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2017 Big 12 All-Draft Team (Hitters)

16 May 2017 7:00 AM / 7 Comments on 2017 Big 12 All-Draft Team (Hitters)

First Team

C – Evan Skoug
1B – Jake Scudder
2B – Cam Warner
SS – Orlando Garcia
3B – Garrett Benge
OF – Tanner Gardner, Austen Wade, Garrett McCain

Second Team

C – Renae Martinez
1B – Hunter Hargrove
2B – Michael Davis
SS – Matt McLaughlin
3B – Travis Jones
OF – Kyle Davis, Jon Littell, Patrick Mathis

I’ve been all-in on Garrett Benge since his freshman season at Cowley County JC. That’s what hitting .539/.636/1.017 with 48 BB/11 K will do for you. He’s since hit well in two seasons as a Cowboy while also adding two quality summer showings in the Texas Collegiate League and on the Cape. Needless to say, I’m still very much in on Benge. He’s got a shot to be a decent enough defender to remain at the hot corner with the requisite above-average power and obvious plate discipline to play everyday. I really, really like Benge. If you miss out on Jake Burger in the first or second round, then Benge later (round five?) is the way to go.

Travis Jones and Bret Boswell, both of Texas, are multi-position defenders who project best (in my view) at third base in the pros. Jones is one of my favorite unheralded players in this class. He’s a phenomenal athlete who can play just about any position on the diamond if needed. His size (6-4, 220) and strength should allow him to continue to tap into his raw power and his comfort level as a hitter seems to increase with every trip to the plate. My notes on Boswell include the phrase “if he’s healthy, watch out.” So far so good on that front in 2017 as Boswell has delivered with career best numbers across the board. Boswell, as good an athlete as Jones even with his very different build (5-11, 200), is viewed as a shortstop by some teams more willing to allow a guy with average tools to handle the spot. I think both guys have sneaky starter upside if it all works out — higher ceiling for Jones, arguably a little more floor with Boswell — and both would be draft targets for me, though I have no feel at all for how big league teams value these guys at this point.

I don’t have much in my notes on Brylie Ware with the exception of three different variations along the lines of BRYLIE WARE, Brylie Ware (?), and B. Ware (7/17/96 DOB) – find out more. So it’s pretty clear that the me of December really wanted the me of May to do some investigative work on Brylie Ware. May me still doesn’t know a lot about Ware, but the little he has heard has been positive. I’m in on Ware if signable. I also still like Elliott Barzilli as a potential utility option even with an underwhelming senior season that has to be explained away. Don’t sleep on Quintin Crandall, who has been an effective hitter and versatile defender (SS and OF), either.

Jake Scudder feels like the type of college first baseman who has a shot to “come out of nowhere” in pro ball as a mid- to late-round college veteran bat who just keeps on hitting at every stop. Picking him out of an unusually strong group of first base prospects wasn’t easy as arguments for Kacy Clemens and Hunter Hargrove, both seniors like Scudder, can be made.

Sometimes, timing is everything. Finding a hook for what to write about Orlando Garcia was easy after having just written about Kevin Smith last week. Check their college numbers to date…

.278/.366/.456 with 59 BB/127 K and 16/22 SB
.266/.334/.451 with 57 BB/121 K and 15/21 SB

Top is Garcia, bottom is Smith. The raw totals are a tiny bit misleading because Garcia has had over 100 PA less than Smith so far, so despite the similar career BB/K marks that difference amounts to a 21.7 K% and 10.1 BB% for Garcia as opposed to a 16.7 K% and 7.9 BB% for Smith. Still, pretty damn similar three years worth of production, right? The tools aren’t all that dissimilar either. In fact, everything written about Smith below applies to Garcia as well..

For starters, he’s a rock solid defender at shortstop with easy above-average range and sure hands that allow him to make damn near every play hit near him. He’s got enough arm to handle throws deep in the hole and athleticism to get to them in the first place. That strong defensive foundation makes him a worthwhile follow off the bat. He becomes even more interesting once you factor in his true above-average raw power, a rarity for a middle infielder at the amateur level even in the age of tool inflation (something I’m guilty of, I admit).

Other shortstops of note include Matt McLaughlin and Ryan Merrill, both steady gloves with enough bat to profile as potential utility infielders. Not bad!

Evan Skoug has been scorching hot of late. Clearly being left off of my top ten college catcher list at the end of March lit a fire under him. Skoug’s strong run has allowed his current season numbers (.282/.382/.508) to catch up to his 2016 totals (.301/.390/.502), but the red flag that is his mounting strikeout total looms large. Skoug went from 34 BB/47 K in 2016 to his current 28 BB/64 K totals. A project for the summer that I’d love to research would involve looking at the BB/K ratios of every college player drafted since I started this site. It’s such a rudimentary way of looking at a hitter, but damn if it doesn’t seem to correlate with professional success. Off the top of my dome, the only successful college turned professional hitter with more strikeouts than walks in his draft year is Aaron Judge. Fine, you’ve twisted my arm. A very quick look at first round college hitters since 2009…

AJ Pollock, Dustin Ackley, Josh Phegley, Yasmani Grandal, Christian Colon, Michael Choice, Anthony Rendon, Joe Panik, Kolten Wong, CJ Cron, Mikie Mahtook, Jace Peterson, Stephen Piscotty, Mitch Haniger, Travis Jankowski, Kevin Plawecki, Richie Shaffer, Deven Marrero, Kris Bryant, Phil Ervin, Colin Moran, Trea Turner, Michael Conforto, Kyle Schwarber, Alex Bregman, Andrew Benintendi

Those are the guys who had more walks than strikeouts in their draft year. Now here are the players who were first rounders with more strikeouts than walks in their draft year…

Tony Sanchez, Brett Jackson, Grant Green, Gary Brown, Bryce Brentz, Mike Olt, Kyle Parker, George Springer, Jackie Bradley, Mike Zunino, Tyler Naquin, Aaron Judge, Hunter Dozier, Hunter Renfroe, Dansby Swanson

The BB > K group (26 players) has combined for 95.6 bWAR to date. The K > BB group (15 players) has combined for 20.5 bWAR to date. The mean for the BB > K group is 3.7. The mean for the K > BB group is 1.4. The best first round college hitters since 2009 by bWAR have been AJ Pollock (15.9), Kris Bryant (15.3), Anthony Rendon (12.4), George Springer (12.2), and Yasmani Grandal (9.9). The top three by bWAR are BB > K guys. Five of the top six by bWAR are BB > K guys. Eleven of the top thirteen by bWAR are BB > K guys. Sixteen of the top nineteen by bWAR are BB > K guys. You see where I’m going with this. It’s an obvious point, I’m sure, but obvious points aren’t necessarily bad ones.

The “problem” with this research is that it limits our player pool to first round picks only. A lack of time and knowledge — is there a simple way to sort an entire draft class by any ML stat out there because the best I can find is the awesome B-R tool, but even that limits you by either team, position, or round? — makes this attempt incomplete at best. Maybe I’ll mess around with all this again in the slower summer months.

Anyway, all of this is a long way of saying that Skoug’s BB/K ratio is problematic. Sort of. He was never going to be a first round pick, so he wouldn’t have fit in with the groups above. Still, I think it’s fair to extrapolate some with the data we have and wonder if a hitter like Skoug can succeed with his draft year BB/K ratio looking like it does. If he makes it, he’ll be an outlier. I suppose that’s the point. Skoug is a really gifted natural hitter with the chance to hit for both average and power at the next level. He’s also a legitimately improved defender with the kind of intangibles and sure-handedness to convince some teams to overlook his underwhelming athleticism and ability to make flash plays behind the dish. I’m not brave enough to say Skoug could be one of those outliers, but between his oversized reputation as a hitter (past comps from BA and Aaron Fitt mentioned Kyle Schwarber and Matt Thaiss) and potential for sticking at a critical defensive spot, it may be worth a shot taking finding out sooner than his raw BB/K numbers indicate. Or maybe I’m breaking one of my cardinal rules of player evaluation by talking myself into a player I like from a scouting perspective in the face of damning statistical evidence.

Beyond Skoug, the catchers in the Big 12 are damn strong this year. Renae Martinez is an above-average catch-and-throw guy having a fine year at the plate. Josh Rolette is a very intriguing draft-eligible sophomore from Kansas State. Michael Cantu has big tools (namely his plus raw power), but poor performances likely will mean he’ll have to wait until next year to hear his name called during the draft. Kholeton Sanchez has the physical ability to play at the next level — he has enough speed and arm to play catcher, second, or center in the pros — but with only 62 D-1 at bats at the ripe old age of 23, he’s facing an uphill battle. He’s the brand of weird prospect I champion, so it should be no shock I’ll be rooting hard for him to get his shot in pro ball.

