5/4/10

DRAFT: -(Wimmers Hurt) Yasmani Grandal, Tony Wolters, John Sims, David Filak... and Matteo D’Angelo

Yasmani Grandal:

5-1 from: - http://projectprospect.com/article/2010/04/28/lincolns-2010-draft-board  - Miami catcher Yasmani Grandal has vaulted himself into the top 20. Grandal has been extremely productive, hitting .432/.548/.764 while walking in 19.1% of his trips to the plate and striking out just 12.8% of the time. Those numbers stack up with anyone in the country, especially when they come from a switch-hitting catcher with good defensive tools. Grandal’s arm strength is solidly above-average and there are little, if any, doubts about his ability to be at least average defensively behind the plate. A rumor has floated around that Grandal could be headed to Kansas City with the fourth pick in the draft. Grandal is certainly a better prospect than Tony Sanchez, last year’s top college catcher who went to the Pirates in a pre-draft deal.

Tony Wolters:

5-1 from: link  - Tony Wolters, SS, Rancho Buena Vista High School, Vista, California - Wolters is undersized at 5-10, 165, and his tools aren't exciting. Despite this, the University of San Diego signee could still go early in the draft due to his outstanding polish, terrific work ethic, and "baseball rat" demeanor that scouts love. He makes hard contact and controls the strike zone better than most players his age, which helps. He's a fine defensive shortstop; although his arm isn't the best, his instincts and positioning are so good that he should be able to remain at short, at least for awhile. He could go somewhere towards the back of the supplemental round or in the second round.

John Simms:

4-30 from: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/4/30/1451211/casing-the-states-texas-part-four#storyjump - RHP Simms has become more well-known as the pitching arch nemesis (the two are good friends in reality) of Jameson Taillon from neighboring The Woodlands High, but he's an excellent prospect in his own right. A projectable right-handed arm, Simms also has some of the best current pitchability in the high school class. However, scouts openly wonder whether they can sign Simms away from a Rice scholarship, as he isn't projected to go quite early enough to warrant a large bonus that he might need to forego the Rice commitment. It's a question to be answered, but Simms has done everything he needs to do to keep his name forefront in scouts' minds. Despite not having a current plus fastball, Simms' projectability and command makes the 89-92 mph pitch play up to be above-average with plus potential. He mixes in a potential plus slider and average changeup, and that combination is all well-commanded and well-mixed. His ceiling might be as a #3 starter, and while that's not the most attractive idea from a prep arm, there's a feeling that Simms' intelligence and command might help him outplay his projected ceiling. Odds are currently on Simms landing on campus this fall, but a team might take an early run at him, hoping to sign him for an over slot bonus. Projected Draft Range: 3rd-8th Round

David Filak:

5-3 from: http://www.baseballrumormill.com/2010/05/top-small-school-pitchers/#more  – top small school pitchers: - David Filak, SUNY-Oneonta, RHP- Using a low-90s fastball and a "power" curveball, Filak has struck out close to half of the batters he's face: 74 out of 168

Matteo D’Angelo:

5-3 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/05/03/big-south-players-of-the-week-9  - Winthrop’s Matteo D’Angelo (Bologna, Italy) has been named The Crons Brand Pitcher of the Week for games played April 26-May 2, it was announced today by the League office. D’Angelo picked up his first career complete game shutout in the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader against Presbyterian College. He gave up just three hits in the contest with only one walk and six strikeouts. D’Angelo did not allow a base runner past second base until the top of the ninth inning with two outs. He gave up his first hit in the second frame and did not allow another hit until the ninth, when PC picked up its other two hits on the evening. D’Angelo retired 20 consecutive batters during the stretch and had six-straight 1-2-3 innings.



Wimmers Hurt:

5-4 from: - http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/MLB_Draft - Scouts headed to Ann Arbor last Friday for what they thought was going to be a matchup between Ohio State ace right-hander Alex Wimmers (below) and Michigan workhorse Alan Oaks. Wimmers was sporting a 9-0 record and a 1.61 ERA coming in. Instead, they saw Wimmers be a late scratch because of a hamstring injury. That doesn't bode well for Wimmers as the draft nears. While some people might say teams are still preparing to take their final looks at players--crosscheckers and scouting directors making their last trips in to see them--the fact is most teams have already reached conclusions and made decisions about a lot of guys.

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