{"id":13077,"date":"2016-11-25T08:12:45","date_gmt":"2016-11-25T13:12:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/?p=13077"},"modified":"2017-05-26T09:58:45","modified_gmt":"2017-05-26T13:58:45","slug":"2016-season-statistical-review-of-the-2014-draft-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/?p=13077","title":{"rendered":"2016 Season Statistical review of the 2014 Draft Class"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_13190\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/FeddeErick-via-minorleagueball.com_.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-13190\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13190\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13190\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/FeddeErick-via-minorleagueball.com_-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Fedde has been trending good... the rest of the class? Not so much. Photo via minorleagueball.com\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/FeddeErick-via-minorleagueball.com_-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/FeddeErick-via-minorleagueball.com_-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/FeddeErick-via-minorleagueball.com_-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/FeddeErick-via-minorleagueball.com_.jpg 1310w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-13190\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fedde has been trending good&#8230; the rest of the class? Not so much. Photo via minorleagueball.com<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Third in our set of Draft class Reviews for the 2016 season. \u00a0First was the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/?p=13029\">2016 class<\/a>, then the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/?p=13056\">2015 class<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Web links to use while reading:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stats are pulled from\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.milb.com\/search\/?query=austin+voth\">milb.com<\/a>\u00a0and\/or\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.fangraphs.com\/\">fangraphs.com<\/a>; put the player name into the search bar to get his seasonal stats<\/li>\n<li>The <a href=\"http:\/\/m.mlb.com\/draft\/tracker\/#!ft=round&amp;fv=1\">MLB.com Draft Tracker<\/a> (which I believe is the best draft tracker out there) is the best place to get draft class information.<\/li>\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/186nm-v5F-zTCoR2Be7TFYM3e2cZ-gYi2WVqJLEkHdmc\/edit?hl=en#gid=1078892545\">Big Board<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1pZpAxtq3K6SxrHb6YSe3_NF6Cay0MkeYwW1Dc2_KHrE\/edit?hl=en#gid=0\">Draft Tracker<\/a> are the goto resources for prospects for any Nats fan.<\/li>\n<li>More obscure stats on players are sometimes found at places like <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thebaseballcube.com\/\">thebaseballcube.com<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/perfectgame.org\/\">perfectgame.org<\/a>, their college websites, twitter accounts for the players, and good old fashioned deep-dive googling.<\/li>\n<li>My <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1ufpQabmX1XLTN9ShcgBDOLeOnfoIQLfXlk01qelJZbA\/edit?usp=sharing\">historical list of Nats prospect rankings<\/a>, updated for all 2016 mid-season rankings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>With out further ado&#8230;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Round 1: <strong>Erick Fedde <\/strong>RHP (starter) COL jr from UNLV. \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.milb.com\/player\/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=607200#\/career\/R\/pitching\/2016\/ALL\">8-5 with a 3.12 ERA<\/a>\u00a0in 23 games (22 starts) across 2 levels. \u00a0123\/29 K\/BB in 121 IP. \u00a01.21 combined whip, 3.22 fip and .316 babip in Potomac. \u00a0Fedde began the year in the Potomac rotation and\u00a0struggled in his first 6-7 starts. \u00a0Then something clicked; from late May through his eventual promotion to AA in early august, he threw 10 straight starts giving up 0 or 1 earned runs, driving his ERA down from somewhere in the 6.60 range in May to a sub 3.00 ERA for the year in High-A. \u00a0His final Potomac start may have been his best: 10 strikeouts, 5 hits and 1 unearned run in 7 innings. \u00a0In his limited time in AA, he had one blow-out but was other wise also solid (in his last start of the season he had 12 strikeouts in 6 innings). \u00a0Fedde looks completely back to his first round projection form and may quickly add his name to the list of guys in AAA pushing for a promotion to the majors. \u00a0 <span style=\"color: #339966;\">Trending up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Round 2: <strong>Andrew Suarez<\/strong> LHP (starter) COL jr\u00a0 from Miami (FL).