Nathan
Kirby, James River (Midlothian, Va.) Kirby’s fastball--breaking ball combination
is first-round worthy. And despite the lack of size at 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds,
the southpaw sits in the 88-91 mph range with his heater. The development of a
legitimate changeup could be the difference on draft day. Kirby has committed
to Virginia. http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/baseball/post/_/id/1086/max-fried-leads-class-of-2012-left-handers
UT Brian
Johnson School: Florida Cl.: Junior,
Ht.: 6-3, Wt.: 235 Hometown.: Cocoa
Beach, Fla. High school: Cocoa
Beach Johnson surely is expected to have
an elite 2012 campaign. A talented prospect, Johnson is very talented as both a
hitter and pitcher. In 2011, he batted .307 with 11 doubles, five home runs and
29 RBIs. On the mound, he had a 3.62 ERA in 79 2/3 innings. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=6498
I can’t wait to see if Wake Forest OF Mac Williamson (Round 46) can put it
all together in his redshirt junior season. He’s a legit five-tool prospect who
has made great strides in his approach to hitting since arriving at Wake
Forest. From a pure tools standpoint, I’m not sure there are five better outfielders
in all of college baseball. The biggest strike against him for me is the fact
he’ll almost be 22 years old by the time next June’s draft rolls around. Williamson,
a potential catching conversion candidate at the pro level, has serious power
upside and a plus arm, but his swing at everything approach could prevent him
from ever getting the chance to put his crazy raw tools to use. He could very
well be viewed as a potential late inning relief prospect because of the
reported mid-90s heat to go along with a solid sinker/slider mix http://baseballdraftreport.com/
Kayden
Porter is the top 2012 draft prospect from the state of
Utah. The big righthander has power in
his arm and his bat. He has a strong
build and looks like a future workhorse on the mound. Porter has an easy
delivery with a high 3/4 arm slot. He
has a heavy mid-90′s fastball that gets up to 97. His curve shows good potential and his change
is a solid third offering. While many see Porter’s future on the mound, his bat
is not to be overlooked. In terms of raw
power, he sits near the top of the list for 2012. http://mlbdraftguide.com/
Deven
Marrero, SS, Arizona State - Overall, he is an above
average defensive shortstop with the potential to have an above average bat for
the position as well. Historically, he is a lock to be a major leaguer and with
the skills he possesses, he should be a very good one. He is a safe pick and
could go as early as the 1st overall pick or slide to the lower half of the top
10 but it would take a very poor season to see him slide more than that.
http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/2/9/2785340/2012-baseball-draft-college-prospects-1-5
I happen to be fond of Brian Johnson. I think he could rise quickly and could potentially become another pitcher in the class of Jon Niese. He would also add to the higher level pitchers in the system and give them a lefty in the mix.
ReplyDeleteAlthough that would have to be in the supplemental round. I would rather not take him the first due to, what I think is, a lower ceiling.
ReplyDeleteHi John,
ReplyDeleteI am going to both agree and disagree. In regards to liking Brian Johnson and the need for a lefty in the mix, I completely concur. The Mets could use a southpaw.
In regards to the supplemental round, he simply will not be there. Teams will draft him as a pitcher in the mid first round or even a hitter in the late first. Keep in mind, this is a guy who has an elite left-handed power bat at first.
In regards to the ceiling, I am going to disagree for one reason: Johnson has been splitting time between hitting and pitching. When two-way players focus on one full time, it has a greater chance of improving more than other college arms, thus improving his "ceiling".
When I wrote about Johnson a couple weeks ago I had his ceiling as a "#2 southpaw and a frightening hitting pitcher." This is something I stand by. He already has two plus pitches: A low-90s fastball and a curve. He'll take longer in the minors than most college draftees but if the first round goes poorly for some of the higher-upside talent (Gausman, Fried, Williams, Zunino, Trahan etc off the board already) I really would not mind this guy at #12.
Thanks for the input though. Any thoughts on the top of the first round?