7/2/10

2011 DRAFT - 19 Top Third Basemen (updated ranking)

1. Anthony Rendon – Rice – 2009: .388, 60-R, 20-HR, 72-RBI


12-23-9: named 1st team NCBWA All-American


2-11 from http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/  - Next year’s draft class does offer Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon, who already is being put in the same conversation with some of the biggest and best college hitters to emerge in recent years. Rendon may be most similar to former Virginia Cavalier and current Washington National Ryan Zimmerman, in that his game seems to be incredibly well rounded. Rendon can hit, hit for power, and he offers a slick glove and a strong arm from the hot corner. Like Zimmerman, it is believed that Rendon could play shortstop in a pinch, and may even settle down at second base. He’s good enough at third and his bat plays well enough there to not get cute in trying to figure out where he could play.


3-15-10 from http://pnrscouting.com/rankings_2010_houstoncollegeclassic.html  - Top 10 Players (2011 Draft Class) - Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice Univ. - Flashed a little bit of everything throughout the weekend, showing soft hands, a strong and accurate arm, above-average speed up the line, power and perhaps the best approach of any player at the plate; victim of a few hard-hit balls not falling, but was easily the best player to suit up over these nine games.


4-7-10 from: http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/articles/DisplayArticle.aspx?article=2253  - Rice has been disappointing as a team this spring (17-12), but don’t blame 3B Anthony Rendon. College baseball’s biggest offensive threat (at least when he’s pitched to) is hitting .320-11-34 with an excellent 39:15 walk-to-strikeout ratio.


6-12-10 from: - http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/wait-til-next-year-2011-draft-preview  - Corner Infield - Best Player: Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice, .394/.530/.801. I wanted to start with the likely 2011 #1 overall pick, who followed up the best freshman season in Rice history (.388/.461/.702), with probably the best offensive season the school has ever seen. A very good defender and good baserunner, Rendon does not have a discernible hole in his game. His 21.5 BB% is more reflective of the fear he strikes in opposing teams, and rightfully so. Rendon is worthy of Orioles fans to begin rooting against their team.


6-12 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/06/11/ncbwa-announces-district-players-of-the-year  - Nine of college baseball’s finest student-athletes have been named 2010 National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America District Players of the Year, as the NCBWA announced these 11th annual awards today. One was District VII: 3B Anthony Rendon (Rice) - Rendon is just the second player in Conference USA history to be named Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons after picking up that honor this year while leading the Owls to the regular season league championship. The two-time first team All-C-USA selection was named to the C-USA Championship All-Tournament team and was named the Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA Austin Regional. He batted .402 in conference play and finished the season hitting .394 overall. The sophomore from Houston, Texas, led Conference USA in home runs with 26 and had more homers than strikeouts (22) all season long. Rendon ranks among the nation’s leaders in runs scored (83) and walks (65) while maintaining a .530 on-base percentage. He had 12 doubles and 85 RBI, while posting an .801 slugging percentage.


6-13 from: - http://perfectgame.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=114295945&f=6174069131&m=3221081702  - 3b, Anthony Rendon, Rice, 5'11 180, R/R, smooth stroke with power, tools are ave across the board, arm is slightly better than average.


6-14-10 from: - http://prospectinsider.com/360mock.php  - 2011 Mock Draft - 1 Baltimore Antony Rendon, 3B -- Rice


6-14-10: Named to 1st Team NCBWA 2010 All-America Team - Anthony Rendon: .394, 83-R, 26-HR, 85-RBI


6-15-10 from: - http://www.deepleagues.com/?p=1830  – 2011 Mock Draft - 1. Baltimore Orioles Anthony Rendon 3B, Rice University


6-19 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/06/19/2010-dick-howser-award-finalists/#more-27608  - Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon have been named as one of the finalists for the 2010 Dick Howser Trophy. Rendon is just the second player in Conference USA history to be named Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons. He picked up that honor again this year while leading the Owls to the regular season league championship and the school’s 16th consecutive NCAA Regional appearance. The two-time first team All-C-USA selection was named to the C-USA Championship All-Tournament team and was named the Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA Austin Regional. He batted .402 in conference play and finished the season hitting .394 overall. Rendon led Conference USA in home runs with 26 and had more homers than strikeouts (22) all season long. Rendon ranks among the nation’s leaders in runs scored (83) and walks (65) while maintaining a .530 on-base percentage. He had 12 doubles and 85 RBI, while posting an .801 slugging percentage.


