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2014 MLB Draft College Outfield Follow List (and Ranking)

8 Apr 2014 11:16 PM / 3 Comments on 2014 MLB Draft College Outfield Follow List (and Ranking)

I’ve been unrelentingly positive about pretty much all things draft-related in almost all previous position groups for this year’s draft; it’s my nature to be optimistic, and I enjoy highlighting the good in amateur prospects whenever possible, This year’s college outfield class, however, has me really, really stretching to find nice things to say. As always it is important to note that all of the players listed below – literally all of them, even Garrett Brown (phenomenal athlete who has chosen football over baseball for now, though we won’t hold that against him as a person) way down at the bottom – are way, way better at baseball than 99% of any of the people evaluating them, myself included. Any and all criticism is meant only to illuminate greater truths about what I’ve seen, read, and heard, and not to disparage any player personally. Always like getting that out there to preempt some of the hate mail…

Brad Zimmer trumps all comers when it comes to showing a consistent power/speed mix that tantalizes scouts, fans, and whatever it is I am. That’s the good news. I haven’t seen him since this summer, and, after hearing and reading so many positive things about him this spring, I was a little taken aback to see his approach has gone backwards a bit, at least as far as my box score scouting expertise allows. That’s a little disappointing. The (expanded version of the) good news is, lackluster BB/K numbers aside, the man can hit. Projecting above-average plate discipline when the track record isn’t there is often a fool’s errand, but Zimmer is such a smart, gifted hitter that I think his skewed BB/K 2014 ratio is more about him being so locked in all season than a major red flag that would depress his prospect stock. I love a 2-0, 2-1, or 3-1 count as much as anybody, and the idea that a walk is as good as a single (more or less) is one I believe in, but there’s also something to be said for a guy capable of hitting the ball hard so consistently that he’s up there hunting for fastballs to drive. The measured approach to hitting has as much validity as the “see fastball, hit fastball” approach, it just depends on the rest of the player’s natural skill set. Zimmer’s wrists, hand/eye coordination, and balance give him a better than usual shot than other amateurs with similarly lackluster BB/K ratios.

Louie Lechich isn’t Brad Zimmer, but if you miss on the latter in the first round then hitting on the former later would give you a decent approximation of that power/skill starter kit. I know I might be crazy for saying this, and my personal rankings aren’t quite ready to back the statement up, but I think that Lechich is what so many want Derek Fisher to be. We’ll see.

Because the top of the draft is so flush with pitching, I keep coming back to the idea that teams picking in the top ten must be hoping against hope to get a big-time bat that slipped with their second pick. That’s currently where I’m at with Michael Conforto, a hitter likely too good to slip out of the first round but still not quite the stone cold mortal lock to go off the board that early. If a team with an iffy farm system and holes all over the ML roster (like, say, the Phillies) could land a college arm like Jeff Hoffman and then come back around and nab Conforto in the second…yeah, that would be alright with me. I made the indirect comparison between Zimmer and Lechich already, so we’ll go with the obvious next step and compare Conforto and Mike Papi. From here, I see very little that separates the two outside of perceived value. Both look like they could be average or better big league corner guys for a long time in pro ball. As happy as I’d be with Conforto in the second (or late first, really), I’d be just as good with waiting a little bit on Papi before snapping him up in the third or fourth round.

Aaron Fitt of Baseball America has talked up Greg Allen enough that I don’t think I can call him my guy, but, damn, I enjoy watching him play as much as any college outfielder on this list. His limited power upside is a real concern, especially in light of my newfound belief that power (or, in this case, even the threat of power) is the best statistical indicator of pro success. I’m drawn to speed/defense/on-base prospect profiles, but without the threat of pop, pro pitchers will undo a lot of what works offensively at the amateur level. Allen’s bat speed works in his favor, but his frame, athletic as it may be, poses a potential problem. I believe in his playable power more than most guys who fit the archetype, but will admit that being burned by players of a similar style over the years has me comparatively lower on Allen than I might have been in 2011. Still a high-level prospect worth following, of course.

