2015 First-Year Player Draft Coverage

Round 1, Pick 1, Overall Pick 1
Jacksonville Jacks: Carlos Ruíz, RHP
age: 22 - height: 6'3" - weight: 225 lbs - school: Oklahoma State

Carlos Ruíz

With the top pick in the draft, Jacksonville selects a future ace. Carlos Ruíz is a hard-throwing groundball pitcher. He can hit 98 on the radar gun, and his hard sinker keeps the ball in the park. That alone makes for a strong pitcher, but "Lizard" also has a premium changeup and tremendous control. Pitching for the Oklahoma State Cowboys in 2014 and 2015, he struck out 215 batters while walking only 16. This past season, he won the Skip Bertman Cy Young Award, going 6-0 with a 1.81 ERA. In fact, the Cowboys went 9-2 in his starts while going 9-28 the rest of their season! He is demanding one of the highest bonuses in the draft, $5.5 million, but he is worth every penny. He projects to be not just an ace, but a Cy Young Award winner. Grade: A.

"You're Not Good Enough"

If you ask any of the Boston Cardinal players, they'll tell you that they love playing for manager Artie Baker. Even amongst his peers, his ability to relate to his team is admired and recognized as his biggest strength. Rookies look to him for guidance about how to be a professional baseball player. Veterans respect his decision making and listen when he speaks. His control of the clubhouse is both firm and fair.

Considering the environment that Baker creates, the Cardinals received quite a shock when they returned from the All Star break to find a new banner hanging inside their locker room:

You're Not Good Enough