6-29 from: - Andy Seiler Mock Draft - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/6/28/1541924/andys-first-2011-top-50#storyjump  - #1 - Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice


7-1 from: - http://sullydraft.blogspot.com/  – 2011 Mock Draft – 1. Anthony Rendon- 3B, Rice University


7-1 from: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/6/30/1544396/pats-first-2011-top-50#storyjump  – Pat Hickey Mock Draft – 1. Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice


2. Travis Harrison:



6-13 from: - http://perfectgame.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=114295945&f=6174069131&m=3221081702  - IF-OF, Travis Harrison, Tustin HS, Calif, 6'2 220 R/R, runs good underway, solid dead read FB hitter with plus power, consistency vs mediocre pitching is biggest qualm.


6-15-10 from: - http://www.deepleagues.com/?p=1830  – 2011 Mock Draft - 5. Arizona Diamondbacks Travis Harrison 1B, Orange County, CA


6-27 from: - link   - Day two at TOS - LF, Travis Harrison, 6'2 220, R/R, strong upper body, arm strength and power in his bat for sure, ran 4.5 to 1b on IF grounder, called a hit? Supposedly ran sub 7.0, 60, but this kids way to the next level will be the bat. It's definitely there and he's slimmmed down a bit since last year, another good indication of progress. Now lets find him a position and see if he can keep hitting.


6-29 from: - Andy Seiler Mock Draft - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/6/28/1541924/andys-first-2011-top-50#storyjump   - 7. Travis Harrison, OF, Tustin HS (CA)


7-1 from: - http://sullydraft.blogspot.com/  – 2011 Mock Draft – 9. Travis Harrison- OF, Tustin HS


7-1 from: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/6/30/1544396/pats-first-2011-top-50#storyjump  – Pat Hickey Mock Draft – 6. Travis Harrison, 3B, Tustin HS (Calif.)



3. Levi Michael:



6-14-10 from: - http://prospectinsider.com/360mock.php  - 2011 Mock Draft – 18 St. Louis Levi Michael, 2B -- UNC


6-15-10 from: - http://www.deepleagues.com/?p=1830  – 2011 Mock Draft - 11. Washington Nationals Levi Michael INF, Univ. of North Carolina


6-12-10 from: - http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/wait-til-next-year-2011-draft-preview  - Middle Infield - Best Player: Levi Michael, IF, UNC, .346/.480/.575. Michael skipped his final season of high school to attend North Carolina a year earlier, but his polish is such that you wouldn’t guess he’s a year younger than his peers. Probably a second baseman in the end, Michael cut down his strikeout rate (12.1%) by nine percent, and upped his walk rate (15.7%) by seven perfect as a sophomore. Michael is a good base runner (20-for-22 this season), has power in his bat, and will stick in the middle infield.


6-13 from: - http://perfectgame.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=114295945&f=6174069131&m=3221081702  - 2B-3B, Levi Michael, UNC, 5'11 175, S/R, very good hitter, competes, solid arm and glove, runs well, better underway, 4.2 from left, 4.3 from right. 280 type hitter.


7-1 from: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/6/30/1544396/pats-first-2011-top-50#storyjump  – Pat Hickey Mock Draft – 46. Levi Michael, 3B, North Carolina


