Emails
This may shock you, but I like to talk baseball. A lot. It’s something I do literally every single day. I try not to bother too many people in real life with it, but I do have a small circle of similarly passionate baseball fan friends who put up with my all too frequent emails about whatever random baseball topic (bigs, minors, draft, anything) pops into my head in a given day. I love sharing ideas, coming up with new theories, dreaming about future rosters, and, most of all, reading the occasional reply from pals (occasional only because my outgoing mail tends to outnumber incoming messages at a rate of, like, ten to one…or so it seems). When work is a challenge and real life gets too real, talking baseball becomes more than just my preferred option of escapism, but the only thing that keeps me sane. Despite four years living in Boston, I can’t say I’ve ever seen Fever Pitch all the way through; truth be told, the parts I’ve seen were more than enough for me to know I never need to make time to watch it beginning to end. One line that always stuck with me was when Jimmy Fallon’s character was talking to…a young boy, I think…and the boy said the following: “You love the Red Sox, but have they ever loved you back?” Shitty movie or not, that’s a solid gut punch of a line for any hopelessly devoted sports fan to hear. No, the Red Sox/Yankees/Dodgers/Pirates/Whatevers don’t love you back, but that’s not the point. It’s hard to properly explain, but the teams (businesses, really) can’t and won’t love you; the sport itself, however, can give you something pretty damn close. Baseball has a special way of uniting, dividing, distracting, engaging, and otherwise entertaining so many of us on a daily basis. I’m absolutely rambling now — and way off-topic — but, love or not, I’ll take whatever that feeling is. I’d rather watch a ballgame than just about anything, but writing about it comes in solidly at second place.
Writing for this site doesn’t often give me that same feeling. That sounds awful, but it’s not. Something about the medium locks me up and I wind up writing very unlike myself. It could be that I feel some small degree of responsibility to not write anything that could bum out a player’s family or friends in a public forum. I know what I write doesn’t matter to anybody making the big decisions on prospects’ futures, but I still don’t enjoy writing about players I don’t think will make it at the next level. I realize that’s a part of the process, but I don’t have to enjoy it. Because of that, despite the fact I have no aspirations to write anywhere but here, I feel like I need to write in a manner more befitting a “professional” draft writer, so as not to be that shit-stirring nobody on the internet who exists solely to pop off with random opinions and can’t be trusted. I do have opinions, damnit, and I think my instincts are good, but I lack whatever it is inside of a person to get up on a rooftop and share with the world. I’m a much more relaxed writer via email, but something about putting something up on “the site” changes me. Barely anybody reads this darn thing — as always, thanks to all that do — so I don’t know why I get that weird writer stage fright just before hitting publish. I’m trying to get over that, so bear with me.
All this is a long way of saying that this post is hopefully a little bit closer to my original version of the site. Less formulaic, more conversational. More open-ended, less…list-y. Yeah, there will still be lists and rankings and content that gets published without me feeling 100% about the level of information provided (much as I think the conference follow lists are a solid resource, I hate that I don’t have the time to do more commentary within each piece), but, for at least one post, we all get a reprieve. And, who knows, maybe this will be the start of a personal breakthrough for me as I try to loosen up as a writer. We’ll see.
With no further ado, here we have a series of emails sent by me over the past ten days. Some of the conversation may seem a bit out of nowhere, but that’s because it is. I tend to slip in draft related stuff when the unlucky email recipients (and total draft novices) are least suspecting it. Why shouldn’t a conversation about bullpens around the league turn into a chat about the draft’s top relief arm? Opinions are all mine, all honest, all more “off the cuff” than usual, yet still well-supported with intelligence acquired firsthand or otherwise.
Perfect World Second Round Draft Targets
The pick at 7 is going to be a college arm, prep bat, or Trea Turner. I’m fairly sure, at least (more on that in the SS section).That means it won’t be a non-Turner college bat at 7. As mentioned, I spent the last three months getting my scouting database up and running for this year’s college position player group and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let the fact there are no real top of the first round talents (outside of Turner) get in the way of a Phillies draft discussion.
So, forget 7. We’ll talk 7 to death over the next few months anyway. Pick 47 holds way more intrigue to me at the moment. I have to believe that at least one of these 15 players will be there at 47. If they go with an arm at 7, I sure wouldn’t mind one of these guys later…
C
There’s some above-average relative depth at the top, but I couldn’t see the Phils going C early when you factor in the prospect depth in the system already and the high picks used on it last year in Knapp and Sweaney. If they do make a move at 47, I think Mark Zagunis should be a target. Almost everybody has Max Pentecost as the draft’s top catcher — I’ve compared his ceiling to Jon Lucroy, so he is a fine prospect — but I like Zagunis a touch better. Pentecost will likely be gone between 8 and 47, but I could see Zagunis still there. I’d be tempted. He actually reminds me a little bit of Knapp, from a scouting perspective. By the numbers, Pentecost is actually close to a Knapp doppelganger through two college seasons. I think both are better prospects through two years than Knapp, for what it’s worth.
Virginia Tech JR C/OF Mark Zagunis, Kennesaw State JR C Max Pentecost
1B
Surprising yet intriguing position of “need” as Howard will only have 2.5 years remaining on his deal come draft day. Draft a college guy, let him dominate rookie ball and get a taste of A-ball, then move him up to A/A+ (maybe AA) in 2015, AA/AAA in 2016, and have him ready to replace Howard in 2017. Not much depth at the spot as usual, but Casey Gillaspie stands out. The big name is Kyle Schwarber, a bit of a lefthanded Mike Napoli clone both at the plate (he mashes) and in the field (he’s currently a “catcher,” but doesn’t profile there as a regular). If I was confident he could get himself up to league average with the glove behind the plate, he’d be in the mix at 7. As is, he’s a stretch there, but a complete lock to be gone shortly thereafter. That’s what makes Gillaspie stand out. He’s arguably the next best pure college bat in the draft. His power, hit tool, and plate discipline are all big league regular quality.
Indiana JR 1B/C Kyle Schwarber, Wichita State JR 1B Casey Gillaspie
2B
It’s a relatively good year for college 2B, a position group that is oft-ignored on draft day. I’m with the consensus that most good 2B are made and not born (i.e. converted from other positions), but there are a fair number of intriguing “natural” 2B to consider early on. The Phillies could also take a pass here in the first few rounds since there is nice depth at the position. If they do make a move at 47, the top two names are Brian Anderson and Alex Blandino. Both actually fit the aforementioned consensus view as Anderson has spent time at SS, 3B, and CF while Blandino is seen as a 3B by many (I think he might be alright at SS, but that’s a minority view).
Arkansas JR 2B/SS/OF Brian Anderson, Stanford JR 2B/3B Alex Blandino
3B
I know 3B isn’t the target area like it has been in the past, but I can’t help myself from fixating on the position because, honestly, it’s all I really know. For no reason at all, I have a really strange feeling about Matt Chapman at 47. I have no insider scoop nor am I utilizing any past draft trends, but I can just picture him as the pick. I’d love it if true (and if he’s even on the board) as I think he’s going to be an excellent pro. Taylor Sparks probably fits the Phillies prototype better — or the old prototype, at least — as a tooled-up, boom/bust, athletic free-swinging kind of guy.
Cal State Fullerton JR 3B Matt Chapman, UC Irvine JR 3B Taylor Sparks
SS
It’s pretty much Trea Turner at 7 or bust, though I think they would be smart to consider Joey Pankake — think of the merchandising opportunities — if he’s there at 47. Pankake is already being moved off SS by most of the draft experts, but I don’t see why he’ll have to make the switch to 3B just yet. I think it’s an overreaction to his lack of foot speed, a vastly overrated (in my view) aspect of infield defense. The big question at the position will be what happens if Turner is there at 7 (I think he’ll be). So many things to consider there. Everybody says BPA BPA BPA in baseball, something I obviously agree with, but I think there are limits to that kind of thinking. I mean, at some point common sense needs to take over: if you’re locked in with a young franchise 1B, you don’t draft a 1B every year in the first round just because he’s the top guy on the board. I think there are enough close calls in the draft that organizational need can be taken into account if you are in need of a “tie-breaker.”
Obviously, unlike 1B, a position like SS can be drafted in bulk with more confidence since these players can be moved around the diamond a bit. There’s already talk about Turner being an option in CF (he’s played there some as well as 3B) and Crawford could fairly easily handle a switch to 2B if need be. There’s also the school of thought that values minor leaguers as assets only. Accumulating as many valuable assets as possible is wise, and if you have two players on similar timelines at the same position you can always utilize the other as a trade chip when the time comes. All true. Long story short, if Turner is the top guy on the board by a large enough margin over the next guy then you have to take him and sort the rest out later. I’m not convinced Turner will be the best guy on the board — Carlos Rodon, Jeff Hoffman, Tyler Beede, Alex Jackson, Jacob Gatewood, and your top HS arm or two all are equally in the mix at this point, I believe — but I’d be more than happy with taking a second shortstop in the first round if he’s the top guy there. I have a lot of ideas for comps after watching Turner up close and envisioning the kind of career he’s capable of, but I think my favorite is a mashup of Yankee outfielders: Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner spliced together. Or, alternatively, Ellsbury (minus that 30+ HR outlier year) or Gardner (with a little bit more pop). Put that at SS, you’ve got something special. Also considered Stephen Drew with plus-plus speed and, if we’re going nuts, a slightly less lanky version of Jose Reyes. The fact that I think such lofty heights are attainable should tell you all you need to know about how I feel about him. Turner is an impact talent.
North Carolina State JR SS/OF Trea Turner, South Carolina JR SS/RHP Joey Pankake
OF
Unless we see a crazy Kris Bryant kind of season out of one of the top dogs here (not likely), I don’t see a real outfield option at 7. There are, however, plenty of talented guys who will fly off the board between 8 and 47. If one of these five below somehow survives, then he very well could be your guy. I think there’s only one player here with a better than average shot to be there at 47: local guy (kind of) Mike Papi. Notes on his tools are below [going against much of what I said in the intro here and saving said notes for the site later on, sorry], so I’ll just reiterate his 2013 line here as the driving force of my rationale for loving him at 47: .409/.542/.653 – 47 BB/24 K – 6/8 SB – 176 AB. It’s a risky game to play, but, since I love him more than the general consensus at this point, there’s a chance he’s there at 82, 113, or even 143.
San Francisco JR OF Bradley Zimmer, Oregon State JR OF/1B Michael Conforto, Virginia JR OF Mike Papi, Oregon State JR OF Dylan Davis, Virginia JR OF Derek Fisher
*****
Alex Jackson: Top Ten Pick?
I saw [Alex] Jackson in person twice this summer and way more than that on TV/video. With the everlasting caveat that I’m not a scout, I walked away each time surprised — well, surprised the first time and more confused thereafter — that everybody had hyped up his bat while downplaying his glove. Not doing the Charlie Contrarian shtick, but I was more impressed with his glove than I thought and not really wowed by the bat. It’s still a really impressive, first round quality stick, especially since I think he could stick at catcher, but not the Bryce Harper (not a comparison, just mentioning him as the most recent high profile catcher to outfielder conversion) kind of hit/power/approach combination that makes you want to rush him to the big leagues as a right fielder. I’d draft him with high confidence as a mid-first round pick — could rise to top ten, easily — as a catcher, obviously a little bit lower as an outfielder (where there’s way more competition in this draft class, both prep and college). Lots of rumblings that he wants to move to the outfield ASAP to speed up his developmental timeline. That’s a fun twist on the usual team-first approach to that kind of thing.
*****
College Ball’s Best Relief Prospects
Here’s a somewhat bizarre followup question that ties the bullpen to the draft talk from the other day. Top pure reliever in the draft is Nick Burdi from Louisville. I saw him last year and should see him again this year. He is pretty damn good, easily the hardest thrower I’ve ever seen up close. I don’t think I’d ever take a reliever in the first round, but at 47…maybe.
Louisville JR RHP Nick Burdi: 95-99 FB, 100-102 peak; plus 88-93 SL; passable CU, but doesn’t need it in relief role; much improved command, inconsistent but better; 6-4, 225 pounds
2012: 5.56 K/9 | 3.97 BB/9 | 4.33 FIP | 22.2 IP
2013: 15.90 K/9 | 3.28 BB/9 | 1.31 FIP | 35.2 IP
15.90 K/9 last year isn’t a typo. He should be ready to pitch in the big leagues by next season (2015), but could conceivably be up in 2014, especially considering the relative low-mileage on his arm. Cost-certainty in the bullpen is a nice thing, so if you can get an excellent late-inning reliever at a low price for the next six years…maybe. I think there will be better options at the point — seriously, this class is looking really deep in the first few rounds — but somebody to think about.
Here’s another total draft wild card to keep in mind: San Diego State RHP Michael Cederoth.
