3B Stephen Piscotty School:
Stanford Cl.: Junior, Ht.: 6-3, Wt.: 215
Hometown.: Pleasanton, Calif. High school: Amador Valley There’s a lot to like about the Stanford
third baseman. He has an impressive frame and plenty of overall upside. His
offensive skills also are advanced, as he led the Cardinal in hitting last
season. In 2011, Piscotty batted .364 with three home runs and 40 RBIs. Also
had a .423 OBP. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=6498
You hear stories about players growing up with a
batting cage in their backyards. Jesse Winker is one of those players. The work in the cage has paid off as Winker
is one of the top high school hitters eligible for the 2012 draft. Winker is a
patient hitter with a solid approach at the plate. He has good power and drives the ball to all
fields. WInker’s bat speed is excellent.
In the field, Winker has a strong accurate arm that will play in right
field. He gets good jumps on balls when
they come off the bat. Winker shows up ready to play at every event in which he
takes part. With his hard work and
dedication, he is sure to stay high on draft boards. http://mlbdraftguide.com/
While a six-inning scrimmage between the likely LSU
starters and the reserves ended with the reserves on top 3-2, the Tigers still
had to feel encouraged after a dominating performance by sophomore pitcher Kevin Gausman. Gausman, who LSU coach
Paul Mainieri pegged as his probable opening night starter, did not allow the
LSU starters to reach base in four masterful innings. The Colorado native
needed only 42 pitches — 30 of which were strikes — and made the starting
hitters look dumbfounded at times. http://www.lsureveille.com/sports/baseball-gausman-shines-in-lsu-intersquad-scrimmage-1.2694975#.TyyF4m4V1iQ.twitter
Lucas
Giolito, RHP, Harvard Westlake, CA - The 6'6" righty
has been at the top of the 2012 prep list for quite a while. Giolito could be
on his way to breaking the streak of never having a Prep right hander taken 1st
overall. Giolito has the highest ceiling of anyone in the 2012 draft. The amazing
thing is that his floor is very high as well. As long as he doesn't have injury
issues, he could have a floor of a #2 starter with the ceiling of an ace. His
fastball reaches as high as 99 MPH but is usually a 94-96 MPH well commanded
pitch. It has late movement and good sink.
His breaking ball is truly a plus pitch right now with potential to be a
70 pitch or better. He commands it well. It has tight spin and is more
consistent than you would expect from a 17 year old. He looks more like a
player who has spent 2-3 years in college or pro ball. His change is the
third-best pitch but is still a very good pitch. His mechanics are smooth and
clean. He uses his full body in his delivery and has a big durable frame. When
the draft rolls around, I can't see him sliding out of the top five and has a
shot at being the 1st overall pick. If by some chance he slides down and opts
for college, he will head to UCLA. http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/2/6/2773435/2012-baseball-draft-high-school-prospects-1-5
Clate Schmidt — 6’-1”, RHP, Allatoona HS (GA) A
fast-rising prospect, Schmidt’s fastball has been clocked at 96 mph and his
low-80s curve is a plus pitch already. Needs to add another off-speed pitch if
he wants to remain a starting pitcher, but his work ethic shows a third pitch
will come. His delivery has some effort to it but his athleticism makes up for
it. With another year to add that third pitch, and room for more added
velocity, Schmidt could continue to rise up draft boards come June. http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/top-50-draft-prospects-for-2012-50-thru-26/15621/
Jesse Winker, OF, Olympia (Orlando, Fla.) - Winker's strengths include above-average
arm strength and good bat speed. Walker Weickel’s high school teammate runs
well and shows good instincts in center field. But if his projected power
develops, he could move to a corner, where he may be a plus defender long term.
The left-handed hitting Winker, if he doesn't sign a pro deal next summer, is
headed to Gainesville to play for the Gators. http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/baseball/post/_/id/940/mccullers-jr-is-top-florida-diamond-star
We continue the countdown today at number 24 with
Georgia Southern junior RHP Chris Beck. The 6’3 220 pounder out of Jefferson
Georgia attended Jefferson High School where he was a four year letter winner.
