2012 MWBL RE-DRAFT – (WHAT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED)
Mid-West Baseball League Commissioner’s Office – Report submitted by Chris DeMecurio – Corktown Cycle. – June 3rd, 2019
The rules are simple. I selected a player to draft with each pick in the 1st round of the 2012 MWBL Draft from the players that were actually selected somewhere in that draft. Minor league players had to make it up by the end of the 2014 season or it would be a waste of a pick no matter how good they were. Remember, it’s impossible to know what each owner would have actually done with a chance to re-draft, so I did my best to mix the players actual MLB career with their MWBL career and remaining potential. Let’s keep in mind this was for fun. With that said, go ahead and share your thoughts, and rip on some of my re-draft picks, but more importantly feel free to call out owners for their actual picks.
Image how different the MWBL could have been if the guys listed below had made it up in time. But, they did not, so they’ve automatically been eliminated from the redraft, because they obviously would not have been worth it. Keep in mind, the redraft is not perfect. It is just a different way to look at what could have been. This is 12 rounds worth of players and 28 teams. This is more to show how difficult it is to manage the chaos of draft day. Since, I had not been in the league yet in 2012, it makes it easy for me to laugh at your picks. My day is coming though.
This years version of the redraft featured the best list of players that did not get called up in time. In alphabetical order
Jorge Alfaro – Chicago
Josh Bell – Yonge Street
Francisco Lindor – Dallas
Adalberto Mondesi – Severn
Eddie Rosario – West Coast
Trevor Story – Manhattan
Noah Syndergaard – Pittsburgh
#1 – Coconut Creek -2B Jose Altuve HOU – Seems like a no brainer at this point. 5 tool player that fills an often difficult 2nd base position. Plug in Altuve every day, get on base often and steals bags. Let’s also give you a 2 time MWBL MVP (1 MLB) 5 time MWBL All star (6 MLB) 2 time GG (1 MLB) and 5 time MLB Silver Slugger. With the first pick you want a franchise changing player, not to say that Ryan Vogelsong is not one, but Ryan Vogelsong is not one. 🙁 Actual pick- P Ryan Vogelsong (Actual Altuve -Rd 1 Pk 13 to South Bend)
#2 – Tempe – 3B Javier Baez CHC – This is more of a present/future selection. He entered the league at age 21 during the 2014 season and had a very slow start to his young career. It wasn’t until 2017 where we finally got to see the future all star shine. Javy finished 2nd in MLB MVP voting in 2018, and as things play out in 2019, he will be getting votes once again. Actual Pick Yoenis Cespedes (Originally Baez- Rd 3 pk 77 to Fremont)
#3 – Dallas – C J.T. Realmuto FLA – Originally, I went with Salvador Perez here, but had a mulligan just before submitting this. Perez has had better numbers overall, but not by much. So, moving forward J.T. looks like the best catcher in baseball and that is just too hard to pass on. Either way, Jarl will be happy to brag his catcher and not pick Hultzen again. Original Pick- Danny Hultzen P SEA (Original Realmuto- Rd 3 pk 65 to Manhattan)
#4 – Long Beach – C Salvador Perez KC – When there is a chance to snatch up a franchise catcher, you have to do it. Perez would be that 1 or 2 catcher in the 2012 draft. Originally going 5th overall to Motor City, the 6 time MLB All Star goes to Long Beach. Being in a division with Sacramento and a league with Tempe, Peter sure could use the signal caller that’s already won 3 MWBL Gold Gloves (5 MLB). Actual Pick: Mike Montgomery P KC (Actual Perez Rd 1 Pk 5 to Motor City)
#5 – Motor City – SS Xander Bogaerts BOS – Getting a short stop who can field, hit .288 while hitting 20+ HR’s a season is a luxury. Bogaerts has already played over 6 seasons and is only 26! Playing for a champion helps, as Xander plays for the Red Sox and Tempers. Actual Pick: Salvador Perez C KC (Actual Bogaerts Rd 2 pk 55 to Tempe)
#6 – Pittsburgh – SS Andrelton Simmons LAA – I’d like to think my APBA knowledge continues to grow each day, but I’m “a tad” behind most owners in this league. That said, I still believe in defense. The 2 time all star and gold glover (4 in MLB) is one of those plug in and play guys. It’s not often you see the number 10 defensive card. This improves your entire D. There are some nice power hitters, and some guys with more potential available here, but I’ll bite the apple and take Simmons with the proven track record and let John stock his D. With the 35.9 career WAR he probably should be higher than 6. Actual Pick- Josh Collmenter (Actual Simmons Rd 2 pk 56 to Owensboro)
#7 – Yonge Street – 3B Kyle Seager SEA – Seager has played the hot corner very well and consistent for his time in the bigs. Usually giving the grade 5 D and hitting 25+ HR every season. He had his worst season by far in 2018, so that is concerning, but he was injured. I have to go with the past on this one and his career WAR of 28.0 and 175 HRs. Actual Pick: Taijuan Walker P SEA (Actual Seager Rd 1 Pk 12 to Manhattan)
