Down on the Farm: Monday July 21st

Star of the Day:
Justin Jackson - SS - Lansing Lugnuts
Jackson has to be the hottest Lugnut prospect. He had another 3 for 5 game and hit his 7th homerun of the year. He was able to score twice in the game and added 5 RBIs. Over the last 10 games he has hit .475. In the month of July he is hitting .356/.413/.589.


AAA:
Michael Aubrey - 1B - Buffalo Bisons
Aubrey went 2 for 3 with a double, a run and an RBI. Over the last 10 games he is hitting .375.

High A:
Jordan Walden - SP - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
Walden was finally promoted to High A and continued his consistently great pitching. He went 6 shutout innings, allowing only 3 hits, 3 walks and he struck out 3.

Low A:
Michael Burgess - RF - Hagerstown Suns
Burgess is hitting .269/.360/.521 after going 2 for 4 with an RBI.

Matt Dominguez - 3B - Greensboro Grasshoppers
Matt went 1 for 4 with a walk and a run batted in. On the year he is hitting .301/.368/.435.

Jason Heyward - RF - Rome Braves
After a few games where he only pinch hit, Heyward bounced back with a 2 for 5 game. He doubled once, and was able to both score a run and drive one in.

Rookie:
Isaac Galloway - CF - Florida Marlins
Galloway seems to be coming along lately as he has hit .244 over the last 10 games. Today he went 3 for 5 with a triple, a run scored and an RBI.

Aaron Hicks - CF - GCL Twins
Hicks went 0 for 3 on the day, but was able to walk twice, steal his 4th base and score a run. On the season he is hitting .304/.402/.392. He is proving he can hit for average and shows patience, but power is currently lacking behind.

Devin Shepherd - LF - GCL Cardinals
Shepherd went 2 for 3 with a walk. One of his hits went for a double and he was able to drive in a run. On the year he is hitting .325/.400/.425.

Kyle Skipworth - C - GCL Marlins
Skipworth went 2 for 5 with a double, 2 runs scored and an RBI.

Down on the Farm: Saturday July 19th

Star of the Day:
Neftali Feliz - SP - Frisco RoughRiders
Feliz is simply awesome. At the age of 20 (and he just turned 20) he made his third start in AA and it was his best. He tossed 6 shutout innings, allowing only 1 hit, 2 walks and struck out 8. Low A hitters hit .193 off him earlier in the year and so far AA hitters are hitting the same.

AAA:
Michael Aubrey - 1B - Buffalo Bisons
Aubrey continues the hot bat. He went 1 for 4 with a walk in the game. Aubrey also hit his 4th minor league homerun of the year, which happened to go for a grandslam. On the day he scored twice and drove in five runs.

AA:
Jeremy Hellickson - SP - Montgomery Biscuits
Like Feliz, Hellickson had his best game since making it to AA. He went 7 shutout innings, allowing 7 hits, 1 walk and struck out 5 batters.

High A:
Hank Conger - DH - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
Conger slowed down a bit, going 1 for 4 with a run scored double.

Low A:
Matt Dominguez - 3B - Greensboro Grasshoppers
Matt had another strong game going 1 for 3 with a solo homerun. He also walked once and came around to score another run. His homerun was the 6th of the year for him.

Shortseason:
Josh Vitters - 3B - Boise Hawks
Vitters has been very hot over the last 10 days hitting .378. Today he went 2 for 4 with a run scored. On the year he is hitting .344/.386/.508.

Rookie:
Juan Duran - RF - DSL Reds
Duran has got on base the last few games and went 2 for 4 today. He also added a walk and was able to score a run and drive in 3 others.

Isaac Galloway - CF - GCL Marlins
Galloway went 2 for 4 today with a double. He was able to score a run and drive one in.

Down on the Farm: Tuesday July 15th

Star of the Day:
Kyle Skipworth - C - GCL Marlins
Skipworth had his best game of his young career and hit his 1st professional homerun. He went 2 for 5 with 3 runs driven in and scored 2 other runs.

