Pick |
Player |
School |
Pos |
B/T |
Ht |
Wt |
DOB |
Class |
11 |
Springer, George |
University of Connecticut |
OF |
R/R |
6'03" |
205 |
9/19/1989 |
JR |
There are those that love George Springer and there are those that are skeptical. Whichever side you may fall, the tools cannot be denied. Springer established his prospect status during his Sophomore season at UConn, displaying a power/patience/speed mix that left few who saw him unimpressed. The bat speed was ridiculous but the swing was high effort and came with plenty of swing and miss. During the summer preceding his Junior season, his stock exploded when observers saw him in the Cape and during Team USA's run. After a slow start to his season (certainly not surprising for a cold weather player facing warm weather competition), many jumped back off, questioning his hit tool. The thing that perplexed me is that nothing in his profile had changed from the summer when he was lauded as a top 5 talent. In the end, Springer did enough to get drafted 11th overall by the Houston Astros. I am one of his believers. Springer DID make progress this season, showing a slightly more controlled swing that resulted in a much better contact rate. The swing can still get out of control but when talking about that kind of bat speed from a 5 tool talent, it's hard to ding him too much. He is considered very coachable and a hard worker, meaning he should be able to cash in on his tools once he enters pro ball. This was a shot of upside that this organization desperately needed. |
69 |
Houser, Adrian |
Locust Grove HS (OK) |
RHP |
R/R |
6'04" |
205 |
2/2/1993 |
HS |
This was earlier than I expected Adrian Houser to go. His desire to sign quickly got him a $530K bonus to forgo Oklahoma, but that doesn't mean he is uninteresting. The quickness of the arm is what immediately jumps out when watching video of Houser. Next is the frame which seems to have some projection remaining. The delivery isn't overly smooth as the arm seems to be ahead of his lower half a bit, but there doesn't seem to be too much effort involved either. Houser also seems to spin a hard breaking ball well. He is currently racking up strikeouts in the GCL; the extra development time could allow him to jump into full season ball next year. |
99 |
Armstrong, Jack |
Vanderbilt University |
RHP |
R/R |
6'07" |
230 |
12/14/1989 |
JR |
Armstrong has shown flashes of being a first round arm throughout his college career. His best run came during the summer in the Cape following his Freshman season at Vanderbilt. He hasn't shown much consistency since then, but the makings of an above-average starter are still there. First, we need to acknowledge the bloodlines (his father, Jack Armstrong Sr, pitched 7 seasons in the MLB) and the ideal body. Next, we need to look at the stuff; I only got a chance to see him out of the bullpen this year, but it was enough to convince me that his ceiling was still intact. The fastball is big, sitting in the mid 90s, with late arm side run and sink. It was difficult for hitters to square up and resulted in mostly ground ball contact when they put it in play. The breaking ball is hard with sharp 1-7 break with some two-plane-iness, and the change has some arm side fade as well. All three can miss bats and induces ground balls. The main issue is that his release point, and ultimately his control/command, needs more consistency in order for him to start. He's an excellent athlete so I'm cautiously optimistic. Armstrong will likely command a well over slot bonus to sign. He was under utilized this year at Vanderbilt (both because of his back injury and because of Vandy's ridiculous pitching depth). He's currently pitching on the Cape and should become a fixture in Vanderbilt's rotation should he return for his Senior season. |
130 |
Lee, Christopher |
Santa Fe CC |
LHP |
L/L |
6'03" |
175 |
8/17/1992 |
J1 |
Chris Lee was drafted out of high school in 2010, but I still had very little on him pre-draft. Bobby Heck always seems to identify under the radar pitching prospects and draft them relatively high. Lee may fit that billing. He's already signed and pitching in the Appy.