4. Joshua Tobias - MIF 3B Southeast Guilford Greensboro NC



11-2-09 from http://www.thehardballtimes.com/ : - Josh Tobias, 2B/3B, 2011, Greensbor, N.C., Canes - Scouts talk about the sound a ball makes coming off a bat. That was the first thing that got my attention with Tobias. “CRACK!”, and a line drive screams off into left field. I made a note to not go too far anytime soon, so I could see his next at-bat. Then again, “CRACK!!”, even louder than the first, a line-drive to right-center on a breaking ball. I couldn’t get enough; I saw Tobias more than any other player at the tournament, getting to see him in 10 or 11 PAs. One ended in a walk, and I’ll be damned if fewer than seven of them resulted either in line drives or ground-liners that made it out of the infield in one hop. (I was also told I missed a long homer the day before.) His swing is a bit unorthodox. It’s semi-long and he finishes with his hands flying high, sort of like a mini-right-handed Fred McGriff. But he has great bat speed and covers the plate completely with hands that thrash through the zone lightning quick. It’s a point I’ve made before, but one ‘tool’ that I feel gets overlooked at times is just plain old hitability. Scouts like to look at the components; are the hands quick, is the swing short, does he have a good swing path, does he recognize pitches well, does he keep himself balanced, etc. Those are all important pieces in projecting a player’s future success, and by no means would I advocate disregarding them. But the bottom line is this: Some guys plain old find the barrel with consistency, and others (even the ones with quick hands and short strokes) do not. Those components are intended to project those who can and will find the barrel, but it’s a very complicated view of things. Simply put, the difference between a routine groundball to the SS and a liner that goes over his head is a few millimeters of difference on the bat. Despite the hands, the shortness of the swing, the balance, etc etc… some guys are extremely coordinated with that bat in their hands, and others are just so-so. And Josh Tobias is great. Now, I don’t want to create the impression that Tobias has some Hunchback of Notre Dame swing; that’s not the case at all, it just may not be what Walt Hriniak would use as his model. As comps, I see shades of both Gary Sheffield and Dmitri Young here. An ultra-fast bat and swing to hit for average, a guy who handles both breaking pitches and good heat, and some serious raw power. Going forward, I have two question marks; one is future power. Tobias is 5-foot-9. Sure, he’s just 16 and may have some growth left, but Dad is only about 5-foot-10. Then again, he’s 16 and hitting homers with a wood bat. The size may limit his ceiling with regard to power, but don’t get caught up in that; this one might be a mold-breaker. The main concern for me is finding him a position. His arm is sub-par and comes with a screwy, flailing sidearm motion. His actions and hands are also quite questionable. Veteran scouts will swear they’ve seen future gold-glovers who couldn’t field a lick in their teens, but I’m pretty discouraged with Tobias’ D (especially since the arm means in you move him to OF, it’s got to be left). Still, he’s the best all-around bat I saw this weekend. As if I didn’t already love him enough, I’m told he’s committed to the Gators for college (though, as always, the draft may change that). Again, he’s a 2011 guy, so this is very early hype. But I’m keeping a very close on him going forward.


6-23-10 from: - http://perfectgame.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=114295945&f=6174069131&m=3221081702  - Day 1 at TOS: - 3b, Josh Tobias, for Babe Ruth a local kid from Greensboro, did not impress at the plate as his press clippings and I've seen him a couple of times last 2 years. He has good physical numbers, running and throwing wise and he'll put on a bp show. He should hit enough at the next level if he can cut down on his swing. Plus runner, better on the way and solid arm strength, not real big listed at 5'9, more like 5'7 1/2, he may have to move to 2b eventually.


6-29 from: - Andy Seiler Mock Draft - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/6/28/1541924/andys-first-2011-top-50#storyjump  - 32. Josh Tobias, 2B, Southeast Guilford HS (NC)


7-1 from: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/6/30/1544396/pats-first-2011-top-50#storyjump  – Pat Hickey Mock Draft – 13. Joshua Tobias, 2B, Southeast Guilford HS (N.C.)


7-1 from: - http://sullydraft.blogspot.com/  – 2011 Mock Draft – 14. Joshua Tobias- 2B, Southeast Guilford HS

5. Matt Skole:


6-13 from: - http://perfectgame.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=114295945&f=6174069131&m=3221081702  - 3B, Matt Skole, Ga Tech, 6'1 195, R/R, solid bat, arm and glove is good enough to stay at 3b, runs better on the way, solid ave runner straight away. Plus power.


6-14-10 from: - http://prospectinsider.com/360mock.php  - 2011 Mock Draft – 21 Cincinnati Matt Skole, 3B -- Georgia Tech


6. Harold Martinez:



4-7-10 from: http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/articles/DisplayArticle.aspx?article=2253  - 3B Harold Martinez (Miami): Martinez was a 2007 Aflac All-American, so he’s hardly an unrecognized player. But his development as a third baseman and hitter at Miami has been steady and impressive. He’s hitting .300-8-28 thus far and has a 20:24 walk-to-strikeout ratio, noteworthy for a young power hitter who used to be a free swinger.


6-13 from: - http://perfectgame.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=114295945&f=6174069131&m=3221081702  - 3B, Harold Martinez, Miami-F, 6'2 195, R/R, solid glove and hitter, will hit for enough power to be contributor at ML level ala Pedro Feliz.


