New Britian river rats Draft Review

Having spent the last few seasons focusing on solidifying the teams’ starting pitching, the River Rats focused this year on adding a few positional players.

Round 1 Pick 19: Salvador Spooneybarger (SS) – Spooneybarger’s defensive skills and durability will allow the River Rats to plug him into the SS position for the next 10 years, and he has enough offensive potential to not be a liability at the plate. A classic example of drafting the best player available, with this pick the River Rats continue to add to an already strong group of shortstops within their organization.

ML Projections: .240 BA, .700 OPS

Round 2 Pick 97: Ramiro Tarasco (CF) – The largest concern with Tarasco entering this year’s draft was how much effort he would put into realizing his full potential. At the plate, Tarasco is a solid contact hitter but not dominant against either left or right-handed pitching. Additionally, his projected defensive ratings limit his overall usefulness as a utility player.

ML Projections: .215 BA, .630 OPS

Round 2 Pick 101: Flip Newman (RF) – Another player with questionable motivation, Newman projects as a career minor leaguer. His outstanding speed may allow for him to make the 40-man roster for situational pinch running situations, but is somewhat counteracted by the questionable judgment he exhibited on the base paths in college.

ML Projections: .200 BA, .550 OPS

Other notable selections: None.

Grade: C+. While Spooneybarger projects as a solid ML player, it seems as though the River Rats could have gotten more value out of pick #19 given their existing depth at shortstop.