LOS ANGELES—In Southern California, the 2010 High School draft class is unusually deep in righthanded pitching, but unusually thin in lefthanded pitching. Henry Owens of Edison High in Huntington Beach, Calif., is perhaps the area’s top lefty. In an odd twist, he has the birth date of a 2010 grad but is not scheduled to graduate until 2011.

Scouts and college recruiters will not have to wait to avail themselves of quality righthanders. The top righties include: [...] Continue Reading »

The Duquesne baseball program is coming off of a 14-41 season, but the program made some news on draft day.

Junior catcher Mark Tracy was drafted by the Rockies in the 49th round on Thursday. Tracy is coming off a .250/.325/.515 year with 14 home runs. Mark is the son of former Dodgers and Pirates manager Jim Tracy, who recently took over the managerial reigns in Colorado after Clint Hurdle was dismissed. Duquesne head coach Mike Wilson says family ties weren’t the only reason Mark was drafted by Colorado.

"A Rockies scout had been following him all spring." Wilson said. "He called me a number of times this spring to check up on Mark."

Tracy originally began his collegiate baseball career at Pepperdine, where his brother Chad previously played. After his freshman year he transferred to Duquesne. Chad was drafted in the third round of the 2006 draft by the Rangers and is currently at Double-A  Frisco. Mark played football in high school in addition to baseball, and coach Wilson complimented Mark’s work ethic.

"After his first season with us his father told me, ‘Wow you’ve sculpted his body,’" Wilson said. "Mark works hard to make his body stronger."

Wilson believes Mark is seeing more success now that he’s decided to focus on just baseball. Mark hit 14 home runs in 2009 compared to just three in 2008.

"He understands the value of getting his body into baseball shape. He’s really come on this year," Wilson said.

With one season of eligibility remaining Tracy could decide to come back to Duquesne or sign a professional contract.

"I think Mark would like to sign and go. But I’m not sure if his mom would agree with that," Wilson said. "I’m sure his father will support whichever decision he reaches."

On Day Three of the draft, another Division II College World Series player was popped.

Dowling (N.Y.) senior catcher David Wendt was selected by the Rays in the 50th and final round of the 2009 draft. He was the 1,519th lucky player chosen—third to last.

"I just wanted to get drafted," Wendt told the Eagle Tribune (North Andover, Mass.), "I didn’t care if it was 20th round or 50th round."

A three-year starter for the Golden Lions, Wendt consistently hit between .290 and .300 each season as the teams starting catcher. Wendt batted .299 with 12 doubles, two home runs and 28 RBIs last season.

Wendt’s club appeared in the D-II College World Series but was eliminated by UC San Diego before the championship game. He finished among Dowling’s career leaders in most offensive categories following an impressive 2009 season—in which he stole 21 bases in 28 attempts and threw out 24 of 58 basestealers.

With the 1,521st pick, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim took first baseman Alibay Barkley of Washington HS in New York City. While he was the last pick of the draft, relevance can be found with Barkley.

First, he has good raw power. He was a participant in the 2009 International Home Run Derby in Tampa, which was won by Kennedy-Kenrick (Limerick, Pa.) High’s Christian Walker, a third baseman taken in the 49th round by the Dodgers. However, you may have heard, but uber-prospect Bryce Harper stole the show.

Also, Barkley hails from the same high school that produced one of the best hitters baseball has seen, Manny Ramirez. Ramirez was drafted out of Washington High in 1991.

Northern Iowa and Vermont shuttered their baseball programs after this season, ostensibly owing to budget shortfalls in their respective athletic departments. Both schools went out with a pair of players drafted apiece.

Vermont’s duo went in the 37th round, with the White Sox selecting lefthander Joe Serafin, and two players later, the Yankees selecting lefty hitting outfielder Justin Milo. Serafin, a fifth-year senior, is the Catamounts’ all-time leader in wins and strikeouts, and unless the program comes back in the future he’ll hold those records in perpetuity. Milo, a junior transfer from Cornell, should be a tough sign, as he’s also a hockey player, and Vermont isn’t getting rid of hockey anytime soon. He is the Catamounts’ leading returning goal scoreer (12) and helped lead them to the Frozen Four last season.

Northern Iowa’s two drafted players were pitchers—righthander Shuhei Fujiya (18th round, Padres) and lefthander Nick Kirk (19th round, Indians). Kirk hasn’t been quite the same since a forearm injury in 2008, and Fujiya is a college closer who tied a school record with nine saves this spring, when he struck out 29 in 22 innings.

