BaseballAmerica.com: Draft: Draft Database

Miami Marlins

Players signed indicated in Bold

Round	Overall	Player	Position	School	State	Bonus
1	9	Andrew Heaney	LHP	Oklahoma State	Okla.	$2,600,000
Scouts have raved about Heaney's quick arm and clean, effortless delivery since he was at Putnam City (Okla.) High. He beat Marlins first-rounder Chad James in a head-to-head matchup as a senior in 2009 and would have gone higher than the 24th round to the Rays had he not been intent on attending Oklahoma State. Heaney has led the Cowboys in wins in each of his three college seasons and has seen his stuff improve as a junior this spring. The 6-foot-2, 174-pounder has added 2-3 mph to his fastball, which now sits at 90-92 mph and touches 95 mph. He's not afraid to pitch inside with his heater and can spot it to both sides of the plate. Heaney's three-quarters breaking ball and his changeup are both solid pitches that play up because of his plus command. He not only throws strikes but also generates swings and misses, and in mid-May he trailed only projected Duke first-rounder Marcus Stroman in the NCAA Division I strikeout race. In a down year for lefthanded pitching, Heaney is clearly the best college southpaw available and should go off the board in the middle of the first round.
3	104	Avery Romero	3B	Menendez HS, St. Augustine, Fla.	Fla.	$700,000
Romero is committed to Florida, but he's not likely to get to school because of his bat, one of the best in a competitive pool of hitters in the Southeast. Romero is active in the batter's box and has an average frame at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds. He has hand strength, a short swing and hand-eye coordination that allow him to lash line drives from gap to gap, and some scouts project him to have above-average power. Others see him as an above-average hitter with average power and wonder where he profiles. His somewhat thick lower half and below-average speed will move him off shortstop, and he may not have enough power for third. He has the lateral quickness to stay in the dirt, possibly moving to second, and his plus arm makes some scouts wonder if he should try catching. Romero has resisted those suggestions to this point. Clubs that believe in his power see him as a third baseman and could jump on him early.
3s	127	Kolby Copeland	OF	Parkway HS, Bossier City, La.	La.	$367,200
Copeland is frequently compared to Arkansas' D'Vone McClure, though they bat from different sides of the plate. Copeland is a physical, explosive athlete with power and speed from the left side. At 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, he also was a fine high school football player, though his speed doesn't play as well in baseball, where he's an average runner. He's more notable for his bat speed and good swing path, as his bat stays in the hitting zone a long time. Copeland made a lot of hard contact and projects to have average or better power. His defensive tools are average but he may wind up in left field eventually, placing higher demands on his bat. Scouts who don't buy in say that he swings and misses too much. He sat out the first part of high school season serving a suspension stemming from an underage drinking and driving arrest in December, but he had performed well since returning. For video of Copeland click here.
4	137	Austin Dean	2B	Klein Collins HS, Spring, Texas	Texas	$367,200
Klein Collins had legitimate state- and national-title aspirations until shortstop C.J. Hinojosa and lefthander Cody Geisler succumbed to shoulder injuries. The only Tigers star who stayed healthy was Dean, who moved from first base to second after Hinojosa went down. One of the top high school hitters in Texas, Dean makes consistent hard contact from the right side of the plate. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder has the swing and bat speed to hit for both average and power. He has some athleticism and close to average speed, but a lack of arm strength and footwork limits him defensively and knocks him down draft boards a bit. Dean could get a chance at second base, though left field could be his ultimate destination. Like Hinojosa, he's expected to attend Texas rather than turn pro.
5	167	Austin Nola	SS	Louisiana State	La.	$75,000
Austin Nola has been drafted twice already, never higher than the 31st round. He was playing at a higher level as a senior, having played with younger brother Aaron, a righthander who should be a high draft pick in 2014. The 6-foot, 188-pound shortstop plays with confidence, especially on defense, where his hands are sure and his feet surprisingly nimble considering his below-average speed. He lacks impact with his bat, though he has improved his plate discipline and contact ability slightly over the course of his career. He's a career .296 hitter who gives consistent effort and performance while lacking upside.
