3-24 from: pnrscouting - Stock Watch: Ten on the Rise (2010 Draft Class) - Gary Brown, OF, California St. Univ. - Fullerton (#103 on PnR Preseason Top 300): Brown has plus-plus speed and a plus to plus-plus defensive tool, covering wide swaths of grass out in center and utilizing excellent reads off the bat. There is little to no power at the plate, but his wheels allow him take an extra base or two when he's able to drive the ball to a gap or down the line. The first month of the 2010 season has been thirty days of nearly everything clicking for the Fullerton center fielder, with an eye-popping slash line of .457/.479/.707 and over one of every three hits going for multiple bases. Despite his speed, he really doesn't profile as a lead-off guy, given his non-existent plate patience. His contact rate is high enough, however, that he could get consideration for the two spot as a pro, provided he doesn't see the switch to wood limiting his bat speed to the point his strikeouts become a problem. Even with the excellent start to 2010, he isn't going to bump too much higher than he was ranked here preseason, but, like Grovatt, he could go as high as the 2nd round to a team that places high value on statistical performance and defense.
3-24 from: pnrscouting. - Stock Watch: Ten on the Rise (2010 Draft Class) - Austin Wates, OF/1B, Virginia Tech (#87 on PnR Preseason Top 300): I was aggressive with my ranking of Wates for the Preseason Top 300 and still may have undersold him. Through 19 games, Wates has done absolutely everything you could ask of him at the plate, producing a stat line of .444/.535/.708, 86 PA, 11 BB, 7 SO, 7 2B, 3 3B and 2 HR. Given his athleticism, footspeed and solid average arm strength, Wates is a potential pro center fielder waiting to happen, though he is seeing time at various positions this year thus far (including first base). If he can prove himself to be at least a passable defender in center, and he continues to showcase the true lead-off skillset at the plate that we've seen thus far, he could rocket all the way up to the late -1st round.
3-24 from: pnrscouting. - Stock Watch: Ten on the Rise (2010 Draft Class) - Drew Smyly, LHP, Univ. of Arkansas (#137 on PnR Preseason Top 300): With apologies to Texas A&M starter Barrett Loux, Smyly has been the most pleasant surprise of the starters listed on the PnR Preseason Top 300, and is making a strong case for early Day 1 consideration. Through 5 APP and 4 GS, Smyly has logged 26 IP and has posted a SO/9 rate of 12.46 and a SO/BB rate of 2.77. He's upper-80s to low-90s with his fastball, showing some deception, while mixing a slurvy breaking ball that flashes above-average. Projected by many to be a bullpen arm as a pro, Smyly is making it tough on teams to ignore his potential as a back-end arm with a bit of upside. There is still lots of time left in the season, and we'll see if the lefty can maintain this pace throughout. But he is doing everything you could ask of him to this point, and has undoubtedly helped out his draft stock through the first month of action.
3-24 from: http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/articles/DisplayArticle.aspx?article=2225 : - Smyly has a much more projectable and loose build than the towering Nelson, listed at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds. His arm action is just as loose and easy, and he commands a nice, three-pitch repertoire very well, highlighted by a low-90s sinking fastball. His standing as a “sleeper” had more to do with the fact that he’s a draft-eligible sophomore and didn’t seem to garner the type of attention that his potential may normally warrant. That may have changed quickly this spring, as Smyly is off to a 2-0 start with a 1.73 ERA. He recently pitched six strong innings against LSU, although he did not factor into the decision as LSU got to Arkansas’ bullpen after Smyly departed.
3-24 from: pnrscouting. - Stock Watch: Ten on the Rise (2010 Draft Class) - Nick Castellanos, SS, Archbishop McCarthy HS (Fla.) (#16 on PnR Preseason Top 300): With the general shortage of true impact college bats in this year's class, the top high school bats could see their value bump-up higher than you might usually see. This means players like Castellanos and Josh Sale (OF, Bishop Blanchet HS (Wa.)) potentially moving-up boards as college hitters fail to establish elite status. Castellanos was our top rated high school bat entering the season, and has hit well in his first thirteen games. Though there isn't much room left for him to rise, he could end-up in the top ten overall selections if he continues to show potential for a plus hit tool and plus power tool, regardless of some of the questions about whether he can stick at third base.
3-24 from: pnrscouting. - Stock Watch: Ten on the Rise (2010 Draft Class) - Gauntlett Eldemire, OF, Ohio Univ. (#207 on PnR Preseason Top 300): Viewed as an impressive athlete in high school, Eldemire saw his power begin to emerge last year, making him a favorite pick by many to be targeted for early round selection in 2010. He started out a little lower on the PnR Preseason Top 300 than we saw on a couple other preseason lists, as I wanted to see how much he could improve his contact rate without cutting his swing down to the point that his power is affected. So far this year, he continues to drive the ball with 11 of his 27 hits going for extra bases (7 2B, 1 3B and 3 HR), and is posting a cool slash line of .429/.514/.714. He is still striking out way too much (more than 25% of his plate appearances) but the power/speed combo could be among the best in the class. More importantly, as mentioned above, there just aren't that many potentially special bats in the class, and it would not be a surprise to see a stick like Eldemire's, at an up-the-middle position, climbing into mid-Day 1 consideration, and perhaps even higher.
No comments:
Post a Comment