Bay Area Baseball

Milwaukee’s Matt LaPorta dominated the minor leagues hitting .288 with 20 HR in just 84 games. The powerful righthanded hitter was cruising towards the big leagues when he ran into roadblock. Laporta was traded to Cleveland in the CC Sabathia trade and suffered a concussion in the Olympics shown above. He finished by hitting just .233 in 17 games for Cleveland’s AA Akron club.

LaPorta should be fully recovered and has been invited to spring training for the Indians. He, much like fellow big bats Matt Wieters and Evan Longoria, should see an early season callup and have an impact on the big league club. There has never been a doubt about his power - rated as a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale. While he may not hit for exceptional average, he certainly looks like a cornerstone RBI man in the mold of a better Pat Burrell.

1. Matt Laporta - OF - A - ETA 2009 - Comp - Ryan Braun
2. Carlos Santana - C - A- - ETA 2011 - Comp - Ryan Doumit
3. Beau Mills - 1B - B+ - ETA 2010 - Comp - Joey Votto
4. David Huff - LHP - B - Comp - Noah Lowry
5. Adam Miller - RHP - C+ - ETA 2009 - Comp - Carl Pavano

Matt Laporta was one of the minor leagues top prospects before being traded and suffering a concussion in Beijing. He should be fully healthy for 2009 and his power bat should reach the majors this season. Santana was another blue chipper acquired via trade. He brought 21 HR’s and 117 rbi over 130 games.

Huff went 11-5 with a 2.52 ERA between AA and AAA in 08 and could reach the majors in 09. Mills set an NAIA record for home runs at Lewis and Clark State and has continued his power surge in pro ball. He projects as a power hitting first baseman who could eventually replace Ryan Garko. Cleveland has to be tired of Miller’s injury problems and a move to the bullpen might be his last chance with the organization.

Buchholz might benefit from a change of scenery.

Original Picks
11 Andrew McCutchen Pittsburgh Pirates
12 Jay Bruce Cincinnati Reds
13 Brandon Snyder Baltimore Orioles
14 Trevor Crowe Cleveland Indians
15 Lance Broadway Chicago White Sox

New Picks
11 Pittsburgh Pirates - Jacoby Ellsbury, OF - Speedy Ellsbury is a gold glove caliber defender and has the potential to be an elite leadoff man.
12 Cincinnati Reds - Colby Rasmus, OF - Rasmus isn’t Jay Bruce, but his ceiling is still high enough that if he can stay healthy he should be a top outfielder.
13 Baltimore Orioles - Clay Buchholz, RHP - They can always use more pitching in Baltimore, and Buchholz has some of the best stuff in the draft.
14 Cleveland Indians - Kevin Slowey, RHP - Control artist looks like he should be a solid pitcher for Minnesota. An innings eater who is able to keep his team in the game while throwing constant strikes.
15 Chicago White Sox - Jeremy Hellickson, RHP - Rays pitcher was 11-5 with 2.96 ERA. Power pitcher would be a great solution for the Javier Vazquez replacement.