Draft Notes 5-30-12 – Victor Roache, Kevin Plawecki, Tim Cooney, Tucker Frawley

Victor Roache – http://natsgm.com/2012/05/28/2012mlbdraftpreviewthehitters/

Victor Roache OF Georgia Southern -> Roache entered the season with the reputation as one of the top power hitters in college baseball after hitting 30 home runs last year as a sophomore, then went to the Cape Cod league last summer and was quite impressive outside of a late season slump.  Unfortunately Roache broke his left wrist early this season, leaving teams to question how this injury will affect him going forward.  Roache is an interesting name amongst the scouting community, as his supporters see him as a power slugging corner outfielder (he reminds me of former Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Greg Vaughn), while his detractors fear his swing-and-miss tendencies and profile as a right-handed hitting left fielder.  The team that drafts him will believe in his power translating to professional baseball and will have scouted him heavily last year.

 Kevin Plawecki

Aside from Mike Zunino, there isn’t much to get excited about when looking at the crop of college catchers. The second tier (Zunino is the sole member of the first) is comprised of a group that is spearheaded by Purdue backstop Kevin Plawecki, arguably the top performer this season after the Gators highly regarded catcher. Whereas Plawecki doesn’t have any one trait that paints him as a future superstar, few have doubts that he has the polish to go along with the offensive ability and defensive chops to be an everyday catcher in the big-leagues. For starters, he guided the Boilermakers to their first-ever Big Ten Championship, and along with it, their first No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Plawecki was the team’s top offensive playmaker, hitting .365/.454/.567, racking up a team-leading 20 doubles and six homers along the way.

  Tim Cooney

                        Player: Tim Cooney - College: Wake Forest University Position: Starting Pitcher  Bats/Throws: L/L  Height/Weight: 6'3" / 195 lbs  Class: Junior  Draft Year: 2012 

Good height; thin, athletic frame; thin legs; some moderate projection in frame

Delivery doesn't have great smoothness; a bit slot with a high leg kick and some leg whip in his finish

Live arm from a 3/4 arm slot; clean arm action, releasing the ball with good extension

Fastball has some late arm side run; 86-90, touching 91 throughout the outing (via TV gun)

Fastball looks bigger than radar is indicating; good late life and can be blown past hitters up in zone

Cut fastball with nice glove side action; 85-89 (via TV gun)

Cutter has good depth and late life that can miss bats

1-7 big, steep breaking ball with a ton of depth; good sharpness; 69-74 (via TV gun)

Curve ball has heavy spin and even the slow variety have fairly sharp break

Change with hard fading and diving action; 76-79 (via TV gun)

Throws the change with conviction and got good consistent action on pitch throughout the game

2-8 slider with some late tilt; 79-83 (via TV gun)

Slider does not have a ton of depth but the break is decently late with some sharpness

Slider works well as a back door offering and works effectively as a chase pitch to LH batters

Shows good control of his stuff and commands them at times

Command was a problem in the third inning, leaving pitches in poor locations and having inefficient at bats

Works quickly and does a good job of attacking hitters

Mixes pitches well and generally keeps the hitter off-balance

Good deception on his pick-off move

Tucker Frawley

Tucker Frawley, C, Coastal Carolina, Senior Frawley is an excellent defensive catcher.  He moves well behind the plate.  He has a strong, accurate arm and a quick release.  Frawley does not project well offensively, but has shown a more patient approach as a senior and put up better numbers than he has previously.

Draft Notes – Zach Eflin, Victor Roache, Alain Girman, Barrett Barnes

Velocity is the name of the game for high school seniors. We’ll worry later about hitting the barn. Chuluota, Florida RHP Zach Eflin. started the season hitting 89 but he’s now sitting in the 91-93 range, and hitting 95. PG now has him ranked as the 19^th overall pick in the June draft. Be the first on the block to mock him. 

The cast has been removed from OF Victor Roache’s arm.”FINALLY got this cast off man”, he twitted... #ThankGod. I really had hoped that he would be available when the Mets pick #12, and now it looks like he will. Injuries create uncertainty and I, like most pundits are looking to other outfielders to draft. We may all be making a mistake here. A broken arm shouldn’t affect Roache’s tremendous bat speed. 

