1st Round 2021; Bags select Ben "Cadillac" Morton

The amateur draft always a favorite time of the year for GM Josh Swain.  The way real teams build their core is to through the draft.  Jersey Shore is no exception to the rule, just look at their former 1st round picks: Mike Bryant, Matt Doyle, Richard Coker, Lawrence Schroeder, Fabrice Brodeur, Gianluigi Ciottone, Roland Martin, Gerald Johnson, Matthieu Vancini....and those are just 1st and 1st round compensatory picks over the past 10 years.  

The D-Bags selected 24th this year and for the 3rd year in a row and for the 4th time in 5 years they chose to selected a prep player over going the going the college route.  They selected out of Sante Fe High School, Catcher Ben Morton, or simply as his teammates call him.....Cadillac.  In his senior year and first year as a starter, Morton caught 36 of the teams 40 games while hitting 8 doubles, 6 homers and driving in 33 runs.  He finished with a triple slash line of .299/.389/.493.  While not lighting it up like a lot of first rounders in high school do, Jersey's scouts see  the tools  While his defensive tools won't light the world on fire, scouts predict him to be middle o the road if he can live up to his potential, but his bat is why he got chosen here.  "We have his bat and gap as plus tools and his power at plus-plus.  He will never be a guy who walks a lot and probably will strike out his fair amount of times, but catchers are still one of the more rare positions in the BSA and if he can refine his hitting tools he could be one of the better hitting catchers in the league, but he has a long ways to go for that.  I imagine he struggles pretty good with A pitching, but being at age 18 we have a lot of options going forward," said GM Swain.

Jersey won't pick again until the 62nd overall pick which will be their regular 2nd round pick.  While that is a lot of players to be picked between now and then, don't be surprised to see GM Swain find a player who will turn out to be productive, it's just what they do in Jersey during a draft.

Last year's 1st round pick Miguel Serna, who was drafted 21st overall last season, is starting to pick it up in A ball after struggling last season.  While the power hasn't come around he is hitting .251 and has 20 doubles in A ball.  Jersey's other 1st round pick, SP Ben Head, another prep player, is improving as well.  He has reduced his BB/9, while picking up his K/9 and H/9.  His FIP is 4,43 and will probably spend the rest of the year in Manhattan to improve.  2nd round pick and 63rd overall last season 2B John Moore is really picking it up in AA.  Moore turned 24 this year has shown off his speed with 18 steals, 18 doubles and 3 triples.  He has struggled in the field, but management has him playing shortstop trying to improve his range there as he has been scouted to be one of the better fielding 2B at the AA level.  Chances are he will be playing in AAA before the year is done.

GO D-BAGS

8 years, 8 picks; Jersey Shore 1st Round History

We just finished our 8th first round amatuer draft in the BSA since inagural 2010 season.  The people in Jersey don't take drafting lightly and consider it a key piece to building a franchise.  Let's look back at the 1st round picks that Jersey has made, and where they are today:

2010 - 21st overall - 2B Mike Bryant.  The 4 year college player spent just less than 3 seasons in the minors before debuting just before his 25th birthday.  In the 4 full seasons since then he has 4 all-star appearances, finished 2nd in MVP voting twice and won the award the past two seasons.  He currently holds every batting record in the Jersey Shore record book.  His contract will keep him starting at 2B for the D-Bags for at least the next 3 seasons.  It's likely he retires in a Jersey uniform.

2011 - 18th overall - 1B Matt Doyle.  Another 4 year college player out of the Texas.  Doyle debuted for the D-Bags in May of the 2014 season and hasn't looked back since. He finished runner up to Luis Gonzalez of Toronto in back and force race.  He became a force with Bryant in the lineup and led the BSA in HR in his 2nd year with 44.  After four seasons with Jersey, they surprisingly shipped him off to Toronto in the Jose Lara trade.  Doyle is currently tied for the lead in HR in the league and will likely be voted to his 4th all star game later today.

2012 - 22nd overall - CF Ernesto Barzaga.  After going infield for two years, the Bags switched up and went with a rangy and speed CF in Barzaga.  While he didn't have one batting tool that stood out, his contact, gap, power and eye were all average or a tick above average.  He turned out to be a bust.  He struggled mightily in A ball as a 22 and 23 year old in his first two seasons.  As a 24 year he was tried in AA but struggled even more.  At 25 he finally had a successful season in A ball, but by that time his potential had gotten worse and looked like he might turn into a career minor leaguer.  He was eventually dropped by the D-Bags and retired.  A rare early pick miss for Jersey.