6	197	Anthony Gomez	SS	Vanderbilt	Tenn.	$187,000
At 6-0, 185 pounds, Gomez has average size and average tools with outsized confidence that serves him well. He's a college shortstop who fits better at second or as a utility infielder thanks to his contact-oriented approach and average tools. Gomez has average speed and handles the bat well. He has sure hands and is a consistent defender on balls he gets to. He has little power to speak of with three career home runs for Vanderbilt.
7	227	Ryan Newell	RHP	Shorter (Ga.)	Ga.	$147,600
A 6-foot-3, 215-pounder, Newell had a productive year at the NAIA level, going 9-4, 3.53 as a junior with 110 strikeouts in 82 innings. He also walked 58. Newell doesn't have a great feel for throwing strikes but has flashed good velocity with some 92-94 mph fastball readings at his best.
8	257	Drew Steckenrider	RHP	Tennessee	Tenn.	$137,900
Steckenrider annoyed area scouts in high school with his inconsistent effort while teasing them with his tools. After two subpar seasons at a sinking Tennessee program, Steckenrider shook some of his past reputation by performing well as a relief pitcher for new coach Dave Serrano. Physically gifted at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, Steckenrider has huge raw power as a hitter but lacks the feel for the barrel to hit for average and fit a right-field profile. Instead, he'll go out on the mound, where he overpowers hitters with a 92-96 mph fastball. He may develop better secondary stuff once he gives up hitting and focuses on pitching full-time. He lacks the instincts to start despite pounding the zone with a plus fastball; his changeup improved under Serrano's tutelage but his breaking ball remains below-average.
9	287	Nick Wittgren	RHP	Purdue	Ind.	$128,800
Not only did Purdue end a 103-year Big Ten Conference title drought this spring, but it also should have three players selected in the top 10 rounds of the draft for the first time ever. Catcher Kevin Plawecki and third baseman Cameron Perkins do most of the heavy lifting for the offense, while Wittgren has been lights out as a closer in two years with Boilermakers and in the Cape Cod League last summer. The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder repeatedly gets swings and misses with his fastball, which sits at 88-91 mph and peaks at 93. His deceptive delivery allows his heater to jump on hitters and seem much quicker. His curveball is an average second pitch, a hard 76-80 mph breaker that he can throw for strikes. A good athlete, Wittgren was better known as a shortstop in high school and became a full-time pitcher at Parkland (Ill.) JC in 2010.
10	317	Ron Miller	1B	Serra HS, Gardena, Calif.	Calif.	$125,000
Miller, who opted to play in a wood-bat scout league this spring instead of for his high school, stands out for his raw righthanded power, which rates as above-average. Built like Charlie Hayes, he has an innate ability to hit and is learning to make adjustments, though he still chases pitches out of the zone too often. He plays third base now but has no chance to stay at the position, and he'll need a lot of work to be a passable first baseman. He does run well enough to play a corner outfield spot. Miller is considered very signable.
11	347	Matt Milroy	RHP	Illinois	Ill.	$100,000
Milroy has the best pure stuff of any draft-eligible pitcher in the Big Ten Conference this year, but his inability to harness it has relegated him to the Illinois bullpen. As a reliever, he can sit at 91-93 mph and touch 95 with his fastball, though he often has to dial down the velocity in order to find the strike zone. His 82-85 mph slider gives him a second plus pitch and can be more devastating than his heater, though he gets around his breaking ball at times. Scouts love Milroy's arm but wonder if he'll ever develop control, command, consistency and toughness.
12	377	Christian Rivera	SS	Nueva Superior Vocacional HS, Loiza, P.R.	P.R.	$100,000
13	407	Blake Logan	RHP	Eastern Oklahoma State JC	Okla.	$125,000
14	437	Michael Vaughn	C	Fresno Pacific	Calif.
Vaughn is a quadruplet and his uncle, Shawn Gilbert, spent 17 years in pro ball, including parts of three seasons in the big leagues. Vaughn has a solid frame at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds and shows average receiving skills and above-average arm strength behind the plate. He has a wristy swing with some power and his bat profiles better for power than pure average. He started off the season hot, but his timing and pitch recognition were off a little after he broke his hamate bone. Vaughn is a hard-worker who calls his own game. In a year thin on catchers, Vaughn could be drafted in a good spot because of his ability to stay behind the plate and intriguing power potential.
