2016 MLB Draft Follow Lists – Horizon
I think I was pretty optimistic about Sean Murphy in the pre-season…
Watching Murphy do his thing behind the plate is worth the price of admission alone. We’re talking “Queen Bee” level arm strength, ample lateral quicks on balls in the dirt, and dependable hands with an ever-improving ability to frame borderline pitches. He’s second in the class behind Jake Rogers defensively — not just as a catcher, but arguably at any position — but with enough bat (unlike Rogers) to project as a potential above-average all-around regular in time. I expect the battle for top college catching prospect to be closely contested all year with Thaiss, Okey, and Murphy all taking turns atop team-specific draft boards all spring long.
…but there’s a chance that even the praise and his lofty ranking (22nd among college prospects, top three college catcher) undersold how good a player he is. Murphy has a chance to be a game-changing talent defensively as well as a significant contributor offensively. If you ever sat down and counted up all of the players that various experts considered first rounders you’d wind up with a first round approaching triple-digit selections; for that reason, I hesitate to call Murphy a future first round pick. I think it’s much easier to identify him instead as a first round talent, a minor distinction that speaks more about his ability as a player than an attempt to explain the vagaries of how teams draft. I have no idea if Murphy will be a first round pick in June. I don’t even know if he’ll wind up as one of the top thirty or so (“first round”) players on my final big board before the draft. What I do know is that he’s talented enough to warrant a first round pick, so fans of any team picking him then should be pleased. I also know that college players I like in that late-first to mid-second round range have had a tendency of slipping some on draft day, what with there being so many talented players that sorting through the top 100 can produce lists with all kinds of different orders. Brandon Lowe (ranked him 24/drafted in the third), Scott Kingery (25/second), David Thompson (35/fourth), and Harrison Bader (42/third) are all examples of this kind of player from last year. Those were all serious value picks in my mind, and I can see Murphy’s (late-first to third round) selection being written about in much the same way in a few months.
Throwing to Murphy will be a pitching staff that stands out as one of the best in the conference. Jesse Scholtens, a transfer from Arizona, can crank it up to the low-90s with his fastball, a pitch complemented nicely with an average or better breaking ball. There’s clear senior-sign reliever potential with him and perhaps a little bit more if his changeup continues to develop. EJ Trapino and Derek Hendrixson are players who could be targeted by teams more interested in performance than physical projection. Trapino, the lefty, and Hendrixson, a righty, both stand at only around 5-9, 150 pounds. The lack of size has not slowed them down in any way, however, as both young pitchers have consistentedly mowed down whatever competition that has been put in front of them. Trapino uses a funky sidearm delivery with loads of deception to keep hitters off balance to the tune of a 11.21 K/9 in 53 junior year innings. Hendrixson has more impressive stuff (low-90s heat, interesting cutter), but he’ll have to prove it works at the D1 level first. Judging by his junior college numbers – 9.88 K/9 and 0.80 BB/9 in 78.1 IP last year – it shouldn’t be too painful a transition if he’s healthy and given the opportunity. We need not take those things for granted, but there’s no harm in hoping for the best.
Hitters
- Wright State JR C Sean Murphy
- Wisconsin-Milwaukee rJR SS/3B Eric Solberg
- Oakland SR SS Mike Brosseau
- Oakland JR 1B/OF Zach Sterry
- Wright State JR SS Mitch Roman
- Wisconsin-Milwaukee rSR OF Luke Meeteer
- Valparaiso JR 1B Nate Palace
- Illinois-Chicago JR 3B/SS Mickey McDonald
- Youngstown State rSO 1B Andrew Kendrick
- Wright State rSO 1B/OF Gabe Snyder
- Youngstown State JR OF Alex Larivee
- Valparaiso SR C/OF Daniel Delaney
- Oakland rSR C/2B Ian Yetsko
- Illinois-Chicago JR SS/3B Cody Bohanek
- Valparaiso SR OF Nolan Lodden
- Illinois-Chicago rSR OF Conor Philbin
- Wright State SR OF Ryan Fucci
Pitchers
- Wright State SR RHP Jesse Scholtens
- Youngstown State JR RHP Kevin Yarabinec
- Illinois-Chicago JR RHP Connor Ryan
- Illinois-Chicago JR LHP Jake Dahlberg
- Wisconsin-Milwaukee SR RHP Brian Keller
- Valparaiso SR LHP Dalton Lundeen
- Wisconsin-Milwaukee JR RHP Jay Peters
- Valparaiso SR LHP Luke Syens
- Wright State SR LHP EJ Trapino
- Wright State JR RHP Derek Hendrixson
- Wright State rJR LHP Robby Sexton
- Youngstown State SR LHP Jared Wight