He earned First Team All-Region honors in every year and was twice was named
Pitcher of the Year’ in 2008 and 2009. He was selected in the 35th round by the
Cleveland Indians in the 2009 draft but decided to head to Georgia Southern. As a freshman in 2010, he made 12 appearances (four
starts) struggling to a 2-4 record and an ERA of 8.31. Beck’s sophomore season
saw remarkable improvement going 9-5 with a 3.23 ERA in a team high 103
innings. He was able to hold opponents to a .211 batting average against while
striking out 109 but struggled with his control with 40 walks allowed. http://ht.ly/1gwVAS
Player:
Braden Bishop Position:
OF School:
St. Francis (CA) Date of Birth:
8/22/1993 Height/Weight:
6’1/185 Bats/Throws:
R/R Class Of:
2012 Committed To:
Washington Scouting Report: Bishop is a top two sport athlete from
California who has committed to Washington.
He has an athletic build with room to add strength as he matures. Bishop has a good approach at the plate and
is willing to take a walk. He has an
easy line drive swing. Bishop does not
have much pop currently, but could add home runs to his game as he matures. His recorded 60 time is 6.67. Bishop is an above average outfielder. He has a very strong, accurate arm http://mlbdraftguide.com/
College Baseball Daily has learned that Rutgers
infielder Steve Nyisztor has been declared academically ineligible and has left
the university. Rutgers athletic department spokesperson James Gill released
the following statement about Steve Nyisztor’s status “Steve Nyisztor has been declared
academically ineligible and is no longer enrolled at Rutgers or a member of our
baseball program.” Nyisztor was rated by College Baseball Daily as the 55th
best player in the country heading into the 2012 season. He missed the majority
of the 2011 season with an undisclosed injury. http://www.collegebaseballdaily.com/2012/01/04/rutgers-steve-nyisztor-leaves-baseball-program/
10-28-11: - http://orioles-nation.com/2011/10/26/wwba-2012-highlights - Kyle Twomey (Placentia CA El Dorado HS) – Solid inline downhill left handed pitcher with some slight quick arm action from a ¾ delivery. Lean and tall that should fill out leading to an improved fastball that was sitting mainly 87-90 mph. Decent curveball, but the slot and wide break give it a slurve type of feel. The straight three finger change shows nice late sink and should be a pitch in his arsenal down the road at an advanced stage. If he shows up 180 pounds in the spring, he will be a name to remember early in the draft.
11-15-11: - http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=6369 - Jesse Winker (2012 OF, FTB Mizuno/Cardinals Scout Team)- One of the premier power bats in the high school ranks, Winker has flexed his muscle at numerous events this season, and in Jupiter he continued to show it off to the hordes of scouts in attendance. On Sunday Winker crushed his first homer of the tourney against the East Cobb Astros to the opposite field in the final pool play game to send FTB to the playoffs. He followed that up later in the day with an awe-inspiring blast in a playoff opening victory against the Homeplate Chilidogs. Winker's second bomb left Field 7 in a hurry, landing in left field of adjacent Field 3. Winker had a shot at the hat trick in the quarterfinal playoff matchup with FTB's underclass team, Central Florida PG Royal. Winker came to bat with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the fifth, trailing 3-0. Winker tee'd off on a 1-0 pitch and blasted it high into the night sky, but the towering fly ball hung up in the air before falling into the right fielder's glove at the warning track for the loudest out of the tournament. It was a disappointing end for Winker and FTB, but he had a big tournament, tying for the lead with two homers, paced the loaded field with 8 RBIs and finished second in SLG (1.071) in a tournament dominated by pitching. Winker simply did what he does best: punish the baseball.
11-15-11: - http://www.collegesummerbaseball.net/2011/11/top-50-position-players-in-northwoods.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter - Cameron Perkins 3B Waterloo Bucks---Purdue - Cam is a big (6-5/205) third baseman from Purdue. He hit .344 in 247 at-bats for the Bucks. He was second in the league with 85 hits and he was fourth in the league with 46 runs batted in. He also scored 49 runs and hit 10 home runs this summer. He walked 22 times and stole 13 bases this season. He went 2 for 2 in the All-Star game and I named him as one of my Top Performers of the season. You can read my post here. Baseball America ranked him as the 8th best prospect in the league, while Perfect Game has him ranked as the 5th best prospect in the league.
