Draft 2012: Joey Rickard, Albert Amora, Tyler Naquin, Matt Smoral, Carlos Correa

Joey Rickard, Arizona’s leadoff hitter and centerfielder, had a strong season at the Cape and earned a spot in the league’s All-Star game. Rickard profiles as a leadoff hitter or number 2 hitter at the going forward.  He is a contact hitter with a short quick swing.  He won’t be hitting many home runs at the next level, but he should hit his share of doubles.  While Rickard has above average speed, he has yet to have great success stealing bases at the college level. Rickard has good range in the outfield and should be able to remain in centerfield. On draft day, Rickard’s speed and ability to get on base should get him drafted between rounds 6-8.  http://mlbdraftguide.com/

Albert Amora, Mater Academy Charter (Hialeah Gardens, Fla.), Outfield, R/R, Miami A veteran of the Team USA since he was 13, Amora was recently named the 18U Most Valuable Player after leading the squad to the gold medal at the Pan-American Games. Almora has a strong arm and good speed and he is also expected to hit for a high average in the big leagues. He could land somewhere between No. 20-25. http://www.maxpreps.com/news/-8V2A0MeEeGkPgAmVebEWg/maxpreps-top-10-mlb-draft-prospects.htm

OF Tyler Naquin School: Texas A&M  Cl.: Junior, Ht.: 6-2, Wt.: 170  Hometown.: Spring, Texas High school: Klein Collins  Naquin evolved into an elite player last season, and is expected to have an even better 2012 campaign. The speedy outfielder is a good defender with an excellent arm. He also has an impressive offensive skill set, expected to hit for more power this spring. In 2011, hit .381 with 23 doubles and 44 RBIs. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=6498  

Matt Smoral, Solon (Ohio)   Smoral is interchangeable with Fried for the top spot. While Fried is further along in his development, Smoral brings more upside. At 6-foot-8, Smoral's 90-94 mph fastball comes easy and his slider works well from his three-quarters arm slot. He's a North Carolina commit but could go in the top 10 come June. http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/baseball/post/_/id/1086/max-fried-leads-class-of-2012-left-handers

Carlos Correa, SS, PR Baseball Academy Correa is a 6'4", 190 pound Shortstop that is extremely athletic. He is long and agile but his height and size may make him move off short at some point simply due to outgrowing it. He has very good actions at the position as well as a strong arm. It's an outside shot he can stick at the position but it is possible. A lot will depend on how much he grows in the next 2-3 years. If he does move over to 3B, he could be a well above average defender.  At the plate, Correa displays a ton of potential. He is long with big levers and a pretty short swing considering that. He generates big power potential. His hit tool isn't the greatest right now and needs work. He tones down his swing in games and has some contact issues as well as discipline issues at the plate, but that is nothing unusual for a young kid out of Puerto Rico.  Whoever chooses Correa will get a very projectable, potentially elite talent that is one of the youngest players available in this years' draft. I can't see him sliding out of the top 10 unless the bat totally fails him this spring. If he were to attend college, he is committed to Miami. http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/2/6/2773435/2012-baseball-draft-high-school-prospects-1-5

Draft 2012: - Mitchell Traver, Travis Jankowski, Kevin Gausman, Shayne Houck, Joey Rickard

10-28-11: - http://orioles-nation.com/2011/10/26/wwba-2012-highlights - Mitchell Traver (Sugar Land TX; Houston Christian HS) – A big frame and solid build that with added strength should raise his game a notch.  Very limited compact delivery with some minor wrinkles that will need to be ironed out as he matures, but sound foundation at the present moment.  A real heavy fastball that sits 89-92 mph.  The slider has some serious potential and at its best has tight lateral drop that could be tough to adjust for hitters.  He has a decent change up that he will need to throw more often to increase its effectiveness, but shows a solid three pitch arsenal.

