Sup 1st Rd. - 33rd Overall - Houston Astros - 3B - Michael Kvasnicka

10. Mike Kvasnicka – Minnesota junior – OF/C –




from http://baseballdraftreport.com: - possesses one of the longest swings of any major prospect in the 2010 draft. This is a good thing when he makes contact (I’ve heard both the thwack! of the bat in the Northwoods League and the ping! at Minnesota, both very impressive), but a very bad thing when up against pitchers with effective offspeed stuff. Kvasnicka has struck out 103 times in 438 college at bats. Any regular reader knows that I’m firmly entrenched in the strikeouts are no worse than any other kind of out camp, but that only really applies to big leaguers. There is something to be said for high-K rates being an indicator of poor contact abilities for minor leaguers and amateurs. If I was told I’d be drafting the current iteration of Kvasnicka, then I’m not sure I’d be too happy selecting a hitter who I won’t think will make enough contact to be a regular. Luckily, nobody is drafting the February version of any potential draft pick. Any team drafting Kvasnicka isn’t getting the Kvasnicka of February, 2010; they’ll get the player he will be someday down the line. Given the fact that Kvasnicka is a plus athlete with a well-rounded toolset (good speed, decent arm, plus raw power), there should be plenty of teams interested to see if he can figure it all out professionally, long swing and strikeouts be damned. His draft stock (already pretty solid – round 4-7 is my current guess) gets a bump if teams buy into his defensive abilities behind the plate.



4-5 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/04/05/big-ten-players-of-the-week-8 - PLAYERS OF THE WEEK - Michael Kvasnicka, Minnesota - Jr., OF, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North - Kvasnicka takes home his first career weekly honor after leading Minnesota to a series win on the road against Purdue. The outfielder hit .583 against the Boilermakers, reaching base at a .643 clip and slugging 1.000 for an OPS of 1.643. Kvasnicka scored three runs in the series and drove in seven, recording two doubles. The junior had multiple hits in all three games of the set, including a 3-for-4 performance on Friday. In the series finale on Sunday, he hit the go-ahead double with his team trailing 5-4 in the ninth, driving in two runs to put the Gophers up for good. Kvasnicka ranks among the Big Ten’s leaders with a .613 slugging percentage on the year and is second in the conference with 11 doubles.



4-22 from pnrscouting: mock drafted # 105



5-3 from: - http://www.minorleagueball.com/2010/5/3/1456083/interesting-college-hitters-part - Mike Kvasnicka, C-OF, University of Minnesota 6-3 210 R - Although he's splitting time between catching and outfield this year, at the pro level he'll likely get a full shot behind the plate, given his arm strength and mobility. He'll need some polish of course, but the upside is worth it. At 6-3, 210, Kvasnicka has the strength and size to hit for plenty of power. His numbers this year are quite good: .348/.460/.591 with 35 walks and just 15 strikeouts in 164 at-bats. His OPS is about +33 percent in context, very solid, but the very strong BB/K ratio stands out. He could go as early as the second round depending on how teams evaluate his defense.

5-24 from: - http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/MLB_Draft - One of the big reasons for Minnesota's success is catcher/outfielder Michael Kvasnicka. Against Ohio State, Kvasnicka went 3-for-13 with five runs scored over the weekend. We've written about him earlier in the season and a couple of Midwest area scouts I talked to liked what they saw out of the switch-hitting junior. As an outfielder, Kvasnicka was amid the pack and stood to be a late-first day draft pick. He has a good quick and simple stroke, can hit for power with more projected, has great plate discipline and defensively, owns a good enough arm for rightfield. But his tools still came up just a tad short in the outfield.