1. Mark Appel / RHP / Stanford — Appel is candidate No.2 — after Byron Buxton and a player who will be revealed next week — to start the year on top of the board, and with good reason. The 6-4 right-hander has two plus pitches — a mid 90′s fastball and a hard-slider with tilt — and a circle change that projects as average. There’s some mechanical issues that need ironing out at the beginning of the delivery, and if he can do that, Appel has a chance to be the first pick come next June.
2. Kevin Gausman / RHP / LSU – A draft-eligible sophomore, Gausman struggled with his command in 2011, but a fastball that sits in the 94 range with an above-average change and breaking ball puts the former Colorado high-school star in the second slot to start the campaign. There’s very little wasted motion in the delivery, and scouts rave about his makeup. There’s plenty of projection here, and if the command improves, he’ll be gone before the first ten picks are made.
3. Michael Wacha / RHP / Texas A&M – After Gausman, the drop is pretty significant, but Wacha is a quality arm to watch for in 2012. He generates plenty of spin with his curveball, and the fastball sits in the 92-94 range with movement. He’ll have to develop a third pitch — he has a show-me change that didn’t do much for me when I saw it in the super Regional last year. The command is average, but he throws strikes and doesn’t nibble. More of a No.3 type arm, but you could do worse, and he should be an innings eater.
the rest of the list... http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2011/12/top-twelve-college-pitchers/
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