Draft Notes 5-15-12 – Damion Magnifico, Brett Mooneyham, Peter O’Brien, Mike Zunino, Will Clinard

Oklahoma (33-19) RHP Damion Magnifico –

            Sunday vs. Baylor (39-11): 5.1-IP, 10-H, 3-ER, 3-K, 0-BB

            Season:  1-1, 4.01, 42.2-IP, 27-K, 20-BB

What happened to this guy? The 6-2 flame thrower passed last year when the Mets drafted him and went back to hit 100 regularly. He actually hit that number 22 times in April against Arkansas. You just don’t see this in college, especially 22 times in one game. But, why so few strikeouts? Critics say the ball doesn’t move and it’s the only pitch he has so all you have to do is time it and close your eyes. Wish it was that easy.

Stanford (32-14) LHP Brett Mooneyham –

            Sunday vs. Washington State (24-23) – 7.0-IP, 5-H, 0-R, 3-K, 1-BB

            Season:  11-G, 11-ST, 6-4, 3.57, 68.0-IP, 77-K, 33-BB

Mooneyham has had an up and down season for a great baseball team. The strikeouts are still there, but he has been wild. I like his name more than a pitcher, but I'd gladly take him in the 3rd or 4th round. The problem is he'll be long gone, from to a left coast team, by then, Projection - early 2nd day pick.

Miami (31-18) C Peter O’Brien -

            Sunday vs.Wake Forest (28-21) – did not play

            Season:  .354/.465/.677, 10-HR, 38-RBI, 127-AB, 21-K, 23-BB

This will be an interesting pick by somebody. It seems like O’Brien has been around since the sixties. He came back in 2012 after transferring to Miami and going through all sorts of legal hoops. Now, he sits on the bench, day-to-day with a hairline fracture in his left wrist since April 15 against Virginia Tech when he was hit by a pitch. I still have him as the 2^nd best catcher in the draft but I’m a vast minority here. A safe projection would be late in the first round or a possible early sup-one pick

Florida (38-14) C Mike Zunino –

            Sunday vs. Mississippi State (31-20) – 1-2, 1-R, 2-BB, 1-RBI

            Season:  .321/.381/.637, 13-HR, 46-RBI, 193-AB, 35-K, 20-BB

Okay, he’s not hittimg 8.000 like he was the first month of the season. Hell, he’s not even the top hitter on his team (Daniel Pigott), but a .63 slugging percentage with only 35 strikeouts. You’re kidding me, right? And, he has only three errors from behind the plate. I would love to see the monthly split on Mike, but I can’t find them. There’s no doubt that he will be one of the first five picks in the draft, and frankly, being a plus defensive catcher that can hit, he could go one. His tail-off in the last month of the season has concerned some scouts and the playoffs will give him the chance to quiet his critics. Projection: I couldn’t possibly pass on a catcher with this much talent. The first pick.

Vanderbilt (25-25) RP Will Clinard –

            Sunday vs. LSU (39-13) – 2.2-IP, 0-H, 0-R, 0-K, 0-BB

            Season:  6-2, 4.40, 23-G, 47.0-IP, 41-K, 21-BB

The red-shirt junior decided to come back this season and, though the team didn’t live up to expectation, he surely did. The 6-4 righty sits in the low-90s with a + breaking ball. Projected to being a successful middle reliever in the pros. Just needs a team around him (and Justin Verlander and Mario Rivera on both sides of him…). Projection: It’s extremely hard to project where a relief pitcher is picked. Most teams shy away from them on the first day of the draft. I believe Clinard will go on day two of the draft, probably late in the day.

Draft 2012 – Brett Mooneyham, Michael Wacha, Courtney Hawkins, Tyler Naquin

We continue the countdown today at number 30 with Stanford redshirt junior LHP Brett Mooneyham. The Atwater, California, native earned four varsity letters at Buhach High School while helping his team to four straight league titles.  He was named first team All-League in his senior season of 2008, leading the team to a Division I Championship on both the mound and at the plate. He went 9-2 with a 0.97 ERA including 103 strikeouts in 58 innings and holding opponents to a .116 batting average. At the plate, he hit .379 with 5 HR and 35 RBI.  Mooneyham’s father was a 4-time first round pick, finally signing with the Angels as the 10th pick in the 1980 June Draft.  He played 9 professional seasons, seeing time in the major leagues with the Oakland A’s in 1986. The 6’5″ left hander had an outstanding freshman year in 2009 as he was named a Freshman All-American by both Louisville Slugger and Collegiate Baseball, going 6-3 with a 4.14 ERA and over 67.1 innings pitched, striking out 72 and holding opposing batters to a .204 BAA.  Though Stanford failed to make the postseason in 2009, Mooneyham was tied for 2nd in the Pac-10 in fewest hits allowed with 46 while getting 5 out of his 6 wins in Pac-10 play. http://ht.ly/1gpTxP   

Michael Wacha / RHP / Texas A&M – After Gausman, the drop is pretty significant, but Wacha is a quality arm to watch for in 2012. He generates plenty of spin with his curveball, and the fastball sits in the 92-94 range with movement. He’ll have to develop a third pitch — he has a show-me change that didn’t do much for me when I saw it in the super Regional last year. The command is average, but he throws strikes and doesn’t nibble. More of a No.3 type arm, but you could do worse, and he should be an innings eater. http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2011/12/top-twelve-college-pitchers/

Courtney Hawkins — 6’-3”, OF, Carroll HS (TX) - Hawkins is a five-tool prospect with tremendous power to all fields. He hit .410 with 15 home runs and 22 stolen bases as a junior. His plus arm (clocked at 92 mph from the outfield), mixed with his 6.6/60 speed, project him as a future right fielder in the majors. Still raw with his plate discipline, but that can be said about most high school players. Committed to Texas and could be a tough sign. http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/top-50-draft-prospects-for-2012-50-thru-26/15621/

Tyler Naquin brings a lot of qualities to the table, but some of it doesn't add up, making some wonder if he's a bit of a "tweener." Coming from a top-notch program, Naquin has a great approach to the game and plays it the right way. He has a smooth swing from the left side and can spray line drives all over the field. He will occasionally show some leverage and loft, but hasn't really shown much power to date. He's a solid-average runner with excellent baserunning instincts which allow him to take the extra base and steal some bases. He might have the best outfield arm in the Draft class, a true plus. He shows pretty good range from the outfield. Here's where it gets confusing. Naquin has the arm for right field, but not the power bat typically associated with the position. He has some skills for center field, but hasn't played there much and might not have the range. Still, his ability to hit, run well, throw and play the game with plus baseball IQ should have plenty of suitors. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/prospects/watch/y2012/