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Where Are They Now: Class of 1986
July 02, 2013 at 09:44AM View BBCode
Of the 16 first rounders, four are relative "failures" at B+, three hit the full red letter A, and the other nine are bonafide A- major leaguers. The New York Youngstuds had three picks, Cincinnati had two, and the Diamonds, Cubs, and Baltimore Fire were shut out of the first round in this draft. In this pitching-heavy Class, only two position players made the Top 8 ... but that was balanced by only *one* pitcher being selected during the rest of the first round.
Looking back farther, a whopping *nine* players from the 1981 Class were rated "Between," and we'll revisit those players, as well. As for context, we look at 1985 to see how it affected this year's draft position. In 1985 the Diamonds were chasing the playoffs in the AL, while Baltimore and Cleveland got in and the Fire went to the Series, losing to Milwaukee, who had beaten off the Cubs in the NLCS. New York, St. Louis and Brooklyn all had won 90+ games in a competitive National League that year. The Starlets won a league low 38 games.
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If that sounds familiar, it's because I used it for my last report. I *should* have looked at '84, but it was the first time I added it and I screwed up.[/size]
Let's get started. Remember player names are clickable.
[color=blue]THE CLASS of 1986[/color]
Part the First
Pick #1 - [url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?id=9442265]Roy Lamb=Alexis Bledel, SP[/url]-Cincinnati Starlets
Roy Lamb, who always had a thing for The Gilmore Girls, finally had a reason to change his name when he was drafted by the Starlets. He spent only a year-and-a-half in the minors, then came up in midsummer of 1987, winning a baker's dozen of ballgames. He's been near the top of the Starlet rotation ever since, averaging 9-10 wins a year. He appears to finally be coming into his own, having won into the double digits the last three seasons and a Gold Glove last year. Result?
BETWEEN, but could turn into a Boom player if Cincy succeeds in its climb back into contention.
Pick #2 - [url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?id=9442281]Jake Schneider, CF[/url]-Kansas City Kings
Schneider spent five years in the minors, where he converted to RF, then made his debut in 1991, winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award. He followed that up in '92 with the first of three consecutive All Star selections and a Gold Glove Award, not to mention the AL MVP as KC went to the ALCS. He's about to make his fourth consecutive All Star team as the Kings chase another playoff berth. Result?
[color=blue]BOOM![/color]
Pick #3 - [url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?id=9442264]John Smith=John Holmes, RP[/url]-San Diego Sandlot Mafia
John Smith, upon hearing he was drafted by the Sandlot Mafia, decided he wanted to stand up, rise above his peers, and erect a stiff stat line, so he changed his name to John Holmes. He went right to the big league bullpen, appearing in 71 games and saving nearly 20 of them, while finishing fourth in NL ROY balloting. Since then he's been the Closer in San Diego, appearing in up to half their games, and has been selected for four All Star games and on his way to a fifth this year. Result?
[color=blue]BOOM![/color]
Pick #4 - [url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?id=9442269]David Krukow, SP[/url]-New York Skyscrapers
Three years of seasoning later, Krukow got the call with two other rookies as the Skyscrapers began their rise to respectability. He spent two years getting knocked around in the rotation before being relegated to long relief and spot starting for a year, and then returned to the rotation in '92 when his skills had matured. He won a career-high 12 games that year, followed by 14 the next two. This season he is about to make his first All Star team and is in the conversation for American League Cy Young. The future is promising, but for now ... Result?
BETWEEN
Pick #5 - [url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?id=9442266&statsorimps=stats]Joe Jackson=Johnny Wertz, RP[/url]-Pittsburgh Highlanders
Jackson, in keeping with Highlander tradition, changed his moniker to honor a pitcher with the Boston Braves in the late 1920s. He studied hard in the minors for two years, making the team out of Spring Training in 1988. He won seven games working short relief for Pittsburgh, and finished fifth in the NL ROY race. He's been a nondescript but reliable arm for the Highlanders and he may have had his career year in 1993 when he went 10-1 for a Pittsburgh club that won 81 games. About to turn 28, his WHIP and ERA are at career lows this season, so there may yet be a boom and a move into a brighter spotlight in his future, especially with a new owner assuming the reins in Pitt. Result?
BETWEEN
Pick #6 - [url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?id=9442282]Johnny Bowen, 1b[/url]-Boston Green Sox
Though he worked hard, Bowen was on the bottom of the Green Sox coaching priorities during the year he spent on the farm after the draft. He came up in June of '87 in a backup/utility role, hitting .262 with a dozen homers in 279 at-bats, finishing fifth in AL ROY voting. Based on that production, he was handed the first base job in 1988 but a sophomore slump hit him hard and he hit just .231 with only 10 HR. He's gotten full playing time since then, moving between 1b and the OF and the prodigious power that the Green Sox drafted has manifested itself, with Bowen leading the GGL in OPS and Slugging during 1992, and making the first of his (so far) two All Star appearances. For some reason, though, he's never seemed to fit in wearing the Boston green and yellow and he was put on the Trade Desk in May of this year. Result?
[color=blue]BOOM[/color]TWEEN! Stay tuned.