In our 2009 Draft Preview issue, our scouting report of Bonita HS, La Verne, Calif. shortstop Jiovanni Mier made mention of his large and enthusiastic support group, which consists of 36 first cousins and nearly 200 extended family members.

So one could have imagined the scene at the Mier household when Commissioner Bud Selig announced (in the bumbling fashion that persisted throughout the first round) that the Astros had tabbed Mier with the 21st overall pick.

“Sitting here watching it at my house, when I saw the 21st pick come up, I said, ‘This could be it,’" Mier said. [...] Continue Reading »

Oregon State’s Ryan Ortiz was a sixth-round pick by the Athletics after hitting .352/.454/.509 with 17 doubles and five home runs. I caught up with Ortiz to get his thoughts on the big news.

"I was excited to go to a good organization," Ortiz said. "Oakland’s a great organization and it’s a good feeling to be drafted. The first time being drafted is a good feeling."

Ortiz said he knew the A’s might take him.

"They showed a lot of interest the few days before the draft, so I was looking at them selecting me," he said. "So, when they did it, it was kind of expected."
[...] Continue Reading »

I’m not going to lie—I’m a big Nick Franklin fan. I was at the FACA Baseball Classic in Sebring (the state’s all-star high school event), where he stood out and played his way into the first round. I wrote about him as a guy moving up draft boards and, sure enough, the Mariners took him in the first round with the 27th overall pick in the draft. I caught up with Franklin to talk about the experience of hearing his name called on TV and what the future may hold.

"I was watching with a friend of the family," Franklin said. "My family was there and a couple friends. We were watching the draft on TV there and just waiting for the countdown, pretty much. I had a good feeling, but I never took anything for granted and I just kind of took it as something, not to expect, but to be looking out for."
[...] Continue Reading »

Every college player that’s selected in the draft each June does not always come from a well-known D-I baseball program. Some of the top players at the D-II level also receive the opportunity to play professional baseball after doing without some of the attention and hype that high draft picks from the top D-I programs receive. And they still have a shot of one day making it to the big leagues.

Outfielder Gabe MacDougall of national champion Lynn (Fla.) went to the Royals in the 27th round. He was the 812th player selected. After a monster junior year in which he hit .389/.489/.829 with 20 home runs, MacDougall, who is 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, regressed to a .302/.429/.529 senior season with 10 home runs. He was still second on his team in homers. The Royals selected him as a left fielder.

One round later the Athletics selected Emporia State (Kan.) center fielder Connor Crumbliss with the 843rd overall pick. Crumbliss is only 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds, but he’s a threat on the basepaths as he swiped 30 bases this past season in 32 tries. In 2009 Crumbliss hit .397/.483/.619 with five home runs. He was Emporia’s starter in center field this year after he began his career as a second basemen with the program. Oakland announced him as a second basemen on draft day.

Both of these players should be relatively easy signs for the two teams if they wish to continue their careers, since they both graduated from their schools. They’re also a pair of underdogs worth rooting for.

With 20 rounds left to play out, here are some of the top players available for day three. Note that some of these players, since they haven’t been drafted already, might not hear their names called at all because of signability issues and the like.

Alabama

Jake Smith, 3b/rhp, Alabama

Luke Stewart, 1b, Alabama-Birmingham

Arizona

Jimmy Patterson, lhp/of, Central Arizona JC

Kevin Gelinas, lhp, Central Arizona JC

Arkansas

D.J. Baxendale, rhp, Sylvan Hills HS, Sherwood

Michael Bolsinger, rhp, Arkansas

[...] Continue Reading »

New Mexico outfielder Cameron Monger is one of the fastest players in the draft, but was just a role player for the Lobos this year. He’s raw at the plate, but the Padres took a chance on his tools and his Eric Byrnes-like body with their 27th-round pick.

Coco Beach lefthander Brian Johnson was another pitcher that showed well in front of about 100 scouts in Sebring a few weeks ago. He squeaked onto the back of our final Top 200 list, but fell to the 27th round and is likely headed to Florida.

