Hey, this guy's graphical abilities have enhanced 5 solid OOTP leagues, he is a one man art team, and his web mastering abilities are second to none. Who is this fellow, some sort of mythical OOTP league graphics superhero who can draw faster than a speeding locomotive? Nope, close though - it's the CDL's own Pittsburgh GM, Samuel G. "Silent Sam" Stauder (the 'G' stands for "Get Outta' Here!")! He received the nickname in a bet, but it also may have something to do with the fact he is very shy about expressing his views on his 'stached hero, Pittsburgh reliever Dan Quizenberry. Highlights of Dan's recent OOTP League art career include the incredible logo's of the 4CBA, which of course stands for the "Four Collective Bargaining Agreements", a OOTP fictional baseball league with multiple rule pages. His much appreciated CDL work includes art and a ton of web design - some highlights are:
- The CDL World Series banners
- The CDL logo
- All the sharp designs that are easy to miss due to the great web design style
- The amazing new CDL Hall Of Fame pages.
- Okay, pretty much the entire CDL web site!
For more phenomenal artwork and web design, check out Sam's site and tell him ole Red sent you.
RED's DRAFT WINNERS AND LOSERS
Well, the 1987 draft is over, and Red has done some grading. First of all a warning: If your marks get you into Harvard then maybe we will see your club in the 1990 World Series. If your marks are failing then just remember, if I really knew what I was talking about then I'd be there in the amateur draft trenches with the rest of the CDL GM's instead of just writing about it from afar. So without further adieu, here's the 1987 CDL Draft report card:
Houston : A+ Well you can expect Houston to draft wisely, they always do, and nabbing a top 10 guy like reliever Mike Henneman at 1(17) will only enhance the Astro GM's draft rep. Count on it - Henneman will be a star, while a few chosen below him in this draft may not even make it. Six picks later they grab a premier future leadoff man in Gerald Young. To think this guys is still there at 1(23), that's almost robbery. For late round 2 the Astros grab a long shot reliever that can start (Jose Mesa), this is also an excellent pick though - Mesa is only 20 years old, so his odds of increasing his abilities are high. In round 3 the Astros draft for youth and pick up two lottery ticket prospects that at least have a hope of making it someday. Draft tip reminder - if the best players available are all terrible, pick the best player of the bunch that is under age 22 - that is the best you can do and that is what Houston did here.
Baltimore : A+ This is bad. I just spilled my coffee, I was that surprized that Jay Buhner was still available at 1(9) I dropped the mug, and though I can get more coffee, my coffee isn't just coffee if you get my drift. Anyhow, the O's did the right thing to snap him up as he could easily have gone in the top 6 this year. Late 1st SS Jeff Blauser was another excellent pick, say, this Baltimore GM has done this before! Pen man Jeff Innis was a steal in round 2 and to top off the best drafting performance of 1987 - the Oriolles chose 2B Nelson Liriano in the steal of the 3rd round.
St. Louis : A Ron Gant at 1(6) looks very similar to Caminiti and is a solid though unspectacular pick, but that does more to show the general lack of star depth in this years crop than any lack of good draft scouting. The round 2 selection Todd Frohwirth will be a very good reliever and at 2(6) he was one of the steals of the 1987 CDL draft.
Cincinnati : A- Surprise! Cincinnati picks a good starting pitcher in a draft, that does not happen often. But seriously, Tim Belcher looks like he might be a factor in future races, and he is better than at least 3 of the SP's chosen before him - that means this is a solid pick. 3B Mike Sharperson in round 2 is also excellent, good chance for stardom there and considering he was taken late in round 2 he is a steal. Even veteran SS Rod Booker, taken late in round 3, is an alright pick. Good defensive potential, he may become a starter yet.
Pittsburgh : B+ 24 year old phenom 2B Jody Reed should have been picked at #8-15, so getting him at #20 must have been a surprise for Sam and most CDL followers. Considering it was really his only legitimate draft pick of this year's draft he did pretty well. 1B Jim Paciorek was also an alright late 4th round long shot, as good as was available at that point.
Detroit : B+ Late round 1 pick 1B Randy Milligan was an excellent pick at 1(24) and has a good chance of making a CDL impact with or without talent upgrades. In case Milligan does not make it though, late 2nd round 1B Gene Larkin also has a good chance of being a CDL starter. Late 3rd round lefty reliever Greg Cadaret was about as good as you could get at that stage of the draft.
Milwaukee : B A big draft year for the Brew Crew, and Martinez was the right choice at #1, MacDowell was the best available at #4, but there were several guys better than Polonia and Manwaring in round 2.
Kansas City : B Why was Bryan Harvey still available in the middle of round 1? Excellent steal pick although the round 2 selection was not a steal - long shot SP Jeff Robinson. Rob Ducey in round 3 was a draft pick comeback as he was a long shot prospect steal at the point he was taken. Mixed marks - Rnd1:A Rnd2:D+ and Rnd3:B+ averages out to a solid B grade.
