2011 DRAFT: - Nathan Melendres, Marcus Siemen, Derek Odell, Ben Grisz... and Steve Rodriquez

Nathan Melendres:



7-18 from: - link  - On Miami outfielder Nathan Melendres (.277/.320/.447, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 8 SB in 47 AB): "Melendres is a nice player, a 6.6 to 6.7 runner, average to above-average arm strength, can spray the ball around the field. Team player too."


Marcus Siemen:


7-21 from: - link  - SS, Marcus Siemen, Cal, 6' 170, R/R, good defensive skills, solid ave runner, has some quickness in his bat, not much power at all, has gotten stronger since frosh year, was said to be 145 lbs coming out of HS, so he's added some strength apparently. His ticket will be his glove and bonus is if he can hit enough he may be able to steal a base or two as well. Intriguing.


Derek Odell:


7-13-10: - MaxPreps Junior All-American Baseball Team – 3B Derek Odell, Canyon (Canyon, Texas), Infield - The Amarillo area player of the year, Odell was also the district 3-4A MVP while batting .568 with 7 home runs and 66 RBI.


Ben Grisz:


7-22-10 from: - link  - RHP, Ben Grisz, Duke, 6'1 220, pitching for Thomasville, first got a glimpse of Ben at TOS a couple years back, threw a lot of relief for the Blue Devs this spring, has def arm strength, most fb very true, velo range from upper 80's to as high as 93, mostly 90-91 with again, not much movement, slider when he leads with elbow properly is solid out pitch, other times flat and easy to read, he competes and for the most part has enough bounce back stamina to stay as a reliever and be effective at the next level ala Matt Herges. Control is good, sometimes too good.


Steve Rodriquez:


7-23-10 from: - link  - USA CNT Roster Breakdown, Spring Stat Links and Trials Notes: - Steve Rodriguez CA So. Univ. of Calif. - Los Angeles - Trials Notes: Rodriguez is an advanced defensive catcher with soft hands receiving and some catch-and-throw skills (though more than a couple of his throws were lacking in carry). This past spring he worked with one of the best staffs in all of college baseball and brought that experience to the Trials, showing a high level of comfort with multiple talented arms. He has an average build and a good catcher's frame, showing solid agility, flexibility and athleticism. His footwork was impressive and he displayed pop times from 2.02 to 2.20 both in-game and between innings. At the plate, Rodriguez lacks the bat speed to catch-up to advanced velocity, though he did demonstrate an ability to start his bat early in fastball counts and put a charge into a couple of low-90s offerings. He has solid hands that are strong at contact, but unless he improves the barrel acceleration through the zone he may be limited to his current oppo to gap approach. He can also choke-and-poke, slapping gap-to-gap when he sacrifices leverage.