Through 4-18, OF Courtney Hawkins - .321, 4-HR, 5-2B, 2-3B, 56-AB. 

Walker Weickel sat 91-94 touched 95 over 4 innings. Struck out 8 walked none no runs allowed Olympia stays undefeated with 11-1 win 

Did you ever pitch in high school? Think you had a great record there. How about Serra Catholic (PA) H.S. ace Alain Girman going out and throwing a no-hitter on his career 29^th start for the team? Oh yeah… his career record now stands at 29-0.

PG’s Kendall Rodgers advises that Texas Tech OF Barrett Barnes’ stock is really soaring right now in terms of the draft.

Draft Wednesday Game Notes

·         We talked to 1B Jared King yesterday after his #27 Virginia (7-4-1) produced 17 hits in their 14-6 victory at James Madison Tuesday. Well, we ran into CF/RF Brandon Downes (2-5, 1-R, 4-RBI) had his own spin on the game:

“The team came out with a fire today. We came out ready to hit. The dugout was full of life and we were ready to go. We were finally playing UVA baseball. It was my first start in center field. After my first at bat I saw the ball very well. When I came up with King on third I was just trying to see something up in the zone and I got my pitch and cut it in half. After that, I came up with the bases loaded and I just waited for the right pitch and cut it in half for a 2-rbi single. Lastly, i came up with Bruno on second with one out. I was sticking with my same approach of getting a good pitch to hit and got it and hit a ball to left center scoring Bruno. Our team came ready to play today like they always do and it will continue to happen for the rest of the year.”

For the season, King is: .457/.527/.761.  Downes: .450/.500/.750.  Any questions?

·         The recent developments of both OF Victor Roach and P Lucas Giolito have really thrown the mock draft people into a dizzy. Both were locks to be in the top 10 picks overall and neither will now. Roach’s wrist looks to be more of an annoyance and I expect his game not to be affected, but Gio’s is much more. You don’t want to screw with anything in your pitching arm that uses the word “ulner”.

It really doesn’t matter to me who drafts him when. I can’t see any road for him to take now than to go to college, heal, and spend three years getting back to where he was two days ago. Jeez, life is weird.

Off the top of my head, the top 11 picks would now be:

1.     RHP Kevin Gausman

2.    C Mike Zunino

3.    OF Byron Buxton

4.    RHP Mark Appel

5.    SS Deven Merrero

6.    LHP Max Fried

7.    SS Carlos Correa

8.    OF David Dahl

9.    C Stryler Trahan

10.  RHP Walker Weickel

11.  RHP Kyle Zimmer

This would leave the Mets a number of ways to go… Roache, Lance McCullers, Brian Johnson, Hunter Virant, Albert Amora. Peter O’Brien, Matt Reynolds.

·         Speaking of… 3^rd team All-American Indiana 2B Micah Johnson, out for season with elbow surgery.

·         100 mph+ phenom, Oklahoma’s Damien Magnifico, had another bad outing on Wednesday. He faced one batter, gave up a hit, and was pulled for Jordan John to close it out. Magnifico’s seasonal ERA stands at 7.50

·         10 College Bats To Follow:

These are the guys that are lit up during the early part of the season:

Jayce Boyd -  Florida – junior – 1B - 38 AB, 18 H, 5 2B, 1 HR, 8 BB, 4 K, 2 SB, .474/.542/.684

Joey DiMichele -   Arizona State – junior – 2B - 38 AB, 21 H, 6 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 8 BB, 2 K, 2 SB, .553/.617/.974

Tyler Naquin - Texas A&M – junior – OF -  44 AB, 22 H, 4 2B, 1 3B, 9 BB, 5 K, 7 SB, 1 CS, .500/.569/.636

Peter O’Brien -   Miami – senior – C - 39 AB, 17 H, 4 2B, 4 HR, 4 BB, 8 K, .436/.500/.846

James Ramsey -  Florida State – senior – OF -  29 AB, 16 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 16 BB, 4 K, 1 SB, 1 CS, .552/.729/1.103