Tanner Gardner was a pre-season FAVORITE thanks to a patient approach, sneaky pop, above-average wheels, and the kind of athleticism and defensive upside to hang in either center (my guess) or short (the answer of a surprisingly high number of people I’ve heard from). He may not have enough power to profile as a regular, but I could see him settling in as a damn fine backup if it comes down to it. Garrett McCain was in a similar boat coming into the season, but has tapped into enough of his average raw power to do some real damage at the plate. Turns out steady at bats can help lead to a toolsy player breaking out…imagine that. McCain has always had a pro approach, so the bump in power, speed (average or better, plays up), and arm strength (upper-80s off the mound in another life) is just icing on the cake. Then there’s Austen Wade, a fun power/speed prospect with a chance to be average (power) or better (speed) in both areas.

Jon Littell is still coming into his own as a hitter, but his plus raw power, plus arm strength, and plus prep pedigree should have him drafted higher than his good but not great college production might otherwise suggest. Patrick Mathis is one of this year’s most underrated natural hitters. He’s also a solid defender with above-average to plus raw power. I’ve heard from reliable contacts that his down junior season has been more bad luck than bad hitting. BABIP giveth and BABIP taketh away, I suppose. I’m still on the bandwagon.

Three other outfielders that stand out for various reasons include Kameron Esthay (power lefty who was a narrow miss here), Nolan Brown (“better pro than college player [who] always seems to have a nagging injury holding him back”), and Ryan Sluder (guy who looked like a future star two years ago but has struggled mightily since). All in all, it’s a really fun outfield year for the Big 12. No clear stars, but lots of depth. Sums up the conference’s hitters as a whole, come to think of it.

Also receiving consideration…

C – Matt Menard, Josh Rolette, Michael Cantu, Kholeton Sanchez
1B – Kacy Clemens, Jackson Cramer, Aaron Dodson, Austin O’Brien, Dustin Williams, Connor Wanhanen
2B – Jack Flansburg, Kyle Mendenhall, Andrew Rosa
SS – Jimmy Galusky, Ryan Merrill
3B – Bret Boswell, Steve Serratore, Quintin Crandall, Brylie Ware, Quin Walbergh, Elliott Barzilli
OF – Kameron Esthay, Nolan Brown, Ben Hollas, Ryan Sluder, Ryan Long

2016 MLB Draft Follow Lists – Big 12

12 Apr 2016 8:00 AM / 1 Comment on 2016 MLB Draft Follow Lists – Big 12

On Sheldon Neuse before the season…

Neuse could still fulfill the promise many (myself included) saw in him during his excellent freshman season back when he looked like a potential Gold Glove defender at third with the kind of bat you’d happily stick in the middle of the order. He could also get more of a look this spring on the mound where he can properly put his mid-90s heat and promising pair of secondary offerings (SL, CU) to use. Or he could have something of a repeat of his 2015 season leaving us unsure how good he really is and thinking of him more of a second to fifth round project (a super talented one, mind you) than a first round prospect.

So far, so good on the whole fulfilling that promise thing: Neuse has hit .383/.483/.692 through 32 games with 23 BB/26 and 8/9 SB. On the mound, he’s been just as good: 16 K in 16.2 IP of 1.62 ERA ball. He’s now firmly back on the first round bubble and one of this draft’s quintessential first round talents that might get squeezed out of the top thirty or so picks because of the impressive depth at the top of this class.

There are plenty of candidates to wind up as the second highest drafted position player from the Big 12 come June. Ryan Sluder seemed primed to turn a big corner in his draft year, but it hasn’t happened for him. He still has a classic right fielder tool set – legit plus raw power, above-average to plus arm strength, a potent speed/strength blend – but his overly aggressive approach, which for all the world looked to be improving last season, holds him back. Then there’s his teammate with the Cowboys, Donnie Walton. Walton is pretty much exactly what you’d expect out of the son of a coach: there’s nothing flashy to his game, but he ably fields his position, runs well, and can make just about all the throws from short. It might be a utility player profile more so than a future regular ceiling, but it’s relatively safe and well worth a top ten round pick.

A pair of catchers could also wind up at or near the top of the Big 12 hitter rankings by the end of the season. I really, really like Michael Tinsley, a highly athletic lefthanded bat with impressive wheels and solid pop. Tres Barrera’s ordinary start – his approach has taken a big step back – knocks him down from his clear perch in the two spot to closer to the middle of the pack. Despite seeing some time at third base this year for the Longhorns, I still like him behind the plate over the long haul. His above-average raw power keeps him in the top ten round mix despite the aforementioned backslide in approach.

Tyler Neslony, the top returning position player prospect in the conference per this very site (he peaked at third CJ Hinojosa and Ben Johnson last year), is hurt by the strong likelihood that he’ll be confined to the corners as a pro. I still like his power and plate discipline combination as a mid- to late-round senior sign. Scouts who saw a lot of him during his awesome sophomore season will likely give him more of the benefit of the doubt than those in the national media who consider going fifty deep with a draft list an exhausting task.

Elliott Barzilli is off to a scorching start. He’s a fine athlete and a versatile defender in the infield. He’s as much of a threat of any of these players to follow Neuse off the board. Cory Raley is another extremely athletic infielder who can play any spot on the diamond. Raley’s start has not been nearly as impressive as Barzilli’s, but his speed and pop are awfully intriguing. When it comes to straight draft intrigue, few players in this class can match Oklahoma outfielder Cody Thomas. With Thomas you’d essentially be drafting a high school player in terms of experience and present skill levels, but the upside is very real. Size, athleticism, power, arm strength, speed…if he can hit, a significant if, then he’s a potential monster.

Jake Scudder, Jack Flansburg, and Ryan Merrill all stand out as players who will see big jumps on the next (and final) version of these rankings. I’m looking forward to learning more about all three.

I love the Big 12 pitchers this year because I’m a guy talking to himself in front of a computer and not one of the thirty scouting directors charged with actually finding an arm from this conference you’d feel confident about taking commensurate with their talent. There’s uncertainty everywhere you turn. Alec Hansen, who remains the best pitching prospect in the conference despite a dreadful first half of the season, exemplifies the boom/bust nature of the Big 12’s pitching. In fact, it even goes beyond boom/bust; the conference is loaded with players with huge stuff but limited track records and little to no extended periods of success.

Mitchell Traver has yet to pitch in 2016. Garrett Williams has barely pitched. Same for Chandler Eden. Jake Elliott and Ryan Moseley have both drastically underperformed. You could argue that my rankings are nonsense – again, these are more about the larger body of work and long-term projection than two months’ worth of 2016 results – but the list from one to six goes bad, injured, injured, good (thank you, Trey Cobb), injured, and bad. All of these players have their merits, of course. Traver is up to 96 with serious sink and a plus low- to mid-80s slider. Williams is a four-pitch lefty with an outstanding curve and one of the more unusually effective hard changeups in the college game. Eden can be effectively wild when actually on the mound. His plus fastball (90-95, 97 peak) and above-average to plus breaking ball (with an average change that could help convince some teams that he’s a starter professionally) are good enough to make hitters very uncomfortable. I had some friends come into the season armed and ready with a Jake Elliott is the better long-term prospect than Alec Hansen take. That talk has quieted down as Elliott’s start has just about equaled Hansen’s…and not in a good way. His arm talent is still really impressive: 86-92 FB (94 peak), average 75-80 breaking ball, and a 77-80 change that borders on plus.

The disappointments at the top of this class have opened the door for a few solid yet unspectacular names to barge through. There’s something to be said for consistently productive pitchers, after all. Daniel Castano is a lefthander with size, some present velocity (87-92), and a pair of offspeed pitches (78-83 CU and 72-76 CB) that could be average or better pitches at the pro level. Thomas Hatch isn’t a lefthander and doesn’t have that size, but he possesses more fastball (88-94, up to 96) and a similarly impressive mix of offspeed stuff (78-82 CU, 77-82 SL, 85-88 cutter). Brian Howard is an impossibly long and lean man (6-9, 185) who pounds the strike zone with a solid fastball (87-92, 94 peak) and cut-slider (anywhere from 81-88, flashes plus when firmer) combination that gets on hitters quick. Morgan Cooper appears to have bounced back nicely from the Tommy John surgery that cost him all of last season. He’s got the frame, command, and requisite three pitches (88-93 FB, low-70s CB that flashes plus, solid CU) to stick in a pro rotation.