- Oakland JR RHP Connor Fannon
- Wisconsin-Milwaukee JR RHP Adam Reuss
- Illinois-Chicago SR LHP/OF Trevor Lane
- Valparaiso SR RHP Ryan Fritze
- Oakland rSR RHP Chris Van Dyke
- Oakland rSR RHP Lucas Scocchia
- Youngstown State JR RHP Jeremy Quinlan
Illinois-Chicago
JR RHP Mitchell Schulewitz (2016)
JR LHP Jake Dahlberg (2016)
SR RHP Jack Andersen (2016)
JR RHP Connor Ryan (2016)
SR LHP/OF Trevor Lane (2016)
rSR OF Conor Philbin (2016)
JR 3B/SS Mickey McDonald (2016)
rSO C Gabe Dwyer (2016)
rSO 2B David Cronin (2016)
JR SS/3B Cody Bohanek (2016)
SO RHP Noah Masa (2017)
SO C Robert Calabrese (2017)
FR RHP Fred Gosbeth (2018)
FR RHP Reid Birlingmair (2018)
FR OF Riley Hebert (2018)
FR OF/1B Scott Ota (2018)
High Priority Follows: Mitchell Schulewitz, Jake Dahlberg, Jack Anderson, Connor Ryan, Trevor Lane, Conor Philbin, Mickey McDonald, David Cronin, Cody Bohanek
Northern Kentucky
rSR RHP Alex Bolia (2016)
SR RHP Aric Harris (2016)
SR RHP Justin Watts (2016)
rJR LHP Kevin Herren (2016)
rSR RHP Wendell Wright (2016)
SR C Logan Spurlin (2016)
JR SS Kyle Colletta (2016)
rSR OF Quint Heady (2016)
JR OF Tito Montgomery (2016)
SO OF/LHP Trey Ganns (2017)
High Priority Follows: Justin Watts, Kyle Colletta
Oakland
rSR RHP Lucas Scocchia (2016)
rSR RHP Chris Van Dyke (2016)
SR LHP Collin Gee (2016)
SR RHP Alex Mason (2016)
JR RHP Connor Fannon (2016)
JR RHP Kendall Colvin (2016)
JR RHP Tyler Palm (2016)
JR RHP Aaron Dehl (2016)
JR 1B/OF Zach Sterry (2016)
SR SS Mike Brosseau (2016)
JR OF Tyler Pagano (2016)
rSR C/2B Ian Yetsko (2016)
SO RHP Nate Green (2017)
SO LHP Nate Schweers (2017)
FR OF Jordan Jackson (2018)
High Priority Follows: Lucas Scocchia, Chris Van Dyke, Connor Fannon, Zach Sterry, Mike Brosseau, Ian Yetsko
Valparaiso
SR RHP Trevor Haas (2016)
SR LHP Luke Syens (2016)
SR LHP Dalton Lundeen (2016)
SR RHP Ryan Fritze (2016):
rJR RHP Ellis Foreman (2016)
SR C/OF Daniel Delaney (2016)
SR OF Nolan Lodden (2016)
SR OF Josh Clark (2016)
JR 1B Nate Palace (2016)
SO RHP Luke VanLanen (2017)
SO INF Chad Jacob (2017)
FR RHP Montana Quigley (2018)
FR C Scott Kapers (2018)
High Priority Follows: Trevor Haas, Luke Syens, Dalton Lundeen, Ryan Fritze, Daniel Delaney, Nolan Lodden, Nate Palace
Wisconsin-Milwaukee
JR RHP Jay Peters (2016)
SR RHP Brian Keller (2016)
JR RHP Adam Reuss (2016)
rSR RHP Cal Haley (2016)
JR RHP Zach Brenner (2016)
rJR SS/3B Eric Solberg (2016)
JR 2B/SS Billy Quirke (2016)
rJR 1B/3B John Boidanis (2016)
SR 3B/1B Nick Unes (2016)
rSR OF Luke Meeteer (2016)
SO LHP Alex McIntosh (2017)
SO RHP Austin Schulfer (2017)
SO C Daulton Varsho (2017)
FR RHP Jake Sommers (2018)
FR INF Mike Ferri (2018)
High Priority Follows: Jay Peters, Brian Keller, Adam Reuss, Cal Haley, Eric Solberg, Billy Quirke, John Boidanis, Luke Meeteer
Wright State
SR LHP EJ Trapino (2016)
rSR RHP Jack Van Horn (2016)
JR RHP Derek Hendrixson (2016)
SR RHP Jesse Scholtens (2016)
rJR LHP Robby Sexton (2016)
SR OF Ryan Fucci (2016)
SR 3B John Brodner (2016)
SR C Jason DeFevers (2016)
rJR 1B/OF Brad Macciocchi (2016)
JR SS Mitch Roman (2016)
rSO 1B/OF Gabe Snyder (2016)
JR C Sean Murphy (2016)
SO RHP Jeremy Randolph (2017)
SO OF Matt Morrow (2017)
FR RHP Ryan Weiss (2018)
FR RHP/SS Caleb Sampen (2018)
FR LHP Zane Collins (2018)
FR OF/C Peyton Burdick (2018)
FR OF JD Orr (2018)
High Priority Follows: EJ Trapino, Jack Van Horn, Derek Hendrixson, Jesse Scholtens, Robby Sexton, Ryan Fucci, Mitch Roman, Gabe Snyder, Sean Murphy
Youngstown State
SR LHP Jared Wight (2016)
JR RHP Kevin Yarabinec (2016)
JR LHP Michael Semonsen (2016)
JR RHP Jeremy Quinlan (2016)
SR 2B Billy Salem (2016)
JR OF Lorenzo Arcuri (2016)
JR SS Shane Willoughby (2016)
JR OF Alex Larivee (2016)
rSO 1B Andrew Kendrick (2016)
SO 1B Ryan Cordova (2017)
FR LHP Collin Floyd (2018)
FR OF Kyle Benyo (2018)
High Priority Follows: Jared Wight, Kevin Yarabinec, Jeremy Quinlan, Billy Salem, Lorenzo Arcuri, Alex Larivee, Andrew Kendrick
2016 MLB Draft Follow Lists – Summit
For a variety of reasons, some valid (other non-site baseball obligations) most not (classic case of letting perfect become the enemy of good leading to delays), I don’t always say exactly what I want to say when I want to say it on this platform. When that happens, I try to at least hint at what I want to say. Like, if I’m not quite ready to unveil a complete ranking of a conference or a position or even an overall big board but I still want a certain opinion about a player out there for public consumption, I’ll try to find a way to work it in somehow. I do that more with high school prospects because the research piece there is never truly done – for example, I’ve yet to do a complete HS board but anybody can read between the lines who I’d have number one by now – but occasionally it happens at the college level.