\u00a0 <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Did not sign<\/span>:\u00a02nd round signee for San Francisco in 2015. \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.milb.com\/player\/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=605498#\/career\/R\/pitching\/2016\/ALL\">Spent most of 2016<\/a> starting for SF&#8217;s AA team in Richmond and looked solid. \u00a0He may need another year in AA.<\/p>\n<p>Round 3: <strong>Jakson Reetz<\/strong>, C\u00a0 Norris HS (NE). \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.milb.com\/player\/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=656883#\/career\/R\/hitting\/2016\/ALL\">Slashed\u00a0.230\/.346\/.357<\/a> splitting time at C in Hagerstown. \u00a079\/38 K\/BB, 4homers, 4SBs. \u00a0Reetz&#8217; first foray into full-season ball did not result in appreciably better results all around at the plate. \u00a0He improve his slugging percentage with more XBH, but his average remains poor. \u00a079 Ks in 283 ABs is a hefty percentage. \u00a0This was his age 20 season, playing in Low-A, and there&#8217;s not a ton of competition for the High-A catcher job next year, so he likely moves on up, but i&#8217;m a bit down on him at this point. \u00a0Perhaps unfairly. \u00a0Truth is, he got a big bonus and the team will give him plenty of room to grow. \u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Trending down<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Round 4: <strong>Robbie Dickey<\/strong>, RHP (reliever) from Blinn College (TX). <a href=\"http:\/\/www.milb.com\/player\/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=656372#\/career\/R\/pitching\/2016\/ALL\">2-0, 3.48 ERA<\/a> for two levels relieving. \u00a026\/18 K\/BB in 20 2\/3rds innings. \u00a01.89 whip, 5.60 fip, .345 babip while in Hagerstown. \u00a0Dickey started the season in Short-A, his third successive year in Auburn. \u00a0This time though he forced his way up, featuring as a reliever now instead of a starter, giving up 1 hit in 8 innings and quickly getting pushed up to Hagerstown. \u00a0Once there, he quickly got hurt and when he returned his control left him; he walked 15 but struck out 15 in 12 2\/3 low-A innings. \u00a0He now has 46 walks in 78 professional innings and we may begin wondering when he&#8217;s going to put things together. \u00a02017 is a make-or-break season for Dickey; he&#8217;s going to be (believe it or not) rule-5 eligible after next season and he&#8217;s yet to come close to mastering Low-A. \u00a0I&#8217;m guessing he&#8217;s in the Hagerstown bullpen and as an upper round pick will be given a few more chances before the team cuts bait. \u00a0\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Trending down<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Round 5: <strong>Drew Van Orden<\/strong> RHP (starter) COL sr from Duke. \u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Released 3\/16\/16<\/span>. \u00a0Now this kind of surprised me. \u00a0No he wasn&#8217;t a dominant swing and miss guy in 2015 (47 Ks in 92 IP) but he gave the team a bunch of innings at a 3.61 ERA clip. \u00a0I guess he&#8217;s a victim of the pitcher-heavy drafts of this time frame. \u00a0He&#8217;s also a victim of being a low bonus, low investment senior sign.<\/p>\n<p>Round 6: <strong>Austen Williams <\/strong>RHP (starter) COL jr from Texas State. \u00a0Went 5-13 with a 5.45 ERA in 26 starts for High-A and AA. \u00a078\/48 K\/BB in 140 1\/3 innings, 1.74 whip, 5.00 fip and .339 babip while in AA. \u00a0Williams was in the opening day AA rotation after a stellar 2015 but was demoted back to High-A after two months of AA struggles. \u00a0Once back in High-A, he couldn&#8217;t repeat his 2015 success there and got hit hard. \u00a0His Potomac ERA was 3 points higher this year than it was last year. \u00a0His 2015 season put him on the prospect map (around 20th on Nats prospect lists) and his 2016 season has caused his name to vanish. \u00a0Now what? \u00a0I guess you start him back in AA again and hope that the 2nd time around is better. \u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Trending down<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Round 7: <strong>Dale &#8220;D.K.