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| Yoenis Cespedes (NYM - OF) |
Offense: BBB's offense was actually a lot better than many would believe for a team that finished 11th during the regular season. The team had 3 active players with more than 20 homers including outfielders Matt Kemp (SD - OF) and Yoenis Cespedes (NYM - OF) leading the way as each tallied 100 or more RBI's. Joining Kemp and Cespedes was Joc Pederson (LAD - OF) who had a terrific All-Star 1st half with 20 homers but only 6 more in the 2nd half. Interestingly enough, Pederson hit 20 of those homers off righties so it appeared the league figured him out some so it will be important to see if he can adjust. Fellow-outfielder Hunter Pence (SF - OF) suffered from an injury marred season but looks to remain an asset as will Ryan Zimmerman (Was - 1B), who is now only eligible at first base but hopefully that move will limit his injuries. Former-MVP Dustin Pedroia (Bos - 2B) isn't the same type of player he once was but remains very valuable and fellow infielder Ian Desmond (Was - SS) has yet to sign with a team will look to be a Top 10 talent at his position once he finds a home. Three bagger Maikel Franco (Phi - 3B) has a very productive rookie season as did fellow first year players Devon Travis (Tor - 2B) and Travis Shaw (Bos - 1B,3B) in limited action. Youngster Max Kepler (Min - OF) and Gary Sanchez (NYY - C) each had a small cup of coffee last season while the jury is still out on Casey Gillaspie (TB - 1B), who has yet to have a MLB at-bat. While this team has some bats, it is not very deep, and finding some young bonafide depth to help this shallow offense will go a long way. The catcher position will need to be addressed since Sanchez is not slatted to start at catcher for the foreseeable future it will force BBB to draft one in vein of Russell Martin (Tor - C), Derek Norris (SD - C,1B) or Wellington Castillo (ChC - C). Also, this team is lacking in speed with only Travis really counted on for stolen bases.
Pitching: Like BBB's offense, the pitching staff is also quite top-heavy but it does roster some talented young reserves. Stud arm David Price (Bos - SP) leads this arsenal of arms with Jordan Zimmermann (Det - SP) acting as his main sidekick. After that dynamic duo, lower-tier arms Danny Salazar (Cle - SP), Drew Smyly (TB - SP) and Taijuan Walker (Sea - SP) were productive last season and all are capable of ascending to the next level during the new season. Carl Edwards, Jr. (ChC - SP) looks good in limited action but his role in Chicago is up in the air and the same can be said for the talented, yet inconsistent Rule-5 draftee, Jon Gray (Col - SP) whose results have not matched his triple-digit stuff. The calvary resides in the youthful potency of Kyle Zimmer (KC - SP), Lucas Sims (Atl - SP), Vanderbilt arm Tyler Beede (SF - SP) and fire-baller Tyler Kolek (Mia - SP) are all legit prospect arms on the cusp of the majors. Rounding out the staff are relievers Aroldis Chapman (NYY - RP), who is likely the best closer in baseball, Jonathan Papelbon (Was - RP), who is still capable despite struggles, and setup-man Corey Knebel, who might be closing by the end of the season. BBB's staff doesn't look to have the same struggles as its offense as its been cushioned with enough prospect arms yet adding a reliable major league starter couldn't hurt.
Draft: 2016 looks to be the year of the shortstop prospect and while Desmond is only 30 it might be foolhardy to pass on a high-level SS prospect with no in-house backup. For the 1st round, selecting a shortstop out of high school over college makes sense and it will allow that player to take over in a couple years. This leaves Brendan Rodgers (Col - SS) a sound pick with the thought of him playing at Coors Field making him double intriguing. Fellow infield generals Orlando Arcia (Mil - SS) as wel as college draftees LSU's Alex Bragman and Vanderbilt alum Dansby Swanson (Atl - SS) will likely remain in the mix as well.
Prediction:
RD 1: Brendan Rodgers (Col - SS) - Logical pick here with Desmond already rostered
RD 2: Brett Phillips (Mil - OF) - Strangely unkept last season but potential to be a MLB All-Star
RD 3: Victor Robles (Was - OF) - Quickly moving up prospect rankings, all-around good
RD 4: Derek Norris (SD - C) - Former-All-Star will be a fine placeholder as it waits on Sanchez
RD 5: Jon Gray (Col - SP) - R5 Keeper
RD 6: Tyler Beede (SF - SP) - Keeper
Prospect Draft:
RD 1: Eddy Martinez (ChC - OF) - Cuban outfielder looks to have big time power potential
RD 2: Kolby Allard (Atl - SP) - High velocity lefty looks to be assured a MLB career
RD 3: Franklyn Kilome (Phi - SP) - Projectable at 6'6, hard thrower and could be big riser
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