Low A:
Michael Burgess - RF - Hagerstown Suns
Burgess went 3 for 5 with a double, a run scored and 2 RBI's.

Jason Heyward - RF - Rome Braves
In the second game of a double header, Heyward went 2 for 4 with 2 singles. He was able to score once in the game.

Justin Jackson - SS - Lansing Lugnuts
Jackson has been on a great streak and continued that today with a 3 for 5 game. One of his hits went for a double and he was able to also score a run and steal a base.

Jordan Walden - SP - Cedar Rapids Kernals
Walden made is final Low A start. He went 7.2 innings, allowing only 1 run on 6 hits, 1 walk and 9 strikeouts. Walden will now move to High A Rancho Cucamonga and join Posse prospect Hank Conger.

Shortseason:
Tim Beckham - SS - Princeton Devils Rays
Beckham went 2 for 5 with a double. He scored twice and also drove in 2 runners.

Rookie:
Isaac Galloway - CF - GCL Marlins
Galloway makes the list for the first time in a while. He went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and an RBI.

Devin Shepherd - LF - GCL Cardinals
Shepherd went 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored, a double and an RBI.

Down on the Farm : Thursday July 10th

Prospect of the Day:
Michael Aubrey - 1B - Buffalo Bisons
Aubrey makes rare appearance on this list with a big game. He went 3 for 5 in the game with a double and a couple of singles. He scored twice and drove in 3 runs.

Low A:
Dellin Betances - SP - Charleston RiverDogs
Betances went back to his old style of not allowing many hits, while walking and striking out tons...but it worked, he tossed a shutout. Over 5 IP, he allowed 2 hits, 5 walks and struck out 6.

Michael Burgess - RF - Hagerstown Suns
Burgess hit a solo homerun in back to back days. He went 1 for 3 in the game and added a walk.

Matt Dominguez - 3B - Greensboro Grasshoppers
Dominguez had a strong game going 2 for 4 with his 5th homerun of the year. He scored 2 runs in the game and also added 2 RBIs.

Jason Heyward - RF - Rome Braves
Heyward went 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Jordan Walden - SP - Cedar Rapids Kernals
Mr. Consistently Awesome tossed another 7 innings of 4 hits ball. He walked 3 batters tonight while striking out 8 batters and giving up one run. He has only allowed 2 runs over his last 30 innings.

Short Season:
Josh Vitters - 3B - Boise Hawks
Vitters went 2 for 5 today while hitting his 2nd homerun of the year. He scored twice and drove in 3 runs in total.

Rookie:
Isaac Galloway - CF - GCL Marlins
Like most of the Posse's first year prospects, Galloway is struggling at the plate. Today he went 1 for 4 with a run scoring double.

Devin Shepherd - LF - GCL Cardinals
Second time on this list. Devin had another multihit game this time going 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Down on the Farm : Friday July 4th

Star of the Day:
Yu Darvish - SP - Nippon Ham Fighters
Darvish threw 8 innings today allowing only 6 runners (5 hits and 1 walk). For the second game in a row he struck out 10 batters. On the season he is 9-3 with a 1.93 ERA. He has tossed 130.2 innings, allowing 94 hits, 30 walks and has struck out 123 batters.

Low A:
Jordan Walden - SP - Cedar Rapids Kernals
Jordan has been the most consistent Posse prospect pitcher this year. He tossed 7 innings today, allowing a single run to score via 6 hits and 1 walk. On the season he has allowed 98 runners over 92.2 innings while striking out 74. He has a 2.33 ERA.

Short Season:
Josh Vitters - 3B - Boise Hawks
Vitters went 1 for 4 today with a double and a run scored.

Rookie:
Isaac Galloway - CF - GCL Marlins
He is not doing a ton in any of his games but keeps making the list because he is doing enough. Today he went 1 for 4 with a run and a RBI. On the season he is hitting .250/.250/.321.

Kyle Skipworth - C - GCL Marlins
Skipworth went hitless in his first four professional game, but he broke out in his fifth game. He went 3 for 3 on the day with all three hits going for singles.