JR RHP Michael Cederoth: 93-97 FB, 100 peak; average 73-80 CB, flashes better; 79-85 SL flashes plus; threw above-average CU in past, but hasn’t shown it yet in 2014; has some command issues stemming from inconsistent mechanics; 6-6, 200 pounds
2012: 8.55 K/9 | 6.15 BB/9 | 3.62 FIP | 67.1 IP
2013: 10.57 K/9 | 4.44 BB/9 | 3.07 FIP | 95.1 IP
Numbers aren’t obviously as dominant as Burdi’s, but that can at least be partially explained by him being a starter and not a closer. He made one start this year before being moved to the bullpen. I lump him together with Burdi because they are pretty comfortably the two hardest throwers in this year’s college class, but I think they are two very different prospects. Burdi strikes me as really safe: he’s going to be a good reliever, maybe a great one, but that’s almost certainly his role in the big leagues. Maybe you give him a tiny shot at starting, but the odds are against him. Cederoth is far less safe, but comes with the upside of a big-time starter…if he puts it all together. PG has compared him to Kevin Gausman in the past, but the industry is down on him now (based on what I’ve heard) relative to where they’ve been in the past. I do think it’s fair to wonder what kind of numbers he would have put up as a reliever; perhaps the gap in perception for some wouldn’t be as great. Great relievers are often made and not born. Burdi looks like an exception — he was born to close in the bigs — but Cederoth could be that guy who just couldn’t figure it out as a starter yet thrived in short bursts coming out of the bullpen.
All that said, Cederoth is less likely to be there later on (i.e. after 7) than Burdi (I think), so the whole comparison might be moot anyway. A big guy like him with a plus-plus fastball, potential plus slider, and a usable second breaking ball (and maybe change) is intriguing to pro teams just as he is to me…not like I’m the only one out there dreaming he falls and you’ve got a steal. Somebody will wise up and take him before he becomes too great of a steal…and yet he still could/should pay off big time for them.
*****
Early First Round Prospect Timelines
[Trea] Turner on the Kris Bryant track would be great. Might be aggressive, but would love to see him up to AA by his first full year (2015) and potentially challenging for a big league spot by 2016. I know the hit tool isn’t for everybody, but I think the swing works, the hands definitely work, and his overall balance and approach look fine.
Think [Tyler] Beede could be more of a 2017 arrival as you mention since he has some clear things to work on (though he seems to be working through said things quite well so far this year). I think [Jacob] Gatewood’s best case scenario developmentally — and a decent physical comp, by the way — is what we’re seeing with Carlos Correa now. Drafted in 2014 (rookie ball all the way, chance at W-Port [Phillies short-season affiliate] down the stretch if all goes well), Low-A to start 2015, and then quite possibly one level per year all the way through. That would mean AAA by 2018, so maybe a September ’18 callup and ready for prime time in 2019.
*****
Most Likely Top Ten Pick HS Pitchers
Also probably time to add one more name to the list at 7. I mentioned three HS arms as consensus favorites a while back (Kolek, Aiken, and my man TOUKI), but I think it’s appropriate to add Grant Holmes now. He’s been pretty great so far in the early going with the latest rumors of him hitting triple digits in his last start. I wasn’t as excited about him as most because there’s not much projection to him — he’s 6-1, 210 pounds — but, like Kolek, his present stuff may be good enough that it doesn’t matter. Not quite going there with the comp just yet, but the last HS arm with little projection and similar present stuff like Holmes that I can remember is Dylan Bundy…just saying.
2014 MLB Draft (And Beyond) – Big South Follow List
One of the few questions I occasionally get asked is often the simple “I’m seeing ______ this weekend. Do they have anybody worth watching?” Here’s your answer for the Big South
Campbell
SR LHP/1B Matt Nadolski
SR LHP Hector Cedano
JR RHP Heath Bowers
SR RHP Ryan Thompson
SR 3B Elijah Trail
Charleston Southern
rJR RHP Denis Buckley
JR RHP Austin Weekley
SR LHP Tony Schroff
SR RHP Stephen Leopard
JR OF/LHP Chase Shelton
SR 3B/SS Alex Tomasovich
JR 1B Robbie Streett
JR OF Bobby Ison
SR OF/LHP Zack Hagaman
SO LHP Andrew Tomasovich (2015)
Coastal Carolina
JR LHP Ben Smith
SR RHP Tyler Herb
JR LHP Austin Kerr
rSO RHP Tyler Poole
JR RHP Patrick Corbett
rJR 1B Johnny Cole
SR 1B/OF Colin Hering
SR 2B Jake Kane
SO 3B Zach Remillard (2015)
SO C/3B Tyler Chadwick (2015)
SO RHP Alex Cunningham (2015)
SO RHP Seth Lamando (2015)
FR LHP Dalton Moats (2016)
FR 1B GK Young (2016)
FR SS Michael Paez (2016)
Gardner-Webb
JR SS Ryan Hodge
JR 2B/SS Henry Rundio
SR 3B/OF Scott Coleman
SR OF JJ Nazzaro
SR RHP Andrew Barnett
JR LHP Beau Hilton
JR RHP Matt Fraudin
JR LHP Mitch Warner
rJR LHP Erik Heiligenstadt
SO RHP Brad Haymes (2015)
SO RHP Hunter Smith (2015)
FR RHP Jeremy Walker (2016)
High Point
SR OF/SS Kyle Brandenburg
JR C Josh Spano
JR SS/2B Mike Miedzianowski
JR OF Cody Manzella
JR C/1B Spencer Angelis
JR RHP Joe Goodman
SR LHP Mike Krumm
SR RHP John Maloney
FR OF Josh Greene (2016)
Liberty
JR RHP/OF Ashton Perritt
rSO RHP Adam Parks
JR LHP Matt Pennington
JR LHP Jared Lyons
rSO RHP Kyle McKelvey
SR LHP Blake Fulghum
SR RHP Trey Lambert
JR RHP Carson Herndon
SR C/RHP Danny Grauer
JR 1B/3B Alex Close
JR 1B Ryan Seiz
FR OF Will Shepherd (2016)
FR LHP Michael Stafford (2016)
FR 3B Dylan Allen (2016)
FR OF Parker Bean (2016)
Longwood
JR LHP Brandon Vick
JR RHP Aaron Myers
SR RHP Ryan Schubert
JR RHP Tyler Wislocki
JR OF Brandon Delk
SR C Scott Burkett
SR 3B Alex Owens
SR 2B/SS Matt Dickason
SO RHP Blake Ream (2015)
SO OF Kyri Washington (2015)
Presbyterian
SR 1B/C Brad Zebedis
rSR OF Nathan Chong
JR SS Billy Motroni
JR 3B Jay Lizanich
rSR C/OF Brandon Paul
SR RHP/OF Chandler Knox
SR LHP Chad Sanders
JR LHP Beau Dees
SO C Derek Long (2015)
SO RHP Brett Byrum (2015)
SO Ryan Hagen (2015)
Radford
JR 2B Josh Gardiner
rSO 3B Zach Woolcock
JR OF Patrick Marshall
rJR OF Aaron Scoville
SR OF Blake Sipe
SR C Josh Reavis
rJR RHP Mike Costello
rJR RHP Tyler Costello
JR LHP Jeff Maxwell
SO LHP Michael Boyle (2015)
SO SS/OF Chris Coia (2015)
SO C Jordan Taylor (2015)
SO RHP Dylan Nelson (2015)
SO RHP/INF Nygeal Andrews (2015)
FR RHP Austin Ross (2016)
UNC Asheville
rJR RHP Elliot Criss
SR RHP Dean Roland
SR RHP Brian Connolly
rJR RHP/SS Tommy Houmard
SR SS Eli Miller
rSR 3B Robert McIntosh
JR 1B Hunter Bryant
SO LHP Zach Wiseman (2015)
SO RHP Corey Randall (2015)
FR Kyle Carruthers (2016)
Virginia Military Institute
SR LHP Connor Bach
SR LHP Campbell Henkel
JR LHP Jonathan Kelley
JR RHP Reed Garrett
JR RHP Andrew Woods
JR OF Brandon Angus
JR OF Sheldon Shifflett
rSO OF Gary LeClair
JR 2B/SS Thomas Stallings
rJR C Matt Winn
rJR OF Jordan Tarsovich
FR OF Will Malbon (2016)
Winthrop
rJR OF TJ Olesczuk
SR OF Cody Dolan
JR C Zac Goodno
JR LHP Josh Strong
rSO LHP Sam Kmiec
rSO RHP Brock Goodling
SO RHP Joey Strain (2015)
SO INF Stephen Wallace (2015)
FR RHP Zach Cook (2016)
FR LHP Matt Crohan (2016)
2014 MLB Draft (And Beyond) – Big East Follow List
One of the few questions I occasionally get asked is often the simple “I’m seeing ______ this weekend. Do they have anybody worth watching?” Here’s your answer for the Big East
Butler
SR OF Marcos Calderon
JR LHP Eric Stout
SR RHP Billy Laing
Creighton
SR OF Mike Gerber
SR OF Brad McKewon
rJR C Kevin Lamb
rSO 1B Reagan Fowler
JR RHP/2B Jake Peter
rSO RHP Tommy Strunc
rJR RHP Max Ising
SR RHP Bryan Sova
SO RHP Taylor Elman (2015)
SO RHP Nick Highberger (2015)
SO RHP Matt Warren (2015)
FR Jeff Albrecht (2016)
Georgetown
JR LHP Matt Hollenbeck
JR RHP Will Brown
rJR RHP Jack Vander Linden
JR 2B Ryan Busch
SR 1B Steve Anderson
SO C Nick Collins (2015)
SO RHP Tim Davis (2015)
FR David Ellingson (2016)
St. John’s
rSR RHP James Lomangino
rSO RHP Joey Christopher
JR RHP Chris Kalica
JR RHP Joe Kuzia
SR 3B/1B Kyle Lombardo
JR SS/2B Bret Dennis
JR SS Jarred Mederos
JR 1B Matt Harris
JR OF Zach Lauricella
SO LHP Alex Katz (2015)
SO RHP Ryan McCormick (2015)
SO LHP Matt Clancy (2015)
SO RHP Anthony Rosati (2015)
SO RHP Michael Sheppard (2015)
SO RHP Joey Graziano (2015)
SO 2B Ty Blankmeyer (2015)
FR OF Michael Donadio (2016)
Seton Hall
SR 3B Chris Selden
JR 1B/OF Sal Annunziata
JR OF John Beaubien
JR 3B Kyle Grimm
JR RHP Conor Krauss
JR RHP Jose Lopez
SR RHP Josh Prevost
JR LHP Anthony Elia
SO OF Zack Weigel (2015)
Villanova
rJR RHP Maximo Almonte
rJR RHP Matt Lengel
SR LHP Matt Meurer
JR LHP Josh Harris
SR RHP Chris Haggarty
SR OF/1B Connor Jones
SO OF Luke Emling (2015)
SO RHP Max Beermann (2015)
FR OF Donovan May (2016)
FR LHP Hunter Schryver (2016)
Xavier
JR RHP Jacob Bodner
rSO RHP Adam Hall
rSR RHP Vinny Nittoli
JR LHP Alex Westrick
rSR OF Mitch Elliot
rJR 1B/OF Brian Bruening
SR 2B Selby Chidemo
JR C Derek Hasenbeck
JR 1B/OF Joe Forney
rSR 3B Stephen Schoettmer
rFR 3B Andre Jernigan (2015)
GO/AO 2014
Long-time readers of the site may remember I’ve done a good bit of box score sleuthing over the years to determine ground ball/fly ball ratios for the draft’s top pitching prospects.
I’ll open it up to the wisdom of our crowd to name any interesting pitchers worth tracking. I’m going off my own personal board for now (spoiler alert!), so that means I’m currently following Jeff Hoffman, Carlos Rodon, Tyler Beede, Chris Ellis, Luke Weaver, and Erik Fedde. It probably comes as no surprise, but Weaver (he of the popular Tim Hudson comp) is the early front runner for highest GB% — I suppose that should be the title of the post rather than GO/AO, but old habits die hard — with Tyler Beede bringing up the rear. Sample sizes are obviously still quite small, but fun to track all the same.
I don’t mind going up to ten guys this season, so there are still up to four free spots on my list. I’d like to avoid relievers if at all possible — Michael Cederoth would be next on my list, but I’m not patient enough to go through every game of his — and I tend to prefer righthanders, but I’m flexible. Really long-time readers of the site remember that I originally tried to track literally hundreds of pitchers…man, what began as a fun way to get a little extra data out there spiraled way out of control in a hurry. I mean, I enjoy looking through the box scores and inputting data, but not when the scope of the task made it feel like a part-time job. Now that I’m older and, depending on your view, either wiser or lazier, I’ll stick with a manageable number that allows me to still get excited when doing the weekly update.