The Virginia outfield is just plain silly. Papi is a pro hitter who just so happens to be currently playing college ball. Dating back to high school the aforementioned Fisher has always been a like and not a love for me – a point we’ve had some really good discussions on in the comments section over the years – and I remain of the belief that he has the chance to be a good regular in a corner if everything breaks just right rather than a potential star like some still projecting him as an upper- to mid-first round pick seem to believe. Brandon Downes can do it all athletically, but the all-important hit tool is a serious question. There are pro teams that would gladly trade their AA starting outfields for this group in a second.

I wrote a lot of positive things about Jeff Keller last year, so you know I’m not hopping off the bandwagon now. I wavered some on personal favorite Mark Payton pre-season – heard some not optimistic things about his pro prospects from people who couldn’t praise his ability to succeed in college enough – but I’m ready to pump him back up once I update these rankings pre-draft. Projection is king and Payton doesn’t have it compared to peers, but, man, I’ll take the guy who can run, field, throw, and, most importantly, roll out of bed ready to hit as my fourth outfielder any day. It’s silly to call a fourth-year college outfielder at TEXAS underrated, but I think pro scouts made up their mind on him being a nice college player and little more early on and haven’t been willing to revise that view over the years.

This may be a cop-out, but the new two months will tell us so much about the vast majority of the players outside of the first few. There’s very little separation in that mid-round tier that 2014 performance, the given day(s) a scout sees a guy, and team preference (power vs speed, flashes of plus tool vs well-roundedness, polish vs upside, etc.) will all play major roles in sorting out the jumble come June. I’d say Zimmer has put some distance between himself and the pack, and Conforto appears to be emerging as a strong contender for the second spot, but after that these rankings are as jumbled as any. Looking forward to revising this one after seeing how the season plays out.

