2010 Draft Resource Thread

[colbyjack]

I figured it was time to kick off a thread dedicated to the 2010 draft. At some point in time I likely will add links to this thread to last year's coverage and the draft order, making this the official 2010 draft pick thread.

 

I figured I would start by introducing people to a new site, Draft America. Draft America used to be MLB-Draft.com, and is created by Greg Pappas. Greg reached out to me recently to conduct an interview with him, in which he told me his own vision for his site. He intends to follow the blueprint of MLB Trade Rumors, of which he would gather all pertinent draft information and links all in one spot. I have always though of MLB Trade Rumors along the same lines as our very own Jim Goulart's daily link reports, making life so much easier for all of us by compiling handy information all in one place, and think this is a great idea.

 

Most of you know of my professional progression, but I was honored to be Greg's first interview guest (to be followed by Kevin Goldstein) recently, briefly touching on the top prospects for next year while also doing my best to give this site some much-deserved love:

 

Draft America Interview

[TheGoldenGreek33]

Being from Indiana, I really like Justin O'Conner. He gets phenomenal extension on his swing, ala Longoria, IMO. I only saw one game of him at shortstop last summer, as well as some video on BWTv. Do you like his chances to stay at SS?

[colbyjack]

O'Conner is #18 on my top 50 prospect list, so I'm a big fan of his as well. I may try to get down to Muncie, or the closest city he plays in to Milwaukee, to see him pitch live and person next spring.

 

He reminds me a lot of J.J. Hardy, in that he isn't overly flashy at the position but looks rock solid and also is a dual threat in that he can pitch pretty well too (which may draw some comparisons to recent SS/RHP prospects such as Casey Kelly and David Renfroe, although O'Conner isn't quite the overall athlete that Kelly is). His range is good, but not great, and that is going to cause the endless discussion as to where his future home may be, but if he keeps his current athleticism and doesn't stiffen up as he matures and adds more strength, there's no reason to move him off SS anytime soon.

 

I agree, he has very good extension in his swing, and consistently makes hard contact. I'm not sure he would be quite the run producer that Longoria is, although I recognize you were comparing their swings more than their future production.

[TheGoldenGreek33]

I've got him at #16 on my top 100, but obviously I'm biased. I'm an hour south of Indianapolis, but I'm at least going to catch a couple of his games as he and Conrad Gregor (1B, Carmel) are the only real big names in the prep ranks in great state of Indiana.

 

That was the vibe I was getting after seeing him defensively. He's got a heck of an arm. I believe he was sitting 89-90 on the mound in the lone start I saw him. So even if he adds some muscle and outgrows the position, he should project for a at least a solid third basemen. The Hardy comp is pretty accurate, IMO. He's fairly agile, and makes up for the lack of range in his release, which is extremely quick for a high school kid.

 

Offensively, yes the extension was the only comparison I was paralleling between him and Longoria. He does get some tremendous loft on the ball, though.

 

Speaking of extension and loft, another hitter I had the privilege of catching last year was Bryce Brentz out of Middle Tennessee St. He really burst on to the scene this past summer after tearing it up in the spring. He's a very aggressive hitter in the zone, but I was impressed with how he handled quality breaking pitches. He's got a short swing, and excellent bat speed. I sat with a couple scouts at a game against Mississippi Valley State (where he went 4/5 with 3 HR) and they said he reminded them a lot of Nick Markakis. He's got a good arm, and while he's not a burner, he took good routes to the ball. Tim Corbin and other coaches had very high respect for him. What do you make of him?

[Tedaldtada]

Welcome TheGoldenGreek33!

 

You mentioned you had a Top 100...is that online somewhere? I would be interested in taking a look.

 

I live in Mpls. Any MN preps that I should be aware of and (and possibly go see) this summer?

[colbyjack]

As Tedaldtada29 expressed, welcome aboard TheGoldenGreek. I recognized your name from the SoxProspects board, as I visit that forum from time to time having worked and conversed with a few of those guys previously. It's always nice to have fellow draftniks aboard to talk prospects.

 

I haven't seen much of Brentz to be honest, just a few short videos mostly from his time spent with Team USA last summer and a few from Middle Tennessee State. Some people seem to love him, others seem to be taking a wait and see approach since his level of competition isn't the greatest. That said, neither was Markakis' at Young-Harris JC. I do think Brentz has very good bat speed with obvious upside offensively. I know some scouts still like him as a pitcher as well (again, similar to Markakis, which could be a fairly astute comparison, minus the handedness), but I think after posting insane numbers last year most view Brentz as an outfielder.

 

He seems to be a guy that at this point in time is a first or second round pick, but with another big spring could put himself in the discussion for the top 10-15 overall picks.

 

Since you're from Indiana, as Brewers fan, we would love to get your thoughts on Eric Arnett. I saw him pitch a few times last spring, and was pretty happy to hear his name called when the Brewers' first-round pick came up.