&#8221; Carey<\/strong>\u00a0OF (CF) COL sr from Miami (FL).\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.milb.com\/player\/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=592198#\/career\/R\/hitting\/2016\/ALL\">Slashed\u00a0.209\/.341\/.331<\/a>\u00a0while playing all three OF positions for Potomac. \u00a084\/63 K\/BB ratio in 326 ABs, 7 homers, 5 SBs. \u00a0A ton of walks jacked up his OBP and helped off set his poor BA in High-A this year. \u00a0Carey&#8217;s problem is that the OF spots are scarce the higher you go. \u00a0He played along side the best hitting prospect in our system\u00a0<strong>(Victor Robles<\/strong>) and 2015 2nd round pick\u00a0<strong>Andrew Stevenson<\/strong> has already passed him by. \u00a0He may be victim of a numbers game in 2017, all the more so since he was signed for a relative pittance as a senior. \u00a0I wouldn&#8217;t be surprised to see him get cut loose at the end of spring training 2017. \u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Trending down<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Round 8: <strong>Jeff Gardner<\/strong>, LF COL sr from Louisville. \u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Released 6\/6\/16<\/span>. \u00a0As predicted, Gardner failed to make Hagerstown and then failed to prove he could earn an Auburn job and was released once the 2016 signings came in.<\/p>\n<p>Round 9: <strong>Austin Byler<\/strong>, 1B COL jr for Nevada (Reno).\u00a0 <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Did not sign<\/span>: became an\u00a011th round by Arizona in 2015. \u00a0He ended 2016 with Arizona&#8217;s high-A Visalia team after serving a PED suspension that cost him the first two months of the season.<\/p>\n<p>Round 10: <strong>Matthew Page<\/strong>, RF\/1B COL sr\u00a0 from Oklahoma Baptist U. \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.milb.com\/player\/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=657435#\/career\/R\/hitting\/2016\/ALL\">Slashed\u00a0.267\/.348\/.419<\/a> while earning a promotion from Low-A to High-A. \u00a099\/53 K\/BB in 415 ABs. \u00a011 homers, 3 SBs. \u00a0Yes that&#8217;s a lot of Ks. \u00a0But Page is turning into a nice little pick up. \u00a0He had an OPS above .800 and slugged 10 homers in 88 games for Hagerstown before earning a promotion to Potomac. \u00a0Playing 1B exclusively this year (he was drafted as a RF) he really struggled power-wise once he got to High-A (just 3 XBH in 30 games), but he earned the promotion in the first place. \u00a0I don&#8217;t think there&#8217;s anyone to push him off the position to start next year at Potomac &#8230; but he&#8217;s gotta rebound and show he can hit in High-A like he did in Low-A. \u00a0<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Trending Steady<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Round 11: <strong>Weston Davis<\/strong> RHP (starter) Manatee HS (FL). \u00a0Went <a href=\"http:\/\/www.milb.com\/player\/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=656356#\/career\/R\/pitching\/2016\/ALL\">3-6 with a 2.67 ERA<\/a> in 11 starts for Auburn. \u00a033\/11 K\/BB in 54 IP, 0.93 whip, 3.07 fip, .236 babip. \u00a0Davis missed all of 2015 after signing out of HS in 2014, was in the Auburn opening day rotation and stayed there the whole season. \u00a0He turned 20 during the season but more than held his own against the older competition. \u00a0He looks pretty promising after missing a whole year and barely pitching his draft year. \u00a0My one nit is his K rate; just 33 in 54 IP. \u00a0He should be in the Hagerstown rotation to start 2017. \u00a0<span style=\"color: #008000;\">Trending Up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Round 12: <strong>Domenick Mancini<\/strong> RHP (reliever) from Miami-Dade CC South. \u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Released 6\/27\/15.