Round 2 of the I.S. Report Card covers 8 more players listed in descending order of signing bonus. Remember, the grades are not reflective of merely said player's projections, but rather the cost of acquiring that set of skills. And again, my projections are based on a $14m advance scouting budget. Please feel free to disagree with my grades in the comments section.
1B Ismael Maduro, Anaheim Anteaters. $15.9m bonus.
-We may be a little partial here, but Maduro projects to us as a near Hall-of-Fame masher and is a good deal at almost any price. His only offensive category that projects under 82 is his lefty-split, the one weakness we would cherry pick if we could. We are especially fond of his potential future success against righties(94) and his eyeball at the plate(100). His durability, at 78, could be better as he'll have to sit out a few games every season. And it's a shame Maduro doesn't play a tougher position to fill, but otherwise, the Anteaters have found a worthy successor to Kip White.
Grade: A-
CF Felipe Vargas, Minnesota North Stars. $12m bonus.
-Vargas is solid in many areas, but spectacular in none. His D is fine, he'll be a good baserunner, and he should have a respectable BB/K ratio at the dish. But his power/contact and splits all max out in the low to mid 50s, and he will have trouble maintaining a consistent batting line at the big league level. I'd feel better about Vargas if his bonus was half this much.
Grade: C+
2B Dennis Yamaguchi, Oklahoma City Drunken Ducks. $11.3m bonus.
-A good one. Yamaguchi will be a nice hitter from the 2-hole someday. His power/contact splits range from 52-78. His eye could reach 70. He's a top notch bunter(100) and offers decent wheels at 71. Yamaguchi is not likely to be an all-star, but should be a strong role player.
Grade: B
1B Esteban Lee, Syracuse Salt City Ballers. $9.8m bonus.
-Almost nothing to not like. All of his important offensive projections are in the 80s, minus his righty split of 73, which isn't bad. Perhaps Lee's only drawback is his sloppy work with the leather(projected glove of 25), as he might be better suited to the DH in the AL. Otherwise, nothing will stop Lee from raking with the big boys.
Grade: A-
P J.P. Mercado, Buffalo Hunters. $6m bonus.
-Hmm. Not too sure about this one. We see Mercado's control/splits as ranging from 39-58. He's got only one pitch that projects higher than 51(@ 74). Frankly, his ceiling of success looks like AAA, more than the bigs, making this a tough signing to get behind.
Grade: C-
P Miguel Gonzalez, El Paso Diablos. $6m bonus.
-Gonzalez could use a better 2nd pitch(55) and effectiveness against lefties(53). Otherwise, he'll be a strong reliever and possibly a good closer with projections ranging from 69-86. The one drawback to this plan, though, is that his durability, at 24, is not well suited to the daily rigors of closing. Maybe Capra's best long reliever someday?
Grade: B
P Torey Gandarillas, Rochester Rough Riders. $4.9m bonus.
-Gooooaaaallll! Despite spending only $2M on Int'l Scouting, Rochester found Dominican righthander Torey Gandarillas under their Xmas tree earlier this season. With projected 89 control and 85/100 splits, does it really matter what his pitches look like(all 3 are above 65)? The only drawback here is that Gandarillas doesn't quite have the durability to be a closer nor the stamina to be a starter. Wherever he enters the game, he'll be stud in a few seasons.
Grade: A
P Willie Torres, Minnesota North Stars. $2.5m bonus.
-This is why mnnorthstars drops $20 on the int'l scouts. Torres will be a quality starter who projects to 92 control, 90 fastball, 68 curve, and good velocity(82). His splits are mediocre(47/50), but his control will help compensate there. All for just 2.5M.
Grade: A
1B Ismael Maduro, Anaheim Anteaters. $15.9m bonus.
-We may be a little partial here, but Maduro projects to us as a near Hall-of-Fame masher and is a good deal at almost any price. His only offensive category that projects under 82 is his lefty-split, the one weakness we would cherry pick if we could. We are especially fond of his potential future success against righties(94) and his eyeball at the plate(100). His durability, at 78, could be better as he'll have to sit out a few games every season. And it's a shame Maduro doesn't play a tougher position to fill, but otherwise, the Anteaters have found a worthy successor to Kip White.
Grade: A-
CF Felipe Vargas, Minnesota North Stars. $12m bonus.
-Vargas is solid in many areas, but spectacular in none. His D is fine, he'll be a good baserunner, and he should have a respectable BB/K ratio at the dish. But his power/contact and splits all max out in the low to mid 50s, and he will have trouble maintaining a consistent batting line at the big league level. I'd feel better about Vargas if his bonus was half this much.
Grade: C+
2B Dennis Yamaguchi, Oklahoma City Drunken Ducks. $11.3m bonus.
-A good one. Yamaguchi will be a nice hitter from the 2-hole someday. His power/contact splits range from 52-78. His eye could reach 70. He's a top notch bunter(100) and offers decent wheels at 71. Yamaguchi is not likely to be an all-star, but should be a strong role player.
Grade: B
1B Esteban Lee, Syracuse Salt City Ballers. $9.8m bonus.
-Almost nothing to not like. All of his important offensive projections are in the 80s, minus his righty split of 73, which isn't bad. Perhaps Lee's only drawback is his sloppy work with the leather(projected glove of 25), as he might be better suited to the DH in the AL. Otherwise, nothing will stop Lee from raking with the big boys.
Grade: A-
P J.P. Mercado, Buffalo Hunters. $6m bonus.
-Hmm. Not too sure about this one. We see Mercado's control/splits as ranging from 39-58. He's got only one pitch that projects higher than 51(@ 74). Frankly, his ceiling of success looks like AAA, more than the bigs, making this a tough signing to get behind.
Grade: C-
P Miguel Gonzalez, El Paso Diablos. $6m bonus.
-Gonzalez could use a better 2nd pitch(55) and effectiveness against lefties(53). Otherwise, he'll be a strong reliever and possibly a good closer with projections ranging from 69-86. The one drawback to this plan, though, is that his durability, at 24, is not well suited to the daily rigors of closing. Maybe Capra's best long reliever someday?
Grade: B
P Torey Gandarillas, Rochester Rough Riders. $4.9m bonus.
-Gooooaaaallll! Despite spending only $2M on Int'l Scouting, Rochester found Dominican righthander Torey Gandarillas under their Xmas tree earlier this season. With projected 89 control and 85/100 splits, does it really matter what his pitches look like(all 3 are above 65)? The only drawback here is that Gandarillas doesn't quite have the durability to be a closer nor the stamina to be a starter. Wherever he enters the game, he'll be stud in a few seasons.
Grade: A
P Willie Torres, Minnesota North Stars. $2.5m bonus.
-This is why mnnorthstars drops $20 on the int'l scouts. Torres will be a quality starter who projects to 92 control, 90 fastball, 68 curve, and good velocity(82). His splits are mediocre(47/50), but his control will help compensate there. All for just 2.5M.
Grade: A
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