Clayton Taylor is an excellent draft prospect. He was the top position player on last year’s Summit list and he retains that very spot in 2016. I’ve championed Taylor’s cause for a few years now, but now I’m willing to go all-in on his electric bat speed and promising defensive tools. It was that last point that kept me from falling completely in love with him before, but enough people who know things have assured me he’s athletic enough to handle second (and short in a pinch) with a strong enough arm and solid instincts for third. With his bat, that’ll work just fine. Power, patience, production, athleticism, size, defensive upside…Taylor checks every box. Now comes the part where I’m not yet ready to say what I want to say, but I’ll do what I can to say it anyway: the next batch of updated college position rankings could see Taylor rate as the top D1 third base prospect in the country. I’d have Lucas Erceg at the top with some (unfinished) combination of Taylor, Bobby Dalbec (for now…), Sheldon Neuse, and old favorite Greg Deichmann making up the next tier. Getting that on the record now before everybody – or not: whatever, doesn’t matter, maybe I’m alone on this one – jumps on the bandwagon come June. Clayton Taylor can play.
Cole Gruber joins Taylor in what may be the country’s best pair of senior-sign hitters in one lineup. Gruber has always hit and has the bat speed to give confidence that he’ll keep doing so going forward, but his true calling card is his combination of speed and range in CF. When the first word out of one’s mouth after watching a prospect patrol center is “easy,” then you know you’ve got a keeper. Count me in as a big fan of his game, both aesthetically in the here and now and how it will translate to the pros.
Neither Brent Williams nor Adam McGinnis will blow you away with their defensive work, but both have the chance to be serviceable behind the plate while having an average or better offensive impact at it. Of course, when I say they have a chance that’s not something to be taken lightly. Projecting prospects is, as we all know, a game of percentages, and I’d put the best possible outcome path for both Williams and McGinnis lower than most prospects that rank so highly on a conference prospect list. Williams’s bat is plenty intriguing and his reputation as a patient hitter is appealing, but positive early scouting buzz is a long way from doing it consistently at the D1 level; that, in turn, is a long way from doing it well enough to get drafted and eventually promoted along as a professional. McGinnis’s bat does even less for me at the moment, but his defensive versatility – he’s a good athlete with average speed and a strong arm, so a four-corners/catcher utility future can’t be ruled out – makes him stand out in a conference filled with interesting yet flawed prospects.
Interesting yet flawed describes the Summit League’s pitching prospects as well. Kyler Stout, a redshirt-sophomore at Oral Roberts, takes the top spot despite only tossing 10.2 innings last year and around 35 total his first two seasons. The aggressive ranking is a testament to the importance of a pitcher knowing how to consistently locate his fastball. Stout commands his 88-92 fastball really well, so at the top he sits. His main challengers for the spot include Joe Mortillaro (good low-90s FB with sink), Preston Church (upper-80s lefty with deception), Brian VanderWoude (changeup specialist), and Parker Trewin (leverages his slider for lots of whiffs, but already 24 years old). The most fascinating names for me this spring are Tyler Fox (85-90 FB with three offspeed pitches he can throw at any time) and Nick Milligan (power righty up to 94 who piles up both strikeouts and walks). Interesting by flawed, indeed.
Hitters
- Nebraska-Omaha SR 3B/SS Clayton Taylor
- Nebraska-Omaha SR OF Cole Gruber
- Oral Roberts rJR C/1B Brent Williams
- Western Illinois JR C Adam McGinnis
- Oral Roberts rSO OF Noah Cummings
- North Dakota State JR OF Ben Petersen
- Fort Wayne SR OF Brandon Soat
- Oral Roberts JR 3B Chase Stafford
- Oral Roberts JR 3B/OF Rolando Martinez
- Nebraska-Omaha SR OF Alex Schultz
- Fort Wayne SR OF Evan VanSumeren
- North Dakota State SR C/OF Taylor Sanders
- Fort Wayne rSR 2B/SS Greg Kaiser
- South Dakota State JR 1B Matt Johnson
- Fort Wayne rSO 1B/C Brock Logan
- North Dakota State SR C Juan Gamez
- Fort Wayne SR 1B Kendall Whitman
- Oral Roberts rJR OF/2B Nick Rotola
- North Dakota State rJR C JT Core
- Western Illinois JR SS/1B Chris Tschida
- South Dakota State SR OF Paul Jacobson
Pitchers
- Oral Roberts rSO RHP Kyler Stout
- South Dakota State SR RHP Andrew Clemen
- Western Illinois SR RHP Joe Mortillaro
- Western Illinois JR LHP Preston Church
- South Dakota State JR RHP Ryan Froom
- North Dakota State SR RHP Brian VanderWoude
- North Dakota State rSR LHP Parker Trewin
- Nebraska-Omaha SR RHP Tyler Fox
- Western Illinois SR RHP Nick Milligan
- Fort Wayne rSO RHP Brandon Phelps
- South Dakota State JR RHP Ethan Kenkel
- North Dakota State JR RHP Alex Rogers
- Oral Roberts rSR RHP Nathan Garza
- Fort Wayne rJR RHP Jake Weber
Fort Wayne
rJR RHP Jake Weber (2016)
rSR LHP Brandon Pease (2016)
SR RHP Trevor Storie (2016)
SR RHP Kyle Orwig (2016)
rSO RHP Brandon Phelps (2016)
SR OF Brandon Soat (2016)
rSR 2B/SS Greg Kaiser (2016)
SR 1B Kendall Whitman (2016)
