Draft 2012: - Stephen Perez, Alex Robinson, Joe DeCarlo, Jason Coats, Christopher Leduc

10-17-11: - http://mlbdraftguide.com/1 - Stephen Perez, SS, Miami - A shortstop with good tools, who is willing to take a walk and can steal some bases, Perez has a lot going for him.  There is some hot dog in him, but Perez is absolutely capable of making the highlight reel play.  Strikeouts are the problem for Perez.  In two seasons with the Hurricanes, he has a batting average of .258 with 122 strikeouts.  The contact issues for Perez were magnified this year at the Cape when he hit .233 with 44 strikeouts in 120 at bats.  This would be less of a concern if Perez was a power hitter, but he failed to go deep in  175 at bats last season.

10-23-11: - http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/2011/10/smoral-stands-out-among-big-arms  - • Lefthander Alex Robinson of Holy Trinity Diocesan School in Hicksville, N.Y., was a tough look for hitters on Friday. He has a high leg kick and hides the ball well, but comes from a low three-quarter arm slot and sits 88-89 with his fastball. Hitters took a lot of defensive swings against him. He also mixed in a 78-80 slider and 83 changeup with sink.

10-24-11: - http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/2011/10/marucci-elite-and-rising-prospects-impress-in-jupiter - FIVE 2012 PLAYERS WHO IMPROVED THEIR STATUS - Joe DeCarlo, 3b, Glen Mills HS, Concordville, Pa.  Hard-nosed player with a sturdy frame showed a strong arm and strength at the plate.

10-25-11: - http://www.collegebaseballdaily.com/2011/10/25/top-100-countdown-81-jason-coats-tcu  - We continue the countdown today at number 81 with TCU senior outfielder Jason Coats. The Plano, Texas native attended Plano West High School picking up three letters. As a senior, he had a .450 batting average with a .950 slugging percentage and nine home runs. He was able to help lead the team to a 28-0 record and a 5A state championship. He picked up several honors including being named the MVP of the Texas North/South All-Star game and first team all-state. Coats was able to secure a spot on the Horned Frogs squad as a walk-on in 2009. He didn’t disappoint as he went right into the starting lineup as a freshman. He appeared in 57 games (54 starts) while having a .316 batting average, six homers, and 32 RBI. He was extremely clutch as 12 out of those 32 RBI came with two outs in the inning. He was named the MOP of the Fort Worth Regional in 2009 in which the Horned Frogs won. He played the summer of 2009 in the Alaskan Baseball League with the Anchorage Glacier Pilots. Coats finished the summer with a .325 average while driving in 30 runs as he helped lead the Pilots to a runner-up finish in the NBC World Series. He was honored by Baseball America as the eighth best prospect in the Alaskan League

10-25-11: -http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com  -   Christopher Leduc, OF, East Palatka, Florida (link to Perfect Game with Vid links) - He has speed that is well above average as well as an arm that is well above average. He looks choppy in the outfield but he is lanky and maybe still growing into coordination. He has time on his side there and repetition can correct that. He has a very fast bat and a short swing that looks like it could generate average to plus power. You are looking at a player that would grade out in the upper 50's and that is a solid prospect but I haven't heard anything about him. Maybe he will be a pop up guy this spring, but you heard his name here first, I hope.

Draft 2012: - Janzen Witte, Shane Watson, Stephen Perez, Byron Buxton, Cody Poteet

Janzen Witte:


7-19-11: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2011/6/29/2250656/early-look-at-2012#comments  - Janzen Witte, TCU, 6’1 195, R/R, quick bat with occ HR power, throws well, good glove to left and runs well once underway. Comes to play!


Shane Watson:


8-12-11: - http://www.prospectwire.com/pw/article.php?id=290  - RHP Shane Watson (6'4" 200, Bellflower, CA) also looked good, though is a tick below some of the other Brewers' pitching prospects. He could certainly come on though and emerge as a top five round type guy in the spring. He has a great frame, a good clean arm action and a patient delivery. His stuff looked to be in that 87-90 mph range, maybe a touch of 91 and he showed feel of the curveball.