Matt Reynolds -  Arkansas – junior – 3B -  44 AB, 18 H, 5 2B, 2 HR, 11 BB, 3 K, 4 SB, .409/.526/.659

Richie Shaffer – Clemson – junior – 3B/1B - 31 AB, 14 H, 4 2B, 4 HR, 10 BB, 5 K, .452/.585/.968

Cody Stubbs – Tennessee – sophomore – 1B -  40 AB, 18 H, 10 2B, 1 HR, 5 BB, 6 K, 1 SB, .450/.532/.775

Matt Wessinger – St. John’s – senior – SS/2B - 33 AB, 15 H, 5 2B, 1 HR, 5 BB, 4 K, 11 SB, .455/.526/.697

Mike Zunino – Florida – junior – C - 40 AB, 17 H, 5 2B, 3 HR, 6 BB, 6 K, 2 SB, .425/.489/.775

.

Draft 2012: Rhett Wiseman, Austin Fairchild, Victor Roache, Joey Gallo, Trey Williams

 A power/speed combination in centerfield, Rhett Wiseman is often compared to Johnny Damon. Wiseman has a short quick swing and squares up on the ball well.  A pull hitter with some loft, he has plus bat speed and good power potential.  Wiseman runs a 6.51 60 and is dangerous on the basepaths. Wiseman shows good actions in centerfield and has been improving defensively.  His speed allows him to cover plenty of ground and while he lacks a cannon, his arm is accurate and playable in center.  Wiseman plays all out on every play, both in the field and on the bases.  He is the type of player that fans and coaches will love. http://mlbdraftguide.com/

Austin Fairchild, St. Thomas (Houston)  Fairchild isn't built like the prototypical starting pitcher at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, but he reaches the low-90s with his fastball and also offers a curveball and changeup. He has good arm speed, too, but there is a lot of effort in his delivery, which could mean he's headed for the bullpen down the line. Fairchild is a TCU commit, and among the most likely of their better signees to actually get to campus next fall. http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/baseball/post/_/id/1086/max-fried-leads-class-of-2012-left-handers

OF Victor Roache School: Georgia Southern  Cl.: Junior, Ht.: 6-1, Wt.: 225 Hometown.: Ypsilanti, Mich.  High school: Lincoln  While many hitters struggled with the BBCOR bats last season, Roache did the opposite. The hard-hitting outfielder turned into an elite prospect with a mammoth campaign. He also raised eyebrows at the Cape Cod League. In 2011, he batted .326 with 30 home runs and 84 RBIs. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=6498  

Joey Gallo, Bishop Gorman  . Considered the top all-around player among high school players, Gallo can pitch and hit. While Gallo's fastball reaches around 94 mph, he will likely end up a position player due to his hitting skills. He has 25 home runs as a junior and reportedly has power to all fields. Has a strong arm but he can play just about any of the infield positions, including the left side and first base. He could possibly go around pick No. 20. http://www.maxpreps.com/news/-8V2A0MeEeGkPgAmVebEWg/maxpreps-top-10-mlb-draft-prospects.htm  

Trey Williams, 3B, Valencia, CA - Williams is the son of journeyman major leaguer Eddie Williams and has all the tools to make it to the majors and hopefully surpass his fathers' accomplishments. At 6'2", 205 and extremely athletic, he could be a very good 3B due to soft hands and smooth movements. He's handled shortstop at the high school level but will be a 3B at the next level.  On the offensive side, Trey can rake. The smooth swinging righty should have an above average bat with above average power as well. He's not a burner but he has solid average speed. He could be a .280 type hitter with 25 home runs annually. He's physically mature and has good baseball instincts. Williams could be a future middle of the order hitter with a good glove as well. He is likely a top 15 pick in this year's draft but could slide if he makes it past that. He is committed to Pepperdine and that usually is a pretty solid commitment. http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/2/6/2773435/2012-baseball-draft-high-school-prospects-1-5   

