Top 10 Prospects Who Did Not Receive A Card In The 2015 Set

By Matt Eddy

Each MMDA draft features its fair share of prospects with high ceilings, but some promising young players inevitably do not play enough to receive a card from Strat-O-Matic. That makes them ineligible for selection in the MMDA draft—we allow only carded players to be drafted—but just think how much better this year's rookie class would look with some of the following names.

To repeat: The following players made their big league debuts in 2014 but are not eligible for the MMDA draft in February.

1. Daniel Norris, lhp, Blue Jays. The 2011 second-rounder received a September callup to Toronto, but logged just 6.2 innings in five appearances, so Norris' no-card status is not surprising.

The 21-year-old conquered three levels of the minors during the 2014 season, using three strong pitches to miss bats (minor league best 11.8 SO/9) and limit hard contact (.212 average).

Can Norris repeat this performance in 2015? Can he overcome lefty bias in a 20-team Strat league? Stay tuned.

2. Eddie Butler, rhp, Rockies. An injury-plagued season at Double-A in 2014 has lowered his stock, but Butler throws three quality pitches and could reestablish his 2013 level of dominance if he successfully rehabs back and shoulder injuries this offseason.

3. Jorge Polanco, ss, Twins. Minnesota favored the young, switch-hitting middle infielder's makeup and ability so much that they called him up as an emergency fill-in in mid-June, all the way from High-A Fort Myers. Polanco batted just eight times and started only one game, so nobody could have expected him to receive a card.

2014 Playoffs: League Leaders, Award Winners And More

LEAGUE LEADERS FOR 2014 MMDA Playoff                                  

 ----BATTING AVERAGE----   --------AT BATS--------   ------RUNS SCORED------  
 A.Ramirez     GOL  .462   E.Longoria    HUS    80   R.Cano        HUS    14   
 J.Heyward     NWS  .417   R.Cano        HUS    78   A.Craig       HUS    14   
 C.Blackmon    DVD  .412   A.Craig       HUS    76   C.Crisp       HUS    13   
 R.Cano        HUS  .410   D.Ortiz       HUS    67   J.Kipnis      MVL    12   
 J.Hardy       ROC  .393   S.Drew        HUS    67   S.Drew        HUS    10   
 M.Scutaro     DVD  .391   C.Crisp       HUS    64   T.Hunter      GOL    10   
 M.Cabrera     BRK  .388   A.McCutchen   MVL    64   J.Upton       HUS     9   
 A.Beltre      ROC  .367   P.Fielder     MVL    64   C.Davis       GOL     9   
 G.Stanton     FIR  .364   J.Upton       HUS    62   M.Cabrera     BRK     8   
 H.Ramirez     BRK  .354   S.Perez       HUS    59   M.Trout       BRK     8   
 C.Crawford    DVD  .350   J.Kipnis      MVL    58   A.McCutchen   MVL     8   
 A.McCutchen   MVL  .344   OTHERS TIED WITH     56   N.McLouth     MVL     8   

 ----------HITS---------   --------DOUBLES--------   --------TRIPLES--------  
 R.Cano        HUS    32   D.Ortiz       HUS     7   C.Crisp       HUS     2   
 A.Ramirez     GOL    24   A.McCutchen   MVL     7   OTHERS TIED WITH      1   
 A.McCutchen   MVL    22   S.Drew        HUS     6                             
 A.Craig       HUS    20   M.Carp        HUS     5                             
 M.Cabrera     BRK    19   A.Ramirez     GOL     5                             
 E.Aybar       MVL    19   J.Heyward     NWS     5                             
 J.Upton       HUS    17   R.Cano        HUS     4                             
 H.Ramirez     BRK    17   E.Longoria    HUS     4                             
 J.Kipnis      MVL    16   C.Davis       GOL     4                             
 Y.Gomes       MVL    16   D.Murphy      GOL     4                             
 S.Drew        HUS    15   C.Quentin     MVL     4                             
 T.Hunter      GOL    15   OTHERS TIED WITH      3                             