Hitters

Oklahoma JR 3B/RHP Sheldon Neuse
Kansas JR C Michael Tinsley
Oklahoma State JR OF Ryan Sluder
Oklahoma State SR SS/2B Donnie Walton
Texas JR C/3B Tres Barrera
TCU JR 3B/SS Elliott Barzilli
Texas Tech SR OF Tyler Neslony
Texas Tech rJR SS/2B Cory Raley
Texas Tech JR OF Stephen Smith
Baylor JR OF Darryn Sheppard
Kansas JR OF Joven Afenir
Oklahoma JR OF Cody Thomas
Texas Tech SR 1B Eric Gutierrez
Oklahoma State JR 1B/OF Dustin Williams
Texas rSO SS/3B Bret Boswell
Baylor rJR C Matt Menard
Baylor rSO OF/LHP Kameron Esthay
Kansas State JR 1B Jake Scudder
Oklahoma JR 2B/3B Jack Flansburg
Kansas rJR 1B Marcus Wheeler
TCU JR SS Ryan Merrill
Kansas State SR SS Tyler Wolfe
Kansas State SR C Tyler Moore
Texas JR OF/3B Zane Gurwitz
Kansas SR 2B/SS Colby Wright
TCU SR OF Nolan Brown
Oklahoma SR OF Hunter Haley
Kansas rSR OF Joe Moroney
Oklahoma State rSO 3B Andrew Rosa
Baylor SR 2B/3B West Tunnell
Baylor JR C/1B Aaron Dodson
Texas JR 1B/RHP Kacy Clemens
TCU SR OF Dane Steinhagen
Texas Tech rJR C Kholeton Sanchez
TCU JR 2B Mason Hesse
Oklahoma State SR OF Corey Hassell
Oklahoma JR C Renae Martinez
TCU JR 3B/2B Cam Warner
West Virginia JR 1B/RHP Jackson Cramer
West Virginia rSR OF KC Huth
Texas Tech JR OF Anthony Lyons
Kansas SR 2B/SS Tommy Mirabelli
Kansas State rJR 2B/SS Jake Wodtke
Baylor SR 2B/SS Justin Arrington
Kansas State rJR 3B/C Steve Serratore
Oklahoma State SR 2B Kevin Bradley
Kansas State SR OF Clayton Dalrymple
Texas Tech SR C Tyler Floyd
Kansas rSR OF Steve Goldstein

Pitchers

Oklahoma JR RHP Alec Hansen
TCU rJR RHP Mitchell Traver
Oklahoma State JR LHP Garrett Williams
Oklahoma State JR RHP Trey Cobb
Texas Tech JR RHP Chandler Eden
Oklahoma JR RHP Jake Elliott
Baylor JR LHP Daniel Castano
Oklahoma State JR RHP Thomas Hatch
Texas Tech JR RHP Ryan Moseley
Oklahoma State JR RHP Remey Reed
TCU JR RHP Brian Howard
Texas rSO RHP Morgan Cooper
Oklahoma State JR RHP Tyler Buffett
TCU rSO LHP Ryan Burnett
Baylor JR RHP Drew Tolson
TCU rJR RHP Brian Trieglaff
Oklahoma State rSR RHP/OF Conor Costello
TCU JR RHP Mitch Sewald
TCU JR LHP Rex Hill
Texas Tech JR LHP Ty Damron
Oklahoma State SR RHP Michael Mertz
West Virginia rSO RHP Nick Wernke
West Virginia SR RHP Blake Smith
Oklahoma State JR RHP Blake Battenfield
West Virginia SR RHP Jeff Hardy
Kansas JR RHP Sean Rackoski
West Virginia JR RHP Chad Donato
Texas Tech JR LHP Hayden Howard
Texas SR LHP Ty Culbreth
Texas JR LHP Josh Sawyer
TCU SR RHP Preston Guillory
Kansas State rJR RHP Colton Kalmus
Kansas SR RHP Hayden Edwards
Oklahoma SR RHP Keaton Hernandez
Kansas State SR RHP Levi MaVorhis
Texas Tech SR RHP Dalton Brown
Texas Tech JR LHP Dylan Dusek
Oklahoma State rSO LHP Matt Wilson
Oklahoma JR LHP Austin Kerns
Kansas State JR LHP Jordan Floyd
Oklahoma State SR LHP Alex Hackerott
Kansas rSO RHP Jon Hander
Kansas JR RHP Stephen Villines
West Virginia rSR LHP Ross Vance
Texas JR LHP Jon Malmin
Texas SR LHP Travis Duke
Kansas State SR RHP Corey Fischer
Kansas SR LHP Ben Krauth
Kansas State rSR RHP Lucas Benenati

Baylor

JR LHP Daniel Castano (2016)
JR RHP Drew Tolson (2016)
JR RHP Nick Lewis (2016)
JR RHP Alex Phillips (2016)
rSO OF/LHP Kameron Esthay (2016)
SR 2B/3B West Tunnell (2016)
SR 2B/SS Justin Arrington (2016)
rJR C Matt Menard (2016)
rJR 3B Ben Carl (2016)
JR OF Darryn Sheppard (2016)
JR C/1B Aaron Dodson (2016)
rSO C/1B Cameron Miller (2016)
SO OF Levi Gilcrease (2017)
SO 3B Jonathan Ducoff (2017)
FR RHP Andrew McInvale (2018)
FR 2B Josh Bissonette (2018)

High Priority Follows: Daniel Castano, Drew Tolson, Kameron Esthay, West Tunnell, Justin Arrington, Matt Menard, Darryn Sheppard, Aaron Dodson, Cameron Miller

Kansas

JR RHP Sean Rackoski (2016)
SR RHP Hayden Edwards (2016)
SR LHP Ben Krauth (2016)
rSO RHP Jon Hander (2016)
JR RHP Stephen Villines (2016)
SR RHP Sam Gilbert (2016)
JR RHP Tyler Davis (2016)
JR OF Joven Afenir (2016)
rSR OF Joe Moroney (2016)
rSR OF Steve Goldstein (2016)
SR 2B/SS Colby Wright (2016)
SR 2B/SS Tommy Mirabelli (2016)
SR 1B/3B Ryan Pidhaichuk (2016)
rJR 1B Marcus Wheeler (2016)
JR C Michael Tinsley (2016)
SO LHP Blake Weiman (2017)
SO LHP Ryan Jackson (2017)
SO RHP Ryan Ralston (2017)
SO SS/3B Matt McLaughlin (2017)
SO 1B Owen Taylor (2017)
SO C TJ Martin (2017)
FR RHP Jackson Goddard (2018)
FR RHP Zach Leban (2018)
FR INF Ty Denzer (2018)
FR OF Devin Foyle (2018)
FR 3B David Kyriacou (2018)

High Priority Follows: Sean Rackoski, Hayden Edwards, Ben Krauth, Jon Hander, Stephen Villines, Joven Afenir, Joe Moroney, Steve Goldstein, Colby Wright, Tommy Mirabelli, Marcus Wheeler, Michael Tinsley

Kansas State

rSR RHP Lucas Benenati (2016)
rJR RHP Colton Kalmus (2016)
SR RHP Corey Fischer (2016)
SR RHP Levi MaVorhis (2016)
JR LHP Jordan Floyd (2016)
SR RHP Brandon Erickson (2016)
SR OF Clayton Dalrymple (2016)
rJR 2B/SS Jake Wodtke (2016)
SR SS Tyler Wolfe (2016)
JR 1B Jake Scudder (2016)
rJR 3B/C Steve Serratore (2016)
SR C Tyler Moore (2016)
SR OF Danny Krause (2016)
FR RHP John Boushelle (2018)
FR RHP Jacob Ruder (2018)
FR C Josh Rolette (2018)

High Priority Follows: Lucas Benenati, Colton Kalmus, Corey Fischer, Levi MaVorhis, Jordan Floyd, Clayton Dalrymple, Jake Wodtke, Tyler Wolfe, Jake Scudder, Steve Serratore, Tyler Moore

Oklahoma

JR RHP Alec Hansen (2016)
JR RHP Jake Elliott (2016)
SR RHP Keaton Hernandez (2016)
JR LHP Austin Kerns (2016)
JR 3B/RHP Sheldon Neuse (2016)
SR OF Hunter Haley (2016)
JR 1B Austin O’Brien (2016)
SR 1B/OF Alex Wise (2016)
JR C Renae Martinez (2016)
JR OF Cody Thomas (2016)
JR 2B/3B Jack Flansburg (2016)
SO 3B Quin Walbergh (2017)
SO 2B Kyle Mendenhall (2017)
FR RHP Jake Irvin (2018)
FR RHP Kyle Tyler (2018)
FR RHP Austin Hansen (2018)
FR RHP Connor Berry (2018)
FR RHP/1B Chris Andritsos (2018)
FR RHP/1B Ryan Madden (2018)
FR INF/RHP Thomas Hughes (2018)
FR C Domenic DeRenzo (2018)
FR OF Steele Walker (2018)
FR INF Cade Harris (2018)
FR 2B/SS Kyler Murray (2018)
FR C/OF Hunter Southerland (2018)

