Another draft has come and gone, and with Boise picking sixth overall, hopes were fairly high, especially after landing young phenom José Rivera with the same pick a year ago. And the Spuds targeted mostly pitching again this year, at least in the early rounds.Let’s take a look at the players they expect to be part of the future.
Round 1: Ed Noble, RHP
Noble is a starting pitcher with three almost fully-developed pitches including a sharp curveball and a devastating change up. He has clearly outpaced the talent in the College All-Stars League, as evidenced by his 2.97 ERA and 12.2 K/9 for Apple this year. He has consistently posted high strikeout numbers and given up weak contact throughout his college career. The Spuds believe he’s ready for the mid-to-upper minors, so he’ll probably start his pro career in Tulsa once a signing bonus is agreed upon.
Round 2: Juan Bejarsno, 2B/DH
Bejarsno is listed as a second baseman, but having played only four games in the field this year, he appears destined for a DH role. Still, he can hold his own at second when he needs to, and he might also play at first, if the Spuds feel like trying him there. But no worries — they want him more for his bat anyway. His compact line-drive swing with good gap power to all fields led him to a Platinum Stick award in 2049 with a .978 OPS. The Spuds will take it slow with his development, since even though he’s 21, he still has some developing to do, and is coming off a down year. That also means more time for the Spuds to figure out what position he’ll play.
Round 3: Donald Baker, RHP
No one expected Baker to be available in the third round of the draft, but the Spuds were very happy to scoop him up. As a starter for Staples, Baker was likely overshadowed by his teammate, the left-hander Allan Davidson, who went in the first round to Mexico City. Though Baker was just as good this year, if not better, than his star teammate: In ten games this season, Baker posted an impressive 2.55 ERA. Though he does have some control problems (6.0 BB/9 this year), the Spuds are confident they can work that out with some proper coaching.
Round 4: Brent Strom, RHP
Boise really tried to corner the market on right-handed starters in this draft, and Strom is as good as any of them. He has five pitches, and though he lacks some of the velocity that you’ll see from Noble and Baker, he makes up for it with changing speeds, and deception in his delivery. A real workhorse, he finished third in the College All-Stars League in innings pitched this season. The Spuds see him with potential to move quickly through the minors, but he’ll need to put up the numbers to justify it.
Round 5: Stanley Houston, 1B
A Spuds’ scout was summoned to Texas this spring on a tip to get a look at this “absolute hunk” playing first base for the Shell Oil Royals. At 6’9”, the 16-year-old was hard to miss, and he hit a grand slam that day as icing on the cake. There was no question the Spuds would be drafting the kid, but the question remains whether Houston will take the Spuds’ offer or attend his commit school. The Spuds would love to have him, as they could see him blossoming into an athletic first baseman with power, the likes of which the organization hasn’t seen since César Torres.