2013 Draft Top 50 Prospects

Our Feb. 1 look at the top prospects for the June draft

Staff Report
February 1, 2013


The talent at the top is lighter than most years, and there is little in the way of college catchers and shortstops this year, but there is some intriguing overall depth, especially among lefthanded starting pitchers and third basemen.

2013 TOP 50 DRAFT PROSPECTS
RK.	PLAYER	POS	SCHOOL
1.	Mark Appel	RHP	Stanford
The eighth overall pick from 2012 is back for his senior year and still shows a frontline arsenal.
2.	Sean Manaea	LHP	Indiana State
Broke out in the Cape Cod League with his 94-96 mph fastball and developing slider.
3.	Austin Meadows	OF	Grayson HS, Loganville, Ga.
Clemson recruit has polished lefthanded bat and shows five-tool potential.
4.	Clint Frazier	OF	Loganville (Ga.) HS
Explosive athlete has an exciting power-speed combination, evidenced by his 24 home runs and 14 stolen bases as a junior.
5.	Ryne Stanek	RHP	Arkansas
Third-round pick out of high school is now the second-best righthander in the class, thanks to his mid-90s fastball and plus slider.
6.	Colin Moran	3B	North Carolina
The nephew of B.J. Surhoff has a smooth lefthanded stroke and is the best pure hitter in the class.
7.	Jonathan Denney	C	Yukon (Okla.) HS
Arkansas recruit has a burly build and the power to match—hit one of the few home runs at the Area Code Games this summer.
8.	Dominic Smith	1B/OF	Serra HS, Gardena, Calif.
Lacks ideal height (6-foot-1) for first base, but has one of the best all-around bats in the class; Southern California recruit.
9.	J.P. Crawford	SS	Lakewood (Calif.) HS
Steadily improved his stock thanks to his slick glove and above-average feel for hitting.
10.	Jonathon Crawford	RHP	Florida
No questioning his nasty stuff, including a mid-90s fastball and a filthy slider, but there are concerns about his delivery and arm action.
11.	Austin Wilson	OF	Stanford
Big, physical athlete has prototypical right field tools, including above-average power and a cannon for an arm.
12.	Kris Bryant	3B	San Diego
Might profile better in right field or first base, but his ceiling is high wherever he winds up thanks to tremendous power potential.
13.	Trey Ball	OF/LHP	New Castle (Ind.) HS
The top two-way talent in the draft has five-tool potential as an outfielder; more projection is needed on the mound.
14.	Reese McGuire	C	Kentwood HS, Covington, Wash.
Scouts always covet lefthanded power from an up-the-middle player and McGuire is a natural behind the plate.
15.	Phillip Ervin	OF	Samford
He's not very physical, but the quick-twitch athlete led the Cape Cod League in home runs with 11.
16.	Bobby Wahl	RHP	Mississippi
Bulldogs ace shows a heavy 92-94 mph fastball, a power slider and flashes of a plus changeup.
17.	Stephen Gonsalves	LHP	Cathedral Catholic HS, San Diego
Scouts love tall, lean, projectable lefthanders and Gonsalves fits the mold with his 88-92 mph fastball and above-average command.
18.	Kohl Stewart	RHP	St. Pius X HS, Houston
Shows a low-to-mid 90s fastball and a power slider, but will be a tough sign away from his football (quarterback) commitment to Texas A&M.
19.	Oscar Mercado	SS	Gaither HS, Tampa
Lanky shortstop and Florida State recruit shows the tools to stay at the position, but was inconsistent in game action this summer.
20.	D.J. Peterson	3B	New Mexico
Scouts question where he'll wind up defensively, but nobody questions his above-average power.
21.	Aaron Judge	OF	Fresno State
Jaw-dropping raw power hasn't translated to games yet, but two of his six career home runs have come off Mark Appel.
22.	Marco Gonzales	LHP	Gonzaga
Athletic two-way player shows more promise on the mound with his above-average feel and the draft's best changeup.
23.	Jordan Sheffield	RHP	Tullahoma (Tenn.) HS
Vanderbilt recruit shot up draft boards after showing a 97 mph fastball at the last big event of the fall.
24.	Ryan Boldt	OF	Red Wing (Minn.) HS
Speedy center fielder with a smooth lefthanded stroke could be the highest Minnesota prep drafted since Joe Mauer.
