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By Jim Callis
March 5, 2012

Stanford righthander Mark Appel is the leading candidate to go No. 1 overall in the June draft, but with everything he brings to the table, scouts still wonder why he doesn't dominate college hitters more consistently. He got knocked around for seven runs on Friday night by Fresno State, taking his first loss of the season.

Appel is now 2-1, 3.68, though his strikeout rate (10.6 per nine innings) and opponent average (.169) have improved from 2011, when they were a more pedestrian 7.0 and .277. As assistant editor Conor Glassey noted on our Draft Blog, Appel had the second-lowest sophomore strikeout rate among college pitchers drafted in the top five or rated as a top-five pick by Baseball America in the last decade. It's easy to love his mid-90s fastball, plus slider and 6-foot-5 frame, but he lacks deception and sometimes his heater gets straight.

As a followup to the list of voting for players who didn't make Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list (in last week's Ask BA), could you show the high and low votes for the players who did make it?

Mark Freeman
Cary, Ill.

That I can do. Of the 100 prospects on the list, 94 were named on all eight Top 150 ballots submitted by BA editors. By contrast, Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes wasn't listed on any ballot because he signed after we put together the first version of the list. Interestingly, Rays lefthander Matt Moore was No. 2 on all eight ballots, with Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper No. 1 on six (and No. 3 on two) and Angels outfielder Mike Trout No. 1 on three (and No. 3 on six).

Below are the high and low votes for every member of the Top 100:

Player, Pos, Team	High	Low
1. Bryce Harper, of, Nationals	1	3
2. Matt Moore, lhp, Rays	2	2
3. Mike Trout, of, Angels	1	3
4. Yu Darvish, rhp, Rangers	4	6
5. Julio Teheran, rhp, Braves	4	12
6. Jesus Montero, c, Mariners	5	11
7. Jurickson Profar, ss, Rangers	4	15
8. Shelby Miller, rhp, Cardinals	4	13
9. Trevor Bauer, rhp, Diamondbacks	5	19
10. Dylan Bundy, rhp, Orioles	9	16
11. Manny Machado, ss, Orioles	8	13
12. Gerrit Cole, rhp, Pirates	10	16
13. Tyler Skaggs, lhp, Diamondbacks	7	22
14. Yoenis Cespedes, of, Athletics	signed after voting
15. Jameson Taillon, rhp, Pirates	9	25
16. Devin Mesoraco, c, Reds	7	37
17. Travis d'Arnaud, c, Blue Jays	9	27
18. Miguel Sano, 3b/ss, Twins	10	30
19. Anthony Rendon, 3b, Nationals	7	50
20. Taijuan Walker, rhp, Mariners	16	31
21. Danny Hultzen, lhp, Mariners	16	30
22. Jacob Turner, rhp, Tigers	19	36
23. Mike Montgomery, lhp, Royals	17	38
24. Bubba Starling, of, Royals	14	32
25. Archie Bradley, rhp, Diamondbacks	13	28
26. Jarrod Parker, rhp, Athletics	18	39
27. Carlos Martinez, rhp, Cardinals	20	42
28. Wil Myers, of, Royals	24	46
29. Manny Banuelos, lhp, Yankees	23	48
30. Drew Pomeranz, lhp, Rockies	20	44
31. Martin Perez, lhp, Rangers	22	61
32. Brett Jackson, of, Cubs	29	41
33. Yonder Alonso, of/1b, Padres	19	57
34. Jonathan Singleton, 1b/of, Astros	25	55
35. Zack Wheeler, rhp, Mets	25	49
36. Brad Peacock, rhp, Athletics	24	62
37. Francisco Lindor, ss, Indians	22	71
38. Gary Brown, of, Giants	21	84
39. Anthony Gose, of, Blue Jays	26	53
40. Arodys Vizcaino, rhp, Braves	34	56
41. Christian Yelich, of, Marlins	13	75
42. Nolan Arenado, 3b, Rockies	26	72
43. Mike Olt, 3b, Rangers	31	73
44. Hak-Ju Lee, ss, Rays	32	67
45. Nick Castellanos, 3b, Tigers	30	76
46. Randall Delgado, rhp, Braves	31	63
47. Anthony Rizzo, 1b, Cubs	40	63
48. Billy Hamilton, ss, Reds	29	68
49. Rymer Liriano, of, Padres	38	62
50. Jarred Cosart, rhp, Astros	44	60
51. Will Middlebrooks, 3b, Red Sox	40	77
52. James Paxton, lhp, Mariners	37	71
53. Yasmani Grandal, c, Padres	32	82
54. Matt Harvey, rhp, Mets	38	71
55. Jean Segura, ss, Angels	34	79
56. Wily Peralta, rhp, Brewers	39	76
57. A.J. Cole, rhp, Athletics	44	85
58. Xander Bogaerts, ss, Red Sox	30	69
59. George Springer, of, Astros	49	77
60. Josh Bell, of, Pirates	28	84
61. Javier Baez, ss, Cubs	32	74
62. Zach Lee, rhp, Dodgers	31	78
63. Dellin Betances, rhp, Yankees	44	75
64. Matt Szczur, of, Cubs	38	89
65. Sonny Gray, rhp, Athletics	47	85
66. Addison Reed, rhp, White Sox	43	93
67. Jake Marisnick, of, Blue Jays	44	87
68. Jake Odorizzi, rhp, Royals	48	88
69. Trevor May, rhp, Phillies	32	91
70. Taylor Jungmann, rhp, Brewers	47	102
71. Jed Bradley, lhp, Brewers	60	110
72. Blake Swihart, c, Red Sox	44	121
73. Starling Marte, of, Pirates	63	109
74. Oscar Taveras, of, Cardinals	51	121
75. Zack Cozart, ss, Reds	36	103
76. Casey Kelly, rhp, Padres	62	101
77. Nick Franklin, ss/2b, Mariners	59	108
78. Cory Spangenberg, 2b, Padres	61	107
79. Leonys Martin, of, Rangers	58	106
80. Michael Choice, of, Athletics	54	137
81. Gary Sanchez, c, Yankees	51	127
82. Jonathan Schoop, inf, Orioles	66	109
83. Garrett Richards, rhp, Angels	52	131
84. Cheslor Cuthbert, 3b, Royals	40	140
85. Mason Williams, of, Yankees	69	139
86. Chad Bettis, rhp, Rockies	73	149
87. Wilin Rosario, c, Rockies	56	NR
88. Zack Cox, 3b, Cardinals	73	113
89. Chris Archer, rhp, Rays	84	116
90. Taylor Guerrieri, rhp, Rays	48	126
91. Daniel Norris, lhp, Blue Jays	50	133
92. Andrelton Simmons, ss, Braves	78	129
93. Kolten Wong, 2b, Cardinals	80	138
94. Tyrell Jenkins, rhp, Cardinals	71	131
95. Allen Webster, rhp, Dodgers	79	131
96. Nate Eovaldi, rhp, Dodgers	53	NR
97. Matt Davidson, 3b/1b, Diamondbacks	79	NR
98. Jedd Gyorko, 3b, Padres	75	NR
99. Joe Benson, of, Twins	67	129
100. Christian Villanueva, 3b, Rangers	88	NR

