Draft Report: - Mark Appel, Brian Ragira, Justin Kline, Levi Michael, John Curtiss, John Hinson, Ryan Carpenter, Toni Jones

The Mack Draft Report - Dec. 15, 2010



Mark Appel: - http://www.collegesummerbaseball.net/2010/12/top-performers-from-2010-mark-appel.html  - My next top performer from the 2010 summer season is Mark Appel of the Newport Gulls. Mark is a 6-5/190 pound sophomore from Stanford University. He hails from San Ramon, CA and he attended Monte Vista High School. He was drafted by the Tigers in the 15th round of the 2009 MLB Draft, but he elected to attend Stanford instead. This past year, Mark was primarily used as a reliever. He went 2-1, and had a 5.92 era in 38 innings pitched. He appeared in 24 games for the Cardinal.



Brian Ragira: - Ragira, a 6-foot-2, 205-pounder with gap power, could earn significant playing time when the 2011 season arrives in February. But more interesting than anything he’s done on the diamond is his background and the road he took to play college baseball. Ragira, who plays first base, third base and the outfield, isn’t your typical American baseball player. He wasn’t raised on it. His parents, Elijah and Abigael, both native Kenyans, moved to the U.S. in 1979 to pursue educational opportunities and a hope for a better life. Given the fact that soccer was the primary sport in Kenya, the Ragiras arrived with very limited knowledge of baseball and an intense love for soccer. - http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/baseball/news;_ylt=AiP54N4qNzUPGBB6EUWKISEMwLYF?slug=kr-ragirastanford121310



Baseball School - http://www.tossitaround.com/events-1/viewevent/21-Baseball+School.html  - Location:230 Douglas Road, Whitinsville, MA - Time: From : Wednesday, December 08, 2010, 7:00 am -- Until : Wednesday, February 16, 2011, 8:00 am - Designed for serious baseball players - The baseball Academy is a 10-week progam (excluding Holidays). It is designed for the player who wants to build o their baseball skills one lesson at a time. Players will be evaluated throughout the program and given a scorecard which will track their progress in all aspects of the game. Throughout the program, our instructors will refer to the scorecards to help enhance the players abilities in the areas where needed.At the end of the 10 weeks, the players will receive a written evaluation with instructor comments for further development. This program will be run by collegiate coaches and former D-1 players.



Justin Kline, Catcher, U of North Dakota, had transfered over the summer back home to Aberdeen, South Dakota and will attend Presentation College, who plays in the UMAC which is Division NCAA D-3. Justin had an off season in 2010 and was draft eligible in 2010. He was a freshman All-American mentioned in his freshman year. Also Shain Stoner who participated in the NBC Tourney in Wichita, KS over the summer transfered back home to San Diego, California and is attending Point Loma Nazarene, after staring for one season at Southern Nazarene in Oklahoma. - http://xmlbscout.angelfire.com/



Levi Michael – 12-14-10 from: - http://www.collegebaseballdaily.com/2010/12/14/top-100-countdown-39-levi-michael-north-carolina  - 2010 presented new challenges for a young North Carolina team, and the switch hitting Michael’s role changed greatly moving to third base. Michael became more patient at the plate in 2010, improving his batting average from .290 to .346 while drawing 18 more walks in 48 less at bats than 2009. His OPS jumped 150 points in 2010, and not only did he improve at the plate, but he started contributing a lot more on the basepaths with 20 steals, up from just 5 in 2009. Michael rode a career-best 16 game hit streak late into the season in 2010, and showed why Baseball America rated him as the #1 Sophomore College Prospect coming into 2010.



John Curtiss - rhp - Carroll HS, Southlake, Texas - Curtiss is another Texas power arm, capable of low-90s velocity (though his velo was down in the upper-80s at this event). He currently lacks a consistent secondary offering, with his slider lacking bite from pitch-to-pitch and his change-up too often coming-out too hard. He throws with some effort, making command an issue, and he can lose his slot and release on each of his pitches. Still, there is projection in his solid frame, and the raw materials are there for him to develop into a top tier prep arm. His focus for the spring should simply be consistency -- putting together starts with multiple pitches working and showing an ability to better spot the ball. http://diamondscapescouting.com/articles_2010acg_wraps_part1_11162010.html  


John Hinson - http://baseballdraftreport.com/  - JR 3B John Hinson is a prospect I spent a lot of time thinking about last summer after he was drafted by the Phillies. Here’s some of what I said back then: Hinson was a highly touted prospect out of high school who was considered advanced enough after his freshman year to be asked to play for Hyannis in the Cape Cod League. Back surgery cost him all of his 2009 season, but the fully recovered version of Hinson put up a 2010 statistical line that reads a lot like Pittsburgh’s Joe Leonard’s work this season. A plus hit tool combined with above-average speed and power will get you far professionally, but people smarter than myself that I talked with told me some teams question his ability to play any one particular spot in the infield with the consistency needed of a regular. Based on the limited looks of Hinson that I’ve seen, I can’t say that I necessarily agree with that assessment, but his defensive skillset (good athlete, iffy arm) may make him better suited for second base than third. At either spot, he’s got the bat to make him a potential regular with a couple breaks along the way.


Ryan Carpenter – Gonzaga - 6’5”, 225 L/L - Carpenter offers a combination of size and stuff that you don’t find often from a lefty. He is built tall and strong, with a loose delivery and the ability to sustain long innings and hold his velocity through those contests. He also boasts a power arsenal that includes a fastball that sits in the 88-92 range, a slider and a changeup. He has fared much better in his two stints in summer ball, including the Cape this past year and the Alaska League the year before, than he has during his two years for the Bulldogs. Most pitchers fare better facing batters using a wood bat, but Carpenter’s splits (5.46 ERA, 121 strikeouts, 58 walks, 138 hits allowed in 125.1 innings in two years with Gonzaga -- 1.60 ERA, 93 strikeouts, 22 walks, 51 hits allowed in 78.2 innings combined the past two summers) may suggest that his aggressive pitching style may lead to him getting hit around more than most since most collegiate arms are taught to pitch away from contact. He already is considered a first-round talent, but has some potential to climb draft boards should things come easier for him this coming spring, and compares favorably to Sammy Solis. http://www.5tooltalk.com/topprospects.html



2012: Toni "Oshea" Jones comes in at #21. The Tampa, FL SS/RHP is a bit under the radar because he hasn't attended major events. But his last 4 outings have been 91-92mph as effortless as it gets. He can really pick it at SS, has a plus arm, can run, and has quick hands at the plate. All the tools are their for Oshea, he just needs player development at this point. http://www.prospectwire.com/pw/article.php?id=185