2006 MLB Draft: Players From Illinois

Players signed indicated in Bold

Round Overall Team Player Position School Bonus
2 64 MIN Joe Benson of Joliet (Ill.) Catholic HS $575,000
The top position-player prospect in Illinois, Benson could have pursued college football had he so desired. He rushed for 2,183 yards (12.4 per carry) and scored 202 points last fall, concluding his high school gridiron career with 363 yards rushing and four touchdowns in the second round of the state 6-A playoffs. But Benson has decided to focus on baseball, where his combination of speed and power make him enticing. In a mid-May workout, he hit 11 of 20 pitches out of the park using a wood bat and ran from the right side of the plate to first base in 4.1 seconds. He also showed decent arm strength from center field, his projected position in college or pro ball after catching in high school. He lacks the arm to play behind the plate at higher levels. A solid 6-foot-2, 210-pounder, Benson also earns high marks for his gamer makeup and ability to make adjustments at the plate. He can get too aggressive at times, almost jumping out of his shoes to hit and chasing breaking balls, though at other times he'll display a more disciplined approach. His swing also has some effort to it. Benson reportedly wants top-five-round money to forgo playing at Purdue, and he may not go quite that high in the draft.
3 104 NYY Zach McAllister rhp Illinois Valley Central HS, Chillicothe, Ill. $368,000
McAllister's father Steve is the Central crosschecker for the Diamondbacks, and it's obvious Zach has soaked up some quality instruction. Though his body has added six inches and 60 pounds in the last two years, he has maintained a solid delivery. He can consistently throw a breaking ball for strikes and has good feel for a changeup, uncommon traits in a high school pitcher. McAlister started slowly after leading Illinois Valley Central to a runner-up finish in the state Class A basketball playoffs, but his fastball has climbed from 88-89 mph to 90-92 this spring. His slider could use more velocity, and that should come with time. Though McAllister has a thick lower half, he's a good athlete with a loose, quick arm. If he attends Nebraska, he'll get the chance to hit because he generates good leverage and power with his 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame. But it's more likely that he'll sign as a third- to fifth-rounder.
4 120 TOR Brandon Magee rhp Bradley $155,000
One of the more attractive senior signs in the 2006 draft, Magee could have gone in the eighth to 12th round a year ago if scouts had had a better feel for his signability. The extra year has helped him. He has gotten stronger and his stuff has improved. His fastball is up a tick to 89-94 mph with good life down in the zone and his slider is up to 81-84 mph with increased bite. He's commanding his pitches better as well. Magee also employs a changeup, and on his best days all three of his pitches will be average or better. He's just five strikeouts short of Bradley's career record of 262, which has stood since 1957. Magee's long, lean 6-foot-5, 190-pound frame continues to draw comparisons to Matt Clement's, though scouts don't care for his maximum-effort delivery. He's one of the oldest players in the draft, as he'll turn 23 in late July. A team looking for a senior discount without sacrificing much in the way of talent could take him as early as the fourth or fifth round.
5 164 NYY George Kontos rhp Northwestern $158,000
Kontos has frustrated area scouts more than any pitcher in the Midwest this spring. After starring in the Cape Cod League last summer, he was 2-10, 5.42, leaving him one off the NCAA Division I lead for losses despite pitching for a Northwestern team that finished second in the Big 10 Conference. Kontos has a higher ceiling than any prospect in Illinois, but he just hasn't performed. At his best, Kontos has a pair of plus pitches in a 90-94 mph fastball and an 84-87 mph slider. He has a strong 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame and his arm works well. But he doesn't have an effective offspeed pitch and he doesn't repeat his delivery well. As a result, he can't locate his fastball and slider with much precision, so he gives up more hits and walks than someone with his stuff should. Despite his disappointing performance, he still could go as early as the fourth round. He may flourish more as a pro, pitching against wood bats and coming out of the bullpen.
6 187 PHI Dan Brauer lhp Northwestern $150,000
A torn labrum is usually the kiss of death for a pitcher, but lefthander Dan Brauer has made a miraculous recovery. After tying for the Cape Cod League in wins and ranking second in strikeouts in 2004, he was set to be an early-round pick last year. But his shoulder started bothering him at the end of that summer and he had surgery that kept him out for all of last season. Brauer had no trouble coming back this spring, and his stuff is all the way back. He was the Big 10 Conference pitcher of the year and threw a no-hitter against Michigan State. His fastball velocity has increased slightly to 86-90 mph, and the pitch still has good sink and deception. His curveball is still effective, and he regained his feel for his changeup, though he needs to use it more often. And he continues to work both sides of the plate and keep the ball down. Brauer doesn't have the physical talent of his Northwestern teammate George Kontos, but he could slide ahead of him in the draft to a team that values consistency and results over raw potential. Brauer also has a better chance than Kontos to remain a starter in the long term.