Draft 2012: Victor Roache, Michael Roth, Max Foody, Joey Gallo

Victor Roache, OF, Georgia Southern - Defensively, Roache is an adequate corner outfielder. He doesn't have a rocket for an arm but it is strong enough to be useful and he is accurate. He covers enough ground and is a good enough athlete to be a solid outfielder. I don't see a positional change needed here although he is a big guy at 6'1", 225 lbs. I have heard he is a plus runner but I would rate him closer average. http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/2/9/2785340/2012-baseball-draft-college-prospects-1-5

SP Michael Roth School: South Carolina   Cl.: Senior, Ht.: 6-1, Wt.: 210 Hometown.: Greer, S.C.  High school: Riverside  Two seasons ago, the talented left-handed pitcher was just a reliever for the Gamecocks. Now he’s one of the nation’s elite starters. Roth had a magical junior campaign for the Gamecocks and returned for another season. In 2011, he had a 1.06 ERA in 145 innings, limiting teams to a .208 average. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=6498  

Max Foody, IMG Baseball Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)  - Foody, a Florida State commit, is big and strong at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, but he remains athletic and showed toughness in coming back from shoulder problems prior to last season. He employs a fastball, curveball and changeup, and has hit the low 90s in 2011. He could pitch his way into the first round with a strong spring. http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/baseball/post/_/id/1086/max-fried-leads-class-of-2012-left-handers

Joey Gallo is a physically strong, 6-foot-5, 205-pound, CI/RHP from Bishop Gorman HS (NV).  One of the elite bats in the 2012 draft class, Gallo possesses power to all fields with exceptional pull-side power.  However, it’s not just the left-handed hitter’s bat that intrigues scouts – Gallo also has potential on the mound. With a low-90s arm across the diamond, scouts will continue to debate whether Gallo is more projectable as a position player or pitcher.  Given his 6-foot-5 frame, he has impressive athleticism and exhibits natural defensive actions at third base.  However, he isn’t an elite defender and will probably never grade higher than a 55 at the hot corner. Gallo’s best tool is without a doubt his power, which has the potential to be a 65 or 70 by the time he arrives in the Major Leagues. Last season at Bishop Gorman, he batted .471 with 25 home runs and 76 RBI while posting a 24/17 BB/K rate.  In 2010, Gallo swatted 15 bombs while posting a .474 batting average. http://thegoldensombrero.com/wordpress/archives/5929

Draft 2012 - Matt Price, Nick Travieso, Victor Roache, Walker Weickel, Cohl Walla

RP Matt Price School: South Carolina  Cl.: Junior, Ht.: 6-2, Wt.: 215  Hometown.: Sumter, S.C.  High school: Sumter  The Gamecocks are slated to start Price to begin the 2012 campaign, but the hard-throwing right-hander could evolve back to the bullpen should things not work out with a new closer. Price has a fastball in the mid 90s and was great last season, collecting 20 saves with a 1.83 ERA in 59 innings. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=6498

 9. Nick Travieso, Archbishop McCarthy (Lakewood Ranches, Fla.)  Built like a prototypical MLB starting pitcher, Travieso has touched 95 mph with his fastball and impressed over the summer with a strong assortment of pitches. There is some effort in his delivery, but the Miami commit shows a good feel for pitching and a willingness to throw his changeup. http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/baseball/post/_/id/1051/top-10-class-of-2012-right-handed-pitchers

14. Victor Roache — 6’-1”, OF/1B, Georgia Southern  Roache led the nation in home runs last year with 30. One of the best power hitters in the draft, he can hit the ball out to all fields with his superb bat speed. Not going to steal many bases, but the bat is what scouts and GM’s will fall in love with. Has a strong enough arm and footwork to hold down a corner outfield position. His approach at the plate is getting better and more refined every year, so he should be a good average hitter to go along with all of the home runs he is going to hit. Hit .316 with six home runs and 28 RBIs over 42 games at the Cape Cod League, leading the league with a 1.004 OPS as well. He struck out 44 times, but also had 30 walks, showing improvement at the plate. http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/top-50-draft-prospects-for-2012-25-thru-1/15694/

3. Walker Weickel, Olympia (Orlando, Fla.)  Weickel, like Giolito, is a projectable arm at 6-foot-6. He creates good plane on the fastball, which sits in the low-90s, and has a curveball with good depth. He's committed to Miami but figures to warrant a first-round look. http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/baseball/post/_/id/1051/top-10-class-of-2012-right-handed-pitchers

