1/9/12

Draft 2012 – Brett Mooneyham, Michael Wacha, Courtney Hawkins, Tyler Naquin


We continue the countdown today at number 30 with Stanford redshirt junior LHP Brett Mooneyham. The Atwater, California, native earned four varsity letters at Buhach High School while helping his team to four straight league titles.  He was named first team All-League in his senior season of 2008, leading the team to a Division I Championship on both the mound and at the plate. He went 9-2 with a 0.97 ERA including 103 strikeouts in 58 innings and holding opponents to a .116 batting average. At the plate, he hit .379 with 5 HR and 35 RBI.  Mooneyham’s father was a 4-time first round pick, finally signing with the Angels as the 10th pick in the 1980 June Draft.  He played 9 professional seasons, seeing time in the major leagues with the Oakland A’s in 1986. The 6’5″ left hander had an outstanding freshman year in 2009 as he was named a Freshman All-American by both Louisville Slugger and Collegiate Baseball, going 6-3 with a 4.14 ERA and over 67.1 innings pitched, striking out 72 and holding opposing batters to a .204 BAA.  Though Stanford failed to make the postseason in 2009, Mooneyham was tied for 2nd in the Pac-10 in fewest hits allowed with 46 while getting 5 out of his 6 wins in Pac-10 play. http://ht.ly/1gpTxP   
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. http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2011/12/top-twelve-college-pitchers/

Courtney Hawkins — 6’-3”, OF, Carroll HS (TX) - Hawkins is a five-tool prospect with tremendous power to all fields. He hit .410 with 15 home runs and 22 stolen bases as a junior. His plus arm (clocked at 92 mph from the outfield), mixed with his 6.6/60 speed, project him as a future right fielder in the majors. Still raw with his plate discipline, but that can be said about most high school players. Committed to Texas and could be a tough sign. http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/top-50-draft-prospects-for-2012-50-thru-26/15621/

Tyler Naquin brings a lot of qualities to the table, but some of it doesn't add up, making some wonder if he's a bit of a "tweener." Coming from a top-notch program, Naquin has a great approach to the game and plays it the right way. He has a smooth swing from the left side and can spray line drives all over the field. He will occasionally show some leverage and loft, but hasn't really shown much power to date. He's a solid-average runner with excellent baserunning instincts which allow him to take the extra base and steal some bases. He might have the best outfield arm in the Draft class, a true plus. He shows pretty good range from the outfield. Here's where it gets confusing. Naquin has the arm for right field, but not the power bat typically associated with the position. He has some skills for center field, but hasn't played there much and might not have the range. Still, his ability to hit, run well, throw and play the game with plus baseball IQ should have plenty of suitors. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/prospects/watch/y2012/

No comments: