Draft 14 - A Quick Look - RHP - Touki Toussaint

.       Touki Toussaint

6-9-13  -   7.Touki Toussaint, RHP (Florida HS): One of the hardest throwers in this high school class, with a plus curve to boot. http://www.minorleaguerundown.com/2013/06/09/2014-mlb-draft-top-30-prospects/  

6-9-13  - 4. New York Mets — Touki Toussaint, RHP, Coral Springs (FL) - The 6’-2” right-hander has an electric fastball which can touch 97 mph with late life and there is still room for more as he fills out. He has a deceptive delivery which makes his plus, mid-70s, knee-buckling curveball even harder to react to. His change-up is still developing, but with two plus pitches already, he will be one of the most talked about prep pitchers next season. Never has a prep RHP gone first overall in the draft. Touki could change that. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-mock-draft-1-0-no-time-like-the-present/34008#Vj5KQGPZZT1XUyhx.99  

6-11-13 - 4. Touki Toussaint, RHP, Coral Springs Christian HS, Fla.: This Florida prepster is very athletic with a ton of arm strength, using a clean delivery to fire fastballs that can touch the mid-90s to go along with a hard downer curve. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130611&content_id=50293726&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&tcid=tw_article_50293726  

6-13-13 - Touki Toussaint, Coral Springs Christian (Fla.), Right-Handed Pitcher - One of the fastest rising players in the class of 2014, Toussaint impressed last year on the mound as a sophomore and didn't do anything to diminish that assessment with a 5-2 record and 65 strikeouts with a 0.95 ERA. Fastball is reportedly up to 97 mph. http://www.maxpreps.com/news/article.aspx?articleid=7c0ad513-b5e1-4ac1-b57e-8dedcc72c783&page=2

6-13-13  -  4. New York Mets — Touki Toussaint, RHP, Coral Springs (FL) - The 6’-2” right-hander has an electric fastball which can touch 97 mph with late life and there is still room for more as he fills out. He has a deceptive delivery which makes his plus, mid-70s, knee-buckling curveball even harder to react to. His change-up is still developing, but with two plus pitches already, he will be one of the most talked about prep pitchers next season. Never has a prep RHP gone first-overall in the draft. Touki could change that. http://beforeitsnews.com/sports/2013/06/2014-mlb-mock-draft-1-0-no-time-like-the-present-2513748.html?currentSplittedPage=2  

6-17-13  -  Touki Toussaint, RHP, Coral Springs (Fla.) Christian Academy - Toussaint (6-foot-2, 190), who won gold with the U16 national team, stands out as a prep arm in what Simpson said is a draft class whose strength is college pitchers. "His fastball is 96-97 and he has the makings of an above-average curve," Simpson said. "He's the best high school arm at this point." http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/news/20130610/draft-prospects-carlos-rodon/#ixzz2WWk0FqzU  

6-28-13 - Dany "Touki" Toussaint, RHP, Coral Springs Christian Academy:  A fireballing 6'2" right handed pitcher with athleticism in spades, Toussaint has been on the radar for a long time thanks to his big velocity. Though a bit raw, Touki shows the framework of two plus to plus-plus pitches in the form of his high-90s fastball and big breaking curve. Toussaint's premium athleticism is on full display in his delivery which features plenty of leg drive and arm speed that he converts into his 98 MPH heat. His fastball has plenty of run and could be a 7 pitch down the line. http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2013/6/28/4450674/the-way-too-early-2014-tcb-astros-draft-board

7-2-13 - 2. Touki Toussaint- RHP, Coral Springs Christian Academy (FL) Best pitcher in the country, has touched 97 with a plus CB http://www.ninebaseball.org/Wordpress/jeff-sullivans-top-100-2014-prospects/

7-5-13 - Touki Toussaint, RHP, Coral Springs Academy (FL) - One of the most electric arms in the 2014 MLB draft, the 6’-2”, 190-pound right-hander has touched 97 mph with his fastball and adds one of the best curveballs in the draft; a knee-buckling, hammer that sits in the mid-70s. He adds a lot of deception to his delivery, making his stuff that much harder to pick up. There is still room for added velocity and, with continued work on his change-up, might not even be available when the Chicago Cubs pick. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/prep-arms-chicago-cubs/34856#Vp7zJ4JvRevfV1fR.99