SR OF Evan VanSumeren (2016)
rSR OF Shane Trevino (2016)
rSO 1B/C Brock Logan (2016)
rSO 3B/C Shannon Baker (2016)
SO RHP Evan Miller (2017)
FR RHP Brayton Cooper (2018)
High Priority Follows: Jake Weber, Brandon Pease, Kyle Orwig, Brandon Phelps, Brandon Soat, Greg Kaiser, Kendall Whitman, Evan VanSumeren, Shane Trevino, Brock Logan, Shannon Baker
Nebraska-Omaha
SR RHP Tyler Fox (2016)
SR RHP Marcus Ethen (2016)
JR RHP Brett Sasse (2016)
JR RHP Shane Meltz (2016)
JR RHP Eric Moreno (2016)
JR RHP Skyler Sylvester (2016)
SR OF Cole Gruber (2016)
SR OF Alex Schultz (2016)
SR 3B/SS Clayton Taylor (2016)
rSO 1B Ryan Cate (2016)
SO RHP Corey Binger (2017)
SO LHP Brad Olsen (2017)
SO OF Cole Patterson (2017)
FR INF Jack Kalina (2018)
High Priority Follows: Tyler Fox, Cole Gruber, Alex Schultz, Clayton Taylor
North Dakota State
JR RHP Alex Rogers (2016)
SR RHP Brian VanderWoude (2016)
JR RHP Adam Lambrecht (2016)
rJR RHP Sean Terres (2016)
JR RHP Reed Pfannenstein (2016)
JR RHP Kevin Folman (2016)
rSR LHP Parker Trewin (2016)
SR C/OF Taylor Sanders (2016)
SR C Juan Gamez (2016)
rJR C JT Core (2016)
SR 2B Andy Wicklund (2016)
rSO OF Logan Busch (2016)
JR OF Ben Petersen (2016)
SR 3B Paul Funk (2016)
SR INF Danny Regan (2016)
SO LHP Blake Stockert (2017)
SO RHP Colin Baumgard (2017)
SO 1B/C Brayden Resch (2017)
SO OF Jayse McLean (2017)
SO 2B Drew Fearing (2017)
SO 1B Mason Pierzchalski (2017)
FR RHP/OF Blake Tritch (2018)
FR LHP/OF Parker Harms (2018)
FR OF Alec Abercrombie (2018)
High Priority Follows: Alex Rogers, Brian VanderWoude, Sean Terres, Parker Trewin, Taylor Sanders, Juan Gamez, JT Core, Ben Petersen
Oral Roberts
rSR RHP Nathan Garza (2016)
rSO RHP Kyler Stout (2016)
JR RHP Logan Michaels (2016)
rSR RHP Nick Wood (2016)
JR RHP Grant Glaze (2016)
rJR C/RHP Holden Cammack (2016)
rJR C/1B Brent Williams (2016)
rSR SS Trevin Sonnier (2016)
rJR OF/2B Nick Rotola (2016)
JR 3B/OF Rolando Martinez (2016)
JR 3B Chase Stafford (2016)
rSO OF Noah Cummings (2016)
SO RHP Bryce Howe (2017)
SO LHP Taylor Varnell (2017)
SO C Matt Whatley (2017)
SO SS Nick Roark (2017)
FR RHP/1B Josh McMinn (2018)
FR LHP Trevor McCutchin (2018)
High Priority Follows: Nathan Garza, Kyler Stout, Brent Williams, Nick Totola, Rolando Martinez, Chase Stafford, Noah Cummings
South Dakota State
SR RHP Andrew Clemen (2016)
SR RHP Derringer Huff (2016)
JR RHP Ethan Kenkel (2016)
JR LHP Landon Busch (2016)
JR RHP Ryan Froom (2016)
SR RHP Joe Erickson (2016)
SR OF Paul Jacobson (2016)
SR SS Jesse Munsterman (2016)
JR 1B Matt Johnson (2016)
SO 3B Tony Kjolsing (2017)
SO C Luke Ringhofer (2017)
SO OF Anthony Schneider (2017)
SO OF Philip Jacobson (2017)
SO 3B Newt Johnson (2017)
FR RHP Will McAffer (2018)
FR OF Marcus Hahn (2018)
High Priority Follows: Andrew Clemen, Derringer Huff, Ethan Kenkel, Landon Busch, Ryan Froom, Paul Jacobson, Jesse Munsterman, Matt Johnson
Western Illinois
SR RHP Joe Mortillaro (2016)
rJR LHP Aaron Michel (2016)
SR RHP Nick Milligan (2016)
JR LHP Preston Church (2016)
JR RHP Robbie Nunn (2016)
SR OF Erik Maki (2016)
SR C Mark Garton (2016)
JR C Adam McGinnis (2016)
JR SS/1B Chris Tschida (2016)
SO LHP JT Baksha (2017)
SO RHP Colan Borchers (2017)
SO LHP Pete Minella (2017)
SO RHP Sam Cottingham-Beard (2017)
SO SS Kendall King (2017)
SO 2B Colton Pogue (2017)
FR INF Deion Thompson (2018)
FR INF Drue Galassi (2018)
FR C CJ Shaeffer (2018)
High Priority Follows: Joe Mortillaro, Aaron Michel, Nick Milligan, Preston Church, Robbie Nunn, Mark Garton, Adam McGinnis, Chris Tschida
2016 MLB Draft Follow Lists – MEAC
We’ve talked at length over the years about the limits of what an amateur second base prospect can realistically achieve. It goes without saying that the road is even harder for a senior coming out of the MEAC, especially an undersized one with no clear standout physical tool. But Cameron Onderko has been a hitting machine since first stepping foot on campus. That’s enough for me for now to give him the top spot in a generally think crop of 2016 pro prospects.
Demetrius Sims is good enough to stick at short in the pros with a strong arm and solid speed. There’s a little more wishcasting involved with his bat then you’d like to see, but betting on an athlete like him is rarely a bad idea. Marlon Gibbs has a 350 at bat or so lead on Sims, so it’s no big shock that his bat is a little bit ahead as of now. He’s a comparable athlete to Sims – a very good thing – with an above-average approach and impressive bat speed. Same goes for Denathan Dukes, a personal favorite for more (athleticism, speed, idea at the plate) than his outstanding name.
There’s a tick less pitching to get excited about, but, as always, you can find a few interesting guys if you’re willing to keep an open mind. Andrew Vernon has some late-round senior-sign future reliever characteristics, most notably his fastball/slider combo (88-92, 94 peak; average or better SL) and consistent track record of missing bats. Alex Seibold, a transfer from Florida International, has similar stuff and a similar pro outlook. The three lefties that rank next are all unique in their own way: Devin Hemmerich had an excellent junior season (9.51 K/9 and 1.90 BB/9) utilizing a mid- to upper-80s fastball, Matt Outman is the veteran potential senior-sign, and JoJo Durden comes to Florida A&M via Chipola JC with decent stuff, good size, and plenty to prove.
