2/24/12

Draft 2012: Mathew Smoral, Stephen Bruno, Tomas Nido, Chris Marconcini


4. Matthew Smoral, LHP, Solon HS, Solon, OH - Smoral is a towering lefty with a buggy whip arm action that delivers a 91-94 mph fastball and a sweeping low 80's curveball. Smoral will need to tweak his mechanics and improve his conditioning, for he has a tendency to lose velocity in later innings. Smoral projects as a No. 2 or 3 major league starting pitcher. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/highschool/02/13/baseball.top.10.prospects/index.html#ixzz1mJYi8Rky  

Virginia JR SS Stephen Bruno - Search the archives if you don’t believe me, but I’ve been stubbornly in Bruno’s corner for years. He hasn’t done it at the college level yet due in large part to having to pay his dues while waiting for certain members of Virginia’s talented lineup to turn pro, and Chris Taylor’s current hold on the shortstop job will almost currently keep him from ever playing significant time at the position I project him to play at the next level, but Bruno’s tools are louder than most college middle infielders. He could be the rare example of a player who shows more as a pro than he ever showed in college  http://baseballdraftreport.com/

9. Tomas Nido, Orangewood Christian (Maitland, Fla.)  - Nido is a favorite of mine after studying video and talking to scouts. He stands out in the most important categories as far as tools are concerned — arm strength, receiving and power at the plate. His pop times are above average, but during games he's shown a tendency to open his front side on throws. The hit tool needs work, too, and despite the raw power the swing is long and his hands are busy. He's another Florida State commit and a Day 2 prospect, but he has a chance to end up among the top five prep catchers off the board. http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/baseball/post/_/id/1148/stryker-trahan-is-nation%E2%80%99s-best-backstop

Duke sophomore Chris Marconcini will miss the 2012 season due to a torn ACL in his right knee, suffered during an intrasquad game. Marconcini was a Freshman All-American, batting .291 in 55 starts with 15 doubles, six triples, four homers, 41 runs and 39 RBI. He hit .383 with runners in scoring position. http://www.collegebaseballinsider.com/Lineup%20Card/LineupCard120219.html

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