7-25-13 – Top 30 High School Prospects For 2014 Draft - 10. Touki Toussaint, RHP, Coral Springs Christian HS (FL) - 6'3/185, Draft Day Age: 17.96, No college commitment, Full Report & Video - Quick Take: The most famous name in this class got considerable buzz when he sat 92-95 and hit 97 mph with a knockout plus-plus curveball last October and Toussaint is still young for the class but his stuff has backed up some this summer. His stuff has been more average to above average but it's still way too early to drop him that far. http://sbb.scout.com/2/1310090.html

8-6-13 - Top pitchers - East Coast Professional Showcase, Syracuse, NY -  3. Touki Toussaint, RHP, Coral Springs Christian Academy (Fla.): One of the more projectable pitchers at East Coast, Toussaint was up to 94 mph and showed a curve and a slider. He wasn't always consistent, though he did get better as his outing went on, and scouts love his arm and upside. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130806&content_id=56048786&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

8-6-13 - Nathan Rode ‏@NathanRode  - Touki Toussaint 90-93 w/ 73-75 CB. Trouble w/ Ks in 1st, but settled in 2nd. Walked 4 in 1st. CB is good, but lacks sharpness it had in Jupiter.

2013 East Coast Pro Showcase Top 50 Prospects    - 6. Touki Toussaint – RHP, Coral Springs Christian Academy (FL) - Sat 92-93, touched 94 and featured his outstanding curveball. Will battle Holmes all year for the best FB/CB mix. http://www.ninebaseball.org/Wordpress/sullys-top-50-ecp-prospects/

8-14-13 – Through The Fence – Top 50 Prospects – 9. Touki Toussaint, RHP, Coral Springs Academy (FL) - One of the most electric arms in the 2014 MLB draft, the 6’-2”, 190-pound right-hander has touched 97 mph with his fastball and adds one of the best curveballs in the draft; a knee-buckling hammer that sits in the mid 70s. He adds a lot of deception to his delivery, making his stuff that much harder to pick up. The only knock on him right now is his command, which can get the best of him at times. He walked three and struck out three in one inning at the PG Classic. His stuff is outstanding. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-top-50-prospects/36463#mwWwsFxSUZy7YC5V.99   

8-13-13 - The Perfect Game All-American Classic in San Diego - * Touki Toussaint (Coral Springs High School, Fla.) hasn’t been as impressive this summer as he was last fall, but the overall stuff was pretty solid on Sunday; sitting in the mid 90′s and showing a better breaking ball than he has for most of the showcase events. Unfortunately, the command is still poor at best and there’s some mechanical stuff that has to be cleaned up. The talent is immense, but there’s a lot of work to be done. http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2013/08/thoughts-on-perfect-game-all-american-classic/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

8-16-13 - 11th All-American Classic -  Player Spotlight: Pitcher - Touki Toussaint | RHP | Coral Springs Christian (Coral Springs, FL) - Height/Weight: 6-foot-2/190 pounds  B/T: R/R  Draft Day Age: 17 years, 11 months  Commitment: N/A  The high-waisted righty struggled to command his offerings in game, but continues to flash some of the best, and most projectable, stuff in the draft class. Toussaint is a scout’s player, with athleticism, physical projection, loud stuff, and natural arm speed – all of which were on display throughout the weekend’s events. There are arms in this class producing more velocity, and bodies offering more projection, but you would be hard pressed to find a combination of present profile and projected upside to match Toussaint’s. Scouting Notes: Electric raw stuff; three-quarters slot; easy and lighting-fast arm; throws the ball downhill better than any pitcher at the event; lost his release early but showed the ability to make quick adjustments; fastball worked 92-94; touched 95; appears much faster; ball really jumps; impossible to touch when he spots it down; command was off in this showing; slow to the plate (1.65 seconds) with runners on; showed slide-step and held velocity; curve was poor early and then started to flash its promise; 72-75 mph with lots of bite; showed a cut-change offering in the mid-80s; more deliberate than curveball; arm speed and present fastball make me think a really, really good changeup is going to develop out of this arm; could end up as complete starter package; very inconsistent but power arm with very high upside. –Jason Parks  Summer Stock: The BP Prospect Team was huddled behind home plate last October for Touki’s big coming out party in Jupiter—a three-inning outing for the Atlanta Blue Jays against defending champs Marucci Elite in which Toussaint fanned nine and showed a plus curve and lively low- to mid-90s fastball, all as a 16-year-old. He finished the tournament with 18 strikeouts over six innings, standing out as one of the top arms at the event.   This summer, Toussaint’s carrying characteristic has been inconsistent command, though the “now” stuff and projection continue to impress evaluators at each step on the circuit. He’s generally been 89-93, touching 94/95 mph, while showing a hard curve that will flash plus, and a low-80s true change. This June he started mixing in a cut-change that runs from the mid- to upper-80s with cutter action, and the pitch has made regular appearances throughout his various outings. It hasn’t been a dominant summer, but for a player who has flashed front-end potential since the age of 16, Toussaint is doing what he needs to on the field to remain in consideration for early first round selection next June. –Nick J. Faleris  http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=21537

