Revisiting Justin Niles draft picks.(38.5)

[niles08]

Justin Niles became the head of the Omaha Hawks, then the Indianapolis Grasshoppers, at the end of the 2030 seasons. They have not particularly drafted excellent, and the front office has openly stated that moving forward a top priority must be drafting better and developing home grown talent.

Now 6 drafts in, let’s see how well the front office has actually fared.

2031: Omaha held the #5 overall pick in the draft as a complete rebuild was up and running. They selected pitcher Hotzen Plotz #5 overall in what was not a good start to Niles’s track record as a solid drafter.

Plotz is currently 26 years old and last season split time between AA & A. If there was ever a bust, Plotz seems to fit the image. Taken with the picks following Omaha was Francisco Flores who has been a contributor in Rockville since 2033 and has a .325 career batting average and 17.81 WAR for his young career at age 23. Brett Compton & Ken Walter were other players taken after Holtz in what ended up being a pretty slim draft class as far as BBA impact.

Omaha did draft Eliseu Satino in the third round but he was shipped off to Vegas last year.

Overall draft grade: F. Despite Satino looking like a solid player, Any time you have your first rounder not even make the BBA, you’ve done something wrong.

2032: Omaha whiffed with their first round pick in 2031, but would be graded on average with their pick in 2032, selecting Carson Stoller with the first pick in the draft. Stoller hasn’t been spectacular, and the club did miss out on Mitch Darlymple and Justin Jackson, but Stoller was a somewhat solid pick. After Stoller, the club whiffed quite a bit, with catcher Kevin Lyons the only player who has cracked the BBA currently.

Overall draft grade: C-

2033: Omaha had the 2nd pick in the 2033 draft and selected the player who has the highest WAR to date in James Monger. Monger has been a very good player for the club however when all is said and done don’t be surprised to see Angel Zalapa be chosen as the best player in this draft.

Omaha also drafted Spike Wagner, who has become a fan favorite in his spot starts and Terrence Mack this season.

Overall draft grade: A

2034: Omaha began drafted a bit farther back this season as the rebuild was nearing its completion. They were still in the top 10, drafting 8th overall and selected Emilio Parades. Parades debuted last season for the Hawks but early results were not great for him. His outlook doesn’t appear to be anything more than a minor league player currently. Taken 2 spots later again chosen by Rockville was Lorenzo Placios who has the early offset as being the potentially best player in the draft.

Omaha did select Jake Williams at the end of the first round and pitcher Dusty Garcia a bit later on. Garcia is no longer with the club and Williams is looking like the expected starting shortstop in 2038 for the club.

Overall draft grade: F. Once again, a first rounder who has hit their ceiling in AAA.

2035: We begin to enter drafts where the majority of players haven’t cracked the BBA yet, as only 5 players from the 2035 draft has had a chance to show their ability in the BBA. Omaha selected Conrado Chinita with the 14th overall pick. What a waste. As a matter of a fact, I don’t currently see any players selected by Omaha in this draft as BBA caliber players.

Overall draft grade: F-. This is the one worst one so far.

2036: As you would expect, not many impact players have made their way to the BBA from 2036. Omaha selected Edgardo Diaz with the 19th overall pick, which doesn’t seem like a bad pick projecting that he should hit the BBA in the upcoming seasons and potentially be a cornerstone at first base. Skipping down a bit, they also selected Bernardo Boullousa in the 3rd round. Boullosa may be the other key player Omaha gets from this draft as Boullosa looks to be able to handle BBA pitching already and should play a decent left field if Omaha can somehow find room for him.

Overall draft grade: Early indications give this a C

2037: Not a single player from 2037’s draft played in the BBA last season. Omaha drafted 28th and took a contact hitting center fielder in Lorenzo Bueno who figures to be able to hold down a spot in CF if he develops. They also selected Juan Garcia in the 2nd round who also should become a back end starter. This one is too early to tell but I think a pretty average grade for Omaha.

Overall draft grade: C

There you have it. 7 drafts in and only one A rating draft. Even worse, 3 F’s. It’s hard to figure out hwo Omaha went from a rebuilding team to a perennial playoff contender with the poor drafting skills the front office has shown. What is not surprising is to hear the front office admit that drafting better quality players has become a priority for them.

It appears the club has made changes to personnel at each level throughout the past few seasons and that should also play a key role in no longer drafting these players, but developing them as they progress towards the BBA Level.

[7teen]

Your draft record looks similar to mine. Draft hitters, and things turn out ok. Venture into the pitching world and it becomes a mystery. I did a feature on my failed pitching draft picks. I can't draft pitching to save my life.

[Ted]

I think you may being overly harsh on your grades. At least in terms of what you drafted. In terms of how they ended up helping your team, perhaps these are fine. But for example, that first draft in 2033 where you give yourself an F has four solid BBA players and two of those are exceptional in Walter and Flores. Any draft that ends up giving four actual players that make it to the majors is a good draft, regardless of where they where drafted. I think most people's first round pick success rate is somewhere around 50-50.