San Francisco JR OF Bradley Zimmer
Oregon State JR OF/1B Michael Conforto
Virginia JR OF Mike Papi
Oregon State JR OF/RHP Dylan Davis
Virginia JR OF Derek Fisher
Virginia JR OF/C Brandon Downes
San Diego State JR OF Greg Allen
San Diego rJR OF/LHP Louie Lechich
Dartmouth SR OF Jeff Keller
Arizona State rJR OF Trever Allen
College of Charleston SR OF Brandon Murray
Kentucky JR OF Austin Cousino
South Carolina JR OF Tanner English
North Carolina State JR OF Jake Fincher
Oregon JR OF/3B Scott Heineman
Michigan State JR OF/C Jimmy Pickens
Florida Gulf Coast JR OF/1B Michael Suchy
Southern Mississippi JR OF/LHP Mason Robbins
Bradley JR OF Max Murphy
Texas SR OF Mark Payton
Georgia JR OF/3B Hunter Cole
Fresno State JR OF Jordan Luplow
Long Beach State JR OF/1B Richard Prigatano
Florida JR OF/RHP Justin Shafer
Nevada SR OF Brad Gerig
Binghamton JR OF/C Jake Thomas
Louisiana-Lafayette JR OF Caleb Adams
Cal Poly JR OF Nick Torres
Princeton SR OF/2B Alec Keller
Buffalo rSR OF Matt Pollock
North Carolina A&T SR OF/2B Luke Tendler
Auburn SO OF/2B Jordan Ebert
Louisiana State SO OF Mark Laird
Mississippi JR OF Senquez Golson
Southern Mississippi JR OF Connor Barron
Vanderbilt JR OF Johnny Norwood
Stanford JR OF Dominic Jose
Auburn SO OF/LHP Rock Rucker
Troy JR OF Jo-El Bennett
Washington State rSO OF Ben Roberts
Indiana rJR OF Scott Donley
Pittsburgh JR OF Boo Vazquez
Texas-Arlington rSR OF Matt Shortall
Rice SR OF/1B Michael Aquino
Nebraska SR OF Mike Pritchard
Kansas JR OF Connor McKay
Kansas rSO OF Steve Goldstein
TCU JR OF/RHP Jerrick Suiter
Tennessee JR OF Jonathan Youngblood
South Carolina JR OF/3B Elliot Caldwell
Washington State JR OF/1B Yale Rosen
Central Connecticut State SR OF JP Sportman
The Citadel SR OF Hughston Armstrong
Central Michigan JR OF Nick Regnier
North Carolina State JR OF Bubba Riley
Wake Forest rJR OF Kevin Jordan
Wake Forest SR OF Evan Stephens
Louisville JR OF Michael White
Evansville rJR OF Kevin Kaczmarski
USC rJR OF Omar Cotto Lozada
Mississippi JR OF Auston Bousfield
McNeese State SR OF Jackson Gooch
Louisiana State JR OF Jared Foster
James Madison JR OF/2B Chad Carroll
Louisiana-Lafayette SR OF Seth Harrison
Cal Poly JR OF Alex Michaels
Georgia State rSR OF Chase Raffield
Mississippi JR OF Will Jamison
Alabama JR OF/C Ben Moore
Eastern Michigan rSR OF Sam Ott
Pittsburgh SR OF Casey Roche
Southern JR OF Lance Jones
Cincinnati rSO OF Will Drake
Delaware rSO OF Gary Jones
Louisiana State SR OF Sean McMullen
Miami (Ohio) JR OF Matt Honchel
UCLA JR OF Eric Filia
Toledo rSO OF/SS Dan Zuchowski
Duke rSR OF Ryan Deitrich
Wagner SR OF Chris Smith
Arkansas rSO OF Tyler Spoon
Long Island-Brooklyn SR OF Pete Leonello
Pepperdine rJR OF Bryan Langlois
Oklahoma State JR OF/1B Zach Fish
Virginia Military Institute rJR OF Jordan Tarsovich
Nebraska JR OF Austin Darby
Northern ColoradoJR OF Jensen Park
Louisville SR OF/LHP Cole Sturgeon
Illinois-Chicago rJR OF Jon Ryan
Lamar rSR OF Jude Vidrine
Middle Tennessee State SR OF Trent Miller
Akron rJR OF Devan Ahart
Florida State rSR OF Brett Knief
UAB SR OF Ivan DeJesus
TCU JR OF Cody Jones
Kansas JR OF Michael Suiter
Kansas State JR OF Max Brow
Texas A&M SR OF Krey Bratsen
Utah SR OF Braden Anderson
Texas A&M SO OF JB Moss
UCLA SR OF Brian Carroll
Florida International SR OF Tyler Hibbert
Minnesota JR OF Jake Bergren
Bethune-Cookman SR OF Josh Johnson
Mercer SR OF Derrick Workman
Oklahoma State SR OF Aaron Cornell
Texas rSR OF Matt Moynihan
Towson rSR OF Kurt Wertz
Pittsburgh SR OF/RHP Stephen Vranka
Maryland rJR OF Charlie White
Florida State JR OF Josh Delph
Notre Dame JR OF/1B Ryan Bull
Miami SR OF Dale Carey
Washington State SR OF/LHP Jason Monda
Oregon SR OF Kyle Garlick
West Virginia SR OF Jacob Rice
UNC Wilmington JR OF Luke Dunlap
San Diego State rSO OF Spencer Thornton
North Carolina State JR OF Jake Armstrong