San Francisco : B Shane Mack was a fine choice at 1(8), though I would have preferred 2 or 3 others in his place. His proneness is not the biggest concern, the biggest concern is the fact he is a RHB and may not get big numbers against his most common foe - the RHP. 23 year old SS Felix Fermin as a late 3rd was a fine pick as well.
Boston : B Boston's lone "judge able" draft pick in 1987 was 25 year old reliever Joe Klink, and he was draft steal at his spot late in the 2rd round.
New York (A) : B- Infielder Randy Velarde at #1 - very nice. DH Sam Horn in #2 - somewhat of a long shot but major draft steal potential - great pick. Closer De Wayne Buice in late round 2 is an okay pick - he is a now kind of veteran pick so he will likely not get any better, but he is pretty good right now. Catcher John Marzano at #3 is the first truly awful pick here, and I have to think given the wisdom in the previous Yankee choices, this must have been done by Mister Otto Von Draft himself - it has all the makings of a terrible AI choice.
Texas : B- Prone SP Joe Magrane is an okay pick, and though I would have taken about 3 guys before him we are getting into an area of the draft where the difference in quality is far less obvious. The left handed Magrane has okay ratings and his best advantage over some of the better guys taken after him is his youth - 22 years old. Slick fielding switch hitting SS Walt Weiss was a great round 2 pick and the round 3 pick, pen man Scott Anderson, was also excellent in it's spot. Those round 2 & 3 picks move this grade up to B-.
Oakland : B- Ken Caminiti at #5 overall was a big talent drop but he was about as good as anyone left at that spot. Two starting pitchers in round 2, and Mike Dunne might end up being a solid pick - the jury is still out though. SP John Farrell at 2(23) is a lotto ticket pick, he probably does not make it at all but there was not a lot of other stuff left at this point, especially in the SP department. Methinks one of the available prospect batters would have been a wiser option at 2(23).
Chicago (N) : B- SP Melido Perez was a fine 1st pick, with the high points being youth (21), right handedness, and a great fastball (GOOD in K's). At first glance SP Les Straker seems like a wise round 3 choice. Sure, he needs a talent increase or two as most of the players chosen at this stage do, but he does have pretty high current ratings. the one major negative for Straker is advanced age (27), so what you see is likely what you get. A few picks later in round 3 the Cubs got OF Jack Daugherty, a steal at 3(16). The switch hitting Daugherty is one bump away from stardom, and he will likely become an efficient major leaguer with his current ratings and talents.
New York (N) : B- Roberto Kelly in round one - not my cup of tea but hey, he does have 4 stars according to OOTP! For a leadoff type hitter, that FAIR in walks is a killer, good luck to Kelly in getting that needed talent improvement. The good news: kelly is young, fast, and is a great defender, he could turn into a big star. Reliever Tom Edens in round 2 was wa fine pick.
San Diego : C+ Ellis Burks is a guy that could have been #1 in many drafts, and getting him at #3 was a nice pick. 2B Jose Lind in round 2 was very questionable (what, is Joey Cora wearing his invisible suit?), but nabbing Mark Williamson in round 3 was a possible sleeper pick.
Chicago (A) : C+ I like Matt Williams, but I think there were more than 5 guys I would have nabbed before him. The big concerns are the FAIR in getting walks and the fact he is a RHB, the selling points are great defense and the BRILL in HR. Jeff Montgomery was a very good round 2 selection and Pete Smith in round 3 was also wise - he is a long shot but a young long shot. A lot of opportunities to progress.
Seattle : C B.J. Surhoff got 'ems: Youth, extra base power, left handed batter, and defensive versatility. B.J. Surhoff need 'ems: The ability to take a walk. Considering his GOOD in getting hits and his high walk ratings considering the FAIR talent, this was a good pick. The youth means that there is plenty of time develop some better OBP talent. 2nd round reliever Palacios can start, and that is likely why he was taken this early, it was not because of an access of talent. That FAIR in HR's is a killer and I can't see him being effective in the CDL without a talent increase, a risky pick that does not appear good at this point. #3 choice Todd Benzinger at 3(15) was 1B Todd Benzinger, and there is not much to say about Todd except that he is a long shot to ever make the bigs.
Philadelphia : C Al Leiter was a fairly safe choice in round 1, not a bad pick, although I could see at least 2 better picks. Tim Crews in round 2 was solid, and catcher Greg Myers in round 3 was not a bad choice.
Toronto : C- Round 2 choice Mike Macfarlane: Not good. Although he may have been the best catcher left (that is debatable) there were more talented non-catcher players still available. Knowing OOTP infamous love of drafting catchers this seems suspiciously like an auto pick. the Jays round 3 pick was 28 year old vet OF Lloyd Mcclendon, and he is a fine pick at that stage in a draft class not noted for it's depth. Mcclendon may get some utility OF use in the upcoming years. 4th round OF Alonzo Powell follows that famous CDL draft strategy: if you have to take poor quality players take young poor quality players. Powell is a solid lottery ticket choice.