8-21-13 – Area Code Games - 8. Touki Toussaint, rhp, Coral Springs Christian (Fla.)/ Atlanta Blue Jays - Toussaint burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old last summer at Tournament of Stars before an otherworldly performance at the WWBA in Jupiter in October, when he struck out 18 in six innings and showed a mid-90s fastball and plus curveball. Toussaint, who was a soccer player until he started playing baseball four years ago and lived in Haiti for six years, offers rare athleticism for a pitcher and has one of the highest upsides of any high school pitcher. At 6-foot-1, 198-pounds, Toussaint has a wiry, athletic build with long limbs. He has loose, whip-like action from a three-quarter slot and gets extension out front. His fastball sat 90-94 mph and touched 95 with natural cut in Long Beach. Toussaint threw some above-average curveballs with depth but the low-to-mid 70s pitch was inconsistent. He is working a high-80s cutter/slider and low-80s changeup into his repertoire. With three walks in as many innings, Toussaint’s command was not sharp. His lower half has been leaking in his delivery this summer and he has a late hand break. But Toussiant,  once committed to Miami but currently uncommitted, has the athleticism necessary to improve his control. He will form one of the top batteries in the country with Benito Santiago, a lefthanded-hitting catcher who is one of the top catchers in the country, the son of the former big league by the same name. http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/area-code-games-top-10-prospects/

8-25-13 - Touki Toussaint displayed the talent that scouts are dreaming on. However, Toussaint also continued to work on a new wrinkle to his game, which could set him apart from his peers by the time June rolls around.  The word that would best describe Touki Toussaint is projectable. Toussaint’s present stuff is already electric, as I’ll get into, but there may be no prep pitcher that possesses more upside than the athletic right-handed pitcher. It all starts with the loose, athletic body with a big frame that has scouts dreaming about what could be. Toussaint is one of the best athletes I saw this week, and that includes the positional players. http://rontrarianreport.com/2013/08/25/scouting-touki-toussaint-mlb-draft/

8-31-13 – Area Code Games - Touki Toussaint (RHP) 6’2″ 195; 2014 Sleek, slender look w/long, lean levers; good projection body. Compact delivery w/lighting quick arm. HTQ slot w/EZ gas 91-92 and will flash 7FB. Electric FB w/occ. tilt on outer third. More control vs command at the moment. FB plays CB up; will flash depth and downer action when right. Limited feel for spin. Mixes in firm CH85 works underneath and still a projection pitch. Cutter 87-88 will play. Strong follow: good athlete w/special FB and deeper projection secondary.  http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/2013/08/31/area-code-notes/

9-1-13 - Keith Law - Touki Toussaint showed his usual arm strength, although 89-94 is actually a little low for him. His curveball, at 72-73 mph, ranged from a 59-footer to an absolute hammer, but he had no command of anything. That has been the norm for him in showcases. He's lean and athletic with a quick arm and he's hit 97 mph lots of times, but I'd like to see Touki (pronounced TOO-key) show he can pitch too. www.baseballamerica.com

9-1-13 - Jim Callis – 8. Touki Toussaint, rhp, Coral Springs (Fla.) Christian HS - Has struggled with command this summer but his premium stuff is impossible to deny.