15	467	Cody Keefer	OF	UCLA	Calif.	$100,000
Keefer's best asset is his lefthanded bat. He has a patient, balanced approach and an innate feel for his barrel, allowing him to make consistent line-drive contact. He has never hit for power in college (he has three career homers in 156 games) and is more of a doubles hitter. His lack of pop keeps him from profiling as an everyday left fielder. He's an adequate defender with fringy range and below-average arm strength, though he is an accurate thrower. He is an average runner, but scouts don't see him as a center fielder.
16	497	Brian Ellington	RHP	West Florida	Fla.
17	527	Bubba Keene	OF	Brookhaven (Miss.) Academy	Miss.
Keene is a raw, 6-foot-4, 190-pound athlete who intends to play football and baseball at Copiah-Lincoln JC in Mississippi. He had some late looks from scouts because of his physical frame and above-average speed but was more athlete than baseball player at this point.
18	557	Patrick Merkling	LHP	Lee (Tenn.)	Tenn.
19	587	Cody Gunter	3B	Flower Mound (Texas) HS	Texas
Gunter entered the season as one of the better offensive prospects among Texas high schoolers. He still is, but scouts have taken more of a liking to him on the mound. He's still learning as a pitcher, but he shows the possibility for three solid offerings in his 90-92 mph fastball, slider and splitter. He's a good athlete with projection remaining in his 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame. Though he'll probably get drafted as a pitcher, he's also a lefthanded hitter who can produce for both average and power. He has the arm strength and agility to play a quality third base as well. If he doesn't turn pro, Gunter will attend Kansas State.
20	617	Jordan Hillyer	RHP	Hebron Christian Academy, Dacula, Ga.	Ga.
21	647	Hayden Fox	LHP	Oakland	Mich.
22	677	Robert Ravago	RHP	Arizona State	Ariz.
23	707	Cameron Flynn	OF	Kentucky	Ky.
24	737	Matt Juengel	3B	Texas A&M	Texas
25	767	Dane Stone	RHP	St. Thomas (Fla.)	Fla.
26	797	Seth Grant	RHP	Appalachian State	N.C.
27	827	Justin Jackson	RHP	Sam Houston State	Texas
28	857	Casey McCarthy	RHP	Cal State San Bernardino	Calif.
29	887	Blake Barnes	RHP	Oklahoma State	Okla.
30	917	David Cruz	C	Miami (no school)	Fla.
31	947	Lucas Hunter	SS	Central Catholic HS, Portland, Ore.	Ore.
32	977	Ty Williams	RHP	Sulphur (Okla.) HS	Okla.
33	1007	Steve Weber	RHP	Eastern Michigan	Mich.
34	1037	Patrick Claussen	3B	Washington State	Wash.
35	1067	Chad Christensen	OF	Nebraska	Neb.
Christensen projects as an outfielder in pro ball and Nebraska planned on playing him there this year, but the Cornhuskers eventually needed him back at shortstop. He got off to a hot start at the plate but slumped late, leading to questions about his bat, but he does have bat speed and some righthanded pop. The 6-foot-3, 206-pounder lacks the arm strength to play shortstop at the next level, but his plus speed gives him the chance to play center field. His athleticism and makeup could make him a utilityman.
36	1097	Kendall Graveman	RHP	Mississippi State	Miss.
Graveman stepped into the weekend rotation this season and was an excellent wing man for ace Chris Stratton, complementing Stratton's power approach with average velocity on his two-seamer, usually sitting in the 87-89 mph range. Graveman doesn't miss a lot of bats, but he had given up only one homer all year. He has a decent slider and average to plus changeup with similar sink as his two-seam fastball. His best attribute is his smooth, easy delivery, which contributes to his excellent control (19 walks in 86 innings).
37	1127	Eddie Sappelt	OF	Southern Alamance HS, Graham, N.C.	N.C.
38	1157	Chipper Smith	LHP	Cumberland (Tenn.)	Tenn.
39	1187	Marcus Greene	C	Vista Del Lago HS, Moreno Valley, Calif.	Calif.
40	1217	Alex Polston	SS	Albert HS, Midwest City, Okla.	Okla.

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