High Priority Follows: Alec Hansen, Jake Elliott, Keaton Hernandez, Austin Kerns, Sheldon Neuse, Hunter Haley, Renae Martinez, Cody Thomas, Jack Flansburg

Just five second year players and four in their last year of eligibility

Oklahoma State

rSR RHP/OF Conor Costello (2016)
JR RHP Remey Reed (2016)
JR LHP Garrett Williams (2016)
SR RHP Michael Mertz (2016)
JR RHP Tyler Buffett (2016)
JR RHP Trey Cobb (2016)
JR RHP Thomas Hatch (2016)
JR RHP Blake Battenfield (2016)
SR LHP Alex Hackerott (2016)
rSO LHP Matt Wilson (2016)
SR SS/2B Donnie Walton (2016)
JR OF Ryan Sluder (2016)
JR 1B/OF Dustin Williams (2016)
SR OF Corey Hassell (2016)
SR 2B Kevin Bradley (2016)
JR 2B JR Davis (2016)
JR C Collin Theroux (2016)
SR 3B/2B David Petrino (2016)
rSO 3B Andrew Rosa (2016)
SO LHP/OF Garrett McCain (2017)
SO 3B/1B Garrett Benge (2017)
SO SS/2B Jacob Chappell (2017)
SO OF Jon Littell (2017)
SO 1B Mason O’Brien (2017)
FR RHP Jensen Elliott (2018)
FR RHP Ben Leeper (2018)
FR C Collin Simpson (2018)

High Priority Follows: Conor Costello, Remey Reed, Garrett Williams, Michael Mertz, Tyler Buffett, Trey Cobb, Thomas Hatch, Blake Battenfield, Alex Hackerott, Matt Wilson, Donnie Walton, Ryan Sluder, Dustin Williams, Corey Hassell, Kevin Bradley, Collin Theroux, David Petrino, Andrew Rosa

Texas Christian

rJR RHP Mitchell Traver (2016)
JR RHP Brian Howard (2016)
rSO LHP Ryan Burnett (2016)
SR RHP Preston Guillory (2016)
rJR RHP Brian Trieglaff (2016)
JR RHP Mitch Sewald (2016)
JR LHP Rex Hill (2016)
SR OF Dane Steinhagen (2016)
SR OF Nolan Brown (2016)
JR 3B/SS Elliott Barzilli (2016)
JR 3B/2B Cam Warner (2016)
JR 2B Mason Hesse (2016)
JR SS Ryan Merrill (2016)
SO 1B/OF Connor Wanhanen (2017)
SO C Evan Skoug (2017)
SO C Zack Plunkett (2017)
FR RHP/1B Luken Baker (2018)
FR RHP Devon Roedahl (2018)
FR RHP Sean Wymer (2018)
FR RHP Dalton Brown (2018)
FR LHP Dalton Horton (2018)
FR C/RHP Durbin Feltman (2018)
FR OF Ryan Johnson (2018)
FR OF Joshua Watson (2018)

High Priority Follows: Mitchell Traver, Brian Howard, Ryan Burnett, Preston Guillory, Brian Trieglaff, Mitch Sewald, Rex Hill, Dane Steinhagen, Nolan Brown, Elliott Barzilli, Cam Warner, Mason Hesse, Ryan Merrill

Texas

rSO RHP Morgan Cooper (2016)
JR LHP Josh Sawyer (2016)
SR LHP Ty Culbreth (2016)
SR LHP Travis Duke (2016)
JR LHP Jon Malmin (2016)
JR 1B/RHP Kacy Clemens (2016)
JR C/3B Tres Barrera (2016)
rSO SS/3B Bret Boswell (2016)
JR OF/3B Zane Gurwitz (2016)
SO RHP Kyle Johnston (2017)
SO RHP Connor Mayes (2017)
SO RHP Tyler Schimpf (2017)
SO RHP Jake McKenzie (2017)
rFR RHP Parker Joe Robinson (2017)
FR LHP Nick Kennedy (2017)
SO C Michael Cantu (2017)
SO OF Patrick Mathis (2017)
SO 2B/SS Joe Baker (2017)
SO SS/3B Travis Jones (2017)
rFR OF Kaleb Denny (2017)
FR RHP Nolan Kingham (2018)
FR RHP Beau Ridgeway (2018)
FR RHP/OF Chase Shugart (2018)
FR LHP James Nittoli (2018):
FR RHP Blake Wellmann (2018):
FR 3B/2B Kody Clemens (2018)
FR OF Tyler Rand (2018)
FR 3B Matt Schmidt (2018)
FR OF Brady Harlan (2018)

High Priority Follows: Morgan Cooper, Josh Sawyer, Ty Culbreth, Travis Duke, Jon Malmin, Kacy Clemens, Tres Barrera, Bret Boswell, Zane Gurwitz

Texas Tech

JR RHP Chandler Eden (2016)
JR RHP Ryan Moseley (2016)
JR LHP Dylan Dusek (2016)
JR LHP Ty Damron (2016)
JR RHP Sean Thompson (2016)
JR LHP Hayden Howard (2016)
SR RHP Dalton Brown (2016)
SR OF Tyler Neslony (2016)
SR 1B Eric Gutierrez (2016)
SR OF Zach Davis (2016)
SR C Tyler Floyd (2016)
rJR SS/2B Cory Raley (2016)
rJR C Kholeton Sanchez (2016)
JR 3B Ryan Long (2016)
JR OF Stephen Smith (2016)
JR OF Hunter Hargrove (2016)
JR OF Anthony Lyons (2016)
SO LHP Jacob Patterson (2017)
SO RHP/OF Pat Mahomes (2017)
SO LHP/1B Parker Mushinski (2017)
SO SS/OF Tanner Gardner (2017)
SO SS Orlando Garcia (2017)
SO 2B Michael Davis (2017)
FR LHP Erikson Lanning (2018)
FR RHP Davis Martin (2018)
FR RHP Ty Harpeneau (2018)
FR RHP Ryan Shetter (2018)
FR LHP Steven Gingery (2018)
FR OF Cody Farhat (2018)
FR 2B/SS Trey Ochoa (2018)

High Priority Follows: Chandler Eden, Ryan Moseley, Dylan Dusek, Ty Damron, Hayden Howard, Dalton Brown, Tyler Neslony, Eric Gutierrez, Tyler Floyd, Cory Raley, Kholeton Sanchez, Stephen Smith, Hunter Hargrove, Anthony Lyons

West Virginia

rSO RHP Nick Wernke (2016)
SR RHP Blake Smith (2016)
rSR LHP Ross Vance (2016)
SR RHP Jeff Hardy (2016)
JR RHP Chad Donato (2016)
rSR OF KC Huth (2016)
rSO 2B Shaun Corso (2016)
JR 1B/RHP Jackson Cramer (2016)
SO RHP BJ Myers (2017)
SO RHP Conner Dotson (2017)
SO RHP Shane Ennis (2017)
SO 3B/OF Kyle Davis (2017)
SO OF Caleb Potter (2017)
FR RHP Braden Zarbnisky (2018)
FR RHP Tanner Campbell (2018)
FR RHP Michael Grove (2018)
FR 2B Cole Austin (2018)
FR C Ivan Vera (2018)

High Priority Follows: Nick Wernke, Blake Smith, Ross Vance, Jeff Hardy, Chad Donato, KC Huth, Shaun Corso, Jackson Cramer

Big 12 2015 MLB Draft All-Prospect Team

19 Mar 2015 8:00 AM / 1 Comment on Big 12 2015 MLB Draft All-Prospect Team

Oklahoma JR C Chris Shaw
Texas Tech JR 1B Eric Gutierrez
Kansas JR 2B Colby Wright
Texas JR SS CJ Hinojosa
Oklahoma JR 3B Kolbey Carpenter
Texas JR OF Ben Johnson
Texas Tech JR OF Tyler Neslony
Kansas State SR OF Max Brown

Texas Christian JR LHP Alex Young
Texas Christian JR RHP Riley Ferrell
Texas Christian rSO RHP Mitchell Traver
Oklahoma rJR LHP Adam Choplick
Texas SR RHP Parker French

I normally start with the hitters here because I’m a creature of habit bound by my small-minded attempt at maintaining some semblance of consistent order in an otherwise chaotic world. Today we’re breaking that habit not because of personal growth, but simply because the pitching in the Big 12, most notably at TCU, is worth talking about. I’m way late to the party, I know, but the collection of arms they have in Fort Worth is something to be celebrated.

