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5/27/10

DRAFT: - Mark Canha, Jordan Ribera, Bryson Smith, Nick Castellanos... and Tyler Kuresa

Mark Canha:

5-26 from: - link  - Mark Canha is a physical hitter from the University of California at Berkeley. Canha came to Cal from Bellarmine Prep in San Jose, a school with a long list of baseball alumni including Pat Burrell. Canha wasn’t the most heavily-recruited player in Northern California as a senior, but he wasn’t ignored, either. He falls into that in-between category that so many college players fall in. As a freshman, he was just a late-inning replacement in games that were out of hand, which made it all the more surprising when he exploded as a sophomore offensively when given the chance. Playing first base, he had the best stats of anyone on a loaded team, leading to high expectations for his junior year. Surprisingly enough, he’s somewhat met those expectations. Starting the year in right field, he started off on a real tear, though he has slowed late in the season. He was moved back to first base fairly quickly in the spring, though it was due more to players available than Canha’s lack of skill. An average hitter, he has above-average raw power and average speed, making him a solid offensive threat. In the field, he has average range for right field, and his best natural tool is a plus arm. He has enough overall skill to become a starter in right or left field for a team, though many scouts think his long-term position is first base, and he could go in the third to fifth round range to a team that really likes him as a signable college junior.

Jordan Ribera:

5-26 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/05/26/2010-all-wac-teams-announced  - The Western Athletic Conference today released its 2010 all-WAC baseball teams and postseason awards as selected by the league’s head coaches. Ribera, a junior from Fresno, Calif. (Clovis West HS), batted .323 in conference play and currently leads the nation in home runs with 26. Ribera also earned First Team all-WAC honors.








Bryson Smith:

5-25 from: - http://baseballdraftreport.com/2010/05/25/2010-mlb-draft-top-30-college-third-base-prospects-30-21  - Top 30 College Third Base Prospects - 29. Florida JR 3B Bryson Smith - Smith has a big league body, intriguing pop, useful positional versatility, but has been held back by injuries in 2010. Injury induced subpar seasons for mid- to late-round underclassman prospects are normally a recipe for a senior season return engagement, but Smith may be a victim of his own college team’s success. Playing time in 2011 looks to be very hard to come by on a young, stacked Florida starting nine, so Smith may try his luck professionally if a team is willing to bet that a return to health will bring him closer to the player he was at junior college than he was as a Gator.

Nick Castellanos:

5-25 from: - http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/MLB_Draft  - Archbishop McCarthy High School shortstop Nick Castellanos is another with options, according to the scout. "His dad's a doctor and he comes from some money. But no one's holding that against him. It's just that he has options available to him that other kids sometimes don't have. He's committed to Miami, which is a great school, so it's going to take a little bit to lure him away." The projectable shortstop will most likely play 3B in the pros or in college. "He's improved his speed and mobility. You can see more coordination there," the scout added

Tyler Kuresa:

5-26 from: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/5/26/1488491/top-5-by-position-first-basemen#storyjump  - Tyler Kuresa is another prep first baseman who has really risen this spring to become a legitimate early option for teams in this draft. Like Yelich, he’s more athletic and talented defensively than your average first baseman, and he’s not going to be a huge power threat at the next level. Instead he’s a solid performer who is good in almost every phase of his game, and he’s an advanced hitter for his age. He’s big, tall, and projectable, and that combination intrigues scouts to the point that he could have his name called on day two of the draft, which starts with the second round. Kuresa’s tools are more of the athletic variety. His hit tool is his best offensive trait, and it’s above-average, meaning he’ll hit for a good average. His power is merely average, though, so he’s not going to be a middle of the order threat on most teams. He’s a potential plus defender with some work around the first base bag, which will make him very desirable, and his frame draws some comparisons defensively to Adam LaRoche, a big target for his infielders. He has an average arm to go along with his good glove, so the all-around package looks to be quite valuable. He could go as early as the fourth round and shouldn’t last longer than the seventh if he’s signable away from Oregon.

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