Chris Taylor is
a shortstop with a strong arm and he can be moved around the field to play
either third as well as in the outfield. He has a very solid arm for a
shortstop, but can use another year in college to help develop the batting
portion of his game. He had 41 strike outs and 77 hits in 256 at bats for last
season. His OBP for 2011 was .378 and he is also fast enough to get a stolen
base. He had 10 in the 2011 season. Draft Projection: Taylor can go in the top
three rounds of this draft and be a good young impact player for a team needing
a shortstop or a third baseman with a strong arm. He's not a well know player,
so he can most likely go past three rounds ending up as a valuable steal in the
draft. http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/3165
Lucas Sims — 6’-2”, RHP,
Brookwood HS (GA) - Sims has one of the liveliest arms in the draft. His
fastball can touch 98 mph, and his 12-6 hammer curve can be filthy at times.
His change-up is still developing and his control needs to be more consistent
but his potential will land him in the first round. Went 4-1 with a 2.38 ERA
with 52 strikeouts over 32 innings as a junior in 2011. Has a bulldog mentality
on the mound, attacking hitters without fear. Could be a dynamite closer down
the road. http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/top-50-draft-prospects-for-2012-25-thru-1/15694/
Victor Roache /
Georgia Southern / OF: Roache’s game is about power and bat speed. He has rare amounts of those two qualities and that
allows him to launch some majestic home runs. He is still a fairly raw prospect
for a college junior but that has both positives and negatives. Roache wasn’t
heavily recruited out of high school and he hasn’t gotten much exposure to high
quality instruction. So he has perhaps more upside and growth left in his game
than you’d expect for someone this age. Roache actually improved (particularly
some polish in his swing mechanics) from the time I saw him earlier in the
summer to when I attended games later in the season. My biggest concern with
Roache is where his body ends up. He’s already a thick 6-1 at 225 lbs with a
large lower half. While he’s fairly athletic for that size now, he’s already in
an outfield corner and will have to stay on top of his body. http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2012/01/scouting-the-cape/#more-720
We continue the countdown today at number 10 with
junior RHP Kurt Heyer from Arizona. He is 6’2
and 196 pounds from Huntington Beach California and attended Edison High School
where he played under Steve Lambright. As a senior, he had an 11-3 record with
a 0.84 ERA with 116 strikeouts in 100 innings bringing the team to the CIF
Championship game against Capistrano Valley. He picked up several awards
including being named All-CIF First Team, 2009 EA Sports Second Team
All-American and a league Pitcher of the Year. He decided to attend college at
Arizona where he made an immediate impact on the Wildcats program becoming the
team’s Friday night starter. He made 17 appearances (16 starts) as he had a 7-4
record with a team low 3.26 ERA in 102.0 innings. He ended up striking out 109
batters while walking only 29. Batters also struggled against him as they only
hit .255. He was named to the Pac-10 All-League team while being named an
All-American from Baseball America. He was also named a Freshman All-American
by Collegiate Baseball. http://ht.ly/1gPrUJ
9-21-11: - http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=6253 – Ryan McNeil is a solid guy, a physical innings eater 3rd starter type with good present stuff and command. I just got an update on him this morning saying that he's been 90-94 early this fall pitching for scout teams and is smoothing out his mechanics (he tends to fly open early). I don't think he's a first round guy but he doesn't fall much after that.
9-8-11: - http://www.gacksports.com/65590/2012-mlb-mock-draft-update - 16. Toronto Blue Jays Gavin Cecchini Short Stop Barbe High School Louisiana People are saying Cecchini is a top ten pick. My top baseball source who gives me helpful advice that I apply to future MLB Mock drafts has Cecchini listed as a 2nd to 3rd round pick.
9-19-11: - http://xmlbscout.angelfire.com - LHP, John Kilichowski, Jesuit HS, Tampa FL, 6'5 180, smooth lefty from stretch, 3/4 slot, some lower 3/4 slot with good 7/1 cb action and fb that touches 90 on occ, most are 87-88 with late life when middle out vs RHH. Show good command for his size and must keep his body back some to allow arm to catch up with front side during delivery. A work in progress, reminds me of Chris Sale some, but not quite that arm speed Sale possesses. 2013 hopeful!!