#8 – Valdosta – OF Yoenis Cespedes OAK – Coming to into his first season Cespedes was already 26, which makes him 33 now. Having season ending surgery this year makes it tough to know how value he has much left. He has always been a good power hitter with a great arm, so most people would be glad to have him. The Gold Glover has proven this with his two MWBL All Star starts. Valdosta actually got a raw deal with this pick as his young top prospect died way too soon. Actual Pick- Oscar Taveras OF STL (Actual Cespedes Rd 1 Pk 2 to Tempe)
#9 – Long Beach – P James Paxton SEA – The first pitcher off the board. He is actually not the best or most talented pitcher, so why is he drafted first? Stay tuned… Paxton does what he does year in and year out and he just seems to keep getting better. I love a good hurler that can rack up K’s, but it’s even better when a lefty has those capabilities. Long beach is now able to walk away from 2012 with an ace and an All Star catcher. To recap, Salvador Perez and James Paxton for Long Beach. Actual Pick- Brad Peacock P OAK (Actual Paxton Rd 1 pk 10 to Clovis)
#10 – Clovis – 2B D.J. Lemahieu COL – I may be a bit bias here since I’ve played with D.J. for a few years, but the guy gets the job done. APBA doesn’t know you played most of your career in Colorado. It may have been why D.J. always hit so well. Therefore, he must be a top 10-15 pick for the 2012 draft. He won a batting title in MLB and 3 gold gloves in both the MWBL and MLB. Actual Pick- James Paxton SP SEA (Actual Lemahieu Rd 5 pk 123 to Iron City)
#11 – Detroit – SS Didi Gregorius NYY- The potential is and was always there for this kid, but he hasn’t quite been able to put it all together. However, 2016-2018 he has shown he is every day player in a stacked lineup with a home run friendly ballpark. Tommy John could really put a damper on this selection, but I like to gamble, as Didi is still 29. Actual Pick Guillermo Moscoso P Col (Actual Gregorious Rd 3 pk 58 to Chicago)
#12 – Manhattan – P Jose Fernandez FLA – Even as I type this, I feel like Fernandez belongs in the top 1 of this draft. You never know what could have been, but we do know what already was. Fernandez ended his career and sadly his life with 2.58 Era and 589 Ks. Rookie of the year in both the MLB and MWBL. He was so good Jim even traded for him during a “GOING FOR IT ALL” season while already knowing about his death. Its fitting that Bob gets Jose with this pick as he was the one who took him the first time….in the 4th round! Even in a redraft, what he did is worthy of the 12th pick, if not higher. . Actual Pick Kyle Seager 3B SEA (Actual Fernandez Rd 4 pk 96 to Manhattan)
#13 – Southbend – 2B Brian Dozier MIN – Who doesn’t like some good pop from a 2B? Dozier was a heavy HR hitter for most of his career. Not always the best Avg, but a career war of 24.4 isn’t too shabby. Brian came in and snagged Altuve with the actual 13th pick, since it’s much tougher on the 2nd go around, I’ll throw him another 2B. Actual Pick Jose Altuve 2B HOU (Actual Dozier Rd 5 pk 128 to Coconut Creek)
#14 – Owensboro – P Greg Holland KC – We all know the up/down effect of relief pitchers, so when there is a chance to snag up an elite arm, you get it done. It could make a huge difference in having a competitive stretch in the MWBL for multiple seasons. It doesn’t hurt getting drafted by Tempe as well. That’s where Holland was selected before being flipped in a couple deals later on. Holland was a 3 time All star and 2 time Rolaids Reliever in the MWBL. 3 time AS, 1 time RR in the MLB, so. it wasn’t just playing for Tempe. Holland was an elite closer at one point with 197 MLB career saves. Actual Pick- Henderson Alvarez P TOR (Actual Holland Rd 1 Pk 24 to Tempe)
#15 – Long Beach – P Kelvin Herrera KC – Lets dip our tow into the relief pitcher pool again. In fact, lets just jump right into the Kansas City relief pitcher lake with back-back KC relievers. Lets begin with pretending Herrera never donned a Chicago White Sox jersey in 2019. But, since we have to take it all into consideration he still supports a 3.00 career ERA (2.39 for Scott and Yonge Street). For most of his career he wasn’t even used as a closer. Just a setup man who could fire out 100mph in his sleep. Actual Pick Will Middlebrooks 3B BOS (Actual Herrera Rd 3 Pk 63 to Yonge Street)
#16 – Pittsburgh – OF Adam C. Eaton ARI – I’m going to begin by giving credit to MLB Pipeline writer Jonathan Mayo here taking Eaton in the 7th round and getting him called up just in time. Since Mayo is from Pittsburgh, we will let John and his Lumber Company grab Eaton here. Almost anything would be better than Jesus Guzman who has 1 decent card for 2012. Don’t worry John, my time is coming of much worse 1st round picks. Eaton consistently hits around his career AVG of 286, and his defense always gains attention. At his prime he would swipe around 15 bases a season with a good CS ratio. Actual Pick Jesus Guzman 1B SD (Actual Eaton Rd 7 Pk 183 to Iron City)