2014 MLB Draft (And Beyond) – Big 10 Follow List
One of the few questions I occasionally get asked is often the simple “I’m seeing ______ this weekend. Do they have anybody worth watching?” Here’s your answer for the Big 10…
Illinois
JR RHP John Kravetz
SR RHP Ronnie Muck
rJR RHP Drasen Johnson
JR RHP/1B Josh Ferry
rJR RHP/2B Reid Roper
JR SS David Kerian
JR INF Michael Hurwitz
rJR C Kelly Norris-Jones
SO C Jason Goldstein (2015)
SO LHP JD Nielsen (2015)
SO RHP Ryan Castellanos (2015)
SO SS Adam Walton (2015)
SO OF/1B Ryan Nagle (2015)
SO LHP Kevin Duchene (2015)
SO LHP Tyler Jay (2015)
SO RHP Nick Blackburn (2015)
FR RHP Cody Sedlock (2016)
Indiana
JR 1B/C Kyle Schwarber
SR 3B/SS Dustin DeMuth
JR 1B/3B Sam Travis
rJR OF Scott Donley
JR 2B/OF Casey Rodrigue
JR C Brian Hartong
rJR OF Will Nolden
JR OF Chris Sujka
rSR OF Casey Smith
JR 2B/C Chad Clark
SR RHP Ryan Halstead
SR LHP Joey DeNato
SR LHP Brian Korte
JR LHP Kyle Hart
SO LHP Will Coursen-Carr (2015)
SO RHP Christian Morris (2015)
rFR RHP Kent Williams (2015)
SO 2B/SS Nick Ramos (2015)
SO LHP Scott Effross (2015)
SO LHP Sully Stadler (2015)
rFR RHP Jake Kelzer (2015)
FR SS Austin Cangelosi (2016)
Iowa
JR LHP Sasha Kuebel
JR RHP Nick Hibbing
JR LHP Andrew Hedrick
JR LHP/OF Taylor Kaufman
JR OF/2B Eric Toole
SR 1B/C Trevor Kenyon
SO RHP/C Blake Hickman (2015)
SO RHP Calvin Mathews (2015)
SO SS/RHP Josh Martsching (2015)
Michigan
SR C Cole Martin
JR C/OF Kevin White
JR OF Jackson Glines
JR OF Zach Zott
JR LHP Kyle Jusick
SR RHP/1B Alex Lakatos
rSR LHP Logan McAnallen
JR LHP Trent Szkutnik
JR RHP Matthew Ogden
JR RHP James Bourque
SO LHP Evan Hill (2015)
SO 3B/RHP Jacob Cronenworth (2015)
SO SS/3B Travis Maezes (2015)
FR RHP/INF Jackson Lamb (2016)
FR OF Johnny Slater (2016)
FR INF Ramsey Romano (2016)
FR RHP/SS Hector Gutierrez (2016)
Michigan State
JR OF/C Jimmy Pickens
JR 1B Ryan Krill
SR C/1B Joel Fisher
rSR C/OF John Martinez
rJR SS Ryan Richardson
JR C/1B Blaise Salter
JR OF Anthony Cheky
rJR LHP/OF Jeff Kinley
rSR RHP Michael Theodore
JR RHP Mick VanVossen
SO 3B/SS Justin Hovis (2015)
SO LHP Anthony Misiewicz (2015)
SO OF Cameron Gibson (2015)
rFR LHP Cameron Vieaux (2015)
SO RHP Justin Alleman (2015)
rFR INF Alex Rapanos (2015)
FR Jake Lowery (2016)
FR Walter Borkovich (2016)
Minnesota
SR 1B Alex LaShomb
rSR 1B/OF Dan Olinger
rJR 1B/2B Kyle Crocker
SR C Matt Halloran
SR OF Bobby Juan
rJR SS Michael Handel
JR OF Jake Bergren
rSO LHP Jordan Jess
rSO RHP Lance Thonvold
JR RHP Ben Meyer
SR RHP Alec Crawford
JR RHP Ty McDevitt
SO SS/2B Connor Schaefbauer (2015)
SO OF Dan Motl (2015)
SO LHP Dalton Sawyer (2015)
FR RHP/1B Tyler Hansen (2016)
FR RHP/INF Matt Fiedler (2016)
FR RHP Toby Anderson (2016)
FR RHP Cody Campbell (2016)
Nebraska
JR 2B/SS Pat Kelly
SR OF Mike Pritchard
JR OF Austin Darby
JR SS Steven Reveles
JR C Tanner Lubach
SR C Corey Stringer
JR INF Blake Headley
rSO LHP/1B Austin Christensen
rSR RHP Robert Greco
JR LHP Aaron Bummer
JR LHP Kyle Kubat
JR RHP Chance Sinclair
SR LHP Tyler King
SR LHP Zach Hirsch
SR RHP Christian Deleon
JR RHP Josh Roeder
SR RHP Luke Bublitz
SO SS Jake Placzek (2015)
FR OF Ryan Boldt (2016)
FR LHP Max Knutson (2016)
FR RHP Derek Burkamper (2016)
FR LHP Grant Gamble (2016)
FR LHP Ben Miller (2016)
Northwestern
JR 3B Reid Hunter
SR 2B/RHP Kyle Ruchim
SR RHP/OF Jack Quigley
SR LHP Dan Tyson
SR RHP Ethan Bramschreiber
JR RHP Brandon Magallones
SO 3B/OF Jake Schieber (2015)
SO LHP Matt Portland (2015)
SO LHP Reed Mason (2015)
FR OF Joe Hoscheit (2016)
Ohio State
SR RHP Greg Greve
JR LHP Ryan Riga
rJR RHP/1B Josh Dezse
JR RHP Trace Dempsey
SO 1B/OF Zach Ratcliff
SR OF Tim Wetzel
JR C Aaron Gretz
JR C Connor Sabanosh
rSO INF Ryan Leffel
JR OF Patrick Porter
SO 3B/1B Jake Bosiokovic (2015)
SO RHP Jake Post (2015)
SO SS/2B Troy Kuhn (2015)
SO 3B Craig Nennig (2015)
FR OF Troy Montgomery (2016)
FR Zach Farmer (2016)
Penn State
SR LHP Greg Welsh
rJR RHP TJ Jann
rSR OF Steve Snyder
SR C Alex Farkes
rSO OF Greg Guers
SO OF James Coates (2015)
FR INF Jake Pribanic (2016)
Purdue
rSO RHP Connor Podkul
SO LHP Jordan Minch
JR RHP Brett Haan
rSO LHP/OF Kyle Wood
SR C/OF Sean McHugh
SO OF/RHP Kyle Johnson (2015)
SO C/OF Jack Pichiotti (2015)
2014 MLB Draft (And Beyond) – Atlantic Sun Follow List
Much like the Atlantic 10, I already covered the Atlantic Sun in detail a few weeks ago. Read that, read this, read both, read neither…the choice is entirely yours! I really want to get a few different things published this week, but can’t promise a ton of activity due to what looks like a busy work week. We’ll see.
One of the few questions I occasionally get asked is often the simple “I’m seeing ______ this weekend. Do they have anybody worth watching?” Here’s your answer for the Atlantic Sun…
East Tennessee State
SR 1B/LHP Clint Freeman
JR SS Jordan Sanford
JR SS Chris Riopedre
JR RHP Jimmy Nesselt
SR RHP Will Chesney
SR OF Dylan Tritsch
SO OF Jeremy Taylor (2015)
SO RHP Griffin Krieg (2015)
SO LHP Josh Jacques (2015)
FR 3B/RHP Chris Cook (2016)
FR C Gage Downey (2016)
Florida Gulf Coast
JR OF/1B Michael Suchy
JR OF Adam Eggnatz
rJR SS/RHP Alex Diaz
JR 3B/RHP Zack Tillery
rSO RHP/OF Brady Anderson
JR RHP Jack English
SR LHP Ryan Atwood
rFR RHP Brad Labozzetta (2015)
SO RHP Michael Murray (2015)
SO INF Nick Rivera (2015)
SO INF Tyler Selesky (2015)
FR 2B Jake Noll (2016)
Jacksonville
JR RHP Alex McRae
SR LHP Will Flor
SR RHP Adam Maxon
SR RHP Zach Gordon
JR RHP Jeff Tanner
SR C Drew Luther
JR OF Cameron Gibson
SO 1B/OF Conor Marabell (2015)
SO OF Michael Babb (2015)
SO OF Dylan Dillard (2015)
SO LHP/OF Josh Baker (2015)
FR 2B Khalil Searcy (2016)
Kennesaw State
JR C Max Pentecost
JR OF Jacob Bruce
SR OF Bo Way
rJR OF Chris McGowan
JR 3B Matt Bahnick
JR LHP Will Solomon
rJR RHP Justin McCalvin
JR RHP Nathan Harsh
SO RHP Jordan Hillyer (2015)
SO OF Alex Liquori (2015)
SO RHP Kendall Hawkins (2015)
SO SS Kal Simmons (2015)
SO RHP Travis Bergen (2015)
FR SS Cornell Nixon (2016)
FR Chris Erwin (2016)
Lipscomb
JR 1B/RHP Griffin Moore
SR OF Chad Shannon
SR OF Drew Adams
JR OF Jonathan Allison
JR 1B/RHP Tyson Ashcraft
JR RHP Jaesung Hwang
rJR RHP Hunter Brothers
rJR RHP Will Blalock
rFR RHP Dalton Curtis (2015)
Mercer
JR 3B/SS Chesny Young
SR C Austin Barrett
SR OF Derrick Workman
SR OF Sasha LaGarde
SR 1B Nick Backlund
SR 2B/SS Michael Massi
SR RHP/2B DJ Johnson
SR RHP Brandon Barker
JR RHP Ben Lumsden
JR RHP Dmitri Kourtis
FR SS Matt Meeder (2016)
North Florida
JR 3B Trent Higginbothem
rJR OF Alex Bacon
SR 1B/C Ryan Roberson
JR OF/RHP Drew Weeks
SR RHP David Trexler
SR RHP Tyler Moore
SO RHP Corbin Olmstead (2015)
SO OF Donnie Dewees (2015)
SO 2B/SS Kyle Brooks (2015)
rFR SS Patrick Ervin (2015)
FR RHP Bryan Baker (2016)
FR C Alex Merritt (2016)
Northern Kentucky
SR LHP Matt Jefferson
JR LHP Cody Cooper
South Carolina Upstate
JR RHP Chad Sobotka
SR LHP David Roseboom
SR C Luke Weber
SR OF Tyler Lesch
Stetson
JR C Garrett Russini
JR SS/2B Tyler Bocock
SR SS/2B K’Shawn Smith
SR OF Kyle Zech
JR 1B/OF Tanner Blackman
rSR RHP Kurt Schluter
SR LHP Austin Perez
rSO RHP Ben Rakus
JR RHP Josh Powers
rSO RHP Tyler Warmoth
SO 1B/C Pat Mazeika (2015)
SO RHP Josh Thorne (2015)
SO INF/RHP Kevin Fagan (2015)
SO LHP Adam Schaly (2015)
FR RHP Taylor Cockrell (2016)
2014 MLB Draft (And Beyond) – Atlantic 10 Follow List
I’m a day behind schedule on this one, but for good reason: had a chance to catch my first live baseball of the “spring” yesterday. I’ve got something in the works there, so I can’t reveal too much on the actual site, but I did get permission to be vague…so let’s say I was very lucky to see one of this draft’s best prospects go up against my pick for college baseball’s best lineup. What a MYSTERY…
One of the few questions I occasionally get asked is often the simple “I’m seeing ______ this weekend. Do they have anybody worth watching?” Here’s your answer for the Atlantic 10…
Dayton
SR OF Mark Podlas
SR 3B/SS Robby Sunderman
JR 1B AJ Ryan
SR OF/1B Ryan Berry
SR LHP Tommy Konrad
rJR RHP Noah Buettgen
SO RHP Charlie Dant (2015)
Fordham
SR RHP/OF Tim Swatek
SR 1B Brendan Maghini
SO C Charles Galiano (2015)
SO RHP Brett Kennedy (2015)
SO RHP Cody Johnson (2015)
SO RHP Jimmy Murphy (2015)
SO RHP Joseph Serrapica (2015)
George Washington
SR RHP Aaron Weisberg
SR RHP Luke Staub
SR RHP Craig LeJeune
SR LHP/OF Colin Milon
SR OF/RHP Owen Beightol
JR C/OF Xavier Parkmond
SO RHP Bobby LeWarne (2015)
George Mason
rSR RHP Anthony Montefusco
SR RHP Michael Bowie
JR RHP John Williams
SR LHP Jared Gaynor
SR LHP/OF Jake Kalish
SR 3B Blaise Fernandez
rSR OF Josh Leemhuis
SR 1B/OF Mick Foley
JR OF Luke Willis
SR C Tucker Tobin
SO 2B/SS Brandon Gum (2015)
SO RHP Tyler Mocabee (2015)
SO RHP Mark Maksimow (2015)
La Salle
rSR LHP Shawn O’Neill
SR LHP Dominic Sgroi
rJR RHP Mike McLeod
rJR RHP Shane Hollman
rJR RHP Adam Cherry
JR 1B/RHP Mark Williams
JR OF/LHP Justin Korenblatt
SO 1B/RHP Joey Ravert (2015)
Massachusetts
SR 2B Rob McLam
SR 1B Dylan Begin
SR 3B Nik Campero
rJR OF Adam Picard
JR RHP Andrew Grant
SR RHP DJ Jauss
Rhode Island
JR SS Tim Caputo
SR SS Joe Landi
SR C/1B Pat Quinn
rJR C Shane O’Connell
JR LHP Ty Sterner
SR LHP Nick Narodowy
SR RHP Tyler Bowditch
SR RHP Milan Mantle
SO LHP Steve Moyers (2015)
FR OF Daniel Hetzel (2016)
FR C/3B Martin Tavares (2016)
FR 3B/1B Chris Hess (2016)
Richmond
JR RHP Ryan Cook
rJR LHP Chris Bates
SR RHP Andrew Blum
JR LHP Zak Sterling
rSO RHP Jonathan de Marte
JR RHP Ray Harron
JR RHP James Lively
SR 3B/OF Nick Poulos
SR 2B Adam Forrer
SR SS Mike Small
rFR 1B Matt Dacey (2015)
SO OF Tanner Stanley (2015)
SO RHP Peter Bayer (2015)
St. Bonaventure
SR RHP/1B Joel Rosencrance
SR RHP Asa Johnson
SO RHP Steven Klimek (2015)
St. Joseph’s
SR RHP Daniel Thorpe
SR LHP Steven Schuler
JR RHP Tim Ponto
SR RHP Jordan Carter
JR RHP James Harrity
SR RHP/1B Mike Muha
JR C Brian O’Keee
JR OF Ryan Pater
JR 3B Stefan Kancylarz
SR OF Chris Hueth
rSR OF Collin Forgey
SO LHP Jack Stover (2015)
Saint Louis
JR RHP James Norwood
rJR LHP Damian Rivera
SR RHP Clay Smith
JR RHP Nick Bates
JR SS Alec Solé
JR 1B Mike Vigliarolo
SO 3B Braxton Martinez (2015)
SO C Jake Henson (2015)
SO LHP Josh Moore (2015)
SO OF Michael Bozarth (2015)
SO RHP Matt Eckelman (2015)
FR RHP Nick Vichio (2016)
Virginia Commonwealth
SR OF Bill Cullen
SR 3B Joey Cujas
SR C Chris Ayers
JR SS Vimael Machin
SR LHP Logan Kanuik
JR LHP Heath Dwyer
JR LHP Matt Lees
JR RHP Tyler Buckley
rSR RHP Seth Greene
Rodon, Hoffman, and 2014 MLB Draft College Pitching
Over the past few days I’ve sorted and ranked the top 72 college pitchers (coming soon!) in this year’s class. Lots to like. More on this to come, obviously, but a few stray thoughts to help up the conference follow list parade…
*** We’re not quite at the point where we need to choose sides in the Carlos Rodon vs Jeff Hoffman “debate,” but I think we’re squarely in the midst of a compelling discussion of whether or not Rodon really is the real deal destroyer of worlds best in show 2014 MLB Draft prospect that some have made him out to be. The whole thing fascinates me, as much for the players involved as the rhetoric already being thrown out by each side. You can’t just say “well, both are really, really good and even though I slightly prefer this guy to the other, I think we’ll have to continually reassess throughout the spring before coming to a reasoned, informed final decision in June.” That’s not BOLD! That’s not click-worthy! I’m not sure the MLB Draft is mainstream enough just yet for #HotSportsTakes, but we’ll see.