Down on the Farm : Thursday July 3rd

Star of the Day:
Jeff Niemann - SP - Durham Bulls
Niemann may have had the best start of his career. He tossed a complete game over 9 innings, allowing only 7 hits, 1 run and 1 walk. He struck out 12 batters in the process. On the season he is 6-2 in the minors allowing 74 runners over 64.2 innings and striking out 63.

AAA:
Michael Aubrey - 1B - Buffalo Bisons
Aubrey went 2 for 5, while scoring a run and adding a walk.

AA:
Jeremy Hellickson - SP - Montgomery Biscuits
After a really bad first start in AA, Jeremy was okay today. He tossed 4 innings of 5 hit ball and allowed 2 runs. He has not allowed a walk in AA (over 8.2 innings) after only allowing 5 over 76.2 High A innings.

Low A:
Justin Jackson - SS - Lansing Lugnuts
Jackson went 1 for 4 today with a walk and a run scored.

Neftali Feliz - SP - Clinton LumberKings
After the worst start of his season, Neftali bounced back by throwing 3 perfect innings while striking out 5 batters. Why did he only toss 3 innings? Well, he is being promoted to AA, skipping past High A ball. On the season he has tossed 82 innings, allowing only 55 hits, 28 walks and striking out 106 batters.

Rookie:
Aaron Hicks - RF - GCL Twins
Hicks continues to show very good patience at the plate. He walked twice today to give him seven on the season, in only 36 ABs. He also went 1 for 3 at the plate, with his hit be a run scoring triple. His first triple of his career.

Isaac Galloway - CF - GCL Marlins
Galloway went 2 for 5 today. He also scored a run.

Down on the Farm : Monday June 30th

Star of the Day:
Blake Beavan - SP - Clinton LumberKings
Beavan makes the list for his third start in a row. This one was not as great as the past two but he did only allow 6 runners over 5 innings and struck out 5. The bad was the 3 runs he allowed.

Michael Burgess - RF - Hagerstown Suns
Burgess goes 1 for 4 with an RBI single and a stolen base. The stolen base was his 5th on the season.

Rookie:
Isaac Galloway - CF - GCL Marlins
Galloway went 1 for 5 with a run scored and his first career stolen base.

Down on the Farm : Saturday June 28th

Star of the Day:
Neil Ramirez - SP - Spokane Indians
Ramirez had the best start of his young career. He tossed 6 innings of 1 hit, 1 walk ball while striking out 7. He did not allow a run in the game.

Japan:
Yu Darvish - SP - Nippon Ham Fighters
Darvish is starting to look like his old self. He tossed 7 innings of 2 run ball. He allowed 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 10 batters.

AAA:
Jeff Niemann - SP - Durham Bulls
Niemann tossed a weird game today, allowing only 1 hit over 6 innings. While allowing 3 runs during the game, he walked 5 batters and struck out 4.

AA:
Cameron Maybin - CF - Carolina Mudcats
Maybin is making this list quite a bit by hitting the right categories though he is not making contact nearly enough. He went 1 for 3 today with a double and a walk. He scored a run and also added a stolen base.

Chris Volstad - SP - Carolina Mudcats
Volstad tossed 6 innings of 3 hit ball today, allowing only 1 earned run to score. He struck out 2 batters, but also allowed 3 to reach base via the walk.

Low A:
Michael Burgess - RF - Hagerstown Suns
Burgess went 1 for 3 with 2 walks. His lone hit was a double, but he was able to score 2 runs for the Suns.

Short Season:
Josh Vitters - 3B - Boise Hawks
Vitters hit his first professional homerun today. He went 2 for 5 in the game, adding a run scored and 3 RBI's.

Rookie:
Isaac Galloway - CF - GCL Marlins
Galloway makes this list for the first time in his second professional game. After going 0 for 5 in his first game, he got his first career hit. He went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI.

Marlins sign a couple Posse prospects

The Poss management awoke to some great news today. The Florida Marlins announced the signings of outfielder Isaac Galloway and catcher Kyle Skipworth. "We expected the Skipworth signing, but really were not sure about Galloway signing", stated GM Luddington.

