Official 8th Baseball ATD Thread (Picks Only)

[Fish on The Sand]

RP Moe Drabowsky to finish the draft (other than missed picks).

 

[darko]

I'll take Dummy Hoy, OF

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

Have updated Toronto BJ's final pick in post #524

 

[JaysCyYoung]

Hey guys, so sorry for the delay in my picks. I've been working a lot recently and don't like to make picks without an accompanying respectable write-up on the players I select. Here are my final three selections of the draft.

With the 479th overall pick in the 2016 HF Boards ATD, the Toronto Maple Leafs are pleased to select, from the University of Iowa, C Jim Sundberg.

16 seasons played

.248/.327/.348/.675 slashline
90 adjusted OPS+
1493 hits
243 doubles
36 triples
95 home runs
624 runs batted in
1985 World Series champion (Kansas City)
34.5 JAWS rating (23rd all-time)
40.5 wins above replacement (23rd all-time as catcher)
25.0 defensive wins above replacement (19th all-time)
3x AL All-Star (1974, 1978, 1984)
5x AL leader in defensive games as catcher (1975-76, 1979-81)
5x AL leader in double plays turned as (1974, 1976-78, 1982)
6x AL Gold Glove Award winner (1976-81)
6x AL leader in putouts as catcher (1975-80)
6X AL leader in assists as catcher (1975-78, 1980-81)
6x AL leader in fielding percentage as catcher (1976-79, 1984, 1986)
​

Known as "Sunny" for his pleasant demeanour and positive disposition, Jim Sundberg was one of the best defensive catchers in the American League for nearly two decades. Primarily playing for the Texas Rangers, with whom he spent 12 of his 16 MLB seasons, Sundberg quickly established himself as an elite defensive on-field general, making the AL All-Star Team as a rookie in 1974 for a surprising Rangers squad that won 84 games and finished second in the AL West - their best season in Texas to date - in large part due to his contributions behind the plate.

Two years later, he captured his first of what would be six consecutive Gold Glove Awards in Texas. Sundberg was known for his play-calling ability and strong arm behind the plate, nailing 41% of would-be base-stealers over the course of his career, well above the league average of 35% between 1974 and 1989. He led the American League in putouts for six consecutive years between 1975 and 1980, while also leading catchers in fielding percentage on six other occasions as well.

Team success largely eluded Sundberg with the Rangers, however. He played the 1984 season with the Milwaukee Brewers before an off-season trade to the Kansas City Royals paid immediate dividends. The Royals won the 1985 World Series with him as their starting back-stop, their first in team history. After another season with the Royals, two forgettable part-seasons with the Chicago Cubs followed. Sundberg wrapped up his career back with the Texas Rangers and retired following the 1989 campaign as one of the best defensive catchers in AL history.

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With the 482nd overall pick in the 2016 HF Boards ATD, the Toronto Maple Leafs are pleased to select, from the University of San Francisco, 2B/SS/3B Gil McDougald.

10 seasons played

.276/.356/.410/.766 career slashline
111 adjusted OPS+
1291 hits
187 doubles
51 triples
112 home runs
576 runs batted in
36.4 JAWS rating (38th all-time)
40.7 career wins above replacement
1951 AL Rookie of the Year Award
1959 AL leader in triples (9) and sacrifice hits (19)
5x AL All-Star (1952, 1956-59)
5x World Series Champion (New York Yankees - 1951-53, 1956, 1958)
Ranked as the 47th Greatest New York Yankee of All-time by ESPN in 2011
​

One of the most versatile players of the 1950s, Gil McDougald was an excellent all-around threat both on the field and in the batter's box. A San Francisco native like fellow Yankees great Joe DiMaggio, McDougald quickly impressed in the Bronx, hitting .306 in his first season with an adjusted OPS+ of 142 and capturing the American League Rookie of the Year Award, narrowly edging out Chicago's Minnie Minoso. McDougald finished up his stellar first campaign with a World Series championship, contributing a home run and 7 RBIs in the Yankees six game victory over the cross-town rival Giants.