|
160 |
Tropeano, Nick |
SUNY Stony Brook |
RHP |
R/R |
6'04" |
205 |
8/27/1990 |
JR |
Tropeano was considered a potential 1st round caliber player a couple years ago, based primarily off of his impressive ability to dominate in college. He's continued to succeed at Stony Brook, but the stuff just wasn't good enough for him to reach that lofty status. His fastball is an average pitch at best, relying more heavily on a good change-up and pitchability. Tropeano does do a good job of getting ground balls and could emerge as a solid back of the rotation starter. He has already signed and playing in the NYPL. |
190 |
Meredith, Brandon |
San Diego State |
LF |
R/R |
6'02" |
225 |
12/19/1989 |
JR |
Brandon Meredith was a big recruit for San Diego State who has mostly underachieved during his time there. He still possesses interesting tools, primarily above-average power & speed, to go along with a very physical body. He's not quite as toolsy as Cory Vaughn was a year ago, but there are some parallels and he will look to replicate his post-SD State success. Meredith has already signed and is off to a good start in the NYPL. |
220 |
Reynolds, Javaris |
King HS (FL) |
CF |
L/L |
6'01" |
190 |
1/24/1993 |
HS |
250 |
Culbreth, Brandon |
Forsyth Country Day School (NC) |
RHP |
R/R |
6'04" |
200 |
7/27/1992 |
HS |
280 |
Dufek, Jonas |
Creighton University |
RHP |
R/R |
6'05" |
215 |
6/30/1988 |
SR |
A senior out of Creighton, Dufek is a solid performer with good size, an average fastball and an improved slider. He has already signed and is playing in the NYPL. |
310 |
Hallock, Kyle |
Kent State University |
LHP |
L/L |
6'02" |
185 |
8/6/1988 |
SR |
Hallock was overshadowed by fellow LH Kent State starter, Andrew Chafin, but he was a solid college performer. He has good command, an average fastball, and a decent slider. A solid senior sign who could find himself on a major league roster eventually. He's currently playing in the NYPL. |
340 |
Gominsky, Justin |
University of Minnesota |
CF |
R/R |
6'04" |
185 |
8/26/1989 |
JR |
370 |
Hamblin, Miles |
University of Mississippi |
C |
L/R |
6'03" |
200 |
10/22/1988 |
SR |
You may remember Hamblin from the 2009 draft. At the time, he made some noise as a JuCo catcher out of Howard, but ultimately went undrafted thanks to his commitment to Ole Miss. Things went south from that point and he is more of an organizational player at this point. |
400 |
Hinson, John |
Clemson University |
2B |
L/R |
6'01" |
180 |
9/13/1988 |
SR |
Hinson had some top 5 round buzz at the beginning of the year that he couldn't sustain. I watched quite a few Clemson games this year, Hinson never stood out. Like most on that team, he is athletic and has a good approach at the plate, but beyond that, he was unmemorable.
|
430 |
Stubblefield, Horace |
Lufkin HS (TX) |
RHP |
R/R |
6'05" |
190 |
7/23/1992 |
HS |
Gandy Stubblefield is a projectable RHP whose current package probably isn't good enough to buy him out of his Texas A&M commitment. |
460 |
Johnson, Zachary |
Oklahoma State University |
1B |
R/R |
5'11" |
200 |
6/16/1988 |
JR |
490 |
Zuloaga, Scott |
Scottsdale CC |
LHP |
L/L |
6'03" |
205 |
9/20/1989 |
J2 |
520 |
Perez, Tyson |
Fresno CC |
RHP |
R/R |
6'03" |
215 |
12/27/1989 |
J2 |
550 |
Miller, Kevin |
University of California, Berkeley |
RHP |
R/R |
6'00" |
195 |
8/25/1989 |
SR |
580 |
Lambson, Mitchell |
Arizona State University |
LHP |
L/L |
6'01" |
195 |
7/20/1990 |
JR |
Lambson has well below average velocity and above-average offspeed offerings. He's a crafty LH reliever whose command leaves a good bit to be desired considering his repertoire. He worked well in college, but he has an uphill climb to succeed in pro ball. |