With all of the publicity around Braves catcher Evan Gattis in big league camp, where do you see the ceiling for this kid (even though he's 25)? Will he stay behind the plate? Will he stay with Atlanta because Brian McCann is rumored to be getting a contract extension? Is Gattis a legitimate prospect or just a flash-in-the-pan spring-training star?

Adam Young
Augusta, Ga.

We touched on Gattis' backstory in the 2012 Prospect Handbook, where he ranked No. 27 on our Braves Top 30 Prospects list. He originally committed to Texas A&M but was admittedly afraid of playing top-tier college baseball and never wound up with the Aggies. He spent a month in drug rehab because his parents worried that he smoked marijuana too often, then hurt his left knee while trying to get his career back on track at Seminole State (Okla.) JC.

Gattis spent three years doing odd jobs all over the country before resurfacing at Texas-Permian Basin, an NAIA program, in 2010. After hitting .403 with 11 homers that spring, he signed with the Braves for $1,000 as a 23rd-round pick. Last summer, he won the low Class A South Atlantic League batting title (.322) and homered 22 times in 88 games.

That's a great story and a great first full pro season, but as Adam mentions, Gattis is already 25. He hasn't proven he has enough plate discipline or can handle quality breaking balls from more advanced pitchers. He has the arm strength and hands to make it as a catcher, but he also threw out just 23 percent of basestealers in 2011, and he made 10 errors and 15 passed balls in 52 games.

At this point, Gattis projects more as an offense-first backup catcher/first baseman than a regular behind the plate, especially with McCann in Atlanta.

When I looked at BA's preseason High School All-America teams, I was surprised that Westminster Christian (Palmetto Bay, Fla.) third baseman David Thompson wasn't on any of the three squads. He made the second team as a sophomore and the first team as a junior last year. Has he regressed?

David Fackrell
Eugene, Ore.

I turned this question over to assistant editor Nathan Rode, who oversees our high school coverage. Here's Nathan's response:

Though he has yet to play his senior season, Thompson already holds the record for career homers by a Florida high schooler, with 44. The previous mark of 42 was set by Prince Fielder, who was drafted seventh overall out of Eau Gallie HS (Melbourne) in 2002.

Thompson made our postseason All-America teams as a sophomore and junior but has been left off our preseason teams. That's simply because there are different processes for selecting those squads. Our preseason teams are selected by scouting directors, so pro potential has a big influence on them. The postseason squads are selected by BA editors based on their spring performances.

Scouts likely left Thompson off their preseason ballots because of where he ranks among third basemen (he's No. 69 overall on our High School Top 100 Prospects list ) and his own profile. He's a good prospect but there are other third basemen who offer higher upside.

Thompson's bat stays in the zone a long time and he has good strength and a quick swing that allow him to have power to all fields. Defensively, he's passable at third base and has a solid arm, but he could move to first base or an outfield corner down the line. He's also a star quarterback and would play both sports if he ends up at Miami.

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