#17 – Virginia – Patrick Corbin P ARI – When Paul originally selected a starting pitcher from Arizona with this pick I’m sure a player like Corbin is more likely what he had in mind. Not that Archie Bradley has been a bust. Now 29, Corbin is finally starting to string together some good to great seasons. He is reaching 1000 career strike outs and has played in 2 MLB All Star games with a Gold Glove. Actual Pick Archie Bradley P ARZ (Actual Corbin Rd 6 Pk 145 to Dallas)
#18 – West Coast – Wei-Yin Chen P BAL – It is too hard to ignore what Chen has done in the MWBL. Before being cut by the Tempers, Chris squeezed 6 great seasons out of Chen. Including a Cy Young season in 2015. A career 2.49 MWBL ERA (4.09 in MLB) 70-19 career record (20-3 in 2015). Actual Pick Addison Reed P CWS (Actual Chen Rd 3 Pk 80 to Tempe)
#19 – Motor City – Jonathan Schoop 2B BAL – It seems to be the year for second baseman. Schoop has some time at SS in 2018 as well. Not the best BB/K rate, but he knows how to hit home runs in an era of HR or bust. Actual Pick- Leonys Martin OF TEX (Actual Schoop Rd 3 pk 66 to Clovis)
#20 – Long Beach – P Marco Estrada WAS – At pick 20 Peter would be happy to get an on again/off again starting pitcher to go along with Perez, Paxton and Herrera in this draft. Estrada had seasons as a top 3 pitcher for playoff contenders. At age 35 his days appear to be numbered. So, this pick is for what he has done in the past. Over 1000 career K’s and a WAR od 12.5 makes him worthy of the #20 pick. Actual Pick Derek Norris C OAK (Actual Estrada Rd 5 Pk 113 to Bethesda)
#21 – Fremont – P Jeurys Familia NYM – When Familia isn’t suspended or injured, he is great. Four seasons of 70+innings. All of them with ERA’s of 3.13 or lower and one All Star season of 1.85 and 1.00 WHIP. He’s been solid for his career & a bullpen arm you can count on. Actual Pick- Dylan Bundy P BAL (Actual Familia Rd 3 Pk 69 to Southbend)
#22 – Elyria – 2B Josh Harrison PIT – What’s nice about Harrison, is he had multiple seasons as a super utility guy. A good defender and a guy who knows how to swipe a bag or 2. How about 72 stolen bags so far? If Harrison did not fit into the newly SW Detroit plans, than he would have been a valuable trade chip. Nobody knows how to flip a player of value better than Miz. Actual Pick- Chris Parmelee 1B MIN (Actual Harrison Rd 3 Pk 78 to Hollywood)
#23 – Camarillo – OF Aaron Hicks MIN – It took the move to the Yankees, but Hicks finally seems to have found his stride. Hicks started 2019 injured but, posted 27 Home Runs in 2018. He is always has a 3 OF card. Were at the point of the draft where you may want to take a flyer on a guy who could still have potential/trade value moving forward. Actual Pick Santiago Casilla P SF (Actual Hicks Rd 2 pk 51 to Yonge Street)
#24 – Tempe – P Wade Miley ARZ – I like the idea of grabbing a starting pitcher with tons of coverage this late in the 1st. Early in his career he would have fit right in to the Tempe rotation. Miley slowly faded as his career went on, and he would have been a good enough trade chip to upgrade a starter as well. (Like Chris did using Hellickson in the Lester deal) Miley has always had that kind of value, where the potential was there. He has reached the 1000 strike out mark. Actual Pick- Greg Holland P KC (Actual Miley Rd 3 pk 72 to Long Beach)
#25 – Jersey – Michael Fiers P MIL – This seems to be the part of the draft where average starting pitching takes off. Fiers has been good enough to be passed around the league and enter different teams rotations. Now the owner of 2 no hitters, Fiers owns a 4.10era. Actual Pick- Wily Peralta P MIL (Actual Fiers Rd 9 pk 244)
#26 – Baystate – Drew Smyly P DET – Check the last 2 picks. Another starter. Smyly actually has been very good every season. The problem is he c evan never stay healthy. Crazy to think that Smyly is only 29, seems like he’s been in the league forever. If you’re looking for a good lefty that’s only pitched 150+ innings twice in his career, Smyly is your guy. Actual Pick- Tom Milone P MIN (Actual Smyly Rd 3 pk 83 to Iron City)
#27 – Roseville – Leonys Martin OF TEX – Martin has never been great, but he is very serviceable. He has 3 seasons of 24+ stolen bases. He is a good defender with a career war of 12.3. Actual Pick- Nathan Eovaldi P LAD (Actual Martin Rd 1 pk 19 to Motor City)
#28 – Tempe – Kolten Wong 2B STL – Who gave Chris all these first round picks? It’s no wonder he is near the top of the league every season. Tempe snags up the 7th 2B in the first round redraft. Wong doesn’t exactly light up the stat page, but aside from power, he is good at about everything. Thought about going Jason Grilli here. This would have been something considering he entered MLB in 2000 (12 years prior to this draft). He really had some incredible years 2011 and beyond. Actual Pick- Bubba Starling OF KC (Actual Wong Rd 2 pk 38 to Chicago)