Draft 13 – Matt Oberste, Thomas Taylor, Jonah Wesely, Chris Okey

Matt Oberste, 1B, Oklahoma - Over his last six games, the 6’-2”, 210-pound right-hander has gone 13-for-23 (.565) with four doubles, a triple, two home runs and a .615 OBP/1.087 SLG. He is now hitting .421 over 41 games with 16 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs and a .484 OBP/.761 SLG. He most likely will play first base at the next level, putting extra emphasis on his bat.  link

Aaron Fitt  ‏@aaronfitt

Here's a sleeper for you: KU Baseball coach Ritch Price says Sr. RHP Thomas Taylor has been 90-94, down in zone, improved slider.

Jonah Wesely – Facebook:

Tomorrow is the last time I will Ever be pitching in a Tracy High baseball home game!! Everyone come out and watch us play Lincoln. Gunna be a great game

Chris Okey, Eustis HS (FL) - A very good defensive catcher with a strong arm and excellent footwork behind the plate, Okey is a polished player who is a two-time gold medal winner for U18 Team USA. There is a chance he may not be available when the Cubs pick at 41 in the 2013 MLB draft, but if he is, he should be high on their list. At 6’-1” and 190 pounds, he makes consistent contact from the right side and has a very good approach at the plate. Over 29 games this season, he is hitting .417 with six doubles, four home runs, 29 RBI and has drawn 17 walks to eight strikeouts for a .528 OBP/.679 SLG. He is also an excellent athlete with good speed, having gone a perfect 16-for-16 in stolen base attempts this season. Committed to Clemson. link

2013 Draft-Notes - Austin Meadows, Jonathan Denney, Clint Frazier, Chris Okey, Sean Manaea

 Austin Meadows OF Grayson HS Georgia- 5 tool talent who plays in a baseball rich environment. 6’3 athletic OF who swings LH. Great baseball body who projects as a mid order bat with speed. pinetar

 

Jonathan Denney  C/IF  Yukon (Okla.) HS  Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 205. B/T: R/R.  Denney is a physical young catcher with outstanding defensive skills. He receives well and has a quick and efficient release on his throws. At the plate, he has serious raw power in a righthanded stroke with lift that should lead to solid power. 

Loganville High School senior Clint Frazier knows how much respect he will draw from the opposition when the 2013 prep baseball season rolls around. Frazier, a power-hitter who helped lead the Red Devils to the Class AAAA state title last spring, is rated the No. 1 prospect in the nation by virtually every publication. walton tribune 

Eustis senior catcher Chris Okey was named Tuesday as one of 20 players on the USA Baseball 18-and-under national team. It is the second year in a row he has made the 18-and-under national team after playing one year on the 16-and-under national team.

 

The list of past Outstanding Pro Prospect award winners for the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League, the top college summer wood bat league, is distinguished.  Robin Ventura, Mark Teixeira, Chuck Knoblauch, and Matt Wieters lead the way for the hitters, while Billy Wagner, Aaron Crow, Kip Wells, and Andrew Miller headline the pitchers (full list here, as well as analysis from the very amusing Carson Cistulli).  Out of the 19 hitters and 19 pitchers given the OPP, 27–14 hitters and 13 pitchers–reached the major leagues, a high percentage indeed.  This year, the winner of the Cape Cod League OPP was a rangy left-hander named Sean Manaea. SOS

Lucas Giolito will undergo Tommy John surgery next week

Prep Baseball Report‏ - Mitchell Machi (2014) very impressive sitting at 84-85 topping out at 86 mph.

2013 Draft-Notes - Kyle Finnegan, Jordan Luplow, Chris Okey, Austin O’Neal, Prospects

 

Player:  Kyle Finnegan   Position:  RHP   School:  Texas State   Date of Birth  Height/Weight:  6’1/165  Bats/Throws:  R/R  2013 Class:  Junior  Previously Drafted:  Scouting Report: click here… http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/2012/08/07/2013-mlb-draft-profile-kyle-finnegan 

OF Jordan Luplow, Fresno State -- Luplow had just an OK offensive campaign for the Bulldogs this past season, as he batted just above .270. This summer, he took quite a step forward at the ABL, hitting .286 with seven doubles, six homers and 26 RBIs. He also had a 30:20 SO:BB ratio.http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=7516

C, Chris Okey (Dixie), 6' 180, R/R, fearless competitor, showed one of better overall mechanics as a catcher thus far in tourney, accurate throws with arm strength to 2b, bat goes to the ball, has some pop in the bat and definitely the game face you want, would love to see him again, have seen him now for 3 years, Eustis HS, Mt Dora, FL. 2013 http://xmlbscout.angelfire.com/

1B Austin O'Neal, Texas State -- O'Neal spent last season in the junior college ranks, but should help the Bobcats from the get go in the spring. O'Neal had a fabulous summer, hitting .349 with six triples, four homers and 19 RBIs for the Orange County Pioneers. He also had a .523 slugging percentage. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=7522