Approximately one year ago, Galloway was rated the top prep hitter in the 2008 draft but his stock slowly declined over the last year. He continued to demonstrate the raw skills, but was not a consistent player as many questioned how badly he wanted it. When the draft came around he slid into the eighth round before he was selected by the Marlins. This led many to believe he would be attending San Diego State, but Galloway proved to many that he wanted it by signing quickly. Galloway has the tools to be a player with great speed and defense, with the potential in the future to hit for some power as he fills into his 6'3" body.

Unlike Galloway, Skipworth was a top ten prospect who kept his stock high over the last year. He ended up being the third highest prep player drafted, with the top one being fellow Posse prospect Tim Beckham. Skipworth has a huge power bat and the biggest question is whether he will be able to keep that bat behind the plate. If he is, then he could be a difficult to find allstar catcher for many years. If not, he will most likely move to first base where his value would not be as high.

Now that Galloway and Skipworth have signed, they will most likely head to Jupiter and the Gulf Coast League.

Aside: I love when my prospects are draft by the Marlins as I usually get to see them at spring training and get to know many of them.

Day 2 of MLB Draft sees all of the Posse prospects get drafted

After seeing five players drafted for the Posse in the first two rounds of the MLB draft yesterday, the remaining five players were taken between the 8th and 20th rounds.

As expected, the first two players to go early in day 2 were outfielders Isaac Galloway and Devin Shepherd. Galloway was taken in the 8th round by the Florida Marlins, were he could become their centerfielder of the future if he is to sign. Posse management believe Florida will take a serious run at signing him above slot as they could really use a Galloway type of player in the organization, one which is outfielder thin in the minors. Three rounds later saw the St. Louis Cardinals select Devin Shepherd. Posse management are also very happy with this direction for Shepherd as St. Louis has a history of getting prospects to over achieve. In the case of Shepherd, he just needs a solid foundation to start realizing his natural abilities. St. Louis will provide him this.

In the 12th round the Arizona Diamondbacks selected Daniel Webb. Though I expect Webb to head to Kentucky, the Cardinals did not take many "tough to sign" players so they may be willing to spend some "saved" cash on Webb. Unfortunately the Diamondbacks are not well known for going above slot.

The opposite can be said about the Texas Rangers. They like to select high school players and are more than willing to go above slot. The Rangers grabbed Harold Martinez in the 19th round and may be willing to pay for him to sign, but they also have a few other "difficult" signings higher up. I believe Martinez was just draft as insurance if they are unable to sign some of their earlier draft picks. Most likely he will be heading to Miami, but if he signs I am very happy as Texas has needs on that side of the diamond.

The last player to be drafted was probably the most talented of the group, Alex Meyer. Meyer is thought to be an impossible signing but if anyone can do it, it would be the team that drafted him. In the 20th round, the Boston Red Sox picked up Meyer and they are willing to go above slot more than any other team. They were tough on slot in 2005 (and they still went over) and the lost out on multiple guys that went in the first round this year. Last year they went well over slot on a few guys, including $700K to a 23rd round pick. It will take more then that to get Meyer and with other tough signs like Casey Kelly, Derrik Gibson, Pete Hissey, Ryan Westmoreland and Ryan Lavarnway as top 5 round picks they probably just drafted Meyer as insurance. Let's cross our fingers, but expect that he is heading to Kentucky.

BTW...a little prediction. Kentucky will be ranked by Baseball America as the #1 recruiting class for the upcoming season. Top prospects Alex Meyer, Daniel Webb, Zach Cox and Andy Burns are all Kentucky recruits and they all were drafted after the 11th round.

Day 1 of MLB Draft has some Ups and Downs for the Posse

Well the first day of the MLB draft had some highlights and some lowlights for the Oak Ridges Posse. The best news of the day came with four Oak Ridges Posse being taken in the first round, with Tim Beckham leading off the round to Tampa Bay and Casey Kelly closing out the round to Boston.

