DRAFT: - Yasmani Grandal, Phil Wunderlich, Taijuan Walker, Drew Pomeranz... Christian Colon

Yasmani Grandal:

6-3 from: - http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/baseball/news?slug=ap-miami-grandal   - He batted .234 as a freshman, .299 last season, then a whopping .422—10 points better than Wittels—so far this season, with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs in 56 games. He had 88 hits combined as a freshman and sophomore, and has 84 already in 2010. He’s more than doubled his career output of doubles with 22 this season, and his slugging (.754) and on-base percentage (.545, fifth-best in all of Division I) smash his previous bests at Miami.

Phil Wunderlich:

6-3 from: - http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/MLB_Draft/entry/view/67913/revisiting_louisvilles_phil_wunderlich;_redbirds_galore#page_break  - Wunderlich injured his left shoulder in the offseason. He throws righthanded but hits from the left side, which is a plus. In a draft lacking bona fide college hitters, Wunderlich stood out after overcoming a mid-season slump. His swing is a bit long and he likes to extend his arms. He is also tends to chase pitches down and away, thinking his uppercut swing can golf those pitches. He gets caught when the ball moves to the right-side black. Wunderlich is cut from the same mold as former Louisville ... ahem, slugger Chris Dominguez, who was selected by the San Francisco Giants last year in the third round. Expect about the same for Wunderlich.

Taijuan Walker:

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=4812  - A quick scouting summary on some of those “late bloomers:” -Taijuan Walker, rhp, Yucaipia (Calif.) HS. I personally wouldn’t pick Walker over a number of other projectable, athletic high-school righthanders I’ve seen. But virtually every California-based scout I have talked to repeats the same thing, “Don’t be surprised when Walker goes a lot higher than you might think.”

Drew Pomeranz:

6-2 from: - http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=4760  - 3. DREW POMERANZ, lhp, Mississippi - UPDATE (5/15): Just as Pomeranz established himself on a short list of the top three prospects for this year’s draft, along with College of Southern Nevada catcher Bryce Harper and Texas prep righthander Jameson Taillon, he had a number of subpar Southeastern Conference starts—highlighted by his celebrated debacle against Louisiana State righthander Anthony Ranaudo on April 23, when both pitchers exited before the fourth inning. Pomeranz walked nine in three innings, while Ranaudo was raked for nine runs in 1-2/3 innings. Ranaudo is the pitcher Pomeranz essentially replaced earlier in the spring as the top college arm in the draft. Despite his midseason slump, Pomeranz was still an impressive 7-1, 2.15 through his first 13 starts, and had fanned 121 in 80 innings while allowing just 50 hits (.176 opponent batting average). Most disturbing was his 43 walks, a total that escalated as he struggled with his command. Pomeranz’ velocity has also been inconsistent, and it was just 87 tops when in his epic struggle against LSU. More often that not this spring, though, Pomeranz has dominated with a fastball in the 93-94 mph range and painted both corners with ease, while complementing his fastball with a big, sharp-breaking curve. It’s that kind of stuff and command that will elevate him easily into the top handful of picks in June.—AS

Christian Colon:

6-2 from: - http://www.sbnation.com/2010/6/2/1497708/2010-mlb-draft-preview-manny-machado-shortstops  - He came into his own as a top prospect in the 2010 draft class with perhaps the best summer of any college prospect, continually hitting the ball hard with Team USA and playing excellent defense. However, he broke his leg at the end of Team USA's season, and there were question marks about how he'd return this spring. After a slow start, he's answered those question marks, and he should be a first round pick as either a solid shortstop or offensive second baseman. His tools are still not top-notch, but he has a plus hit tool, average power, average speed, an average arm, and plus defensive tools, making him an intriguing package. His advisor is Scott Boras, which could scare a couple of teams off, but he's still expected to be an early pick that is signable for the neighborhood of slot money.