Oklahoma rJR LHP Adam Choplick is a 6-8, 260 pound lefthander who can reach the mid-90s and for whatever reason very little has been written about him nationally. My contribution to help remedy that: he’s really good. I’d love to know more about Texas SR RHP Parker French’s batted ball data. He has some serious worm-killing stuff (88-94 FB with sink, 97 peak; good 78-84 CU with sink; good mid-80s cut-SL) and has succeeded over the years without striking out a ton of hitters. That last bit is a tad worrisome because pro hitters are not college hitters, but if he can be a 60% groundball guy in the pros then who knows.

Oklahoma State is loaded in its own right with draft-eligible pitchers. rJR RHP/OF Conor Costello has the depth of stuff to start and the athleticism to repeat his delivery through long outings. He’s also a decent enough hitter that letting him start in the National League could lead to some fun at bats. JR RHP Koda Glover uses a 92-95 MPH fastball and intriguing offspeed stuff (no, that’s not just that code that I need more info on him…except I do, which must be an incredible coincidence) to miss bats at a high rate. SO RHP Trey Cobb comes from a star-studded Oklahoma high school class with a sinker/slider mix that should keep him employed for a long time. SR RHP Jon Perrin could be a good bang for your buck as a potential fifth starter/middle relief type available on the cheap come drat day.

I’ve written all that (and my brief note on Choplick, can’t forget that beauty) while totally forgetting I’ve covered Kansas, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State already. So, read those if you want more on any of those schools. I think we’ve waited long enough to finally get to the main event that is Texas Christian University. They might not be able to match Vanderbilt in terms of pure ceiling (Buehler and Fulmer are tough to beat), but their balance of star power, hard throwers, polished veterans, and Preston Morrison (he gets his own category) is special.

I think you almost need to find a rare three-headed coin to determine the best pitcher from TCU (and thus the best in the conference) between JR LHP Alex Young, JR RHP Riley Ferrell, and rSO RHP Mitchell Traver. All three guys fit nice neat little archetypes, so they make for a fun and relatively easy group to discuss. Young is the sure-fire starter going forward with a legit classic four-pitch mix (FB, CU, CB, SL), average overall command (above-average FB command, which is nice) and solid athleticism/size. He’s also put up numbers since day one on campus (8.41 K/9 in 2013, 8.37 K/9 in 2014), so there’s not too much need to project some kind of crazy unrealistic future where he turns into something that he’s not. The delta between his ceiling and floor is a tiny one as at his best he’s probably a mid-rotation workhorse and at his worst he figures to be a fifth starter/bullpen weapon. He’d fit in as a really swell second or third pick for a team that would prefer to reach for the stars with their first rounder. He has to be on the short list as one of the “safest” draft prospects or “quickest movers” to the big leagues. Ferrell is the future back end of the bullpen stalwart with closer upside. Like Young (and most big-time college relief prospects) Ferrell has a small gap between his dream scenario (elite closer) and his most likely scenario (good reliever who gets to the big leagues in a hurry). Also like Young, Ferrell’s track record at TCU is impeccable; with a trail of missed bats lying in his wake (11.02 K/9 in 2013, 13.90 K/9 in 2014, 14.50 K/9 so far this year), what you see is what you get. At his best he’s in the upper-90s with the heat and a plus mid-80s slider as the putaway pitch; at his less than best (like, say, on the second half of a back-to-back), his fastball sits low-90s with a slider that flashes but doesn’t have quite the same shape. I think he likely will fall in somewhere between last year’s top two relievers, Nick Burdi (pick 46) and Michael Cederoth (pick 79), were drafted last year. That seems fair for now. Traver is the wild card. His health has held up so far this year and his stuff has been as advertised. If you can’t get excited for a 6-7, 250 pound capable of hitting the mid-90s (90-94, 96 peak) with a plus mid-80s slider and a usable changeup who is finally healthy after missing the better part of two seasons with arm injuries (Tommy John back in 2013 did a number on him), then you’re reading the wrong site. I’ve gotten an interesting range of comps for Traver including a solid starter (Gil Meche), a quality reliever (Nick Masset), and a personal favorite of mine that will go down as a starting member of the what could have been team (Dustin McGowan). I like to occasionally look a comparison cousins, my lame turn of phrase for two prospects connected by being once compared to the same player. The only other time I’ve used a Dustin McGowan comp was when it was mentioned to me last year as a possible outcome for Tyler Kolek. That’s…interesting.

Those are the top names at TCU, but far from the only ones. SO LHP Tyler Alexander is a potential back of the rotation starter who has good stuff with excellent command. rSO RHP Brian Trieglaff can get it up to 94, SR LHP Travis Evans throws three pitches for strikes (including a good breaking ball), and rSR RHP Trey Teakell is an outstanding senior sign with the size (6-5, 175), repertoire (87-92 FB, low-80s CU, upper-70s CB, hard splitter), and, big shocker, sterling track record to warrant top ten round consideration. Finally we get to SR RHP Preston Morrison, college baseball’s weirdest pitcher. Morrison gets results with a mid-80s fastball with serious sink and a variety of offspeed offerings (72-74 CB, 69-74 SL, 76-81 CU) that comes in from a funky sidearm but not quite sidearm angle. I rule nothing out when it comes to Morrison’s pro future, though I think a middle relief ceiling as a guy who gives hitters a totally different look from most big league relievers feels like a fair best case scenario right now.

I’m still holding out hope that we see Oklahoma JR C Chris Shaw get going on the big stage, especially after the tremendous power displays he put on after relatively slow starts the past two seasons in junior college. Truthfully, the question as to whether or not he’ll hit for power isn’t a debate; Shaw’s success or failure going forward will be determined by the adjustments in approach he is able to make. He’s always been a touch too aggressive for his own good, but his power could mask some of the deficiencies he’s shown at lower-levels. More experienced arms will keep exploiting the holes in his approach unless he makes some changes. The power alone still makes him a high follow, but much of the optimism I felt in January has eroded under the rocky shores of reality.

I won’t move Shaw off the top spot out of a combination of wanting to keep these lists consistent with my pre-season thoughts and the prospect of him still having high-level power at the next level, but one of the two Cowboys right behind him would give him a run for his money in a revised ranking. I wish SR C/OF Gage Green was more of a sure thing to stay behind the plate because his offensive game has shown a lot of growth over the years. I also really like SR C Bryan Case, the much better glove of the two, though he’s a tough player to fairly judge due to his lack of playing time. When given a chance to play he’s hit, so I think there’s something there. After a bit more thought, I’d say that Oklahoma JR C Anthony Hermelyn would also be right up there near the top of this list in a re-ranking. His hit tool is interesting, he has a strong defensive profile with no doubts about his arm strength (been clocked as high as 94 MPH off the mound), and his plate discipline is trending in the right direction. All in all, not a bad group of catchers

Texas Tech JR 1B/LHP Eric Gutierrez is one of my favorite power hitters in a class desperately in need of some good ones. Some teams might be turned off than his less than ideal frame (5-10, 205), but so long as he keeps mashing he has a better than average shot to hear his name called in a signable range this June. Kansas State rSR 1B/LHP Shane Conlon has always intrigued me due to his reasonable power upside, average speed, and plus glove. It’s a a fun profile and one I hope we get a chance to keep following in pro ball.

Kansas JR 2B/SS Colby Wright has been a baseball magnet this season (11 HBP in 65 official AB!). I liked his pop, patience, and glove combination coming into the year, and nothing has moved me off that as of yet. I think he’s the best of a lackluster group of Big 12 second basemen. At shortstop it’s still Texas JR SS/3B CJ Hinojosa’s top spot to lose. Much has been written on these very pages already about Hinojosa, so I’ll spare you any needless rehashing and just leave you with my Marco Scuatro comp and call it a day. Almost. We’re now far enough along with the season (20 games in already, time flies), so it’s silly for me to keep pretending that these are strictly previews and not, at least in part, ongoing assessments. The rankings are more or less unchanged from where I stood pre-season, but I do try to pepper the commentary with some updates where applicable. Hinojosa’s slow start (.197/.337/.310) is notable, though it’s a) only 71 AB, and b) not as bad when you look at some underlying numbers (most notably 14 BB/11 K). I’m a little bit concerned and would consider dropping him in future overall prospect rankings, but he still is a good prospect with top five round upside.