7. Dante Bichette:


6-15-10 from: - http://www.deepleagues.com/?p=1830 – 2011 Mock Draft - 29. Atlanta Braves Dante Bichette 3B, Orlando Florida


6-27 from: - link   - Day two at TOS - Dante Bichette, strong physical kid, fully mature, 6'1 perhaps, 215, R/R, solid arm, best shot might be on the bump, I was not crazy about the bat speed I saw and had a hard time going up the zone with below ave velocity fb. Orangewood FL


6-27: - With the conclusion of the Tournament of Stars in Cary, N.C., USA Baseball has now announced the trials rosters for the 18U national teams. - Dante Bichette Jr. INF R/R 6-1 215 Orangewood Christian HS, Maitland, Fla. 2011


7-1 from: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/6/30/1544396/pats-first-2011-top-50#storyjump  – Pat Hickey Mock Draft – 40. Dante Bichette Jr., SS, Orangewood Christian HS (Fla.)



8. Matt Dean:


6-14-10 from: - http://prospectinsider.com/360mock.php  - 2011 Mock Draft – 26 Los Angeles-N Matt Dean, 3B -- The Cdlony HS


9. Kyle Gaedele:



6-12-10 from: - http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/wait-til-next-year-2011-draft-preview  - Small School Sleeper: Kyle Gaedele, 3B, Valparaiso, .373/.429/.610. The most heralded player to ever make it to campus, Gaedele is a great athlete with a career 25-for-27 mark on the bases. A team might see him as a second baseman, where his gap power would profile better.



10. Mark Ginther:

 
4-7-10 from: http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/articles/DisplayArticle.aspx?article=2253  - 3B Mark Ginther (Oklahoma State): The 6-4, 200-pound Ginther quarterbacked his high school to two state football championships and was the state player of the year in that sport as a senior, so he’s still adjusting to baseball full-time. His .351-6-32 performance this year says he’s adjusting quickly.



11. Corey Thompson:


6-13 from: - http://perfectgame.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=114295945&f=6174069131&m=3221081702  - 3B, Corey Thompson, E. Carolina, 6'2 200, R/R, power ability and contact hitter, solid arm, so-so range, may be a clone of Matt Williams, former Giant slugger back in the day.



12. Matt Leeds:


6-13 from: - http://perfectgame.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=114295945&f=6174069131&m=3221081702  - 3B, Matt Leeds, College of Charleston, 6' 185, S/R, hits well, puts it in play and can drive it to the alleys, arm is adequate and hands are ok, runs better once underway.


13. Steve Proscia:


6-13 from: - http://perfectgame.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=114295945&f=6174069131&m=3221081702  - 3B, Steve Proscia, Virginia, 6'2 210, R/R, smooth bat, has power, mostly alley linedrive pop, solid arm and adequate glove to stay at 3b. Not going to win many running contests.


14. Cole Gleason:


6-13 from: - http://perfectgame.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=114295945&f=6174069131&m=3221081702  - 3B, Cole Gleason, Red Mountain HS, Mesa AZ, 6' 200 R/R, solid hitter, playable arm, runs ok, not a clogger.


15. Wet Delatte -


12-23-9 fr. http://baseballdraftreport.com/  - RS FR 3B Wet Delatte (2011) is…wait…his name is Wet? I mean, sure, his real name is William, but he willingly goes by the name Wet. I have a pretty simple rule on this site: any player named Wet moves up 50 spots on the big board automatically. Wet is already a decent defender at third and a gifted natural hitter. He’ll get his chance as LSU’s staring third baseman heading into the spring.


16. Kevin Lusson -


3-15-10 from http://pnrscouting.com/rankings_2010_houstoncollegeclassic.html  - Top 10 Players (2011 Draft Class) - Kevin Lusson, 3B/SS, Univ. of Texas - Shortstop quality hands at the hot corner and plenty of arm for the left side; mixed-bag at the plate this weekend but shows some understanding of the strikezone and a developing ability to square with regularity.


18. 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.



19. Gavin Cecchini:


6-27 from: -http://perfectgame.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?q=Y&a=tpc&s=114295945&f=6174069131&m=3221081702&p=2 - Day two at TOS - 3b, Gavin Cecchini, 2012, needless to say, good bloodlines and young, shows pop in his bat, good fundamental approach to the game and lots of physical maturity left in him to follow, in Louisiana.

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