Josh Elander — 6’-0”, C, TCU Elander is an offensive catcher with great plate discipline. He hit .333 with five home runs, 38 RBI and nine stolen bases over 48 games for TCU in 2011. He also added 28 walks, showing his advanced approach at the plate. Just average defensively, Elander is athletic enough to improve enough behind the dish to stay at his position. A strong 2012 could push him to a late-first-round pick. http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/top-50-draft-prospects-for-2012-50-thru-26/15621/
Jake Barrett / RHP /Arizona State – Barrett’s repertoire is good enough to start, but the delivery screams reliever, as does the command. His size (6-4, 220) gives him the chance to be a durable innings eater, but a beyond maximum delivery makes this very unlikely. Still, there’s a chance he can be next years John Stilson, hopefully without the injury to end the year. http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2011/12/top-twelve-college-pitchers/
Hunter Virant hasn't been pitching for all that long, but he's shown the potential and projectability to get scouts very excited about his future. Virant has the chance to have four at least Major League average offerings. While his fastball sits in the 87-88 mph range, he'll touch 90 mph and with his projectable frame, there should be more in the tank. There's the typical lefty sink in to left-handed hitters on his two-seamer. His curve is inconsistent right now -- he'll drop his arm angle to make it too slurvy -- but that will improve with time and experience. He doesn't always command his changeup now, but it should be a solid offering in the future. He'll also cut his fastball for a slider-like look. He throws the fastball for strikes and competes well. And he does it all with a very smooth delivery. Those raw ingredients, along with his ideal pitcher's frame and his handling of the big-spotlight events should have many scouts watching his progress this springhttp://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/prospects/watch/y2012/
Avery Romero, 2B/SS, Pedro Menendez (St. Augustine, Fla.) - Generally speaking, scouts believe Romero has to move off shortstop as a pro, likely sliding to third base where his plus arm and sound fundamentals should play well. His hit tool is his calling card at present and more power should develop as he improves his plate skills. Romero, a potential top 50 selection, is also committed to the University of Florida. He hit .458 last year with five homers, 18 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. 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 28 with Arizona junior outfielder Robert Refsnyder. The Laguna Hills High School alum starred at the school being named First team All-CIF, Pacific Coast League MVP as a senior, and named to the All-PCL First Team as a junior. He currently still holds school records for highest career batting average and highest single season batting average. Refsynder stepped right into the Arizona Wildcats lineup as a freshman in 2010 making 57 appearances including 55 starts while playing defensively at designated hitter, second base, third base, left field and first base. He finished with a .344 average with two homers and 40 RBI while stealing six bases. He was named a 2010 Pac-10 Honorable Mention member for his performance. http://ht.ly/1grZBu
Nolan Fontana:
6-10-11: - http://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=20869 Florida sophomore Nolan Fontana (Winter Garden, Fla.) was named as a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award on Friday by the College Baseball Hall of Fame. The list features 10 of the nation’s finest Division I shortstops. Fontana has started 63 games this season for the top-ranked Gators (48-16), is hitting .309 and boasts team highs in walks (45), sacrifice flies (eight) and triples (five). He has scored 52 runs, totaled 44 RBI, poked 12 doubles and stolen six bases in 10 attempts. Fontana was a second-team All-SEC recipient and a member of the league’s All-Defensive Team for the second-straight year.
Robert Refsnyder
Arizona sophomore OF Robert Refsnyder‘s batting average has not dipped below .318 since the opening week of the year; he has hovered in the .340+ range for most of that time; his weekly stat-line of 6-for-15 (.400) with 1 2B, 2 3B’s, 2 HR’s, and 8 RBI’s has been fairly typical for Refsnyder each week (minus the multiple dingers); this past week he showed emerging power that he has only flashed sporadically throughout the season; if the power continues to develop more consistently, Refsnyder will have to be talked about as a potential top 10 pick in the 2012 MLB Draft… http://www.prospectnation.com/blog/?p=695
Kurt Heyer:
6-8-11: - http://thegoldensombrero.com/wordpress/archives/4056?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter - With Whitney graduating from U of A a couple of weeks ago, I thought I should write up the ace of that staff, sophomore Kurt Heyer. Heyer had a truly remarkable season as the Friday-nighter for Arizona posting a 2.41 ERA in 130.2 IP with 128 K’s and only 25 BB. His numbers were stellar, and Heyer will be one of the top arms in the PAC-10 in 2012 as well. Heyer has terrific sink on his fastball, which allowed him to keep the ball in the yard quite well despite the thin Tucson air. He only allowed 5 homers and 25 XBH’s in his 19 2011 starts. Heyer’s fastball works in the low to mid-90’s with good arm-side run and sink. His slider has decent tilt and projects as a 60 pitch in the pro’s. His changeup is behind, but it still has a chance at a solid-average grading come next June. Heyer’s command and ability to keep the ball on the ground are terrific. His body projects well at 6’2” and 198 lbs. With an arm slot in the low to mid-3/4 range and a strong lower half, there are no obvious red flags in his delivery.
Brian Johnson:
6-10-11: - http://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=20870 - Sophomore Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) was named as one of the 10 semifinalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award announced by The College Baseball Hall of Fame on Friday. The winner of the Olerud Award will be announced in Lubbock, Texas, on July 3 as part of the College Baseball Hall of Fame’s Night of Champions. A first-team All-SEC selection, Johnson has compiled an 8-3 record with a 3.66 earned run average in 15 starts on the mound spanning 78.2 innings. The left-hander is second on the Orange and Blue with 70 strikeouts and has limited opponents to a .248 batting average. Johnson is hitting .312 with 27 RBI, 26 runs and 17 extra-base hits (10 doubles, five homers and two triples).
Lance McCullers:
6-10-11: - http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110608&content_id=20222396&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&partnerId=rss_mlb Lance McCullers, RHP, Tampa Jesuit HS, Fla.: McCullers has an electric arm. The son of the former big leaguer of the same name, he has the chance to be much better than his dad, with a fastball that can touch the upper 90s and signs of a plus slider.