8-15-13 - Under Armour All-Star Game – Touki Toussaint, RHP:  Toussaint has perhaps the best prep arm in this draft and is considered a top 10 pick at this point with a chance to move up if he can improve his command.  He can touch 97 mph and complements that with a plus curve that already gives him a second swing and miss offering.  He's not quite as tall at 6'2" but has room to grow. As mentioned,  his command needs a lot of work, but his stuff is potentially top of the rotation. http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2013/08/2014-mlb-draft-ua-game-roster-and-preview-plus-more-tickets-and-meet-up-information/

9-4-13 – Mack’s Mock Draft v1.0 – 2 – Miami – RHSP Touki Toussaint – Coral Springs (FL) High School – The obvious ‘best player available’ here would have been RHP Tyler Beede out of Vanderbilt, but the Marlins do not want to get into a gigantic bonus negotiation with the college junior. They choose instead  a local high school senior they are banking on will sign for slot. It’s still a very good pick for a kid who is ranked in every top ten mock in the country. Very raw, but throws in the high 90s.

9-11-13 - Sully’s 2014 Top 100 MLB HS Draft Prospects - 10.Touki Toussaint – RHP, Coral Springs Christian (FL) http://www.ninebaseball.org/Wordpress/sullys-2014-top-100-mlb-hs-draft-prospects/

9-30-13 – TTF Mock 2.0 - 15. Los Angeles Angels — Touki Toussaint, RHP, Coral Springs Academy (FL) One of the most electric arms in the 2014 MLB draft (as well as this 2014 MLB mock draft too), the 6’-2”, 190-pound right-hander has touched 97 mph with his fastball and adds one of the best curveballs in the draft; a knee-buckling hammer that sits in the mid 70s. He adds a lot of deception to his delivery, making his stuff that much harder to pick up. The only knock on him right now is his command, which can get the best of him at times. He walked three and struck out three in one inning at the PG Classic. His stuff is outstanding.  http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-mock-draft-2-0-draft-order-set/38280#5E3F5j1jWOgE69bJ.99

10-15-13 – Baseball America - 8. Touki Toussaint, rhp, Coral Springs (Fla.) Christian HS: Like Beede, Toussaint shows premium stuff (mid-90s fastball, curve) but struggles to throw strikes at times. http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/2014-draft-top-50-october-2013-carlos-rodon/

10-25-13  - PG Showcase - Touki Toussaint (Coral Springs Christian Academy, Coral Springs, Fla.) took the hill for the Atlanta Blue Jays. Toussaint featured similar stuff to what he’s delivered since creating headlines in Jupiter a year ago when he showed off a fastball up to 97 and devastating curveball. This year, the athletic righthander showed off a 91-94 mph fastball, peaking at 95, while predominantly mixing in his plus curveball at 74-77. At its best, Toussaint’s wrinkle earned audible praise from the typically tight-lipped scouting community. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder also threw an 85-86 changeup with deceptive arm speed, as well as an 84 mph slider. Compared to other national showcase events, Toussaint threw more strikes, though he was not always fine. His body and arm seemed to be working in better sync, allowing him to repeat his delivery. After getting squeezed on some close pitches, however, he had some wildness and ran up his pitch count, forcing his exit after two innings. http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/toussaint-wows-evaluators-at-jupiter/

10-29-13 – Jim Callis – Top 10 World Wood Bat Association World Championship (WWBA) Jupiter, Fla - 3. Touki Toussaint, RHP, Atlanta Blue Jays (Coral Springs, Fla., Christian High/uncommitted) -  Possesses electric fastball/curveball combination, but still learning how to harness his pitches. http://ht.ly/qi5No

11-6-13 – Todd Gold – WWBA World Championship – Touki Toussaint (2014 RHP, Atlanta Blue Jays) - Touki was one of the biggest stars of the 2012 edition of Jupiter, touching 97 mph with his fastball and tantalizing with his loose whippy arm action, if to say nothing of the depth on his curveball. He was back in 2013 with high expectations, and while he didn't light up the radar gun in quite the same way (sitting 91-94), he showed strides towards converting his raw potential into usable ability. In his first inning of work he struck out four batters and showed improved command of his fastball, thanks in large part to a slightly more streamlined delivery. After beginning his journey playing baseball late, Toussaint has never consistently shown good present command of his electric stuff. That began to change with an impressive first inning in Jupiter. Eventually his wildness caught up with him in the second inning, as his filthy curveball was not only devastating to opposing hitters, but also his catcher and the umpire....leading to dropped third strikes and missed strike calls. His short developmental history and underlying athleticism suggest that with a few years of work in a player development system Toussaint can learn to harness his high level stuff and conquer the many miles of development that stand between his present ability and that elite potential. His career line at the WWBA World Championship includes two earned runs on four hits over eight innings, with 13 walks and 23 strikeouts. He has developed the spin rate on his curveball even further giving the pitch more bite and velocity while maintaining the shoulder to ankles depth it featured a year ago. He has also added a devastating splitter to his arsenal. While some may shortsightedly refer to Touki's present command as a nightmare, he is a Pitching Coordinator's dream project and as such is likely to be a high draft pick come June. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=9157

