2013 Bomber Draft

This report of the Bomber Blast will focus on the most recent draft the Bombers had and who and why they drafted the players they did.

One of the biggest deficiencies this franchise had was in the pitching category.  A concerted effort was made to bring in quality arms that could be 3 or 4 years away.

Ken Forryan - 22, CF, AA - 1st round selection, 3rd overall.  Projects to be a 5 tool player.  Has tremendous power (18),  excellent speed, potential gold glove defender with an above average arm.  Has a lot of speed and the Bombers are looking for his arrival in late 2015.  One word of note, my scout loves him a lot more than OSA's.  There are big discrepancies between the two scouts, especially in the power category.  If OSA is right, the Bombers have a lead off hitter.

Roger Marshall - 23, SP, AA - 2nd Round selection, who will be utilized as a SP.  Excellent velocity (95-97mph) and a ground ball percentage of 73% should allow the balls that are hit to be playable.  A stamina level of 15 leads management to believe Marshall can remain a starter throughout his career.  Marshall throws sinkers and curves and seems to have movement on every pitch (rating 16).

Hiroaki Ine - 25, CL, AAA - 3rd Round, was the oldest player select in the draft at his selection.  Probably the Bombers most ABL Ready player in the draft, and team officials would not rule out his being placed on the 40 man roster in Sept, if the team remains in playoff contention.  Another fireballer (95-97mph) with a stamina of 20.  Throws a sinker and change up and another pitcher who keeps the ball in the park (73% ground ball pct).

Reginald Thompson - 22, SP, AA - 4th Round, another arm added to the franchise.  Thompson throws a cutter and slider at 95-97mph and has plus ratings in stuff, movement and control (14, 15, 15).  Like Marshall, if the rotation isn't his forte, there is a future in the Bomber bullpen.

David Powell - 22, SP, A - 5th Round.  Excellent velocity, an exceptional curveball and manages to keep the ball in the park (64% GB).  Good stamina as well which sets him up well to for a starting role.  The owner wanted this guy, and damn if we don't do what the owner wants.

Steve Walker - 23, SP, AA - 6th Round.  A true bonafide SP with 4 pitches, good velocity and decent stamina.  With a little development, his pitch quality should increase, his control should increase and can possibly find himself in the Bomber rotation in 2016. 

Mark Boyar - 26, MR, AA - 7th Round.  A closer in the making.  Slightly older than some of the other prospects, but is a genuine fireballer. Clocked between 97-99 with above average pitches.  And when contact is made, it's not going to far, as he has a 63% gb pct.  In the Canadian Baseball League, Boyar whiffed 41 in just 28 innings, with a WHIP of 0.93.

Otojiro Yamamoto - 17, RF, A - 8th Round.  No stats to look thru, but possesses tons of power.  Projected as a cleanup hitter, and has time to develop. 

Murai Ito - 36, RF, AA - 9th Round.  Probably the oldest player drafted.  ABL Star ratings aren't showing Ito the love, however, based on his contact, gap and power potential, as well as being an average fielder makes this selection a low risk/high reward pick.  He's mature enough to handle the game, hit 16 HR's in 375 AB's which could translate to a 25 HR season.  Plus with his age, he'll probably never get a big pay day through Arbitration.  Ito does have a fiesty side, as he's still serving an 8 game suspension.

Dan Harris - 22, 2B, A - 10th Round.  An above average defender, with average numbers across the board.  Had an outstanding college senior season and Bombers are hoping he can become a defensive specialist that can hit a bit and fill in for brief periods of time.  Harris' speed might be able to secure himself on an ABL roster for a couple of seasons.

Shintaro Rin - 17, LF, A - 11th Round.  The upside here is that Rin, at 17 years old in the Nippon League banged out 23 dingers in 299 AB's and an All Star selection.  The downside is that there is a defensive side of the game that Rin just isn't too interested in.  He's a below average fielder and that more than anything else dropped him in the draft and will probably keep him at A ball for a minimum of two seasons to at least see if he can catch a ball.  If Rin can close the gaps of what he's lacking he could be the steal of the draft for South Carolina.

Hiroya Aoki - 18, SS, A - 12th Round.  Does a lot of things well, some things okay, but nothing really well.  As a middle infielder doesn't field nearly well enough.  No real power to speak of either.  If he can improve a couple of areas of his game, he could rise through the organization and beat the odds, or he could be released.

Next Blog update will be Altman's analysis of the coming season...