610 |
Duffy, Matthew |
University of Tennessee |
3B |
R/R |
6'03" |
215 |
2/6/1989 |
SR |
640 |
Howick, James |
Jacksonville University |
SS |
R/R |
6'02" |
185 |
8/26/1990 |
JR |
670 |
Muren, Andrew |
California State University - Northridge |
CF |
L/R |
6'06" |
195 |
11/22/1988 |
SR |
700 |
Sosa, Ruben |
Oklahoma City University |
2B |
S/R |
5'07" |
170 |
9/23/1990 |
JR |
730 |
Wierzbicki, Jesse |
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill |
1B |
R/R |
6'03" |
200 |
11/24/1988 |
SR |
760 |
Flamion, Billy |
Central Catholic HS (CA) |
LF |
L/L |
6'01" |
195 |
1/19/1993 |
HS |
Flamion entered last summer as a potential high draft pick, but there are flaws in his game that made It unlikely any team buys him out of his Oregon commitment; as a result, he slipped considerably further than his pure talent dictated. Flamion has excellent bat speed and projects to hit for power, but it also comes via a noticeable upper cut swing and a pull oriented approach. Whether he makes enough contact to utilize that power is a question mark. He also pitched for his high school team which means he should have the arm strength for right field. |
790 |
Fisher, Jared |
Newport HS (WA) |
RHP |
L/R |
6'04" |
235 |
9/1/1992 |
HS |
820 |
Todd, Alex |
Sonoma St University |
SS |
R/R |
6'02" |
190 |
8/15/1989 |
SR |
850 |
John, Jordan |
Oklahoma University |
LHP |
R/L |
6'03" |
200 |
7/5/1990 |
SO |
880 |
Gonzalez, Wallace |
Bishop Amat HS (CA) |
RF |
R/R |
6'05" |
230 |
2/11/1993 |
HS |
910 |
Steranka, Jordan |
Penn State University |
3B |
L/R |
6'03" |
195 |
11/14/1989 |
JR |
940 |
McKinney, Jarrod |
University of Arkansas |
RF |
R/R |
5'11" |
205 |
10/14/1989 |
JR |
970 |
Dando, Zachary |
Central Arizona College |
RHP |
R/R |
6'03" |
175 |
1/4/1991 |
J2 |
1000 |
Taylor, Dominique |
Salt Lake CC |
CF |
R/R |
6'01" |
190 |
8/11/1992 |
J1 |
1030 |
Kellogg, Dustin |
Caney Creek HS (TX) |
RHP |
R/R |
6'04" |
185 |
2/16/1993 |
HS |
1060 |
Morales, Christopher |
Clear Creek HS (TX) |
RHP |
R/R |
6'05" |
205 |
7/22/1993 |
HS |
1090 |
Gonzalez, Kevin |
Texas A&M University |
C |
R/R |
5'10" |
190 |
11/6/1987 |
SR |
1120 |
Martin, Steven |
Texas A&M University |
RHP |
R/R |
6'06" |
225 |
11/16/1987 |
SR |
1150 |
Propst, James |
Oklahoma State University |
RHP |
R/R |
6'01" |
180 |
3/18/1989 |
SR |
1180 |
Haerle, David |
College of the Canyons |
RHP |
R/R |
6'02" |
195 |
3/16/1992 |
J1 |
1210 |
Lamothe, Buddy |
San Jacinto College North |
RHP |
R/R |
6'03" |
225 |
10/11/1990 |
J2 |
1240 |
Davidson, Chase |
University of Georgia |
1B |
L/R |
6'05" |
222 |
1/14/1990 |
JR |
1270 |
Granger, Hoke |
Northside Methodist Academy (AL) |
CF |
R/R |
6'02" |
200 |
5/31/1992 |
HS |
1300 |
Grimes, David |
Upton Lakes Christian School (NY) |
OF |
S/R |
6'01" |
180 |
2/13/1993 |
HS |
1330 |
Ford, Blake |
Lamar University |
RHP |
L/R |
6'05" |
215 |
5/16/1988 |
5S |
1360 |
Epps, Christopher |
Clemson University |
OF |
L/R |
6'00" |
190 |
12/10/1988 |
SR |
Epps is a good athlete with a patient approach at the plate, in other words, he went to Clemson. The bat speed is solid and he has decent speed, but he does have some contact issues. I was mildly surprised by just how far he fell. |
1390 |
Shults, Justin |
University of California, Riverside |
1B |
L/R |
6'03" |
205 |
12/2/1987 |
SR |
1420 |
Hardoin, Zachary |
University of Missouri - Columbia |
LHP |
L/L |
5'10" |
190 |
7/11/1988 |
SR |
1450 |
Murray, Andrew |
Westfield HS (NJ) |
C |
R/R |
6'02" |
215 |
4/4/1993 |
HS |
1480 |
Peterson, David |
College of Charleston |
RHP |
R/R |
6'05" |
205 |
1/4/1990 |
JR |
1510 |
Davis, Colton |
Lake Wales HS (FL) |
CF |
R/R |
6'03" |
190 |
8/27/1992 |
HS |
|
Loading comments...