Texas Tech rSO SS/2B Cory Raley could be a fascinating utility player prospect with the chance for more. He has the ability to be really good at second and playable at short with enough speed, athleticism, and size to buy him time as he figures out how to hit. So far so good as hitter for Raley this winter, so consider me sufficiently intrigued at what now appears to be a lower than deserved ranking. I also have to mention TCU rJR SS Keaton Jones, a player so good with the glove that he’ll get drafted almost no matter what he does at the plate this spring. The fact that he’s more than holding his own as a hitter for the first time collegiately is icing on the mid-round cake. I’m glad I went with Oklahoma JR 3B Kolbey Carpenter as the conference’s top third baseman. He impressed all those I talked to last spring with his power upside and steady glove, so it’s nice to see him off to a hot start this season. Like second base, however, it’s worth noting that he’s the best of a very thin group of potential future pros. That in no way detracts from his underrated play, of course. I have a good intuitive feeling about Carpenter as a draft prospect.

The outfield is where things get really interesting in the Big 12. I know I say this about so many prospects that it probably renders the distinction meaningless, but Texas JR OF Ben Johnson has to be one of this year’s draft’s most fascinating prospects. Johnson’s name has come up over and over again so far this season as a tooled-up prospect finally turning into a deeply skilled player. Or so I thought. All of the chatter over Johnson excited me because I had assumed he was finally doing the things that he’ll need to do to be a better pro. Full disclosure: I haven’t gotten any updates about him this season (since the fall) from anybody I know who has seen him and (I’M NOT A SCOUT) I’ve only personally seen him twice this year on the tube. So I’m not working with all the needed info to make any overarching statements that should be taken as fact. I’m just theorizing that maybe college analysts (and perhaps certain pro scouting staffs that weigh projection significantly ahead of production [they aren’t wrong for this, by the way]) are getting a little ahead of themselves in proclaiming this to be the start of Johnson’s ascension to day one of the 2015 MLB Draft. Johnson has been absolutely phenomenal this season by most every measure: .432/.463/.659 is damn good work in 88 at bats. Maybe he’s made adjustments as a hitter that the public will hear about as some of the best prospect writers begin doing some digging. Maybe (hopefully) I’ll hear something from one of my contacts sooner rather than later that brings some good news on his outburst. Until then, however, I think Ben Johnson is just doing Ben Johnson things. I won’t say that I anticipated this kind of start, but his numbers aren’t out of line with what you’d expect from a player with his kind of tools at the college level. It’s not crazy to say that he, like about a dozen or so players in this and every class, is too physically gifted for the college game. Johnson is a pro-level glove in center with an average or better arm, average or better raw power, and, most interestingly, the kind of jaw-dropping athleticism and game-changing speed that puts the whole package over the top.

Again, Johnson is putting up a ridiculous .432/.463/.659 line so far this year. That’s really great. With only 2 walks to 12 strikeouts, however, I’m not sure how all his considerable offensive gifts will continue to play as he climbs the ladder. For all the positives he brings to the table he still looks like a very high potential pick since athletes like him often provide value well beyond what they do at the plate (running, defending, you get it). That relatively high floor makes Johnson extra appealing; using a supplemental first, second, or third round pick on him is not likely to completely blow up in your face simply because he’s almost too damn athletic to do nothing. On the off chance he puts it together, watch out. If that paragraph reads like I’m hedging my bets on him, then you’re on the right track.

Hot start or not, I still lump Johnson in with fellow toolsy outfield peers like Florida JR OF Harrison Bader and Clemson JR OF Steven Duggar for the moment. Just because those guys rank 5-6-7 (further down if you consider any of Ian Happ, Richie Martin, or BC’s Chris Shaw outfielders) on my “current” (as current as anything draft-related can be that’s three weeks old) college outfield list does not mean I view them as ordinary, mid-round prospects. I didn’t write nearly enough about last year’s draft than I would have liked, but I’ll say this without the benefit of hindsight (not that a few weeks of pro ball should change anybody’s mind about anybody): I’d take this year’s toolsy outfielders above any college outfielder from last year with the exception of Michael Conforto, Bradley Zimmer, Mike Papi, and maybe (if he’s really an OF, which I’m still unsure of) Connor Joe. That’s above last year’s 37th overall pick, Derek Fisher, for what it’s worth.

In other non-Ben Johnson Big 12 outfield news, Texas Tech JR OF Tyler Neslony’s positive approach and power upside make him a strong bat worth knowing. His plate discipline has backed up a bit since last year here in the early going, so almost all caveats with such players apply. Same with Kansas State SR OF Max Brown, a rare senior sign that doubles as one of the draft’s finer physical specimens. The 6-5, 200 pound plus runner showed well in limited at bats last year, but, stop me if you’ve heard this before, his approach at the plate needs significant work. A crazy argument could be made that he might be the most valuable draft property of the three already mentioned Big 12 outfielders based solely on his talent (below Johnson to be sure, but he’s no slouch), projected round (no idea, but I’d be surprised if it was all that high), and potential bonus demands (no leverage).

The only draft-eligible outfielder listed below having an above-average season by my measures – I mean, Johnson clearly is and I’m being way too hard on him so pay no mind to the only part – is Oklahoma JR OF Craig Aikin, an above-average runner and glove with an interesting leadoff approach to hitting. Since we scratched the “only” from the previous sentence allow me to also recognize TCU SR OF Cody Jones as having a fine start to his 2015 season. He’s an even more interesting senior sign with his blazing speed, plus CF range, strong arm, and very selective approach. I don’t see enough power out of him to profile as more than a backup, but you could do worse when looking for a future speed and defense fourth or fifth outfielder.

2015 MLB Draft Talent – Hitting

Texas JR SS/3B CJ Hinojosa
Texas JR OF Ben Johnson
Texas Tech JR OF Tyler Neslony
Kansas State SR OF Max Brown
Oklahoma JR C Chris Shaw
Oklahoma JR OF Hunter Haley
Kansas SR OF/RHP Dakota Smith
Oklahoma State JR SS/2B Donnie Walton
Texas Tech JR 1B/LHP Eric Gutierrez
Kansas rJR OF Steve Goldstein
Kansas SR OF Connor McKay
Oklahoma State SR C/OF Gage Green
Oklahoma State SR C Bryan Case
Kansas JR 2B/SS Colby Wright
Texas Tech SR SS Tim Proudfoot
Texas Christian SR OF Cody Jones
Oklahoma JR 3B Kolbey Carpenter
Oklahoma JR OF Craig Aikin
Texas Christian JR OF Nolan Brown
Texas SR OF Collin Shaw
Texas Christian SR 3B/2B Derek Odell
Kansas State rSR 1B/LHP Shane Conlon
Oklahoma JR C/RHP Anthony Hermelyn
Kansas State SR 2B/OF Carter Yagi
Oklahoma State SR 2B/OF Tim Arakawa
Texas SR 2B Brooks Marlow
Kansas SR 2B/SS Justin Protacio
Texas Tech rSO SS/2B Cory Raley
Texas Christian JR 2B Garrett Crain
Kansas rJR OF Joe Moroney
Texas Tech JR C Kholton Sanchez
Texas Tech JR C Tyler Floyd
Baylor JR 1B Mitch Price
Texas Tech SR 2B Bryant Burleson

2015 MLB Draft Talent – Pitching

Texas Christian JR LHP Alex Young
Texas Christian JR RHP Riley Ferrell
Texas Christian rSO RHP Mitchell Traver
Oklahoma rJR LHP Adam Choplick
Texas SR RHP Parker French
Texas Tech JR RHP Matt Withrow
Oklahoma State rJR RHP/OF Conor Costello
Baylor SR RHP Austin Stone
Oklahoma State JR RHP Koda Glover
Oklahoma State SO RHP Trey Cobb
Texas Christian SO LHP Tyler Alexander
Texas Christian rSO RHP Brian Triegflaff
Texas Christian SR LHP Travis Evans
Texas Christian rSR RHP Trey Teakell
Texas rSR RHP Ty Marlow
Oklahoma JR LHP/1B Jacob Evans
Kansas JR RHP Hayden Edwards
Oklahoma JR RHP Blake Rogers
Oklahoma State SR RHP Jon Perrin
Baylor rSR LHP Brad Kuntz
Texas Tech JR RHP/OF Quinn Carpenter
Kansas State rJR RHP Nate Williams
Oklahoma rSR RHP Robert Tasin
Baylor rJR RHP Ryan Smith
Texas JR RHP Chad Hollingsworth
Texas Tech SR RHP Dominic Moreno
Texas JR LHP Travis Duke
Oklahoma JR RHP RHP Corey Copping
Texas Christian SR RHP Preston Morrison
Kansas State rSO RHP Nate Griep
Oklahoma State rSR LHP Tyler Nurdin
Kansas State JR RHP Levi MaVorhis
Kansas State rSO RHP Colton Kalmus
Oklahoma State JR LHP Alex Hackerott
Texas JR LHP Ty Culbreth
Texas Tech SR LHP Cameron Smith
Texas Tech SR RHP Corey Taylor
West Virginia JR RHP Jeff Hardy
Texas Tech JR RHP Dalton Brown
Baylor SR RHP Sean Spicer
Kansas State rSO RHP Blake McFadden
Oklahoma JR LHP Jeffrey Curran
West Virginia rJR LHP Ross Vance

