2011 MWBL RE-DRAFT – (WHAT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED)

Mid-West Baseball League Commissioner’s Office – Report submitted by Chris DeMecurio – Corktown Cycle. – June 4th, 2018

The rules are simple. I selected a player to draft with each pick in the 1st round of the 2011 MWBL Draft from the players that were actually selected somewhere in that draft. Minor league players had to make it up by the end of the 2013 season or it would be a waste of a pick no matter how good they were. Remember, it’s impossible to know what each owner would have actually done with a chance to re-draft, so I did my best to mix the players actual MLB career with their MWBL career and remaining potential. Let’s keep in mind this was for fun. With that said, go ahead and share your thoughts, and rip on some of my re-draft picks, but more importantly feel free to call out owners for their actual picks. (As I wasn’t in the 2011 draft).

This year was filled with can’t miss guys that will help MWBL franchises for years to come, yet somehow teams missed (Some several times). If I had continued this draft for another round, there would still be some players that are very impactful for MWBL franchises to this day.

1. Clovis Wheat Kings – Chris Sale P CWS. The argument with ace starter v. superstar position player lives on! The reason I almost went with Machado here was the fact that he is only 25 and has already had a monster career. However, as Rod Allan once said left handed pitchers like Sale don’t grow on trees (Dumb inside joke in Detroit). Chris Sale has finished in the top 6 in MLB Cy Young voting the past 6 seasons. To be able to plug Sale into your starting lineup year in and year out is just too tough to pass up at #1. I would not argue if you wanted to go a different direction here, but this is my thing and Sale goes to the Wheat Kings. Actual Pick: Brandon Belt 1B SF (Actual Sale: Rd 1 #2 to Chicago)

2. Chicago Mobsters (From Southbend) – Manny Machado SS BAL- Machado has played in 5 seasons and is already considered one of the league’s best players. My formula is always looking at what a player has done along with what a player can still do for your future and Machado is only 25 years old. A 3 time MWBL All-Star there’s not much to argue landing Machado with the second pick of 2011. Stray originally traded up for Sale, but i’m sure the Mobster faithful would be celebrating by landing Manny. Especially considering the Mobsters shipped Sale over a year ago in a deal that landed them a young 3B. Actual Pick: Chris Sale SP CWS (Actual Machado: Rd 1 #6 to Detroit)

3. Yonge Street Stalkers (From Baystreet) – Nolan Arenado 3B COL- How about a player who is only 27 and gives you a 5 on Defense every season at 3B and has hit over 155 home runs since 2013? Arenado gives you all of that and he already has 1 MWBL MVP trophy. Arenado is another candidate for the #1 overall pick. Like Detroit taking Bryce Harper in the 2nd round in 2010 after having the #1 overall pick, Clovis has done the same with Nolan in 2011. Actual Pick: Jesus Montero C NYY (Actual Arenado: Rd 2 #29 to Clovis)

4. Southbend Lynx (From Valdosta) – Paul Goldschmidt 1B ARI- We had to reach to find Goldy in the 6th round, but South Bend still lands an absolute gem at 4. Goldschmidt is #1 overall pick material. Yes, he plays 1B, but how many 1B can you consider 5 tool players? With 170+ MWBL HR and 4 All Star appearances the argument could be made that he has had the best career thus far of the 2011 draft. So major props to Steve for finding Goldschmidt in the 6th round. He has gotten every ounce of his tallant worth already. Actual Pick: Mike Moustakas 3B KC (Actual Goldschmidt: Rd 6 #150 to Hollywood)

5. Bethesda Bandicoots – Charlie Blackmon OF COL- Being in a couple leagues with Nik I’ve learned that is that he is a true competitor. Knowing that, I’m sure he would give anything back to select 5th in this loaded draft again and land somebody like Blackmon. This guy passed by everyone about 7 times and drafted in the 8th round. Blackmon is breaking out as a star, but it’s not like his numbers leading up to this point weren’t above average. Hitting above .300 in both the MLB and MWBL, multiple all star appearances and even a couple silver slugger awards in the MLB. Now he is taking his power to a whole new level. Does playing in Colorado help? Sure, but APBA doesn’t care. Actual Pick: Tsuyoshi Nishioka SS MIN (Actual Blackmon: Rd 8 #213 to West Coast)

6. Detroit Crime– Yu Darvish P JAP- It appears the best years of Darvish could be behind him, but those were some pretty good years. He is approaching the 1000 strikeout mark in the MWBL already. There are some pretty good ace type pitchers in this draft, and more that will probably be better moving forward than Yu. The Detroit rebuild was due to drafting guys like Harper and Machado, so it’s tough for me to tell a guy how to draft. Actual Pick: Manny Machado SS BAL (Actual Darvish: Rd 1 #18 to Manhattan)

