Draft 2012: Brian Johnson, Lance McCullers, Austin Dean, Mac Williamson

3. Brian Johnson, LHP/1B, Florida - Johnson is a guy that I think may have a shot at Danny Hultzen fever (a guy that catches fire and ends up  in the top-5 discussion). He’s a guy that has a few things going for him on the mound and again he may just really lighting up the compitition on his way to a June payday. But he’s always been a tweener, never really one way or another, in therms of pitcher or position player and he’s not been real consistent. He’s not got the bat to stick long term at first base. He’s just got too many question marks to sit  inside the top-10 for me. Again this is purely my opinion, based on statistics, seen on both TV/youtube and what I’ve read online.  http://sodomojo.com/2012/02/13/more-mlb-draft-talk-and-a-quick-little-top-5/

8. Lance McCullers, RHP, Jesuit HS, Tampa, FL - McCullers utilizes a classic, old fashioned "drop and drive" delivery, his right knee scraping the dirt as he follows through, a la Tom Seaver. His father, also named Lance, was a major league pitcher for seven seasons and the younger McCullers also possesses big time stuff: A heavy mid- to high-90's fastball coupled with a biting low-80's breaking ball. In his pitching motion, McCullers severely cocks his arm behind his back prior to releasing the pitch, raising concerns of a future shoulder injury. As a professional, McCullers could be a fine starter but he profiles best as an elite closer. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/highschool/02/13/baseball.top.10.prospects/index.html#ixzz1mJYi8Rky

 7. Austin Dean, 3B, Klein Collins (Spring, Texas)  I liked Dean more than most at the Area Code Games. He showed no glaring weaknesses despite the lack of a standout tool, but the power potential is apparent and he stings the ball consistently in batting practice. He's adept at going the other way and reminds some of a young Casey Blake. If he shows he can stick at third, he's a Day 2 pick. Dean is committed to the University of Texas. http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/baseball/post/_/id/1108/joey-gallo-is-nation%e2%80%99s-top-corner-infielder  

Wake Forest JR OF Mac Williamson - Not exactly a banner year for ACC outfielders, but Thomas, Ramsey, and Williamson all do enough well to warrant early round draft consideration in 2012. Thomas, the most heralded outfielder in the conference by a long shot, comes by his high praise honestly. I’ve been told his tools have been consistently overrated by the national media (it is admittedly a minority view, but he’s been described to me as a “tweener” outfielder, i.e. not enough power for a corner, not enough speed for center), so I look forward to seeing him for myself this spring. Even as a tweener, he’s still worth mentioning as a great athlete who put up pretty darn impressive numbers last year as a sophomore. Ramsey’s best tool is easily his bat, though I’m not sure there is enough to it if he’s locked into left field always and forever. This is sort of the Devon Travis dilemma all over again: interesting prospect at one position only who is risky because of the unlikelihood of being able to transition to a utility role. Rumors of improved range (better jumps and increased mobility, most notably) and his forthcoming trial in center field for the Seminoles give some hope that he shows enough this spring to get pro teams believing he can at least hold down the fort at center and right. Williamson is another player who I’ve spent a disproportionate (compared to his prospect stock) amount of time writing about over the years. His tools, most notably the arm and power, continue to shine, and his improved approach in 2011, though not yet quite where you’d like to see in terms of BB/K numbers, is encouraging. Rumors of him being tried behind the plate at Wake Forest seem to be officially dead and buried, but I wonder if a pro team might see things differently.

Draft 2012 – Jake Barrett, Austin Dean, Bo Cuthbertson, Chris Constantino, Kyle Hanson

32. Jake Barrett — 6’-3”, RHP, Arizona State  Barrett is a very hard-throwing righty and one of the most major-league ready prospects in the draft. At 6’-3” and 220 lbs, he throws a heavy fastball that sits in the mid-90s with late life. He also has a power curve that projects to plus, and his change-up is above average. Went 7-4 with a 4.14 ERA and 72 K/21 BB as a sophomore for Arizona State in 2011. Has great command, and mixed with his aggressiveness, he could be an excellent closer at the next level. http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/top-50-draft-prospects-for-2012-50-thru-26/15621/

http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/baseball/post/_/id/1009/mitchell-traver-highlights-2012-texas-class   5. Austin Dean, 3B, Klein Collins (Spring, Texas) Dean is developing physically, showing corner strength despite measuring out at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds. Has above-average power, but his best attribute is his hit tool, which grades above-average. He also has good feet and a strong, accurate arm. Dean could sneak into the sandwich round with a big year, and if the power continues to develop he could be some club's starting third baseman in the mold of a David Freese. Deane does have the option to play at the University of Texas, however, so a pro contract is no sure thing.