Minnesota outfielder Eric Decker is one of the best pure athletes in the draft. He also plays wide receiver for the Golden Gophers and has said repeatedly that he’ll return for his senior year on the gridiron. That’s what caused him to last until the 27th round, though it could get interesting as the hometown Twins called his name.
[...] Continue Reading »

Providence High third baseman Richie Shaffer from Charlotte was one of the draft’s best power threats coming into the season, but his year was marred after surgery to repair a broken hamate bone in his left hand. The Dodgers took a chance on him in the 25th round, but they’ll likely have to buy him out of his commitment to Clemson, where he’ll play both ways.

Kennewick High righthander Tony Bryant entered the year slated to be the best prep pitcher in the state of Washington, but came into spring out of shape with stuff that was way down from where scouts saw him this fall. No injuries were reported, but his mechanics were different—possibly to the extra weight?—and he was a big disappointment in a state full of them. He’s a big kid that has shown flashes of greatness in the past, but will likely end up trying to reclaim his dominance in Corvallis with the Oregon State Beavers.
[...] Continue Reading »

Ryan Weber is a short righthander that was a 12th-rounder by the Phillies last year out of high school, but didn’t help his stock by going the junior college route. He went in the 22nd round this year to the Braves.

Another former draftee is the Reds’ 22nd-rounder, first baseman David Stewart. A great athlete, Stewart was also a standout volleyball player in high school before spending his freshman year at Nebraska and then this year at Grayson County College in Texas. Stewart is 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds with a lefthanded bat.

Talking to Arizona junior college coaches this spring, the name that kept popping up as the most impressive guy in the league was Merrill Kelly. Scouts didn’t like him as much (which explains how he lasted 665 picks deep), but opposing coaches gushed about the guy. It’s easy to see why: He probably beat them all, going 10-1, 1.51 with 95 strikeouts and 24 walks over 96 innings. His mechanics are a little rough and he doesn’t have jaw-breaking stuff, but he won my heart the moment I heard he experiments with an almost eephus-like, Bugs Bunny changeup.
[...] Continue Reading »

The Dodgers drafted Nick Akins and it’s the third time he’s been drafted. The Dodgers were the team that initially took a chance on him out of high school, in the 13th-round of 2006, but he didn’t sign. Then the Nationals took him in the 20th round last year, but he didn’t sign that time either. Akins hit .314 this spring and led NAIA Vanguard with 13 home runs and 15 doubles. Akins is now a left fielder with the same strengths and weaknesses as before. His sculpted build can produce massive home runs, but his inability to handle breaking and offspeed stuff frustrates scouts as much now as it did when he was a showcase star in high school. Always a tough sign, Akins has only one more year of draft eligibilty remaining, so his window may be closing. Maybe the third time’s a charm.

[...] Continue Reading »

After going with Deven Marrero the round before, the Reds took a chance on another highly-ranked Florida high school shortstop, this time with Gulliver Prep’s Stephen Perez. Perez has more present hitting ability than Marrero, showing off his surprising pop last summer during the home run derby prior to the Under Armour/Baseball Factor all-star game. Perez also has some juice from both sides of the plate, as he’s quick to the ball, balanced in his stance and athletic. Perez has a 60 arm that should be sufficient for shortstop. The only negatives for the 5-foot-10, 165-pounder are his lack of physical projection and big man’s hitting approach. At times, Perez has too much power for his own good, as he fares better when he uses the whole field. He’s a fringe-average runner, and while his arm profiles at shortstop, his range fits better at second. Like Marrero, he could end up in college at Miami.
[...] Continue Reading »

Lots of big names in the 17th round, of all places. Shortstop Deven Marrero hails from American Heritage High in Florida and is close friends with Royals prospect Eric Hosmer, his former teammate. The Reds selected Marrero, who is a very smooth fielder, but there are questions about his bat and he has made it clear to teams that he wants to attend Arizona State next year.

Surprise, surprise: the White Sox picked another toolsy outfielder in Rocky Mount (N.C.) High’s Brian Goodwin. But, as it may turn out, their 17th-round selection may end up being better than their first rounder, Jared Mitchell. Goodwin didn’t have a knockout spring and scared teams off when he chose Scott Boras Corp. as his advisers. Don’t be surprised if he ends up patrolling center field for the Tar Heels next season.

The Yankees took a shot on El Toro High righthander Chad Thompson. As you may remember, Thompson went under the knife for Tommy John surgery in early May. The 6-foot-8 righthander was highly touted coming into the year and if they want to buy him out of Arizona State and wait for him to heal, he could be a bargain in the 17th round.

