2012 Round 1 Review

They say you really can't grade a draft until a few years later but that doesn't stop the gasps and guffaws in the war room that some picks bring. And what better time to review last year's first round selections than on this revered holiday that is draft  day. (The asterisk indicates the player was protected this past offseason.)

1. Lucas Duda*, OF, Amityville

Duda arrived hoping his batting and some
fashion sense rubbed off on the Ant Slayers.

The Ant Slayers maneuvered up to pry away the top pick from Hopatcong and move up just one slot, for the price of a 2013 second-rounder. Duda had a excellent rookie campaign, bashing 25 home runs and 32 doubles, with 96 RBIs and 90 runs scored (the latter two categories best among rookies). He hit a reasonable .261 while most all of his damage was done against righties, slugging .496, as the Ant Slayers primary first basemen.

Duda finished fourth in the Pat Listach Rookie Of the Year Award voting, earning a 1st-place vote and a 3rd-place vote (6 points). Amityville must still believe in the lefty power bat, protecting him in the offseason, but he's not likely to see action with the big club.

2. Brandon Beachy*, SP, Bridgewater
This pick originally started with Amityville but after a flurry of picks changed hands between the Ant Slayers and Hopatcong and Bridgewater, it was the Mallers who ended up with it. Beachy was impressive, finishing with a team-high 16 wins (leading all rookies) against 7 losses and a sketchy 4.84 ERA and 1.48 WHIP. Still an impressive year, mind you, with 220 Ks in 182.1 innings and 32 starts. Most of his success came in the first half, propelling the rookie into the starting role for the Diamond League all-stars, gaining 10 votes, just ahead of Philly's Roy Halladay, with nine.

Beachy tied for 5th in Listach voting (with Corey Luebke, Al Albuerqueue and Craig Kimbrel, all garnering one 1st-place vote (5 points). He was dealt to Las Vegas in the offseason for a slew of draft picks where he's expected to team with the likely top pick in this year's draft, Kris Medlen.

3. Jemile Weeks, 2B, Newark
The best thing you can say about Weeks was that he led all rookies in at-bats (662) and plate appearance, starting 160 games at 2B for the Sugar Bears. He did pop 36 doubles and collect 181 hits in an otherwise mediocre season that saw him hit .273. Weeks was a 50-50 chances to steal a base: he swiped 18 bags -- but also was caught 18 times! He was pretty aggressive at the plate too, striking out 115 times against just 25 walks.

4. Cory Luebke, SP/RP, Hopatcong
The Floating Fish ended up with the #4 pick after all the jockeying between Amityville and Bridgewater. And they probably couldn't be happier. Luebke turned it on in the second half of the season (10-2, 2.67 ERA, 133 Ks, 104.2 IP) to help Hopatcong to its first-ever division title. He finished the year 13-8 with a 3.74 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and a league-leading 242 strikeouts despite 80 walks in 33 starts, good enough for someone to cast a 1st-place ballot for him in ROY voting. Unfortunately, it must have all taken a toll on the lefty because he will miss the 2013 DMBL season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

5. Philip Humber, SP, Arkansas

Maybe he didn't duplicate his no-no but
Humber had a quality year for the Golden Falcons.

Humber flew under the radar much of the year as Beachy, Luebke and others garnered the spotlight, but led all rookies in decisions, going 15-13, with a 4.21 ERA and 1.39 WHIP and logging 220 innings in 32 starts for the Golden Falcons. It wasn't enough to make a ROY ballot, but a successful season nonetheless, the only Arkansas starter to post a .500 record and leading the squad in wins. Someone did recognize his success, casting a 3rd-place vote for him in ROY balloting.

6. Vance Worley, SP, Blue Ridge
Worley was much in the same boat as Humber: not the stellar season of others, but quality for the Bombers. He went 12-10 with a solid 4.19 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. He had more wins than rookie teammate Jeremy Hellickson (11), but Hellickson like many of last year's ROY candidates was drafted as a prospect the previous year. Worley was rewarded with 4 votes on the all-star ballot, falling short of making the team.

7. Brandon McCarthy*, SP, Newark
McCarthy original broke in with Vancouver in 2006 as a second-round pick and then took a few years off., bouncing around reserve lists before getting tapped by the Sugar Bears. He finished with a rather pedestrian record at 10-8, despite a 3.57 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. He also got some love in all-star voting, with 4 ballots, but fell short. He logged 189.1 innings in 27 starts fo the Sugar Bears. The pick originally belonged to Marietta

McCarthy was protected but not by Newark. He was dealt to Sardine City in exchange for closer Jason Motte just before the deadline.

8. Emilio Bonifacio, SS, Hillsborough
The speedster was eligible in center as well but made 132 starts for the Hit Men at shortstop. He swiped 16 bags but was caught 12 times and scored 61 runs. He batted .250 with just 16 doubles and  same number of triples as home runs -- 4. The switch-hitting Bonifacio was impressive against lefties, hitting .325 with a .392 OBP but struggled versus right-handers, hitting just .224 with an equal .273 in OBP as well as SLG in 362 at-bats.