Beckham going to Tampa Bay is very good news. The Rays have a very good young team and will probably move Beckham quite quick. He is a natural shortstop that should end up batting around #2 in the lineup with protection from the like of BJ Upton, Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena.

Posse management is ecstatic to have Kelly going to Boston. The Red Sox have been a great drafting organization the last few years and will be willing to buy Casey out of his Tennessee scholarship. He will have a ton of shortstop competition in Boston against the likes Jed Lowrie and Oscar Tejeda.

In between those two the Posse had two other players go in the first with Kyle Skipworth going to the Florida Marlins and Aaron Hicks going as an OFer to the Minnesota Twins. Skipworth to the Marlins was a very pleasant surprise as they do a great job developing their youngsters, and there are no obstacles at catcher for Skipworth. The same could be said for Hicks as he will now stay in the OF, probably in RF, where the Twins will try and develop the toolsy star. There are no obstacles out there for Hicks, except with the Twins checkered past for developing prep players. For every Joe Mauer (who no one could screw up) there has been a Eduardo Morlan, Kyle Waldrop, Danny Rams, Chris Parmelee and Michael Restovich.

For all the positives there were some negatives as well. As expected, prep pitcher Alex Meyer proved to be a nearly impossible sign and has gone undrafted. He will most likely attend University of Kentucky and be the #1 rated college freshman. Also joining UofK's pitching staff will be fellow undrafted prep pitcher Daniel Webb. Third baseman Harold Martinez saw his stock tank in the last couple months and it looks like he will be heading to University of Miami. There is still a chance that both Webb and Martinez could be drafted, but a team will most likely have to go about slot to keep them from college.

The biggest surprise in my opinion was Isaac Galloway, who has gone undrafted. There has been no noise of him being a difficult sign and I really thought he would go in the second round. He did not and it will probably take a team willing to go above slot to buy him away from San Diego State. Come on Boston, New York, Anahiem or Chicago!!!

One player that did slide to the second round was Tim Melville. Melville was drafted by the Kansas City Royals...who had a great first day. He is going to want top 15 money and it sounds like the Royals are willing to pay it given they used an early second rounder on him.

The last player on the draft board for the Posse is JUCO outfielder Devin Shepherd. Shepherd was a top 2006 prospect who was considered a tough sign for Minnesota. He went to Oklahoma, left the team half way through the year. Then he committed to North Carolina State only to back out and spend 2007-8 at College of Southern Nevada. After a rough start to the year he came on strong at the end hitting for .343 with good on base. What has not developed is his power (which should be there) and his maturity. In November Devin committed to Oregon State only to be rumored to change his mind and commit to UC Santa Barbara. I really expect Shepherd to slide in this draft now and he will attend college again.

Looking toward tomorrow's MLB Draft

As is the case every year, one of the Posse managements favorite days of the year is the MLB draft. Each year, the Posse have a good group of prospects in the draft and this year is no different.



This year the Posse expect to have at least four players chosen in the first round, including a couple in the top ten selections. The number in the first round could reach as high as six if signability concerns decrease.


Leading the charge this year is shortstop Tim Beckham. Beckham is a probable top five pick in this draft and could go as high as first overall. He brings a complete game to the field with very strong defensive skills and a complete game with the bat. Posse management see Beckham competing with Justin Jackson as the future after Derek Jeter.


Also expected to go in the top ten selections is recently drafted Kyle Skipworth. Skipworth will be drafted as a catcher and brings a very strong bat to the field. He has the ability to hit for both average and power. He also has very good defensive abilities and the only concern with him sticking at catcher is whether he gets too big for the position. Posse management hopes he can stay at catcher and compete with Chris Snyder as the successor to Jorge Posada.


The third of the first round probables is pitching prospect Tim Melville. Melville is probably the top rated high school pitcher in this draft with both a plus curveball and plus fastball which he delivers cleanly from hit 6'5" body. Historically teams do not like to take prep pitching prospects in the first round, but that mold was shattered last year with eight selected last year and many of them are seen as top of the rotation starters.


