South Burlington Black Diamonds Draft Recap

With the Season 4 SBA draft in the books, the South Burlington Black Diamonds prepare to take the field for the new season.

Entering the draft, the Diamonds retained five players from last season's team: ace pitcher John Means, bullpen studs Brad Hand and Lucas Sims, and outfielders Raimel Tapia and Adam Engel. They also didn't have their sixth round pick, as GM Val elected to acquire Liam Hendriks for that keeper slot, creating an instant three-headed dragon in the pen of Hand, Hendriks, and Sims.

Team icon and fan favorite Yoan Moncada, while originally not kept, was re-drafted late in the draft, much to the delight of the Vermont faithful.

Let's meet the 19 players joining the seven returnees! We'll do this in order of where they were picked.

Starting Pitcher - Sandy Alcantara

A talented pitcher who spent last season with the Denver Zephyr, Alcantara brings strong stuff, especially against right-handed batters, at a relatively cheap cost, and already shined in a preseason scrimmage against the Quezon City Questants. He'll probably slot as the team's 3 to start.

Opener/Reliever - Tyler Clippard

The man who opened a slew of games for the Milwaukee Bovines last season takes his bespectacled talents to South Burlington. He'll likely be doing the same for the Diamonds, as well as the occasional relief appearance. Strong against righties and solid against lefties especially in the cavernous Boof Boog Ballpark.

Shortstop - Orlando Arcia

Another cheap but solid piece, Arcia brings solid defense to the middle infield, as well as a fairly serviceable bat. He's not a world beater, of course, but he's a solid, all-around piece that can make key plays on D and isn't a liability at the plate.

Second Baseman - Luis Guillorme

The first true splurge of the draft for the Diamonds, Guillorme is expected to be a doubles machine for the team this season. At a 2e10 he can give you solid defense, doesn't ground into double plays, can occasionally steal, and of course he smacks doubles for days.

Catcher - Christian Vazquez

An all-round solid catcher that even runs the bases semi-well, the Diamonds' catching situation is unique in that both catchers have reverse splits. Vazquez has more power against lefties, but in the contact-friendly anti-power confines of the Boog, he'll largely face righties as he gets on base at a more consistent rate there.

Starting Pitcher - Zach Davies

A right-handed pitcher, Davies is solid enough against righties, but it's against lefties where he truly shines. He'll instantly be stapled to the front end of this rotation, and should be one of the team's most reliable arms in Season 4. Also, he's a bunting B. Elite.

Infielder - Tommy La Stella

La Stella saw some time with the Diamonds last season as an injury fill in, and the lefty hitter returns this time as a full-time starter. While he is shaky defensively, he can hit the ball fairly well and give you consistent, quality at bats.

Pitcher - Cody Ponce

A somewhat unorthodox pick here, and the one GM Val is most unsure of. But Ponce brings the ability to start and relieve and while he does give up a lot of home runs, the cavernous Boog should play to his advantage, as he doesn't give up much else.

Starting Pitcher - Elieser Hernandez

Hernandez's endurance is a bit suspect, but everything else suggests a pitcher that will thrive in the Boog. He's got great stuff, and the huge ballpark will benefit his home run problem. He twirled a two-hit gem in his preseason debut against Los Muertos in the Boog; we'll see how it translates over the full season and in other environments.

Pitcher - Jonathan Loaisiga

Loaisiga is similar to Ponce but with less of a home run issue; GM Val likens him to what Yonny Chirinos was in Seasons 2 and 3, just with less endurance. He should be a fairly reliable innings-eater when the team needs him to do so.

First Baseman - Yandy Diaz

A player that haunts Val's nightmares is now on her team. Diaz is a pretty bad fielder at first base, but in terms of getting on base there's not many better in this league. His lack of power isn't an issue in the Boog, and you can't teach his level of patience and his ability to put the ball anywhere on the field.

Reliever - Kyle Zimmer

Late last season, the Diamonds' middle relief corps were a two-headed monster between Seth Lugo and JB Wendelken. While both have moved on, Val is hoping to recreate them with the solid Zimmer and the very good Lucas Sims. Has some issues with wild pitches, but other than that, a quality middle reliever.

Outfielder - Shogo Akiyama

The former Saitama Seibu Lion makes his SBA debut as a member of the Black Diamonds. He'll mostly be a platoon guy facing righties, but he's also quick on the basepaths and an excellent fielder who will no doubt enjoy life in the massive Vermont outfield, so he has some uses off the bench as well.

Designated Hitter - Donovan Solano

Last year's SBA batting champ ends up where all SBA batting champs always end up. South Burlington. While he can technically play in the infield, his shoddy defense but strong bat makes him a threat at the DH position, and he can knock the ball all over the park.

Catcher - Meibrys Viloria

A cult favorite in Vermont makes his return. This time, instead of being a meme, he comes as an actually-solid backup catcher with reverse splits that can get on base fairly well against lefties and has a decent enough arm. A freebie, but a solid enough backup to Vazquez.

Outfielder - Sam Haggerty

Haggerty will platoon in left field alongside Akiyama, and like his platoon mate, he is also making his SBA debut this season. Against lefties he also has the added element of being a rare power bat in a lineup focusing predominantly on singles and doubles. He's also the team's only out-and-out switch hitter.

First Baseman - Evan White

When your first baseman scares you as much defensively as Diaz does, you need a replacement for those late-game scenarios. White provides that at a affordable cost. True, he can't hit, but for a bargain price and the fact he'll mostly just be playing games the Diamonds are already winning, you don't need him to.

Utility - Pat Valaika

Once a massive meme only existing for cap purposes, now an actually serviceable bench bat who can cover as backup (technically) for a few positions. Valaika had a glow up and GM Val hopes to see him take on Ian Desmond's role as emergency lefty basher.

Reliever - Jake Diekman

And finally, the final pick of the draft for the Diamonds was another pen arm. Diekman's slider improvement makes the southpaw a nightmare for righty batters, and he'll compliment Sims well as a fellow reverse-splits reliever, though he can't munch the innings Sims can.