Hitters
- Delaware State SR 2B/SS Cameron Onderko
- Bethune-Cookman rSO SS Demetrius Sims
- Florida A&M rSR OF Marlon Gibbs
- Norfolk State JR OF Denathan Dukes
- North Carolina Central JR OF Carlos Ortiz
- Delaware State JR OF/LHP Jaylen Zielecki
- Florida A&M rSR OF Dylan Dillard
- Florida A&M SR 2B Alec Wong
- Coppin State SR 1B/OF George Dragon
- North Carolina A&T JR 2B/3B Timothy Ravare
- Florida A&M JR C Jacky Miles
- North Carolina Central JR C Conrad Kovalcik
- Norfolk State SR OF Angel Rosario
- North Carolina Central rSO OF/C Bryant Battle
- Bethune-Cookman SR OF Nathan Bond
- North Carolina Central rJR OF Jacobi Harris
- North Carolina Central SR 1B Christian Tripplett
- Savannah State rSR 1B Charles Sikes
- Florida A&M SR OF Peter Jackson
- Norfolk State SR 3B Kyle Vaas
- Norfolk State rJR 2B/SS Roger Hall
- Savannah State SR OF/C Mendez Elder
Pitchers
- North Carolina Central SR RHP Andrew Vernon
- Bethune-Cookman SR RHP Alex Seibold
- Norfolk State JR LHP Devin Hemmerich
- Norfolk State rSR LHP Matt Outman
- Florida A&M JR LHP JoJo Durden
- Bethune-Cookman JR RHP Zach Olszewski
- Florida A&M rJR RHP Sawyer Betts
- North Carolina Central SR RHP Alex Dandridge
- Delaware State JR RHP/INF Chris Gonzalez
- Norfolk State SR RHP/3B Robbie Hiser
- Savannah State JR RHP Austin Robinson
- North Carolina A&T JR RHP Robert Peck
- Bethune-Cookman SR RHP German Hernandez
- Bethune-Cookman JR LHP Marcellus Sneed
- Florida A&M rSO RHP Hunter Fillingim
- North Carolina A&T JR LHP Danny Garrett
- Florida A&M JR RHP Chase Jarrell
- Florida A&M JR RHP Danny Rodriguez
- Florida A&M SR RHP Kenny McDonald
- Norfolk State SR RHP Cooper Jones
- Florida A&M SR LHP Ricky Page
- Florida A&M SR RHP Brandon Fleming
Bethune-Cookman
SR RHP Alex Seibold (2016)
JR LHP Marcellus Sneed (2016)
SR RHP German Hernandez (2016)
JR RHP Zach Olszewski (2016)
SR RHP Clint Clymer (2016)
SR OF Nathan Bond (2016)
rSO SS Demetrius Sims (2016)
JR OF Sam Brooks (2016)
JR C Michael Cruz (2016)
rJR C Clay Middleton (2016)
SR OF Rakeem Quinn (2016)
JR 2B Brandon Amendolare (2016)
JR 3B/1B Austin Garcia (2016)
SO RHP Tyler Norris (2017)
SO 3B Jameel Edney (2017)
SO OF Kyle Corbin (2017)
FR RHP Tyler Krull (2018)
FR SS Trent Nash (2018)
FR OF Josten Heron (2018)
FR 1B Daniel Rodriguez (2018)
High Priority Follows: Alex Seibold, Marcellus Sneed, German Hernandez, Zach Olszewski, Nathan Bond, Demetrius Sims, Clay Middleton
Coppin State
SR 1B/OF George Dragon (2016)
SR OF Darien Percell (2016)
SR OF John Kraft (2016)
rSO 3B/SS Bryant Miranda (2016)
JR OF Clinton Arnold (2016)
SO SS Jacquez Hunn (2017)
FR LHP Andrew O’Dwyer (2018)
FR P Jahmon Taylor (2018)
FR P Aaron Rea (2018)
FR P Krystian Negron (2018)
FR OF Carlos Alvairez (2018)
FR SS Erik Crossman (2018)
FR C John O’Dwyer (2018)
High Priority Follows: George Dragon, Darien Percell, Bryant Miranda, Clinton Arnold
Delaware State
JR LHP Dan Galati (2016)
JR RHP/INF Chris Gonzalez (2016)
JR OF/LHP Jaylen Zielecki (2016)
SR 2B/SS Cameron Onderko (2016)
JR C Jacob Bartlett (2016)
SO RHP Lane DeLeon (2017)
SO RHP Zach Cooney (2017)
SO LHP Darrien Ragins (2017)
SO RHP Hunter McVey (2017)
SO OF Devin Beverly (2017)
SO OF Austin Bentley (2017)
FR RHP Sean Hanhauser (2018)
FR OF Darnell Maisonet (2018)
High Priority Follows: Jaylen Zielecki, Chris Gonzalez, Cameron Onderko
Florida A&M
SR LHP Ricky Page (2016)
SR RHP Kenny McDonald (2016)
SR RHP Brandon Fleming (2016)
SR RHP David Ogilvie (2016)
JR RHP Chase Jarrell (2016)
rJR RHP Sawyer Betts (2016)
rSO RHP Hunter Fillingim (2016)
JR LHP JoJo Durden (2016)
JR RHP Danny Rodriguez (2016)
JR 3B Ben Ellzey (2016)
JR C Jacky Miles (2016)
rSR OF Marlon Gibbs (2016)
rSR OF Dylan Dillard (2016)
SR 2B Alec Wong (2016)
SR SS AJ Elkins (2016)
SR OF Peter Jackson (2016)
SO C Brian Davis (2017)
FR INF Keith Stevens (2018)
FR OF Willis McDaniel (2018)
High Priority Follows: Ricky Page, Kenny McDonald, Brandon Fleming, Chase Jarrell, Sawyer Betts, Hunter Fillingim, JoJo Durden, Danny Rodriguez, Jacky Miles, Marlon Gibbs, Dylan Dillard, Alec Wong, Peter Jackson
Maryland-Eastern Shore
SR RHP Will Turley (2016)
rSR RHP Devin Repine (2016)
SR 2B/SS Mike Escanilla (2016)
SO RHP Toby Hoskins (2017)
SO RHP Scott Bean (2017)
High Priority Follows: Mike Escanilla
Norfolk State
SR RHP Cooper Jones (2016)
JR LHP Devin Hemmerich (2016)
rSR LHP Matt Outman (2016)
SR RHP/3B Robbie Hiser (2016)
SR OF Angel Rosario (2016)
rJR 2B/SS Roger Hall (2016)
SR 3B Kyle Vaas (2016)
JR OF Denathan Dukes (2016)
SO RHP Michael Parmentier (2017)
SO 2B/RHP Alex Mauricio (2017)
SO C Ismael Herrera (2017)
SO OF Syeed Mahdi (2017)
FR 2B/RHP Chase Anderson (2018)
