Nolan Fontana

Fontana came to Gainesville in the summer of 2009 as part of a top-ranked recruiting class that included Mike Zunino, Brian Johnson and Hudson Randall, among others. Fontana became the everyday shortstop as a freshman and has helped take the Gators to back-to-back College World Series trips. Scouts see him as one of the draft's safest bets for his defensive and hitting skills, despite his lack of impact tools. One opposing coach likened Fontana to Novocain: "Give it time, it works." Fontana grinds through at-bats, seeing plenty of pitches and drawing walks. He has learned to punish mistakes and had nine home runs through April, after hitting eight in his first two seasons combined. Some scouts say Fontana has above-average speed, and all note his heady, smart baserunning. He's an efficient, surehanded defender at short who has made just three errors this season. He should play there as a professional, at least as a utility player, but profiles better as a second baseman due to his range and average arm. Fontana has no impact tool but should be a big leaguer for a long time, and should be the second college middle infielder drafted after Arizona State's Deven Marrero.