Draft 14 – Michael Gettys, Benton Moss, Luis Ortiz, Kodi Medeiros, Trea Turner

10-9-13 – Early Pick for Cubs - Michael Gettys, OF, Gainesville HS (GA) - Theo Epstein and Co. have always made it clear that they will take the best available player in the 2014 MLB draft over need. Gettys, a 6’-2”, 200 pound right-hander, may be the best available player when the Cubs are on the clock. A plus runner with a plus arm, he has been timed at 6.43 in the 60 and his arm has been clocked at 100 mph from the outfield. I got a chance to see him at Wrigley for the Under Armour All American Game and, after seeing him deposit a home run to dead center field, the power is real, too. With excellent bat speed, he should be a high-average hitter, giving him all five tools. He has a strong, linebacker-type  build — similar to that of Mike Trout — and has added 50 pounds to his frame over the last two years without losing any of his explosiveness. I had the opportunity to interview Gettys and you can read it here. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-early-targets-chicago-cubs-fourth-overall-pick/38723

 

10-11-13 - Aaron Fitt ‏@aaronfitt  - I'm at @DiamondHeels fall world series. RHP Benton Moss looks strong - 90-93, locating well to arm side, nasty tight slider/cutter at 84-85.

 

9-29-13 – XMLBScout – 7.)RHP, Luis Ortiz, Hallmark Charter School, Sanger CA, 6'2 210, live arm, show quickness, all pitches from upper 3/4 slot, slider has proper spin, not the break and deception to be plus pitch, a work in progress still, fb has very good velo, pitch life however is fair, very straight - easy to read, also threw some straight changes with some deception, strong build, has some comps to Giovanni Gallardo, fb velo ranged from 90-94, most fb were 91-92, slider 80-82, change middle 70's, good looking arm for 2014, top 50 for sure. Fresno State commit. http://xmlbscout.angelfire.com/

 

9-11-13 - Sully’s 2014 Top 100 MLB HS Draft Prospects - 7.Kodi Medeiros – LHP, Waiakea (HI) HS http://www.ninebaseball.org/Wordpress/sullys-2014-top-100-mlb-hs-draft-prospects/

 

9-30-13 – TTF Mock 2.0 - 2. Miami Marlins — Trea Turner, SS, North Carolina State There are a lot of players who could go second-overall but I like Turner, a 6’-1” right-hander with plus/plus speed, an excellent approach at the plate and a kid who will remain at a premium position due to his silly range, strong arm and instincts on the field. Over 56 games as a sophomore, he hit .368/.455/.553 with 30 stolen bases and drew 38 walks to just 30 strikeouts. He also hit seven home runs, showing developing power. As a freshman, he led the nation in stolen bases with 57 and was only thrown out four times. An alumni of Team USA Baseball, he is a franchise-type player and should be a huge fan favorite. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-mock-draft-2-0-draft-order-set/38280#5E3F5j1jWOgE69bJ.99

Q and A with Mack and... RHP Benton Moss - North Carolina

Mack  -  We're talking today to one of the members of the nation's regular season number one team, North Carolina (59-12) RHP Benton Moss. Hey Benton, first of all, congratulations on a wonderful 2013 season.

Benton - Thanks! It was a great run, and it was a complete team effort from start to finish.

Mack – Okay, as in most things in life, so much for the past. I was told early in life, ‘don’t look back and don’t look too far forward’. Are you playing any summer ball we all need to know about so all the scouts who read us know where you’ll be?

Benton - Actually my coaches and I decided to shut it down for the summer.

Mack – Good for you. It’s probably the first summer you have had ‘off’ since you learned to walk J. Are you going to work on anything new on your own or are you just going to chill and work on your tan?

Benton - Yep! Going to work hard on my lower half and core! The tan comes secondary.

Mack – Let’s go back again when someone first put a baseball in your hand. Who were the people that were there for you along the way and helped you get to where you are now?

Benton - There have been many coaches and supporters along the way, with a couple sticking in my mind, but my parents were always there to support my efforts both on the great days and on the less than great days!

Mack – I’ll let you go… anything you want to say to the readers out there?

Benton - Whether you play ball or not, do what you do, to the best of your ability, at all times, because we're never guaranteed tomorrow and it only gets as good as today.

Draft 14 – Jose Trevino, Kel Johnson, Benton Moss, Braxton Davidson, Mississippi State

6-18-13  -  Player:  Jose Trevino  Position:  C/IF  School:  Oral Roberts  Date of Birth:  11/28/1992  Height/Weight:  5’11/195  Bats/Throws:  R/R  2014 Class:  College Junior  Scouting Report: from Don Olsen on 6/18/2013 - Jose has a compact athletic build with a thick lower half, good muscular development and gives off a bit of Raul Mondesi body comparison.  He starts off with ear hole high hands, not much of a trigger to get the bat head going.  There is a lot of raw power in the bat, gets a good amount of leverage and backspin in BP, translates better into games from last year.  The bat speed is present and the path is line drive with a touch of loft, ideal.  He can turn on speed and shows the ability to stay back and hammer a break.  He has more pull power, but showed the ability to drive it into the opposite gap.  Jose has the quick twitch first step and charge to stay at 3B with an above average to plus arm. LINK