High Priority Follows: Cooper Jones, Devin Hemmerich, Matt Outman, Robbie Hiser, Angel Rosario, Roger Hall, Kyle Vaas, Denathan Dukes
North Carolina A&T
JR RHP Robert Peck (2016)
JR RHP Kaesen Wilson (2016)
JR RHP Will Greene (2016)
JR LHP Danny Garrett (2016)
JR 2B/3B Timothy Ravare (2016)
SO OF/2B Myles Sowell (2016)
SO RHP Tevelle Clark (2017)
rFR RHP Nathan Blake (2017)
SO C Adan Ordonez (2017)
SO SS Milton Rivera (2017)
High Priority Follows: Robert Peck, Danny Garrett, Timothy Ravare, Myles Sowell
North Carolina Central
SR RHP Andrew Vernon (2016)
SR RHP Alex Dandridge (2016)
SR RHP Cameron Scalzo (2016)
JR RHP Christian Gonnelli (2016)
JR OF Carlos Ortiz (2016)
JR C Conrad Kovalcik (2016)
rSO OF/C Bryant Battle (2016)
JR SS Thomas Prospero (2016)
JR OF Zach Marszal (2016)
SR JR C James Dey (2016)
rJR OF Jacobi Harris (2016)
JR 3B Ellington Hopkins (2016)
rSR 2B Trevor Theissen (2016)
SR 1B Christian Tripplett (2016)
SO RHP Devin Sweet (2017)
SO OF/LHP Mitchell McCrary (2017)
High Priority Follows: Andrew Vernon, Alex Dandridge, Cameron Scalzo, Carlos Ortiz, Conrad Kovalcik, Bryant Battle, Thomas Prospero, Jacobi Harris, Christian Tripplett
Savannah State
JR RHP Austin Robinson (2016)
SR OF/C Mendez Elder (2016)
JR OF Jakeel Daniels (2016)
rSR 1B Charles Sikes (2016)
SO RHP Chris Hayes (2017)
SO LHP Trevor McKenna (2017)
SO SS Somto Egbuna (2017)
SO OF Harrison Moore (2017)
SO 1B/OF Marcus Mitchell (2017)
SO 3B Knox Marchman (2017)
FR RHP Greg Hollman (2018)
FR RHP Justin Washington (2018)
FR OF Jalen Atterbury (2018)
High Priority Follows: Austin Robinson, Mendez Elder, Charles Sikes
2016 MLB Draft Follow Lists – WAC
Brick Paskiewicz is one of college baseball’s best all-around players. There’s very little that he’s incapable of on the field. As a hitter, he flashes power, makes a lot of contact, and has an advanced approach. As a fielder, he’s well above-average in center with special athleticism, above-average to plus speed, and a strong arm. As a pitcher, he’s been up to 95 with his fastball (88-93 with serious sink otherwise) and can spot an average slider with above-average upside where he wants. Some I’ve checked with prefer him on the mound as a future athletic reliever with as yet untapped potential, but I’ll stick with him as a potential regular in center with continued growth as a hitter. His two-way college profile reminds me some of another old favorite, Louie Lechich, so a similar rise for Paskiewicz (Lechich was a sixth rounder) wouldn’t surprise me one bit. He’s good.
It’s fairly well-established by now that this year’s college shortstop class isn’t good. I’m about as positive a guy as you’ll find willing to do this for free and even I’ll admit that. That said…there are way more mid-major and small school types that can a) probably stay at shortstop in the pros, and b) hit frozen ropes even when dragged out of bed to do so. Paul Panaccione is one of the best of those types. In drafting Panaccione, you’d be getting a steadying influence in the middle infield, a hitter with a very clear plan with every trip to the plate, and an all-around solid performer with an increasingly intriguing track record of getting it done at the college level. Griffin Andreychuk, Brandon Greiger, and Ryan Yamane are all middle infielders that could wind up as similarly worthwhile mid- to late-round depth picks this June. Andreychuck, a prospect good enough that I took the time to think about and then commit the spelling of his name to memory, is the most similar to Panaccione and a threat to overtake him as the best shortstop prospect in the conference by year’s end. Greiger, a standout junior college transfer coming off a decent .478/.563/.701 (42 BB/30 K) season at New Mexico JC, has something to prove at New Mexico State. Early reports from fall ball were encouraging, so I’m bullish…and that’s even with the knowledge that his crazy 2015 stats don’t look quite as nice when viewed through the context of his team’s cumulative .377/.466/.613 batting line. Yamane has plenty to prove in his own right after injuries limited him to just 55 AB – very effective ones, it should be noted – last season. He’s more second baseman than shortstop, so that’ll have to be taken under consideration as well.
Beyond Paskiewicz and Panaccione, there’s a third Grand Canyon prospect I like a lot: catcher Josh Meyer. There’s really no getting around the fact that Meyer’s ranking is really aggressive considering his dreadful 2015 performance. The memory of his strong 2014 and really positive scouting notes (above-average defender in all phases, strong arm, very physical) prop up his prospect stock, but I could see why others may not give him the same pass for his recent struggles.
