Rakeville Times: Bring on the Bats

Keon Broxton joins Jose Abreu and ByungHo Park as Rakeville's recent second overall all draft picks in recent years. The Rockets 2017 season hinges on their combined performance if they are going to return to the playoffs.

Bring on the Bats

By Hernandez Firstname, Rakeville Times

In one of the most wide open top-of-the-round drafts in recent years, Rakeville General Manager made it known that his team would be powered by it's offense in 2017.

The Rockets first five selections were on the offensive side of the ball, adding depth to their already talented young roster. Second overall pick Keon Broxton is already slotted to start behind 2016 stars Kris Bryant and Mark Trumbo in the outfield, and second round selection Brandon Drury has the power profile to match this high octane offense while bring middle infield chops and position flexibility.

"For the last two seasons we had our mind set on building a championship caliber offense," said Reed. "The maturation of Miguel Sano, Kris Bryant and Corey Seager put our team on the map last season, and while the results were disappointing, we're very excited about that core and want to build around them."

Other potent bats acquired in the major league draft include Kendrys Morales, a steady offensive machine that should add depth to this lineup, Jedd Gyorko, whose position flexibility is just as valuable as the 30 homeruns he hit last season and Eric Thames, who joins the team in similar fashion that Jose Abreu and ByungHo Park did in prior seasons.

"Eric Thames is a player that a lot of people are having trouble projecting," said Reed. "Some have him as a stud, others as flop. We had no idea where he would fall in this draft. To get a player with his potential in the fourth round is quite rare."

Spring Training in Pensacola will be especially intense this year as a handful of veterans potentially find themselves on the chopping block. Jason Heyward and Corey Dickerson both struggled in 2016, and with nine outfield-eligible players on the roster and Manny Margot waiting in the wings, their jobs could be in jeopardy.

On the pitching side of the team, the lack of any significant selections comes as a surprise. Fringe pitchers Chad Kuhl, Chris Devenski and Matt Andriese are long shots to make this roster. Depending on how deeply the manager cuts his lineup, a spot or two may be available on opening day.