7. Yonge Street Stalkers– J.D. Martinez OF HOU- JD had a lot of ups and downs to the start of his career, but now he is a plug in and play type of player. JD has been mashing consistently since 2014, and shows no signs of letting up. It almost didn’t seem fair that an owner like Chris from Tempe could sniff out a talent like JD in round 11 eventually landing him Troy Tulowitzki in a package deal later that year. Just like in MLB, JD has bounced around in the MWBL but looks to have found his home run hitting home in Chicago. Actual Pick: Matt Purke P CLG (Actual Martinez: Rd 11 #281 to Tempe)

8. Northridge Quakes – Carlos Matias Martinez P STL- *Back to back Martinez. We are in a group of players that all can make a great argument to be in this draft’s top 10. I went with Martinez over guys like Archer and Cole because his numbers have already been great and he still has the brightest future as he is only 25. Chicago was able to cash in as Carlos broke into the league at an early age. His ERA is dancing around an even 3.00 and his career WAR is already at 14. Actual Pick: Devin Mesoraco C CIN (Actual Martinez: Rd 4 #107 to Chicago)

9. Valdosta Snappers (From Buffalo) – Chris Archer P TB- Gut was telling me to take Cole here, but we have to take stock in what these guys have already done as well as where they are heading. Archer was the MWBL Rookie of the Year and is approaching 1000 strikeouts in the league. He has been trending down slowly each of the past 4 seasons, but maybe a change of scenery will help a player of Archer’s talent moving forward. Actual Pick: Colby Lewis P TEX (Actual Archer: Rd 1 #13 to Virginia)

10. Owensboro Onslaught (From Motor City)- Gerrit Cole P PIT- The run on starting pitchers continues. Maybe I am getting too excited about how things are working out for Cole in Houston, but he has also been a very good pitcher leading up to this. Cole was one of those pitchers everybody knew had what it takes. Actual Pick: Jonathan Singleton 1B PHI (Actual Cole: Rd 1 #20 Yonge Street)

11. Severn Express– Brandon Belt 1B SF- Let’s grab a plug and play 1B with Belt for Severn. Belt never wins any awards, but he always does everything correctly and quietly. Belt is approaching 100 MWBL HR. Actual Pick: Joaquin Benoit P DET (Actual Belt: Rd 1 #1 Clovis)

12. Pittsburgh Lumber Company– Starling Marte OF PIT- There are a group of 3 outfielders here that all have similar stats and skill sets. I went with Marte first because of his potential. Marte is a 5 tool type player who has yet to exceed 20 HR in a season, but has done everything else including 2 Gold Gloves (1 in MWBL) And lets be honest, would John really pass on a non Pirate here? Actual Pick: Jerry Sands OF LAD (Actual Marte: Rd 3 #68 to Pittsburgh)

13. Virginia Sluggers– Sonny Gray P NYY- The Sluggers originally went with Archer here, so I decided to give them the best starter available in Gray. Gray has shown flashes of being an ace, but lately has seemed to have lost it. This is the time in a pitchers career where they need to reach back and learn how to pitch. We shall see if New York is the place for Sonny, but I still have faith. Either way, Gray would have given Virginia some nice cards over the past 5 seasons. Actual Pick: Chris Archer P TB (Actual Gray: Rd 4 #112 to Tijuana)

14. Owensboro Onslaught (From Tempe)- Lorenzo Cain OF KC- Already landing Cole, the Onslaught are off to a monster draft. Cain is a great outfielder that makes it hard for guys to run on. Cain can also steal you a bag and is no slouch at the plate. Actual Pick: Jonathan 1B PHI Singleton (Actual Cain: Rd 2 #33 to Bethesda)

15.  Owensboro Onslaught – Kenley Jansen P LA- This is already the Onslaught’s third pick in the top 15. As deep as this draft is, it could cause somebody to quit if they botched all of them. I added Jansen here because we already have Owensboro taking Gerrit Cole and Lorenzo Cain so let’s give them a shutdown closer. There really aren’t too many relievers that we can consider a guy that mows them down every day, every year, but Jansen should be considered among the small group. It’s really tough to not take Iwakuma or Yelich here. Actual Pick: Manny Banuelos P NYY (Actual Jansen: Rd 1 #23 West Coast)

16. Hollywood Werewolves– Christian Yelich OF FLA- Some things are just meant to be. Steve selected Yelich with this exact pick in 2011. This is the first time I have had an exact pick stay the same. We know the Werewolves love their big bats, so this is a great landing spot for a player who may not have even hit his prime yet. Yelich was called up in 2013 and has the ability to be a great offensive and defensive addition to any MWBL lineup. Actual pick: Christian Yelich OF FLA

17. Long Beach Dirtbags -Hisashi Iwakuma P JAP- at 17 Iwakuma is probably the best value of this draft thus far. I had a hard time with him because of what he is now, vs. what he was when he stormed into american baseball. Iwakuma dominated with the Tempers even winning a Cy Young award. His ERA is an unreal 2.24 in the MWBL. It may not be a sexy pick, and may not get you a whole lot past 2018, but the numbers don’t lie. Actual Pick: John Axford P MIL (Actual Iwakuma: Rd 3 #66 to Tempe)

