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.

Round 1, Pick 2, Overall Pick 2
Texas Gunners: William Howard, RHP
age: 22 - height: 6'4" - weight: 230 lbs - Louisiana-Layfayette

William Howard

William Howard has an obscure nickname, "Revenant," but Texas certainly hopes that it will prove prophetic. A revenant is ghost or animated corpse—it's something that has returned from the dead. Can Howard lead the corpse of Texas back from the dead? Speaking of returns, Howard returned in 2015 from a severe injury and went 5-4 with a 3.52 ERA for the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette. His underlying stats were far better: he struck out 95 and walked 16 and had a 2.20 FIP. All scouts rave about his control and his ability to keep the ball on the ground, but some scouts wonder if he will be able to dominate big-league hitting. If he stays healthy, he should definitely be a quality arm in the Gunner rotation, but will he be the ace that they need? Finally, the pick is the first big decision made by new Texas GM Dan Patten. As such, it will be scrutinized heavily by the fans in Houston. Personally, I think that this pick shows that Patten is drafting according to need rather than drafting the best player available. Grade: B-.

Round 1, Pick 3, Overall Pick 3
Jersey Jesters: Tim Buck, 1B
age: 22 - height: 6'3" - weight: 165 lbs - University of California

Tim Buck

Tim Buck was born in the Garden State, so he was overjoyed to hear that GM Barry Cohen of Jersey had selected him with the third pick of the draft. Buck is the first hitter off the board, and there is little question that he will soon be starring in the Jester lineup. Buck is a high-contact hitter with power. This season for the California Golden Bears, Buck batted .426 with 21 home runs in 169 at-bats—his slugging percentage alone was .876—and he won the Rod Dedeaux Silver Slugger Award. With the ABL dominated by left-handed sluggers, the right-handed hitting Buck should prove particularly valuable. Grade: A-.