Cal State Fullerton JR OF Austin Diemer
Hawaii JR OF Keao Aliviado
Louisiana-Lafayette JR OF Dylan Butler
Louisiana-Monroe SR OF Dalton Herrington
Davidson SR OF Forrest Brandt
Cincinnati rSO OF Taylor Schmidt
Rutgers SR OF Brian O’Grady
Jackson State SR OF Charles Tillery
Indiana State JR OF Landon Curry
Texas JR OF Taylor Stell
Illinois-Chicago rSO OF/LHP Jeff Boehm
Ball State SR OF Sean Godfrey
Washington rJR OF Will Sparks
Georgia Tech rSO OF Dan Spingola
Clemson JR OF Tyler Slaton
Elon JR OF/C Ryan Cooper
Central Florida JR OF Derrick Salberg
Creighton SR OF Mike Gerber
Cornell SR OF Chris Cruz
Bryant JR OF/C Jordan Mountford
Ohio State JR OF Patrick Porter
Kent State JR OF Alex Miklos
Iowa JR OF/2B Eric Toole
Georgia rJR OF Conor Welton
South Alabama rJR OF Garrett DeGallier
Arkansas-Little Rock SR OF Bryson Thionnet
Maryland rJR OF Mike Montville
Oregon SR OF Connor Hofmann
Louisiana-Lafayette SR OF/2B Ryan Leonards
Oklahoma rJR OF Colt Bickerstaff
Holy Cross SR OF Brandon Cipolla
Jacksonville State SR OF Michel Bishop
Lehigh JR OF/C Justin Pacchioli
Towson SR OF Dominic Fratantuono
Valparaiso SR OF Chris Manning
Stephen F. Austin State SR OF Ricardo Sanchez
Cincinnati SR OF/1B Justin Glass
Miami SR OF/3B Tyler Palmer
Texas JR OF Collin Shaw
Mississippi State SR OF/LHP CT Bradford
Mississippi State JR OF Jake Vickerson
Towson JR OF Peter Bowles
Kansas JR OF Joe Moroney
Rutgers JR OF Vinny Zarrillo
Kennesaw State JR OF Jacob Bruce
Charleston Southern JR OF Bobby Ison
Oral Roberts rSR OF Tyler Boss
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi rJR OF/LHP Tyler Ware
San Francisco JR OF Derek Atkinson
Mercer SR OF Sasha LaGarde
Indiana State SR OF/C Mike Fitzgerald
North Carolina Greensboro JR OF Eric Kalbfleisch
Jacksonville State SR OF Griff Gordon
Eastern Illinois JR OF Caleb Howell
Norfolk State SR OF Cameron Day
Clemson SR OF Joe Costigan
UC Santa Barbara rSR OF/1B Joe Epperson
Missouri JR OF Logan Pearson
Delaware State SR OF Aaron Nardone
Florida A&M JR OF Marlon Gibbs
Toledo SR OF Tyler Grogg
James Madison rSR OF/1B Matt Tenaglia
Mount St. Mary’s SR OF Jay Knight
Wichita State rSR OF/LHP Garrett Bayliff
Dayton SR OF Mark Podlas
Winthrop rJR OF TJ Olesczuk
Wichita State rSR OF Micah Green
Xavier rSR OF Mitch Elliot
New Jersey Tech JR OF Ed Charlton
Kansas State rJR OF Mitch Meyer
Northeastern SR OF Connor Lyons
Old Dominion JR OF Josh Eldridge
Florida Atlantic SR OF/1B Tyler Rocklein
St. John’s JR OF Zach Lauricella
Georgia State SR OF Chris Triplett
Western Kentucky SR OF/INF Regan Flaherty
The Citadel SR OF/3B Drew DeKerlegand
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi JR OF Kyle Danford
Texas A&M SR OF Jace Statum
Canisius SR OF Jesse Kelso
Fairfield SR OF/C Ryan Plourde
Siena SR OF John Rooney
Texas-Pan American SR OF Alex Howe
West Virginia JR OF Bobby Boyd
Virginia Commonwealth SR OF Bill Cullen
Presbyterian rSR OF Nathan Chong
Wisconsin-Milwaukee JR OF Luke Meeteer
Akron rJR OF Joey Havrilak
Butler SR OF Marcos Calderon
Wright State SR OF Kieston Greene
Wofford SR OF/INF Josh Hyman
Southeast Missouri State rJR OF Jason Blum
Savannah State JR OF David Richards
Vanderbilt JR OF Will Cooper
Winthrop SR OF Cody Dolan
South Florida rSO OF Buddy Putnam
Alabama State JR OF Waldyvan Estrada
Army JR OF Mark McCants
Murray State SR OF Ty Stetson
Kent State SR OF/LHP TJ Sutton
Western Michigan JR OF/C Jared Kujawa
Mississippi JR OF Braxton Lee
New Mexico State SR OF Quinnton Mack
Radford SR OF Blake Sipe
South Florida JR OF Austin Lueck
Arkansas JR OF Joe Serrano
Creighton SR OF Brad McKewon
Buffalo SR OF Thomas Richards
North Dakota State SR OF Tim Colwell
Utah Valley State JR OF Jordy Hart
High Point SR OF/SS Kyle Brandenburg
Cal State Fullerton JR OF Clay Williamson
Western Carolina JR OF Garrett Brown

