BaseballAmerica.com: Draft: Draft Preview: 2011 Draft: Updated Top 60

2011 Draft: Updated Top 60

Staff Report
May 16, 2011

Three weeks before the big day, here's how the Top 60 prospects (first round and supplemental first round) stack up. . .

RANK	PLAYER	POS	SCHOOL
1	Anthony Rendon	3B	Rice	Injuries not long-term concern—will be a special defender with 20-30 HR power
2	Gerrit Cole	RHP	UCLA	Struggling lately, but still has a fastball that sits 94-98, plus slider and changeup
3	Danny Hultzen	LHP	Virginia	Has always pitched well for a good team and stuff is up a tick this spring
4	Trevor Bauer	RHP	UCLA	Leading the country in innings pitched, complete games and strikeouts
5	Dylan Bundy	RHP	Owasso (Okla.) HS	Sticks the plant foot in his delivery as well as anyone, leading to great command of his impressive arsenal
6	Bubba Starling	OF	Gardner-Edgerton HS, Gardner, Kan.	Committed to Nebraska for football and baseball, profiles as a five-tool center fielder
7	Jed Bradley	LHP	Georgia Tech	Fastball up to 94, above-average slider and changeup from a durable-bodied lefty
8	Francisco Lindor	SS	Montverde (Fla.) Academy	Slick-fielding shortstop has some pop as a switch-hitter, a strong arm and excellent makeup
9	Sonny Gray	RHP	Vanderbilt	Undersized bulldog shows an above-average fastball/curveball combination with an improving changeup
10	Taylor Jungmann	RHP	Texas	Sits 91-93, touching 95 with a hard breaking ball; delivery is a little stiff, but has an excellent track record
11	George Springer	OF	Connecticut	Every tool in the book and cut down strikeouts significantly this year, but walks are also way down
12	Taylor Guerrieri	RHP	Spring Valley HS, Columbia, S.C.	Great frame, athletic delivery and the chance for four plus pitches
13	Archie Bradley	RHP	Broken Arrow (Okla.) HS	Two-sport star was inconsistent this spring, but back to normal lately—helped Broken Arrow win state title
14	Matt Barnes	RHP	Connecticut	Sitting 92-96 with a hard curveball and an above-average changeup
15	Josh Bell	OF	Dallas Jesuit HS	Probably won't stay in center field but has plenty of power for a corner
16	Blake Swihart	C	Cleveland HS, Rio Rancho, N.M.	New to switch-hitting, new to catching, very high upside for both
17	Daniel Norris	LHP	Science Hill HS, Johnson City, Tenn.	Sits 90-93 from the left side but can get it up to 96 with a good curveball and great makeup
18	Javier Baez	SS	Arlington Country Day School, Jacksonville, Fla.	Loaded with tools but plays with a chip on his shoulder—similar in both regards to Brett Lawrie
19	Jose Fernandez	RHP	Alonso HS, Tampa	Physical Cuban has a fastball that touches 98 along with a hammer curveball
20	Mikie Mahtook	OF	Louisiana State	Hitting a ton this year but future value really depends on whether or not he can stay in center field
21	Alex Meyer	RHP	Kentucky	No questioning the stuff, finally putting things together this season
22	Levi Michael	SS	North Carolina	Solid track record as a switch-hitter and enough tools to stay at shortstop
23	John Stilson	RHP	Texas A&M	Flashes three plus pitches (fastball, changeup and curveball); could stick as a starter or move quickly in relief
24	Tyler Anderson	LHP	Oregon	Hasn't shown the arm strength of Jed Bradley, but has a deeper arsenal with more polish
25	Robert Stephenson	RHP	Alhambra HS, Martinez, Calif.	Lanky, projectable righthander has been up to 97 mph this season
26	C.J. Cron	1B	Utah	Has 80 raw power on the 20-80 scouting scale and can hit for average, too
27	Kolten Wong	2B	Hawaii	Undersized sparkplug is one of the draft's best pure bats
28	Austin Hedges	C	Jserra HS, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.	Outstanding catch-and-throw skills, but questions with the bat and signability
29	Andrew Susac	C	Oregon State	Returned to catching this weekend after being out a month following hamate surgery
30	Dillon Howard	RHP	Searcy (Ark.) HS	Physical righthander has a heavy fastball and improving secondary stuff; hasn't been helped by poor weather