2013 - 20th overall - 3B Richard Coker.  Coker was the first HS player Jersey selected in the amateur draft.  After 1 year at Butler HS, he showed his nack for getting on base.  A high average and great eye as well as potential to play an above average 3B made him a 1st round pick.  He spent the last month of 2013 in A ball and less than a month there in 2014 before being promoted to AA.  He struggled a lot his first year in AA, but he was given the starting position.  He picked up ten-fold in 2015 improving that contact but the eye was still behind.  We started to see it come around in 2016 when a week or so before the trade deadline he was sent as the main piece to Cleveland in the trade for C Warren Goyer.  After spending close to a season in the AAA for the Monsters he was recalled.  This season he is having a breakout year and could be looking at an All-Star spot.

2014 - 28th overall - SS Lawrence Schroeder.  Playing an unprecedented 5 years at Virginia, with his skills with the bat and glove, Jersey was lucky he dropped to them at 28.  He played 81 games at AA, flashing some power but mainly that contact to move up to AAA in the season after he was drafted.  He thrived in a full season in AAA, hitting the gaps and hitting for power. The only thing that bothered Jersey management is the 150+ strikeouts he accumulated.  In 2016 he spent 105 games in AAA, dropping the K rate a little, but raising his batting average 60 points to .347, which earned him a promotion to the big league club.  He played 48 games in a Jersey uniform his rookie year and hit well, very well and earned the starting job.  He struggled in 2017 but did show promise hitting 48 2B, 6 3B, and 14 HR.  This season he started off slow but picked up more recently winning his first POTW award as well as having his first 5-hit game.  He is currently sideline by an injury but should still be in consideration for an All-Star position.

2015 - 25th overall - SS Fabrice Brodeur.  Another 4 year college player who not only had skill at playing SS, but all over the infield.  Above average speed, above average contact, decent gap and above average eye for striking out made him a good pick.  He like many other Jersey players struggled early on to only bust out in his 2nd to 3rd season. The year after he was drafted he crushed AA pitching and earned a promotion to AAA. Now in his 3rd year, 2nd full year in AAA, it seems he has found it. Walks are up, K's are down, and he is hitting near a league best .377.  He is also leading the AAA International League in WAR at the moment.  With the recent injury to Schroeder, Brodeur was recently called and will start his first games in a Jersey uniform for tomorrow's sim.

2016 - 31st overall - SP Gianluigi Ciottone.  A 4 year college starter at Nebraska, Jersey was surprised to find him on the board at 31.  Despite not having a good 3rd pitch, with the depth of SP in their minors Jersey hopped on the chance to grab him. The minors have been puzzling for Ciottone.  He has struggled in both AA and A in what is his now 3rd minor league season.  He is currently 24 year old pitching in A ball, which is never a good sign but it appears things might be headed on the right track.  His K/9 and BB/9 are the best they have ever been and his FIP is 2 runs better than his ERA.  He might be headed towards bust land, but we will give him another year to see if he can turn into anything before putting that label on him.

2017 - 32nd overall - SP Roland Martin.  Martin marked Jersey's 2nd time to select a SP as their first round pick, and the first time they went HS SP as a 1st rounder. Martin made 10 starts and 6 bullpen appearances last season in A ball, struggling, especially with control which was a staple of his in HS.  This season in 18 starts as a 20 year old in A ball, Martin seems to be slightly improving across the board.  Scouts are really impressed that he has picked up 2 MPH on his fastball than was previously seen in his HS games.  He was named the 63rd best prospect by OSA before the season.  His potentials say he should be a mid-rotation guy but with a little work he might some day be a top of the rotation man.  At 20 years old, he has a lot of time to develop and he will be one to watch in the coming years.

Omitting this year's draftees who haven't even signed yet, there are your 8 years of Jersey Shore 1st round picks.  You have the multi MVP winner, two all-stars, two young up and comers, one player just getting to his major league debut, two pitchers still in A ball and one bust out of the league.  Considering Jersey's draft position I would say they have done very well.  If Doyle and Coker will still in Jersey the IF of Doyle-Bryant-Schroeder-Coker would probably be ranked Top 3 in the BSA right now. Hopefully we see good things from the younger draftees.  Don't sleep on the draft, you can build franchises this way, even with late picks!