2015 MLB Draft Prospects – Big 12 Follow List

20 Feb 2015 8:00 AM / Leave a comment

Baylor

SR RHP Austin Stone (2015)
rSR LHP Brad Kuntz (2015)
rJR RHP/INF Ryan Smith (2015)
SR RHP Sean Spicer (2015)
SR 3B/2B Duncan Wendel (2015)
JR SS Justin Arrington (2015)
SR OF Adam Toth (2015)
SR OF Logan Brown (2015)
rSO C Matt Menard (2015)
JR 3B West Tunnell (2015)
rSO INF Ben Carl (2015)
JR 1B Mitch Price (2015)
SO OF Darryn Sheppard (2016)
SO LHP Daniel Castano (2016)
SO RHP Drew Tolson (2016)
SO RHP Nick Lewis (2016)
FR OF Levi Gilcrease (2017):
FR 3B Jonathan Ducoff (2017)

Kansas

rJR OF Joe Moroney (2015)
SR OF Connor McKay (2015)
rJR OF Steve Goldstein (2015)
SR 2B/SS Justin Protacio (2015)
JR 2B/SS Colby Wright (2015)
JR 2B/SS Tommy Mirabelli (2015)
JR 1B/3B Jacob Boylan (2015)
JR 1B/3B Ryan Pidhaichuk (2015)
SR OF/RHP Dakota Smith (2015)
JR RHP Hayden Edwards (2015)
JR LHP Ben Krauth (2015)
SR RHP Drew Morovick (2015)
SO C Michael Tinsley (2016)
SO RHP Sean Rackoski (2016)
SO RHP Jon Hander (2016)
SO RHP Stephen Villines (2016)
FR LHP Blake Weiman (2017)
FR LHP Ryan Jackson (2017)
FR RHP Ryan Ralston (2017)
FR 3B Matt McLaughlin (2017)

Kansas State

SR OF Max Brown (2015)
SR 2B/OF Carter Yagi (2015)
JR C Alex Bee (2015)
JR OF Clayton Dalrymple (2015)
rSO 2B/SS Jake Wodtke (2015)
JR SS Tyler Wolfe (2015)
rSO C Steve Serratore (2015)
JR C Tyler Moore (2015)
rSR 1B/LHP Shane Conlon (2015)
rJR RHP Kyle Halbohn (2015)
JR RHP Corey Fischer (2015)
JR RHP Lucas Benenati (2015)
rJR RHP Nate Williams (2015)
JR RHP Levi MaVorhis (2015)
rSO RHP Colton Kalmus (2015)
rSO RHP Blake McFadden (2015)
rSO RHP Nate Griep (2015)
SO LHP Jordan Floyd (2016)

Oklahoma

JR RHP Blake Rogers (2015)
rJR LHP Adam Choplick (2015)
JR RHP RHP Corey Copping (2015)
JR RHP Ralph Garza (2015)
rSR RHP Robert Tasin (2015)
JR LHP Jeffrey Curran (2015)
JR LHP/1B Jacob Evans (2015)
JR C/RHP Anthony Hermelyn (2015)
JR OF Hunter Haley (2015)
JR C Chris Shaw (2015)
rSR OF Taylor Alspaugh (2015)
SR 2B/SS Josh Ake (2015)
JR OF Craig Aikin (2015)
JR 3B Kolbey Carpenter (2015)
SO RHP Alec Hansen (2016)
SO 3B/RHP Sheldon Neuse (2016)
SO OF Cody Thomas (2016)
SO RHP Jake Elliott (2016)
SO 1B Austin O’Brien (2016)
FR 2B Kyle Mendenhall (2017)
FR 3B Quin Walbergh (2017)

Oklahoma State

rJR RHP/OF Conor Costello (2015)
JR RHP Koda Glover (2015)
rSR LHP Tyler Nurdin (2015)
SR RHP Jon Perrin (2015)
JR LHP Alex Hackerott (2015)
SR LHP Michael Freeman (2015)
SO RHP Trey Cobb (2015)
JR SS/2B Donnie Walton (2015)
JR 2B Kevin Bradley (2015)
JR 3B David Petrino (2015)
SR 2B/OF Tim Arakawa (2015)
SR 3B Hunter Hagler (2015)
SR C Bryan Case (2015)
SR C/OF Gage Green (2015)
JR OF Corey Hassell (2015)
SO LHP Garrett Williams (2016)
SO RHP Tyler Buffett (2016)
SO RHP Blake Battenfield (2016)
SO RHP Thomas Hatch (2016)
SO RHP Remey Reed (2016)
SO LHP Matt Wilson (2016)
SO OF Ryan Sluder (2016)
SO 3B Andrew Rosa (2016)
SO 1B/OF Dustin Williams (2016)
FR OF Jon Littell (2017)
FR 1B/OF Caleb Eldridge (2017)
FR SS Jacob Chappell (2017)
FR LHP/OF Garrett McCain (2017)
FR RHP Carson LaRue (2017)
FR 1B Mason O’Brien (2017)

Texas Christian

JR LHP Alex Young (2015)
JR RHP Riley Ferrell (2015)
rSO RHP Mitchell Traver (2015)
rSR RHP Trey Teakell (2015)
SR RHP Preston Morrison (2015)
SO LHP Tyler Alexander (2015)
rSO RHP Brian Triegflaff (2015)
SR LHP Travis Evans (2015)
SR OF Cody Jones (2015)
SR 3B/2B Derek Odell (2015)
rJR SS Keaton Jones (2015)
JR 2B Garrett Crain (2015)
SR OF/1B Jeremie Fagnan (2015)
JR OF Nolan Brown (2015)
JR OF Dane Steinhagen (2015)
SO RHP Brian Howard (2016)
SO 2B/SS Elliott Barzilli (2016)
rFR LHP Ryan Burnett (2016)
rFR LHP Brandon Gilson (2016)
rFR OF Connor Beck (2016)
FR C Evan Skoug (2017)
FR C Zack Plunkett (2017)
FR OF Connor Wanhanen (2017)

Texas

SR RHP Parker French (2015)
rSR RHP Ty Marlow (2015)
JR LHP Ty Culbreth (2015)
JR RHP Chad Hollingsworth (2015)
JR LHP Travis Duke (2015)
JR SS/3B CJ Hinojosa (2015)
JR OF Ben Johnson (2015)
SR OF Collin Shaw (2015)
rJR OF Taylor Stell (2015)
SR 2B Brooks Marlow (2015)
SO OF/3B Zane Gurwitz (2016)
SO C Tres Barrera (2016)
SO 1B/RHP Kacy Clemens (2016)
SO RHP Morgan Cooper (2016)
SO 3B Andy McGuire (2016)
SO RHP Blake Goins (2016)
SO LHP Josh Sawyer (2016)
SO LHP Jon Malmin (2016)
rFR SS/3B Bret Boswell (2016)
FR RHP Kyle Johnston (2017)
FR RHP Connor Mayes (2017)
FR C Michael Cantu (2017)
FR RHP Tyler Schimpf (2017)
FR SS/3B Travis Jones (2017)
FR RHP Parker Joe Robinson (2017)
FR OF Kaleb Denny (2017)
FR OF Patrick Mathis (2017)
FR SS Joe Baker (2017)
FR C Mike McCann (2017)

Texas Tech

JR RHP Matt Withrow (2015)
SR LHP Cameron Smith (2015)
SR RHP Corey Taylor (2015)
SR RHP Dominic Moreno (2015)
JR RHP Justin Bethard (2015)
JR RHP Dalton Brown (2015)
JR RHP Johnathon Tripp (2015)
JR RHP/OF Quinn Carpenter (2015)
JR 1B/LHP Eric Gutierrez (2015)
JR OF Zach Davis (2015)
JR OF Tyler Neslony (2015)
SR SS Tim Proudfoot (2015)
SR 2B Bryant Burleson (2015)
JR C Kholton Sanchez (2015)
JR C Tyler Floyd (2015)
rSO SS/2B Cory Raley (2015)
SO 3B Ryan Long (2016)
SO OF Stephen Smith (2016)
SO OF William Hairston (2016)
SO OF Hunter Hargrove (2016)
SO OF Anthony Lyons (2015)
SO RHP Ryan Moseley (2016)
SO LHP Dylan Dusek (2016)
SO LHP Ty Damron (2016)
SO RHP Sean Thompson (2016)
FR RHP/OF Pat Mahomes (2017)
FR SS/OF Tanner Gardner (2017)
FR LHP Parker Mushinski (2017)
FR SS Orlando Garcia (2017)
FR LHP Jacob Patterson (2017)

