Draft 2012: Deven Marrero, Taylore Cherry, Joey Gallo, Bryan De la Rosa

We continue the countdown today at number 3 with Arizona State junior shortstop Deven Marrero. The Davie, Florida native attended American Heritage High School where he was a two time captain. He was also named All-State and All-County in 2008, when American Heritage won both the Florida State title and the National title. He ended up being drafted in the 17th round (509th overall) by the Cincinnati Reds during the 2009 MLB Draft. He decided to turn down the Reds offer to head to Tempe, Arizona to play for the Arizona State Sun Devils http://ht.ly/1gYOjz

Taylore Cherry, Vandalia-Butler (Vandalia, Ohio)  This 6-foot-9, 260-pound beast sits 92-94 mph with a four-seam heater that shows sink, setting up a changeup that has caught above-average to plus grades. He throws strikes and holds his delivery together. Cherry is committed to North Carolina. http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/baseball/post/_/id/1051/top-10-class-of-2012-right-handed-pitchers

Joey Gallo — 6’-5”, 1B/RHP, Bishop Gorman HS (OK) - Gallo is a two-way star who could legitimately be taken in the first round as a hitter or a pitcher. As a junior for powerhouse Bishop Gorman, he hit .471 with a 1.756 OPS and 25 home runs over 121 at bats. He hits from the left side, and at 6’-5”, 210 lbs, what team doesn’t want that hitting in the middle of their lineup? He does have a big swing that could lead to a lot of strikeouts, but the power potential is what scouts love. On the mound he throws right handed. His fastball can hit 94 mph with ease and still room for more velocity once he commits full time. His curveball looks to be a possible plus pitch at the next level and his change-up will be at least average. Whichever route he chooses, he is a lock for the first round. http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/top-50-draft-prospects-for-2012-25-thru-1/15694/

Bryan De la Rosa is among the many talented 2012 draft prospects from Puerto Rico.  He is a short catcher with a compact build and good physical strength. De La Rosa can be somewhat inconsistent at the plate.  When he is going good, he has a short stroke and sprays line drives.  He can get into trouble overswinging at times.  He has good bat speed.  Reports on his power are mixed, but he should hit quite a few doubles at the next level.  His 60 time is 7.18.De La Rosa stands out defensively.  He moves well behind the plate and has a strong accurate arm.  He recorded an event record 1.71 pop time at the Perfect Game World Showcase. http://mlbdraftguide.com/

2012 Draft – Taylore Cherry, Wyatt Mathisen, Cody Poteet, Mark Appel

27. Taylore Cherry — 6’-9”, RHP, Vandalia Butler HS (OH)  Cherry can get his fastball up to 98 mph thanks, in most part, to his 6’-9” frame. His delivery is easy and fluid, and he looks like he could pitch a doubleheader without tiring. Went 6-1 with a 1.38 ERA and 94 K over 56 innings as a junior, earning him Gatorade Player of the Year honors in the state of Ohio. Both his curve and change-up look to be above-average pitches at the major-league level, and his durability is something all teams will covet. http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/top-50-draft-prospects-for-2012-50-thru-26/15621/

http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/baseball/post/_/id/1009/mitchell-traver-highlights-2012-texas-class  7. Wyatt Mathisen, C, Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas)  Mathisen could shoot up the draft boards with a strong senior season after impressing on the summer circuit. His arm strength grades as above average and scouts raved about his accuracy. He offers quick wrists and a sound approach at the plate. There's raw power there, too, but Mathisen's draft stock will be tied to both his bat and his future behind the dish. This Texas Longhorns commit could be considered as early as the second round in June’s draft.

