Draft 2012 – Kevin Gausman, Jeremy Baltz, Stephen Piscotty, Dane Phillips

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. http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2011/12/top-twelve-college-pitchers/

Jeremy Baltz — 6’-3”, OF, St. John’s - Baltz has one of the most polished bats in the draft. He hit .396 with 24 home runs and 85 RBI as a freshman in 2011, earning him NCAA Freshman of the Year honors. He then tore up the Cape Cod League hitting .321 with two home runs and 23 RBI over 42 games, including a league-leading 13 doubles. He also showed off his advanced plate discipline by walking 25 times while only striking out 22 times over that span. With another impressive sophomore campaign, Baltz could shoot up draft boards come June. http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/top-50-draft-prospects-for-2012-50-thru-26/15621/

Already on radars following a sophomore season that saw him hit .364, Stephen Piscotty certainly helped his status with a strong Cape League season, where he won the batting title with his .349 average. Piscotty has an easy swing with good bat speed, making consistent hard contact and hitting to all fields. He's shown raw power to all fields as well and with some added strength there could be more there. An average runner, Piscotty is a good defender at third, with an accurate arm, good hands and decent range. He also can play the outfield, giving him a little flexibility. He hasn't shown much in-game home run power to date, but a team that thinks it will come with maturity will jump at the chance to add his bat and excellent baseball instincts to its system. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/prospects/watch/y2012/

Dane Phillips decided to change majors after his sophomore season at Oklahoma State University and he cited that is the reason for his transfer to the University of Arkansas, but he was denied eligibility and chose to transfer to Oklahoma City University an NAIA school where Phillips will be eligible to play. Phillips is a somewhat promising prospect. He has a quick swing that he uses to hit a good amount of line drives, and he uses the entire field. He has power potential that hasn’t really surfaced as a collegiate athlete as he hit just 7 home runs in two seasons at OSU, although he did show some nice gap power in 2011, hitting 16 doubles and 8 triples in 2011 for the Cowboys. Phillips has a decent eye at the plate, although he does strike out too much. A lot of Phillips’ draft stock has to do with whether his power potential comes into fruition. We’ll have to see if that happens at OKCU in 2012. http://rayscoloredglasses.com/2011/12/21/taking-an-early-look-at-the-catchers-in-the-2012-mlb-draft-part-1