West Virginia

SR SS Taylor Munden (2015)
SR C Cameron O’Brien (2015)
rSR 3B/1B Brad Johnson (2015)
rJR OF KC Huth (2015)
rJR LHP Ross Vance (2015)
JR RHP Jeff Hardy (2015)
SO 1B/RHP Jackson Cramer (2016)
SO 1B Jackson Cramer (2016)
SO RHP Chad Donato (2016)
rFR 2B Shaun Corso (2016)
FR OF Kyle Davis (2017)
FR RHP BJ Myers (2017)
FR RHP Shane Ennis (2017)

2012 MLB Draft: Big 12 Position Players of Note

20 Mar 2012 12:34 AM / 1 Comment on 2012 MLB Draft: Big 12 Position Players of Note

The title pretty much says it all, does it not? Let’s see what’s what in the Big 12 this year…

Catchers

Kansas SR C James Stanfield
Kansas SR C Alex DeLeon
Oklahoma State JR C Rick Stover
Baylor SR C Josh Ludy
Texas Tech JR C Bo Altobelli
Oklahoma State SR C Jared Womack
Baylor SR C Joey Hainsfurther

I’m a sucker on converted infielders trying their hand behind the plate. Athleticism in young catching prospects goes a long way, and those converted infielders typically have it in spades. Stanfield is no exception, though his athleticism should come with the always popular disclaimer “for a catcher.” Athletic…for a catcher. Above-average speed…for a catcher. Good tipper…for a catcher. Stanfield is already an above-average defender who still has some of that untapped upside that comes with players new to the position. He isn’t a world beater at the plate, but his mature approach to hitting and adequate pop make him a worthwhile follow, especially as a cheap mid-round senior sign option. Beyond Stanfield, you’ve got a mixed bag of good power/poor defense (DeLeon and Ludy) and good defense/light bats (Stover, at least going back to his juco days, and Altobelli). I think Stanfield is the only one who is a lock to be drafted, but some of the other names above also have a shot. A few other catchers to keep in mind just in case you are in the world’s deepest most insane keeper league (Big 12 only, naturally):

Missouri SR C Ben Turner
Texas Tech SR C Kevin Whitehead
Missouri JR C Scott Sommerfeld
Baylor JR C Nathan Orf
Oklahoma State JR C Victor Romero

First Basemen

Baylor JR 1B Max Muncy
Oklahoma JR 1B Drew Harrison
Texas A&M SR 1B Jacob House

Muncy is a natural born hitter with a slew of average or better tools. He’s got enough power, speed, and defensive ability to be intriguing even at first, but his stock will shoot way up if a team believes he can handle an outfield spot or, better yet, second base. Harrison’s raw power and size (6-4, 255) help make him a classic old school slugging first base prospect. House is the conference’s best defender at first and one of the best overall defenders in the country. That’s both an honest to goodness positive (defense is important, after all) and a little bit of a backhanded compliment (when you play first base and the first thing they praise is your defense…)…

Ellipses parentheses ellipses. Now that’s quality writing right there. Three more first basemen from the Big 12 that could get lucky late on draft day…(or not…)…

Texas Tech rJR 1B Scott LeJeune
Baylor SR 1B Dan Evatt
Kansas SR 1B Chris Manship

Second Basemen

Texas Tech JR 2B Jamodrick McGruder
Texas SR 2B Jordan Etier
Missouri JR 2B Eric Garcia

Awesome first name? Check. Equally awesome last name? Check. Jamodrick McGruder is more than just a great name, though. He’s a fantastic athlete who can really run the bases. Between his speed, defense, and relentlessness as a hitter (if I was the type to describe a player as scrappy, I’d use it here), McGruder looks like a potentially useful big league utility guy if everything shakes out. He reminds me a little bit of last year’s underrated for 99% of the spring (until the week of the draft, naturally) middle infielder, Jace Peterson. Two more second basemen because, well, that’s all I think are worth mentioning in the Big 12. Also, it’s second base, so why not go two deep here?

Oklahoma SR 2B Evan Mistich
Baylor JR 2B Steve DalPorto

Shortstops

Texas A&M JR SS Mikey Reynolds
Oklahoma SR SS Caleb Bushyhead

Unless I’m totally whiffing on somebody obvious, there is very little in the way of viable shortstop prospects to be found in the Big 12 2012 draft class. Reynolds (Texas A&M has some kind of magic when it comes to junior college middle infielders) and Bushyhead, both solid defenders, are the only two with a better than 50/50 shot to be drafted.

Third Basemen

Oklahoma State SR 3B Mark Ginther
Texas A&M SR 3B Matt Juengel
Missouri SR 3B Connor Mach
Kansas SR 3B Zac Elgie

The quartet above more or less sum up why I love following the draft. The odds of any of the four ever reaching the majors isn’t particularly high, but each guy has a solid collegiate track record and enough tools to make them stand out just enough to make you go “hmm…” Ginther’s swing can get too long at times, but his athleticism, arm strength, and defensive tools are all well above-average. Juengel is a smart hitter with good bat speed, but his power upside and defense ability lag behind Ginther’s at this point. Mach’s draft standing would improve if he can demonstrate a little more defensive versatility in 2012. Elgie has big raw power and good defensive tools, but there’s a bigger gap between what he could be and what he is then you typically see in a college senior. You could rearrange these four names in just about any order and still come out alright. These four aren’t the only interesting Big 12 third basemen to watch. Let’s double down and check out four more names worth paying some attention to this spring:

Baylor JR 3B Cal Towey
Baylor JR 3B Jake Miller
Texas SR 3B Kevin Lusson
Oklahoma JR 3B Garrett Carey

Outfielders

Texas Tech JR OF Barrett Barnes
Texas A&M JR OF Tyler Naquin
Missouri JR OF Blake Brown
Texas JR OF Jonathan Walsh
Baylor JR OF Logan Vick
Texas A&M SO OF Krey Bratsen
Texas JR OF Matt Moynihan
Oklahoma JR OF Max White
Texas A&M SR OF Scott Arthur

Texas JR OF Cohl Walla
Kansas SR OF Jason Brunansky
Oklahoma SR OF Cody Reine
Missouri JR OF Dane Opel
Missouri JR OF Brannon Champagne
Texas A&M JR OF Brandon Wood
Oklahoma SR OF Erik Ross
Texas SR OF Tim Maitland
Texas Tech rJR OF Nick Hanslik
Kansas State SR OF Mike Kindel

The strength of the conference position players is easily this outfield group. Barrett Barnes is a huge personal favorite – my comically outdated big board from last summer had Barnes ranked as the 9^th overall draft prospect and 1^st among college outfielders – who literally does everything well. He’s got big raw power, plus speed, the tools to excel in center, and plenty of brute strength. The only aspect of his game that gives me pause is his inconsistent hit tool, but, hey, nobody’s perfect. I’m not sure where Barnes will ultimately rank once every college outfielder is evaluated, but he’s good enough to hold down the top spot out of any AQ conference outfielder in the country. All comps are the work of the devil caveats aside, I think Barnes’ tools line up pretty closely to Mikie Mahtook’s (31st overall pick last year), right down to their shared weaknesses (consistent contact and arm strength, though Mahtook’s arm is a grade better).

Naquin is both second to Barnes in both the Big 12 and all of the AQ conferences combined. Loyal readers of the site probably remember my serious affinity for Alabama’s Taylor Dugas. Think of Naquin as a super-charged version of Dugas. He has all the tools to play center and hit leadoff for a big league club down the line, but must improve his pitch recognition and put on some weight if he wants to give pitchers a reason not to throw him breaking balls out over the plate all day. Two words in my notes on Blake Brown keep popping out at me: natural hitter. I loved Walsh in 2009 and nothing that has transpired since he has enrolled at Texas has me changing my mind. Well, there was the whole position switch thing (catcher to outfielder), but that was more or less inevitable. Vick’s versatility makes him very appealing (same for Arthur), Bratsen has legit sprinter speed, and White could be in line for a big spring now that the 2011 second base experiment is but a distant memory. Moynihan’s high ranking is a credit to his wonderful physical gifts (speed and athleticism) and leadoff hitter approach because he is raw as can be. He’d be a lot less raw if he played (he’s bounced from San Diego to Orange Coast College to Texas, and has yet to take the field for the Longhorns in 2012), but you can’t have everything I guess.