Cody Poteet, 6’-1”, RHP, Christian HS (CA) The Padres have one of the better farm systems in baseball, pitching depth being their best asset. Poteet is seen as undersized by some scouts, but his arm strength leaves little concern. He can crank his fastball up to 96 mph, and his hard mid-70s curve is one of the best in the country. His change-up is still developing but is very deceptive at times and projects to an above-average offering. He has an easy delivery and is very aggressive on the mound, attacking hitters with superb command. He keeps the ball down, showing good signs of a  ground-ball pitcher. Has been a member of Team USA since he was 14.  http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/2012-mlb-mock-draft-3-0-now-with-supplemental-picks/16253/

Mark Appel / Stanford / RHP: Appel is getting some strong early consideration for the top pick in the draft. The Stanford right-hander played an abbreviated Cape season as he pitched out of the bullpen for the Team USA Collegiate National Team. Appel had impressed me when pitching for Team USA so I was excited to watch him pitch again. I caught him at his best for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox on July 27th. Appel gave up 3 runs in a losing effort, but hit 98 mph and struck 12 batters in 6 IP while walking none. He is a big, athletic kid with a free and easy delivery. With about a billion scouts in attendance (+/- five scouts) Appel showed a tremendous slider that features both strong horizontal and vertical break. He threw strikes in the lower half of the zone with his fastball and his change up also had its moments. Hitters were overmatched all day and Appel racked up swings and misses on all his pitches. Appel had an up and down year overall but more days like this could see him in an Astros uniform in July. http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2012/01/scouting-the-cape/#more-720

Draft 2012: - Kyle Twomey, Jesse Winker, Cameron Perkins, E.J. Encinosa, Taylore Cherry

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.

Draft 2012: - Taylore Cherry, Richie Shaffer, Victor Roache, Max Foody, Breland Almadova

10-28-11: - http://orioles-nation.com/2011/10/26/wwba-2012-highlights - Taylore Cherry (Dayton OH; Vandalia Butler HS) – A 6’9” giant that has the frame, but is only scratching the surface. Improved body composition may vault him to a near un-touchable type arm.  He shows a very heavy fastball mainly 90-91 mph with a 92 mph on occasion (seen him touch 94 mph this summer).  The impressive part is these fastballs all have late life to them and the movement is difficult for hitters to square up.  His change up might already grade as a 6 (60) on the 20-80 scale with some impressive sink for his size and age.

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  18.   Richie Shaffer   1B   Chatham---Clemson   Richie (6-3/210) hit .263, smacked 6 home runs and drove in 21 this summer. He also hit 11 doubles for the Anglers. Richie was ranked as the 11th best prospect in the league by Baseball America, and Perfect Game ranked him as the 13th best prospect.

11-4-11: - http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-2012-free-agent-and-draft-pick-possibilities/13157/#  -  OF Victor Roache, 6’-1″, 225 lbs, Georgia Southern — The Cubs need of a first baseman, especially if they pass on Carlos Pena. Roache led the nation in home runs with 31 over 60 games in a year that the newly designed bats were supposed to slow down the hitters and play to the pitchers. Projects to a high-average hitter with his above-average approach at the plate. Currently plays the outfield, but his lack of athleticism will most likely force a move to first. Could be a fast riser through the minors with his abilities and help the club quicker than anyone else on this list.

11-5-11: - http://mlbdraftguide.com  -  Player:  Max Foody   Scouting Report:  Max Foody was regarded as one of the nation’s top 2012 prospects prior to suffering shoulder injuries in 2009 and 2010.  He has returned to the mound after suffering a torn labrum early in 2010. Foody throws a fastball, curveball, and a change.  His fastball currently tops out at 93.  His big curve is a potential plus pitch. If all goes according to plan for Foody in the spring, he should make a move toward the top of draft boards.

11-8-11: - http://www.collegesummerbaseball.net/2011/11/top-25-position-players-in-west-coast.html  - Top 25 Position Players In the West Coast League  2.   Breland Almadova   OF   Wenatchee—Hawaii   Breland is a talented Junior from the University of Hawaii. He is described as a true leadoff type of hitter. He hit .328 in 180 at-bats for the AppleSox. He scored 32 runs, drove in 32 and hit 2 home runs this summer. He also hit 12 doubles and 3 triples this year. Breland was fourth in the league in batting average and fourth in the league in runs batted in. He was also third in the league with 17 stolen bases. He went 1 for 3 in the All-Star Game and he was named to the First Team All-WCL Team. Baseball America ranked Breland as the 6th best prospect in the league and Perfect Game ranked him as the 10th best prospect in the league.