In fairness, even I’m guilty of doing a little #HotSportsTakin’ with that “destroyer of worlds” bit: nobody is saying that, but there are people saying that others are saying it, if you follow me. Strawmen arguments never get old, and I love passionately arguing against things that nobody in their right mind would ever claim in real life. Rodon is an elite prospect, no question, but there are enough questions surrounding him – overreliance on slider, inconsistent velocity, changeup I could take or leave – that the door is undoubtedly open for another worthy candidate to make a case for going 1-1. Rodon is still the odds-on favorite, but count me in as one of the growing number of draft obsessives who prefer Jeff Hoffman. Found an email from December from me to a pal in baseball where I wrote about my dream scenario for the Phillies first round pick (7th overall):
Anyway, I want RHP Jeff Hoffman from East Carolina. He’s my current perfect world pick. Mid-90s heat, serious FB movement, above-average FB command, knockout CB that he spots wherever and whenever, circle-CU that tumbles like a split, lots of projection left in his frame (6-4, 185 pounds), solid or better results his first two college years, breakout summer on the Cape…yeah, he’s my guy. Instantly the top prospect in the system when he signs and should be a quick riser through the system.
Ground ball outs and ugly swings are Jeff Hoffman’s game. I just love everything about his fastball – velocity, command, movement, everything – and his athleticism is second to none. My ideal pitching prospect checks these boxes: ability to work off the fastball, athleticism, changeup as your second best pitch (this one doesn’t fit Hoffman as his best secondary offering is the CB, but his CU is good enough that I won’t hold it against him), extension and deception in a repeatable delivery (no matter how weird it looks), stuff that can still induce ground ball outs even on “off days,” and, finally, bonus points for a degree of physical projection left in the tank. Both Rodon and Hoffman are really, really good. Even though I slightly prefer Hoffman to Rodon, I think we’ll have to continually…yeah, you get the point. Hoffman is my 1A and Rodon is 1B. For now.
*** Over 150 innings into his college career and I still have no idea what to make of Michael Cederoth. Elite stuff, questionable command, and a delivery that remains as inconsistent as ever. I want to love him – like, top ten pick love him – but there are too many college arms with comparable ceilings and much higher floors out there. Cederoth might be the hardest guy to rank out of the college class at this point.
*** Two pitchers have fascinated me enough throughout this process that I’ve spent a lot of time studying up, reading whatever I can, and talking to smarter people than myself about sensible comps I could share. TCU JR LHP Brandon Finnegan gets a popular Scott Kazmir comp (from everybody) that makes sense. LSU JR RHP Aaron Nola has gotten a Jake Peavy comp (forget the source, kicking myself over it). Both good ones, but I think I have better ones. Finnegan, as a draft prospect more so than a pitcher, reminds me a lot of a lefthanded Sonny Gray. Gray was 7th on my pre-draft list, but fell to the 18th overall pick to a very grateful Oakland. I’d say 18 might be his current draft ceiling, but snagging an arm like him any later than that could be a major steal. I had a few idea for Nola (in terms of ceiling) bouncing around my head (Kyle Lohse? Brad Radke), but, after far too much time considering such a thing, I’m happiest with this one: Kris Medlen.
*** One of the fun questions we’ll see answered this June is the age old “how high can we take a reliever?” question that confounds scouting staffs on a yearly basis. First round seems too high to me, no matter the reliever, but the cost-certainty of an elite late-inning reliever for six years is pretty tempting any point after that. Nick Burdi is this year’s guinea pig.
*** What in the world do we do with a pair of fourth-year pitchers, RHP Karsten Whitson and RHP AJ Vanegas? Whitson is ahead at this point, but Vanegas can close the gap quickly if he figures it out. Not exactly a #HotDraftTake, but true. Both are the closest thing we have to honest to goodness draft wild cards at this point, and it would be no surprise at all if they remain enigmas four months from now. Making decisions like what to do with guys like that are where scouting directors earn their cash.
*** A few guys I think I like more than most: Arizona JR RHP Matthew Troupe (love that CU), Oregon State JR LHP Jace Fry (if 100% again, watch out), Louisiana-Lafayette JR RHP Austin Robichaux (three good pitches and a frame to dream on), Fresno State JR RHP Derick Valazquez (in the running for best FB in class), and Portland JR LHP Travis Radke (superb combination of stuff and smarts). There are dozens more, but we’ll leave it at those names for now.
*** Consider this a corollary to the previous item. As always, I try to champion guys from outside the power conferences who stand out. I’m trying to leave out “big” names so if an obvious guy is missing that’s probably why. My guys to watch here: Wichita State JR RHP AJ Ladwig, UNC Greensboro JR RHP Max Povse, and Western Illinois JR RHP Tyler Willman.
*** Finally, because I’m always in search of the next Braden Shipley, I have to point out two of my favorite pitchers ready to take off after spending time as position players. Speaking of Shipley, exactly one year ago today this was me:
Braden Shipley is going to rank very, very high up on my overall ranking of college pitchers (coming soon!). If I was better at searching this site, I’d look up every pitcher that I’ve described as my “ideal” pitching prospect or a pitcher “invented in a lab” to suit my needs or whatever other dumb phrase I’ve used to describe my idea of a “perfect” pitching prospect. Shipley rings every bell: easy velocity (92-95 as starter, has hit upwards of 97 in short bursts), low-80s change with above-average upside, solid upper-70s curve, good athleticism, improved command, good glove, effective pickoff move, sturdy frame with room to build on (6-3, 180 pounds), and experience as a hitter (.265/.351/.346 in 136 AB in 2011). I think he’s likely one of those guys I like a lot more than professional talent evaluators, but that’s alright: he may not be a first round, household name come June, but I still think he’s a future big leaguer.
My misses are all public, so I don’t mind occasionally pointing out the rare guy I was out ahead on before the crowd. Revisionist history makes this seem less bold now than it did then, but that’s the way these things work. Anyway, my two favorite players that fit the archetype: Southern Mississippi JR RHP/3B Brad Roney and Arizona JR RHP/SS Tyler Parmenter. Roney is the more famous of the two, thanks to an accomplished high school career and legit draftable tools as a position player. Parmenter is far more below the draft radar, but the former no-hit, plus-plus arm shortstop has mid-90s heat and the potential for two plus offspeed pitches. Arm strength, athleticism, fresh arm…I like.
2014 MLB Draft (And Beyond) – America East Follow List
One of the few questions I occasionally get asked is often the simple “I’m seeing ______ this weekend. Do they have anybody worth watching?” Here’s your answer for the AAC…
I pretty much did this one already — and in more detail, too! — but in case you missed that one (or are too lazy to click that link) here’s another shot at it…
Albany
rSR 2B Brian Bullard
rSR C/INF/OF Josh Nethaway
SR C/INF/OF DJ Hoagboon
JR 3B Joey Tracy
JR SS Jeff VonMoser
JR OF Cory Kingston
rJR RHP Stephen Carey
JR RHP Cameron Sorgie
SR LHP Kevin Archbold
SO RHP Ryan Stinar (2015)
FR RHP Stephen Woods (2016)
Binghamton
JR RHP Mike Urbanski
rJR RHP Jack Rogalla
SR OF Billy Beresznewicz
SR SS John Howell
SR 2B Daniel Nevares
rJR 1B/3B Brian Ruby
JR OF/C Jake Thomas
JR OF Zach Blanden
SR OF Shaun McGraw
SO RHP/OF Mike Bunal (2015)
SO RHP Jake Cryts (2015)
Hartford
JR LHP Sean Newcomb
JR LHP Austin Barnes
SR RHP Alex Gouin
rJR LHP/DH Ryan Lukach
SR RHP/1B Brian Hunter
SR C James Alfonso
SO 2B/SS Aaron Wilson (2015)
SO OF Chris DelDebbio (2015)
SO C/1B Billy Walker (2015)
SO RHP Sam McKay (2015)
SO RHP Brian Murphy (2015)
SO RHP Kyle Gauthier (2015)
FR RHP David Drouin (2016)
FR David MacKinnon (2016)
Maine
SR 1B/3B Alex Calbick
SR 2B/SS Troy Black
SR OF Colin Gay
JR OF Brian Doran
rJR RHP Tommy Lawrence
SR RHP Shaun Coughlin
JR LHP/INF/OF Scott Heath
SO Logan Fullmer (2015)
SO RHP Jake Marks (2015)
Stony Brook
JR SS Cole Peragine
JR C/OF Kevin Krause
SR OF/RHP Josh Mason
SR 1B/LHP Kevin Courtney
SR RHP Brandon McNitt
SO LHP Daniel Zamora
rSO RHP Nick Brass
SO 3B Johnny Caputo (2015)
SO SS Austin Shives (2015)
SO INF Jack Parenty (2015)
SO RHP Tim Knesnik (2015)
SO RHP Chad Lee (2015)
SO LHP Tyler Honahan (2015)
FR RHP Ryley MacEachern (2016)
FR OF Josh Palacios (2016)
FR C/1B Kyle Devin (2016)
FR OF Toby Handley (2016)
Massachusetts – Lowell
JR OF Geoff DeGroot
SR RHP Shane Beauchemin
UMBC
SR OF/C Rob McCabe
JR OF/RHP Anthony Gatto
rSO 3B Mark Esposito
SO INF Kevin Lachance (2015)
SO RHP Mike Gomez (2015)
SO C Manny Colon (2015)
2014 MLB Draft (And Beyond) – AAC Follow List
One of the few questions I occasionally get asked is often the simple “I’m seeing ______ this weekend. Do they have anybody worth watching?” Here’s your answer for the AAC…
Central Florida
JR LHP Eric Skoglund
rJR RHP Spencer Davis
rSO RHP Ryan Meyer
JR RHP Tanner Olson
JR 1B/OF James Vasquez
JR OF Derrick Salberg
JR SS/3B Tommy Williams
JR OF/LHP JoMarcos Woods
JR 2B/RHP Dylan Moore
JR OF Erik Barber
SO RHP Zac Favre (2015)
SO RHP Tyler Martin (2015)
FR LHP Vinnie Rosace (2016)
FR OF Eugene Vazquez (2016)
FR OF Dalton Duty (2016)
FR 3B/SS Kam Gellinger (2016)
Cincinnati
rSO OF Will Drake
rSO OF Taylor Schmidt
SR OF/1B Justin Glass
SR OF/3B Matt Williams
rJR OF Ethan McAlpine
SR INF Ryan Quinn
rSR RHP Christian McElroy
rJR RHP Matt Ring
rSO RHP Bryan Chenoweth
JR RHP Grant Walker
rSO RHP Connor Walsh
SO OF/2B Ian Happ (2015)
SO RHP Mitch Patishall (2015)
SO INF Devin Wenzel (2015)
SO INF Forrest Perron (2015)
SO 1B Jeff Murray (2015)
SO C Woody Wallace (2015)
FR RHP Andrew Zellner (2016)
Connecticut
SR SS Tom Verdi
JR OF Eric Yavarone
JR OF Jon Testani
JR C Connor David
SR LHP Anthony Marzi
rJR LHP David Mahoney
rJR RHP Carson Cross
SR LHP Brian Ward
rJR RHP Jordan Tabakman
SO OF Jack Sundberg (2015)
SO LHP Christian Colletti (2015)
SO 3B Vin Siena (2015)
SO INF Brian Daniello (2015)
SO C Max McDowell (2015)
SO 1B Bobby Melley (2015)
FR RHP Andrew Zapata (2016)
