6/15/12

2013 Draft/D1 Notes – Oscar Mercado, John Simms, Brewster Whitecaps, Jeremy Martinez


Frankie Piliere‏ -

ASU righty Trevor Williams sitting 93-94 mph in first tonight

Michael Theofanopoulos showing a plus CB and 89-92 mph FB.



As a sometimes torrential rain pounded down on the fabric roof of the Metrodome Thursday morning, top shortstop prospect Oscar Mercado took a look around the artificial playing surface and proudly took account of the company he had surrounded himself with. "There's a lot of talent out here," Mercado said with a smile. "Everything's good. I like it a lot. It means a lot to be competing with the top baseball players in the country." Mercado will be here the next several days with more than 300 of the country's other top prospects in the class of 2013 for the 2012 Perfect Game National Showcase. It's an event that has evolved into the most prestigious one of its kind in all of amateur baseball since its creation in 2001.



Player:  John Simms   Position:  RHP   School:  Rice   Date of Birth:  1/17/1992   Height/Weight:  6’3/210   Bats/Throws:  R/R   2013 Class:  Junior   Previously Drafted:  2010, 39th Rd, Nationals  Scouting Report:   •Fastball 88-92 with sink   •Change and curve both developing   •Curve shows good potential   •3/4 arm slot





BREWSTER WHITECAPS - Manager: John Altobelli (first season)  Last season: 20-20-4; third place in East. Lost to Harwich in first round.  Outlook: Altobelli has put together a solid roster from a diverse pool of schools. Fresno State sophomore outfielder Aaron Judge batted .308 with 27 RBIs for the Bulldogs and had 48 walks. UCLA infielder Kevin Williams is hitting .305 with a .417 OBP for the Bruins as they head to the CWS. Minnesota third baseman Dan Olinger hit .318 with 34 RBIs and a .374 OBP while Oregon infielder Ryon Healey, who played for Cotuit last summer, hit .312 with 42 RBIs and a .378 OBP. Vanderbilt sophomore catcher Spencer Navin hit .298 and had a .427 OBP. Florida State freshman LHP Brandon Leibrandt was named to the Louisville Slugger's Freshmen All-American team. He leads the CWS-bound Seminoles with a 2.58 ERA in 94 1/3 innings (17 starts), striking out 78 while walking 27. Washington RHP Austin Voth appeared in 22 games for the Huskies, starting 11 games and struck out 62 in 67 1/3 innings. Minnesota lefty Tom Windle had a 3.27 ERA in 18 appearances (four starts) and struck out 37 in 41 1/3 innings. The stats of Adrian Sampson, a right-hander from Bellvue Junior College, jump out. Sampson racked up 107 strikeouts in 79 1/3 innings with a 1.36 ERA.




Jeremy Martinez, C, Mater Dei HS (CA)  In keeping with the theme started with Mercado, if you can find a high school catcher who projects to stay at the position and offers a strong package of tools, it is best to make him an offer he can't refuse. Martinez shows a strong defensive presence already, with athleticism, receiving skills and a good arm behind the plate. He is going to have to learn how to call games, but the other skills needed are already there. Even more impressive than his defense is what he can do with the bat. Martinez has good power already, with bat speed and the projection to add more as he matures. He will not be an above-average runner in the future, but a four-tool catcher is easily worth a top-10 pick.

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