Welcome to Pro Ball: Reviewing 2013 MLB Second Round Draft

40) Andrew Thurman, RHP, Astros: UC Irvine right-hander posted a 3.86 ERA with a 43/11 K/BB in 40 innings for Tri-City in the New York-Penn League, giving up 43 hits. Reasonable debut that fit well with his excellent K/BB ratios in college.

41) Rob Zastryzny, LHP, Cubs: Successful debut in limited innings for University of Missouri lefty: 2.25 ERA, 22/8 K/BB in 24 innings combined between Northwest League and Midwest League. As with Thurman, he did what was expected and could begin 2014 in High-A.

42) Ryan McMahon, 3B, Rockies: Very good debut from California prep bat: .321/.402/.583 with 11 homers, 28 walks, 59 strikeouts in 218 at-bats in the Pioneer League. Projects to hit for power and average as he moves up; no reason he can’t begin ’14 in Low-A.

43) Ryan Eades, RHP, Twins: Louisiana State right-hander was kept on a short leash at rookie-level Elizabethton, pitching 16 innings over 10 games with a 13/12 K/BB ratio. He’ll need sharper command at higher levels, although most of his control problems came in his last few outings when he may have been tired from the long season.

44) Trevor Williams, RHP, Marlins: Arizona State product is another guy who wasn’t pushed very much in his pro debut due to innings/workload issues, pitching just 34 innings over 13 starts between rookie ball, the NY-P, and Low-A. He performed well, with a 2.38 ERA, a 24/8 K/BB, and a sharp 2.24 GO/AO ratio. This matched his profile coming out of college: a sinkerballer who can be an efficient inning eater.

45) Teddy Stankiewicz, RHP, Red Sox: Seminole State Junior College ace performed well in the New York-Penn League, with a 2.29 ERA in 20 innings and a 15/2 K/BB ratio with 17 hits allowed. Tiny walk rate is good to see.

46) Cody Reed, LHP, Royals: Erratic lefty from Northwest Mississippi Community College had command problems in the Pioneer League, leading to a 6.07 ERA with a poor 25/23 K/BB ratio in 30 innings of work. He has a good arm but was rated as raw with command and secondary pitches in college; he looked that way this summer, so this isn’t unexpected.

47) Clint Hollon, RHP, Blue Jays: Kentucky high school pitcher saw limited action in pro ball, pitching 17.1 innings with a 16/5 K/BB between rookie ball and Appalachian League. 12 of those were scoreless in the GCL; in the Appy he gave up seven runs in 5.1 innings. Sample too small to mean much but it doesn’t look out of context with scouting reports about a good fastball/slider combination but relative rawness.

48) Andrew Church, RHP, Mets: Nevada high school pitcher threw 35 innings in rookie ball with mediocre results (5.91 ERA, 19/8 K/BB, 49 hits allowed). He didn’t walk the park at least, but he didn’t dominate either. Again, it doesn’t mean that much given his age. Low strikeout rate fits reports that his secondary pitches need more polish.

49) Austin Wilson, OF, Mariners: Inconsistent Stanford tools beast hit .241/.319/.414 with six homers, 17 walks, 42 strikeouts in 203 at-bats in the Northwest League. He finished hot, hitting .382 with .824 SLG in last 10 games. This is another guy with early performance that matches the scouting reports. He has all the tools in the world but is still learning how to use them.

50) Dustin Peterson, 3B, Padres: Hit .293/.337/.344 with nine walks, 33 strikeouts in 157 at-bats in the Arizona Rookie League; struggled at third base with 14 errors in 31 games. Arizona high school infielder was supposed to have more offensive polish than he showed, with defense a bigger doubt than hitting. Not sure what to think here, other than he’s very young and it is dangerous to draw conclusions this soon.

51) Blake Taylor, LHP, Pirates: California high school southpaw posted a 2.57 ERA with a 13/9 K/BB in 21 innings in rookie ball, allowing only seven hits. Good start to his career; it will be interesting to see how he fits into the Pirates pitching development system.

52) Justin Williams, OF, Diamondbacks: Louisiana prep hit .345/.398/.446 in 37 games in rookie ball, then .412/.423/.529 in 11 games in the Pioneer League, then went 1-for-9 in the Midwest League. LA high school ranks to the Midwest League is a huge jump, especially for a guy who was supposed to be unpolished. He IS very raw on defense, making seven errors in 51 games for a .883 fielding percentage in left field, but the bat may be more advanced than anticipated.

53) Andrew Knapp, C, Phillies: University of California catcher is rough defensively but has offensive potential as a power hitter. He batted .253/.340/.401 in the New York-Penn League, probably a weaker line than expected, but 20 doubles is a good start in his first 62 games and defensive improvement is the main focus right now.