Go D-Bags 

Bags Make First Trade in Over a Year; Get Goyer From Cleveland

GM Swain has never been known for his knee jerk reactions or long winded traded talks.  In fact Jersey Shore had not made a trade in over a year, the last coming when they brought Jerry Burgess in from El Paso for a handful of prospects.  On Tuesday the Bags completed their first trade since then.  According to sources talks went swiftly and were very concise which resulted in Catcher Warren Goyer, formerly of Cleveland coming to Jersey for 3 players.  Those players were MR Chris Woodruff, 3B Williams Seppings and former 1st round pick 3B Richard Coker.

Goyer is 27 in his 3rd year in the BSA.  He came up through Reno's system before being traded to Cleveland in 2015 where he got his first extended playing time.  In 429 AB, he hit a paltry .219, but did slug 18 2B, 18 HR and drove in 62 runs.  This season thus far he has seen the bulk of the playing time and in 353 AB, he has matched his totals from last year in doubles and has 17 HR while bring up the average to .238.  He has always had big power potential and Jersey thinks with their hitter friendly park they may have brought in a guy who can start and hit 30 HR.  Not bad for a team which already has the power in their lineup.  Current catcher Luis Antonio Duran who has been in the organization since 2011 and starting catcher for the past 4 is without a contract next season and rumors have it trading for Goyer was to replace Duran.  That will set to be seen, but with Duran looking for a big deal, that could be a possibility.

Leaving Jersey is MR Chris Woodruff who was claimed off of waivers before the season.  He could never get it going and demoted to AAA where he pitched decent.  He is 31 years old and has good pitches, he could put up decent numbers in Cleveland.

The 2nd player traded is 3B William Seppings.  He is 29 and been with the team since the inaugural draft, but hasn't seen much playing time in AAA the last couple years.  He is more or less just organizational filler and was included in the trade because he was on the 40 man roster and had a 400K contract.

The 3rd and last player going was the main piece.  Former 1st round pick, 1B/3B Richard Coker.  We recently did our prospect breakdown on Coker, which can be found: here.  Coker in his 4th year with the team was having his best year in AA and was on pace to be called up soon to AAA.  He was currently hitting .293/.391/.434. He has a high contact rate and hits the ball to the gap.  He lacks power and his walk rate has been going up while his K rate has been going down.  Scouts have compared him to a slightly less version of 3B Alberto Perez, who is on pace for 200 hits and hit the game winning single in the All Star game this season.  We here at the Bag Report will be keeping tabs on Coker and wish him the best in Cleveland.  

Will this be the only trade the Bags make until the deadline later this week?  Nothing is on the hot stove right now, but that could change in an instant.  Stay tuned Bag fans!

GO D-BAGS

Prospect Breakdown: Meet Richard Coker

If you ask 22 year old Richard Coker how he got where he is today he might not be able to give you an answer right away.  The Boston, Massachusetts native was your typical kid growing up in the suburbs who played sports year round mixed in with the usual trouble making teenagers like to do.  It was apparent when he was just a young teenager that the kid was athletically gifted.  He led his Little Guy football team when he was just the age of 12 to the state title in a passing attack that is rare to that level.  The kid was big and he could throw.  He wasn't the fleetest of foot, but already grown to 5'9" as a 14 year old, he was among the biggest kids in the class when he entered High School.  

"At that time I had one dream to play Pro Football.  My idol was and still is Tom Brady and I love the Patroits.  The only problem was I grew too fast.  I was the biggest kid when I was 12 and each year after the kids caught up a little bit.  By the time I started my senior year I stood 5'11" and weighed 180 and I was pretty average." Coker talked to a lot of recruiters during his senior year which he led the Butler High Golden Tornados to a 9-2 record and a state semi-final appearance.  "I wanted Boston College, Notre Dame, Rutgers, but it was always the same answer, too small kid.  It was a let down.  Football was my game, and pretty much my life up until that point."  