  Texas junior outfielder Cohl Walla suffered a torn ACL today at practice according to CBD sources close to the situation. Walla appeared in 50 games last season while starting 37 games and hitting .229 in 144 at bats. He will likely be replaced by freshmen Collin Shaw or Taylor Stell while Orange Coast College transfer Matt Moynihan could also see action. http://www.collegebaseballdaily.com/2012/02/03/texas-of-cohl-walla-out-for-the-season/ 

Draft 2012 – Chris Taylor, Lucas Sims, Victor Roache, Kurt Heyer

Chris Taylor is a shortstop with a strong arm and he can be moved around the field to play either third as well as in the outfield. He has a very solid arm for a shortstop, but can use another year in college to help develop the batting portion of his game. He had 41 strike outs and 77 hits in 256 at bats for last season. His OBP for 2011 was .378 and he is also fast enough to get a stolen base. He had 10 in the 2011 season. Draft Projection: Taylor can go in the top three rounds of this draft and be a good young impact player for a team needing a shortstop or a third baseman with a strong arm. He's not a well know player, so he can most likely go past three rounds ending up as a valuable steal in the draft.  http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/3165

Lucas Sims — 6’-2”, RHP, Brookwood HS (GA) - Sims has one of the liveliest arms in the draft. His fastball can touch 98 mph, and his 12-6 hammer curve can be filthy at times. His change-up is still developing and his control needs to be more consistent but his potential will land him in the first round. Went 4-1 with a 2.38 ERA with 52 strikeouts over 32 innings as a junior in 2011. Has a bulldog mentality on the mound, attacking hitters without fear. Could be a dynamite closer down the road. http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/top-50-draft-prospects-for-2012-25-thru-1/15694/

Victor Roache / Georgia Southern / OF: Roache’s game is about power and bat speed. He  has rare amounts of those two qualities and that allows him to launch some majestic home runs. He is still a fairly raw prospect for a college junior but that has both positives and negatives. Roache wasn’t heavily recruited out of high school and he hasn’t gotten much exposure to high quality instruction. So he has perhaps more upside and growth left in his game than you’d expect for someone this age. Roache actually improved (particularly some polish in his swing mechanics) from the time I saw him earlier in the summer to when I attended games later in the season. My biggest concern with Roache is where his body ends up. He’s already a thick 6-1 at 225 lbs with a large lower half. While he’s fairly athletic for that size now, he’s already in an outfield corner and will have to stay on top of his body. http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2012/01/scouting-the-cape/#more-720

We continue the countdown today at number 10 with junior RHP Kurt Heyer from Arizona. He is 6’2 and 196 pounds from Huntington Beach California and attended Edison High School where he played under Steve Lambright. As a senior, he had an 11-3 record with a 0.84 ERA with 116 strikeouts in 100 innings bringing the team to the CIF Championship game against Capistrano Valley. He picked up several awards including being named All-CIF First Team, 2009 EA Sports Second Team All-American and a league Pitcher of the Year. He decided to attend college at Arizona where he made an immediate impact on the Wildcats program becoming the team’s Friday night starter. He made 17 appearances (16 starts) as he had a 7-4 record with a team low 3.26 ERA in 102.0 innings. He ended up striking out 109 batters while walking only 29. Batters also struggled against him as they only hit .255. He was named to the Pac-10 All-League team while being named an All-American from Baseball America. He was also named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball. http://ht.ly/1gPrUJ

Draft 2012: - Dusty Issacs, Lewis Brinson, Victor Roache, Mike Zunino

http://www.collegesummerbaseball.net/2011/12/top-25-pitchers-in-great-lakes-summer.html - 4.   Dusty Isaacs   RHP   Hamilton---Georgia Tech -  Dusty was tied for the league-lead with 5 wins this summer. He sported a 2.44 era in 44.1 innings pitched and  allowed just 31 hits for the Joes. He was also second in the league with 50 strikeouts.  In a rarity for both scouting services, PG and BA both ranked him as their #1 prospect in the league.

http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2011/12/top-twelve-high-school-position-players/#more-602 12. Lewis Brinson / OF / Coral Springs HS FL): I wasn’t familiar with Brinson until I saw him in Chicago, but after seeing him win the Home Run Derby (over Buxton), and talking to some scouts at the event, I saw enough to add him to this list. The Florida commit can also run, and should be an above-average outfielder as he progresses.