He would capture the Fall Classic in each of his first three seasons in New York, and eight of his ten years would culminate in a Yankees championship. His best showing was arguably in the 1958 edition against the Milwaukee Braves as the Yankees avenged a heart-breaking seven game loss to Hank Aaron and the NL champions the year before with a seven game victory of their own that year. McDougald hit .321 for the Series, knocking two homers out and driving in 4 that October, resulting in a .974 OPS - certainly a key factor in New York's victory by any measure, and arguably the MVP of the series after Yankees starting pitcher Bob Turley.

A versatile fielder and a plus defender who was worth an impressive 14.0 wins above replacement defensively throughout his career, McDougald could line up at any of third-base (where he began his career), shortstop, or second, and contribute effectively at all three positions. He split an almost equal amount of time between second and third in his career (599 games at second to 508 at third), and also logged 284 appearances at short.

His career fielding percentage of .975 was considerably above the league average of .967, and he exceeded the league average at each of the three positions he played.

Second-base

McDougald: .984
AL average: .977

+7% above league-average.

Third-base

McDougald: .958
AL average: .954

+4% above league-average.

Shortstop

McDougald: .973
AL average: .962

+11% above league-average.

McDougald ultimately retired after the 1960 season, following a campaign in which the 32 year-old still demonstrated effective skill at the plate (104 OPS+) and in the field (1.5 dWAR) for a Yankees club that had lost in heart-breaking fashion to the Pittsburgh Pirates via Bill Mazeroski's Series-ending home run in game seven. He was believed to be left open to the MLB Expansion Draft and did not want to play for the Los Angeles Angels or Washington Senators, each of whom was likely to select the quality veteran.

A plus defender with an impressive 40.7 career wins above replacement in just ten truncated seasons, McDougald is an excellent addition to my bench, adding defensive versatility, and the ability to play three positions at a high quality. He also adds a decent bench bat with an almost 1:1 career BB:K ratio (559 walks to just 623 strikeouts), which makes him an excellent fit for my difficult to strikeout compliment of position players. He also adds, with Sundberg, an additional righty to my bench, which should be an asset against left-handed relievers.

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With the 519th overall pick - and their final selection - in the 2016 HF Boards ATD, the Toronto Maple Leafs are pleased to select, from the University of Alabama, RP David Robertson.

8 seasons played

2.90 ERA
144 adjusted ERA+
31-24 record
81 saves
180 games finished
7.1 H/9 IP
610 strikeouts in 456.2 IP (12.0 K/9 IP)
1x AL All-Star (2011 - 4-0, 1.08 ERA, 100 strikeouts in 66.2 IP)
11.3 career wins above replacement
2009 World Series champion (New York Yankees)
​

David Robertson is one of the most dominant relief pitchers in the game today. While not overtly intimidating physically, at just 5'11 and 195 pounds, Robertson has parlayed one of baseball's most unique specialty pitches (the knuckle-curve) into an incredibly deadly weapon. According to Fangraphs Robertson's knuckle-curve employs over eight inches of drop, a difference twice as significant as that of the average knuckle-curve pitch thrown by pitchers. Moreover, Robertson's cutter has an even greater movement (almost 25% greater) horizontally than the average cutter, but mixes that in with a pronounced four inch greater difference in ride (10 inches to 6.1 average), giving it the impression of a rising fastball.

The ultimate result to date has been an adjusted ERA+ of 44 percent greater than that of the league average, and a lifetime strikeouts per 9 IP rate of 12.0 - one of the best marks in MLB history. A 2009 World Series champion with the Yankees, and possessing a career 3-0 with a 3.71 ERA in the post-season, Robertson is the type of crafty, intelligent late-inning shutdown reliever required to hold opposing line-ups at bay. He will be a welcome addition to the relief corps of the Maple Leafs.

 

[Say Hey Kid]

bump for future drafts.