Montreal : D+ Glavine was a great pick at #2, Treadway in round #2 and SP Jeff Ballard in round 3 were not great picks. Ballard has to be considered a long-long shot to even make the bigs.
Los Angeles: D Some reputation or sentimental picks here since neither David Wells or Greg Jeffries were the very best at the positions taken. That said, they are not terrible picks, but Orestes Destrade in round 2 was not a good pick and Tom Pagnozzi in round 3 will likely never play in the CDL. Of this crop it is possible that none of these guys turn into CDL stars, but the 2 first rounders will certainly be given every opportunity.
Cleveland : D- This was Cleveland's big draft year, with a draft list bigger than some teams rosters. The final grade appears harsh, but maybe this will be a good learning experience and hey, that's what grading is all about right? No? Well, never mind about that, the 1st pick, 1B Mark Carreon, was an okay choice. Gerald Young was better, 1B Randy Milligan was better, even 1B Gregg Jefferies was better. In fact many players chosen after Carreon were better than Carreon, so this was a shaky 1st selection. The next pick was 1(26) and CF Lance Johnson was really a better choice than Carreon. Still an under appreciation for actually getting on base but once Johnson gets on base he can really fly - A/A speed and stealing ability (no jokes about stealing 1st base please). Another advantage Johnson has over Carreon - he bats left handed. Ignore the BRILL triples talent Johnson has because OOTP5 does not use this rating anymore. Round 2: Whew, may as well take a seat, there are plenty of Indian picks to go. At 2(1) the Tribe takes RHP John Burkett. He could be a good one, but again, there were better guys available. Once you resign yourself to getting a starting pitcher who may never have an ERA below 4.00, then it's time to consider relievers who will very likely become all-stars. Guys like Todd Frohwirth, Jeff Montgomery, or Jeff Innis. If relievers aren't your bag, then a solid infielder like 2B Joey Cora would be a good pick - all these players were taken after Burkett. I hope Burkett makes it, but he is a projected borderline #3-5 starter at this point in his career. Speaking of 2B Joey Cora, Cleveland come back in the saddle with a very solid 2(4) choice when they nabbed Cora. He will be a starter in the CDL, and very likely a star pivot - best pick of the Indians draft so far. Two more center fielders, Mike Devereaux at 2(16) and Donell Nixon 2(26) were the next picked. Devereaux needs a talent increase to get major league playing time, and even with that increase, his RHB ways mean he might only make it as a utility OF. The main bright spot for Devereaux is his excellent defense and versatility. Nixon is a slightly older utility OF type, less gifted defensively but with leadoff potential. He also needs a talent increase or 2 to be playable, and at 25 his key development years are mostly behind him. If he does make it his B/B speed will be his greatest asset. The 3(1) pick, SP Marty Clary, is a long shot SP who also requires at least one talent increase to be useful. 23 year old SP Mike Campbell would be a great pick at 3(19) if not for the POOR in HR's - that pretty much guarantees he will not pitch in the bigs, but at 3(19) in a thin draft crop, he is not really a bad pick either - there was not a lot of talent taken after him. SP Eric Nolte at 3(26) is another long shot - needs 3 or 4 talent increases to be usable, but reliever Rich Monteleone at 4(1) may yet make it in the CDL - one of the better picks of the mid 3rd - 4th rounds.
Editor's Note: Atlanta, Minnesota, and California all traded away their 1987 1st to 3rd picks, so they are spared Red's biting commentary ... until next year.
RED's AWARDS REPORT CARD
Just to make this fair, I better grade myself on the 1986 CDL Awards picks.
AL MVP
Red's Pick:Tim Wallach BOS
League Pick:Tim Wallach BOS
NL MVP
Red's Pick:Wade Boggs HOU
League Pick:Alan Trammell CHI
AL CY YOUNG
Red's Pick:Don Robinson CAL
League Pick:Don Robinson CAL
NL CY YOUNG
Red's Pick:Jim Wright HOU
League Pick:Jim Wright HOU
That's about 88%, not too bad considering I have been reporting football and stock car racing for most of my professional career.
RED RUFFENSORE SPOTLIGHT OF FAME: Rich Chiles
The 37 year old veteran spray hitter may be slowing down, but the CDL has not seen the last of him and his slashing bat. Chiles has been one of the best spray hitting outfielders in CDL history, never hitting for much power, but always a good average and a great batting eye. He does not possess much speed, but has always been a smart base runner and has scored more than 70 runs 6 times in his career. His best statistical season, so far, was probably his comeback season last year when he hit .332 as a platooner versus RHP. His favorite seasons are more likely 1981, 1983, or 1984. those are all years in which he was part of a World Series winning club, the only club he has ever played for as a matter of fact, the Cincinnati Reds. As a two time all star (1976 and 1982), Chiles may not have the numbers to enter the CDL Hall Of Fame, but he'll certainly be given the key to the Cincinnati Hall of Fame.