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6/28/10

2011 DRAFT: - Joe Ross, Stuart Tapley, Jackie Bradley Jr., Dillon Maples... and Parker Brunelle

Joe Ross:



6-25 from: - http://www.baseballrumormill.com/  - The Tournament of Stars - a showcase event for USA Baseball held every June in North Carolina - is designed to be a forum to compile an 18-and-under team to represent the United States in the IBAF 18U World Championships this July. Keith Law from espn.com recently filed two reports from the event. Here are some highlights from Keith's reports. - •Pitchers Joe Ross and Dillon Maples both did not pitch phenomenally and threw 91-90, but Law likes their projectability.



Stuart Tapley:


6-21-10 from: - http://baseballdraftreport.com/  - 2011 MLB Draft Players to Know – Florida State - JR 3B Stuart Tapley (.281/.419/.454; 40/57 BB/K; 7/9 SB; 185 AB) - Tapley is a favorite among coaches, scouts, and fans for his superior work ethic, hustle, and on-field demeanor, so it’s easy to believe he could be in store for a quick return trip back up teams’ draft boards with a big senior season. He’s not a third baseman long-term, but a utility future could be in the cards if he can show any kind of aptitude at second. If that doesn’t work, he could be a four-corners bench bat type. Tapley was one of the last few cuts from my 2010 list of top 30 college third basemen, for what it’s worth.



Jackie Bradley Jr.


6-25 from: - http://www.deepleagues.com/?p=1878 - But according to this report, Bradley’s throws from right field during Perfect Game’s scouting showcase were clocked at 101 mph (only faster velocity I could find was something that claimed Jarred Cosart hit 103). I’m not an expert on outfield throwing velocities (how fast are Ichiro’s throws?) and how much velocity should factor into grading an outfielder’s arm, but assuming the elite arm strength is legitimate, what makes Bradley’s defense special is he combines it with excellent speed and great instincts running down fly balls in CF. As this writer says, Bradley has “the range and speed of a CF and the arm of a RF.” He can also hit. At the plate, Bradley is batting .374 this season with 13 home runs and 58 RBI’s. The strikeout/walk ratio is also impressive, as he’s leading his team with 39 bb’s as compared to 33 k’s. I have heard some reports describing him as a raw hitter, but judging from those statistics and the few at bats I have seen, plate discipline does not appear to be a serious problem. One question is whether he can hit for power. The collegiate power numbers are good, but although based upon a small sample size, he had zero hitting with wood bats in the cape league. Moreover, he is not a particularly big guy (5’10, 175), so I thought going into the CWS the reason for not ranking him high would be an inability to hit for power. But I have been really impressed with his swing and bat speed in the CWS, and it’s difficult to imagine the power will not arrive.



Dillon Maples:


6-25 from: - http://www.baseballrumormill.com/   - The Tournament of Stars - a showcase event for USA Baseball held every June in North Carolina - is designed to be a forum to compile an 18-and-under team to represent the United States in the IBAF 18U World Championships this July. Keith Law from espn.com recently filed two reports from the event. Here are some highlights from Keith's reports.- •Pitchers Joe Ross and Dillon Maples both did not pitch phenomenally and threw 91-90, but Law likes their projectability.





Parker Brunelle:


6-21-10 from: - http://baseballdraftreport.com/  - 2011 MLB Draft Players to Know – Florida State - JR C Parker Brunelle (.222/.297/.395; 8/13 BB/K; 0/1 SB; 81 AB) - Brunelle, a top high school prospect way back when, has disappointed since enrolling at Florida State. He’s still an outstanding athlete with a line drive swing, so there may still be some hope he’s another late blooming catching prospect. Unfortunately, the lack of power and an average at best throwing arm represent two major strikes against him.

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