2012 Draft Midseason Top 60

Staff Report
April 11, 2012


The 2012 draft crop has few legitimate No. 1 overall candidates, with little separation among potential first-round picks. Several players who entered the year ranked in the top 10 have gone backwards or gotten injured, while a few players—most notably college righthanders such as San Francisco's Kyle Zimmer, Duke's Marcus Stroman and Texas A&M's Michael Wacha—have taken big steps forward. The Top 60 covers the first round and the supplemental first round, but scouting directors believe that the combination of the underwhelming class, all the injuries and the new collective bargaining agreement will lead to a lot of surprises in June.

RK.	PLAYER	POS.	SCHOOL	PREV. RK.
1.	Byron Buxton	OF	Appling County HS, Baxley, Ga.	3
Five-tool standout earns comparisons to a combination of the Upton brothers.
2.	Mike Zunino	C	Florida	5
Baseball America's Midseason Most Outstanding Player fits the blueprint for what teams want in a catcher.
3.	Kyle Zimmer	RHP	San Francisco	28
Athletic righthander has been up to 98 mph and has as much draft helium as anybody.
4.	Mark Appel	RHP	Stanford	1
Fastball can get flat, so he hasn't dominated (3.32 ERA in 57 IP, 55 SO) like other frontline college arms.
5.	Kevin Gausman	RHP	Louisiana State	6
Draft-eligible sophomore touches upper 90s, adds a plus changeup and two breaking balls.
6.	Lucas Giolito	RHP	Harvard-Westlake HS, Studio City, Calif.	2
Touched 100 mph before being sidelined with a sprained elbow.
7.	Michael Wacha	RHP	Texas A&M	23
A sleeper to go first overall, Wacha has excellent control and polish to go with loaded arsenal.
8.	Carlos Correa	SS	Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, Gurabo, P.R.	17
May outgrow shortstop but has smooth actions and above-average power potential.
9.	Marcus Stroman	RHP	Duke	22
Small but athletic with electric stuff, including a fastball up to 97 mph and the nastiest slider in the draft.
10.	Max Fried	LHP	Harvard-Westlake HS, Studio City, Calif.	15
Projectable lefthander sits low-90s, maintains his velocity and features an above-average curveball and a good changeup.
11.	Gavin Cecchini	SS	Barbe HS, Lake Charles, La.	16
One of the few sure-things at shortstop in this year's class and is choosing to hit with wood bats this spring.
12.	Albert Almora	OF	Mater Academy, Hialeah Gardens, Fla.	14
USA Baseball poster boy plays above-average defense in center and is polished offensive player.
13.	Deven Marrero	SS	Arizona State	4
Still a top-notch defender, but is not hitting this spring and has been criticized as being lackadaisical at times.
14.	Victor Roache	OF	Georgia Southern	9
After mashing 30 home runs last year, a broken left wrist sidelined him for most of this season.
15.	David Dahl	OF	Oak Mountain HS, Birmingham	10
Polished at the plate, but there are questions about whether he's speedy enough for center or if he'll have enough power for a corner.
16.	Zach Eflin	RHP	Hagerty HS, Oviedo, Fla.	65
Has the most helium of any high school player as his velocity climbed into the mid-90s this spring.
17.	Stryker Trahan	C	Acadiana HS, Lafayette, La.	12
Has two things—lefthanded power and speed—that are rare for catchers.
18.	Richie Shaffer	3B	Clemson	26
Ultimate position will be a question, but provides one of the best college corner bats in a year thin in that regard.
19.	Courtney Hawkins	OF/RHP	Carroll HS, Corpus Christi, Texas	38
Loaded with tools, Hawkins has above-average athleticism, arm strength and the most usable power in this year's high school class.
20.	Stephen Piscotty	3B	Stanford	18
The Cape Cod League's top hitter continues to hit for Stanford and may end the year with more doubles than strikeouts.
21.	Tyler Naquin	OF	Texas A&M	30
Yet to be seen how well he can handle center field, but has plenty of tools including a smooth lefthanded stroke and an 80 arm.
22.	Andrew Heaney	LHP	Oklahoma State	45
Fastball sits anywhere from 88-94 mph, slider has become his best secondary pitch and he's among the leaders in D-I strikeouts.
23.	Addison Russell	SS	Pace (Fla.) HS	37
Improved his stock by slimming down and is playing a better shortstop than he did in the summer.
24.	Brian Johnson	LHP/1B	Florida	8
Zunino's roommate doesn't have impact stuff, but has good durability, poise and command.
25.	Walker Weickel	RHP	Olympia HS, Orlando	11
Delivery has gone backwards a little this spring, but still has good stuff and projection remaining in his frame.
26.	Lance McCullers Jr.	RHP	Jesuit HS, Tampa	20
Hasn't allowed an earned run this spring, but scouts still see him as a closer in pro ball.
27.	Chris Beck	RHP	Georgia Southern	7
Not showing the same power stuff this spring that he flashed in the Cape Cod League last summer.
28.	Matt Smoral	LHP	Solon (Ohio) HS	13