Pick #7 -[url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?id=9442273]Keefe Atkins, RP[/url]-Chicago Black Sox
After three years of heavy coaching, Atkins broke camp with the club in 1989, when Chicago was in the midst of a deep rebuild. He went 2-7 with 11 Saves, appearing in 72 games. He led the GGL in appearances in 1990, but put up mostly empty stat lines for the next three seasons. In 1993, Chicago was making a run for the postseason and Atkins turned into the most reliable arm out of the bullpen, winning 14 games with a 1.30 ERA and made his first (and only) All Star team. He remains Chicago's setup man, but it's looking more and more like '93 was the exception, not the rule. Result?
[color=red]BUST[/color]TWEEN!
Pick #8 - [url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?id=9442325]Bill Mantei, RP[/url]-Washington Phantoms
231 Improvement Chances marked Mantei's four-year apprenticeship in the minors before getting the call at the All Star Break in 1990. Mantei's 3-3 record mirrored the break-even 81-81 record the Phantoms put up that season, though his 3.86 ERA and 1.26 WHIP were credible. 1991, however, was a completely different story as Washington exploded for 108 wins and a trip to the World Series, where they lost to Brooklyn in six games, and Mantei nearly quadrupled his win total to a career high of 11. He pitched three times in the Series that year, though not very effectively. After three more years of nothing special, the Phantoms threw the dice and installed him as their Closer this season, where he's a close second in the AL FOY race, has saved three dozen games to date, and is about to make his first All Star appearance. Age 27, his future finally looks bright. Result?
BETWEEN, but optimistically Boom-y.
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I've decided this year to break this annual report up into three or four posts - all under this thread. I'll do the second half of the first round next, followed by later round success stories (if any), and then the look back at 1981's "Betweens" to see if any have moved the needle toward Boom or Bust.
Hopefully they will be a little easier for you to digest this way. Feel free to comment in between, as I'm sure some of you will, heh.
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July 06, 2013 at 04:19PM View formatted
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[b][color=blue]THE CLASS OF 1986[/b][/color]
[i]Part the Last[/i]
[b]Late round successes in that draft....[/b]
[img]http://www.simdynasty.com/images/sd316.gif[/img] [b]Pick #19 - [url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?id=9442300]Ivan Milligan=Taylor Shaw, RP[/b][/url]-San Diego Sandlot Mafia
[i]After three years of full coaching by the Mafia, Shaw was dealt to Milwaukee in a package for SP Daryl Collamore in the Spring of '89. He was placed on the 25-man roster a year later, has pitched in at least half the team's games since, and was installed as Closer in 1992.[/i] Result? [b][color=blue]BOOM![/b][/color]
[img]http://www.simdynasty.com/images/nyn-516.gif[/img] [b]Pick #31 - [url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?id=9442353]Mike Scott, SP[/b][/url]-New York Youngstuds (from Baltimore Fire)
[i]It was fitting that this pick was in Baltimore's slot, as that's where Scott wound up, in the gold and ebon uni of the Fire. He was swapped to the Diamonds in the Montoya deal, then flipped a year later to Baltimore along with prospect Ezra Sutton for veteran Grant Leynard. Like Ramon Cathey, Scott has a power arm that is just now coming into its own and he's won a career-high 12 games at the back end of Baltimore's rotation this season. It's too early to call a Boom, and frankly, he may never reach that status but he's done well for a late second round pick.[/i] Result? [b]BETWEEN[/b]
[img]http://www.simdynasty.com/images/was116.gif[/img] [b]Pick #40 - [url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?id=9442271]Pete Hands, RP[/b][/url]-Washington Phantoms
[i]Pete Hands had good arms, so the Phantoms didn't give him a lot of coaching that first season, but did promote him to the majors in September and he's never really looked back. He was an unassuming force for Washington, mostly an innings-eater in blowouts, and the Phantoms finally designated him for assignment early this year. The Fire scooped him off the waiver wire a few games into the season and he's responded by appearing in a career high number of games, and has notched 12 Saves so far as the Setup Man in Baltimore.[/i] Result? [b][color=blue]BOOM[/color]TWEEN![/b]
[i]One thing I have noticed as I've clicked my way through this draft is that many of the later round players (well, deep into the third round, anyway) have found their way onto the major league bench or a pitching staff as "B" overall replacement/support parts. Good draft![/i]
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[b][color=blue]THE CLASS OF 1981, REVISITED[/b][/color]
[i]A look at players then labeled "Between"[/i]
That original report is [b][u][url=http://forum.simdynasty.com/viewthread.php?tid=342133]here[/b][/u][/url].