Yet another Grand Canyon prospect stands right there with Zach Muckenhirn as the WAC’s top pitching prospect. We’re talking about no other than Andrew Naderer. Both Muckenhirn and Naderer live mostly in the upper-80s – Muckenhirn can hit 92 and Naderer tops out at 90 – with average changeups that flash better, stellar overall command, and pitchability beyond their years. The two are very close as prospects since both do certain things particularly well. For Muckenhirn it’s his better by a hair change and fastball velocity, plus his unusually high baseball intelligence. Naderer wins with outstanding fastball movement and a developing cutter that has my attention. You really can’t go wrong with either as long as you keep your expectations (matchup reliever with a chance to keep starting as a crafty lefty) in check.
If more velocity is what you want, then check out Brett DeGagne’, Justin Dillon, Danny Beddes, and Matt Gorgolinski. Clocking in at a mere 6-4, 225 pounds, Dillon is the smallest of that quartet with the lowest peak fastball velocity (94 MPH) to boot…but he makes up for those “deficiencies” by being the only one of the four without present control issues. The door is open for any of those hard throwers – we could include the trio from New Mexico State (Joe Galindo, Marcel Renteria, Brett Worthen) who all can hit at least 94 – to wind up the highest drafted arm from the conference this June.
(I can’t mention the Western Athletic Conference without mentioning the “real” WAC. There’s not much of an online presence, so forgive the outdated flyer. Great league, great cause, great volunteers running the show.)
Hitters
- Grand Canyon JR OF/RHP Brick Paskiewicz
- Grand Canyon SR SS Paul Panaccione
- Seattle JR SS Griffin Andreychuk
- Grand Canyon JR C Josh Meyer
- New Mexico State SR SS Brandon Greiger
- Northern Colorado rSR 2B/SS Ryan Yamane
- Cal State Bakersfield JR 2B/OF David Metzgar
- Utah Valley State SR 1B/OF Mark Krueger
- Seattle SR 2B/SS Sheldon Stober
- Texas Rio Grande Valley SR OF Cole Loncar
- Sacramento State rSO OF Andrew McWilliam
- New Mexico State JR OF Daniel Johnson
- Sacramento State rSR OF/1B Chris Lewis
- Northern Colorado rSO 3B/OF Cole Maltese
- Cal State Bakersfield JR 2B/RHP Max Carter
- Chicago State rJR SS Julian Russell
- New Mexico State JR OF Greg Popylisen
- Texas Rio Grande Valley JR 1B Victor Garcia
- Utah Valley State SR OF Craig Brinkerhoff
- Sacramento State JR C Gunner Pollman
- Texas Rio Grande Valley JR C Jose Garcia
- Seattle JR 3B Brock Carpenter
- Grand Canyon SR OF Brandon Smith
- New Mexico State SR OF Cameron Haskins
- Seattle rJR 2B Cash McGuire
Pitchers
- North Dakota JR LHP Zach Muckenhirn
- Grand Canyon SR LHP Andrew Naderer
- North Dakota SR RHP Brett DeGagne’
- Sacramento State rJR RHP Justin Dillon
- Utah Valley State JR RHP Danny Beddes
- Sacramento State rSO RHP Matt Gorgolinski
- Grand Canyon rSR RHP Jorge Perez
- Sacramento State JR LHP Sam Long
- New Mexico State JR RHP Joe Galindo
- New Mexico State JR RHP Marcel Renteria
- New Mexico State JR RHP Brett Worthen
- Sacramento State SR RHP Tyler Beardsley
- Northern Colorado rSO RHP Connor Leedholm
- Seattle SR RHP Ted Hammond
- Seattle rJR LHP Connor Moore
- Texas Rio Grande Valley JR RHP Andrew Garcia
- Utah Valley State JR LHP Patrick Wolfe
- North Dakota JR LHP Brandon Radmacher
- Sacramento State JR RHP Max Karnos
- Cal State Bakersfield SR RHP/OF Chance Gusbeth
- Grand Canyon SR LHP Travis Garcia-Perreira
- Grand Canyon SR LHP Jaren Drummond
- Grand Canyon JR LHP Zebastian Valenzuela
- North Dakota JR LHP Ellery Breshnahan
- Texas Rio Grande Valley SR LHP Matt Rigby
Cal State Bakersfield
rSR RHP AJ Monarrez (2016)
JR LHP Alec Daily (2016)
SR RHP/OF Chance Gusbeth (2016)
JR 2B/RHP Max Carter (2016)
JR 2B/OF David Metzgar (2016)
JR OF/3B Ryan Grotjohn (2016)
JR 3B Joey Sanchez (2016)
SO OF Drew Seelman (2017)
SO OF Jarrett Veiga (2017)
High Priority Follows: AJ Monarrez, Chance Gusbeth, Max Carter, David Metzgar, Ryan Grotjohn, Joey Sanchez
Chicago State
rJR SS Julian Russell (2016)
SR OF Andy Gertonson (2016)
JR 2B Sanford Hunt (2016)
SO C Cody Freund (2017)
FR Cody Grosse (2018)
High Priority Follows: Julian Russell
Grand Canyon
SR LHP Andrew Naderer (2016)
SR LHP Travis Garcia-Perreira (2016)
SR RHP Cameron Brendel (2016)
SR LHP Jaren Drummond (2016)