9. Brett Lawrie*, 3B, Livingston

Lawrie was ineligible for Livingston
last season anyway, so WTF, why not?

There are no stats to review for the third-base prospect, since the expansion Livingston franchise went with an ineligible selection for its first-ever draft pick. At a minimum, he's expected to platoon at third base against left-handers.

Unless the franchise -- which changed its name from Last Place to the Lords of Swing since last year's draft -- selects another third basemen today, Lawrie could very well be thrown out to the hot corner in his rookie campaign and just plug away.

10. Ivan Nova, SP, St. Louis
Nova put together a season as good as you could hope for from a rookie starter for an expansion team. He finished 13-9, leading the team in wins, to go along with a 4.63 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. He also made 31 starts, which included two complete games and a shutout, nearly reaching the 200-inning plateau (196.1).

11. John Mayberry, CF/1B, Vancouver
His power numbers were similar in some respects to the top pick, Duda, and even outhomered him by one (26) to lead all rookies in long balls. He also drove in 60 RBIs and scored 63 runs, along with whacking 18 doubles. Overall, he hit .257 and slugged .489, with an OPS of .833.

Mayberry was serviceable against right-handers with a .766 OPS (.239/.342/.424), but was a lefty killer with a .993 OPS (.298/.352/.641), though interestingly, he split his 26 homers evenly between both sides of the plate. He mainly patrolled right field for the Fisters but also saw some spotty time in the corner outfield positions, figuring in 123 games overall.

This pick originally belonged to the Carolina Mudcats (who have since been renamed Rowdy Roddy Pipers), but sent to Vancouver along with a 5th rounder this year in exchange for center fielder Adam Jones.

12. Javier Vazquez, SP, Sardine City
It was a season full of surprises for Vazquez. First, he was taken in the first round pick, then the 35-year-old made the all-star team. Overall, he finished 9-12, tossing 189.3 innings in 31 starts. He logged a 1.22 WHIP and 3.90 ERA. He added to his career numbers, breaking into the top 25 in several all-time categories, including wins, game starts and innings.

He found success in Sardine City, where he fashioned an 8-5 record with a 2.90 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 20 starts (13 quality starts). But it all came apart after he was shipped to Bridgewater in exchange for Doug Fister, who had struggled for the Mallers. What ensued was perhaps the biggest reversal of fortunes in recent memory.

Vazquez went just 1-7 in 11 starts (3 quality) for the Mallers, including a 6.45 ERA and 1.55 WHIP. Meanwhile, Fister twirled 10 quality starts among his 13 starts for the Straphangers, including two shutouts, going 7-3 with a 2.29 ERA and 1.09 WHIP, keeping Sardine City in the playoff hunt until late in the season.

13. Mike Carp, 1B, Vancouver
Carp saw action in the outfield and first base for the Iron Fist but primarily served as the DH during his 44 games in Vancouver. There wasn't much to distinguish his 2012 season: .245/.307/.358, with 3 home runs and 22 RBIs, and it didn't make much difference whether he was facing a left-hander or a righty.

Marco Scutaro was just pscyhed to remain
with Hoboken this offseason,

14. Marco Scutaro*, SS, Hoboken
If you had to guess which first-rounder would most likely be protected in the next offseason, it's a safe bet you would not have gone with the 36-year-old journeyman utility infielder. Scutaro had his moments for the Cutters, starting 111 games at shortstop, splitting time in a platoon with Ramon Santiago, who played against lefties. But eventually he lost playing time to J.J. Hardy after he was acquired from Philly in a deadline deal.

Scutaro's overall line wasn't pretty (.233/.287/.328) but he did smack 24 doubles. Most of his success was found against lefties, with an .813 OPS (.329/.356/.457), despite limited action (70 at-bats). This season he's also eligible at 2B.

15. Aaron Crow, RP, Arkansas
The young fireballer struck out 86 batters in 77.1 innings but only managed a 4.89 ERA  and a dreadful 1.68 WHIP (thanks to 51 walks). He appeared in 58 games, logging two saves, and going 1-4 for the Golden Falcons.

Philly originally held this pick but handed it over just before the 2012 midseason trade deadline in a blockbuster deal that brought them David Wright and Johan Santana, among others.

16. Josh Collmenter, SP, Hopatcong
After the dust settled in the Hopatcong-Las Vegas-Bridgewater exchange, the Floating Fish ended up with two first-round picks, including the final pick in the round.

Collmenter teamed with Luebke and Josh Tomlin to give the Floating Fish an impressive, if improbable, no-name rotation that rewarded the franchise with a deep run into the playoffs. Collmenter wasn't going to win any award with his numbers but every rotation needs an innings-eater. He was 13-12 despite a 4.47 ERA, and twirled three complete games among his 32 starts. He ranked second on the team in innings pitched (217.1) and had a respectable 1.24 WHIP. Interestingly, three of Hopatcong's starters finished with 13 wins.

So, what say you, a year later, who was the best pick of the 2012 first round? The worst?