Arizona Sun Dogs Draft Review

Round 1 Pick 6: Albert Ortiz (P) – While pitching certainly comes at a premium, Ortiz was a bit of a reach at this spot in the draft. On the positive side, he has excellent control, outstanding effectiveness against RH batters and an ability to induce a lot of double play balls. The knock on Ortiz is his durability, which will limit how many innings he’ll be able to pitch at the ML level.

ML Projections: 1.15 WHIP, .220 OAV.

Round 1 Pick 36: John Williams (P) – An excellent pick at this spot in the draft, Williams has all of the physical tools to be one of the league’s top pitchers…good velocity, control and can get LH and RH batters out equally well. The only reason Williams slipped this far was that he has not as of yet developed strong pitches beyond the sinker.

ML Projections: 1.30 WHIP, .250 OAV.

Round 1 Pick 55: Lyle Rigby (P) – A pitcher that has the ability to make the majors, Rigby has excellent velocity while managing to hit the strike zone on most pitches. Good value at this spot in the draft, provided he decides he wants to play professional baseball.

ML Projections: 1.40 WHIP, .265 OAV.

Round 2 Pick 86: Keith Peterson (C) – Solid offensive ability, Peterson represents value at pick 86. Peterson can hit both RH and LH pitching equally well, and is a home run threat every time he steps to the plate. On the defensive front, Peterson has slightly below average skills.

ML Projections: .270 BA, .800 OPS.

Round 2 Pick 87: Esteban Sojo (2B) – Projects as a career minor leaguer. Sojo is average at a lot of different things, but not exceptionally strong at any skill set in particular.

ML Projections: .200 BA, .600 OPS.

Other notable selections: None.

Grade: B+. The Sun Dogs were able to find a couple of strong players in this draft, and overall did one of better jobs of identifying potential contributors at the ML level outside of the top 15 picks. The only thing that keeps this grade from an A is the selection of Ortiz. While certainly expected to be a solid pitcher at the ML level, there appeared to be better options available at pick #6.