FR 3B/1B Ryan Sullivan (2016)
FR LHP Anthony Kay (2016)
FR SS/2B Aaron Hill (2016)
FR Ryan Radue (2016)
Houston
SR 2B Frankie Ratcliff
SR OF/C Landon Appling
rSR 1B Casey Grayson
rSO OF Ashford Fulmer
SR RHP Chase Wellbrock
JR OF Michael Pyeatt
JR RHP Aaron Garza
SO LHP Jared West
JR RHP Ryan Vruggink
SO RHP Jacob Lemoine (2015)
SO 2B Josh Vidales (2015)
SO 3B/1B Justin Montemayor (2015)
SO OF Kyle Survance (2015)
FR RHP Andrew Lantrip (2016)
Louisville
JR RHP Nick Burdi
JR RHP Jared Ruxer
JR LHP Joey Filomeno
rJR LHP Kyle McGrath
SR OF/LHP Cole Sturgeon
JR OF Michael White
JR SS/2B Sutton Whiting
JR SS/2B Zach Lucas
JR 2B Grant Kay
SR C Shane Crain
SR C Kyle Gibson
SR 1B/OF Jeff Gardner
SR SS/3B Alex Chittenden
SO 1B/3B Dan Rosenbaum (2015)
SO 1B/RHP Anthony Kidston (2015)
SO RHP Kyle Funkhouser (2015)
FR RHP Zack Burdi (2016)
FR OF Corey Ray (2016)
FR LHP Drew Harrington (2016)
FR RHP Jake Sparger (2016)
FR LHP Josh Rogers (2016)
FR RHP Ryan Lauria (2016)
FR OF Colin Lyman (2016)
FR RHP Mason Richardson (2016)
FR INF Matt Rowland (2016)
FR INF Nick Solak (2016)
FR Will Smith (2016)
Memphis
SR RHP Conner Porter
JR RHP Dylan Toscano
rSO RHP Craig Caufield
SR RHP Jon Reed
SR LHP Alex Gunn
rSO LHP/OF Jacob Moody
SR OF Ford Wilson
SR INF Zach Willis
rSR INF/RHP Drew Griffin
JR C/1B Carter White
SR SS Ethan Gross
JR OF/3B Tucker Tubbs
JR SS Jake Overbey
JR C Keaton Aldridge
JR 2B/RHP Bryce Beeler
SO 1B/OF Jake Little (2015)
SO LHP Colin Lee (2015)
FR RHP Trevor Sutton (2016)
FR OF Darien Tubbs (2016)
Rutgers
SR SS/2B Nick Favatella
SR OF Brian O’Grady
JR OF Vinny Zarrillo
JR RHP Jon Young
SO LHP Howie Brey (2015)
FR RHP Sean Kelly (2016)
Temple
SR RHP Matt Hockenberry
rSR RHP Ryan Kuehn
JR SS Nick Lustrino
SR Derek Peterson
SR Preston Hill
SO OF Frank D’Agostino (2015)
South Florida
rSO OF Buddy Putnam
JR OF Austin Lueck
JR 2B/SS Kyle Teaf
JR C Blake Sydeski
SO C/3B Levi Borders
JR OF Jordan Strittmatter
rSO SS/2B Nik Alfonso
SR LHP Nick Gonzalez
rJR RHP/OF Casey Mulholland
SR LHP Lawrence Pardo
SR LHP Nolan Thomas
SO RHP Jimmy Herget (2015)
rFR RHP Tommy Peterson (2015)
FR OF Luke Borders (2016)
2014 MLB Draft (And Beyond) – ACC Follow List
Trying out something I’ve never done, but figured it was time to peel back the curtain a little bit this year. One of the few questions I occasionally get asked is often the simple “I’m seeing ______ this weekend. Do they have anybody worth watching?” If nothing else, this should answer that.
Publishing this should also help me identify any missing prospects from my database. It only takes one devoted observer of a college team to pipe in and tell me I’m an idiot for not including a player that somehow escaped my attention to this point. Figure this could also be a springboard for discussion if anybody has any questions, comments, or concerns about the follow lists. I’ll try to get at least one of these up every day until we run through every D1 conference. I’ll also be throwing some position rankings up as I continue to work through sorting out 2014’s best college pitchers. Busy time of year, but damn exciting.
Boston College
SR LHP Steve Green
rSO LHP Andrew Chin
JR RHP John Gorman
SR RHP Eric Stevens
JR LHP Nick Poore
SR OF Tom Bourdon
JR 2B/SS Blake Butera
SO 1B/OF Chris Shaw (2015)
SO RHP Jeff Burke (2015)
SO LHP Jesse Adams (2015)
FR SS/3B Johnny Adams (2016)
Clemson
JR RHP Daniel Gossett
SO LHP Matthew Crownover
SR RHP Matt Campbell
JR RHP Patrick Andrews
rJR RHP Kevin Pohle
rSO LHP Kyle Bailey
rJR RHP Jake Long
JR C/OF Garrett Boulware
SR 3B/2B Shane Kennedy
SR 2B/SS Steve Wilkerson
JR OF Tyler Slaton
SR OF Joe Costigan
SR 1B/OF Jon McGibbon
SO SS/3B Tyler Krieger (2015)
SO OF Steven Duggar (2015)
rFR RHP Wales Toney (2015)
SO RHP Clate Schmidt (2015)
SO OF Maleeke Gibson (2015)
SO LHP Zack Erwin (2015)
SO RHP Brady Koerner (2015)
FR C Chris Okey (2016)
FR 3B/SS Weston Wilson (2016)
FR SS/2B Eli White (2016)
FR LHP Alex Bostic (2016)
FR RHP Drew Moyer (2016)
FR 3B Glenn Batson (2016)
FR OF Reed Rohlman (2016)
FR LHP Hunter Hill (2016)
FR RHP Tucker Burgess (2016)
Duke
SR RHP Drew Van Orden
JR RHP Andrew Istler
JR RHP Sarkis Ohanian
JR LHP Trent Swart
SR RHP Robert Huber
JR LHP Remy Janco
rJR 1B Chris Marconcini
SR 3B Jordan Betts
rSR OF Ryan Deitrich
rJR C Mike Rosenfeld
SO RHP Michael Matuella (2015)
SO RHP James Marvel (2015)
SO RHP/SS Kenny Koplove (2015)
FR RHP Bailey Clark (2016)
FR RHP Karl Blum (2016)
FR C Cristian Perez (2016)
Florida State
JR RHP Luke Weaver
rSO RHP Mike Compton
JR LHP Brandon Leibrandt
SR RHP Peter Miller
rSR RHP Gage Smith
SR LHP Brandon Johnson
JR LHP Bryant Holtmann
JR 3B/OF Jose Brizuela
JR 1B John Nogowski
rSR SS/3B Justin Gonzalez
rSR OF Brett Knief
JR C Daniel De La Calle
JR OF Josh Delph
SR C Ladson Montgomery
SO RHP/OF Jameis Winston (2015)
SO OF DJ Stewart (2015)
SO 2B/SS John Sansone (2015)
FR OF/SS Ben DeLuzio (2016)
FR RHP/INF MT Minacci (2016)
FR RHP Taylor Blatch (2016)
FR LHP Alec Byrd (2016)
FR RHP Andy Ward (2016)
FR C/OF Gage West (2016)
FR C/1B Derek Fritz (2016)
FR RHP Ed Voyles (2016):
FR RHP Jim Voyles (2016):
Georgia Tech
rJR RHP Matthew Grimes
SR RHP Dusty Isaacs
JR RHP Josh Heddinger
SO LHP Sam Clay
JR RHP Cole Pitts
SR RHP Jonathan Roberts
SO LHP/OF Jonathan King
SR LHP Devin Stanton
SR RHP/3B Alex Cruz
JR 1B/C AJ Murray
rSO OF Dan Spingola
JR 2B/SS Thomas Smith
SR 2B/SS Mott Hyde
SO 3B/SS Matt Gonzalez (2015)
FR RHP Zac Ryan (2016)
FR C Arden Pabst (2016)
FR OF Keenan Innis (2016)
FR 3B/RHP Brandon Gold (2016)
FR LHP Ben Parr (2016)
FR INF Elliott Barzilli (2016)
FR INF Connor Justus (2016)
Maryland
rJR OF Charlie White
SR SS Kyle Convissar
rJR OF Mike Montville
JR 2B Andrew Amaro
SR INF Blake Schmit
rSO LHP Zach Morris
SR RHP/3B Jake Stinnett
JR RHP Bobby Ruse
rJR LHP Ben Brewster
SR RHP Brady Kirkpatrick
SR LHP Jamie Pashuck
SO OF/LHP LaMonte Wade (2015)
SO OF Anthony Papio (2015)
SO LHP Jake Drossner (2015)
SO RHP Kevin Mooney (2015)
SO RHP Jared Price (2015)
SO LHP Alex Robinson (2015)
SO RHP Brandon Casas (2015)
FR LHP Tyler Stiles (2016)
FR Mike Shawaryn (2016)
Miami
rJR LHP Bryan Radziewski
SR RHP Adam Sargent
SR LHP AJ Salcines
SR RHP Javi Salas
JR LHP Andrew Suarez
JR LHP Chris Diaz
SR OF Dale Carey
SR 3B Brad Fieger
SR OF/3B Tyler Palmer
SR 2B/SS Alex Hernandez
JR C Garrett Kennedy
SO SS/RHP Brandon Lopez (2015)
SO 3B/OF David Thompson (2015)
SO 1B/OF Chris Barr (2015)
SO OF Ricky Eusebio (2015)
SO LHP Thomas Woodrey (2015)
SO RHP Enrique Sosa (2015)
FR C/1B Zach Collins (2016)
FR 1B Bradley Zunica (2016)
FR OF Willie Abreu (2016)
FR RHP/1B Derik Beauprez (2016)
FR OF Jacob Heyward (2016)
FR LHP Danny Garcia (2016)
FR RHP Bryan Garcia (2016)
FR C Carlos Diaz (2016):
FR SS Sebastian Diaz (2016):
FR RHP Cooper Hammond (2016)
North Carolina
JR RHP Luis Paula
JR RHP Benton Moss
JR RHP Chris McCue
JR RHP Trevor Kelley
rSO LHP Henry Sisson
SO RHP Taylore Cherry
rJR RHP Andrew Smith
SR LHP Tate Parrish
SR OF Parks Jordan
JR SS/OF Michael Russell
SO 3B/2B Landon Lassiter
SR OF/1B Thomas Zengel
rSO C/2B/OF Matt Rubino
SO OF Skye Bolt (2015)
SO OF Zach Daly (2015)
SO SS/OF Alex Raburn (2015)
SO C Korey Dunbar (2015)
SO RHP Trent Thornton (2015)
SO RHP Reilly Hovis (2015)
FR RHP Zac Gallen (2016)
FR LHP Zach Rice (2016)
FR OF Adam Pate (2016)
FR 1B Joe Dudek (2016)
FR C Adrian Chacon (2016)
FR 2B/SS Wood Myers (2016)
FR SS/RHP Spencer Trayner (2016)
FR RHP AJ Bogucki (2016)
North Carolina State
JR LHP Carlos Rodon
JR RHP Logan Jernigan
JR LHP Patrick Peterson
JR RHP Eric Peterson
SR RHP Andrew Woeck
JR LHP Travis Orwig
SO RHP Karl Keglovits
SR LHP DJ Thomas
JR SS/OF Trea Turner
JR C Brett Austin
JR OF Jake Fincher
JR OF Bubba Riley
JR 2B/3B Logan Ratledge
JR OF Jake Armstrong
SO C John Mangum
SO LHP Brad Stone (2015)
rFR RHP Johnny Piedmonte (2015)
SO C Chance Shepard (2015)
SO Will Nance (2015)
FR OF Garrett Suggs (2016)
FR 3B Andrew Knizner (2016)
FR 1B Preston Palmeiro (2016)
FR RHP Joe O’Donnell (2016)
FR LHP Ryan Williamson (2016)
FR LHP Cody Beckman (2016)
FR RHP Cory Wilder (2016)
Notre Dame
SR RHP Donald Hissa
JR RHP Patrick Connaughton
rJR RHP Cristian Torres
SR RHP Sean Fitzgerald
SO RHP Nick McCarty
JR RHP Scott Kerrigan
JR 3B Phil Mosey
JR OF/1B Ryan Bull
JR OF Mac Hudgins
JR OF Conor Biggio
SO RHP David Hearne (2015)
SO SS Lane Richards (2015)
SO C/OF Ricky Sanchez (2015)
SO LHP/OF Zac Kutsulis (2015)
FR 3B/2B Cavan Biggio (2016)
FR OF Torii Hunter (2016)
FR C Ryan Lidge (2016)
Pittsburgh
JR OF Boo Vazquez
SR OF Casey Roche
rSO OF AJ Lardo
JR RHP Adam Dian
rJR RHP Joe Harvey
JR 1B Eric Hess
rSR OF/1B Steven Shelinsky
SR OF/RHP Stephen Vranka
SR RHP Matt Wotherspoon
SR RHP Rhys Aldenhoven
rSR RHP JR Leonardi
SO LHP Andrew Belfiglio (2015)
FR TJ Zeuch (2016)
Virginia
JR OF Derek Fisher
JR OF Mike Papi
JR C Nate Irving
JR OF/C Brandon Downes
JR 2B/SS Branden Cogswell
JR 3B Kenny Towns
rJR RHP Artie Lewicki
JR RHP/3B Nick Howard
SO RHP Cameron Tekker
rSR RHP Whit Mayberry
SR RHP Austin Young
SO OF Joe McCarthy (2015)
SO RHP Josh Sborz (2015)
SO 2B/3B John LaPrise (2015)
SO LHP Brandon Waddell (2015)
SO LHP Nathan Kirby (2015)
SO LHP David Rosenberger (2015)
FR RHP Connor Jones (2016)
FR C Matt Thaiss (2016)
FR RHP Jack Roberts (2016)
FR SS Daniel Pinero (2016)
FR OF Tyler Allen (2016)
FR SS Tony Butler (2016)
FR RHP Ben Carraway (2016)
FR LHP Adam Bleday (2016)
FR RHP Alec Bettinger (2016)
Virginia Tech
JR C/OF Mark Zagunis
JR 2B/SS Alex Perez
JR 1B/RHP Brendon Hayden
JR LHP/1B Sean Keselica
SR RHP Brad Markey
SR RHP Tanner McIntyre
SO RHP Matt Tulley (2015)
rFR OF Saige Jenco (2015)
rFR 1B/LHP Phil Sciretta (2015)
FR 3B Ryan Tufts (2016)
FR RHP Aaron McGarity (2016)
FR LHP Kit Scheetz (2016)
FR OF Tom Stoffel (2016)
Wake Forest
SR RHP Jack Fischer
JR RHP Connor Kaden
SR LHP John McLeod
SR RHP Nate Jones
JR RHP Matt Pirro
rSR 1B/LHP Matt Conway
SR OF Evan Stephens
rJR OF Kevin Jordan
SR 2B Conor Keniry
SR C Charlie Morgan
rSR OF Jack Carey
SO OF/2B Joey Rodriguez (2015)
SO LHP Mark McCoy (2015)
SO LHP Max Tishman (2015)
“The Others” – Non-D1 Position Player 2014 MLB Draft Follow List
Let’s preface this by saying that this is a world I’m not nearly as familiar with as the comfort zone that is D1 baseball. I’m trying to branch out, I’m trying to be fair to all prospects, and I’m trying to learn. If there are any glaring omissions (or minor ones, I’ll take anything), please don’t hesitate to let me know. I tried to include as many non-D1 position players as possible. Players are organized by position. Each position grouped is very tentatively ranked. I normally throw these guys in with all the D1 players, but I’m keeping it separate for now until I get a better feel for the talent level in this year’s class.