9-26-11: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2011/9/24/2446224/sullys-2012-mlb-draft-top-70-prospects#comments - I liked what I've seen of (Chris) Taylor. Saw him for UVA against BC in the spring and then again on the Cape. I’m not all that confident in the bat, but he has a nice broad skillset… no real major flaws in his game and a nice body for a (big) middle infielder (or possibly 3B). Could still add more strength and I think he’ll hit for more pop than he is now, too. I thought “major leaguer” when I saw him, but probably not an impact guy. A lot could change with how he does this spring but I think 2nd to 3rd round makes sense.
Michael Hoard:
6-30-11: - http://www.prospectwire.com/pw/article.php?id=268 - Michael Hoard, 1B, 2013, Tucson, AZ - 520 Elite (West Team) - The 6'0/180 pound Hoard looks bigger and plays bigger than his listed size. Hoard is a classic RBI producer and middle of the order bat. Hoard went 6 for 10 at the 2011 PW West Coast Finals, 4 of those 6 hits were extra base hits. Hoard hit 2 bombs and 2 doubles in just 10 at bats, as the sweet swinging lefty should draw heavy D1 interest of colleges looking for a true power guy.
R.C. Orlan:
6-20-11: - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/740905-omaha-eye-openers-2012-mlb-draft-prospects-at-the-2011-college-world-series#/articles/740905-omaha-eye-openers-2012-mlb-draft-prospects-at-the-2011-college-world-series/page/8 - LHP R.C. Orlan served as the Tar Heels lefty specialist this year, appearing in 30 games but logging only 14.1 innings. He struck out 19 batters but also issued 10 walks, plunked two batters and threw two wild pitches. As a lefty specialist, he likely won’t get many looks, but if the Heels expand his role, he could do better than his 44th-round selection back in ’09.
Brady Rodgers:
7-9-11: - http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=6002 - Brady Rodgers, RHP, Arizona State - The theme of teammates continues to grace the Collegiate National Team's roster, with 22 players coming from only 13 different schools. Rodgers of course plays with Deven Marrero at Arizona State, and was part of a talented recruiting class that included current Sun Devils Jake Barrett, Andrew Aplin and Alex Blackford. Rodgers is known more for his command than his raw stuff, and took the mound in the first game as mentioned above. He threw strikes and worked the bottom half of the zone with a 88-91 fastball, a sharp 12-to-6 curveball and a changeup that sat around 80 mph.
James Michael Crownover:
KendallRogersPG - by PerfectGameUSA - #Clemson commit James Matthew Crownover is 87-90 FB with a 75 CH and a 73 CB for the East Cobb Braves so far today. #Tigers #ACC
Chris Taylor:
6-20-11: - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/740905-omaha-eye-openers-2012-mlb-draft-prospects-at-the-2011-college-world-series#/articles/740905-omaha-eye-openers-2012-mlb-draft-prospects-at-the-2011-college-world-series/page INF Chris Taylor hasn't gotten the opportunity to play too much, but he showed his clutch nature in the Cavs' super-regional finale against UC-Irvine. He was also a Virginia State Player of the Year during his senior year of high school.
College World Series:
If any of you did not watch the Virginia-South Carolina game last night, find it on cable. It may be the most exciting college baseball game since the turn of the century.
Chad Morgan:
6-23-11: - http://baseballdraftreport.com/ - Virginia Tech SO C Chad Morgan
.237/.333/.360 – 16 BB/34 K – 139 AB - Morgan was a favorite heading into 2011 because of his big power upside, plus arm strength, and well above-average defensive skills. His sophomore year numbers don’t exactly scream early round candidate heading into 2012, but the big tools remain.
Joey Gallo:
6-21-11: - http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/high-school/2011/06/fulmer-shows-big-arm-at-tos-day-one - - Joey Gallo of Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas, seems to be coming around with the bat and showed off his strength by using an inside-out swing to hit a ball to the warning track. He also made a couple of nice plays at third base ranging to his left and starting a double play.
Chris Taylor:
6-20-11: - http://baseballdraftreport.com/ - Virginia SO SS Chris Taylor
.320/.397/.426 – 25 BB/39 K – 10/14 SB – 256 - As an unheralded – though still heralded enough to land at UVA — high school recruit, Chris Taylor has had to work his way up the depth chart over time. He now finds himself firmly entrenched as the Cavaliers starting shortstop and leadoff hitter. His athleticism, defensive versatility, and plus arm are what really set him apart from the field at this point in his development.