 --------HOMERUNS-------   -----RUNS BATTED IN----   ---------WALKS---------  
 R.Cano        HUS     6   E.Longoria    HUS    14   J.Upton       HUS    12   
 P.Alvarez     GOL     5   R.Cano        HUS    13   A.Craig       HUS    12   
 M.Cabrera     BRK     5   Y.Gomes       MVL    12   M.Trout       BRK    12   
 E.Longoria    HUS     4   P.Alvarez     GOL    11   J.Kipnis      MVL    12   
 M.Adams       ROC     4   D.Ortiz       HUS    10   A.McCutchen   MVL    11   
 A.Craig       HUS     3   C.Davis       GOL    10   R.Cano        HUS    10   
 C.Crisp       HUS     3   M.Cabrera     BRK    10   C.Quentin     MVL     9   
 S.Drew        HUS     3   C.Crisp       HUS     9   R.Martin      GOL     8   
 C.Davis       GOL     3   A.Ramirez     GOL     9   P.Fielder     MVL     8   
 N.Walker      BRK     3   P.Fielder     MVL     9   D.Ortiz       HUS     7   
 OTHERS TIED WITH      2   OTHERS TIED WITH      8   S.Drew        HUS     7   
                                                     OTHERS TIED WITH      6   

2014 Season: League Leaders & Award Winners

LEAGUE LEADERS FOR 2014 MMDA                                          

 ----BATTING AVERAGE----   --------AT BATS--------   ------RUNS SCORED------  
 M.Cabrera     BRK  .343   A.Beltre      ROC   675   M.Trout       BRK   138   
 M.Trout       BRK  .342   A.Ramirez     JER   666   C.Davis       GOL   120   
 M.Scutaro     DVD  .323   M.Machado     EFD   665   M.Cabrera     BRK   120   
 V.Martinez    FIR  .316   D.Span        MIA   662   A.Soriano     BRK   101   
 M.Cuddyer     WSB  .316   A.Jones       NWS   657   P.Goldschmidt FIR    98   
 D.Ortiz       HUS  .313   E.Andrus      NWS   656   D.Ortiz       HUS    98   
 Y.Molina      RAZ  .308   E.Hosmer      DVD   651   A.McCutchen   MVL    98   
 J.Ellsbury    HOR  .307   D.Pedroia     CCB   643   J.Upton       HUS    94   
 B.Lawrie      FIR  .295   P.Fielder     MVL   638   S.Choo        CCB    93   
 T.Hunter      GOL  .295   E.Longoria    HUS   636   E.Hosmer      DVD    92   
 D.Nava        FIR  .295   N.Markakis    HOR   633   J.Kipnis      MVL    87   
 J.Lowrie      DVD  .292   OTHERS TIED WITH    632   OTHERS TIED WITH     86   

 ----------HITS---------   --------DOUBLES--------   --------TRIPLES--------  
 M.Trout       BRK   198   M.Machado     EFD    54   C.Gomez       DVD    19   
 M.Cabrera     BRK   195   R.Cano        HUS    46   J.Ellsbury    HOR    13   
 E.Hosmer      DVD   190   M.Trout       BRK    45   D.Span        MIA    12   
 D.Span        MIA   185   G.Parra       FIR    44   W.Venable     MVL    11   
 T.Hunter      GOL   184   A.Ramirez     JER    44   J.Dyson       GOL    10   
 V.Martinez    FIR   182   D.Ortiz       HUS    44   M.Trout       BRK    10   
 R.Cano        HUS   182   M.Carpenter   JER    43   S.Marte       MIA    10   
 J.Ellsbury    HOR   182   C.Davis       GOL    42   C.Gonzalez    RAZ     9   
 A.Ramirez     JER   181   B.Posey       HOR    42   B.Miller      CAL     9   
 P.Goldschmidt FIR   180   Y.Molina      RAZ    42   B.Gardner     CLP     9   
 C.Davis       GOL   180   D.Murphy      ROC    40   OTHERS TIED WITH      8   
 J.Lowrie      DVD   178   OTHERS TIED WITH     39                             

 --------HOMERUNS-------   -----RUNS BATTED IN----   ---------WALKS---------  
 C.Davis       GOL    64   M.Cabrera     BRK   152   M.Trout       BRK   135   
 M.Cabrera     BRK    53   C.Davis       GOL   145   J.Votto       LCN   128   
 P.Alvarez     GOL    44   A.Soriano     BRK   120   P.Goldschmidt FIR   112   
 A.Soriano     BRK    43   R.Cano        HUS   115   S.Choo        CCB   106   
 E.Longoria    HUS    39   P.Goldschmidt FIR   109   M.Carpenter   JER   106   
 D.Ortiz       HUS    33   E.Longoria    HUS   109   C.Santana     NWS    97   
 B.Moss        RAZ    33   M.Trout       BRK   108   M.Cabrera     BRK    94   
 N.Cruz        CLP    31   P.Alvarez     GOL   103   P.Fielder     MVL    84   
 J.Upton       HUS    30   D.Ortiz       HUS    96   E.Encarnacion WSB    79   
 OTHERS TIED WITH     29   J.Lowrie      DVD    96   D.Pedroia     CCB    78   
                           G.Stanton     FIR    91   J.Upton       HUS    78   
                           OTHERS TIED WITH     89   B.Zobrist     WSB    77   

Draft Order For 2015

Now that the World Series is complete, we have a complete order for the first round of the 2015 draft. The top three picks were determined by a lottery system.

