Draft 2012 – Duane Underwood, Lance McCullers, Cullen Mahoney, Ty Hensley, Ronnie Freeman

 

Duane Underwood — 6’-2”, RHP, Pope HS (GA)  Duane Underwood is a hard-throwing righty whose fastball can hit 97 mph with ease. He also features a hard curve that projects to a plus pitch and a deceptive change-up that is still developing. His command can get away from him at times, but his strong arm, athleticism and high baseball IQ will have many teams flocking to Georgia to see his talents. http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/top-50-draft-prospects-for-2012-50-thru-26/15621/

Lance McCullers Jr., RHP, Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.)  - The son of former MLB pitcher Lance McCullers Sr., McCullers has potential as a power bat, but his fastball has sniffed triple digits and he’s flashed an above-average breaking ball. Scouts are split on his future as the spring nears, but he’s a surefire first-round arm — and could break into the top 10 — for clubs that view him as a long-term starter. The Florida commit struck out 79 in 52 innings last year while hitting .422 with seven homers and 24 RBIs. http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/baseball/post/_/id/940/mccullers-jr-is-top-florida-diamond-star

Cullen Mahoney was one of the best players in the Northwoods League this summer. The All-Star 2B spent this summer playing for the Thunder Bay Border Cats. He hit .347 in 213 at-bats, which placed him second in the league in batting average. He scored 33 runs, drove in 29 and he led the league with 5 triples. He also hit 7 doubles and smacked 4 home runs for TB.  His bb/k ratio of 27/47 and he stole 10 bases as well. He was named to play in the NWL All-Star Game and Perfect Game ranked him as the 66th best prospect in the league. In my rankings of the top position players in the league from 2011, I ranked Cullen as the 3rd best

This year, Oklahoma might not have the quantity of talent that Texas does, but the state is well represented by Sante Fe (Edmond, Okla.) right-hander Ty Hensley. Standing in at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Hensley is one of the most physically imposing pitchers in his class. Last season, he went 6-0 with a 2.26 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 31 innings. "He's got a power arm with a power delivery,” said Jason A. Churchill, who covers scouting, player development and the MLB Draft for ESPN Insider. “I had him up to 94 mph and sitting 91-92 at the Area Code Games and he used what appeared to be two different breaking balls — either a slider and a curve or a variation of one of them. He may end up in the bullpen, but I like to stay away from labeling a high school kid. You do have to dream on the command and off-speed stuff and hope he develops a changeup if he's to be a full-time starter, however.”  http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/baseball/post/_/id/983/hensley-is-latest-oklahoma-star-hurler  

collegesummerbaseball   - 1.   Ronnie Freeman   C   Holyoke Blue Sox--Kennesaw State -  Ronnie was third in the league with a .373 batting average. He led the league with 56 hits and led the league with 12 doubles. Ronnie was second in the league with 32 runs scored and he also drove in 25 this season. To go along with his 12 doubles, he slammed 5 home runs and walked 17 times. He was given the leagues Sportsmanship Award this summer. PG ranked him as the 7th best prospect in the league while BA ranked him as the 2nd best in the league. On December 1st, I named  him one of my 2011 Top Performers.

Draft 2012: - Hayden Hurst, Carlos Correa, Cullen Mahoney, Kyle Zimmer,

10-28-11: - http://orioles-nation.com/2011/10/26/wwba-2012-highlights - Hayden Hurst (Jacksonville FL; Bolles HS) – Power right handed pitcher with solid foundation that should improve lower half strength and a tick or two on the fastball.  Strong drive to the plate with borderline arm action and some quick action of the elbow.  He sets in nicely and it might be more of a concern for command than any pressure on the arm down the road.  It tends to look jerky, but I think the amount of effort is minimum and does a solid job allowing his core/legs do most of the work in the delivery.  He throws in the low 90s and will touch 93 right now.  Throws a heavy fastball diet at this stage, but works it around and will pound down in the strike zone.

11-15-11: - http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=6369  - Carlos Correa (2012 SS, PRBAHS)- The top ranked shortstop in the class had an impressive showing in Jupiter, hitting .400/.571/.900 with a Home Run, four Runs and seven RBIs in five games. The emerging power and improved plate approach are very encouraging signs for Correa, whose scouting notes from the 2011 World Showcase in January included "future plus hitter with adjustments/maturity, too spread/long right now...projects for power...raw with upside, good bat speed, approach needs work." Fast forward ten months and the latest set of notes include praise such as "sound hitting approach...power approach at plate...impact type bat...power to all fields." Correa's strong lean build at 6-foot-4, 185 pounds projects for significant increase in strength and muscle mass. There is a concern that the additional weight will diminish his range at shortstop, and though quick and athletic, Correa is not a premium burner (6.83 60-yard dash at 2011 National Showcase). Correa typically plays an extra step deep at short to increase his lateral range, something his plus arm allows him to pull off at 185 pounds. An eventual move to third base wouldn't be a huge blow to Correa's long term value. His arm strength will play anywhere, his soft hands and quick reflexes are well suited for the hot corner and he has the offensive tools to produce enough for a corner position. However his bat would make him a rare commodity if he is able to stick at shortstop. Regardless of his future defensive home, Correa looks to have a bright future on the left side of the infield.

11-15-11: - http://www.collegesummerbaseball.net/2011/11/top-50-position-players-in-northwoods.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter  - Cullen Mahoney   2B   Thunder Bay Border Cats---Loyola Marymount   Cullen will attend Loyola Marymount after transferring from South Mountain College. He was second in the league with a .347 batting average in 213 at-bats. He scored 33 runs, knocked in 29 and he lead the league with 5 triples. He also walked 27 times for the Border Cats. Perfect Game ranked him as the 66th best prospect in the league. Here is a really nice video of him from a game in August.

11-19-11: - http://ht.ly/1fJsU6  - We continue the countdown today at number 63 with San Francisco RHP Kyle Zimmer. The La Jolla, California native attended La Jolla High School where he played four years of baseball. As a senior he led team with a .410 batting average, .492 on base percentage, and .701 slugging percentage on his way to team MVP honors. His freshman season saw him struggle making five appearances and pitching a total of 5.1 innings. He spent the summer of 2010 with the Alexandria Aces in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League. Zimmer finished the summer with a 1.37 ERA in 46 innings of work. Zimmer had a breakout season in 2011 with the Dons going 6-4 with a 3.73 ERA in over 94 innings of work in 20 appearances (16 starts). His best performance came against St. Mary’s when he struck out 14. He was named to the 2011 NCAA Los Angeles Regional Team and a First Team All-West Coast Conference selection.