12-2-11: - http://mlbdraftcountdown.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/2012-mlb-mock-draft-updated-top-15-with-final-mlb-standings - 10) Colorado Rockies: Victor Roache, OF, Georgia Southern  The Rockies have long been searching for a replacement for Todd Helton at first base. For a while, they thought that one of their top prospects, Nolan Arenado, would be that guy, but his play at third base has improved so much that he might stick there long term, leaving first base open. Victor Roache played some first base during high school and his first year at Georgia Southern, and would probably do well in a return to the position. He already has the bat that the Rockies love, one capable of leading all NCAA hitters in home runs in 2011.

Mike Zunino is the complete package as a catching prospect. He possesses a nice line drive swing with power, and he has very good plate discipline as well. He had a great season as a sophomore for the Gators in 2011, posting a .371/.442/.674 line with 23 doubles, 19 homers, and 74 RBI while also swiping 7 bases in 9 tries. His speed is above-average for a catcher. Zunino does have some holes in his swings, which could lead to a considerable amount of strikeouts as a pro, but his other tools mostly offset that. He projects as around a .280/.375/.450 hitter with 30 doubles and 20 homers in in the big leagues, which would be excellent for a catcher. Defensively, Zunino is a natural, having played the catcher position since he was six years old. He is extremely smooth behind the plate and is adept at blocking balls. He also possesses a very good arm for a catcher, able to hit the mid to high-80′s off the mound, and his arm strength along with his accuracy allows him to throw out a very good percentage of attempted basestealers. He is also known for calling a good game. http://rayscoloredglasses.com/2011/12/21/taking-an-early-look-at-the-catchers-in-the-2012-mlb-draft-part-1

Draft 2012: - Erich Knab, Victor Roache, Zach Botjer, Lucas Giolito

11-15-11: - http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=6369  - Erich Knab (2012 RHP, Royals Baseball Club)- Like a lot of the players on the Royals Baseball Club's talented roster, Knab hails from a relatively small town and was a largely unknown commodity on a national level. Hailing from Conway, SC, a town of just over 16,000 people, Knab had not only never pitched in front of a large group of scouts before, he had hardly pitched in front of any. Understandably nervous in his PG debut, Knab drilled three of the first four hitters he faced, walked two more and allowed three runs in the first inning. Though not the ideal first impression, the large crowd of scouts he pitched in front of couldn't help but notice his very impressive arm speed. Knab sat 93-94 with his fastball in spite of balance and timing issues caused by rushing through his delivery. Though he is raw, Knab's flaws are fixable and the live arm he possesses is something that simply cannot be taught. Early jitters aside, Knab made a positive impression in his PG debut and is a strong follow entering the spring of his senior year.

Eagle slugger Victor Roache not only earned the Southern Conference Player of the Year award and multiple other accolades last season, he also earned a spot on the Academic All-Conference team and was placed on the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll for the 2010-2011 academic year. For the Georgia Southern junior, academics have always been equally as important as athletics. http://www.georgiasoutherneagles.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=90359&SPID=10900&ATCLID=205335493&DB_OEM_ID=18700

 Zach Botjer was one of the top relievers in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League this past summer. He was a dominant closer and really pitched well. Zach went 2-1 and sported a 0.96 in 18.2 innings pitched for the Copperheads. In hits 18 plus innings pitched, he allowed 12 hits, walked 8 batters and fanned 26 batters this summer.  He also held the opponents to a .190 batting average. He also was second in the league with 7 saves this year. For his performance this summer, Zach was named to the GLSCL First-Team List.  He was named the 26th best prospect in the league by Perfect Game. http://www.collegesummerbaseball.net/2011/11/2011-top-performer-zach-botjer.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

11-22-11: - http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/baseball/post/_/id/814/lucas-giolito-leads-loaded-cali-senior-class  - Here’s a look at the Top 10 California high school prospects in the Class of 2012. - 1. Lucas Giolito, RHP, Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.)  Giolito, a UCLA recruit, has the velocity — up to 97 mph — and projectability with his 6-foot-6, 230-pound frame to land in the top five in June’s MLB Draft. He sits in the 92 to 94 range with his fastball and also has a pair of promising secondary pitches with his changeup and two-gear breaking ball.