Todd Gold‏ -  6' 4" 2013 LHP Matt Krook (Hillsbrough, CA) makes emphatic statement finishing 1st IP w 82 mph hammer for K. Touched 91…  2013 RHP John Pomeroy (Mossyrock, WA) 92 w command, good downhill leverage… 2013 OF Jason Martin leads game with laser back up middle, then steals 2nd. Impressive all week…

Josh Orenstein - Fullerton commit Phil Bickford cruising. 3 pitches. Fastball is 90-92 w good extension. Change 82 mph and 1600 rpm

Kendall Rogers‏ - Miami RHP Touki Toussaint loose whippy arm action, up to 92

David Rawnsley‏ -  PG All American 2B Gosuke Kahoh hit 11 HR's for Rancho Bernardo this spring

Aaron Fitt - This game has turned into one of those Jordan vs. Bird H-O-R-S-E contests between Alex Jackson and Nick Longhi—my 2 finalists for ACG MVP

U Albany officially joining CAA

2013 Draft/D1 Notes – Chris Okey, CWS, Stephen Gonsalves, Jonathan Crawford

Todd Gold‏ -

LHP Robert Kaminsky (Englewood Cliffs, NJ) with a breakout performance @ PGNational Showcase. Touched 94 with good command, 79 mph hammer

Chris Okey

Chris Okey (2013, Eustis HS, Mt. Dora, FL) is no stranger to Perfect Game events. His first event was the 2010 18u PG WWBA Memorial Day Classic and his twelfth is the 2012 Perfect Game National Showcase currently being held at the Metrodome. He came into the showcase ranked 21st nationally and showed why on his first day. Okey looked good during Thursday’s workouts. He recorded a pop time of 1.85 and threw 84 mph from behind the plate. He added pop times of 1.90 and 1.94 during Thursday’s game action. As good as his defensive skills are, Okey also stands out at the plate. After putting on an impressive show in batting practice, he laced a single up the middle on a 92 mph fastball in his first at bat in game action.

RHP Tregg Scherer, 2012 from Charlestown HS, has committed to Cleveland State Community College in Cleveland, TN.

Olentangy Liberty LHP Kris Popham commits to Wright State

2013 Draft Eligible Players in the CWS:

Kent State – Arkansas

KS – RF  T.J.Sutton – 2012:  .305, 3-HR, 30-RBI – grounded out in the 5^th…

KS – 2B  Derek Toadvine – 2012: .255, 15-RBI, 8-SB – Ohio born… considered by coaches to be the best athlete on the team… will move to SS next season… good looking kid… protected the plate well in the 3^rd… 9-pitch line-drive out could come back and help the team when Baxendale’s pitch count goes up… lined out to second in the 6^th…

AR – 1B  Dominic Ficociello – 2012:  .301, 6-HR, 40-RBI, 33-BB – switch hitter… good line-drive spray hitter… 41-K’s in the season… came into game only hitting .222 in playoffs… walked in the 1^st… grounded out in the 3^rd… flied out to center in the sixth.. groundout in the 8^th continues his playoff slump.

AR – C  Jake Wise – 2012:  .248, 1-HR, 22-RBI, 38-K – tough to run against…big homer in the second… walked and scored the Razorback’s third run… grounded out in the sixth… Wise drove in two more in the 8th… not a bad game for someone who starts because of his defense.

AR – RP – Brandon Moore – control pitcher… + sinker… 5-2, 2.71 for the season… got team out a jam in the 7^th…

Overall:  Wise stood out and Toadvine looked interesting.

South Carolina – Florida

The only player eligible for the 2013 draft was Florida  DH Erik Payne. We decided to pass on tracking this game.       

Stephen Gonsalves

Last summer was "Show Time" for San Marcos, Calif., top prospect Stephen Gonsalves. This summer promises to offer more of the same, and Gonsalves got it started by attending one of amateur baseball's biggest shows this week. Gonsalves is your prototypical "rangy" left-hander and outfielder who will be a senior at Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego in the fall. The 6-foot-5, 190-pounder with a fastball that typically sits in the 90-92 mph range, is at the Perfect Game National Showcase being held inside the Metrodome, and is hoping to make an impression on the more than 300 scouts who have been in attendance the first two days.

Jonathan Crawford

Jonathan Crawford could get his slider working and lay waste to the Wolfpack, but he also has a better chance of blowing up and allowing four or five runs than Johnson, a tested veteran, and probably about the same chance of doing that as the inconsistent Whitson. It's strange to say that about a guy who's yet to allow a hit as a starter in the NCAA Tournament, but Crawford's been erratic at times; Johnson is very much not erratic, and Whitson proved himself as a starter in last year's postseason. Crawford's no-hitter is obviously a phenomenal accomplishment, but it's also one game, a small sample size that has very little predictive value.