2013 Draft-Notes - Sean Manaea , Brandon Pierce, Mark Appel, Nick Ciuffo, Taylor Sparks

Indiana State junior lefthanded pitcher Sean Manaea has made the full transformation from a little known freshman a couple of seasons ago into one of college baseball's elite starting pitchers and MLB draft prospects. Perhaps we should've seen this coming. Manaea wasn't a highly recruited lefty out of high school, only ranked as one of the top 1,000 national prospects to watch. But he made a huge statement the summer of 2011 when he was the top prospects at the Prospect League, a summer collegiate level. There, he topped out at 93 and attracted plenty of eyeballs for his sophomore season with ISU this past spring. PG

RHP Brandon Pierce, Nebraska -- Pierce entered the spring with some high hopes with the Huskers, but control issues plagued him at times. Pierce put together a very good summer season, making nine appearances and having a 2.45 ERA in 44 innings. He also struck out 30 and walked 15, while teams hit him at a .229 clip. PG

Mark Appel RHP Stanford- I am just not a huge fan of Appel but the arm is full of projection. He commands the zone well with plenty of action from a 3 pitch mix. He finished 2012 with a 10-2 record and a 2.56 e.r.a in 123 IP with 130 K and 30 walks. pinetarpress

Nick Ciuffo  C  Charleston, S.C. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 200. B/T: L/R.  Ciuffo is one of the most complete catchers in the 2013 class. He is an advanced receiver with a feel for the game and has a strong, accurate arm. His lefthanded swing is quick and clean. He uses the whole field and flashes some power to the pull side. He is verbally committed to South Carolina.

Taylor Sparks, 3b/of, Wenatchee (So., UC Irvine): In high school and as a freshman at UC Irvine, Sparks' performance lagged behind his impressive tools, but he may have narrowed the gap this summer after hitting .388/.448/.709 over 134 at-bats, ranking second in the league in batting average and first in home runs with nine. Sparks has a brawny, 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame and power is his best tool. He won the league's home run derby at the all-star game and hit a few balls nearly 450 feet. He has a compact swing but his brute strength allows him to occasionally mis-hit balls and still muscle them through the infield for hits.. http://ht.ly/1m4q1n

The Newport Gulls clinched the New England Collegiate League championship on Aug. 11. Some 10 days later, that title has resulted in an unofficial national championship. http://www.collegesummerbaseball.net/2012/08/newport-gulls-finish-season-at-no-1.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Patrick Ebert‏ -  Congrats to Indiana State LHP Sean Manaea, our 2012 PG summer collegiate POY

Amir Garrett, Brandon Pierce, Tyler Beede, Gerrit Cole, Mikie Mahtook

Amir Garrett is a ridiculously athletic left handed pitcher who is a top 100 basketball recruit as well. He hasn't played organized baseball in a while but he reportedly has been working with a private pitching coach and is throwing in the low 90's. If he shows low 90's stuff and any ability to spin a curve or pull the string on a change, he could be taken in the 1st round. The good thing is, it sounds like he wants to play baseball and that would be a good thing for all of us. mlbbonusbaby.  



Brandon Pierce - Average height Worked exclusively out of the stretch; high leg kick with an overhand arm slot Long arm action with a noticeable inverted "W" Fastball has average velocity with a touch of arm side run; got a bit true at times Slow 1-7 curve ball with good shape and big break Control of both pitches was solid Got ground balls with curve ball and the fastball when it was low in zone bullpenbanter  


Tyler Beede heads up one of the best groups of Massachusetts high school pitching prospects ever seen in one draft. While Beede is the premier arm of the group, RHP’s Pat Connaughton (St. John’s Prep), Adam Ravenelle (Sudbury-Lincoln HS) and John Magliozzi (Dexter HS) are all potential top 5 round arms. LHP Andrew Chin (BB & N), RHP Devin Perry (BB & N), RHP Barrett O’Neill (Ashland HS) and RHP Robert DeCosmo (Cathedral HS) all have 90+ mph fastballs and have received plenty of scouting attention as well. That talent base belies the fact that no Massachusetts high school player at any position has been picked in the first five rounds since 2003, when the Marlins selected Jeff Allison in the first round. Beede is far from the stereotypical raw arm from the region, however. His father, Walter, was a 13th round pick of the Chicago Cubs in 1981 as a first baseman and played one year of minor league ball, so baseball definitely is part of the Beede bloodlines. Most importantly, Beede has been participating in national level events since early in his sophomore season, including the 2010 Aflac All American Game, and has a polished maturity on the mound that is equal to any Sun Belt pitcher. He has a low effort delivery with good lower half use and repeats his mechanics consistently. Beede’s fastball doesn’t touch 97-98 mph like many of top high school arms seem to be doing this year but he’s a consistent 92-93 mph and will touch 94-95 occasionally perfectgame.



Gerrit Cole, RHP, UCLA - Pros: Cole has true elite-level stuff. He has mid- to upper-90s heat with two well above-average secondary offerings in his slider and changeup. His 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame is ideal, and his mechanics are much improved from his high school days. Cons: He occasionally struggles with command. This has been especially of late, as he has a 6.17 ERA in his last five starts while allowing 40 hits in 35 innings. That's far too many base knocks for a pitcher with his arsenal. “Cole has the physical ability, the stuff, and the body is just unbelievable... but for whatever reason, it's never been easy for him,” said one evaluator. baseballprospectus



LSU junior OF Mikie Mahtook went 9-for-14 with a 3B, HR, 6 RBI and 2 SB’s this past week; the bat is potent and is the prime reason Mahtook is a consensus 1st-round pick next month; but where in the round he goes has been the subject of debate; we’ve seen Mahtook projected as highly as #8 to the D’backs and as low as #20 to the Rockies and everywhere in-between; it seems that scout’s opinions are mixed as to whether he can stay in centerfield or not and this is the reason we’re seeing the variance in projections… prospectnation.