Draft 14 – Kodi Medeiros, Grant Hockin, Micah Miniard, Milton Ramos, Brandon Finnegan

8-16-13 - 11th All-American Classic - Kodi Medeiros | LHP | Waiakea (Hilo, HI)  Height/Weight: 6 feet/185 pounds  B/T: L/L  Draft Day Age: 18 years, 0 months  Commitment: N/A  Scouting Notes: Impressive; deception pitcher with stuff but not a gimmick guy; worked from extreme low three-quarters slot—basically a sidearmer; fastball worked 93-94 with plus movement; ball was diving under barrels; upper-70s to low-80s slider was filthy; fastball disguise and pure funk on the late two-plane break; showed mid-80s changeup as well; curious to see if he can hold velo and command the fastball to both sides of the plate; can’t wait to see him this spring.  http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=21537

 

8-14-13 – Through The Fence – Top 50 Prospects – 38. Grant Hockin, RHP, Damien HS (CA) - Hockin is an athletic 6’-2” right-hander whose fastball has touched 95 mph with late life and sits in the 89-92 mph range. He also adds two solid secondary offerings in a curveball and change-up, and he locates his pitches well. He repeats his delivery well and still has some projection left. He is the grandson of Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-top-50-prospects/36463#mwWwsFxSUZy7YC5V.99

 

2013 East Coast Pro Showcase Top 50 Prospects    - 50. Micah Miniard – RHP,  Boyle County (KY) HS - 6’7, 200 RHP worked 90-91. http://www.ninebaseball.org/Wordpress/sullys-top-50-ecp-prospects/

 

8-24-13 - Most of the top high school hitters in the 2014 draft class are on hand for the Under Armour All-America Game, powered by Baseball Factory. Friday’s workout at the University of Illinois-Chicago’s Miller Field featured batting practice, infield and outfield and a home run derby, winnowing the field for Saturday’s derby prior to the game at Wrigley Field. Of the 2014 players, shortstop Milton Ramos (Hialeah Gardens, Fla.) put on the best show Friday. Ramos, who played at Florida Christian High in 2013 and will attend American Heritage this upcoming academic year, entered the summer with a reputation as a flashy, at times brilliant defender, and he didn’t disappoint in the workout. http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/under-armour-all-star-game-notebook/

 

7-17-13 –  Brandon Finnegan, LHP, TCU - The stadium gun was off on Monday night but it was easy to see Finnegan was throwing heat, blowing his fastball past hitters and recording two strikeouts in his one inning of work.  Kevin Gallo tells me he topped out at 96 mph.  I mention Finnegan because he's just 5'11", 185 lbs and generates much of that velocity with tremendous arm speed.  Obviously there's not a lot of downward plane here and you wonder if his size will relegate him to the bullpen, though I'm told he can sustain that velocity late in games and he has a hard slider and a solid change-up to go with the fastball -- so he does have the necessary tools/skills to stick as a starter.   Either way, he's an interesting prospect whether he sticks as a starter or becomes a Billy Wagner type closer. http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2013/07/looking-ahead-to-the-2014-and-2015-mlb-draft-notes-from-the-collegiate-national-team-games/