6 196 STL Tyler Norrick lhp Southern Illinois $45,000
Norrick remains an enigma. He was the top college pitching prospect in the state last year and could have gone in the fifth or sixth round had he not spooked scouts about his signability. The Blue Jays took him in the 17th round and offered him the $150,000 they thought he wanted, only to have him turn it down. He missed a month with shoulder inflammation this spring and got so down on himself that he announced he would retire from baseball at the end of the season. He since has changed his mind, but scouts aren't sure what to make of him. At his best he'll show a lively 88-93 mph fastball and a good slider, and he could make a nifty lefty reliever. He rushes his delivery, putting stress on his shoulder and hurting his command. Norrick could be a bargain as a senior sign--if he has the desire to succeed in pro ball.
7 208 TEX Grant Gerrard of Southern Illinois $27,500
Gerrard is the state's only college position player generating much interest, and scouts are divided on his value. Those who like him appreciate his pro body (6-foot-4, 215 pounds), athleticism and short, quick lefthanded swing. He has raw power, a patient approach, slightly above-average speed and a solid arm. But despite all his tools, there's some question as to whether he'll have the home run power teams want in a right fielder. Gerrard, who began his college career at Washington, might have signed last year if a broken wrist hadn't damaged his draft stock. The Mariners selected him in the 16th round anyway, and he'll go higher in 2006 as a senior sign.
8 246 MIN Brian Dinkelman 2b McKendree (Ill.) College $13,000
McKendree shortstop Brian Dinkelman broke former big leaguer Randy Velarde's NAIA career records for hits (373) and assists (679) and set new standards for runs (303), doubles (96) and total bases (670). The NAIA player of the year, he hit .462-17-65 and led the NAIA with 82 runs, 34 doubles and an .899 slugging percentage. Dinkelman should be a mid-round draft pick because he's a strong lefthanded hitter with decent tools. He's a little stiff and lacks the footwork to play shortstop, so he'll have to move to second base or the outfield, leading to increased expectations with his bat.
10 314 NYY Casey Erickson rhp Springfield (Ill.) JC $80,000
Erickson's stock is on the rise again. The nephew of former big league pitcher Roger Erickson, he emerged as Illinois' top high school pitcher in 2004 but dropped off the map last year when he rarely exceeded the mid-80s with his fastball. Erickson got scouts back in his corner when he touched 93-94 mph on an early-season trip to Arizona, and he has pitched at 87-91 mph for much of the spring. His curveball and changeup are solid secondary pitches, and he throws strikes despite a long arm action. He could go as high as the 10th round.
12 359 CHC Kitt Kopach rhp Illinois State
12 365 FLA Brad Stone rhp Quincy (Ill.)
A 31st-round pick of the Astros as a draft-eligible sophomore a year ago, righthander Brad Stone opened 2006 with a no-hitter against Lincoln (Ill.) Junior College. He has a lean 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame that generates 90-91 mph fastball. He can dial his fastball up to 93, though it could use more life and command. He also has a hard breaking ball that has improved but still rates as fringy. Whoever drafts Stone probably will send him to the bullpen and hope he can get by with velocity.
12 371 CLE Dan Frega rhp Illinois State
16 475 BAL Justin Johnson c Illinois-Chicago
20 615 CWS Wade Kapteyn rhp Illiana Christian HS, Lansing, Ill.
Kapteyn is the type of pitcher who could blossom into a first-rounder if he spends a few years improving in college, but he's good enough now that a club probably will sign him somewhere between the third and fifth rounds. He has explosive sink on his 89-93 mph fastball, and it could become a pitch with plus-plus velocity and plus-plus life. His secondary pitches aren't as refined as Zach McAllister's, but Kapteyn has made progress with his 80-82 mph slider and his changeup. If he doesn't turn pro and attends Evansville instead, he'll be draft-eligible again as a sophomore in 2008. McAllister's brother Braden, a shortstop at Illiana Christian, is one of the better sophomores in Illinois.
21 617 KC Burke Baldwin lhp Elgin (Ill.) CC
22 673 BOS Michael Christl rhp Bradley
Christl helped his cause by flashing a 93-94 mph fastball during the fall, but his draft status is cloudy. He's a 6-foot-4, 185-pounder with a feel for three pitches, but he flies open in his delivery and puts stress on his shoulder, which led to him missing a month with shoulder tendinitis this spring. Christl mostly pitched at 87-91 mph, and he still has work to do with his curveball and changeup.
