

Carolina selected DH Frank Thomas III with the first pick in the draft out of a Chicago high school. By all reports, Thomas is a superior hitting talent who might become one of the best hitters in the league once he's fully matured. Weiner said that Thomas' development was the key reason why he was drafted first overall, and he's likely to never see the field in the minor leagues so he'll have a chance to work on that hitting stroke.

"Well, we looked at everyone, but Thomas is just 18 years old and he's just so far ahead of where someone his age ought to be, he's so mature and solid and good for our organization that we couldn't possibly turn down the chance to draft him," Weiner said. "We were hoping that he might not spend a single day in the minor leagues on the 40-man roster, that he might be ready by age 22. And nobody had a bigger ceiling at the plate than Frank. We could have never drafted him #1 in a league without a DH, but since we have one, he's gonna be such a big player at DH."

Thomas was deeply honored by the consideration given to his position.

"Well, obviously I'm honored and proud to be a member of the Carolina Kraken," said Thomas. "I'm just a kid out of Chicago, and this is such a big moment for me, but I'm just looking forward to playing ball and doing the best I can for Mr. Nolan and Mr. Weiner."

Carolina's second pick was also a first baseman, Stu Baker. By all accounts, Baker has first-round talent but slipped into the second round, likely because he's also a first baseman and also because the draft was so deep this year. Their third pick, Clarence Diamond, was drafted out of college and is considered one of the smarter players in the draft. Diamond should arrive at Carolina much sooner than either Thomas or Baker.

"We were trying to draft players that we thought might show some consistency in the future, and we graded Stu and Clarence two of the more consistent players in this draft," said Weiner. "Stu Baker projects to be a very, very good hitter, and he's also pretty developed for an 18 year old, though not like Frank. Clarence we see like Salvador Hernandez, a solid contact hitter, and we liked Salvador but we didn't like his contract. We won't have that problem with Clarence."

Other than those three, Carolina drafted a number of deep sleepers. Time will tell whether any of them are worth anything at all. One piece of noteworthy news is that Carolina is unlikely to come to terms with 4th rounder Raul Navarro.

"We don't know if there's room in the organization for Raul," Weiner said. "We'll have to see."