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Round 13: <strong>Austin Davidson<\/strong>, 3B COL jr\u00a0 from Pepperdine. \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.milb.com\/player\/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=607207#\/career\/R\/hitting\/2016\/ALL\">Slashed a healthy\u00a0.272\/.377\/.443<\/a> between Low- and \u00a0High-A in 2016. \u00a046\/49 K\/BB ratio in 316 ABs, 9 hrs and 5 SB. \u00a0 Davidson was stranded in XST to start the year then returned to Hagerstown in late April only to play sparingly until June. \u00a0 From there he played pretty consistently both for Hagerstown and then for Potomac (he got promoted in early July for the 2nd Half). \u00a0He had solid numbers and a great OBP in both land a solid enough slugging even without a ton of homers. \u00a0He also had more walks than strikeouts, which I believe is the first time I&#8217;ve seen that for any hitter profiled in these posts. \u00a0His problem seems to be positional; he&#8217;s listed as a &#8220;DH&#8221; on Milb.com, was drafted as a 3B but played in the field sparingly this year (some 2B, some 3B). \u00a0I&#8217;d guess he&#8217;s pegged for a 2B slot, but then that has him competing with the generic &#8220;middle infielder&#8221; type who is dotted all over these low-minors rosters. \u00a0Nonetheless, he&#8217;s not going to get cut when he&#8217;s one of the few guys posting .800 OPS figures in the system, so i&#8217;m trending him up. \u00a0I figure he&#8217;ll do the Potomac to Harrisburg thing in 2017 assuming he continues to be a tough out. \u00a0<span style=\"color: #339966;\">Trending up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Round 14: <strong>James Bourque<\/strong> RHP (starter) COL jr from Michigan. \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.milb.com\/player\/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=630263#\/career\/R\/pitching\/2016\/ALL\">5-6 with a 5.03 ERA<\/a> in 17 games\/13 starts for Hagerstown. \u00a055\/23 K\/BB in 68ip. \u00a01.53 whip, 4.89 fip, .327 babip. \u00a0Bourque missed all of 2015 with injury and then hung around XST until early June. \u00a0From there he featured in the Hagerstown rotation for the most part, but his role seemed to be &#8220;spot starter&#8221; instead of rotation guy. \u00a0 He didn&#8217;t have the best numbers, no two ways around it. \u00a0Maybe it was rust. \u00a0I&#8217;m guessing he&#8217;ll get another shot at the Hagerstown rotation in 2017 but may be a release candidate. \u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Trending Down.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Round 15: <strong>Ryan Ripken<\/strong> 1B COL soph from Indian River State (FL). \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.milb.com\/player\/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=623222#\/career\/R\/hitting\/2016\/ALL\">Slashed just\u00a0.201\/.241\/.254<\/a> between Low-A and Short-A. \u00a073\/20 K\/BB in 374 ABs, 3HR, 1SB. \u00a0Ripken started the year in Hagerstown but hit just .190 and got dumped back to Short-A. \u00a0He&#8217;s now got three pro years under his belt and is hitting just .205 for his career, mostly in short-season ball. \u00a0Its hard to see him continuing to get chances even given his family pedigree. \u00a0\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Trending down<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Round 16: <strong>Cole Plouck <\/strong>LHP (reliever) from Pima CC (AZ): <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Released on 6\/29\/15<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Round 17: <strong>Alec Keller<\/strong> CF COL sr from Princeton by way of Richmond VA and Freeman HS. \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.milb.com\/player\/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=657636#\/career\/R\/hitting\/2016\/ALL\">Slashed\u00a0.285\/.338\/.374<\/a> playing a full season (mostly in LF) for Potomac. \u00a078\/35 K\/BB, 3homers, 14SB. \u00a0Keller more or less replicated his High-A numbers posted in the 2nd half of 2015; solid average, not a ton of power. \u00a0Keller&#8217;s issue is that the tryouts for the AA outfield are looking tough; he may be hard pressed to get a promotion in a corner OF spot without any power. \u00a0I&#8217;m guessing he makes AA as a 4th outfielder in 2017. \u00a0As I noted last year though, he&#8217;s performing great for a senior sign from an Ivy league school. \u00a0<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Trending Steady<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Round 18: <strong>McKenzie Mills<\/strong>,\u00a0 LHP (starter), Sprayberry Senior HS (GA). <a href=\"http:\/\/www.milb.com\/player\/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=656746#\/career\/R\/pitching\/2016\/ALL\">4-5, 3.71 ERA<\/a> in 12 starts for