11-2-11: - http://www.collegesummerbaseball.net/2011/11/top-35-position-players-in-cape-cod.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter  - Top 35 Position Players in the Cape Cod League 4.   Travis Jankowski   OF   Bourne Braves---Stony Brook   Travis had an outstanding summer for the Braves and was rewarded by being named the leagues MVP. He hit .329, led the league with 57 hits and led the league with 31 runs scored. He also led the league with 7 triples. He went 1 for 4 in the All Star Game and he was the 10th ranked prospect in the league according to Baseball America. Perfect Game ranked him as the 20th best prospect in the league.

11-4-11: - http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-2012-free-agent-and-draft-pick-possibilities/13157/#  -  RHP Kevin Gausman, 6’-4″, 190 lbs, LSU — Gausman is one of the most major-league ready pitchers in the draft, mostly because of his outstanding mound presence. Has great command of his fastball, change-up and slider, and all are above-average pitches already. Held opponents to a .213 average while posting 86 K/23 BB over 89 innings this past season.

11-5-11: - http://www.collegesummerbaseball.net/2011/11/2011-top-performer-shayne-houck.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter  - Shayne Houck -  Butler BlueSox of the Prospect League  Kutztown University  Senior  Third Basemen  6-0/205 pounds  Bats Right  Throws Right  Born on 5-29-1990  From Boyertown, PA  Attended Boyertown High School - Synopsis of Summer Season:  Shayne might not be your prototypical third basemen, but according to several scouts, "no player in the league plays harder" than Shayne. He was the best player on his team, and he was one of the best in the league. He led his team with a .347 batting average and he was tied for third in the league with 10 home runs. He found a way to get on base, and when he did, he scored. He finished the season with 33 runs scored and 44 runs batted in.

11-7-11: - http://ht.ly/1fwsQx  - We continue the countdown today at number 74 with Arizona junior outfielder Joey Rickard. The Las Vegas, Nevada native attended Bishop Gorman High School where he was a member of four straight state championship squads. As a senior, he hit .554 with 23 doubles, seven home runs, 62 RBI and 29 stolen bases. He was also an accomplished pitcher as he accumulated 53 strikeouts in 49 innings pitched with an ERA of 1.92. Rickard stepped right into the Wildcats lineup as a freshman playing in all 58 games (57 starts) hitting .307 with eight homers and 51 RBI. He also led the squad with 13 stolen bases in 21 attempts. He continued his strong college career as a sophomore finishing second on the squad with a .347 batting average while hitting four homers and driving in 37 runs. He finished second on the team with 16 stolen bases in 24 attempts.

Draft 2012: - Joey Rickard, Kenny Diekroeger, Lucas Giolito, Kyle Hansen, Freddy Avis

7-19-11: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2011/6/29/2250656/early-look-at-2012#comments  - Joey Rickard, Arizona, 6’1 180, R/R, runs well underway, 6.55, 60 guy, throws adequate, solid range, makes contact, short stroke with occ alley power, doubles type guy, could be quality 4th OF in time, 8-12 round type.

9-1-11: - http://projectprospect.com/article/2011/08/31/2012-mlb-draft-top-prospects  - Kenny Diekroeger, SS, Stanford - Stanford shortstop Kenny Diekroeger can be a frustrating player to evaluate. The good is that he has a compact and hand-oriented swing that's very short to the ball. He has a smooth trigger and has the hand strength required to make a hands dominant swing work. However, Diekroeger doesn't get anywhere near the bat speed he could out of his swing, nor does he maintain optimum angles through the zone. Diekroeger has similar hand rhythm actions to Jason Bay, but also has a pull side dominant plane like Bay. Diekroeger's hand rhythm helps pull his front shoulder back to an angle that usually is conducive to hammering the pitch away, but he doesn't maintain that plane when he launches. His strong hands should allow him to still be quick inside yet still cover away with the angle of hip-shoulder separation he achieves, but due to a heavy rolling top hand, Diekroger pulls his barrel off the pitch away and consistently into a pull dominant plane.