54) Devin Williams, RHP, Brewers: Missouri high school right-hander posted a 3.38 ERA in rookie ball with a 39/22 K/BB in 35 innings with 28 hits allowed. K/IP and hit rate support reports of strong stuff, but he needs better command, which also fits the high school reports. Posted a 1.95 GO/AO, which looks good with the strikeouts.

55) Tyler Danish, RHP, White Sox: Florida high schooler was extremely successful in his debut, posting a 1.20 ERA with a 28/5 K/BB and a 3.36 GO/AO in 30 pro innings between the Appy and Sally Leagues, with only 17 hits allowed. Ability to generate ground balls and strikeouts at the same time is quite notable; fits high school reports of a killer sinker.

56) Tom Windle, LHP, Dodgers: University of Minnesota southpaw was quite good in his debut, posting a 2.68 ERA with a 51/20 K/BB in 54 innings in the Midwest League, a successful jump from NCAA to full-season ball. With a good spring, he could being 2014 as high as Double-A.

57) Oscar Mercado, SS, Cardinals: High school infielder from Tampa prep ranks hit just .209/.290/.307 in 42 games in rookie ball, though he did swipe 12 bases. Runs well and has a good defensive reputation, but his debut did nothing to dissuade pre-draft doubts about his bat.

58) Kevin Ziomek, LHP, Tigers: Vanderbilt mainstay pitched just eight innings in pro ball, with a 3/5 K/BB, five hits allowed, with a 2.80 GO/AO in the New York-Penn League. The sample from Connecticut is too small to be meaningful at all. He was shut down in July for innings reasons after throwing 119 for the Commodores.

59) Hunter Green, LHP, Angels: Prep lefty from Kentucky posted a 4.32 ERA with an 11/16 K/BB in 17 innings in rookie ball, 17 hits allowed. Projectable, throws hard, but is still ironing out his mechanics and command. Stats fit the reports.

60) Riley Unroe, SS, Rays: High school infielder from Arizona hit .246/.376/.341 in rookie ball, with 33 walks, 43 strikeouts, seven steals in 167 at-bats. He’ll take a walk, played well on defense, and is considered a "baseball rat" type. He was also one of the youngest players in the class.

61) Chance Sisco, C, Orioles: Athletic high school catcher from California hit .371/.475/.464 in rookie ball with 17 walks, 21 strikeouts in 97 at-bats. Finished with a 1-for-5 in two games in the NY-P. Needs a lot of work defensively but has the tools for the position; long-term development type but career is off to a good start.

62) Akeem Bostick, RHP, Rangers: High school pitcher from South Carolina posted 2.83 ERA with 33/12 K/BB in 41 innings in rookie ball, 42 hits allowed. Rated as a raw-but-projectable/athletic thrower on draft day, he held his own in rookie ball. Development of secondary pitches will be the key, but he’s got potential.

63) Dillon Overton, LHP, Athletics: University of Oklahoma strike-thrower is out with Tommy John surgery, not really a surprise given decline in his stuff this spring.

64) Ryder Jones, 3B, Giants: North Carolina prep hit .317/.395/.400 with 14 walks, 38 strikeouts in 145 at-bats in rookie ball. Good arm and has tools for third base. More power is expected as he matures. Was considered an overdraft by many experts but hard to complain so far.

65) Victor Caratini, C, Braves: Very solid pro debut, hit .290/.415/.430 with 39 walks, 49 strikeouts, 23 doubles for Danville in the Appy League. Miami-Dade JC product saw name called as a catcher but played third base in his debut with fair results. Doubles may become homers in time.

66) Gosuke Katoh, 2B, Yankees: California prep infielder was also considered an overdraft at first, but he played excellently in rookie ball, hitting .310/.402/.522 with 27 walks, 44 strikeouts in 184 at-bats, very impressive by Gulf Coast League standards, also performed well on defense. It’s a fine start to his career, but recent Yankee GCL stars have not panned out as hoped, so let’s give him some time.

67) Kevin Franklin, 3B, Reds: California prep hitter batted .260/.326/.364 with 13 walks, 53 strikeouts in 173 at-bats in rookie ball, also made 20 errors in 37 games. Very raw, was profiled as a power hitter in high school but didn’t show it in the pros. Swing mechanics reportedly need work.

68) Jake Johansen, RHP, Nationals: Right-hander from Dallas Baptist overmatched NY-P (1.06 ERA, 44/18 K/BB in 42 innings, just 22 hits) but command problems undid him in two Low-A starts. Excellent arm and can hit 99, but secondary pitches and overall refinement are weak points. Projected as a reliever in the long run by many observers.