In the early Spring his buddy convinced him to try out for the baseball team, a sport he hadn't played since little league.  "It's not that I didn't like baseball, but I had football in the fall, basketball in the winter and spring and by the time the earliest summer months hit I was in football camps, there just wasn't much time for baseball."  Being naturally gifted he picked the game back up fairly quickly.  

Though his swing didn't produce much power, it was natural and making contact wasn't a problem for him.  He made the team and coach put him at first base where it seemed he had played there his entire life.  "The kid was a defensive whiz at 1B.  Scooping, diving, stretching he was everywhere.  We eventually moved him to 3B where he wasn't quite as good, but he certainly had the arm for it."  Coker attributes his quickness to the football field.  "As a QB you only have so many seconds before you know you are getting crushed.  At 3B you have to react so quickly to the ball that I was just use to it."

Coker played in 27 of the teams 40 games and surprised everyone by hitting .341 and having a knack for getting on base by also walking 21 times.  He became a staple at hitting 3rd and playing 3rd on a nightly basis.  The Golden Tornadoes finished the season 15-25, missed the playoffs but Coker and 2B Vincente Ventura continued to hit in the cage.  Coker was surprised when he got a call from an agent in June telling him that there was a good chance he was to be taken in the BSA amateur draft in the next month.  At the time Coker had planned on going to school and being a 2 sport athlete, but the idea of being drafted excited him.  

To most people's surprise on July 1, 2013 the Jersey Shore D-Bags selected Coker 20th overall in the 1st round of the draft.  "I went from wanting to play football the year before, to being a first round draft pick in baseball, it was unreal, but way cool," said Coker on draft day.  Jersey saw potential.  "The kid was raw, but you could see he had skills.  We had his contact as way above average, he had that stroke that could get the ball to the gap, he rarely struck out and making of a good eye and not to mention not too shabby at defense. We knew it would take some time, but when you draft in the last part of the 1st round taking a risk isn't a bad thing," GM Josh Swain told us recently.  

Coker joined A ball Manhattan and looked raw in his first season.  He hit just .224, walked only 12 times in 220+ plate appearances and struck out at a 19% clip.  "We expected struggles.  He didn't take to the struggling very well to no surprise though.  Those natural athletes are use to succeeding as kids and into High School, first year of professional life can be tough."  

He played in just 14 Manhattan games in 2014 before being promoted to AA Gainsville.  He hit .320, had an OBP of .370 but the strike outs were still troubling.  20 in 70 plate appearances.  In fact he had more strike outs than he made regular outs, but yet he was still called up.  "We had an influx of talent at A and we were lacking bodies in AA.  I probably called him up too soon, but he could hit.  I guess call it more of a challenge if anything." 

The rest of 2014 was a struggle.  AA was hard.  Coker played in 100 games, hitting .209, striking out 94 times.  He fell off the D-Bags top 20 prospect list and was disappointed   In 2014 he met Lawrence Schroeder whom the D-Bags drafted in the amateur draft out of Virginia that year and the two playing on the same side of the IF instantly become friends.  "Schroeder helped.  He was always up beat, always telling me to keep my head up. Helps having a friend."

In baseball and in life, sometimes things just start clicking, and after a slow April and May that's what happened for Coker in the summer of 2015.  Coker, Dave Dodd and Fransisco Torres led the offense to a Gainesville record 88 wins, a big upgrade over the 43 they won the year before.  Coker ended up hitting .301/.350/.419 with a career high 9 HR and 26 2B.   While his strikeout rate was still high he was improving.  In 2014 he walked once for every 5.22 K's.  In 2015 it had improved to 1 in every 3.36.  There was hope yet again for the then 21 year old.  

Hoping for a promotion in 2015, Jersey sent Coker back to AA for the season.  If Jersey was looking for improvment they have found some thus far.  Though his average only sits at 280, he is on pace for less K's and almost double the walks he took last season, which is exactly what Jersey wanted to see.  They still see him as a potential starter in the IF at the major league level.  He has been in the system for almost 4 years and he is still only 22, the beauty of drafting out of high school.  

There's no telling if there is a time table for Coker. They have rushed him, they have held him back.  We might see him in AAA later this year, maybe it will be next year, but the potential is there.  Should we expect anything else out of a 1st round D-Bags draft pick?  

Follow Coker on his way to the bigs and the D-Bags push for their 2nd straight playoff appearance!

GO D-BAGS