Draft 14 – Chris Ellis, Joseph Gatto, Trea Turner, Isan Diaz

1-14-14 – PG - It doesn’t come as a surprise when certain players are dubbed “sleepers” or as “flying under the radar”, as many of them come from less than traditional baseball hot-beds or have a more undervalued skill-set. Then, there are players like Ole Miss righthander, Chris Ellis that shouldn’t surprise anyone, but appears poised to do just that nonetheless. There’s nothing sneaky about Ellis’ raw stuff, his delivery, or where he goes to school. And, he performed at a top notch level in the nation’s elite collegiate summer league on Cape Cod in 2013. But, nevertheless, Ellis has not yet received his full credit for being the potential first round selection that his ability clearly dictates that he may be. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=9288

1-3-14 – TTF Baseball - 54. Arizona Diamondbacks — Joseph Gatto, RHP, St. Augustine Prep (NJ) - The 6’-5”, 210 pound right-hander turned heads by gaining nearly 10 mph on his fastball over the last year and now can sling it 95 mph with explosive, late life. He showed great command of his secondary stuff at the Perfect Game Nationals, and he still has a ton of projection due to his size and arm action. Scouts reportedly were raving about his efficiency and feel for his stuff. He hit 93 mph at the PG Classic. Committed to North Carolina. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-2/40753#ppGUqI6CbWFvzsPf.99

12-9-13 – Pine Tar Press  -  7- SS Trea Turner NC State 6/30/93- Plus speed guy who will join his Wolfpack teammate as a top 10 pick.  He has all of the intangibles of a great offensive weapon including plate awareness, and a solid line drive swing.  He should be able to stick at SS but should also be viewed as a potential CF. (Mariners @ 6) http://pinetarpress.com/early-look-2014-mlb-draft/

11-21-13 – BA Top 100 High School Players - 55 Isan Diaz 2B/SS L/R 5-10 184 Springfield (Mass.) Central HS Vanderbilt http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/2014-high-school-top-100-with-commitments/

Draft 14 – Derek Fisher, Tyler Kolek, Joseph Gatto, Touki Toussaint, Sean Newcomb

8-14-13 – Through The Fence – Top 50 Prospects – 24. Derek Fisher, OF, Virginia - A great athlete, the 6’-3”, 210-pound left-hander greatly improved his approach this season cutting down his strikeouts from 61 to 38 over roughly the same number of plate appearances while upping his walks from 22 to 28. Over 53 games, he hit .306 with 12 doubles, seven home runs, stole eight bases and had a .420 OBP/.505 SLG. His size suggests more power will come and, if it does, he will be one of the better all-around college bats available in the 2014 MLB draft. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-top-50-prospects/36463#mwWwsFxSUZy7YC5V.99

8-31-13 – Area Code Games - Tyler Kolek (RHP) 6’5″ 245; 2014 Big bodied and country strong w/XXL features. Jonathon Gray (COL) body comp. Power arm w/good rhythm to delivery; repeats. Lands closed and arm works across body at times but does not effect strikes. Boring FB gets on hitters in a hurry. In the starting role, its a fringy 7FB who can gear up to 8FB when needed. Shows the makings of a true, power 7SL. CB has late, softer wrinkle that adds different look to breaking ball. Still learning feel for CB spin. Heavy CH will play to contact. Big upside power pitcher w/4-pitch mix.    http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/2013/08/31/area-code-notes/

8-15-13 - Under Armour All-Star Game – Joseph Gatto, RHP: A chance to be a complete pitcher with a good arm that right now generates low 90s fastball while occasionally reaching the mid 90s.  He has  advanced feel and command for his age while also having enough room on his 6'5", 210 lbs frame to add some muscle and perhaps the velo increase that sometimes goes with it.  The height also gives him the advantage of being able to throw with some downward plane. 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.

9-10-13 – Top Arms in 2013 Cape Cod League - Sean Newcomb 6-5/240, Wareham Gatemen 22.1 IP, 28 K, 4.43 ERA: FB 88-94 CB 69 SL 76-79 CH 81-83 -  Spent most of the summer recovering from illness, and this led to some inconsistency (high ERA). Newcomb is a big lefty that uses little effort to throw in the mid-90s, with a lot of late dive. Most importantly, he improved every time I saw him pitch. http://bullpenbanter.com/2013-all-cape-team-pitchers/

Draft 14 – Justus Sheffield, Joseph Gatto, Jesse McCord, Tyler Kolek, Erick Fedde

8-16-13 - 11th All-American Classic - Justus Sheffield (LHP, Tullahoma HS (Tullahoma, TN)): Four-pitch lefty who continues to impress—showed all four pitches despite facing two batters; fastball worked in the low 90s; low-80s slider; low-70s curve; low-80s change; all pitches in line with his previous summer showings; advanced feel and pitchability; works the quadrants and already shows understanding of sequencing; repeatable motion and solid arm action; high-level follow, Day 1 candidate; Vandy commit. —Nick J. Faleris http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=21537

 

8-14-13 – Through The Fence – Top 50 Prospects – 46. Joseph Gatto, RHP, St. Augustine Prep (NJ) - The 6’-5”, 210-pound right-hander turned heads by gaining nearly 10 mph on his fastball over the last year and now can sling it 95 mph with explosive, late life. He showed great command of his secondary stuff at the Perfect Game Nationals, and he still has a ton of projection due to his size and arm action. Scouts reportedly were raving about his efficiency and feel for his stuff. He hit 93 mph at the PG Classic. Committed to North Carolina. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-top-50-prospects/36463#mwWwsFxSUZy7YC5V.99

 

2013 East Coast Pro Showcase Top 50 Prospects   37. Jesse McCord – RHP, Spanish Fort (AL) HS - RHP sitting 90-91, touched 92 a couple times. http://www.ninebaseball.org/Wordpress/sullys-top-50-ecp-prospects/

 

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. Righthander Tyler Kolek, the top pitcher in the 2014 prep class, said Friday night he will pitch in the game Saturday. Kolek originally was expected to pitch for the USA Baseball 18U national team but decided to come to the Under Armour Game after not being selected for Team USA. There was talk Kolek would attend but not pitch, but the Shepherd (Texas) High righty said he expected to appear. http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/under-armour-all-star-game-notebook/

 

7-17-13 –  Erick Fedde, RHP, UNLV - The biggest surprise in the two games was Fedde .  He flew in from the Cape Cod League, where he'd been pitching well, and put on a uniform so new that they didn't even have time to sew his name on it yet.  Fedde is long, lean and projectable at 6'4", 175 lbs -- but he showed plenty of present stuff, including a 93 mph fastball and a tight slider that looks like it has plus potential.  He commanded both pitches well.  He got a few hitters to chase on the slider, pitching 3 no-hit, no-walk innings and striking out 5. http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2013/07/looking-ahead-to-the-2014-and-2015-mlb-draft-notes-from-the-collegiate-national-team-games/