9-8-11: - http://www.gacksports.com/65590/2012-mlb-mock-draft-update  - 2. Baltimore Orioles Lucas Giolito Pitcher Harvard Westlake High School California This was such a tough pick to make. I felt like Lance McCuller’s Jr. still deserves to be a top pick, but there are too many numbers working in Lucas Giolito’s favor. Giolito managed to strikout batting prospect Trey Williams. Giolito weighs 6 foot 6 220 pounds. Giolito was 9-1 with an ERA of 1.00 last season during his junior season of high school baseball. You get a 95 MPH 4 seamer and a 92 MPH 2 seamer with Giolito. Another plus pitch that Giolito has is his hard breaking curve ball that he manages to deliver into the lower corners of the strike out zone so effectively.

Pitcher Kyle Hansen and outfielder Jeremy Baltz have both been named Top-30 prospects in the Cape Cod Baseball League, as announced by Baseball America. Hansen, who played with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, checked in at No. 22, while Baltz was listed as the No. 27 prospect after his season with the Falmouth Commodores. Hansen made 13 appearances, including two starts, for the Red Sox and went 0-1 with a 3.63 ERA. The righty finished tied for tenth in the league with four saves and racked up 28 strikeouts, while issuing just nine walks in 22.1 innings of work. Hansen also limited the opposition to a .214 batting average. The righty also made one playoff appearance, striking out four in 4.0 innings of one-run relief. - http://www.redstormsports.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/090811aaa.html  

8-16-11: - http://sancarlos.patch.com/articles/freddy-avis-suddenly-a-sizzling-mlb-prospect  Freddy Avis’s summer has been a blur. And that’s how many an opposing batter would describe his mid-90’s fastball. How much has changed for Avis since he completed his junior year at Menlo School? At the time of the MLB draft in early June, Avis would’ve gawked at the possibility of weighing a lucrative offer to play professional baseball in a year. That was about the furthest thing from his mind as he was narrowing his college choices and eying a full slate of travel-ball games with the California Smoke.

Draft 2012: - Josh Elander, Trevor Megill, Joey Rickard, Lewis Brinson, Kyle Funkhouser

Josh Elander:


7-19-11: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2011/6/29/2250656/early-look-at-2012#comments  - Josh “Jake” Elander, TCU, 6’2 1/2 210, R/R, have seen this young man since days at the TOS event in Cary. Strong arm and durable body with some pop in his bat and power to LF, runs decent for a catcher, could be a quality catcher or backup at the ML level quickly.


Trevor Megill:


8-12-11: - http://www.prospectwire.com/pw/article.php?id=290  - RHP Trevor Megill (6'7" 230, Huntington Beach, CA) was the one I like most for the long haul and with his body type, stuff (89-92 mph), arm action and easy fluid delivery, I can make a decent comparison to Marlins RHP Josh Johnson. What I also like about Megill is that he has feel for the breaking ball, a 76-77 mph curveball. I think Megill projects about as easily as you can fairly project any young pitcher.


Joey Rickard:


8-14-11: - http://mlbdraftguide.com/1/2011/08/10/the-good-the-disappointing-from-the-cape  - Joey Rickard, OF, Arizona- Rickard was one of my personal favorites coming out of Bishop Gorman in 2009. He was an All-Star at the Cape this summer and put up a line of .311/.382/.392 with 14 steals in 17 attempts.


Lewis Brinson:


8-15-11: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2011/8/14/2362719/2011-under-armour-all-america-game-top-10-prospects - 2011 Under Armour All America Game Top 10 Prospects - 4. Lewis Brinson 2012 OF 6'4 180 Tamarac, FL Coral Springs - Brinson has a ton of tools. He is really skinny, but has a big frame and should be able to add some strength. He already has good batting practice power and it should come in games with time. He is raw but he was one of the best players at the game.


Kyle Funkhouser:


7-19-11: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2011/6/29/2250656/early-look-at-2012#comments  - Kyle Funkhouser, Oak Forest HS, Ill, 6’3 200, nice build and arm looseness, not a real quick arm, will touch 91 on occ, most are 88-89, has proper rotation on breaking ball, still in development stage, might be one of those midwest kids that evolves once in college.