Update, College Outfielders, Player Comparisons

6 Feb 2014 1:14 AM / 1 Comment on Update, College Outfielders, Player Comparisons

With the college season rapidly approaching it’s time to finally admit to myself that I won’t be getting all of these conference previews done in time. I think it was the fact I had finished only three so far had something to do with it. Fortunately, I have a backup plan: lots of largely incoherent observations and notes from my reviewing just about every damn college prospect in the country over the past few months.

So far I’ve gotten around to taking a close look at the following conferences: Big 10, Conference USA, AAC, ACC, Big South, Atlantic Sun, Mountain West, Missouri Valley, Big 12, A-10, and America East. Thanks to the fine folks in charge of maintaining rosters at those team sites (with a few exceptions that just posted in the last 72 hours) that helped make my comprehensive coverage a heck of a lot easier. There are some smaller programs that still don’t have the rosters up, but I can’t kill them too much because, you know, smaller staffs and less general attention to that sort of thing and all. I’d love to finish up the Pac-12 and SEC, but we’re still waiting on Oregon and Mississippi State. Season starts in just over a week, let’s get moving. Alright, that’s enough passive-aggressive whining for one day. Much of my current focus is on position players because a) splitting the workload in half makes it feel like a much less daunting task, and b) I just plain fine hitters more interesting to evaluate than pitchers. Let’s talk outfielders! I’m happy to go into more detail on anybody listed below or any unnamed player from one of the conferences listed above. Or any conference, really, since I’m really just waiting on a handful of teams at this point.

*****

Texas rSR OF Matt Moynihan and Miami OF Dale Carey both frustrate me to no end. Tools are clearly there, especially when you watch them run around in CF, and they both fill out a uniform damn well, but they each have scouts waiting and waiting and waiting for some hint of a breakthrough with the bat. Arm, speed, and defense will always be important, but the bat is king. Time to show something in the batter’s box, boys.

I also have no idea what to do with Wake Forest rJR OF Kevin Jordan and TCU OF Jerrick Suiter, toolsy yet relatively unproductive boom/bust prospects. You could also put Southern Mississippi JR OF Mason Robbins and Southern Mississippi JR OF Connor Barron in that camp. As teammates roaming the outfield together, they are a little bit like the Virginia duo cited below except, you know, not nearly as productive. Bradley JR OF Max Murphy, Binghamton JR OF Jake Thomas, and Northern Colorado JR OF Jensen Park are less confounding: I like them a ton more than I thought I would at the start of the process. They are definitely three of my favorite smaller school prospects to watch.

It should probably come as no shock to anybody who has been around the site over the last few years, but I’m strongly leaning toward ranking Virginia JR OF Mike Papi over his more heralded teammate JR OF Derek Fisher. It’s a combination of being higher on Papi than most while being lower on Fisher at the same time. Both excellent prospects and potential big league players, but I think the gap between the two as hitters is wide enough to overcome the difference in tools (a much smaller difference in my eyes than what the consensus believes, for what it’s worth). JR OF Brandon Downes is a good one as well. Virginia is going to be really, really good, especially offensively.

One of the biggest prospect questions awaiting springtime clarity is what position Kyle Schwarber will eventually settle into down the line. I don’t consider him a potential everyday catcher and while the bat is likely to play at first, I think everybody would much rather see him give it an honest go in the outfield before spending an early first round pick on him. I hope Indiana gives him a little bit of time out from behind the plate to showcase him for curious scouts. Brian Hartong can cover for him in those instances.

Time for a head-to-head statistical throwdown! I toyed with including scouting blurbs for each guy, but I couldn’t find a way to keep it descriptive enough without giving either player away. Scouting consensus is a current heavy lean towards Player B, an opinion that I agree with to a certain point (I’m more of a slight lean at this point). Also, I may or may not have mentioned these two prospects in the preceding two paragraphs…

Player A

2012: .311/.423/.415 – 16 BB/16 K – 5/7 SB – 106 AB
2013: .409/.542/.653 – 47 BB/24 K – 6/8 SB – 176 AB

Player B

2012: .287/.381/.483 – 31 BB/23 K – 9/12 SB – 230 AB
2013: .366/.457/.647 – 43 BB/36 K – 4/7 SB – 235 AB

Really close, right? Both are projected by most to play outfield professionally, though there are some that think Player A will have to play 1B while Player B will hang at a more important position (said position would give it away, I think). I know I made it painfully obvious, but…any guesses?