23 687 ARI Derrick Walker of Wabash Valley (Ill.) JC
25 759 HOU Jamaal Hollis rhp Whitney Young HS, Chicago
26 789 HOU Lenell McGee 3b Mount Carmel (Ill.) HS
27 809 CHC Cedric Redmond rhp Joliet (Ill.) Township HS
28 829 TB Andrew Hagins of Oak Park (Ill.) River Forest HS
28 839 CHC Brett Summers rhp South Suburban (Ill.) CC
At the Area Code Games two years ago, righthander Brett Summers had the best arm among Midwest pitchers--better than Michael Bowden, a Red Sox supplemental first-round pick in 2005. Summers also entered last year with high draft hopes, but a disappointing spring and a commitment to Virginia caused him to slide to the 36th round, where the Yankees took him. Summers wound up at South Suburban Junior College, though his brief stay at Virginia cost the Yankees his draft rights. He didn't have a good spring and pitched at 85-88 mph, but he was drafted on the basis of his body (6-foot-6, 185 pounds) and past velocity (90-93 mph). UPDATE: Signed, contract later voided.
28 856 STL Luke Gregerson rhp Saint Xavier (Ill.) Univ.
29 880 ATL Andrew Dunn rhp John A. Logan (Ill.) JC
29 883 BOS Devin Foreman 1b Hales Franciscan HS, Chicago
30 897 ARI Clay Zavada lhp Southern Illinois-Edwardsville
30 910 ATL David Berres of South Suburban (Ill.) JC
31 940 ATL Eric Barrett lhp John A. Logan (Ill.) JC $150,000
34 1026 MIN Marcel Champagnie ss Kaskaskia (Ill.) CC
34 1034 NYY Tyler Ladendorf ss Maine West HS, Des Plaines, Ill.
Shortstop Tyler Ladendorf generated buzz as a football and baseball star in his first two years at Maine West. But he tore a labrum diving back into a base during the state playoffs in 2004, and reinjured it that fall. When he had surgery, doctors discovered that his labrum had disintegrated. Ladendorf didn't play in 2005, but his all-around athleticism has been back on display this spring. His swing, strength and speed are all pro-caliber, and he even has some arm strength (albeit with restricted range of motion). Ladendorf should hit enough if he can stay at shortstop, but scouts aren't sure how well his bat will play if he has to move to a less demanding defensive position. The Yankees will try to answer that question by letting him go to Howard (Texas) Junior College as a draft-and-follow.
39 1163 LAD Jake Debus lhp Moraine Valley (Ill.) CC
39 1171 WAS Andrew Doyle rhp Alleman HS, Rock Island, Ill.
Scouts put righthander Andrew Doyle in the same class as Zach McAllister and Wade Kapteyn, but they'll have to wait three years to get him because he's strongly committed to Oklahoma. His stuff isn't quite as good as McAllister's and Kapteyn's, but it could be down the road. Doyle is projectable at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds and just needs refinement. He achieves nice run and sink on an 89-90 mph fastball that tops out at 92, and he spins a hard breaking ball. He may need to raise his arm angle from its present low three-quarters slot to achieve more consistency.
41 1220 PIT Scott Kuhns rhp Parkland (Ill.) CC
41 1240 ATL Keegan Dennis rhp White County HS, Carmi, Ill.
42 1253 LAD Joe Dispensa of St. Rita HS, Chicago
42 1263 SD Luke Stewart 3b Normal (Ill.) Community West HS
The son of former Illinois State head coach and current Padres area scout Jeff Stewart, third baseman Luke Stewart is a physically impressive high schooler ticketed for college. Stewart wants second- or third-round money to pass up attending Georgia, and he won't get it in this draft. He could in three years, however, because he's a 6-foot-4, 190-pounder with a pretty lefthanded swing. He already has some backspin power, and he'll hit more homers as he matures physically. His arm is average and his hands are decent at third base, though scouts wonder if he'll have to shift to first base down the road.
42 1268 HOU Kevin Sullivan c York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.
46 1370 CIN Jordan Tiegs rhp Sauk Valley (Ill.) CC
47 1400 SF Ryan Bradley lhp Mattoon (Ill.) HS
47 1408 FLA Brooks Martin rhp Streator (Ill.) HS
47 1411 HOU Mike Pericht c Providence Catholic HS, New Lenox, Ill.
48 1438 PHI Nick Morreale c Vernon Hills (Ill.) HS
49 1471 BOS P.J. Thomas rhp Wabash Valley (Ill.) CC

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