11-16-11: - http://ht.ly/1fHhnp - We continue the countdown today at number 65 with Miami (FL) junior righthanded pitcher E.J. Encinosa. The Miami, Florida native attended Coral Park High School where he played Julio Estrada. He missed his junior season with an injury but returned as a senior going 2-0 with a 3.69 ERA. During his sophomore season, he went 3-0 with a 1.42 ERA. His freshman season with the Hurricanes saw him make 28 relief appearances and one start while going 1-1 in 49 innings of work. He was able to hold opponents to a .186 batting average while striking out 61 batters.
11-18-11: - http://mlbdraftguide.com/1/2011/11/15/taylore-cherry-2012-draft-profile - It is hard not to notice Taylore Cherry when he is on a baseball field. At 6’9/260, Cherry stands above most prospects in terms of size and talent. Cherry has a low effort, easy delivery with simple mechanics. He throws with a low 3/4 arm slot. He has good command, especially for a big prep pitcher. Cherry has a 91-94 fastball with late movement. His highest reported velocity is 95. There should be more velocity to come. His change is a plus pitch, giving him two above average pitches to go with his tremendous size. A curve is Cherry’s third pitch. It has shown some potential, but is inconsistent and slurvy at times. A soft build is sometimes held against Cherry. I will gladly take the build if it comes with his size, arm, and tremendous upside.
Christian Walker:
6-28-11: - http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/postseason/college-world-series/2011/2612014.html - The Hero: Christian Walker was not in the starting lineup South Carolina coach Ray Tanner turned in about an hour before game time because of a broken hamate bone in his left wrist, which was diagnosed Monday morning. But he got treatment from South Carolina doctors before the game, hit three home runs in batting practice and found his way into the final starting lineup. He proceeded to go 2-for-5 with a double, a single and the game-winning run in the 11th
Colby Holmes:
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/9 - RHP Colby Holmes was the Gamecock’s Sunday starter this season, and he benefited from having one of the best defensive units in the country. He went 7-3 with a 3.78 ERA in 12 starts (17 total appearances) and posted a 70:20 K:BB ratio in 81 innings. Holmes has strung together a couple of gutsy efforts in the regionals and figures to get at least one more start before the season is through. Holmes throws in the low 90s and has always gotten rave reviews for his great command, but his breaking stuff isn’t all that impressive, as evidenced by the 12 home runs he surrendered this year. Holmes is also a former ’09 draft pick, in the 47th round by the Atlanta Braves.
Brandon Thomas
6-23-11: - http://baseballdraftreport.com - Georgia Tech SO OF Brandon Thomas
.322/.434/.449 – 38 BB/40 K – 20/23 SB – 205 AB - It’s easy to see why Thomas has drawn favorably comparisons (by me) to former Georgia Tech outfielders Charlie Blackmon and Danny Payne. A quick rundown of his biggest positives: above-average range in a corner spot, an arm strong enough for right field, good speed that he knows how to use, gap power with a chance for more, excellent athleticism, and a pro ready body (6-3, 205 pounds). It can sometimes be difficult to pinpoint a good prospect a year ahead of the draft, but tools like that combined with really strong production at an outstanding college program make this whole prognostication thing a lot easier.
Hudson Randall:
6-28-11: - http://baseballdraftreport.com - Randall’s upside isn’t in the same league as many of his sophomore year contemporaries, but his average across the board raw stuff is underrated by many. Maybe he is a sinker/slider reliever long-term, but there could be some teams that value his plus command and his ability to keep four different pitches at or below the knees consistently enough to keep him as a starter
Jesse Winker:
6-28-11: - http://mlbdraftguide.com/1/2011/06/26/jesse-winker-2012-draft-profile - You hear stories about players growing up with a batting cage in their backyards. Jesse Winker is one of those players. The work in the cage has paid off as Winker is one of the top high school hitters eligible for the 2012 draft. Winker is a patient hitter with a solid approach at the plate. He has good power and drives the ball to all fields. WInker’s bat speed is excellent. In the field, Winker has a strong accurate arm that will play in right field. He gets good jumps on balls when they come off the bat. Winker shows up ready to play at every event in which he takes part. With his hard work and dedication, he is sure to stay high on draft boards