Short-A. \u00a0 46\/28 K\/BB in 53 1\/3 innings, 1.33 whip, 4.03 fip, .269 babip. \u00a0Mills was the #2 starter in Auburn to start the season &#8230; and was the #2 starter at the end of the season. \u00a0He posted a solid season; not awe-inspiring but pretty good for a guy who doesn&#8217;t turn 21 until next month. \u00a0He addressed\u00a0the issues that plagued him in 2015 and his hits\/inning figure looks great. \u00a0I&#8217;d like to see how he does in full season ball and project him in the Hagerstown rotation in 2017. \u00a0<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Trending Steady<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Round 19: <strong>Clay Williamson<\/strong>, \u00a0OF (RF) COL jr from Cal State Fullerton. \u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Released 6\/29\/15.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Round 20: <strong>Bryan Langlois<\/strong>, RF COL jr from Pepperdine: Apparently <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">retired Jan 2015<\/span> (<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/186nm-v5F-zTCoR2Be7TFYM3e2cZ-gYi2WVqJLEkHdmc\/edit?hl=en#gid=32\">per the Big Board<\/a>), but he doesn&#8217;t have an official transaction listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.milb.com\/player\/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=657654#\/career\/R\/hitting\/2014\/ALL\">MILB.com<\/a>. \u00a0He didn&#8217;t play for us after 2014 despite not being officially released.<\/p>\n<p>Round 21: <strong>Connor Bach<\/strong>, LHP COL sr from Virginia Military Institute by way of Centreville HS in Clifton. \u00a0Went 0-1 with a 7.30 ERA in 5 relief appearances in Low-A and then was<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"> released on 6\/1\/16<\/span>. \u00a0 This one was another shocker for me; he was in Hagerstown&#8217;s rotation the whole of 2015 and was good; what happened to him in 2016? \u00a0 Miami picked him up 6 days after we released him but he was similarly bad for them and they cut him loose a month later. \u00a0Such a strange set of circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>Round 22: <strong>Daniel Salters<\/strong>, C COL soph\u00a0 from Dallas Baptist: <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">did not sign<\/span>: drafted by Cleveland in the 13th round of 2015 draft. \u00a0He was in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.milb.com\/player\/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=622192#\/career\/R\/hitting\/2016\/ALL\">High-A and AA<\/a> for Cleveland this year.<\/p>\n<p>Round 23: <strong>Chris Riopedre<\/strong>, SS COL jr, East Tennessee State. \u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Released on 6\/25\/15<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Round 24: <strong>Kyle Simmons<\/strong> RHP (reliever) COL jr Texas Lutheran U. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00a0Released on 5\/3\/16<\/span> after not appearing in 2015 and failing to make a full season squad in 2016.<\/p>\n<p>Round 25: <strong>Kyle Bacak<\/strong> C COL sr\u00a0 from Texas Christian U. \u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Released 1\/20\/15<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Round 26: <strong>Chase McDowell<\/strong> RHP (reliever) COL 5S\u00a0 Rice (TX): <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Retired 4\/9\/15<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Round 27: <strong>Conor Keniry<\/strong> SS COL sr Wake Forest U. \u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Released on 4\/2\/16<\/span> after playing sparingly in 2015 and failing to make either Hagerstown or Potomac as a backup infielder.<\/p>\n<p>Round 28: <strong>Kida De La Cruz<\/strong>, RHP (reliever) from Volunteer State CC (TN). <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Released on 3\/26\/16<\/span> after throwing just 19 innings in two seasons in the GCL.<\/p>\n<p>Round 29: <strong>DJ Jauss<\/strong>, RHP COL 5S from U. Mass. Amherst: <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Released 3\/26\/15.