While the argument about how much the bar for the Hall of Fame has been lowered again has resurfaced, it’s time for us to move on to our next step toward riding out another winter.
Mason Denaburg will probably assume the mantle of the clear-cut #1—despite not having thrown a pitch against a professional batter—as the team’s youngest and highest recent draft pick (excluding Seth Romero, natch), following in the footsteps of Lucas Giolito (2012-15) and Erick Fedde (2016-17). After that… hoo boy, where’d I put that dart board?
Like the bats, you can send your Top 10 list to enfieldmass-top10arms[at]yahoo[dot]com (link will open your preferred email client) or post them in the comments.
Once we have enough votes, I’ll weight ’em in reverse order (#1 = 10 points, #2 = 9 points … #9 = 2 points, #10 = 1 point) and post the results along with any comments or snark. This year, we do have some “last five on the 40” guys with rookie eligibility, including Austen Williams, Austin Voth, Kyle McGowin, and Jimmy Cordero, all of whom will be 26 or older on opening day.
I suspect the Rule 5 Draft will come and go before the next post, which will risk one (1) pitcher with AA experience for the first time (Ryan Brinley, who did not pitch in 2018) and a trio of AA players (Alec Keller, Austin Davidson, Drew Ward) for a second time, who lack the defense, versatility, and/or speed to merit a bench spot on a 25-man roster.