1/29/12

Draft 2012 – Brian Johnson, James Ramsey, Andy Hunter, Deven Marrero, Nolan Fontana


 Brian Johnson — 6’-4”, LHP, Florida  Johnson is the best left handed college pitcher in the draft. Has a low-90s fastball with sink, an above average change-up and his slider projects to a plus pitch at the next level. At 6’-3” and 225 lbs, he has great mound presence and teams usually eat up left handed college pitchers come draft day. Also a tremendous hitter and could be drafted high as an outfielder. In 12 at bats for Collegiate Team USA, he smashed three home runs, drove in five runs and walked three times. He also picked up a win, giving up one run over four innings, striking out four, while walking none. http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/top-50-draft-prospects-for-2012-25-thru-1/15694/

James Ramsey / Florida State / OF – Ramsey had a strong college season for the Seminoles in 2011 and built on that with an impressive performance on the Cape. He was drafted in the 22nd round by the Twins following his Junior season but decided to return to school as a Senior this year. There is some skepticism over how Ramsey’s game will play in pro ball. He often drops his back-end and takes an aggressive uppercut swing. While this leads to some long home runs (his six home runs tied him for second in the Cape) it also leads to more than a few strikeouts. The tools and athleticism are solid across the board and Ramsey is a max effort guy who plays the game the right way. He was named Cape League All Star Game MVP after hitting a looooong home run over the bullpens in right field. I also saw Ramsey in March, and while I still have questions about his bat I saw improvements in his ability to shorten up his swing and make adjustments. After a very good Cape campaign Ramsey is poised to be one of the more interesting Senior draftees. http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2012/01/scouting-the-cape/#more-720

Andy Hunter  RHP  Green Bay Bullfrogs—Gonzaga -  Andy went 5-2 and was fourth in the league with a 1.97 era this season. He pitched 59.1 innings and appeared in 17 games for the Bullfrogs. He allowed 42 hits, walked just 11 and was among the league leaders with a .195 BAA. PG ranked him as the 25th best prospect in the league this summer. In late November, I named him one of my top performers. http://www.collegesummerbaseball.net/2012/01/top-35-pitchers-in-northwoods-league_20.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Deven Marrero — 6’-1”, SS, Arizona State Marrero excels on both sides of the field and could be the first shortstop taken in the draft. Was a 17th-round pick by the Reds in 2009 but chose to attend Arizona State. Hit .397 with six home runs, 42 RBIs and 11 stolen bases as a freshman, earning first-team, freshman All-American by collegiate baseball while setting an Arizona State freshman record for batting average. Won Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year honors as a sophomore as his defense caught up to his offense. Shows a great approach at the plate, as he has only struck out 54 times in 96 games at ASU. Has the ideal size (6’-1”, 190), range and footwork to be a gold-glove caliber shortstop down the road. Brother Chris was a first-round pick in 2009 and made his major-league debut for the Nationals this year. Led Collegiate Team USA with 19 hits, 14 RBI, five doubles and six stolen bases over 14 games during the summer. http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/top-50-draft-prospects-for-2012-25-thru-1/15694/

A lefthanded hitter, Nolan Fontana excels at small ball, leading the SEC with 52 walks last year and drawing a total of 105 the past two seasons, while striking out just 59 times in his career. He also led the conference in sacrifice flies last season with nine and topped the Gators in total sacrifices (20).  He doesn't have blazing speed, but he is a smart, aggressive baserunner who led Florida with five triples as a sophomore.  In two years and 472 at-bats, Fontana is a .288/.426/.426 hitter with 27 doubles, seven triples, eight homers, 113 runs and 72 RBIs. Fontana said he gained five pounds of muscle over the summer, and O'Sullivan expects a bit more pop out of his shortstop this year. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/season-preview/2012/2612858.html

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