11-14-13 - Michael Schwartze - Other notable right-handers include right-handers Touki Toussaint (Toussaint has some of the best raw stuff, showing a mid-90’s fastball and a power curveball but struggled throwing strikes over the summer. He did rebound with his command late, setting him up for a big spring. Holmes has been in the discussion as the top prep arm, sitting in the mid-90s and showing a plus curveball with a solid change that flashed above-average in the showcases. Toussaint has the physical attributes and raw stuff to earn his way into the top half of the round. http://www.studentsports.com/blog/2013/11/13/baseball-jupiter-wraps-up-2013-showcase-circuit/     

11-21-13 – BA Top 100 High School Players - 5 Touki Toussaint RHP R/R 6-1 198 Coral Springs (Florida) Academy Vanderbilt http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/2014-high-school-top-100-with-commitments/

   11-27-13 – Big League Futures Top 25 Poll –  13 Touki Toussaint    RHP Coral Springs Christian (FL) http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/2013/11/26/mlb-draft-top-25-prospects-poll/

12-10-13 – TTF – Top 50 HS Players - 5. Touki Toussaint, RHP, Coral Springs Academy (FL) - Electric stuff but erratic command is the book on Toussaint right now. His fastball can touch 97 mph with explosive life and his curveball is already a plus pitch — a mid-70s hammer that some consider the best in the class. He adds a lot of deception to his delivery, and at 6’-2”, 195 pounds, there is still room for projection. His commitment to Vanderbilt has to be considered at least a little come draft time. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-top-50/40532#zz88YJZTOG8iEa1Z.99

B/R – 11-21-13 - B/R – 11-21-13 - 22. Texas Rangers: Touki Toussaint, RHP, Coral Springs Christian HS (Fla.) - A well-known commodity in the scouting community, Touki Toussaint has been on the radar for the last two seasons thanks to a fastball that sits in the low-to-mid-90s and has bumped 97 in the past. The 6’3”, 185-pound right-hander’s curveball ranks as one of the best in the class, as he throws the pitch in the low-70s with exceptional depth and a sharp, two-plane break that induces whiffs. Toussaint is also one of the younger hurlers in the 2014 class, as he doesn’t turn 18 until after the June draft. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1860341-2014-mlb-mock-draft-early-first-round-projections-for-all-30-teams/page/10

12-9-13 – Pine Tar Press  -  19- RHP Touki Toussaint Coral Springs Christian HS (Vanderbilt Commit) 6/20/96- I always find it interesting that there are so many professional baseball players from the Dominican Republic yet hardly any players from Haiti. The 2 share an island and the baseball bug just seems to have missed Haiti. Touki might change that going forward as the native of Haiti continues to climb the ladder as one of the premiere arms in his class. He has only played baseball for 4 years but possesses a very quick arm that should be a consistent mid 90s offering as he develops.  He is still refining his curve and change. I saw him in Jupiter, Florida where he definitely was electric but seemed to tire early and lose the feel for his pitches. Obviously, young arms will get excited when 100 plus scouts eyes are on them. (Nationals @ 20) http://pinetarpress.com/early-look-2014-mlb-draft/

1-3-14 – TTF Baseball - 12. Milwaukee Brewers — Touki Toussaint, RHP, Coral Springs HS (FL) - One of the most exciting prep pitchers in the 2014 MLB draft because his stuff  can be electric. His fastball can touch 97 mph with explosive life and his curveball is already a plus pitch — a mid-70s hammer that some consider the best in the class. He adds a lot of deception to his delivery, and at 6’-2”, 195 pounds, there is still room for projection. His command can get erratic at times but the stuff is special. Committed to Vanderbilt. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-2/40753#ppGUqI6CbWFvzsPf.99