6-13-13  -  12. San Diego Padres — Kel Johnson, OF, Home School (GA) - A 6’-4”, 210 pound right-hander who has been a fixture on Perfect Game tournaments, Johnson is home schooled by his parents and plays for the East Cobb Braves — one of the premiere youth baseball operations in the country. Power would be his best tool right now as he generates a ton of it with his string wrists and bat speed. A player who you come to watch hit batting practice. Committed to Georgia Tech. LINK

6-23-13  -  Player:  Benton Moss  Position:  RHP  School:  North Carolina  Date of Birth:  2/21/1993  Height/Weight:  6’2/174  Bats/Throws:  R/R  2014 Class:  College Junior Scouting Report: from Don Olsen on 6/18/2013 - Benton has sloped shoulders and narrow frame, a little light in the pants with decent muscular development who looks more of Tim Hudson mold type pitcher.  Decent three piece delivery that routinely does not get his weight over and leaves an upright release. 88-91 (92) mph fastball that wavers in command, due in part to the release point being in that high of a slot for his frame.  Curve has 11/6 path that shows the depth flashes out into a solid offering 75-77 mph.  He will work in a split change that shows some depth to it as well, can be deceptive at times with the action to show as an above average offering.  He looks more of the innings eater to BOR type righty at this stage. LINK

6-13-13  -  14. Philadelphia Phillies — Braxton Davidson, OF, T C Roberson HS (NC) - The 6’-3”, 215 pound left-hander will be one of the best prep bats in the 2014 MLB draft due to his bat speed, advanced approach at the plate and raw power. He shows good pitch recognition and his strong wrists allow him to wait on any pitch. Over 31 games as a junior, he hit .403 with seven doubles, eight home runs, and drew 30 walks for a .600 OBP/.831 SLG. His strong arm would play well in a corner outfield spot. LINK

6-27-13  -  MISSISSIPPI STATE - There's no greater motivator in college baseball than falling just short of winning the national title, so look for that to fuel the Bulldogs, who welcome back several key cogs next season. Though the Bulldogs have the extremely tough chore of replacing outfielder Hunter Renfroe and shortstop Adam Frazier, both high draft picks, with Renfroe the first-round pick of the Padres, they still welcome back a solid nucleus led by imposing first baseman Wes Rea and Alex Detz, who each had productive 2013 campaigns. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs once again will have a terrific pitching staff, though, as we saw against UCLA, the Bulldogs must develop the weekend rotation better next season. Left-handed pitcher Jacob Lindgren should develop into the dominant arm we all think he can be, while the Bulldogs can't wait for right-handed pitcher Brandon Woodruff to return from a tough injury. The Bulldogs welcome plenty more quality arms, including Ross Mitchell, closer Jonathan Holder, Ben Bracewell, Trevor Fitts, Will Cox and others. The Bulldogs also welcome in a very solid recruiting class with pitchers Dakota Hudson, Austin Sexton, Zach Houston, Avery Geyer and Glenn Irby leading the way, while shortstop Reid Humphreys, ranked No. 247 out of high school, is a potential instant impact position player. With the personnel he has coming back and coming in, there's a reason coach John Cohen all but guaranteed the Bulldogs would be back in the College World Series. LINK

Draft 14 – Michael Conforto, Benton Moss, Evan Dougherty, Aaron Nola

Michael Conforto, OF, Oregon State - After hitting .349 with 14 doubles, 13 home runs, 76 RBI and a slash line of .438/.601/1.039 as a freshman last year, the 6’-1”, 200-pound left-hander was showered with awards and had high expectations coming into this year. After nine games, he was hitting .273 with two doubles, no home runs and four RBI. On Saturday, he went 3-for-7 in a double-header with his first two home runs of the season and five RBI. On Sunday, he went 3-for-5 with two more home runs and seven RBI. The bat has woken up, and I expect a full on assault coming for one of the best overall hitters in the 2014 MLB draft. LINK

5-31-13 - John Manuel‏ @johnmanuelba - Very rough start for Benton Moss; he's allowed 7 baserunners, 5 hits & 2 BB, but only one run. Canisius has left bases loaded twice so far

5-31-13 - Evan Dougherty, a highly regarded prospect in the class of 2014 who just completed his junior year at academic and baseball powerhouse Bishop Verot High School here in Fort Myers, spent Saturday on the fields of the former Boston Red Sox Player Development 5-Plex performing at this year's PG National Academic Showcase; he was at this event a year ago. He is exactly the kind of player this showcase attracts -- he carries a 3.9 GPA at Bishop Verot and scored a 1880 on his SAT, a score that is higher than 87 percent of all the test-takers nationwide. LINK

6-1-13 - College Baseball 360‏ @CB360updates - LSU's Aaron Nola (7IP-5UER-6H-3BB-6K) pitcher of record when 4R t8 vs. Sam Houston (8-5)...SHSU's Caleb Smith no-dec. (2.2-4R/3ER-6H-4BB)