I know we’ve been list-heavy here of late, but rankings like these are all part of the larger organizational process of putting together 2012 follow-lists. Those lists will come with what I hope is more meaningful commentary. For now, I’m sticking with some quick thoughts while also opening it up in the comments/email if anybody has a specific question or comment about anything you see.

Next up will be a look at the Big East…

1. North Carolina SO 3B Colin Moran
2. North Carolina SO RHP Andrew Smith
3. Virginia SO LHP Kyle Crockett
4. Georgia Tech SO 1B/OF Daniel Palka
5. Georgia Tech SO RHP Matthew Grimes
6. Georgia Tech SO RHP Dusty Isaacs
7. Virginia Tech SO 3B Chad Pinder
8. Georgia Tech SO RHP DeAndre Smelter
9. Miami SO OF Dale Carey
10. North Carolina SO LHP Kent Emanuel
11. Wake Forest rFR OF Kevin Jordan
12. Miami SO LHP Bryan Radziewski
13. North Carolina SO C Matt Roberts
14. Clemson SO 2B/SS Steve Wilkerson
15. Georgia Tech SO SS Mott Hyde
16. Virginia SO RHP Artie Lewicki
17. Wake Forest SO OF James Harris
18. Georgia Tech SO C Zane Evans
19. Duke SO 1B Chris Marconcini
20. Virginia SO OF Mitchell Shifflett

First Impressions 

After the freshman season he had (.351/.462/.577 with 51 walks and 31 strikeouts), Moran just makes sense at the top. He may not have a slam dunk plus tool besides his bat, but his pure hit tool and approach to hitting are strong enough to compensate. Smith has the command of a late round soft-tosser, but the stuff of a high first round pick. If Palka proves athletic enough to handle the outfield, his huge raw power could make him a first round lock. Chad Pinder is a personal favorite with above-average big league regular upside. Losing Marconcini to a torn ACL is a big blow to Duke’s 2012 sleeper team chances. It’s also a bummer for scouts who had been hoping to scope out a potential single-digit round 2013 power bat. Georgia Tech will likely lose ace Buck Farmer to the draft this June, but their 2013 rotation still looks like one of the best in the country.