One more head-to-head comparison that I think is a little bit more interesting (and a lot less obvious). I’ll include some quick scouting notes this time to spice it up…

Player A: interesting power upside, still largely untapped but swing and actions should led to something; above-average speed, could be more; exceptional athlete; smart hitter; good approach; plus range in CF; really like his arm; leadoff profile at next level; FAVORITE; 6-0, 165 pounds

2012: .312/.385/.403 – 20 BB/40 K – 11/20 SB – 231 AB
2013: .299/.399/.350 – 37 BB/39 K – 26/35 SB – 254 AB

Player B: plus arm, really accurate; personal favorite that I love to watch play, definitely one that grows on you the more you see him up close; good athlete who also has some experience at SS and C; legit CF range; sneaky pop, mostly to gaps at present; plus to plus-plus speed, uses it well; impressive bat speed; FAVORITE; 6-0, 175 pounds

2012: .295/.352/.400 – 19 BB/35 K – 17/24 SB – 210 AB
2013: .317/.406/.358 – 34 BB/40 K – 15/21 SB – 265 AB

Any guesses? Any preferences? A few quick hints because I enjoy these games way too much. First, since you already know the conferences they could potentially be from, we’ll further narrow it down by saying Player A is a west coast player and Player B is on the east coast. I’d also say A has gotten a bit more national attention, but neither guy is a household name outside of the relatively small niche of college ball/draft enthusiasts. In fact, you could say that both guys have been largely overshadowed by more famous teammates: B is on the same team as two of the highest profile college players in recent memory and A has a teammate that can reach triple digits.

Los Angeles Angels 2011 MLB Draft in Review

23 Aug 2011 2:45 AM / Leave a comment

Los Angeles Angels 2011 Draft Selections

(I’m away on my first non-baseball trip in way too long, but there are a few more 2011 draft reviews in the can for when I get back. Next up is Atlanta (Friday or Monday, break in travel schedule Thursday night pending), followed by the White Sox next week. As always, thanks for reading…)

I’m not even an Angels fan, but I sure do miss Eddie Bane. I do not understand what the Angels did on draft day this year. If I had to guess, here are my three principles of Los Angeles’ 2011 drafting philosophy: 1) say yes to junior college guys and no to high school prospects, 2) pitchers without arm strength need not apply, and 3) stick to scouting the big three – Texas, California, and, most noticeably, Florida. Let’s dive in deeper with a look at their top ten rounds and beyond…

Good to start off with a player that totally contradicts my opening paragraph, I think. Keeps the readers on their toes. Utah 1B CJ Cron (29^th ranked draft prospect) is a college position player from the great state of Utah. He’s not a juco or prep player, not a pitcher with a plus arm (in fact, a shoulder injury has kept him from throwing for most of 2011), and not from Texas, California, or Florida. Cron’s scouting profile is eerily reminiscent to former catcher Paul Konerko, a popular comp for a reason. I’ve also heard Cron compared to a righthanded hitting version of Texas’ Mitch Moreland. He’ll hit enough to be, at worst, a league average bat at first.

Cron’s numbers sync up well with his scouting reports. I may be in the minority, but I actually like his pure hit tool more than I like his power. Either way, both are above-average tools. That’s the good news. The bad news is that they are his only above-average tools. Again, I find myself in the minority in thinking he could at least be a passable catcher at the next level, but I’ll concede to the experts on that one. Looks like Cron will be the first first baseman off the board, college or high school. His well above-average hit tool and present power make him a safe bet to become a starting first baseman and middle of the lineup bat

If the opening paragraph wasn’t enough, another warning: there are very few positives forthcoming. An exception comes with the selection of Florida LHP Nick Maronde (80^th ranked draft prospect), an outstanding prospect. My only hope is that Los Angeles continues to give Maronde the opportunity to start as he progresses through the system. The former Florida reliever has the three pitches needed to start in the big leagues, but it will take time for him to get back into the starting pitching mindset.