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Round 30: <strong>Tyler Mapes<\/strong> RHP COL sr from Tulane U. (LA). \u00a0went <a href=\"http:\/\/www.milb.com\/player\/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=605356#\/gamelogs\/R\/pitching\/2016\/MINORS\">12-10 with a 3.19<\/a>\u00a0ERA for AA Harrisburg. \u00a025 games\/25 starts. \u00a078\/39 K\/BB ratio in 155 innings. \u00a01.25 whip, 4.22 fip, .283 babip. \u00a0Mapes was the #2 starter in Harrisburg all \u00a0year and continues to be a fantastic draft pickup for this team. \u00a0Who would have thought a 30th rounder college senior who probably signed for a few thousand dollars would be on the brink of the AAA roster? \u00a0He doesn&#8217;t have the best strikeout numbers, which may define a glass ceiling for him, but he should continue to matriculate to AAA next year. \u00a0That being said, its crowded at the top, so I wouldn&#8217;t be surprised if he&#8217;s back in AA. \u00a0 <span style=\"color: #339966;\">Trending up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Round 31: <strong>Samuel Johns<\/strong> RHP COL 5S U. Evansville (IN). \u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Released 1\/12\/16<\/span>. \u00a0What was surprising about this release was the timing; why not let him compete in spring training for a Hagerstown spot? \u00a0The January release is an odd one.<\/p>\n<p>The rest of the 2014 draft class was HS kids who were long shots to sign and a Juco kid in the 40th who already had a transfer agreement to a good baseball school; one more piece of evidence to perhaps shorten the draft to 35 or even 30 rounds?\u00a0 Here&#8217;s a quick summary.<\/p>\n<p>Round 32: <strong>Elliott Cary:\u00a0<\/strong>CF Clackamas HS (OR): <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">did not sign<\/span>: honored commitment to Oregon State. \u00a0 \u00a0Started 24 games as a freshman but <a href=\"http:\/\/www.osubeavers.com\/roster.aspx?rp_id=3239\">did not play in 2016<\/a> (injured?).<br \/>\nRound 33: <strong>Clay Casey:<\/strong> CF DeSoto Central HS (MS): <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">did not sign<\/span>: was initially set to attend Ole Miss, but then changed his mind and <a href=\"http:\/\/archive.commercialappeal.com\/sports\/preps\/mississippi-players-prepare-for-mlb-draft-ep-1123512772-324388971.html\">attended Northwest Mississippi CC<\/a> to be draft eligible in 2015. \u00a0He didn&#8217;t get drafted though, so he then <a href=\"http:\/\/www.uhcougars.com\/sports\/m-basebl\/mtt\/clay_casey_979352.html\">enrolled at the U. of Houston<\/a>. \u00a0Update: things didn&#8217;t work out there, so he transferred to D2 Delta State University, where he had a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gostatesmen.com\/roster.aspx?rp_id=3887\">successful 2017 season<\/a> in what was his &#8220;junior&#8221; year.<br \/>\nRound 34: <strong>Evan Skoug:<\/strong>\u00a0C Libertyville HS (IL): <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">did not sign<\/span>: honored commitment to TCU. \u00a0At TCU he has been a starter since day 1 and was named\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gofrogs.com\/sports\/m-basebl\/mtt\/evan_skoug_937055.html\">Freshman All-American<\/a>. \u00a0As a sophomore he <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gofrogs.com\/sports\/m-basebl\/stats\/2015-2016\/teamcume.html\">slashed .301\/.390\/.502<\/a> and was 2nd team all-conference. \u00a0I&#8217;d say its safe to say he has made himself some money in College.<br \/>\nRound 35: <strong>Tommy Doyle<\/strong> RHP Flint Hill School in Oakton: <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">did not sign<\/span>: honored commitment to Virginia.\u00a0 At UVA, Doyle played an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/?p=10671\">integral part in getting UVA out of the regional<\/a>\u00a0his freshman year but did little else for the team as UVA <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/?p=10975\">surprisingly won the CWS<\/a>. \u00a0As a sophomore, he had a 5.07 ERA all told as he was convered from mid-week starter to &#8220;closer&#8221; towards the end of the season. \u00a0I&#8217;m guessing he&#8217;s back in the rotation for his junior year as the Cavaliers are a bit short on starters.<br \/>\nRound 36: <strong>John Henry Styles,<\/strong> LHP Episcopal HS (TX): <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">did not sign<\/span>: honored commitment to Stanford. \u00a0There, he&#8217;s had <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gostanford.com\/roster.aspx?rp_id=10173\">almost no playing time<\/a>, getting 5 appearances as a freshman and just one as a sophomore.