Draft 13 – Matt McPhearson, Kris Bryant, DJ Snelton, Carlos Salazar, Mark Appel

Matt McPhearson, OF, Riverdale Baptist HS (MD) - The 6’-0” left-hander has plus/plus speed and should develop at least gap power with a chance for more. He has very good bat speed and an advanced approach at the plate. Over 17 games this season, he has stolen 20 bases while battling a nagging hamstring injury. He has also posted a .603 OBP, drawing 14 walks to six strikeouts. His speed is his best asset, however, and he has the defensive skill set to remain in centerfield and be a table-setter on offense. If he is available when the Cubs pick at 41, he could be a nice sign as the Cubs don’t have much depth at leadoff-type burners in their system. Committed to Miami. link

Dan Kirby‏ @DanMKirby

San Diego 3B Kris Bryant has more HR (22) and BB (55) than the Minnesota Twins (16 HR, 54 BB) ... in far less at-bats.

Any reports in DJ Snelton and where he could be drafted?  - Jim Callis: I think Snelton, a Minnesota LHP, he’ll go in the 5th-10th round range. He strained his elbow and got a late start to the season, but he’s a 6-foot-7 lefty who gets good extension in his delivery. He can touch 95 mph, throws a decent slider and changeup. Scouts don’t love his arm action. link

Carlos Salazar, RHP, Kerman HS (CA) - Salazar put on quite the show Friday, allowing just one hit over seven shutout innings. He also struck out a career-high 19 batters and didn’t issue a walk. He now has 44 K/3 BB over his last 20 innings and, for the season, has yet to allow a run over 62 innings with 123 K/21 BB and just 16 hits allowed. The 6’-3” right-hander has a plus fastball that sits in the 91-93 range with late life. The most impressive thing about him, however, may be his continued work on his command. After allowing 6.4 BB/9 as a junior, he has cut that number down to 2.9 this season. Committed to Fresno State. link

 

Mark Appel has been here before. The Stanford ace was the potential top pick a year ago, but he ended up sliding to the Pirates at No. 8. He opted to return to school for his senior year and has arguably been the most consistent performer in this year's Draft class. After his win against Arizona State on Friday, he's 8-3 with a 1.56 ERA in 11 starts. In 86 1/3 innings, he has held opponents to a .195 batting average while allowing just 15 walks and striking out 106. link