 

There's not much to see in the Twin Cities this year. Your best bet is to hit some Gophers games, either when they host the Dairy Queen Classic over the weekend of March 5-7 (Loyola Marymount, Northwestern and Oklahoma State will be coming to town), or when Michigan comes to town a couple of months later (OF Ryan LaMarre could be an early round pick). Mike Kvasnicka is the Gophers best prospect, and a player I covered closely in the NWL this past summer. All of the scouts and coaches I spoke to loved Kvasnicka's athleticism and body type, but they were all split as to whether or not they think he will hit the ball consistently with wood. One scout pointed out to me that he has multiple holes in his swing.

 

The prep players that could go in the early-ish rounds include Champlin Park teammates Tyler Ockuly (RHP) and Tyler Smith (LHP). Mark Tatera (IF/C from Eagan) is the other notable prep player in the area.

 

If Ohio State was traveling to Minneapolis, I would strongly suggest you get out to see Alex Wimmers, who has a good shot going in the first round, possibly among the top 15-20 picks. I hope to travel to Evanston to see him pitch against Northwestern on Good Friday.

[colbyjack]

Here are some handy links to access for discussions on some of the top prospects for the 2010 draft, as well as links to last year's discussions:

 

Recent 2010 Draft Discussion

 

2010 Draft Order

 

2009 Draft Resource

 

2009 Draft Review

2009 Draft Review Discussion

Official Draft Pick Selection/Signing Thread

2009 Draft Pick Discussion, Rounds 1-5

2009 Draft Pick Discussion, Rounds 6-20

2009 Draft Pick Discussion, Rounds 21-50

2009 General Draft Discussion

2009 Draft Resource Thread

2009 Draft Review-BaseballWebTV

Miller Park Pre-Draft Workout

 

As noted elsewhere, most to all of my scouting information on 2010 Draft eligibles can now be found over at 5 Tool Talk.

[colbyjack]

I have already started a running list of the free agent draft pick compensation at 5 Tool Talk for those interested:

 

2010 Free Agent Draft Pick Compensation

[colbyjack]

As I start to prepare myself for the 2010 college baseball season, I came across this story of mine from last February:

 

2009 College Impact Sleepers

 

I write about so many players it isn't that huge of a coincidence, as I obviously didn't even remember this story in previous conversations when the Brewers took both players. It did remind me just how much I previously (and still do) thought of both Josh Prince and D'Vontrey Richardson.

 

Also, I am keeping up with the changes to the draft pick compensation picks as linked one post above. The Brewers top three picks, at worse, are the 14th, 66th and 98th overall selections. It sure was nice to see the Brewers have some comp picks to play with for a change the past two drafts. Stupid economy...http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

[DHonks]

Colby, my girlfriend mentioned her close friend's brother is a stud prospect in Texas (Jr or Sr) named Jamison something (I think it was like tullion). Any info I can pass along to her?

[colbyjack]

DHonks, please check your PM inbox.

 

Jameson Taillon from the Woodlands Texas is the top rated prep player in the nation and a player I have second overall in my rankings. I've written before that I think there's a chance he could become the first prep RHP to ever go first overall. I've gushed about him a few times:

 

Taillon vs. Cole

Taillon dominates Pan Am games (scroll down)

[colbyjack]

Check the link provided above for the most recent draft order update. Jose Valverde, the last remaining unsigned Type A free agent, agreed to terms with the Tigers, and MLB Trade Rumors reported yesterday that Type B free agent Brian Shouse signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox over a week ago (which means the Rays get no draft pick compensation).

 

Rod Barajas and Joel Pineiro are the only two remaining free agents that could effect the draft order.

[battlekow]

Andy Seiler had a 2010 draft chat today.

[battlekow]

Seiler posted his 2010 draft preview for the Brewers, which, because last year was Seid's first draft, is basically just a recap of the 2009 draft. Here's what he has in the way of a prediction:

Connecting the Brewers to specific players is difficult, but I’ll give

it an early shot. My latest mock draft has the Brewers opting for

Washington prep lefty outfielder Josh Sale, who features similar tools

to Max Walla, just improved and refined. He’s also a better overall

athlete than Walla, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see such a pick

happen. Other names that pop up to me are Chris Sale, Drew Pomeranz,

Nick Castellanos, and Bryce Brentz for their first round pick. At this

moment, Castellanos looks like the only one that’s a fairly sure thing

to fall to pick 14. Later picks that look possible include Josh Mueller

of Eastern Illinois, Dixon Anderson of Cal, Leon Landry of LSU, Matt

Lipka, and Cory Vaughn of San Diego State.

[sfl2hnq17]

colby ive been a regular reader of 5 tool talk; i was wondering who you thought could fall to the brewers at 14? i personally like deandre smelter and zach cox. any thoughts? i know its early but im just kinda interested.

[colbyjack]

Thanks for your interest sfl2hnq17. I need to update my top prospect rankings (which I hope to do this coming weekend or shortly thereafter, as well as an updated mock draft and Dandy Dozen), as Smelter probably isn't a candidate to go as high as #14 anymore. He's still throwing in the low-90s, but hasn't looked as good doing so as he did last summer. He still may be best in shorter stints, although I haven't heard a report on him in the last couple of weeks.