25.	Rob Kaminsky	LHP	St. Joseph Regional HS, Montvale, N.J.
Undersized lefthander has a plus fastball, a wicked curveball and a tough demeanor on the mound.
26.	Dillon Overton	LHP	Oklahoma
Ranked eighth in the country in strikeouts in 2012 thanks to his 90-94 mph fastball and good secondary offerings.
27.	JaCoby Jones	2B/OF	Louisiana State
Outstanding athlete has plenty of tools—including above-average power and speed—but had just a .671 OPS last year.
28.	Ian Clarkin	LHP	Madison HS, San Diego
San Diego recruit carves hitters up by pounding the strike zone with his 90-92 mph fastball and big-breaking curve.
29.	Colby Suggs	RHP	Arkansas
Razorbacks closer has a big, sturdy build and a fastball that gets as high as 97 mph.
30.	Eric Jagielo	3B	Notre Dame
Jagielo finished second in the Cape Cod League with 13 home runs and has improved his defense at the hot corner.
31.	Travis Demeritte	3B	Winder-Barrow HS, Winder, Ga.
South Carolina recruit is an acrobatic defender at the hot corner and shows very quick hands at the plate.
32.	Ryan Eades	RHP	Louisiana State
Has an ideal frame, a mid-90s fastball and a hard, downer curveball, but hasn't put up dominating numbers yet.
33.	Garrett Williams	LHP	Calvary Baptist HS, Shreveport, La.
2007 Little League World Series star now has a lively 89-91 mph fastball and flashes a hammer curveball.
34.	A.J. Puk	LHP/1B	Washington HS, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
A high school pitcher from Iowa has never gone in the first round. Puk has a chance with his 88-92 mph fastball.
35.	Justin Williams	OF	Terrebonne HS, Houma, La.
Physical specimen has light-tower power from the left side of the plate, but will need to cut down strikeouts.
36.	Rowdy Tellez	1B	Elk Grove (Calif.) HS
Massive lefthanded hitter is built like a tight end and shows solid feel for hitting and thunderous power.
37.	Cavan Biggio	3B	St. Thomas HS, Houston
Craig's son shows solid fundamentals and a sound hitting approach, but needs more arm strength to stay at third.
38.	Trevor Williams	RHP	Arizona State
Williams has a workhorse build and has a 91-95 mph fastball, but needs to work on developing a true out pitch.
39.	Kevin Ziomek	LHP	Vanderbilt
Ziomek has the size (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) and the stuff (three potential plus pitches) to be a quality mid-rotation starter.
40.	Michael Lorenzen	OF/RHP	Cal State Fullerton
Lorenzen is a good athlete with a gap-to-gap approach, but scouts may be more intrigued by his 95-97 mph fastball.
41.	Tom Windle	LHP	Minnesota
Will be an asset to the Golden Gophers' rotation with his 88-94 mph fastball, flashes of a plus slider and a promising changeup.
42.	Alex Balog	RHP	San Francisco
Has imposing physicality (6-foot-6, 225 pounds), a heavy fastball that gets up to 96 and an explosive slider.
43.	Cord Sandberg	OF	Manatee HS, Bradenton, Fla.
Premium athlete is committed to Mississippi State for quarterback; father played in Red Sox system from 1979-1981.
44.	Trey Masek	RHP	Texas Tech
Will take his 92-94 mph fastball into the Red Raiders' Friday night job after splitting the last two years between the bullpen and rotation.
45.	Brett Morales	RHP	King HS, Tampa
Florida recruit broke out this summer after he showed a 90-92 mph fastball, along with a very good curveball and changeup.
46.	Dustin Driver	RHP	Wenatchee (Wash.) HS
UCLA recruit has a durable frame and a fastball that reached 94 mph this summer with downhill plane and a sharp curveball.
47.	Kent Emanuel	LHP	North Carolina
Tall lefty can dominate with great angle, pinpoint control, plus change and willingness to pitch inside.
48.	Scott Frazier	RHP	Pepperdine
Has imposing stuff, including a mid-90s fastball and a hard curveball, but only struck out 69 over 103 innings in 2012.
49.	Billy McKinney	OF	Plano (Texas) West HS
Athletic corner outfielder has a great feel for hitting with his smooth lefthanded swing
50.	Karsten Whitson	RHP	Florida
Whitson's stock has slipped after turning down more than $2 million out of high school, but he has frontline stuff when healthy.