Had surgery on his left foot after his first official outing this spring. The color of his cast? Carolina blue.
29.	Ty Hensley	RHP	Santa Fe HS, Edmond, Okla.	41
Physical righthander with power stuff has grown up around the game with a dad who played pro ball and coached in college for 10 years.
30.	Joey Gallo	RHP/1B	Bishop Gorman HS, Las Vegas	21
Too much swing-and-miss at the plate is leading many teams to prefer Gallo on the mound, where he's been up to 97 mph.
31.	Luke Sims	RHP	Brookwood HS, Snellville, Ga.	32
Clemson recruit has athleticism to go along with an above-average fastball-curveball combination.
32.	Ty Buttrey	RHP	Providence HS, Charlotte	87
Projectable righthander touched 96 early in the season, down to 90-93 later on.
33.	Trey Williams	3B	Valencia HS, Santa Clarita, Calif.	27
Son of 1983 first-rounder Eddie Williams recently broke Foothill League home run record with his 26th career blast.
34.	Pierce Johnson	RHP	Missouri State	NR
Had significant helium before being sidelined with a mild forearm strain.
35.	James Ramsey	OF/2B	Florida State	69
Senior Seminole ranks among college baseball's leaders in on-base percentage, slugging and runs.
36.	Peter O'Brien	C	Miami	90
After transferring to Miami as a senior, O'Brien has shown improved balance at the plate and impressive leadership.
37.	Nick Williams	OF	Ball HS, Galveston, Texas	42
Loaded with tools but really lacking in baseball instincts.
38.	Lewis Brinson	OF	Coral Springs (Fla.) HS	51
Has a body like Cameron Maybin with the intriguing power-speed profile to match.
39.	D.J. Davis	OF	Stone HS, Wiggins, Miss.	82
Fastest player in the draft has serious helium as he's putting together quality at-bats this spring.
40.	Travis Jankowski	OF	Stony Brook	24
Scouts are divided on Jankowski. Those that like him see him prototype center fielder/leadoff hitter; detractors doubt the bat.
41.	Nolan Sanburn	RHP	Arkansas	43
Draft-eligible sophomore sits comfortably in mid-90s and flashes wipeout power curveball, but he's still learning nuances of pitching.
42.	Jesse Winker	OF	Olympia HS, Orlando	50
It's all about the bat for Winker, as he'll be limited to a corner outfield spot or first base—but the bat is very good.
43.	Duane Underwood	RHP	Pope HS, Marietta, Ga.	33
A lot to like: He's athletic, young for his class and has already touched 95 mph, but scouts say he's been up and down this spring.
44.	Hunter Virant	LHP	Camarillo (Calif.) HS	40
Scouts can dream on Virant, as the lefthander has only been pitching seriously for about a year.
45.	Branden Kline	RHP	Virginia	35
Athletic, has feel for spin; consistency has wavered with move from Cavaliers bullpen to rotation this season.
46.	Tanner Rahier	SS	Palm Desert (Calif.) HS	55
Energetic shortstop plays in the ABD Spring League instead of suiting up for his high school.
47.	Nick Travieso	RHP	Archbishop McCarthy HS, Southwest Ranches, Fla.	53
Generated early buzz after touching 97 mph in March.
48.	Carson Kelly	3B/RHP	Westview HS, Portland	54
Oregon recruit has power potential to go with above-average arm strength and makeup.
49.	Clint Coulter	C	Union HS, Camas, Wash.	56
Just over the Columbia River from Kelly, Coulter is strong as an ox.
50.	Pat Light	RHP	Monmouth	58
One of the few standout talents in a down year for the Northeast.
51.	Chris Stratton	RHP	Mississippi State	NR
Has a good pitcher's build with an above-average fastball-slider combo, and has moved from bullpen to rotation.
52.	Jake Barrett	RHP	Arizona State	19
Still has power stuff, but moved to the bullpen and scouts have concerns about the health of his arm.
53.	Adam Brett Walker	OF/1B	Jacksonville	31
Having a good but not great year, and still has right-right corner-bat profile without sick power numbers.
54.	C.J. Hinojosa	SS	Klein Collins HS, Spring, Texas	36
Things haven't gone as planned—didn't get into Texas early and will miss most of the season with a dislocated left shoulder.
55.	Mitchell Traver	RHP	Houston Christian HS	52
Physical workhorse build with a heavy fastball and a power slider.
56.	Jameis Winston	OF	Hueytown (Ala.) HS	64
Will be a tough sign, as he's also the top quarterback recruit in the country and wants to play both sports at Florida State.
57.	Corey Seager	3B	Northwest Cabarrus HS, Concord, N.C.	60
Kyle's little brother a more-typical third base profile but the South Carolina recruit is rumored to be nearly unsignable.
58.	R.J. Alvarez	RHP	Florida Atlantic	47
Third-team preseason All-American has good numbers (0.73 ERA with five saves), but scouts worry about the consistency of his strikes.
59.	J.T. Chargois	RHP	Rice	44
Has power stuff, but is a tough look for decision makers as he's only thrown 18 innings through the first eight weeks.
60.	Barrett Barnes	OF	Texas Tech	97
Good power-speed combination but may not have quite enough wheels to stay in center field.