Being that we’re at the midpoint of the MLB season I thought I’d take another look at the rookie draft.

1)Felix – Tough year so far, but reason for optimism in the long run.

2)Hermida – Injured to start but beginning to show why he was so highly touted.

3)Zimmerman – Looking like a very solid hitter with a gold glove. Owners have to be happy.

4)Duke – Cause for concern. (4.92 ERA, 40 BB’s in 106 IP) Has been surpassed by a few pitchers taken later.

5)Fielder – As advertised: can rake, can’t field.

6)Francouer – Oops. Huge holes in his game.

7)Verlander – 100 mph stud. Control has been excellent and he’s been great.

8)Cain – Sophomore slump but starting to rebound.

9)Street – What you saw is what you got: a stud closer.

10)Cano – Has to be better than hoped for. Has hit well and improved defensively.

11)Liriano – Wow. He’s a lefty which hurts in PB, but not if you’re this good.

12)Decent year in AAA. Going to be a while before he helps you.

13)Santana – Has pitched well enough (3.92 ERA) for where he was picked.

14)H.Ramirez – Great start but has slipped. Still have to be happy with him.
15)Wang – Solid innings eater.
16)Hardy – Looked OK until hurt.
17)Encarnacion – Looked good until hurt.
18)Iguchi – If you liked ’05 he’s repeating it for you.
19)Jackson – A little light for a 1B but there’s hope.
20)Johnson – Terrible so far.
21)McCann – Very pleasant surprise when healthy.
27)Papelbon – Another Wow. Has been awesome and you got him a bit late.

Admittedly you need to wait a few years to evaluate a rookie class but so far, this one looks great.