A look back at the 2011 draft, Part 1

Drafts are often graded almost immediately but everyone knows you can't truly grade a draft completely for a few years. So, in honor of the 2021 draft on Saturday, here's a look back at the 2011 DMBL draft.

8th-inning rally caps Game 6, first title for Tucson

An 8th-inning rally secured Game 6 for Tucson over Arkansas, 6-5, and with it the 2016 DMBL World Series title.

Arkansas wins ugly to take 2-1 series lead

A single, a walk, an error, and groundball double play -- it wasn't the most exciting way to score runs but Arkansas took advantage to put up the biggest offensive output of the DMBL World Series so far, taking Game 3 by a score of 4-2, for a 2-1 series lead.

Arkansas pulls out Game 3 in the 9th

Mike Fiers and Edison Volquez matched one another for 6-plus innings but Falcons pulled out another late victory with a run in the 9th for a 2-1 win in San Francisco. The Game 3 triumph puts the defending champion Arkansas in a commanding 3-0 lead in the Best-of-7 semifinal series.

A Look Back At 2012 Pitching Leaders, Records

Two teams lost 100 games: Philly went 61-101 and Livingston was 47-115, which matched the fourth-worst record in league history (Norfolk Ewes, 1999). The Last Placers also had a league-worst run differential of -382. The previous record was -323 by the 2007 Las Vegas Rat Pack (although run differential stats aren't available before the 1997 season).

Livingston added to the inglorious record books with two individual league records: most losses in a season. Edinson Volquez and Carlos Zambrano trotted out just about every five days, making 32 and 33 starts, respectively, but each loss 22 games.

Volquez went 4-22 with an 8.11 ERA. He had 138 strikeouts in 144.7 IP but also was second in the league in walks, 98. Zambrano was 3-22 with a 7.47 ERA, tossing 168.7 IP, and was 6th in the league in walks, with 84, and only a few more strikeouts, 97. Volquez had the better run support, 3.8 runs per game, versus 3.2 for Zambrano.

Zambrano and Volquez can look to Newark's Kyle Lohse for inspiration. Lohse endured back-to-back 21 loss seasons for New Jersey (now Hopatcong) in 2009 and 2010, and followed it up with a stellar 1-17 mark for Newark in 2011 (that's 59 losses over three seasons...). Lohse finally rebounded this season for a career year in Newark: 14-8, 3.34 ERA, 1.22 WHIP in 202 IP -- all career highs.

At least five other times in league history, pitchers have lost 21 games. Like this year 1993 saw two pitchers lose 21 games, Chris Bosio and Rick Sutcliffe, but they played for separate teams (Bosio for Charleston, Sutcliffe for Waikiki). Oliver Perez also lost 21 games for Las Vegas in 2007.

ERA: 2.85, Justin Verlander, Hillsborough
WHIP: 0.91, Verlander
Strikeouts: 242, Corey Luebke, Hopatcong
Walks: 118, Francisco Liriano, Philly
Wins: 19, Verlander and R.A. Dickey, Marietta
Win %: .792, Dickey
Avg Run Support: 6.4, Brandon Beachy, Bridgewater
R/9: 8.4, Verlander
K/9: 10.9, Luebke and Beachy
Shutouts: 4, Roy Halladay, Philly/Hoboken
IP: 243 2/3, James Shields, Newark
CG:  9, Shields
QS: 23, Josh Tomlin and Matt Cain, Hopatcong; Shields, Verlander
QS %: .719, Tomlin
Saves: 43, Mariano Rivera, Marietta
Save %: .947, Daniel Bard, Sardine City
Holds: 20, Vinnie Pestano, Bridgewater
Home Runs: 41, Tommy Hanson, Las Vegas
Games: 111, David Pauley, Livingston

Pitching, pitching, pitching

A record-tying eight starting pitchers were selected in the first round of the 2012 draft, including four consecutive picks from fourth to seventh overall. It's the most starters taken in round one in five years, when half the league's 14 franchises also took starters. The 2000 draft featured eight starters taken, led by Tim Hudson taken No. 1 by Carolina.

This year's record first-round run started with Brandon Beachy at No. 2, taken by the Bridgewater Mallers, and ended with the final pick of the round, 16th overall, by the Hopatcong Floating Fish in Josh Collmenter. The 2007 draft also featured four straight starters taken, that time the first four picks: Jered Weaver, Anibal Sanchez Cole Hamels and Josh Johnson.

Javier Vazquez became at least the fourth starting pitcher to be chosen twice in the first round, and likely the longest time between the selections. Edinson Volquez was taken third overall by New Jersey (now Hopatcong) in 2009 and 12th in 2011 by Bridgewater. Johnson was selected fourth overall twice -- in 2007 by Philly and in 2009 by Sardine City, where he still plays. Juan Guzman went first overall in 1992 to Maine, and again in 2000, sixth overall by Hillsborough.

Vazquez was taken ninth overall by the Kentucky Hillbillies in 2001 and this year was grabbed by the Sardine City Straphangers with the 12th overall selection. Also taken in round one of the 2001 draft? Freddy Garcia, fifth overall by the Honolulu Sharks, who was also selected this year by the Hillsborough Hit Men in the supplemental seventh round.