Colby Rasmus

Rasmus emerged as an elite prospect as the MVP of the Perfect Game World Wood Bat Fall Championship last year, going 12-for-21 with 15 RBIs. He has since added 15 pounds of muscle to his frame and had a tremendous spring. His father Tony coaches Colby and his brother Cory, a junior infielder and pitcher, at Russell County High, which advanced to the state championship series behind a three-hit shutout from Colby. Colby and Cory helped take Phenix City to the Little League World Series in 1999, and the team won the United States bracket before losing to Japan in the championship final. Now Colby Rasmus could go nine rounds higher than his father, who was a 10th-round pick in 1986. Rasmus' tools grade out average or above across the board. He covers 60 yards in 6.7 seconds and has a plus arm, throwing fastballs up to 91 mph off the mound. Besides his tools, scouts love his maturity and savvy for the game. Some compare Rasmus to Steve Finley, while others believe he evokes Shawn Green; it depends on whether the scout believes Rasmus can stay in center field. He has a short, simple lefthanded swing that he repeats, and the barrel of the bat stays in the hitting zone a long time. While he could use a better load to his swing, he at times produces good leverage, leading scouts to believe he'll hit for at least average power. He's considered motivated to sign despite his Auburn commitment.