As for the week(s) ahead, I’m planning on releasing my complete set of D1 follow lists (by conference) for the first time ever. Just names (for now), but notes and stats are all ready to go in the next few weeks after that. I’ll also be sprinkling in the position follow lists (ranked) for all college hitters. Then I’ll turn the focus to college arms before doing a deeper dive into the HS ranks. Should be fun.
C
Chipola JC SO C Ian Rice
Eastern Oklahoma State JC SO C Daniel Salters
Polk State JC SO C Casey Schroeder
Palomar CC C Francis Christy
Broward JC FR C Ronnie Healy
Grayson County JC rSO C Jean Ramirez
Orange Coast CC SO C Collin Yelich
Canada JC SO C Justin Gubser
Miami-Dade JC rSO C Mario Amaral
Montevallo SR C Jackson Slaid
Cowley County JC SO C Gage Grant
Point Loma JR C Anthony Torres
Miami-Dade JC SO C Kevin Stypulkowski
Valdosta State JR C Bryant Hayman
Rice’s defense is still a little rough around the edges, but he’s both smart and a hard worker so I’m optimistic he’ll figure it out. Offensively he looks like a keeper thanks to a patient approach and legit raw power. Daniel Salters has the plus arm/plus raw power thing down, and his sturdy build (6-3, 225) should make him a favorite this spring. Outside of Chris Okey (Clemson), Francis Christy is my highest ranked 2013 HS catcher to attend college. He’s the first to be eligible for redraft, so keep a close on him on this season; if any catcher on the list can challenge Rice for the top spot, it’s him. Ronnie Healy fell a little further down that same 2013 HS catcher list, but he’s still well worth watching as he attempts to crack into pro ball this summer. Christy and Healy’s scouting blurbs from last summer are below:
9. C/3B Francis Christy (Casa Grande HS, California): above-average arm strength; good agility; decent speed; good athlete; big power upside, above-average to plus raw; still raw behind the plate, but getting better; 6-1, 200 pounds
23. C/RHP Ronnie Healy (Jupiter HS/Elev8 Institute, Florida): interesting bat; big power upside; advanced approach; questionable defense; plus arm strength; 92-94 FB
SEC transfers like Casey Schroeder (Kentucky), Jean Ramirez (Arkansas), Jackson Slaid (LSU), and Stypulkowski (Florida) bear monitoring, as do Collin Yelich (UNLV) and Anthony Torres (Iowa).
1B
Northwest Missouri State SO 1B Steve Garber
Indian River State JC rFR 1B Ryan Ripkin
Azusa Pacific JR 1B Jordan Brower
Tennessee Wesleyan SR 1B Tim Kiene
Central Arizona JC FR 1B Manny Ramirez
North Alabama JR 1B/3B Dylan Boston
Angelo State JR 1B Blake Bass
Gulf Coast State JC SO 1B Ryan Koziol
Grand Valley State SR 1B Giancarlo Brugnani
Cal State Monterey Bat JR 1B/OF Kevin Davidson
Chico State JR 1B/OF Danny Miller
Felician rSO 1B Scott DeJong
Tampa SR 1B/OF Mike Danner
Newberry College SR 1B Ryan Cranmer
Steve Garber takes the top spot because of that magical phrase I’ve heard from multiple people close to him: “approach beyond his years.” If his power takes off as expected – my notes claim “power should come,” so we’ll see – then he’ll fly up first base rankings around the web in no time. Ryan Ripkin and Manny Ramirez are both more than famous names as each young man is a deserving draft prospect on merit. I actually touched on this on Ripkin’s HS report from 2012, as you can read below. I’ve long lumped both Tim Kiene (Maryland transfer) and Giancarlo Brugnani together in my mind. It’s now or never for the duo, time to finally see which player will come out ahead on draft day. Ryan Koziol needs to add some weight to his 6-3 frame to get the most out of his intriguing power upside. That’s actually one thing I noticed when going through this list: there are some big boys duking it out for top billing outside of D-1 ball. My quick math gave me an average of 6-4, 220 for the top ten players on this list. That ain’t small.
52. 1B Ryan Ripkin (Gilman HS, Maryland): outstanding defender; strong arm; holds hands way back in swing setup allowing him to spray line drives all over the field after letting balls get in deep; was able to catch him in action this past year and came away much more impressed than I had expected going in – he’s much more than Cal’s son and anybody claiming he’s only a well-known draft prospect because of his day is doing him a disservice; like I said about Trevor Gretzky last year, I think Ryan Ripkin would be considered a better prospect by many if is name was Ryan Smith; 6-5, 200 pounds
2B
Florida Southern JR 2B/OF Keith Curcio
Georgia Gwinnett SR 2B/3B Zach Alvord
Contra Costa JC rFR 2B JR Davis
Tampa JR 2B/OF Orlando Rivera
Lewis-Clark State JR 2B/SS Joe Mello
Indiana (PA) JR 2B/SS Dylan Tice
Freed-Hardeman SR 2B Robert Prieto
California (PA) SR 2B/SS Matt Peters
Itawaba CC rFR 2B/SS Luke Gibbs
LSU-Eunice JC SO 2B Stefan Trosclair
Palomar FR 2B/SS Chris Stratton
Azusa Pacific JR 2B Blake James
It is far easier to get seduced by a pretty lefthanded swing than we’d all like to admit, but I’m willing to take that chance on Keith Curcio and his pretty as a picture lefty stroke. It also doesn’t hurt that he is coming off a great 2013 season and is already off to a blistering start in 2014. I’ve been accused of pumping up non-D1 prospects in the past, but I really, really like the well-rounded skill set Curcio provides. I feel like this is my Phillies prospect bias – not necessarily in terms of favoritism, but knowledge – coming out, but his game reminds me a little bit of Cesar Hernandez: above-average speed/defense/approach, limited arm, playable in CF, tools play up. I think he has a little more pop than Hernandez, but otherwise it’s not terribly out of line. Zach Alvord, formerly of Auburn and Tampa, is still well-regarded by many, but don’t sleep on JR Davis, a redshirt freshman ready to make his mark.
SS
Thomas rSO SS/OF Tyler Palmer
St. Mary’s (TX) JR SS Drake Roberts
Orange Coast CC SS Cody Nulph
Temple JC rFR SS/2B Cory Raley
Angelo State SR SS Christian Summers
Cowley County JC SO SS Kristopher Molter
Iowa Western CC rSO SS/2B Jason McMurray
Francis Marion SR SS/2B Michael Wilson
There are plenty of interesting stories at the shortstop position this year – transfers Drake Roberts (Oklahoma), Cody Nulph (Pepperdine), Cory Raley (Texas A&M*), Christian Summers (Texas), Kristopher Molter (Jacksonville), and Jackson McMurray (Notre Dame) all try to make their respective move up draft boards – but there’s really one story that stands out above the rest in terms of finding that sweet spot that encompasses both human interest and real deal baseball talent. Let’s talk Tyler Palmer.
After wrapping up his high school career, Palmer found himself three days away from signing a pro contract with the Marlins with a signing bonus in the upper-six figures before a freak accident changed his life. In his own words, courtesy of Amateur Baseball Report:
I was at my buddy’s house trying to get through the window because his keys were locked inside. This was something we did a lot. I was trying to pop the bottom piece out, and the glass shattered. My hand went through the window and came down on a sharp piece of glass. The glass went all the way through my arm, cutting all the muscle, tendons, and nerves in my whole forearm. My buddy wrapped a shirt around my arm and he drove me to my house which was right down the road. We hopped in my mom’s car and went to the hospital. They looked at it and said I needed to go to Savannah. The surgery in Savannah last a couple hours. They didn’t do it right so we went home with my arm still open. I then woke up the next morning and went to Pensacola to see Dr. Andrews (St. Andrews Institute).
He’s back and currently mashing through the first two weeks of the season at Thomas, a NAIA school in Georgia. He hasn’t been tested in the field as of yet (DH only), but it is believed he’s being held back because of his ongoing recovery from thumb surgery and not because of any long-term concerns. I can’t say with absolute confidence that he’ll be able to remain at SS over the long haul (hopefully he’ll get an opportunity to show off his slowly but surely regained arm strength this spring), but he could always settle in at 2B if needed. No matter the eventual landing spot, Palmer isn’t a player I’d bet against. He’s the kind of talented, determined young man any pro team would be lucky to add on draft day.
* I came really close to doing a short bit about the preponderance of Big 12 transfer talent on the list before I caught myself at the last possible second re: Texas A&M and the SEC. Conference realignment gives me a headache.
3B
Cameron JR 3B Codey McElroy
Tennessee Wesleyan JR 3B/OF KJ Hockaday
Cypress College SO 3B/OF Matt Tietz
College of San Mateo rSO 3B/SS Matt Glomb
Grayson County JC SO 3B/RHP Willie Schwanke
Indian River State JC SO 3B/OF George Iskenderian
Valdosta State JR 3B Michael Gouge
Broward JC SO 3B/SS Carlos Garmendia
Olney Central CC SO 3B Troy Paris
St. Thomas Aquinas JR 3B/SS Stanley Susana
San Jacinto JC SO 3B Geonte Jackson
UC San Diego JR 3B Erik Lewis
A case could be made that 3B is the deepest position on this list. Hey, since this is my site then I guess I’m the right guy to make said case, right? Codey McElroy (Texas transfer) has everything you could ask for from a third base prospect on paper: size, physicality, raw power, flashes of defensive upside, athleticism, arm strength, and better than average speed. KJ Hockaday’s tools aren’t on the same level, but he’s put up two years of decent performances in the ACC at Maryland so his present skill level isn’t as big a question mark. Matt Tietz and Matt Glomb have more in common than cool first names: both men earned the FAVORITE designation from me over the offseason. I like Tietz’s defensive upside, athleticism, and approach to hitting, not to mention the fact he held his own in his freshman year at Rutgers. Glomb (Santa Clara transfer) has a greater gap in what he is and what he could be, but he reminded me a bit of personal favorite Logan Forsythe in my looks at him. Willie Schwanke (Arkansas transfer) could top this list in a few months. He’s another guy who held his own as a freshman (in the SEC no less) and showed big league caliber tools and maturity at the plate. Outside of the top five, I’m curious to see what fellow SEC transfers George Iskenderian (South Carolina) and Geonte Jackson (LSU) can do with consistent playing time.