The next four prospects will be really interesting to see where they end up, and for very different reasons. Aaron Hicks leads that group as probably a first round candidate as a toolsy outfielder or a first round candidate as a power pitcher. The question is not whether he goes in the first round but whether he is drafted as an outfielder or pitcher. Posse management is hoping as an outfielder, and that Hicks will have a future role in either centerfield or right field.

Casey Kelly could go in the first round or could go completely undrafted. Kelly brings great defensive skills at shortstop and also brings a potential power bat to the position. He is a great athlete, which is part of the problem as he is also a highly recruited quarterback and could go to Tennessee as a starting shortstop and quarterback. Posse management is hoping he could become a third shortstop prospect with Jackson and Beckham.


Alex Meyer is probably the one that will fall the most from this group. He is still a first round talent, as the 6'7" righthander has a plus fastball and nasty breaking ball. The challenge is he wants to go to college and many will waste a high draft pick on that risk. Meyer will probably either go undrafted or will be taken with a 5th-10th rounder by a team willing to spend. The only way he will not go to Kentucky is if hr is offered first round money.


Isaac Galloway has long be thought of a first round talent, but some concern over his ability to hit has decreased his stock this spring. Galloway has the tools to be a strong offensive player as he has plus bat speed and typically makes solid contact. Whichever team drafts him will probably have to adjust his swing to bring some power into his game. Defensively, Galloway is a gold glove potential centerfielder. Posse management hopes this Torii Hunter clone can make the necessary adjustments to become their Torii Hunter of the future.


Daniel Webb is a power pitching prospect that currently is a work in progress on his secondary pitches. Webb has the ability of being a top of the rotation starter if he learns to throw some secondary pitches or could end up being a closer. Posse management expect he will be drafted in the second to fifth rounds, will start of as a starter but will eventually make the majors as a reliever.


Oh how one's stock can drop...from the next ARod to the next University of Miami third baseman. That is the story of Harold Martinez. Six months ago Martinez was a first round talent that had the tools to become a top five selection. After a horrible senior season, he will most likely be drafted late and will head to Miami. The only way that path will be changed is if someone believes a few tweaks could take advantage of his raw skillset.

Posse get busy in Minor League Draft

Unlike past years, the Posse entered the MDBL minor draft with only four spots available to be filled but that did not mean they were not busy. Posse management made three selections in the draft portion and also completed two trades that brought some additional young options to the fold and some picks for the future.


"We entered this draft with specific players we wanted to acquire and we are happy to say we got many of the guys we were targeting", stated GM Luddington.


The Posse had two selections in the first round (including the 9th overall selection) and then had to wait until the compensation round to make their third selection. With their first selection they went for 17 year old Seattle shortstop Carlos Triunfel. Triunfel was signed as an internation free agent in 2006 by the Mariners and was assigned to Low A Wisconsin, which is quite rare for a young 17 year old. Baseball America currently projects Triunfel to be a 5-tool premium position player, and so far he is demonstrating many of the tools. Currently Triunfel is showing he has a very mature bat as he has demonstrated the ability to hit both fastballs and offspeed pitches and uses the whole field. He also has demonstrate very good range defensively and a great arm. What Carlos has not shown yet is the ability to take a walk, which may never come, and the ability to hit for power, which is expected to come. "We are extremely excited about Carlos. Only one other player on our list received a rating similar to Carlos. We expect he will replace Derek Jeter in a few years.", claimed GM Luddington.