The Red Sox picked one of the most interesting pitchers in my coverage area this year in Oregon State lefthander Kraig Sitton. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, the draft-eligible sophomore is rail thin. He started last summer in the West Coast Collegiate League but has been used sparingly by the Beavers. He pitched 25 innings last year and just 20 this spring. Believers see a late bloomer who could end up as a starter with a couple of winters in a professional weight room. Others aren’t sure he’ll ever fill out and see him as a bullpen specialist at best.

We rank the best tools in the draft but, unfortunately, we don’t have a "Best Mustache" category. If we did, the leader of the pack would likely be Pepperdine righthander Nathan Newman, who was the Tigers’ 17th-round pick.

Round 16 had two interesting players from Florida and two from California.

We ranked Florida center fielder Matt den Dekker as the 94th-best prospect heading into the draft, but he lasted until the 475th pick. He’s an excellent defender with plus range, he tracks balls well and plays hard. A preseason second-team All-American, den Dekker played for USA Baseball’s college national team last summer, hitting just .229 with one homer, and his offensive production has faltered this spring as well, making his draft position murky. Scouts still like his swing and struggle to explain his difficult season, as he was hitting .305 and slugging just .435 through 49 games. He could sign for above-slot money if the Pirates were serious about using the money saved from taking Tony Sanchez fourth overall throughout the rest of the draft.

In our final Draft Tracker before the big day, I noted that Scooter Gennett was trending down—and that’s the direction he headed, right down to the 16th round, when the Brewers took a shot on him with the 496th-overall selection. In Sebring, he looked a little sloppy in the field and didn’t hit well with wood. He’ll likely end up at  Florida State, where he’ll be draft eligible again as a sophomore.

On the other side of the country, Diablo Valley (Calif.) CC’s Ryan Palsha is a 6-foot-2 righthander that is long and loose. He throws an 88-91 mph fastball and a big curveball. He’s agressive with his stuff and throws strikes, but is still a little raw. Bill and Ted’s favorite pick would have to  be San Dimas High catcher Josh Leyland. BA bird dog Dave Perkin is a fan of the 6-foot-3, 225-pound backstop that ranked as our 145th-best prospect heading into the draft. Perkin wrote that, while Leyland needs some work behind the plate, he is one of the most mature and fundamentally-sound hitters in the state of California. The A’s picked Leyland as one of four quality catchers they popped over the first two days and he is committed to Washington State.

Mitchell High lefthander Patrick Schuster—he of the four consecutive no-hitters this spring—finally gets drafted, by the Diamondbacks. Schuster has some funk in his delivery, but throws in the upper 80s to low 90s with a good breaking ball and finds ways to miss bats. This is lower than Schuster was expected to go based on talent, so it’s likely he’ll head to Florida, as part of their strong recruiting class.

It was a down year for Idaho, but two players from The Gem State shined in the 13th round. JC of Southern Idaho righthander Tyler Curtis has a big body and he’ll need to watch his weight, but offers a fastball that’s been up as high as 94 mph this spring. He was picked by the Marlins. Lewis-Clark senior outfielder Sean Halton put up some impressive numbers for the Warriors this year and has some power, though his swing is stiff and he’s limited to a corner outfield spot. The Brewers selected him with the 406th-overall pick.
[...] Continue Reading »

Everyone here’s still entering rounds and putting the print magazine to bed, but now it’s time to pick back up with some blog thoughts. I’m on the even rounds, starting with Round 12.

• Nathan Karns, rhp, Nationals. Karns was a 10th-round pick out of high school and touched 94 mph at times at North Carolina State, then wound up transferring and just couldn’t put things together at Texas Tech. If he returns for his senior season, he could be part of a power rotation with potential 2010 first-rounder Chad Bettis.

• Jeffrey Inman, rhp, Pirates. Another former Cape League prospect, Inman had a late-season shoulder injury and a 2-6, 6.11 record this year that caused teams to have no idea what the real Inman is. He’s had success in the past, helping pitch the Cardinal to Omaha last season while going 7-2, 4.27. On balance, though, Inman has been more about potential than performance since his days as a high-rated prep pitcher in Bakersfield. Maybe this is a spot where the Pirates spend some of the money they saved by drafting Tony Sanchez at No. 4 overall. [...] Continue Reading »

The second day of the draft—which consisted of rounds 4 through 30—is in the bag, so to speak. We’re bustling around trying to get the magazine off to the printers and feeding the beast that is the Draft Database. We haven’t forgotten about the Draft Blog, though, so stay tuned for more round-by-round analysis.