OF
CC Southern Nevada SO OF/1B Grant Heyman
Polk State JC SO OF Daniel Sweet
CC Western Nevada SO OF/RHP Conor Harber
Central Arizona JC rSO OF Spencer O’Neil
Concordia JR OF Blake Drake
South Carolina-Aiken JR OF/2B TJ Costen
Mt. Olive rJR OF Jay Gonzalez
Winston-Salem State JR OF Leland Clemmons
State College of Florida-Manatee rSO OF Cory Reid
South Carolina-Aiken JR OF Matt Bosse
Bellarmine JR OF Austin Crutcher
Central Missouri JR OF Trevor Jones
Kutztown JR OF Brandon Martinez
Broward JC SO OF Sly Edwards
Azusa Pacific SR OF Joseph Daris
Jefferson CC SO OF Ryan Rippee
Tallahassee CC SO OF Christian Dicks
Amherst JR OF Michael Odenwaelder
Shippensburg SR OF/RHP Patrick Kregeloh
Bluefield SR OF Chris Rosa
Cal State East Bay JR OF Kelly Starnes
Northeast Oklahoma JC SO OF Ramon Laureano
Orange Coast CC SO OF Tommy Bell
Texas Wesleyan JR OF Jake Howeth
Northwestern Iowa JR OF Mitch Peschon
CC Southern Nevada rFR OF James Young
Cal Poly Ponoma rJR OF/RHP David Armendariz
Campbellsville JR OF/1B Jacob Russell
East Los Angeles CC FR OF Kevin Amezquita
West Virginia Tech JR OF Hugo Rodriguez
Temple JC SO OF Blake Kopetsky
Hendrix SR OF Collin Radack
Shippensburg SR OF Michael Douglas
Catawba SR OF Keaton Hawks
Azusa Pacific SR OF Matt Kimmel
Massachusetts-Boston JR OF Jamill Moquette
Northeastern State SR OF/1B Cody Robinson
If 3B isn’t the top position here, it’s definitely OF. I don’t like comparing OF to the infield spots since the talent pool is that much larger, so let’s just call it a tie and move on. Top of this list has some potential impact names to know for June. The top two outfielders above both got easy FAVORITE designations from me early on. I have an unhealthy appreciation for what Grant Heyman does on the diamond. I think the former Hurricane gets unfairly pigeonholed as a raw, former football star still trying to find his way with the bat and ball sport. He’s way more advanced than given credit for, he knows how to hit, and his physical tools are off the charts. Again, I’ve been guilty of overrating this type of profile in years past, but Heyman is one to believe in. Daniel Sweet is an industry favorite for good reason: he runs well, flashes power, covers tons of ground in center, and shows ample promise as a hitter. Easy to dream on Sweet’s upside as a Andrew Toles style prospect with the chance to get himself drafted in a similar range (3-5 round). Fun fact that is almost certainly only fun to me: Daniel Sweet is but one of three “sweet” names in my database. He is joined by SR Zach Sweet (Florida International) and FR Trae Sweeting (Georgia State). The more you know.
If Spencer O’Neil can clean up his approach, he could move up boards quickly. Blake Drake’s name rhymes, so that’s awesome. He’s also got three big league tools (arm, speed, defense), so that’s pretty cool too. The only thing that will keep Conor Harber from being drafted up high as a hitter will be his right arm, an appendage capable of regularly whipping mid-90s heat towards the batter’s box. Seventh year junior (or so it feels) Jay Gonzalez is off to a slow start at Mt. Olive, but should hit enough to get noticed (or re-noticed, if such a word existed) this June.
Last Monday Before First Pitch Friday
First Pitch Friday has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? That should be a thing. BA and PG should get on that.
While they do that I’ll start the week with 111 words of whining. Skip down past the first set of stars if you don’t want to hear me bitching about something only ten or so people (give or take) in the entire world care about. Here we go…
Today is Monday. As of late Sunday night, the following teams still did not have 2014 rosters posted on their official websites:
Pittsburgh SO RHP Tanner Wilt
Alabama FR RHP Keaton Haack (Pitt CC)
Mississippi rFR 2B/SS Luke Gibbs (Itawaba CC)
Auburn FR RHP Matt Schultz (Wabash Valley CC)
Iowa SO C Anthony Torres (Point Loma)
Gonzaga SO RHP Kevin Moriarty (no longer active)
Texas-Arlington SO RHP Jordan Pacheco
Albany JR 2B/SS Gordon Madej
Stony Brook FR INF Brett Tenuto
Charlotte SO OF Leland Clemmons (Winston-Salem State)
Jacksonville FR SS Kristopher Molter (Cowley County CC)
North Florida SO LHP/1B Spencer Herrmann
Stetson SO RHP Drew Jackson
High Point FR OF Sly Edwards (Broward CC)
Kentucky rSO 2B/SS Andrew Bryant
Florida rJR 3B/2B Zack Powers (still on Florida, my bad)
UC Santa Barbara FR C/OF Joseph DeRoche-Duffin (Cypress College)
UC Santa Barbara FR LHP Art Vidrio
San Diego SO RHP Ryan Keller (Cal State LA)
Arizona FR RHP Jesse Scholtens (Diablo Valley College)
*****
As I finish up the position players in the coming days I figure it couldn’t hurt to spitball a bit about some of the names that have stood out to me so far. We’ll kick off the week talking college catchers because…why not?
The ACC has three excellent catching prospects in Virginia Tech JR Mark Zagunis, Clemson JR Garrett Boulware, and North Carolina State JR Brett Austin. The mid-tier ain’t too shabby either, thanks to Miami JR Garrett Kennedy and Virginia C Nate Irving. I haven’t gone through every conference yet, but it’s pretty amazing that those five currently rank higher (for me) than any other catcher in the Big 12, Big 10, or the Missouri Valley. Top guys in those conferences for the curious: Jacob Felts, Blaise Salter, and Tyler Baker. It’s also a really strong year behind the plate for the slightly evolved (for the better, I think) Conference USA. Juniors Aramis Garcia (Florida International), John Clay Reeves (Rice), and Bre’shon Kimbell (Louisiana Tech) all currently reside in my admittedly unfinished top eight for the position.
If we’re going off the radar a bit, I’ll throw out the names Alex Real (New Mexico), Garrett Russini (Stetson), and Kyle Pollock (Evansville) as potential risers this spring. The tail end of the list, as it seems happens yearly, is loaded with potential senior signs that haven’t put it all together yet in college ball. These guys frustrate me, but I just can’t quite bring myself to rule out that one big season that finally gets them a shot in pro ball. We’re talking Kai’ana Eldredge (Kansas), Levi Meyer (Florida Atlantic), Kyle Gibson (Louisville), and Austin Jarvis (Bradley).
Update, College Outfielders, Player Comparisons
With the college season rapidly approaching it’s time to finally admit to myself that I won’t be getting all of these conference previews done in time. I think it was the fact I had finished only three so far had something to do with it. Fortunately, I have a backup plan: lots of largely incoherent observations and notes from my reviewing just about every damn college prospect in the country over the past few months.
So far I’ve gotten around to taking a close look at the following conferences: Big 10, Conference USA, AAC, ACC, Big South, Atlantic Sun, Mountain West, Missouri Valley, Big 12, A-10, and America East. Thanks to the fine folks in charge of maintaining rosters at those team sites (with a few exceptions that just posted in the last 72 hours) that helped make my comprehensive coverage a heck of a lot easier. There are some smaller programs that still don’t have the rosters up, but I can’t kill them too much because, you know, smaller staffs and less general attention to that sort of thing and all. I’d love to finish up the Pac-12 and SEC, but we’re still waiting on Oregon and Mississippi State. Season starts in just over a week, let’s get moving. Alright, that’s enough passive-aggressive whining for one day. Much of my current focus is on position players because a) splitting the workload in half makes it feel like a much less daunting task, and b) I just plain fine hitters more interesting to evaluate than pitchers. Let’s talk outfielders! I’m happy to go into more detail on anybody listed below or any unnamed player from one of the conferences listed above. Or any conference, really, since I’m really just waiting on a handful of teams at this point.
*****
Texas rSR OF Matt Moynihan and Miami OF Dale Carey both frustrate me to no end. Tools are clearly there, especially when you watch them run around in CF, and they both fill out a uniform damn well, but they each have scouts waiting and waiting and waiting for some hint of a breakthrough with the bat. Arm, speed, and defense will always be important, but the bat is king. Time to show something in the batter’s box, boys.
I also have no idea what to do with Wake Forest rJR OF Kevin Jordan and TCU OF Jerrick Suiter, toolsy yet relatively unproductive boom/bust prospects. You could also put Southern Mississippi JR OF Mason Robbins and Southern Mississippi JR OF Connor Barron in that camp. As teammates roaming the outfield together, they are a little bit like the Virginia duo cited below except, you know, not nearly as productive. Bradley JR OF Max Murphy, Binghamton JR OF Jake Thomas, and Northern Colorado JR OF Jensen Park are less confounding: I like them a ton more than I thought I would at the start of the process. They are definitely three of my favorite smaller school prospects to watch.
It should probably come as no shock to anybody who has been around the site over the last few years, but I’m strongly leaning toward ranking Virginia JR OF Mike Papi over his more heralded teammate JR OF Derek Fisher. It’s a combination of being higher on Papi than most while being lower on Fisher at the same time. Both excellent prospects and potential big league players, but I think the gap between the two as hitters is wide enough to overcome the difference in tools (a much smaller difference in my eyes than what the consensus believes, for what it’s worth). JR OF Brandon Downes is a good one as well. Virginia is going to be really, really good, especially offensively.
One of the biggest prospect questions awaiting springtime clarity is what position Kyle Schwarber will eventually settle into down the line. I don’t consider him a potential everyday catcher and while the bat is likely to play at first, I think everybody would much rather see him give it an honest go in the outfield before spending an early first round pick on him. I hope Indiana gives him a little bit of time out from behind the plate to showcase him for curious scouts. Brian Hartong can cover for him in those instances.
Time for a head-to-head statistical throwdown! I toyed with including scouting blurbs for each guy, but I couldn’t find a way to keep it descriptive enough without giving either player away. Scouting consensus is a current heavy lean towards Player B, an opinion that I agree with to a certain point (I’m more of a slight lean at this point). Also, I may or may not have mentioned these two prospects in the preceding two paragraphs…
Player A
2012: .311/.423/.415 – 16 BB/16 K – 5/7 SB – 106 AB
2013: .409/.542/.653 – 47 BB/24 K – 6/8 SB – 176 AB
Player B
2012: .287/.381/.483 – 31 BB/23 K – 9/12 SB – 230 AB
2013: .366/.457/.647 – 43 BB/36 K – 4/7 SB – 235 AB
Really close, right? Both are projected by most to play outfield professionally, though there are some that think Player A will have to play 1B while Player B will hang at a more important position (said position would give it away, I think). I know I made it painfully obvious, but…any guesses?
One more head-to-head comparison that I think is a little bit more interesting (and a lot less obvious). I’ll include some quick scouting notes this time to spice it up…
Player A: interesting power upside, still largely untapped but swing and actions should led to something; above-average speed, could be more; exceptional athlete; smart hitter; good approach; plus range in CF; really like his arm; leadoff profile at next level; FAVORITE; 6-0, 165 pounds
2012: .312/.385/.403 – 20 BB/40 K – 11/20 SB – 231 AB
2013: .299/.399/.350 – 37 BB/39 K – 26/35 SB – 254 AB
Player B: plus arm, really accurate; personal favorite that I love to watch play, definitely one that grows on you the more you see him up close; good athlete who also has some experience at SS and C; legit CF range; sneaky pop, mostly to gaps at present; plus to plus-plus speed, uses it well; impressive bat speed; FAVORITE; 6-0, 175 pounds
2012: .295/.352/.400 – 19 BB/35 K – 17/24 SB – 210 AB
2013: .317/.406/.358 – 34 BB/40 K – 15/21 SB – 265 AB
Any guesses? Any preferences? A few quick hints because I enjoy these games way too much. First, since you already know the conferences they could potentially be from, we’ll further narrow it down by saying Player A is a west coast player and Player B is on the east coast. I’d also say A has gotten a bit more national attention, but neither guy is a household name outside of the relatively small niche of college ball/draft enthusiasts. In fact, you could say that both guys have been largely overshadowed by more famous teammates: B is on the same team as two of the highest profile college players in recent memory and A has a teammate that can reach triple digits.
2014 MLB Draft: Atlantic Sun Follow Lists
Players aren’t listed in any particularly order — other than grouping them as hitters vs pitchers — so don’t read anything into placement, though I tried to highlight the best and the brightest in the comments. If I missed anybody that so obviously should have been there, please yell at me in the comments or via email.
East Tennessee State
SR 1B/LHP Clint Freeman
JR SS Jordan Sanford
JR SS Chris Riopedre
JR RHP Jimmy Nesselt
SR RHP Will Chesney
SR OF Dylan Tritsch
There has to be a home in pro ball for SR 1B/LHP Clint Freeman, right? There’s enough flashes of power, defensive versatility (he’s athletic enough to hang in an OF corner, I think), and a viable fallback option of moving to the mound to justify a mid- to late-round selection. Can’t say I see anybody else on the roster jumping off the page in the same way, unfortunately. JR SS Jordan Sanford or SR RHP Will Chesney, maybe?