rSO LHP Ethan Evanko (2016)
rSR RHP Jorge Perez (2016)
JR LHP Zebastian Valenzuela (2016)
JR OF/RHP Brick Paskiewicz (2016)
JR C Josh Meyer (2016)
SR OF Brandon Smith (2016)
SR SS Paul Panaccione (2016)
rSR 2B Krysthian Leal (2016)
JR OF Brian Kraft (2016)
JR OF Matt Haggerty (2016)
SO LHP Jake Repavich (2017)
SO RHP Mick Vorhof (2017)
SO OF Thomas Lerouge (2017)
SO OF Garrison Schwartz (2017)
SO INF Greg Saenz (2017)
SO 3B/SS Ben Mauseth (2017)
FR RHP/SS Tyler Wyatt (2018)
FR SS Marc Mumper (2018)
FR 1B/OF Zach Malis (2018)
High Priority Follows: Andrew Naderer, Travis Garcia-Perreira, Cameron Brendel, Jaren Drummond, Jorge Perez, Zebastian Valenzuela, Brick Paskiewicz, Josh Meyer, Brandon Smith, Paul Panaccione, Brian Kraft
New Mexico State
JR RHP Joe Galindo (2016)
JR RHP Brett Worthen (2016)
JR RHP Marcel Renteria (2016)
JR SS/RHP LJ Hatch (2016)
SR 1B Joseph Koerper (2016)
SR OF Cameron Haskins (2016)
JR OF Daniel Johnson (2016)
JR OF Greg Popylisen (2016)
SR SS Brandon Greiger (2016)
JR C Chad Reibenspies (2016)
SR SS/OF Jay Sheeley (2016)
FR FR LHP Steven Butts (2018)
FR RHP/SS Alex Reyes (2018)
FR SS Roman Trujillo (2018)
Whole new team –three are only returnees
High Priority Follows: Joe Galindo, Brett Worthen, Marcel Renteria, Joseph Koerper, Cameron Haskins, Daniel Johnson, Greg Popylisen, Brandon Greiger
North Dakota
JR LHP Zach Muckenhirn (2016)
SR RHP Brett DeGagne’ (2016)
JR LHP Ellery Breshnahan (2016)
JR LHP Brandon Radmacher (2016)
SR SS Daniel Lockhert (2016)
SO OF Brett Harrison (2017)
rFR OF/C Miles Lewis (2017)
High Priority Follows: Zach Muckenhirn, Brett DeGagne’, Ellery Breshnahan, Brandon Radmacher
Northern Colorado
SR RHP Spencer Applebach (2016)
rSO RHP Connor Leedholm (2016)
JR LHP/OF Nick Tanner (2016)
JR OF Dan Reese (2016)
JR C Jake Garcia (2016)
rSO 3B/OF Cole Maltese (2016)
rSR 2B/SS Ryan Yamane (2016)
SO RHP Justin Mulvaney (2017)
SO C Payton Tapia (2017)
SO 1B Marco Castilla (2017)
FR OF Cam Huber (2018)
High Priority Follows: Connor Leedholm, Cole Maltese, Ryan Yamane
Sacramento State
rSO RHP Matt Gorgolinski (2016)
JR RHP Max Karnos (2016)
SR RHP Tyler Beardsley (2016)
rJR RHP Justin Dillon (2016)
SR RHP Grant Kukuk (2016)
JR RHP Austin Ragsdale (2016)
JR LHP Sam Long (2016)
JR RHP Chad Perry (2016)
rSR OF/1B Chris Lewis (2016)
rSO OF Andrew McWilliam (2016)
SR SS Trent Goodrich (2016)
JR 2B Brandon Hunley (2016)
JR INF Kody Reynolds (2016)
JR C Gunner Pollman (2016)
SO SS PJ Floyd (2017)
SO 3B Devin Lehman (2017)
SO 1B Vinny Esposito (2017)
FR OF Matt Smith (2018)
FR C James Outman (2018)
High Priority Follows: Matt Gorgolinski, Max Karnos, Tyler Beardsley, Justin Dillon, Grant Kukuk, Sam Long, Chris Lewis, Andrew McWilliam, Gunnar Pollman
Seattle
SR RHP Ted Hammond (2016)
rSR RHP Grant Gunning (2016)
rJR LHP Connor Moore (2016)
JR 3B Brock Carpenter (2016)
SR 2B/SS Sheldon Stober (2016)
rJR 2B Cash McGuire (2016)
JR C/1B Mike McCann (2016)
JR SS Griffin Andreychuk (2016)
SO LHP Nick Meservey (2017)
SO LHP Tarik Skubal (2017)
SO RHP Janson Junk (2017)
SO RHP Ryan Freitas (2017)
SO OF Dalton Hurd (2017)
SO INF Sean Sutton (2017)
FR SS Chase Ridder (2018)
FR RHP Zach Wolf (2018)
FR LHP Tyler Oldenberg (2018)
FR OF Jeffrey Morgan (2018)
FR C/OF Kyler Murphy (2018)
High Priority Follows: Ted Hammond, Connor Moore, Brock Carpenter, Sheldon Stober, Cash McGuire, Mike McCann, Griffin Andreychuk
Texas Rio Grande Valley
JR RHP Andrew Padron (2016)
SR LHP Matt Rigby (2016)
JR RHP Eddie Delgado (2016)
JR RHP Andrew Garcia (2016)
SR OF Cole Loncar (2016)
JR 1B Victor Garcia (2016)
JR C Jose Garcia (2016)
SR OF Correy Davis (2016)
SO RHP Robert Quinonez (2017)
SO RHP Ryan Jackson (2017)
SO RHP Johnny Gonzalez (2017)
FR RHP Pablo Ortiz (2018)
High Priority Follows: Matt Rigby, Andrew Garcia, Cole Loncar, Victor Garcia, Jose Garcia
Utah Valley State
JR RHP Danny Beddes (2016)
JR LHP Patrick Wolfe (2016)
JR RHP Matt Davidson (2016)
JR RHP Eric Olguin (2016)
SR 1B/OF Mark Krueger (2016)
SR OF Craig Brinkerhoff (2016)
SR 2B/SS Greyson Bogden (2016)
SR 1B Spencer Gothberg (2016)
SO LHP Jackson Cofer (2017)
SO RHP Evan Fresquez (2017)
SO C Jake Atkinson (2017)
FR 2B Paul Estrada (2018)
High Priority Follows: Danny Beddes, Patrick Wolfe, Matt Davidson, Eric Olguin, Mark Krueger, Craig Brinkerhoff
The Baseball Draft Report 