Washington D.C. Senators
Needs: MIF, CF
Catching duties on the Senators are shared by David Soriano and Derek Conigliaro. Both are very good hitters, and average fielders, but most importantly, they are both still relatively young. At 1B, they have a similar situation, albeit the two choices are slightly older, but still in their prime. The three infield skill positions all have solid choices, but absolutely nobody to back them up, or eventually replace them. The OF is solid at either end, but soft up the middle. Young Vic Pena is an option there, but the only option, and he is a very light hitter, as well as an average fielding CF. The Senators are in the process of developing their rotation, and they have stockpiled some considerable depth in doing so. Suffice to say that the starting rotation will not be a concern in the very near future. The bullpen situation isn't quite as clear, but they do have plenty of talent to get the job done.
Draft Expectation: Low
The standard 5 picks in 5 rounds, and the first pick is at number 12 overall. Considering Washington's needs are not that excessive, only having 5 picks in the top 5 rounds is not really a problem.
Draft Preparation:
Having the 6th highest payroll in the league, that is primarily distributed to only a handful of players, has left Washington with few options on how to prepare for the draft. As discussed in the previous paragraphs however, this does not really present a major problem as Washington has little to prepare for. As their highly expensive handful of millionaires reach free agency again in a few seasons, the Senators will not only gain extra picks, but also gain a whole lot of extra money to bolster the scouting departments. As it is this year, Washington spent a little bit on high school scouting, and a little more into the prospect budget. Really, at this point, it is all they need.
Prospects
Round 1 Pick 12 SP Farmer Mathewson
Although this pick came in an area which Washington did not really have a need, it is never a bad idea to pick quality starting pitching. Mathewson is a classic number 3 starter. A very effective sinkerball pitcher, he will work long innings, and keep the ball on the ground. Besides his sinker, he has 3 other plus pitches, giving him a very impressive array. As the number 12 pick overall, he about what you should expect.
ML Projection: 220-230 IP/15-17 W/.240-.260 OAV/3.25-3.75 ERA
Round 2 Pick 69 SP Brady Briggs
Again, choosing to bolster their rotation, Washington chose Briggs in the 2nd round, but this time, their choice of selection wasn't as successful. Briggs will probably have some success as a minor league pitcher, but that will not translate to ML success. In fact, he will probably never make the ML.
Round 3 Pick 101 SP Bret Stafford
The quality keeps going steeply downhill here. Stafford will probably top out at AA, and may only make it as far as high A. I guess a couple of million dollars just doesn't go as far as it used to!
Round 4 Pick 133 SP Terry Sveum
SP option number 4. At least we are heading back in the right direction. Sveum will undoubtedly have a strong AAA career, but will probably never see the bigs. There is an outside chance he could get a sneak peek.
Round 5 Pick 165 RP Joey Trujillo
Trujillo is just too risky a prospect to give any time in the ML bullpen. Although many of his talent numbers are strong, he has serious control problems, and his left/right splits just aren't quite there. If he by chance were DITRed, he could become a solid ML bullpen option.
Hidden Gems: None Foreseeable
Overall Grade: C-
With very little to look forward to, at least Washington made their first pick count. They did not find a player in an area that they needed help, but they did find a good quality SP, which can always come in handy.
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