 

Zack Cox would be a great pickup if he fell to #14, but I doubt he does. He's leading the SEC in hitting (.436) with 7 doubles and 6 homers, walking more than he has struck out (28:20). I've seen him play a couple of times the past few weeks and think more power will come at the next level. I think someone in the top 10 nabs him particularly given the lack of bats in this year's draft.

 

We still need to see if Seid continues some trends he seemed to show last year, preferring college arms to high school ones, and bigger bodies at that. He also seemed to place a preference on positional players that showed an advanced knowledge of hitting, as shown in Kentrail Davis and Max Walla, overlooking other tools and their overall size.

 

If he goes in the direction of a bigger, college pitcher, of which there are a lot to choose from, you can check out a list of such arms in this thread. Pomeranz, Ranaudo and Sale are unlikely to make it to #14, and I don't think McGuire does either. #14 is probably a little too high for Solis, Loux and Wojciechowski, and I doubt the Brewers get involved with Paxton. Blair has been rather unimpressive this spring, and likely falls out of the first round.

 

That leaves /www.5tooltalk.com/collegenotes3-22-10.html">Workman, and pretty good trio of bigger, power arms. Harvey still has concerns about his delivery, Workman has a good fastball-curveball combo while the sky is the limit for Hahn who still is developing as a starter.

 

Ohio State's Alex Wimmers could be in the mix as well, even if he's not as big as the pitchers listed above. He's not a prototypical frontline starter either, but has a really nice 3-pitch repertoire and could move very quickly through the minors and serve as the team's #3 starter by 2012.

 

In my column last week at Perfect Game I touched on the top prep pitchers after Jameson Taillon. It seems unlikely that AJ Cole, Karsten Whitson or Dylan Covey falls to #14, but someone has to given the depth and talent in arms, and if one of them does, they may be too good to pass up.

 

For bats, again, the top ones likely will be gone given the lack of good ones this year. That probably rules out Christian Colon and Manny Machado in addition to Cox. Josh Sale would likely be a good fit, since he's known first and foremost for his bat. He's a similar prospect to the Blue Jays Travis Snider, whom the Brewers supposedly were high on for the 2006 draft when they took Jeffress a few spots after Snider was taken off the board. Nick Castellanos, Michael Choice and Justin O'Conner may also be in their sights.

 

Long story short, here is what I think could be their short list:

 

1. Brandon Workman

2. Jesse Hahn

3. Nick Castellanos

4. Josh Sale

5. Michael Choice

 

As I noted, it will be interesting to see what Seid does in year two to see if any preferences can be identified. I also think money will be interesting to follow this year, since the Brewers have dropped quite a bit of coin in their picks the last two years given all of the compensatory selections they had, and they didn't go cheap with any of them (going over slot in a few cases, such as with Kentrail Davis). I'm not suggesting they're going to be poised to take someone like Ranaudo should he fall, but they could take a few surprise players in the early-ish rounds.

[Tedaldtada]

With the early success of Gennett, The Davis duo, Prince, etc., I am more than willing to have Seid grab bats in the middle rounds. Get a high upside arm in the first. Pitching is the only thing that will take this team to the next level.

[battlekow]

Project Prospect's 2010 draft board.

[sfl2hnq17]

im personally a big fan of mr. alex wimmers.

[colbyjack]

Updated Mock Draft up this evening. Also, a new Dandy Dozen is also up. I hope to get to the Top 100 prospect list as well before the end of the weekend.

[colbyjack]

As promised, top 100 prospect list:

 

5 Tool Talk top 100 prospects

[TheCrew07]

I enjoy the work you are putting in this year CJ. I was going to ask you earlier but forgot, is Workman just a hunch based on size and stuff, or is there more to it?

[colbyjack]

Thanks TheCrew07. Workman is just a hunch, no insider info at this point in time with any of the picks (outside of Harper, who the Nats have been zeroing in on for a couple of months). I usually don't get much insider info from the Brewers, or anyone familiar with the Brewers, since they tend to work more quietly than most teams.

[colbyjack]

The Perfect Game website has undergone a pretty serious facelift. PGCrosschecker no longer is its own site, as if you still have that URL among your favorites, you now will be re-directed to the new Perfect Game homepage.

 

http://www.perfectgame.org/

 

Keep in mind the staff is still working on tweaking the pages, and I know they're working nearly around the clock to get everything as it should be. I bring it up since Perfect Game has launched their draft coverage for this year (although it never really stops), with a few mock drafts and updated top prospect lists. The state-by-state lists for subscribers will also be updated in the coming days.

[JohnBriggs12]

College basketball fans will recall the Northern Iowa player with the mutton chopped sideburns named Lucas O'Rear. O'Rear was also a pitcher on the Northern Iowa baseball team until this season because Northern Iowa dropped baseball after the 2009 season.

 

The Chicago Sun-Times had a blurb that the 6'6" 255 lb. O'Rear threw for scouts recently at a pre-draft showcase, and was hitting 91 on the gun. The article notes that scouts told O'Rear that he could hit 95 with a few mechanical adjustments.