Adam Brett Walker:
6-24-11: - http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110624/SPORTS/110629919/-1/rss43 - When Adam Brett Walker stands up to the plate, extending his 6-foot-5, 225-pound frame to full size in his Hyannis Harbor Hawks uniform, you can just imagine the pitcher taking an extra breath and the third baseman unconsciously taking a step back before the pitch. The ardent followers among them know the right-handed swinging Walker was a Golden Spikes Award and a Dick Howser Award semifinalist, has been named to numerous second team All-American squads and was the Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year. Early as it may be, there is speculation he could move into the first round of next year's draft. All this after the Jacksonville University sophomore from Milwaukee hit .411 with 23 doubles, 13 homers, 75 RBIs, 99 hits, 165 total bases and a .685 slugging percentage this spring. The hits, RBIs and total bases are school records
Mark Appel:
mlb.com Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford: Some believe that Appel, a power pitcher who's been at the front of Stanford's rotation for two years, could be the No. 1 overall pick.
Jake Barrett:
6-12-11: - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/722354-2012-mlb-mock-draft-early-predictions-for-next-years-top-10-picks#/articles/722354-2012-mlb-mock-draft-early-predictions-for-next-years-top-10-picks/page/5 - Another guy who was a relatively high draft pick back in 2009, Jake Barrett should have no problem achieving higher than his third-round status from three years ago (when Toronto scooped him up, but failed to get a deal in place due to the right-hander's strong commitment to ASU). Barrett will undoubtedly be one of the top arms to watch for in the 2012 season, but unfortunately the season will likely be a wash for the Sun Devils, who face the possibility of being suspended from postseason play for some off-the-field transgressions committed by the previous coaching staff. That might make it hard for Barrett to channel all of his ability, but if he can string together some nice starts, he could be right in line for a top five selection. Toronto was so high on him back in 2009 because he had a big-league body (6'3", 225 lbs), a good fastball (90-94 mph) and two pitches (curveball and splitter) with above-average potential. He showed great poise stepping into a very talented bullpen during his freshman year, pitching to a 3.41 ERA in 28 outings and striking out 43 batters in 29.1 innings. This year, Barrett made the jump to the rotation and found instant success. His first start of the season saw him toss six-innings of shutout ball, giving up only three hits while striking out six. He finished the season with a 7-4 record, a 4.14 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 76 innings. He tossed one complete-game shutout against Cal late in the season. The Royals have made a habit of taking some pretty high-ceiling high schoolers over the past few seasons, but they have made an effort to take some pretty seasoned college players too—ones they know will be able to contribute as early as 2013, when the crux of their farm system will be big-league ready. Barrett is going to be one of the most big-league ready of any of the college pitchers in the 2012 class, making him a perfect fit.
Andrew Mitchell:
6-8-11: - http://gofrogs.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/060811aac.html - TCU freshman Andrew Mitchell was selected to the 22-man USA Baseball Collegiate National Team roster Wednesday. He will become the third Horned Frog in school history to earn a spot on the Collegiate team. Jake Arrieta (2006) and Kyle Winkler (2010) have also been members of the national team. Mitchell was recently tabbed a Freshman All-American by Louisville Slugger after completing an impressive freshman campaign. He finished the year with a 6-1 record in 22 appearances on the mound. He posted a 2.84 ERA in 76 innings pitch and struck out 73. The right-hander limited opponents to a .197 batting average against.
Chris Taylor:
6-13-11: - http://www.virginiasports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=88827&SPID=10613&DB_OEM_ID=17800&ATCLID=205159611 In the decisive game of the Charlottesville Super Regional, No. 1 national seed Virginia scored two runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to rally for a 3-2 win over UC Irvine Monday at Davenport Field. Sophomore Chris Taylor's two-RBI single completed the rally as the Cavaliers advance to the College World Series for the second time in the past three seasons. Taylor was one of four Cavaliers with two hits on the day, along with John Hicks, Kenny Swab and David Coleman.
Michael Moran:
6-14-11: - http://baseballdraftreport.com/ - SO RHP Michael Morin (2012)
10.05 K/9 – 2.40 BB/9 – 2.86 FIP – 60 IP - The good news is Morin’s changeup is a true plus pitch. The bad news is…well…there isn’t much bad news. Backed up by his solid fastball (88-92 with room for more), good sinking two-seamer, average curve, above-average athleticism, pro frame (6-4, 180 pounds), and outstanding college production, Morin is one of the best college arms of the 2012 class.
