Trust me… even us draft pundits have out favorites. And, me being a Mets writer, there is no one I would rather have available when the 13th overall pick comes around in the first round than OF-3B Travis Harrison, out of Tustin High School, in California.
Listed at 6-2, 215, he plays much bigger, be it on third base or in the outfield. The nation’s first look at him was his sophomore season: .556, 8-HR, 18-RBI,16-17 in stolen bases. It didn’t take long for the other teams in the league to start pitching around him in his junior year, but that didn’t stop him at all.
Runs a 4.5 to first base and ran a 7.09 in the 60 at the Area Codes… broke Bryce Harper’s home run length record last year at the premier HR Derby event of the year.
Harrison sits as the number three outfielder in the composite mock draft, behind Jackie Bradley and George Springer. All three look to be solid first round picks.
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http://www.thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/11/03/jordan-ribera-fresno-state-top-100-countdown-74 came out with their 74th ranked college baseball player, who was 1B Jordan Ribera, of Fresno State.
We started to get the idea that he was a home run hitter when he hit 13 in his senior year in high school, but who would have thought he would eventually lead the nation in that same category?
In 2010, Ribera hit 27 homers and drove in 69 runs while hitting .343. His OPS was 1.168. Guess what? The due goes undrafted.
He followed this in the Cape Cod league this summer with 7-HR and 26-RBIs.
It’s hard to figure out why this kid wasn’t drafted in 50 rounds. 50 rounds! Sure, he sucked in 2009 (.189, one double, 4-HR, in 34 games). How does one go from four home runs to 27 in one season? Sure, he is limited defensively and only plays first. Okay, he isn’t that tall of a guy and he runs pretty slow… one of the dudes at Scout.com called him “a slow-pitch softball player”.
I guess, as they say, the draft is all about tools and ceiling, not stats. I’ve had no one pick him in a mock and everyone across the board says this kid isn’t a ballplayer. The leading home run hitter in the nation isn’t a ball player. Okay, then he’s a lumberjack!
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A relatively unknown outfield that made some noise for the Midland Redskins this fall was Lansing High School’s (Leavenworth, Kansas) Dakota Smith.
I first heard his name when Sully named him, in July, to the top 10 outfielders-RHP in the nation. I did some research and found a 5-11, 175-lb right-hand hitting outfielder that has very good speed (6.55) on the base paths. He also throws in the low 90s off the mound.
He’s a PG Tracker hit, who also clocked him at 6.55, had his fastball at 9, both off the mound and from the outfield. Fanhouse loved him (ranked 112th) saying: “Good athlete that continues to show promise against high quality pitching w/ the bat.”
Based on all this, I have him as the 26th top OF in the 2011 draft, and not on the top RHP list.
I guess we’re going to have to see a little more from this guy this upcoming season before we can properly evaluate him.
I would like you see him one more than one mock draft, which only listed him as the 140th overall pick in the 2011 draft.
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We’ve talked about two California kids and one from Kansas. Let’s move back east to a pitcher that has committed to the University of North Carolina.
Adam Griffin is a RHP out of Forsyth Country Day, in Lewisville, North Carolina. His repetuoire is a fast ball that touches 93, and a low-70 slurve.
On the down side, he has had some control problems and was hit hard in one of the fall showcase weekends. He also plays outfield and was one of the top hitters in his league.
6-1, 175… PG has him #12 in the Class of 2011…
I have Adam as the 38th RHP to be taken in the 2011 draft. That currently translates to a 3rd round pick. He only has been picked on one mock draft (Draft Site) and that was at 116th overall.
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We added a new mock draft today.
“Gobroks” doesn’t have his own web site, nor do I think he currently writes for one, but he hangs out at www.mlbbonusbaby.com, an SBNation site that used to be maned by Andy Seiler. Gobroks knows his baseball and has earned a spot in my process.
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| Sports On Film |
1-Pirates-Anthony Rendon-3B-Rice
2-Mariners-Matt Purke-LHP-TCU
3-DBacks-Gerrit Cole-RHP-UCLA
4-Orioles-Daniel Norris-LHP-HS (Tennessee)
5-Royals-Bubba Starling-OF-HS (Kansas)
6-Nationals-Sonny Gray-RHP-Vandy
7-DBacks-Mikie Mahtook-OF-LSU
8-Indians-George Springer-OF-UConn
9-Cubs-Matt Barnes-RHP-UConn
10-Padres-Trevor Bauer-RHP-UCLA
Go to: http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/11/3/1790971/post-ws-mock-draft for the rest of his top 33.
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