Mark Franzen (Sausages)
I started with the 2016 Summer Draft because I didn't want to appear self-centered a-hole by reviewing my 2015 Summer Draft, which had great picks like Aaron Nola, Gleyber Torres, and Eloy Jimenez.
Let's instead focus on the 2015 Summer Draft. The Hounds and I have reflected on this draft in conversation over beers for about 8 years. Nothing will get our wives to leave the room quicker than some BMPL Summer Draft tipsy debates.
For this article, I'll praise two teams instead of individual picks.
Both the Harrisonburg Hounds and the Marengo Nighthawks (now known as the Waco Canes) had exceptional drafts.
The Hounds had Steven Matz in the 1st round, Rafael Devers in the 2nd round, and Touki Toussaint in the 3rd round, with Devers earning an A+ grade and Matz earning an A-.
The Canes, I will refer to them as the Canes and not the Nighthawks because that’s how I recognize them now and it’s too confusing to reference an old team name. They had the #1 overall pick and that can be equivalent to having pocket aces in Texas Hold Em. Only two outcomes, win big or lose a lot. With the #1 overall pick, they selected Yoan Moncada, Willy Adames in the 2nd round, and Frankie Montas in the 3rd round. All three players made significant contributions to the BMPL for many years. Look at what they did from 2018 to 2021 and you’d get a BMPL boner.