18. Manhattan Project (From Jersey)- Todd Frazier SS CIN – The Toddfather is another one of those players who appears to have reached the downside of their career. However, the two time MLB all star had four consecutive seasons of 27+ home runs. Manhattan gets Frazier in the redraft but happily walks away with Darvish. Actual Pick: Yu Darvish P JAP (Actual Frazier: Rd 5 #116 to Valdosta)

19. Fremont Cannons– Matt Carpenter 3B STL- Carpenter just finds a way to reach base. He has 11+ MWBL home runs and a career .272 avg. Also, knows when and how to take pitches. 2018 is a very slow go for Carpenter in MLB so far, but the two time all star has been a 84+ RBI guy 3 of his past 4 seasons in the MWBL and is on his way for another in 2018. Actual Pick: Jonny Venters P ATL (Actual Carpenter: Rd 6 #163 to West Coast)

20. Yonge Street Stalkers (From Camarillo) – Mike Moustakas 3B KC- Mouse may be the best of the last three 3B moving forward. Hitting 38 MLB home runs in 2017 Moustakas already has 10 in 2018. He has always had the skill set as a great defender as well. Batting .241 overall in the MWBL has been one of his only downfalls. Scott grabbed Moustakas at #4 overall, and ended up grabbing Cole here at 20, so he had himself a nice 1st round anyway. Actual Pick: Gerrit Cole P CLG (Actual Moustakas: Rd 1 #4 to Southbend)

21. Valdosta Snappers (From Manhattan)- Jean Segura 2B LAA- Picking at 21 Valdosta seems to have missed out on the studs of this draft, but still grabs a guy with a consistent batting average and a great glove. Segura seems to have found his place batting over .300 in the past 2 MLB seasons and is flirting with it again in 2018. Actual Pick: Carlos Perez P ATL (Actual Segura: Rd 2 #41 to Virginia)

22. Baystate Minutemen (From Coconut Creek)- Matt Harvey P NYM- Every draft has somebody that falls to the 20s. The Dark Knight is this years guy. I think the owners are taking a stand with his off field issues. After three seasons Harvey likely goes in the top 5. So maybe this is unfair treatment. It’s just a redraft, so let’s roll with it. At pick 22 somebody gets a rock solid 1-2 starter for the years 2014 and 2016. Then, you would be smart to trade him. Actual Pick: Alexi Ogando P TEX (Actual Harvey: Rd 5 #113 to Clovis)

23. West Coast Swing – Jake Odorizzi P CWS- If Jake were in a Seinfeld episode he would be Mr. Even Steven. He will never be an ace, but usually be a 3-4. His lifetime era sits at 3.69 and his record is 43-40. Late round 1 if you want a pitcher that gives you everything you expect. Actual Pick: Kenley Jansen P LAD (Actual Odorizzi: Rd 2 #39 to Bethesda)

24. Clovis Wheat Kings (From Chicago)- Tyson Ross P OAK- After being shipped to San Diego in 2013, Ross had a few semi-dominate seasons. An injury in 2016 has set him back for sure, and is the reason he fell on this redraft. Ross is a good candidate for a rebound, as he is off to a decent start in 2018. Actual Pick: Matt Dominguez 3B FLA (Actual Ross Rd 5 #124)

25. Pittsburgh Lumber Company (From Elyria)- Nick Castellanos 3B DET- It appears Castellanos has finally found his stride as he has moved into the outfield. He never appears to be a guy who will be even an average fielder, but he is starting to be consistently hitting for power. And two months into 2018 he is finally hitting for average. Could be a really nice selection paying off late. Actual Pick- Zack Cox 3B STL (Actual Castellanos Rd 1 #27 to Chicago)

26. Yonge Street Stalkers (From Sacramento)- Billy Hamilton SS CIN- This guy can be an ultimate weapon if used correctly. Somehow Hamilton found his way to the Mobsters in Chicago where he has swiped 84 bags in 2016. Crazy thing is he only reached base 83 times! That just isn’t right. Actual Pick: Ivan Nova P NYY (Actual Hamilton: Rd 2 #32 to Iron City)

27. Chicago Mobsters (From Iron City)- Yasmani Grandal C CIN- There is nothing sexy about this pick, but catchers are a tough position to fill. Since traded to the Dodgers in 2014 Grandal has increased his home run total from 15 and is on pace to exceed the 27 he crushed in 2017 this season. Actual Pick: Nick Castellanos 3B DET (Actual Grandal: Rd 2 #62 to Detroit)

28. Baystate Minute Men (From Tijuana)- Jon Jay OF STL- I feel like I have some explaining to do here. Jon Jay screams defensive replacement. Well, that is correct, however let’s dive into a couple numbers. Carrer WAR of 13.6. Career AVG of .288, .275 MWBL (8 seasons). Jay may be a guy who comes in for defense, but the MWBL has 28 teams and I’m pretty sure we all start somebody worse. Just ask Nik from Bethesda. Actual Pick: Ryan Lavarnway C BOS (Actual Jay Rd 3 #81 ro Bethesda)