9-17-10 from: - link - Is George Springer the best hitter in the draft not named Rendon? Does he have 5 tool potential? John Manuel: He may be the best position-player prospect, but he's not the best hitter, not in terms of a present grade. Springer was a lot of fun to watch with Team USA and has true 5-tool potential but his hit tool is pretty far from what it will need to be in the big leagues. The guy struck out 70 times in the Big East this year. The Big East was better than usual, but how often would he have struck out in, say, the SEC? Just an awful lot of swing and miss there, with 16 more K's in 52 Cape at-bats. That said, you could see him make in-game adjustments with Team USA, and he probably has more bat speed than his competition. He's as fun a player as there is to watch in college baseball in terms of tools; wish there were more guys like George Springer every year.
9-17-10 from: - link - Tom (San Francisco, CA): I'm rather enamored with Ricky Oropesa (from a baseball standpoint, mind you). Since the long-term first base situation seems to be in question for my Jays at the moment, I'm hoping he's somewhat on their radar. Is his one of the most thunderous college bats in next years' draft? Thanks. John Manuel: Tom, I also like Oropesa, and he does have a thunderous bat when it's metal, with 33 HRs in two years at USC on bad teams. He also hit for power with wood in the Cape Cod League this summer, and ranked as our No. 27 prospect there. He led the league in HR but also strikeouts. I didn't report that league, Jim Callis did, so he has more info there, but he strikes me as a better talent than several players ranked ahead of him. I think he's got a shot to be a first-rounder because he's not a slug (though he's more a 1B or LF than a 3B) and he has hard-to-find righthanded power. I'd take him over, say, Bryce Brentz, who was a supp pick in 2010.
9-17-10 from: - link - Toby (Bronx): Are there any potential #1 starters in this crop? Aaron Fitt: Toby, there are a few college arms with a legit chance. Gerrit Cole's stuff is as loud as anybody's in the big leagues — it's in the Strasburg neighborhood. Now, the reason Strasburg is special is because he has impeccable command to go with the stuff, and Cole isn't there yet. But his command and feel for pitching has come a long way, and there's no question he has No. 1 starter upside, if he continues to develop at this rate.
9-17-10 from: - link - Is Trevor Bauer eligible for next year's draft? What's your early assessment of him? John Manuel: Bauer is eligible, he'll be a junior; he skipped his HS senior year, but it's his third year in college. I'm a fan of his long-toss regimen and his stuff, he's got a great changeup to go with his fastball and curve. Teams that shied away from Tim Lincecum may shy away from him as well, they do a lot of things similarly but Lincecum's stuff is much more electric. He'd be higher on my board than most teams' boards, put it that way. I'm a believer but I'm not sure he's a consensus first-rounder. He didn't pitch this summer, spent the summer in Houston training and working on his mechanics; I expect a monster 2011 season from him.
link - TCU reliever Kaleb Merck will miss the 2011 season after having Tommy John surgery, coach Jim Schlossnagle said on Monday. Merck, a junior right-hander, had an excellent campaign as the Horned Frogs made their first College World Series appearance last season. He made 22 appearances and tallied a 1.47 ERA in 30 2/3 innings. He also struck out 23 and walked six and limited teams to a .210 batting average.
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