6/5/10

DRAFT: - Bryce Brentz, Pierre LePage, Kellen Deglan, Jesse Biddle... and Yasmani Grandal

Bryce Brentz:

6-4 from: - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/401216-2010-mlb-amateur-draft-the-top-10-hitting-prospects-available#page/2  - OF, Middle Tennessee State - The 2010 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft is just days away, and coming off a year’s worth of hype thanks to Stephen Strasburg, the draft has never been more popular. While there may not be another Stephen Strasburg available in 2010, there is a promising group of young prospects available, including one young man being billed as the best power prospect to ever enter the draft. Major League Baseball’s draft still does not hold the same fanfare as the NFL or NBA’s drafts, but it does serve the same function: to determine which clubs the stars of tomorrow will shine for.

Pierre LePage:

6-4 from: - http://baseballbeginnings.com/2010/06/04/pierre-lepage-qa  - Pierre LePage knows the story – people say he’s a small guy with big dreams. Well, hitting .336 with wood on the Cape helps that, as does running better than most right-handed batters, as does providing the middle infield glue of a talented Connecticut team. He’ll be drafted and he will have earned his shot. LePage, for me, is a player playing in the wrong era. Back before the TV era, the second basemen were always LePage’s size, about 5-7. The things LePage does well today were highly valued back then – speed, defense, infield captaining, contact hitting, hustling. I’d like to think that some team somewhere gives the guy a chance to be what he is, even if he might be a baseball time traveler.

Kellen Deglan:

6-4 from: - http://www.deepleagues.com/?p=1791  - C, British Columbia, Canada - This Canadian prep catcher has drawn recent interest from multiple teams based upon his apparent willingness to sign for slot money. Deglan is a true catcher whose strength is defense, but it is also encouraging he shows solid upside hitting from the left-side of the plate. He impressed scouts with his performance in the Dominican Summer League, and he could be a late mover into the first round.
Jesse Biddle:

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=4812  - A quick scouting summary on some of those “late bloomers:” - Jesse Biddle, lhp, Germantown Friends HS, Philadelphia.I’ve heard him mentioned as high as the middle of the first round, but it’s not surprising for a projectable 6-foot-6 lefty who has touched 94 this spring to surface there.

Yasmani Grandal:

6-2 from: - http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=4760  - 6. YASMANI GRANDAL, c, Miami (Fla.) UPDATE (5/15): Grandal has emphatically answered all the questions about his bat with a torrid run through ACC play that pushed his numbers to .425-12-53 (through mid-May). He has adjusted well against quality pitching, as well, which was evidenced by a May 14 matchup against Georgia Tech’s Deck McGuire, when he hit an opposite-field home run against a changeup away and a double off the center field wall on a high fastball. There are increasing concerns about his ability to hit from the right side, as he continues to struggle in game action from that side, but he has given no indication that he is willing to give up switch-hitting. He has secured a place as the top catcher available behind Bryce Harper.—ANDY SEILER

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I would like to add to your comments about Pierre LePage. I met Pierre as a 13 year old playing for the Team Connecticut Bombers, and had the pleasure of coaching him in both baseball and football at the Loomis Chaffee School. I can assure you that your respect for the way Pierre plays baseball is hugely deserved. At 13 Pierre's glove was more than apparent and that tool has never left him, but where his strength of character has really shown is in his offensive ability. Only limitless repetition can manifest such huge gains in power and contact rate. His gaudy senior season numbers at Loomis and his immediate success in the telling Cape League came directly from hours of extra hitting practice in cold winters and wet springs. I wish Pierre luck and congratulate any team that signs him on money well spent.