2005 Draft Scouting Reports: New Mexico
By Allan Simpson
May 26, 2005
| THIS YEAR'S CROP |
| ***** |
One for the books |
| **** |
Banner year |
| *** |
Solid, not spectacular |
| ** |
Not up to par |
| * |
Nothing to see here |
New Mexico baseball has drawn some national attention this year, most
notably Albuquerque’s La Cueva High, which broke a nearly 40-year-old
national high school record with 68 consecutive wins on its way to a third
straight 5-A state title. For all the team and individual accomplishments,
though, the state should have a minimal impact on the draft, with no picks
in the first eight to 10 rounds.
(National ranking in parentheses)
| Potential First-Round Picks |
| None |
| Potential Second-Fifth Round Picks |
| None |
| Others Of Note |
1. Cody Harkcom, rhp, New Mexico JC
2. Greg Wilborn, lhp, Eldorado HS, Albuquerque
3. Brian Flores, lhp, New Mexico JC (CONTROL: White Sox)
4. Brian Cavazos-Galvez, 1b, Manzano HS, Albuquerque
5. Adam Harvey, c/1b, New Mexico State U.
6. Kyle Weiland, rhp, Eldorado HS, Albuquerque
7. Xardiel Cotto, 2b, New Mexico State U.
8. Mark Aranda, of, New Mexico State U.
9. Renny Osuna, 2b, New Mexico JC
10. Seth Johnson, of, La Cueva HS, Albuquerque
|
OTHERS TO WATCH
(Numbers in parentheses indicate rank in New Mexico)
The best talent in New Mexico is at New Mexico Junior College, which went 50-10 this year, hit a national-high .411 as a team (in one of the few junior college leagues that still uses aluminum bats) and earned its first appearance in the Junior College World Series.
For all its firepower, the team’s two best prospects are pitchers: LHP Brian Flores (3) and RHP Cody Harkcom (1). Flores, a 22nd-round pick of the White Sox in 2004, led the nation in strikeouts, but scouts say Harkcom has better stuff. He has two above-average pitches: a 91-95 mph fastball and an 82-83 mph slider. After going undrafted last year, he improved his stock by throwing more strikes and getting more run on his fastball from a lower arm slot. The more slightly built Flores assembled a 10-1, 2.28 record this year with 123 strikeouts in 79 innings. He showed better command of a three-pitch assortment that included a 92 mph fastball and a solid 12-to-6 curveball.
New Mexico JC’s best everyday player is sophomore 2B Renny Osuna (9), who hit .435-4-60. He has legitimate bat speed, along with average speed on the bases and average arm strength. As a Venezuela native, his draft status could be affected by the limit on visas to foreign players.
Senior OF Mark Aranda (8) put up more impressive numbers while leading NCAA Division I hitters with 85 RBIs, but his New Mexico State teammate, sophomore C/1B Adam Harvey (5), created more of a stir among scouts. Harvey was limited primarily to a DH role this spring because of arm surgery that forced him to redshirt last year at Grayson County (Texas) Junior College. The former Texas 2-A football player of the year enjoyed a breakthrough season at the plate, hitting .338-11-49.
LHP Greg Wilborn (2) and RHP Kyle Weiland (6) led Eldorado High to the state 5-A championship game and a showdown against La Cueva High, which prevailed in extra innings to extend its record over a three-year period to 86-1. Wilborn has a 90-91 mph fastball with a good curve and plenty of room for development in his 6-foot-1, 155-pound frame. He went 4-4 on the season but got his team into the final against La Cueva by throwing a one-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts, which cemented him as the state’s top high school prospect. The 6-foot-4, 175-pound Weiland also touches 90, but he has less projection than Wilborn . Wilborn is committed to Louisiana-Lafayette, and Weiland is committed to Notre Dame.
The most intriguing high school prospect may be 6-foot, 225-pound 1B Brian Cavazos-Galvez (4), who led the state with a .610 average and set a school record with 14 homers. He has legitimate power, while his other tools are playable. Cavazos-Galvez is the son of Balvino Galvez, who played briefly for the Dodgers in 1986 and pitched in Albuquerque for the Dodgers’ Triple-A farm club as recently as 1992. Brian was five at the time and hasn’t spoken to his father since.
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