Thursday, March 7, 2013

Highest Int'l Contract Awarded

The Arizona State Sun Devils have just made NCAA II history by finalizing a contract with Louie Crespo, an 18 year old SP prospect from Haina, DO.  After all the dust settled, the Sun Devils were awarded the rights to the right-handed pitcher after a record $37.0M signing bonus was inked.  My scouts have this kid projecting to be a future Cy Young winner, he'll be an absolute lock down #1 starting pitcher whenever owner train decideds that he's ready.  With the horrible lack of pitching depth in NCAA II, the Sun Devils have just found their star for the future.  The signing should come as no surpise though as the Sun Devils have been very active in the Int'l market since season 2, signing a big player each year with signing bonuses of $26.9M, $30.0M, $33.8M, and now $37.0M.  We caught up with owner train, who was gracious enough to put down the champagne bottles and cigars for a few minutes to give us his thoughts on the record signing: "This was an odd IFA negotiation; I had the high bid very early on and he still took the whole week to sign despite no changes in the bidding.  Now that he's finally agreed, though, he was very much worth the wait. My system has some good young bats but really needed an impact arm. He should move quickly."

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Season 1 Draft Review

Season 1 Draft Review: Part 1 Picks 1-5

#1 Oscar Rolls Chicago 19 YO RHP
First ever NCAA II pick and deservingly so.
On draft day so many years ago Rolls had the potential to be dominant. Since being drafted he has accumulated 10 wins in each of his 3 full seasons spent in the minors, having won his levels Cy Young Award twice.
Today: Promoted to the Big League Roster this season. Most likely will be high on the ROY ballot this year.
Update: With the worst luck Rolls suffered a labrum tear and will be out 200+ days.

#2 Texas Agriculture and Machinery selects SP Jeromy Stern 21 YO LHP
Stern brings top flight numbers across the board with pinpoint control, top end velocity and control. With a make up of 50 we may have seen the end of development and should see him as a top 2-3 SP in NCAAII.
Season: Prior to the season 4, Stern was dealt from Texas to Charlotte along with OF Pedro Bennett for season 4 MVP Kenny Powell. The trade helped build contenders for both sides, but early on Powell's MVP is winning the trade to date.
Today: Stern will begin the season as the Tar Heels 3rd SP and hopes to improve on his 9-10 record in his rookie year.

#3 Oakland Golden Bears select RHP Cecil Traynor

Traynor who may be the pick of the draft early on has the ability to one day be enshrined in the HOF. Traynor who hold slightly more impressive numbers than Stern has a bit better make to produce impressive numbers. Traynor was the quickest to the majors reaching Oakland in season 2 and pitched to a 6-4 record with a 3.24 ERA.
Season 3: Always dealing Mr_Stickball dealt to Little Rock Razorbacks Traynor along with SP Corban Wiltsie and RF Farmer Snow for big hitting 1B Terrance Glauber, RP Jack Ryan and SP Hector Cruz.
As one of many trades made that season Mr_Stickball set his roster up and won the division so worked well for him, hope it’s the last time he wins the division.

Today: Cecil Traynor currently is the Ace of the Razorback team that drichar138 has righted the ship and made the team a favorite to win the division again. Expect big things for Traynor going forward.

#4 The Scranton Nittany Lions select 3B Izzy Grieve as the first position player taken in NCAAII. Grieve possesses the rare speed and high end glove found at the hot corner. With lots of pop in his bat should produce 20-30 Hr's annually in Scranton.

Today: After 3 1/2 years in the minors Grieves power bat earned him a spot in the heart of the Nittany Lion order. With proper development should find himself with a few all star appearances and gold gloves for his mantle.

#5 Jackson Rebels select SS Gorkys Calderone. Loaded with immense potential Calderone has become a focal point the Reb system for coachsimon. Gorkys has all the tools for a top flight INF except for the arm strength category.
Today: In season four coachsimon inserted Calderone as his everyday 3B, but now has entrenched himself at 2B where he has the ability to be an All-star/ Gold glover and should help the Rebs try to knock off powerful Little Rock.