6/10/11

2012 Draft: - Nolan Fontana, Robert Refsnyder, Kurt Heyer, Brian Johnson, Lance McCullers


Nolan Fontana:


6-10-11: - http://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=20869  Florida sophomore Nolan Fontana (Winter Garden, Fla.) was named as a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award on Friday by the College Baseball Hall of Fame. The list features 10 of the nation’s finest Division I shortstops. Fontana has started 63 games this season for the top-ranked Gators (48-16), is hitting .309 and boasts team highs in walks (45), sacrifice flies (eight) and triples (five). He has scored 52 runs, totaled 44 RBI, poked 12 doubles and stolen six bases in 10 attempts. Fontana was a second-team All-SEC recipient and a member of the league’s All-Defensive Team for the second-straight year.


Robert Refsnyder


Arizona sophomore OF Robert Refsnyder‘s batting average has not dipped below .318 since the opening week of the year; he has hovered in the .340+ range for most of that time; his weekly stat-line of 6-for-15 (.400) with 1 2B, 2 3B’s, 2 HR’s, and 8 RBI’s has been fairly typical for Refsnyder each week (minus the multiple dingers); this past week he showed emerging power that he has only flashed sporadically throughout the season; if the power continues to develop more consistently, Refsnyder will have to be talked about as a potential top 10 pick in the 2012 MLB Draft… http://www.prospectnation.com/blog/?p=695 


Kurt Heyer:


6-8-11: - http://thegoldensombrero.com/wordpress/archives/4056?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter  - With Whitney graduating from U of A a couple of weeks ago, I thought I should write up the ace of that staff, sophomore Kurt Heyer. Heyer had a truly remarkable season as the Friday-nighter for Arizona posting a 2.41 ERA in 130.2 IP with 128 K’s and only 25 BB. His numbers were stellar, and Heyer will be one of the top arms in the PAC-10 in 2012 as well. Heyer has terrific sink on his fastball, which allowed him to keep the ball in the yard quite well despite the thin Tucson air. He only allowed 5 homers and 25 XBH’s in his 19 2011 starts. Heyer’s fastball works in the low to mid-90’s with good arm-side run and sink. His slider has decent tilt and projects as a 60 pitch in the pro’s. His changeup is behind, but it still has a chance at a solid-average grading come next June. Heyer’s command and ability to keep the ball on the ground are terrific. His body projects well at 6’2” and 198 lbs. With an arm slot in the low to mid-3/4 range and a strong lower half, there are no obvious red flags in his delivery.



Brian Johnson:


6-10-11: - http://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=20870  - Sophomore Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) was named as one of the 10 semifinalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award announced by The College Baseball Hall of Fame on Friday. The winner of the Olerud Award will be announced in Lubbock, Texas, on July 3 as part of the College Baseball Hall of Fame’s Night of Champions. A first-team All-SEC selection, Johnson has compiled an 8-3 record with a 3.66 earned run average in 15 starts on the mound spanning 78.2 innings. The left-hander is second on the Orange and Blue with 70 strikeouts and has limited opponents to a .248 batting average. Johnson is hitting .312 with 27 RBI, 26 runs and 17 extra-base hits (10 doubles, five homers and two triples).



Lance McCullers:


6-10-11: - http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110608&content_id=20222396&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&partnerId=rss_mlb  Lance McCullers, RHP, Tampa Jesuit HS, Fla.: McCullers has an electric arm. The son of the former big leaguer of the same name, he has the chance to be much better than his dad, with a fastball that can touch the upper 90s and signs of a plus slider.

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