Florida JR LHP Nick Maronde: 90-91 FB, peak 93 as starter; now sitting 93-95, 96 peak out of bullpen; plus low-80s SL that he doesn’t use enough; CB; good 81 CU; relieved in college, but I like him as a starter; 6-3, 200

Seminole State JC (FL) RHP Mike Clevinger hits on all three of the Angels criteria listed above. He’s an arm strength reliever all the way. Northeast Texas CC (TX) OF Andrew Ray was a curious underslot signing who profiles as a backup outfielder and/or four corners utility guy. Grayson County CC (TX) C Abel Baker makes three junior college players drafted in the top seven rounds by the Angels. Of the three, Baker is my favorite by far. His raw power, arm strength, and makeup are all exactly what you’d like to see in a catching prospect. He was pretty far under the radar this spring – a genius like me missed him, for example – but the Angels know Grayson County CC prospects (John Lackey and Jordan Walden) better than anybody.

Southern California RHP Austin Wood (50^th ranked draft prospect) is like a more experienced (as a starter) righthanded version of Nick Maronde. His inconsistency is maddening, but the raw stuff is good enough to start at the highest level. Settling on a breaking ball would be a great first step for Wood’s professional career. Wood’s teammate Southern California RHP Logan Odom has the size of a power pitcher, but not the stuff. I know I’m just one list crazy guy, but Odom didn’t crack the top 400 on my pre-draft top college pitchers list. He wasn’t even my favorite Odom (I liked JT of Mercer) in this year’s class. Needless to say, the Angels like Logan way more than I do.

Southern California JR RHP Austin Wood: 92-94 FB, 95-96 peak; interesting SL; emerging 80-82 CU that still needs work; average CB; 6-4, 215

California prospect RHP Nick Mutz is a scout’s dream. Without an organized team to call his own, Mutz got himself noticed by throwing bullpens for teams on request. I lost track of him after he left Dakota State, but my old notes mentioned a Jason Motte comp that I think holds up pretty well. Memphis OF Drew Martinez is a nice little player who gives you exactly what you’d expect: defense, speed, and patience. He might not be the burner some teams want in the role of fifth outfielder/pinch runner, but his instincts, both in the outfield and on the bases, make me think he’d thrive in the role.

Memphis JR OF Drew Martinez (2011): outstanding CF defense; plus speed; below-average arm; no power; average at best bat; great base runner; FAVORITE; 5-10, 170 pounds; (392/445/469 – 25 BB/27 K – 20/30 SB – 260 AB)

College baseball fans have to be pretty pleased with the way the Angels whiffed on signing a quartet of interesting mid-round high school draftees. Boca Raton (FL) HS OF Domonic Jose (Round 15), Bell HS (TX) C Hunter Lockwood (Round 17), Tunkhannock Area HS (PA) OF Mike Papi (Round 30 and my 181^st draft prospect), and West HS (WA) SS Erik Forgione (Round 33) all could emerge as single digit round selections in three years. Jose was a worthy gamble for a fifteenth rounder with a strong Stanford commitment; no harm in trying with the toolsy outfielder, but it is probably the best for all involved for him to head to school and work on his swing. Lockwood will head to Oklahoma and could step in right away by getting some at bats at first, designated hitter, and behind the plate. Offensively, he reminds me a bit of the fan he could be replacing at catcher (Tyler Ogle), but whether or not the direct catcher to catcher comparison can be made depends on Lockwood’s defense. Papi, who I consistently referred to as Matt for unexplained reasons prior to the draft, could be Virginia’s starting right fielder from day one. Forgione is ready for full-time shortstop duty defensively and could get the chance if the Washington coaching staff can live with the growing pains that will come as his bat develops.

No weaknesses in Lockwood’s game, just a really solid, well-rounded skill set.

Another player with a better than average shot at winding up in class this fall, Matt Papi’s solid across the board tool set could get him drafted early enough to keep him away from enrolling at Virginia. His best tool is an electric right arm, a true plus tool that helps the still raw defender compensate for his occasional defensive shortcomings.

One of my favorite sleepers from the Pacific Northwest, Forgione is a plus runner with great range and athleticism.