Florida Gulf Coast
JR OF/1B Michael Suchy
JR OF Adam Eggnatz
rJR SS/RHP Alex Diaz
JR 3B/RHP Zack Tillery
rSO RHP/OF Brady Anderson
JR RHP Jack English
SR LHP Ryan Atwood
In a college class lacking in power – feel like that’s something we’ve repeated more years than not – JR OF/1B Michael Suchy’s impressive size/strength/swing geared for power combination bears watching. He also does enough well athletically that he should have no problem sticking in the outfield, perhaps even in right field. Like so many young power hitters, Suchy’s swing can get long, but, from what I’ve gathered, he’s improved his balance and overall approach quite a bit since enrolling. Fun, somewhat odd head-to-head prospect comparison between two guys with vaguely similar scouting profiles:
Florida State JR OF Michael Suchy
2012: .211/.319/.244 – 16 BB/40 K – 5/5 SB – 123 AB
2013: .327/.396/.487 – 23 BB/46 K – 7/11 SB – 226 AB
Michigan State JR OF Jimmy Pickens
2012: .268/.362/.448 – 13 BB/46 K – 2/3 SB – 183 AB
2013: .297/.372/.523 – 19 BB/39 K – 6/10 SB – 195 AB
JR RHP Jack English doesn’t have the size most teams want in a righthanded pitching prospect, but his present stuff is quite strong (90-93 FB, flashes plus 75-77 CB). I’d like to see rJR SS/RHP Alex Diaz unleashed on the mound to better put his similarly hot fastball to use, but I can understand the coaching staff wanting to keep his plus glove at short. If his bat shows any signs of life, then he becomes really interesting as a position player really fast.
rSO RHP/OF Brady Anderson missed last season due to an ACL injury, so his return to form may take a little bit of time. The real shame of his injury – besides the fact that leg injuries are absolutely no fan at all, said the has-been in need of a new hip – is that Anderson, despite modest speed numbers in his freshman season, could really, really run. If his fallback is on the mound, he remains a nice prospect if healthy: 88-92 FB (94 peak), good upper-70s SL, shows a CU, good athleticism (again, if healthy).
I don’t yet have a great read on the Florida Gulf Coast underclass prospects, but, for now, a pair of sophomore infielders, Nick Rivera and Tyler Selesky, sit atop my 2015 follow list.
Jacksonville
JR RHP Alex McRae
SR LHP Will Flor
SR RHP Adam Maxon
SR RHP Zach Gordon
JR RHP Jeff Tanner
SR C Drew Luther
JR OF Cameron Gibson
JR RHP Alex McRae has been a true workhorse since his taking the ball his first day on campus. I appreciate his fastball (88-92, spots it well) and his frame is one you can see growing into something sturdy, but, for all his innings-eating success thus far, his peripherals (4.47 K/9 in 2012, 4.29 K/9 in 2013) don’t exactly scream pro prospect. There’s too much good here to write him off this early in his development, but whether or not he can take matters into his own hands (arm?) this season will tell us something. McRae wasn’t the unanimous winner of “best Jacksonville pitching prospect” (yes, I asked multiple people who know about this stuff that question…and actually got back a few non-sarcastic answers!): SR LHP Will Flor also received some love. Now you know.
Excited to see what SO 1B/OF Conor Marabell and SO OF Dylan Dillard (looking to build on a really nice freshman year) do this season.
Kennesaw State
JR C Max Pentecost
JR OF Jacob Bruce
SR OF Bo Way
rJR OF Chris McGowan
JR 3B Matt Bahnick
JR LHP Will Solomon
rJR RHP Justin McCalvin
JR RHP Nathan Harsh
You can’t really follow amateur ball and not love what JR C Max Pentecost brings to the table. Catchers who flash all five tools (none worse than average) who are assured to stick behind the plate long-term have that kind of effect on people. I’ve long posited a theory that there are two central types of amateur catching prospects: plus arm/plus power oversized (and often stiff) all-or-nothing players and well-rounded, athletic smaller framed players. Pentecost clearly falls more into the latter group than the former. He’s really athletic, runs well (and not just for a catcher, either!), and throws well. I’m lighter on the bat that most – though average hit tool and average raw power are nothing to dismiss, especially for a catcher – but that’s more of a product of me being not 100% ready to buy his outstanding run on the Cape this summer as the “real” Pentecost. If that power spike is real, and many smarter than me seem to have bought in, I could see Pentecost getting some warranted Jonathan Lucroy comps. That would make him a no-brainer first rounder, right?
Pentecost will be joined in the lineup by a crowded outfield. JR OF Jacob Bruce, SR OF Bo Way, and rJR OF Chris McGowan all do enough well to at least enter the draft discussion at this point. I’d set the over/under on drafted outfielders from this group at 0.5. I’d put that number higher for members of the pitching staff as I think each one of JR LHP Will Solomon, rJR RHP Justin McCalvin, and JR RHP Nathan Harsh is draft-worthy. Solomon has above-average stuff and his lefthandedness going for him. McCalvin and Harsh both put up eye-popping 2012 numbers while showing, you guessed it, above-average stuff. McCalvin has the better present secondary stuff (his SL is a good one, flashes plus) and higher peak FB velocity (93ish vs. 90ish), but Harsh has the edge in projectability (Harsh goes 6-6, 230 vs. McCalvin’s 6-0, 180 pounds). All good, all draftable.
A strong group of underclass talent is usually the telltale sign of a healthy program. Astute observations aside, Kennesaw State really does have one heck of a nice thing going. Almost any of their 2015 class could emerge as the next early round candidate, but smart money right now goes to SO OF Alex Liquori. If you prefer SO RHP Jordan Hillyer, SO RHP Kendall Hawkins, SO SS Kal Simmons, or SO RHP Travis Bergen, well, I couldn’t really argue.
Lipscomb
JR 1B Griffin Moore
SR OF Chad Shannon
SR OF Drew Adams
JR OF Jonathan Allison
JR 1B/RHP Tyson Ashcraft
JR RHP Jaesung Hwang
rJR RHP Hunter Brothers
rJR RHP Will Blalock
JR 1B Griffin Moore got slapped with the FAVORITE tag from me based on a few looks over the years, positive commentary from old pals who have seen him more than that, and assorted observations from the industry leaders (BA and PG). I stand by it because of his power upside, bat speed, strong arm, steady glove, frame (6-4, 200), and patient approach. There’s really a lot to like there. Unfortunately, he followed up his .226/.308/.285 freshman year with a .205/.375/.313 sophomore year. No doubt that this upcoming year is a big one for him.
Doing this year-round – even when I’m not posting – gets me occasionally behind on which prospects sign and which prospects return to school. Based on raw stuff and the occasional flashes of dominance I figured there was little chance I’d see Hunter Brothers name pop up on the Lipscomb roster in 2014. Here he is, though, despite being draft-eligible last season and equipped with a fastball peaking at 96-97 MPH and a mid-80s SL that flashes plus. Control remains his biggest bugaboo, but his big league reliever upside is undeniable. rJR RHP Will Blalock has a less famous last name, but similar profile and upside. JR RHP Jaesung Hwang has less exciting peak stuff, but his well-rounded arsenal could make him a potential fifth starter/swingman prospect in either this draft or next. rFR RHP Dalton Curtis is one to watch for 2015.
Mercer
JR 3B/SS Chesny Young
SR C Austin Barrett
SR OF Derrick Workman
SR OF Sasha LaGarde
SR 1B Nick Backlund
SR 2B/SS Michael Massi
SR RHP/2B DJ Johnson
SR RHP Brandon Barker
JR RHP Ben Lumsden
JR RHP Dmitri Kourtis
I don’t know enough about college ball as an entity that exists beyond my draft Draft DRAFT worldview, but, damn, the Atlantic Sun looks like a really fun, really competitive conference on paper. I know it’s not one of the big boys, but there are some really good looking teams here, and the amount of depth to be found compares quite well with any mid-major (or whatever we’re calling them these days) conference I’ve looked at so far. Mercer, a school I don’t typically think of as one of the more talented compared to Kennesaw State and Florida Gulf Coast, exemplifies the depth this conference has to offer. Again, I’m just talking prospects here and not college won/loss results.
Max Pentecost has gotten all the headlines (deservedly so, of course), but don’t sleep on JR 3B/2B Chesny Young, a second early-round bat from the Atlantic Sun. As a draft prospect, he reminds me a little bit of old favorite Kolbrin Vitek. Young’s glove is stronger and his power less prodigious, but the basic template – positional versatility, well-rounded skill set, mature approach, smaller school background – is there. If he can play second base, as some believe, then his lack of raw power won’t be as big an issue for teams worried about traditional offensive roles for the starting eight (a bad habit of mine that I’m trying to break one weird wonderful prospect at a time).
SR C Austin Barrett looks like one of the better mid- to late-round organizational catcher prospects who may eventually hang around AAA long enough to make it as a serviceable big league backup catcher. I’ve always had a soft spot for those guys. SR OF Derrick Workman shows three big league tools (speed, arm, pop), but his approach is one of the most hacktastic (78 K, 71 K, and 59 K through three seasons) in all of amateur ball. SR OF Sasha LaGarde has a little more usable speed, a little less power, and similar swing-and-miss issues (55 K last year). SR 1B Nick Backlund joined the 50 K club, but he may have enough power to make it worth some team’s while in the later rounds.
I like both JR RHP Ben Lumsden and JR RHP Dmitri Kourtis a lot. Lumsden is a hard thrower (94 peak) with good size and a track record of success (2013: 7.97 K/9 | 1.79 BB/9 | 3.78 FIP | 55.1 IP). Kourtis may just qualify as a “sleeper” — I hate that term so much, yet use it all the time — even though he’s a pretty well-known name in the scouting community. What gives him “sleeper” potential for me is how high I think he can rise between now and June. What’s not to like about a guy who gets ground balls, lives 88-92 (touching 93), throws a mean changeup (flashes plus), and is coming off a strong season (2013: 8.02 K/9 | 2.00 BB/9 | 3.25 FIP | 67.1 IP)? The name of the game is missing bats and getting diplomatic ground ball outs, and Kourtis does both quite well.
North Florida
JR 3B Trent Higginbothem
rJR OF Alex Bacon
SR 1B/C Ryan Roberson
JR 3B/RHP Drew Weeks
SR RHP David Trexler
SR RHP Tyler Moore
SO RHP Corbin Olmstead
SO OF Donnie Dewees
SO 2B/SS Kyle Brooks
rFR SS Patrick Ervin
FR RHP Bryan Baker
SR 1B/C Ryan Roberson isn’t really a prospect unless he can stay behind the plate. I still like him as a college hitter. JR 3B Trent Higginbothem is probably North Florida’s best hitting prospect and a certifiable “sleeper” — everybody is a sleeper! — if he hits as expected in 2014. SR RHP Tyler Moore is probably North Florida’s best overall 2014 prospect and a certifiable “sleeper” — sorry! — if healthy in 2014. Moore has performed at every turn since stepping on campus and his stuff, while not overwhelming, is strong enough (88-92 FB, really good breaking ball) to make it in pro ball. FR RHP Bryan Baker is probably North Florida’s best overall prospect (draft year be damned).
Northern Kentucky
SR LHP Matt Jefferson
JR LHP Cody Cooper
A pair of lefthanded arms stood out to me among the rest when looking at Northern Kentucky: SR LHP Matt Jefferson and JR LHP Cody Cooper. Hard to put either in the draftable range at this point, but that’s why they play the games, right?
South Carolina Upstate
JR RHP Chad Sobotka
SR LHP David Roseboom
SR C Luke Weber
SR OF Tyler Lesch
Very easy to see why JR RHP Chad Sobotka is getting some loud early draft buzz. Size (6-6, 200), heat (90-94, 95-96 peak), a second knockout pitch (82-85 SL), and the ability to miss bats (9.77 K/9 in 2012, 10.61 K/9 in 2013) all have his arrow pointing up. Refining his stuff to include an effective softer pitch could make him a starter at the next level, but he may be one of those guys best left to let it fly out of the pen. Either way, his control needs some tightening up. Easy single digit round prospect no matter his future role, I think.
With Sobotka pitching out of the pen to this point, SR LHP David Roseboom is technically the best starting pitching prospect on the roster. He’s carried a heavy load the past two years and figures to use his average fastball, plus SL, and CU with promise to do much of the same in 2013. A year closer to his freshman season should get him drafted.
Stetson
JR C Garrett Russini
JR SS/2B Tyler Bocock
SR SS/2B K’Shawn Smith
SR OF Kyle Zech
JR 1B/OF Tanner Blackman
rSR RHP Kurt Schluter
SR LHP Austin Perez
rSO RHP Ben Rakus
JR RHP Josh Powers
rSO RHP Tyler Warmoth
JR C Garrett Russini has a little Atlantic Sun helium as a 2014 breakout candidate, according to those in the know. His defense is solid and the bat has a good deal of untapped upside. With a surprisingly impressive — surprising in that he hasn’t been scooped up by a pro team yet — four-pitch mix, rSR RHP Kurt Schluter is one of 2014’s best potential senior signs. SR LHP Austin Perez has done well for himself, but is short on stuff. rSO RHP Ben Rakus and JR RHP Josh Powers haven’t been as sharp — in terms of peripherals, mostly — but have the kind of size and stuff that could get them noticed with an uptick of bats missed.
SO 1B/C Pat Mazeika is already one of my favorite underclass bats to watch.
The Baseball Draft Report 