31	Cory Spangenberg	3B	Indian River State (Fla.) JC	Above-average runner and one of the draft's best pure hitters earns Chris Coghlan comparisons
32	Matt Purke	LHP	Texas Christian	Entered the year as the No. 3 prospect, but big concerns about the health of his shoulder have him slipping
33	Henry Owens	LHP	Edison HS, Huntington Beach, Calif.	Tall and projectable, already touching 94 mph, lots of experience against good competition
34	Jackie Bradley	OF	South Carolina	Hurt wrist means he won't be able to answer questions about his hitting approach, other tools all play up
35	Tyler Beede	RHP	Lawrence Academy, Groton, Mass.	Sits 88-93 but can touch 95, shows an above-average changeup and improving curveball; Vanderbilt commit
36	Joe Ross	RHP	Bishop O'Dowd HS, Oakland	More fluid than his brother, Tyson, sitting 92-93 this spring, touching 96, some questions about his health
37	Andrew Chafin	LHP	Kent State	Another lefthanded Tommy John guy, not as overpowering as Oregon State's Josh Osich: 90-92, touches 95; tiring lately
38	Jorge Lopez	RHP	Academia de Milagrosa, Cayey, P.R.	Projectable body with present stuff—up to 93 with a good breaking ball and a feel for pitching for his age
39	Trevor Story	SS	Irving (Texas) HS	Power is his weakest tool, but has a chance to be five-tool shortstop that plays with a lot of energy
40	Josh Osich	LHP	Oregon State	Missed last year with Tommy John surgery, but back to 97 mph this spring, slowly mixing in secondary stuff
41	Brandon Nimmo	OF	East HS, Cheyenne, Wyo.	Athletic outfielder with a pure, lefthanded swing—a bit of a wild card with no high school baseball in Wyoming
42	Alex Dickerson	OF	Indiana	Above-average bat with the chance for above-average power, but probably moves to 1B
43	Kyle Winkler	RHP	Texas Christian	Short, stocky righthander picking up the slack after Purke got hurt—sits 91-94 with a much-improved slider
44	Brian Goodwin	OF	Miami-Dade JC	Toolsy outfielder earning Jacque Jones comparisons is draft-eligible a year early after leaving North Carolina
45	Michael Fulmer	RHP	Deer Creek HS, Edmond, Okla.	The third wheel after Bundy and Bradley, impressive in his own right (up to 96 mph)
46	Dillon Maples	RHP	Pinecrest HS, Southern Pines, N.C.	Shows big velocity and flashes a plus curveball, but questions about stiffness in delivery
47	Kyle Crick	RHP	Sherman (Texas) HS	Huge frame with lots of sink on mid-90s fastball, stock is on the rise
48	Sean Gilmartin	LHP	Florida State	Fastball is up a tick from last year (now sitting 88-91) to go along with a plus changeup and improving slider
49	Dwight Smith Jr.	OF	McIntosh HS, Peachtree City, Ga.	Polished bat from the left side, but the rest of his tools are fringe-average
50	Tony Zych	RHP	Louisville	Sits 95-97 and touches 99 consistently; slider is solid but has some funk to his delivery
51	Kes Carter	OF	Western Kentucky	Impressive athlete with tools to stay in center field, some pop from the left side and hard-nosed play
52	Granden Goetzman	OF	Palmetto (Fla.) HS	Great combination of above-average speed and power, lots of helium this spring
53	Williams Jerez	OF	Grand Street HS, Brooklyn	Moved to New York from the Dominican and shows an impressive package of tools
54	Matt Dean	3B	The Colony (Texas) HS	Redeemed himself after a so-so summer; has the quickness, arm and power to play third base
55	Anthony Meo	RHP	Coastal Carolina	Big velocity (93-94, touches 96), but the ball flattens out—projects more as a reliever
56	Ricky Oropessa	1B/3B	Southern California	Probably moves to first base, but has easy plus power as a lefthanded hitter
57	Hudson Boyd	RHP	Bishop Verot HS, Fort Myers, Fla.	Thick, mature body but big stuff—sitting low 90s and bumping 96 with a tight, 12-6 curveball
58	Aaron Westlake	1B	Vanderbilt	Performed well on the Cape and impressive lefthanded power continues to show this spring
59	Chris Reed	LHP	Stanford	Sits 92-94 out of Stanford's bullpen with good secondary stuff—could start as a pro
60	Adam Conley	LHP	Washington State	Has a power sinker and changeup but slider needs to be sharper

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