Ten Junior College Names for the 2013 MLB Draft

Tim Anderson, SS, East Central
Anderson is filling a gap left by the lack of talent in the college ranks this year. While there aren't many up the middle talents in this years' draft, Anderson adds some to that. He had a good season last year but started off amazingly this season and got a lot of scouts attention. He's hitting .360 with a .425 OBP, 4 HR's and 30 SB in 45 games. He also has 24 errors and an .858 fielding percentage. He will play at UAB in 2014 if he doesn't sign out of the draft. His draft slot is up in the air with this much time left but he could go in the first round or slide to the 3rd or 4th as well. He has a ton of tools, looks the part and could stick at short. His speed is impressive, he is athletic and has some pop. His swing needs work but the clay is there to be molded into a very good player. The next two months will tell us more but he could go very early.

Trey Williams, 3B, College of the Canyons
Williams is the most exciting JuCo player this year because he has the tools to be a star. That's rare in this day and age at a junior college. Most get drafted out of high school and a some end up at a Division 1 college but this is rare. He has average to above average tools across the board. He was committed to Pepperdine but opted out of that to re-enter the draft this year. Stats don't mean a lot here but he's hitting .343/.393/.569 with 5 HR's in 25 games so far this spring.

Teddy Stankiewicz, RHP, Seminole State
His mid 90's heat is enough to get on this list but he has a solid breaking ball as well. He's thrown 37 2/3 IP with a 41/3 K/BB ratio but he's given up more than a hit per inning and allowed 4 home runs. He was committed to Arkansas and was the Mets second round pick last season. I don't know the full story why he didn't sign but it sounded more on the Mets than on Stankiewicz end. I'm not sure he will go as high as he did last year but he has an interesting arm and should go in the first five rounds.

Ricardo Jacquez, RHP, Central Arizona
Jacquez was a big name in the draft in 2011 but slipped to the 39th round to the Cubs due to his commitment to Texas. He was kicked off the Texas team due to rules violations after 14 appearances but hooked on with Central Arizona this spring. He has a small frame at 5'9", 160 but is very athletic. His fastball has hit 97 in the past and sits 90-92 with very good life. He has a nasty 76-78 MPH hard breaking ball and has a change in the 78-82 range.

Cody Gunter, 3B, Grayson County
At 6'3", 195, Gunter looks the part. Drafted in the 19th round last year, Gunter could have been bought out of a Kansas State commitment for $200,000. The Marlins decided not to spend the extra money, although they had room in their allocation without penalty, and they passed on signing him. He is doing his best to make them regret it. Through 7 games he has one homer and is 12-27 with 6 walks and 7 K's. Stats don't mean a lot here but the strong, well balanced swing from the left side does. He has the offensive potential to be a top two or three round guy. Defensively, he may end up in a corner outfield spot but his bat should be good enough to make that work.

Kayden Porter, RHP/3B, Southern Nevada
Big righty has a powerful build and a powerful arm. His power is loud enough to get my attention but he is a raw project. Along the lines of the Stetson Allie of Junior College. His secondary's aren't as sharp as his fastball that can get into the mid 90's. He was a North Carolina commit but headed to Southern Nevada. He's from Utah so it's closer to home. I wouldn't be surprised to see him stay at Southern Nevada again next year and either sign out of the draft or go to N.C. if his tools come around. If they don't, he may never play pro ball. He is playing both ways at Southern Nevada and doing better on the mound but isn't playing consistently.

Erich Knab, RHP, Spartanburg Methodist
At 6'3, 190, he has the prototypical pitchers build. With a loose arm that can run up to 94, there is potential there. His secondary pitches lag behind the fastball but with JuCo players, you are usually picking a project. He was never committed to a D1 school, so sign ability shouldn't be tough. The Twins took him in the 13th round last summer but he didn't sign. His stats are just ok with 20 IP, 15 hits, 15 K's and 8 BB.

Dylan LaValle, SS/3B, Everett CC
Lavelle has a nice swing. He has good bat speed and could have solid power potential. He's 6'2", 185 pounds but projects bigger. He has the arm for 3B or he could be tried at 2B. He isn't a fast guy but has good footwork. Drafted in the 18th round by the Tigers last year, a deal was in place for $150,000 but it fell through. He was even reported as signed at one point. I'm not sure what happened but considering he went to Everett instead of Oregon, I would think he is willing to sign this year.

David Gates, RHP, Howard College
Gates is in his second year at Howard and has 48 IP, 35 hits allowed, 42 K, 31 BB. He has been up to mid-90's with his fastball. He didn't pitch as a freshman at Texas Tech and transferred to get playing time. He should be one of the first JuCo pitchers taken on arm strength alone.

Kyle Carter, OF/LHP, Miami-Dade
Carter is a very good left handed bat and has upper 80's velocity on mound. He transferred from Georgia after an arrest for underage drinking. Georgia has stated it would let him come back for 2014 if he chooses to so that may be his best option to establish where his true potential is but I think it is with the bat. Some team could roll the dice on him and sign him if they think he can hit in pro ball.