We continue the countdown today at number 15 with Southern Utah senior Bo Cuthbertson. The Glendale, Arizona native attended Cactus High School where he was a four year letter winner. As a senior, he recorded a .418 average with one home run, two doubles, four triples and 16 stolen bases. He finished his career with a .380 average, one home run, 30 doubles and 30 stolen bases He was also a two-time first-team all-region and honorable mention all-state honoree and a three-time participant at the Arizona state high school all-star game.  In 2010, he started in 52 games while hitting .344 including a .384 mark in Summit League games. He led the team with 77 hits, 50 runs scored and six triples while hitting four home runs and drove in 29 RBI.  He was named first team All-Summit League for his performance. http://ht.ly/1gIoqY

Chris turned in a great summer season while playing for the Silversmiths. He led the league with a great .417 batting average, and he was tied for second in the league with 63 hits. He was also fourth in the league with 37 runs scored. He played pretty good defense and he was just about the fastest player in the league. Perhaps his most amazing stat is that he stole an incredible 63 bases this summer. This was 30 more stolen bases than the second place finisher.  He hit 9 doubles, 2 triples and smacked 3 home runs as well this summer. He had a .563 slugging % and for you SABR fans, he had an RC of 40.74 this season. At the conclusion of the season, he was named to the All NYCBL First-Team Li  http://www.collegesummerbaseball.net/2012/01/2011-top-performer-chris-costantino.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

We continue the countdown today at number 14 with St. John’s junior RHP He is listed as a 6’7 195 pound junior righthanded pitcher out of Glen Cove New York and attended St. Dominic for high school. He was a two year letterwinner for the Bayhawks where he was named All-State and All-League in both seasons. The Milwaukee Brewers selected him in the 40th round (1,216 overall) in the 2009 MLB Draft but were not able to come to terms with him. Kyle decided to continue his college career with the St. John’s Red Storm. He had a good freshman which saw him make 18 appearances (15 starts) while going 8-3 with a 3.71 ERA in a total of 94.2 innings. He ended up striking out 85 batters but did struggle with his control as he walked 33 batters. He was able to hold opponents to a .227 batting average against. He was named a Second Team Freshman All-American by the NCBWA after the solid campaign  http://ht.ly/1gKliw

Draft 2012: - Michael Wacha, Nick Whittgren, Josh Elander, Austin Dean

12-2-11: - http://mlbdraftcountdown.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/2012-mlb-mock-draft-updated-top-15-with-final-mlb-standings - 2) Minnesota Twins: Michael Wacha, RHP, Texas A&M  The 2012 draft will mark the first time that the Twins will be picking inside the top 10 since 2001. That was the year that they famously passed over Mark Prior in favor of hometown kid Joe Mauer. I’d say that deal worked out OK for them, although it looks like their most recent deal for him might not. With all the injury concerns surrounding Mauer and without Wilson Ramos, who they dealt to Washington back when Mauer was still healthy, the Twins could really use a catcher, but right now, there isn’t one worthy of a No. 2 overall pick. Taking that into consideration, as well as the Twins lack of depth in starting pitching (see Kyle Gibson), my guess is they’d be happy scooping up Michael Wacha, arguably the No. 2 overall college pitcher. Taking Arizona State shortstop Deven Marrero would have been a no-brainer had they not pulled the trigger on Levi Michael this past draft, a player they feel comfortable can handle shortstop.

12--8-11: - http://ht.ly/1g3OEJ We continue the countdown today at number 47 with Purdue junior RHP Nick Wittgren. The Lafayette, Indiana native attended McCutcheon High School where he won three letters in baseball while picking up three in basketball and four in tennis. As a senior, he hit .395 at the plate while striking out 55 on the mound as he was named the team MVP and leading them to a sectional title.  He spent his freshman season at Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois where he pitched a total 60.2 innings pitched while going 10-0 with one save and 54 strikeouts. Nick transferred to Purdue for his sophomore season where he made 28 relief appearances and one start going 2-3 including 12 saves with an ERA of 3.18 in 51 innings of work. He showed excellent control striking out 55 batters while walking ten and holding opponents to a batting average of .244. He was named Second Team All-Big Ten while also being on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List.

12-10-11: - http://ht.ly/1g6dEj  - We continue the countdown today at number 45 with TCU junior catcher/outfielder Josh Elander. The Round Rock, Texas native attended Round Rock High School where he was a four year letter winner. As a senior, he picked up several awards including being named District 16-5A Most Valuable Player as a senior, first-team all-state, first-team all-Central Texas and an Under Armour All-American as a junior and senior. In the 2009 MLB Draft, the Washington Nationals selected him in the 39th round but he didn’t sign going to TCU to continue his education. His freshman season saw him appear in 59 games (51 starts) with 33 starts coming in right field, 17 as the designated hitter and one as the catcher. He finished the season with a .356 batting average with two homers and 33 RBI.

12-9-11: - http://mlbdraftguide.com/1  - Austin Dean is a solid, athletic player with good tools across the board.  He plays at Klein Collins with CJ Hinojosa. Dean is a line drive hitter with good bat speed.  He has a patient approach at the plate and shows good raw power.  His recorded 60 time is 6.74. Dean is a plus defender at first base.  He has also played 3rd base and 2nd base.  While Dean is profiled at first, he has enough arm and athleticism for third base. As a prospect, Dean brings above average tools and skills to the table.  He also impresses with how hard he plays the game.