[img]http://www.simdynasty.com/images/bro316.gif[/img] [b]1981 Pick #1 - [url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?id=8700835]John Taylor=Don Rooney=Barrea Santos[/b][/url]-Brooklyn Traveling Wilburies traded to San Diego
[i]Over the last five years Santos has averaged 16 wins a season and last year won the NL Cy Young, leading the Sandlot Mafia into the World Series, where they lost to the Phantoms.[/i] New Rating: [b][color=blue]BOOM![/b][/color]
[img]http://www.simdynasty.com/images/det116.gif[/img] [b]Pick #2 - [url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?id=8700832]Mike Canavan, SP[/b][/url]-Detroit Diamonds traded to Brooklyn
[i]Five years ago I said his WHIP and ERA "certainly speak well of his future" and indeed, after his 1990 trade to the Traveling Wilburies, he was instrumental in their 1991 World Series win. He had two more years of double-digit wins, but fading skills have relegated him to the bullpen with no major awards in his career.[/i] New Rating: [b][color=red]BUST![/b][/color] in the nicest way possible.
[img]http://www.simdynasty.com/images/cle116.gif[/img] [b]Pick #3 - [url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?id=8700883]Al Sackinsky, SP[/b][/url] - Cleveland Curve traded to Cubs
[i]I said in my first report that "only a career ERA of 4.59 keep him from being a Boom player." With the Cubbies over the past five seasons, he's been selected for an All Star team, thrown a no-hitter, led the GGL in shutouts and pitched wonderfully in the 1994 NLCS. He's still at the top of Chicago's rotation, though he's bounced from starting to relieving over the past couple of seasons.[/i] New Rating: [b][color=blue]BOOM![/b][/color]
[img]http://www.simdynasty.com/images/mil116.gif[/img] [b]Pick #4 - [url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?id=8700863]Charlie Difelice, SP[/b][/url]-Milwaukee Mudhens since traded to San Diego
[i]In the last five years, Difelice has led the GGL in Games Started three consecutive seasons. He was relegated to the Sandlot Mafia bullpen the year he was traded but is back in their rotation this season and is second only to Barrea Santos in Wins and ERA. He still has no major awards but is having a career best season as SD heads off to the playoffs again.[/i] New Rating: [b][color=blue]BOOM![/b][/color] But just barely. I want to see him finish his career strong.
[img]http://www.simdynasty.com/images/bro316.gif[/img] [b]1981 Pick #6 - [url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?id=8700848]Keith McIntosh=Le-a Jones, RP[/b][/url]-Brooklyn Traveling Wilburies, traded to Chicago Cubs.
[i]The prediction of good things for Le-a (Ledasha) was in the first report when it was mentioned he had just been installed as the Cubs' Closer. Indeed, he's saved 215 games in the past five seasons (as of this writing). Twice he led the GGL in Saves, three times was selected for the All Star game, and was the NL Fireman of the Year in 1994.[/i] New Rating: [b][color=blue]BOOM![/b][/color]
[i]Here I note that in that first report I had given New York Skyscraper LF Al Kinzy (Pick #8) a tenuous "Boom" rating but said it was contingent on "what have you done for me lately" status. He's done nothing and now plays for the other New York team. I would now give him a [b][color=red]"BUST!"[/b][/color] rating.[/i]
[img]http://www.simdynasty.com/images/kc416.gif[/img] [b]1981 Pick #10 - [url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?id=8700874]Whitey Boehmer, C[/b][/url]-Kansas City Kings
[i]Five years ago Boehmer was in a platoon role but getting most of the playing time; he just hadn't done too much with it yet. Over the past five seasons with the Kings, he's moved into the catching slot full time, won two Gold Glove Awards and was selected as an All Star reserve last year. This year it looks like the fans will vote him in as the starter and he seems to have found his power stroke late in his career.[/i] New Rating: [b][color=blue]BOOM![/b][/color]
[img]http://www.simdynasty.com/images/nyn-516.gif[/img] [b]1981 Pick #12 - [url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?id=8700913]Mickey Abbatichio, SP[/b][/url]-New York Youngstuds, traded to St. Louis
[i]In 1992, the Youngstuds were in rebuilding mode and dealt Abbatichio to the Redlegs, who went to the Series (losing to the Skyscrapers). With St. Louis, Mickey has done nothing but win and he made the All Star team in '93.[/i] New Rating: [b][color=blue]BOOM![/b][/color]
[img]http://www.simdynasty.com/images/bal516.gif[/img] [b]1981 Pick #13 - [url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?id=8700894]Eric Manzanillo, 1b[/b][/url]-Baltimore Fire, traded to New York (NL), then Washington
[i]Manzanillo played adequately for the Youngstuds but two years ago was dealt to the Phantoms. He has just 116 home runs to show for 10 years in the majors (at a power position), and is now occupying a platoon role in D.C.[/i] New Rating: [b][color=red]BUST![/b][/color]
[img]http://www.simdynasty.com/images/stl216.gif[/img] [b]1981 Pick #16 - [url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?id=8700854]Jack Jones, SP[/b][/url]-St. Louis Redlegs, traded to Detroit
[i]At one time the Ace of the St. Louis rotation, Jones was dealt to the Diamonds in 1991 when Detroit began a massive rebuild and dealt away Ace Al Pesky. Since then, he's pitched for a losing ballclub and served as a reluctant Mentor. His career ERA is 4.78 and he will undoubtedly retire without fanfare or accolade.[/i] New Rating: [b][color=red]BUST![/b][/color]
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And there you have this year's report. See you with the next in about two months.