Round 1, Pick 12 (Vallejo Admirals): C Smiley Die (Texas Tech University)
Smiley is having the best season out of any player in this draft class. In his first collegiate season, he’s put up the NAIA leading 15 home runs, while batting .446. His only problem is his defense, since he spends so much time at the batting cages, he doesn’t focus on his receiving or blocking. Teams may not care though, as his bat is so good that they may not even want to risk the injuries that come with catching, and just permanently move him to DH.
He’s one of those players who really doesn’t have a comparison in the CBL, as he’s got an unbelievable bat for not just a catcher, but anyone, and can catch, but not well. It will be interesting to see what Vallejo does with him, if they continue to catch him, or just allow him to hit and hope he progresses through their system quickly.
Hit: 55 | Power: 65 | Run: 20 | Arm: 50 | Field: 40| Overall: 60