1. Dutchmen
2. Nighthawks (held by Maulers)
3. Clippers
4. Breakers
5. Maulers (held by Stars)
6. Blackhawks
7. Roadrunners
8. Hornets
9. Razorbacks
10. Manatees
11. Bluejays
12. Crows
13. Pilots
14. Drivers (held by Hornets)
15. Stars
16. Irish
17. Gators
18. Dodgers (held by Maulers)
19. Huskies
20. Lions

Third Time's A Charm For Lions

Mohawk Valley shined in the 2014 postseason, winning 12 of 16 games, with a stingy pitching staff and grinding offensive attack. 

Lions pitchers (and defenders) allowed just 2.69 runs per game in a playoff context in which no other team allowed fewer than 4.00 R/G (Goldenrod). That performance might have been expected based on Mohawk Valley's regular-season showing, in which the club led the MMDA in strikeout rate (8.3 per nine innings) and ranked third in ERA (3.44) and opponent average (.237). 

The Lions offense, on the other hand, exceeded expectations during the playoffs, scoring 4.56 runs per game, which was a better rate than all but Goldenrod (5.07) and Rochester (4.86). During the regular season, Mohawk Valley led the MMDA in only one category (doubles) and ranked outside the top 10 for scoring, but with a condensed roster during the playoffs the Lions were able to put their best foot forward. They ranked third among postseason participants with a team .340 on-base percentage and strikeout rate of 17.1 percent, and they logged the top walk-to-strikeout ratio of 0.55.

But good fortune has not always smiled on Mohawk Valley, at least when it mattered most.

"Winning in 2014 is especially gratifying for the Lions," manager Matt Eddy said, "because we lost the World Series in 2012, then lost a taut, seven-game LCS in 2013. To come so close three times without winning the ring? Well, that would have been tough."

Lions End Huskies' Bid For Back-To-Back Titles

Three, two, one . . . blast off!

Mohawk Valley captured its first MMDA championship in its 13th year in the league by defeating the No. 3 Fighting Irish in the first round, the No. 2 Brooklyn Dodgers in the second round and the No. 1 Northeast Huskies in the World Series. The Lions went 12-4 (.750) in the playoffs while defeating a trio of opponents who could objectively be labeled as the three best teams during the regular season because they led the MMDA in runs scored and run differential.

Yu Darvish fired 7.2 shutout innings in Game Seven of the
World Series to pitch the Lions to victory

In the World Series, the Lions jumped out to a two games to one advantage before dropping two in a row at home to send the series back to Northeast, with the Huskies needing only one victory to clinch a second straight MMDA title. The fate of the Mohawk Valley season hinged on Games 6 and 7 starters Stephen Strasburg and Yu Darvish, plus whatever help ace relievers Joe Nathan and Koji Uehara could provide.

As it played out, that quartet of pitchers held the Huskies scoreless on 10 hits over 18 innings, and the Mohawk Valley offense scored just enough runs to win two games and claim the World Series. The Lions eked out a 2-0 win in Game 6, with the runs scoring on a wild pitch and an infield groundout, and then led Game 7 by a 1-0 score heading into the ninth inning, when a series of fluke defensive outcomes goosed the lead to 5-0.

World Series: Mohawk Valley 4, Northeast 3

Game recaps from the Strat-generated box scores. In this World Series matchup, the No. 1 Northeast Huskies (101-61) had home-field advantage versus the No. 6 Mohawk Valley Lions (87-75).

Game One
Huskies 2, Lions 0

Chris Archer (1-0) and Yu Darvish (3-1) locked horns in a pitcher's duel with Archer and the Northeast Huskies coming out on top of the Mohawk Valley Lions 2 to 0.

Northeast drew first blood jumping out to an early lead in the first inning scoring a single run. That was all the runs Archer needed. Neither team managed to score after the 2nd inning. 

Archer was helped out by Casey Janssen who recorded his 2nd save.