14 May 2063
Boise, Idaho
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by Tony Toney
Boise GM Ben Teague didn't waste any time inking the top 4 Spuds draft picks from the amateur draft. The players, as a whole, were eager to sign with the Spuds and ready to get to work which streamlined the process. Said Teague, "This was a draft top-loaded with pitching talent, so we were narrowed in on picking the best player available in all rounds instead of drafting to need. I'm satisfied with the results as we added some possibly elite relievers to our already deep pool at that position."Round 1, Pick 14, 14th Overall
P Cornelio 'Deathblow' Martínez
Martínez already has the talent to be an elite weapon out the Spuds ML bullpen, but he dropped to the 14th pick due to some reported character issues and that will likely land him in the minor leagues for his first professional season. "We're confident Martínez can make huge strides in the environment of professional baseball. Hopefully the maturity of experienced guys and veterans can help him out a bit," said Teague. If he does get the call to ML he could be a lethal option aside lefty Samir Qasim in setting up the late innings of close contests.
Round 2, Pick 14, 49th Overall
LF Armando García
García comes into the Spuds system as a well-regarded corner OF in the mold, at the plate, of current 1B Tracy Allison with the intent and speed to pile up doubles and triples, but not looking to swipe as many bags. He could be a serviceable right fielder but will likely trend towards left field in his development.
Round 3, Pick 14, 85th Overall
P Manuel Pitt
Pitt is yet another elite arm but at 17, unlike García, he will require a few years of development and moving up the ladder in the Boise farm system. He has the baseball IQ needed to grow and is mature for his age which will allow him to adjust to new mentors and environments.
Round 4, Pick 14, 117th Overall
P Tian-bin Qin
Qin has elite, raw stuff with a fastball topping 100mph and he also sports and wicked cutter. At 17, like Pitt, he'll be setup to work his way up the development stairs in the minor leagues. But scouts have been impressed with his focus on putting in the work to round into his natural ability.