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5/29/10

DRAFT: - Kyle Roller, Jake Smith, Tony Wolters, Rob Rasmussen... and Bryce Brentz

Kyle Roller:

5-28 from: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/5/28/1491102/for-your-consideration-college#storyjump  - 1B, East Carolina: Plus power potential, works the count deep. Strikeouts and contact issues hinder his draft status. Hit well in the Cape last year, blasting 10 home runs. Below average speed. Limited to 1B, defensively.










Jake Smith:

5-27 from: - http://baseballdraftreport.com/  - 2010 MLB Draft: Top 30 College Third Base Prospects - 20. Alabama SR 3B Jake Smith - Players coming off of more accomplished collegiate seasons precede Smith on this list, so take this aggressive ranking as a show of good faith that the Alabama senior’s tools will trump his up-and-down college career when it comes to his success or failure in the pros. Hey, speaking of aggressive, one of Smith’s biggest current issues is a tendency to get too aggressive at the plate, jumping out at pitches before they reach his happy zone. He’s gotten away with it to some extent in college, but hacking at anything 16 inches (give or take) off, up, or away from the plate is no way to advance up the minor league ladder in the enlightened age of baseball we’re lucky to be living in. Smith’s tremendous raw power and excellent defensive tools play in any era of baseball, but he’s been slow to recover from a serious ankle injury. I get the feeling based on all of the above that we’re talking about another four-corners backup type here. Fun fact: Replace “serious ankle injury” with “labrum injury” and you’ve got a very similar situation to what the number eight overall prospect on this list is dealing with. Any guesses about the identify of our mystery prospect?

Tony Wolters:

5-28 from: - http://www.baseballrumormill.com/2010/05/mlb-draft-notes-josh-sale-marcus-littlewood-and-more/#more  - Although he didn't believe he was violating any rules, his high school team has sat him out of games on fears the California state commissioner would rule Wolters ineligible after working out for the Toronto Blue Jays. However, players work out for professional teams all the time, so to penalize one and not the many others seems hypocritical. The question, as Michael Huang of The Sporting News writes, is whether he participated in a legal "workout" or an illegal "tryout".

Rob Rasmussen:

5-28 from: - http://baseballbeginnings.com/2010/05/28/rob-rasmussen-report  - PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Powerful lower half. Strong upper body. Average height. STRENGTHS: FB 89-92 (91), above-average movement and command. Curveball 75-79 (79), well above-average rotation, tight depth and shape, two-plane with deceptive power. Fearless to pitch with his breaking ball, commands respect. Change-up 82-84, average velocity, movement and command. Slider 92-85 (84) with above-average movement and command. Slider has tilt and plane against right-handers. Different look from CB. Not the same pitch. Overall average command and control. Trusts CB as go-to pitch. WEAKNESSES: Has had times of throwing too many CH in college career – not necessarily his fault. Absolute at his best when using all four pitches. Best when allowed to pitch with fastball. Better at using what works best on given day. SUMMARY: Frontline 3-pitch LH ML starter. Most complete college LH starter in this draft for me. Extremely competitive and intelligent pitcher, up-tempo bulldog. Has the intangibles to pitch above his physical grades at the major league level. GRADES (Present/Future): Fastball 55/55 Curveball 60/60 Slider 60/60 Change-up 50/50 Command 50/50 Control 50/50 Overall Future Potential: 54

Bryce Brentz:

5-28 from: - http://bleacherreport.com/tb/b4kdh  - Middle Tennessee State: After a huge sophomore season and fine showing with Team USA, Brentz was slowed this year by an ankle injury. He's still managed to show a good amount of power and should be fine in an outfield corner. That should have him off the board at some point in the first round.

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