Saturday, May 29, 2021

2021 OOTP DRAFT

 The Philadelphia Grays will soon select the #1 overall pick in the 2021 draft. See comments for coverage of the draft. The first round draft order is:

1. Philadelphia

2. Hawaii

3. Utah

4. Green Day

5. Orlando

6. Charlotte

7. Detroit

8. Los Angeles

9. Boston

10. NY Knights

11. Denver

12. Las Vegas

13. Phoenix

14. Chicago

15. Springfield

16. Toronto

17. Texas

18. Miami

19. Toledo

20. Mars

21. Baltimore

22. Bay Area

23. Portland

24. Louisville

25. St Louis

26. Florida

27. Alaska

28. Cleveland

29. Hollywood

30. NY Cobra

Philadelphia is rumored to be interested in pitching, but there is no Stephen Hamburg in this draft, multiple pitchers are in play for the first pick. Some of the top candidates are collegians Brent Blair and Tim Poole, and Felipe Ochoa, a Hawaiian high schooler.

Blair, a 6 foot 6 Dirtbag pitching for Long Beach State, regularly hits triple digits on the radar gun. In addition to the ideal pitcher frame, he has excellent sinking movement on his fastball and good command. Unfortunately his secondary stuff lags far behind his fastball, but his curve has potential.

Poole, a 6 foot right hander from California, throws in the upper 90s. His slider and circle change are also plus pitches. He will have to improve his control though to succeed at the next level.

Ochoa, a lifelong fan of the Hounddogs who says his favorite player is Yodano Ventura, throws in the low to mid 90s. At only 19, he is a master of changing speeds. He uses variations of a forkball, a splitter, and a straight change. In 105 innings, he struck out 194 while walking only 14.

Gerald White the third leads the position player class. Like his father and grandfather, he is a switch hitter who should hit for average and power. Where he really stands out, however, is on defense. Some scouts say that White is a future gold glover, comparing his range, instincts, and ability to read the ball off the bat to the likes of Chad White, Kermit Holmes, and Peter Rabbitt.

Litter mates Aster and Katniss Smith should also end up in the first round. Aster is a speedy centerfielder with leadoff skills, and the potential to develop power. Katniss, as a kitten last summer, was a slick fielding middle infielder. She has gotten much bigger and has displayed tremendous power and exit velocity this summer. She will likely have to play a corner position, but could be an elite hitter.

Jeff Meyers, a 5 foot 9 shortstop, has elite bat to ball skills and an excellent glove. He's not a power hitter, but should be an excellent shortstop on both offense and defense.

The catching position is well stocked. Mijalko Milatovic should hit for power and average. Twins Grogu and Groga Djarin won't hit for power, but make solid contact and have amazing framing abilities, seemingly drawing errant pitches to the edge of the strike zone with the force. Wicket Warrick Jr. loves to demonstrate that "short, stubby arms generate tremendous power."

Last year many looked at Brandon Greene, a high school catcher, as the potential #1 pick. His spring has been disappointing and people now question how much potential he has with the bat, but Greene also merits first round consideration as a pitcher. He throws in the mid 90s and with a slider, curve, and change, has 4 solid pitches.