The Angels didn’t just fail when it came time to sign their mid-round high school prospects. They also dropped the ball on getting anything done with Florida RHP Greg Larson (Round 29) and Fresno State C Trent Garrison (Round 50). I’m inclined to give them a mulligan on these instances, as Larson made it known early on he wanted to head back to Florida and Garrison, one of the very last overall picks of the entire draft, was a really tough sign as he rehabbed from injury. Larson reminds me a great deal of recently promoted Phillies reliever and one-time fourteenth round pick Michael Schwimer. A good senior year could get him selected up in a similar draft range. Garrison, who I foolishly removed my personal board due to injury, is an elite defender with enough upside at the plate to shoot up draft boards with a healthy senior season. I actually give the Angels a lot of credit for staying with him this spring and taking a chance on him signing on.

Florida JR RHP Greg Larson (2011): 87-88, 90 peak FB; 81-82 SL with upside

Fresno State JR C Trent Garrison: solid defender; above-average arm

UC Riverside SS Trevor Hairgrove (Round 18) has a slick glove at short, but very limited upside with the bat. UC Irvine 3B Brian Hernandez (Round 27), as you can read from his pre-draft report below, is cut from a very similar cloth. With an intriguing hit tool and little else, Arizona State OF Andy Workman (Round 34) goes the other way. All three make for good organizational players. One college prospect from out west that I think can be more than an organizational player is Arizona C Jett Bandy (Round 31). I’m shocked that Bandy fell all the way to the 31^st round and even more surprised to see he signed a contract. There’s no denying that Bandy’s stock took a nosedive in 2011, but it is highly unlikely that whatever skills he showed as a sophomore disappeared. In addition to his rough junior year, I think he lost some points with scouting departments because he is more of a well-rounded catcher who doesn’t wow in either the power or arm strength department. It may take some time and perhaps a few different organizations, but I’m not giving up hope of seeing Bandy emerge as a big league backstop somewhere down the line.

Last year I wrote: “he’s [Hernandez] your typical ‘whole is greater than the sum of his parts’ kind of prospect, with the upside of a big league bench bat if everything breaks right.” I stand by that today (some pop, some speed, some plate discipline), with one additional comment I’ll present straight from my notes: “PLUS fielder.” All caps means you know I’m serious. Hernandez can really pick it at third.

Arizona State JR OF Andy Workman (2011): best tool is hit tool; fantastic base runner; gap power, but could develop more; slightly below-average arm; LF future; good OF range; 6-2, 180 pounds

Hard to explain Bandy’s 2011 collapse, especially when you consider there has been no news of any down tick in his scouting reports. I’m not super concerned about the dip in production for that reason, but Bandy’s signability could become a question if he slips past the first five rounds as expected. He is still exactly the player I’d target past round ten. Even without knowing why he slipped so badly this year, I still think it is safe to say that he didn’t completely forget how to play baseball.

Eastern Illinois OF Zach Borenstein (Round 23) does everything well, but nothing in his scouting profile portends big things to come. As a lefty with some pop and a history of playing all over the iamond, he’ll get his chances. Southeastern Louisiana RHP Brandon Efferson (Round 37) was a favorite during his college days, but I never came away after watching him thinking that I just saw a big league caliber arm. He’s way more talented than I’d ever dream to be, of course, but with a lackluster fastball and a lack of quality secondary stuff I don’t see how he can successfully hang in pro ball.

Eastern Illinois JR OF Zach Borenstein: good speed; good power; leadoff profile; (353/438/575 – 26 BB/36 K – 12/15 SB – 207 AB)

Southeastern Louisiana SR RHP Brandon Efferson (2011): sits high-80s, 92 peak FB; good cutter; CB; CU

It wouldn’t be a fair and balanced evaluation if I didn’t mention the one late round overslot deal that could work out for the Angels. Hillsborough CC (FL) LHP Michael Johnson (Round 46) getting six figures was a surprise to many, this writer included. Nothing stands out in terms of Johnson’s junior college stats, stuff, or frame, but perhaps the Angels know something I don’t. A big summer for the Utica Brewers might have been what convinced Los Angeles to take the plunge.

Last and almost certainly least, we have the time honored baseball tradition of nepotism. Round 44 would have been preposterously early. Round 46 could have hurt his ego. Round 45 was just right. Notre Dame C Matt Scioscia (Round 45) joins the same organization as his father, but I hear there could be trouble brewing already. Seems Matt hasn’t taken to kindly to being the third wheel to Mike’s adopted son, Jeff Mathis.