Draft 2012: - Ron Miller, Krey Bratsen, Nelson Rodriguez, Taylore Cherry, Fernando Perez

9-1-11: - http://xmlbscout.angelfire.com - Ron Miller, Serra HS, Los Angeles CA, 5'10 210 R/R, plays 3b, best shot to play LF at pro level, short compact power stroke with ability to go the other way, shows arm strength and fair running speed, enough ability offensively to get to pro level, will go as far as bat takes him. Kevin Mitchell type comp from the early 80's.

10-7-11: - http://ht.ly/1f1C6v - We continue the countdown today with number 96 with Texas A&M sophomore outfielder Krey Bratsen. He checks in at 6’0 and 175 pounds out of Bryan, Texas where he attended Bryan High School. Bratsen had an outstanding career which saw him win four letters while bringing the team to the state playoffs in each season. The Oakland Athletics selected him in the 45th round of the 2010 MLB Draft but he decided to continue his baseball career at Texas A&M. Bratsen stepped right into the Aggies lineup as a freshman in 2011 playing in all 69 games while finishing second on the team with a .332 batting average. He chipped in with 36 RBI but his most impressive role is his speed. He led the squad with 31 stolen bases in 40 attempts which ended up being the second best in the Big 12 conference. He was named a member of the All-Big 12 team while picking up multiple Freshman All-American awards. Krey played the summer of 2011 in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the Cotuit Kettleers after helping the Aggies advance to the College World Series. He played in 23 games hitting .250 with two RBI and stealing six bases.

10-8-11: - http://mlbdraftguide.com/1/2011/10/08/nelson-rodriguez-2012-draft-profile - One of the top names among catchers eligible for the 2012 MLB draft is Nelson Rodriguez of George Washington High in New York.  He capped off a busy 2011 summer by playing in the Perfect Game All-American Classic and winning the event’s home run derby. Rodriguez is best known for the power in his bat.  He has great raw power and can hit the ball out to all fields.  Rodriguez has good bat speed and shows strong pitch recognition. Rodriguez moves well behind the plate.  He has soft hands and a strong arm.  Rodriguez has a recorded pop time of 1.90.  There is some concern that if he gets much bigger, Rodriguez could be forced to move to first base.Rodriguez has enough potential with his bat to be a legitimate prospect at either catcher or first base, but his draft stock hinges on whether teams believe his future is behind the plate or down the line at first.

10-11-11: - http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/baseball/post/_/id/455/prep-arms-the-difference-in-class-of-2012  - Taylore Cherry, RHP -- Butler (Vandalia, Ohio) Cherry checks in at 6-foot-9 and 260 pounds and sits 92-94 mph with his four-seam fastball. The pitch generates sink, as does his plus changeup. He commands his pitches well, including a below-average curveball that tends to flatten out at times. His size may scare off some clubs and it could ultimately dictate his role, but there are no present red flags with his mechanics that would push him to the bullpen. He's committed to North Carolina but there's likely more velocity in the chamber and he may not be able to pass up first-round money.

10-16-11: - http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/2011/10/perez-will-head-to-central-arizona-early  - Fernando Perez will be moving schools again, but he's already proven he's up to the challenge.  The third baseman from Otay Ranch High in Chula Vista, Calif., said he has enough credits to graduate early and will be enrolling at Central Arizona JC in January. "I really want to challenge myself," Perez said. "So I want to go there and play with older guys and wood bats and the longer season." Perez will share the left side of the diamond with an old friend. Central Arizona's shortstop, Jorge Flores, is also from Mexico and he and Perez played together when they were younger. Changing schools and challenging himself is nothing new for Perez. Originally from Ensenada, Mexico, Perez first started playing baseball when he was 8 years old. He said he comes from a baseball family–his father and uncle played semi-pro baseball in Mexico.