2006 APBA draft

As we head into round 2, I'll recap the highlights of the first round.

Hawaii spend 29 million on the #1 overall pick. We knew Quark wanted a lot of money for Jared DeMario, but I don't think even he saw this coming. The deal does buy out 2 free agent years for DeMario, but the commissioner is still a bit disturbed about this one. DeMario is a polished pitcher with very good control, but most scouts feel that several other pitchers have better stuff and higher upside.

Miami caused some head scratching with shortstop Brandon Cohen at #14. Not many other teams had him this high on their list, but the Stars think he can be a special player, a power hitting shortstop. Joe Dirte at #17 could go straight from high school to closing games in New York. He's very experienced for a high schooler at 22 years old and with 8 seasons of varsity, and scouts compare his mullet to Hall of Fame closer Dennis Eckersley.

The Big Cheese didn't have any draft picks last year after the Don Law trade, but he's trying to make up for it this year with back to back picks at #22 and 23. Its a longtime Rabbit tradition to take pitching at the end of the first round, and the Cheese did so again, taking a high schooler and a collegian. Bartolo Fatone could be his future ace, though the big pitcher has to watch his weight.

The top 2 teams of 2005, Louisville and Portland, were able to grab top first round quality arms at the end of the draft. Bill Drummond has a 95 MPH fastball but needs to improve his control. Homer Nelson was considered a potential top ten pick but fell to the Sluggers due to durability concerns.

Boston's Doug Freeman should go straight to the majors next spring. He has the makeup to close but will set up for John LaRusso, one of the best closers in the game.