Draft 2012: - Taylore Cherry, Richie Shaffer, Victor Roache, Max Foody, Breland Almadova

10-28-11: - http://orioles-nation.com/2011/10/26/wwba-2012-highlights - Taylore Cherry (Dayton OH; Vandalia Butler HS) – A 6’9” giant that has the frame, but is only scratching the surface. Improved body composition may vault him to a near un-touchable type arm.  He shows a very heavy fastball mainly 90-91 mph with a 92 mph on occasion (seen him touch 94 mph this summer).  The impressive part is these fastballs all have late life to them and the movement is difficult for hitters to square up.  His change up might already grade as a 6 (60) on the 20-80 scale with some impressive sink for his size and age.

11-2-11: - http://www.collegesummerbaseball.net/2011/11/top-35-position-players-in-cape-cod.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter  - Top 35 Position Players in the Cape Cod League  18.   Richie Shaffer   1B   Chatham---Clemson   Richie (6-3/210) hit .263, smacked 6 home runs and drove in 21 this summer. He also hit 11 doubles for the Anglers. Richie was ranked as the 11th best prospect in the league by Baseball America, and Perfect Game ranked him as the 13th best prospect.

11-4-11: - http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-2012-free-agent-and-draft-pick-possibilities/13157/#  -  OF Victor Roache, 6’-1″, 225 lbs, Georgia Southern — The Cubs need of a first baseman, especially if they pass on Carlos Pena. Roache led the nation in home runs with 31 over 60 games in a year that the newly designed bats were supposed to slow down the hitters and play to the pitchers. Projects to a high-average hitter with his above-average approach at the plate. Currently plays the outfield, but his lack of athleticism will most likely force a move to first. Could be a fast riser through the minors with his abilities and help the club quicker than anyone else on this list.

11-5-11: - http://mlbdraftguide.com  -  Player:  Max Foody   Scouting Report:  Max Foody was regarded as one of the nation’s top 2012 prospects prior to suffering shoulder injuries in 2009 and 2010.  He has returned to the mound after suffering a torn labrum early in 2010. Foody throws a fastball, curveball, and a change.  His fastball currently tops out at 93.  His big curve is a potential plus pitch. If all goes according to plan for Foody in the spring, he should make a move toward the top of draft boards.

11-8-11: - http://www.collegesummerbaseball.net/2011/11/top-25-position-players-in-west-coast.html  - Top 25 Position Players In the West Coast League  2.   Breland Almadova   OF   Wenatchee—Hawaii   Breland is a talented Junior from the University of Hawaii. He is described as a true leadoff type of hitter. He hit .328 in 180 at-bats for the AppleSox. He scored 32 runs, drove in 32 and hit 2 home runs this summer. He also hit 12 doubles and 3 triples this year. Breland was fourth in the league in batting average and fourth in the league in runs batted in. He was also third in the league with 17 stolen bases. He went 1 for 3 in the All-Star Game and he was named to the First Team All-WCL Team. Baseball America ranked Breland as the 6th best prospect in the league and Perfect Game ranked him as the 10th best prospect in the league.

Draft 2012: - Carlos Correa, Victor Roache, Ryan Perez, Damien Magnifico, Nick Williams

10-28-11: - http://orioles-nation.com/2011/10/26/wwba-2012-highlights - Carlos Correa (Santa Isabel PR) – From a tools standpoint, he is a top ten talent.  He still continues to have the heavy pull load and ends in a position rather elongated through the zone.  He displays the bat speed to allow for these late action approaches, but will have to compact to stay effective.  He is sound defensively and will make all the plays, but he looks bottom heavy in the future and might have to move to third base.  He shows the traits for an impressive stick and professional instruction could make for a kid with dual type threat bat.  He made himself a jumper on my big board with his clutch hitting display this weekend.