<br \/>\nRound 37: <strong>Quinn Brodey, <\/strong>LHP Loyola HS (CA): <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">did not sign<\/span>: honored commitment to Stanford. \u00a0There he was a 2-way player as a freshman but moved to the OF as a sophomore, slashing <a href=\"http:\/\/stanford_ftp.sidearmsports.com\/baseball\/2016\/season.pdf\">.280\/.302\/.445<\/a> this year and being named All Pac-12.<br \/>\nRound 38: <strong>Stuart\u00a0Fairchild<\/strong>\u00a0RF Seattle Prep (WA): <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">did not sign<\/span>: honored commitment to Wake Forest. \u00a0As a sophomore this year he started every game and <a href=\"http:\/\/grfx.cstv.com\/photos\/schools\/wake\/sports\/m-basebl\/auto_pdf\/2015-16\/stats\/season_stats.pdf\">slashed .293\/.403\/.470<\/a>.<br \/>\nRound 39: <strong>Jon Littell, <\/strong>OF Stillwater HS (OK): <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">did not sign<\/span>: honored commitment to OK State. \u00a0As a sophomore this year, he <a href=\"http:\/\/okstate.com\/cumestats.aspx?path=baseball&amp;\">slashed .258\/.332\/.343<\/a>.<br \/>\nRound 40: <strong>Jacob Hill<\/strong> LHP JUCO Orange Coast Coll. (CA): <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">did not sign<\/span>: transferred to U San Diego, then was drafted by Cleveland in the 32nd round of 2015 and also did not sign. \u00a0He went back to San Diego for his senior year, only threw 8 innings in 2016 and was not drafted.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Trending Summary:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #339966;\">Trending Up<\/span> (4): Fedde, Davis, Davidson, Mapes<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Trending Steady<\/span> (3): Page, Keller, Mills<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Trending Down<\/span> (6): Reetz, Dickey, Williams, Carey, Bourque, Ripken<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Released\/Retired<\/span> (15): Van Orden, Gardner, Mancini, Plouck, Williamson, Langlois, Bach, Riopedre, Simmons, Bacak, McDowell, Keniry, De La Cruz, Jauss, Johns<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Did Not Sign in 2014<\/span> (12): Suarez, Byler, Salters, Cary, Casey, Skoug, Doyle, Styles, Brodey, Fairchild, Littell, Hill<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Executive Summary<\/p>\n<p>At this point just 7 of the 40 players are trending in what can inarguably be considered a positive fashion; 15 of the 28 players signed have already been cut loose and another 6 of them are \u00a0heading that way. \u00a0Is this destined to be a one-player draft? \u00a0Who else besides Fedde is projecting as a major leaguer?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Third in our set of Draft class Reviews for the 2016 season. \u00a0First was the 2016 class, then the 2015 class. Web links to use while reading: Stats are pulled from\u00a0milb.com\u00a0and\/or\u00a0fangraphs.com; put the player name into the search bar to get his seasonal stats The MLB.com Draft Tracker (which I believe is the best draft [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[2481,2814,2464,2469,2472,2923,2928,2932,2929,2939,2927,2925,3025,2933,2920,2835,2935,2922,2468,2938,2425,2940,2945,2466,2924,2471,2941,2944,2934,2931,2930,2473,2926,3346,2569,2480,2937,2943,2340,2936,2757,2921],"class_list":["post-13077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-draft","tag-alec-keller","tag-andrew-stevenson","tag-andrew-suarez","tag-austen-williams","tag-austin-byler","tag-austin-davidson","tag-bryan-langlois","tag-chase-mcdowell","tag-chris-riopedre","tag-clay-casey","tag-clay-williamson","tag-cole-plouck","tag-connor-bach","tag-conor-keniry","tag-dale-carey","tag-daniel-salters","tag-dj-jauss","tag-domenick-mancini","tag-drew-van-orden","tag-elliott-cary","tag-erick-fedde","tag-evan-skoug","tag-jacob-hill","tag-jakson-reetz","tag-james-bourque","tag-jeff-gardner","tag-john-henry-styles","tag-jon-littell","tag-kida-de-la-cruz","tag-kyle-bacak","tag-kyle-simmons","tag-matthew-page","tag-mckenzie-mills","tag-quinn-brodey","tag-robbie-dickey","tag-ryan-ripken","tag-samuel-johns","tag-stuart-fairchild","tag-tommy-doyle","tag-tyler-mapes","tag-victor-robles","tag-weston-davis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13077"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13077\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13867,"href":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13077\/revisions\/13867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}