4/10/10

4-10 v2.0 - DRAFT: - Joe Leonard, Robbie Ray, Mel Rojas Jr., Drew Pomeranz... and the Top 15 First Basemen in Draft

Joe Leonard:

4-7 from: - http://mlbbonusbaby.com/  - Joe Leonard, 3B, Pittsburgh: I received a question about Leonard in a chat about a month ago, and I answered that most of the questions about Leonard aren’t about his defense, but about his bat. He’s started to answer those questions, and his stock has been rising as a result. He’s putting up a strong .432/.496/.649 slash line so far, while continuing to play above-average defense. There’s also hope for continued development in the power department, as he’s still a tall, skinny hitter at the plate, though he’s matured over the last 12 months in his frame. He’s worked hard on his plate discipline, and while he won’t walk anything more than the league average in the pros, he’s not going to swing at everything like he has sometimes in the past. The doubles he hits now will turn into some homers in the future, and while his ceiling looks like a 15-20 home run slugger in his prime, his defense and hit tools are good enough to make him a league average third baseman in the big leagues. He’s looking at a possible 2nd-3rd round selection now, up from the 4th-6th round level he was looking at entering the season.

Robbie Ray:

4-8 from: - http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/draft-tracker/2010/269779.html  - Robbie Ray, lhp, Brentwood (Tenn.) HS - While he was one of a handful of lefthanders to stand out on this summer's showcase circuit, Ray's fall and spring have been disappointing. Not only has Ray's stuff been down, but he's no longer committed to Vanderbilt. "I'm kind of surprised that Vanderbilt was really ever in the mix on him," a National League area scout said. "Academically, he didn't really fit their profile. So far this year, he's been a little bit up and down and the effort level is something you question. I saw his first start of the year and early on he was up to 92 (mph) and by the end of the outing he was working at 84-85.




Mel Rojas Jr.

4-7 from: http://www.baseballrumormill.com/2010/04/2010-draft-preview-matt-harvey-rising-kyle-blair-falling/#more  - Mel Rojas Jr., Wabash Valley CC, OF: A true centerfielder, Rojas has shown good speed, an above-average arm and good bat speed. While he is not likely to be a power hitter, if he can hit for contact he could fit into the new, defensive-minded mold of an outfielder.







Drew Pomeranz

4-9 from: - http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/on-campus/2010/269792.html  - Top Pitcher - Drew Pomeranz, lhp, Mississippi - In stark contrast to the hitting crop, there is no shortage of elite college pitchers who have met or exceeded expectations in the first half of 2010. Though the top-rated college pitcher entering the season—Louisiana State junior righty Anthony Ranaudo—was sidelined for most of the first half with a stress reaction in his right arm, the other three members of the preseason All-America first team (Pomeranz, Georgia Tech junior righty Deck McGuire and Florida Gulf Coast lefty Chris Sale) have been brilliant… but Pomeranz is our choice for top pitcher of the first half because of the dominance he has displayed against a high caliber of competition, as well as the utterly overwhelming stuff he has shown, making him a strong candidate to be the first college player drafted in June.

Top 15 First Basemen In Draft:

Hunter Morris, Junior, Auburn Univ. (3)

Christian Yelich, Senior, Westlake HS (Calif.) (9)

Jared Lakind, Senior, Cy-Woods HS (Texas) (2)

Kris Bryant, Senior, Bonanza HS (Nev.) (1)

Conrad Gregor, Senior, Carmel HS (Ind.) (4)

Austin Southall, Senior, University HS (La.) (5)

Andy Wilkins, Junior, Univ. Arkansas (6)

Eric Jaffe, Senior, Bishop O'Dowd HS (Calif.) (NR)

Kyle Roller, Senior, East Carolina Univ. (7)

Phil Cerreto, Senior, Longwood Univ. (10)

Andrew Clark, Junior, Louisville Univ. (NR)

Daniel Palka, Senior, Greer HS (S.C.) (14)

Blake Dean, Senior, Louisiana St. Univ. (13)

A.J. Kirby-Jones, Junior, Tennessee Tech (NR)

Rhoderick Shoulders, Senior, Brandon HS (Fla.) (15)

Best Hitter: Jared Lakind  -  http://pnrscouting.com/rankings_2010_midseason_firstbase.html

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