11-2-11: - http://www.collegesummerbaseball.net/2011/11/top-35-position-players-in-cape-cod.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter   - Top 35 Position Players in the Cape Cod League 3.   Victor Roache  OF   Cotuit Kettleers--Georgia Southern   Victor was an offensive star for Cotuit this summer. He hit .316 with 6 home runs and 28 runs batted in. He was tied for 3rd in the league with 29 runs, 2nd in the league in home runs and 2nd in the league in runs batted in. He was named the Top Pro Prospect by the league. Both PG and BA ranked him as the 6th best prospect in the league.

11-5-11: - http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=6364  - On his Perfect Game player profile, RHP Ryan Perez’s primary position is listed as “BHP.” That’s BHP as in “both-handed pitcher.” It’s a position also sometimes referred to as “switch-pitcher.” Regardless of which handle is attached to Perez, there is no question he’s a bit of an anomaly. But he’s also a nationally recognized top-275 prospect (class of 2012) who hopes to one day to go places no other ambidextrous pitcher has gone before. “I’ll try to go as far with this as I can,” Perez said Oct. 21 while in attendance at the PG WWBA World Championship as a member of Coach John Sarna’s Chicago Scouts Association squad. Perez is a 6-foot, 185-pound senior at Westminster Christian High School in Hampshire, Ill., whose father, Juan Perez, made the decision to develop his son into an ambidextrous thrower as soon as the youngster was old enough to pick up a ball.

11-5-11: - http://mlbdraftguide.com/1  - •From a Kendall Rogers tweet,  Oklahoma coach Sunny Galloway stated that righthander Damien Magnifico has solid command and 3 quality pitches, but will be using mostly the fastball out of the pen.

11-4-11: - http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-2012-free-agent-and-draft-pick-possibilities/13157/#  -  OF Nick Williams, 6’-3″, Ball HS (TX) – If this kid falls into their lap, they better not hesitate. As you can see from this video, the ability is off the charts with this one. Ridiculous power, speed, canon arm and an extremely coachable kid who excels both on and off the field. The Ken Griffey Jr. comparisons are there for all the right reasons. He is the type of player who could be the face of a franchise for a long time.

2012 Draft: - Mets 2012 12th Overall Pick – An Early Projection:

The order of the first round is set and the Mets pick 12^th.

It’s far too early to make any hard predictions, but, there will be great players still on the board when the Mets get their pick. The 2012 draft isn’t as talented as this year, but there are around 20 A-players in this one, and the Mets will get a shot at one of them.

The first thing is to eliminate the players that will be gone before the Mets pick comes up.

Right now, they look to be RHPs Lucas Giolito, Mark Appel, Kevin Gausman, and Lance McCullers, catcher Mike Zunino (damn), SS Deven Marrero, and OF Nick Williams.

Your next five could be:

RHP Michael Wacha – A 6-6 right hander out of Texas A&M. Wacha has a big, low 90s,  ¾ fastball with sink. Was a reliever and still needs to develop a third plus pitch, but his change-up is filthy.

LHP Hunter Virant – There is no dominant lefty in this draft, but Virant should be the first to be picked. A prep kid, he’s already hitting 93 and there is project that he has room to grow both on his fastball and his curve. Add to that an already advanced changeup and he may soar up the draft as the season goes on.

C Stryker Trahan –  Mike Zunino is the top catcher in the draft, but the Mets may pick Trahan since he isn’t projected to be around past the first 31 picks. Another prep players, the very confident Trahan is a brute, with an excellent arm. A 5-tooler in the making.

OF Victor Roache – Roache led the nation last year in home runs as a first baseman, but has quietly been converting himself into an outfielder. He had 30 home runs in 60 games. Let’s see, the pros play 162 games… hmm. Also dominated the Cape Cod League with .328, 6-HR, 28-RBI.  And, all this was done with the new dead bat.

3B Trey Williams –  Anther high school kid, this could be the Mets future third baseman. A definite 5-tooler with enormous power potential.  One scout projects has him on the upside of a more athletic Mark Texeira when he was drafted.