Draft 13 – Jan Hernandez, Phil Bickford, Mike Papi, Hunter Harvey, Phillip Ervin

Jan Hernandez, 3B, Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy (PR) - At 6’-3” and 195 pounds, the right-hander possesses great bat speed and raw power. Playing for the same school as 2012 first-overall pick Carlos Correa, he is well known in the scouting community. His strong arm, soft hands and range could make him a great defender at the hot corner and his bat should justify the position. His size alone makes him an intriguing prospect in the 2013 MLB draft. LINK

Phil Bickford, RHP, Oaks Christian HS (CA) - It seems that I have been writing a lot about Bickford over the last couple of weeks. That’s because he just keeps giving me something to write about. On Friday, the 6’-4” right-hander tossed six more scoreless innings, striking out 11 to one walk. Over his last four starts, he has allowed one run on six hits over 27 innings, striking out 50 to six walks. He has been flashing his plus fastball that can touch 97 mph and showing excellent command. On the season, he has a 0.95 ERA, 0.59 WHIP and 112 K/12 BB over 66.1 innings. My hopes of him being available when the Cubs pick again at 41 are dwindling by the day. Committed to Cal State Fullerton. LINK

Dan Kirby‏  @DanMKirby

Virginia So. 6'-3" (L) Mike Papi leads nation in OBP (.543). Hitting .403 over 43 G w/ 10 2B, 5 HR, 46 RBI, 35 BB/19 K. Big bat for 2014.

Another participant at last year's Under Armour All-American Game, Hunter Harvey has an athletic, projectable frame with a fastball that is already above-average and could potentially be a plus offering if he can consistently throw it in the 93-96 range he has shown at times. The right-hander also throws a curveball and changeup, the former a lot more than the latter. He will need to improve the command and feel of his breaking ball and get used to throwing the changeup in games, but the upside is there for him to be a late-first rounder. LINK

I like Phillip Ervin a lot. Is it crazy to suggest that he’s a little teeny tiny bit like the college version of everybody’s favorite high school hitter, Clint Frazier? Both are praised for, in order, their 1) electric bat speed, 2) well-rounded overall skill sets, 3) above-average arm strength (pre-injury for Frazier), 4) picture perfect pro-ready swings, 5) above-average speed on the base paths, and 6) advanced pitch recognition skills. The main concern for both is that they are maxed-out physically. Additionally, both can hack it in center (Ervin more than Frazier), but profile best defensively in right field (again, assuming Frazier’s bum arm bounces back in time). This is all far too simplistic a comparison and I’m clearly not taking into account the crucially important differences in their hair, but you can kind of see how the two share some things if you keep an open mind, right? LINK