Stephen Perez:


8-14-11: - http://mlbdraftguide.com/1/2011/08/10/the-good-the-disappointing-from-the-cape  - Stephen Perez, SS, Miami- Perez has the tools and has been mentioned as a possible pick towards the end of the first round in 2012, but his numbers haven’t lived up to his tools to this point. At the Cape, he put up a line of .233/.376/.300 with 44 strikeouts in 120 at bats. The walks are great, but the strikeouts and .233 average are discouraging.


Byron Buxton:


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 - 6. Byron Buxton 2012 OF/RHP 6'2 170 Baxley, GA Appling County - Buxton is an impressive athlete. He is fast, has a great arm and can really hit. He could have 20-25 home run power. I'm not sure he can stay in CF. I haven't seen him enough to know, but if he can, he will be a very high pick.


Cody Poteet:


7-19-11: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2011/6/29/2250656/early-look-at-2012#comments  - Cody Poteet, Christian HS, Bonita Cal, 6’1 175, quick arm from 3/4 slot, touched 92, most were 89-90 with life in vs RHH, sink when down, cb was easy to read and very hittable, control was good, seemed to find bats however. Keep an eye on him.

Brian Johnson, Michael Morin, Stephen Perez, Hudson Randall, Marcus Stroman

Brian Johnson


6-28-11: - http://baseballdraftreport.com/  - It may be taking the whole left-handed pitching two-way prospect thing too far, but I think there are some similarities between the Danny Hultzen of last season and this year’s Brian Johnson. He’ll hit this weekend, but his ultimate home is on the mound. His ceiling as a pitcher does not compare to Hultzen’s (i.e. don’t go penciling in Johnson as the 2012 second overall pick now or ever), but I see first round stuff (88-92 fastball, good upper-70s curve that flashes plus, much improved low-80s change, and a raw but promising slider) in Johnson’s four-pitch mix

Michael Morin:


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  - Expect UNC’s closer RHP Michael Morin to get some looks as well. He hasn’t had the best year (4.71 ERA, .263 avg against), but he has locked down 10 saves for the Tar Heels. He has also posted a 65:18 K:BB ratio in 63 innings. He also shared duties as a weekday starter for UNC, making six starts, leading many to think he could be in line for an expanded role next season. Morin has great size (6'4", 180 lbs) and was already drafted once, by the Royals in the 40th round of the ’09 event.



Stephen Perez:


6-29-11: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2011/6/29/2250695/the-all-reese-team#storyjump  - SS: Stephen Perez, Sophomore from the University of Miami - I only had the opportunity to see him once this year, and he really make an impression on me defensively. It was a poor day by his standards as he committed a couple of errors on routine ground balls; yet, he showed silky smooth actions throughout the game. In one instance he ranged far into the hole, fielded the ball on a slider and made a strong throw to first in the same motion. It was MLB caliber and the best defensive play that I saw all season. The bat, especially when batting right handed, is a work in progress, but there is some wizardry in that glove. Honorable Mention: Nolan Fontana, Sophomore from the University of Florida


Hudson Randall:


7-1-11: - http://mlbdraftguide.com/1/2011/06/30/hudson-randall-2012-draft-profile  - Hudson Randall is one of the top pitchers in college baseball. The question with Randall is how much his lack of elite velocity will affect his success at the next level. Randall has great command. He walked just 10 batters in 102 innings during the 2011 season. Randall changes speeds and moves the ball around well. In games I have seen, his velocity has been between 87-90 and there are reports as high as 92. His change is a plus pitch, while both his curve and slider are quality offerings. Randall is tall and thin, giving some hope of added velocity still to come. If his fastball were to climb a few notches, he would be a truley elite pro prospect.


Marcus Stroman:


7-2-11: - http://www.draftsite.com/article/Quick-MLB-Draft-Hits/89  - Duke’s Marcus Stroman is basically Tom Gordon version 2.0. He packs a powerful 95 mph fastball for such a small package, at only 5’9’’ and 185 pounds. To go along with that fastball, that has hit the upper 90’s, potentially as high as 100 mph; he has a nasty slider that falls off with tremendous lateral movement. He is a starter for the Blue Devils now but with his size and stuff he has the makings of a fast moving reliever in someone’s system down the road, with the ceiling of a closer