To conclude the first round the Posse went the usual route they go for during the draft and that is to select the top talented "next draft" prospects. California High School junior Isaac Galloway was the first target on that list. Galloway is a 5-tool prospect that has the ability to hit for both power and steal bases. His package seems to be very similar to current Posse prospect Andrew McCutchen. Posse management then orchestrated a trade, which could not be completed until after the draft, by sending recently acquired prospects Carlos Gonzalez, Joel Guzman and CJ Henry to the Rampage for the next pick after Galloway, a compensation pick, a player acquired through the auction and the Rampage 2008 1st round minor league draft pick. With the sandwich pick just acquired they Rampage selected on behalf of the Posse, California high school junior Aaron Hicks. "To be honest, the direction of the first round really forced us to react.", stated GM Luddington. "So many high schoolers went in the first round, and when the Millers took Eric Hosmer (who we rated #3 on our 2008 high school list) we got worried that we would not get our top two 2008's. We got Galloway with one, but did not think Hicks would make it until our next pick in the compensation round. Giving up Gonzalez was difficult but with current outfield youngsters Quentin, Maybin, McCutchen and Marrero we figured we could afford to. Guzman and Henry were really throw in's to balance out the rosters to 36. In return, we got Hicks who we covet, we got what should amount to a top 3 pick in the 2008 draft and we knew we probably would get a couple solid pitching prospects late".


The Posse did not pick again until the compensation round where they made two selection. The first one was made by the Posse and they took another high school junior, but this time it was Harold Martinez from Florida. "We have been following Martinez probably longer then any prospect since we took over the reigns in Oak Ridges. In our opinion Martinez and Triunfel are very similar players, and both have the tools to be superstars. This allows us to be extremely deep at SS as both join Justin Jackson on our depth chart" With the second compensation pick, the Posse had the Rampage select Yu Darvish from Japan. This is actually the second time GM Luddington has drafted Yu Darvish, with the first time being when Darvish was a high school senior in Japan and GM Luddington was running the show for NAFTA. "There is no pitcher I wanted in this draft more then Yu, but I also knew I could get him later in the draft. I first draft Darvish because I knew he had the talent and rolled the dice that he may come to the majors instead of the Japanese league. That did not pay off, but I knew that in a few more years I would re-acquire him.", claimed FM Luddington. Darvish was draft 1st overall, and at the age of 20 is already in his third full season in Japan. So far he is the "next one" in Japan as he already has started 10 games, tossed 80 innings, allowed opponents to bat only .167 against him, walked only 19 batters, struck out 9.11 players per 9 innings and compiled a 2.03 ERA....and he is only 20! Darvish cannot become a free agent for 6 more years, but he is expected to be posted earlier then that. When asked about how long it will be until Darvish will be in a Posse uniform Luddington stated "It is worth the wait. Any high schooler is probably 4-5 years away anyways, wo there is not much of a difference. Just a more experienced and proven option."


In the midst of the compensation round, the Posse made another trade, but this one was much more surprising as they dealt top high school senior Matt Harvey to the Pioneers for Los Angeles Angels Korean youngster Young-Il Jung and the Pioneers 1st and 2nd rounders in the 2008 minor league draft. "Basically we were approached by the Pioneers about acquiring Harvey. We love Harvey's talent but also recognize that Matt's family are very close with the Pioneers management. We actually feel that Jung has as much talent as Matt and were able to acquire another 1st round pick for next year.". Sounds like a win-win trade! Jung is a 17 year old pitcher that has three above average offerings and has the ability to become a #2 or #3 starter. He currently is pitching extremely well in extended spring.


In the auction round the Posse picked up two more players, taking high school junior Casey Kelly and high school senior Neil Ramirez. Ramirez was the final player acquired in the Rampage trade and has the pure stuff to be a top of the rotation starter but so far has not shown any consistency. Casey Kelly was ranked 5th on the Rampage's high school junior draft board, but also brings a ton of doubters with him. Kelly is an incredibe athlete who can be a top notch baseball prospect as either a pitcher or as a hitter. He has a large frame and will probably outgrow shortstop, but a move to either third base or right field is an option. He has all the tools to do either. He also happens to be one of the top pitching prospects, as evidence by taking the ball in the Florida 6A finals and throwing a complete game 2 hit shutout including striking out top high school senior Michael Main 3 times. What raises questions around Kelly is that he also plays quarterback in football and may not be willing to give up that sport. The good news is he is not being recruited by many top football programs (Alabama, Duke, Ole Miss, Rutgers, South Florida, Tennessee and UCF).


"We are extremely happy with this draft. We acquired top talent at key positions which is always our goal", stated GM Luddington. The Posse also have three first round picks and two second round picks in 2008.