Supp 1st Round - 35th overall pick - Atlanta Braves - SS - Matt Lipka

48. Matt Lipka:


4-29 from: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/4/29/1450107/casing-the-states-texas-part-three#storyjump - Matt Lipka, SS, McKinney HS, McKinney - Lipka is teammates with Zach Lee, and he's been an interpreter of sorts for Lee, who has refused to talk to scouts directly due to the distraction. Aside from that act of kindness, Lipka is quite a player himself. A natural athlete who also has a possible football career ahead of him at Alabama, Lipka features a potential plus hit tool, as well as plus-plus speed that rates as the top speed in the state. While he doesn't project for anything more than below-average power in the 8-10 home run category in his prime, that's not his game. He's a better hitter when he's going gap-to-gap, punishing balls with good balance. He's rather raw in his pitch recognition, which might result in a longer path in the minors, but the talent is good enough to warrant a high pick anyway. In the field, he's just as raw as he is recognizing pitches. He has above-average range, but his reaction time is sometimes below-average, and he can get his footwork mixed up a little at times. Some scouts want to move him across the bag to second base, where he could use his natural athleticism and above-average arm to be an elite fielder with a good bat. However, he could also land in center field, which would require less polish in order to accelerate his learning at the plate. Like Lee, Lipka's going to have to make a tough decision in the coming weeks, as scouts will want to know his signability before draft day, though his signability is less concerning than Lee's. Projected Draft Range: 2nd-5th Round

5-17 from: - http://baseballbeginnings.com/2010/05/17/matt-lipka-qa - When you discuss who the best all-around athletes are nationwide in the 2010 MLB Draft, Matt Lipka is a player who should be right there. As an All-State receiver at McKinney (TX) HS, he put up numbers that made him a prospect for SEC and Big-12 schools. As a baseball player, he’s put up some right-handed running times that make him a 70 or 80 runner. Offensively, I lnever saw him as limited. I liked the guy in the summer. He traded power for a consistent approach this season. Over time, Lipka seems to have a very clear idea of what kind of player he envisions himself becoming.