PGCC has an article up kicking off their 2009 draft coverage. The piece focuses primarily on Stephen Strasburg and his unquestioned status as the #1 overall talent in the draft. It also touched on reports that RHP Tanner Scheppers might be the choice of the Mariners at #2 after falling out of the top 10 in the 2008 draft due to a potential shoulder injury. An injury that apparently is no longer a concern (if you are to believe the reports).
It finishes with a top 10 list. It’s not based on who will select whom but on talent.
- Strasburg
- Scheppers
- Donavan Tate OF Cartersville (Ga.) HS
- Kyle Gibson RHP Missouri
- Alex White RHP North Carolina
- Grant Green SS Southern California
- Dustin Ackley 1B/OF North Carolina
- Matthew Purke LHP Klein HS, Spring, Texas
- Aaron Crow RHP Fort Worth Cats
- Tyler Matzek LHP Capistrano Valley HS, Mission Viejo, Calif.
The rest of the list is insider access, but I can tell you the names rounding out the top 12 are Lipscomb LHP Rex Brothers and East Paulding HS (Ga.) LHP Zach Wheeler. The next bat on the list is LSU OF Jared Mitchell.
#1 by Andrew S. - May 1st, 2009 at 14:39
Interesting to see Purke above Matzek. Also no mention of Shelby Miller. I think Scheppers is a guy who could definitely shoot up boards, but I would be surprised to see him pass Ackley and go all the way up to #2.
#2 by Brian Oliver - May 1st, 2009 at 14:40
Miller “just missed the top 12″
if you get my drift
#3 by VladiHondo - May 1st, 2009 at 15:08
H.W.S.R.N. falling to the same slot he was picked last year.
And only the 6th best pitcher.
#4 by Brian Oliver - May 1st, 2009 at 15:09
Jim Callis has some info about Scheppers and H.W.S.R.N.
Both pitch in exhibition games on Monday.
#5 by Vince - May 1st, 2009 at 16:55
This is a really great top ten list, thanks for giving some love to the Southern California players. Anyone can post their own list to our site http://www.toptentopten.com/. The coolest feature is you can let other people vote on the rankings of your list.
#6 by Jeff E. - May 2nd, 2009 at 05:49
Rizzo better out do himself this June compared to ALL his Arizona efforts cause the farm system needs everyday players all over the place. We have faith in Mike! along with Dana and Co. How are Bill Singer’s efforts around the globe???
#7 by mjames - May 2nd, 2009 at 08:31
I second Jeff’s view. Enough with the HS pitchers. We need a draft that will yield a Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee and Brandon Philips. Do you think our DR boys can find us another Vald Guerro ? Remember Vald was not a highly sought player in DR. He fell between the cracks and the Expos got him.
#8 by mjames - May 2nd, 2009 at 08:49
The following is article that appeared in ESPN Insider today. It talks about the some Latin prospects. As you can see there is no mention made of the Nats.
Friday, May 1, 2009 |
Posted by Jorge Arangure Jr.
With two months remaining until the July 2 start of the signing period, several high-profile players are starting to get linked to certain teams. Outfield prospect Guillermo Pimentel, a left-handed slugger, is all but certain to sign with the Texas Rangers for a bonus that many Dominican sources believe will be in the $1.5 million to $2 million range. Pimentel has spent a significant amount of time at the Rangers’ academy in the Dominican and also visited the team’s spring training facility in Arizona in March. At least two international scouting directors say that Pimentel will no longer work out for teams, making it all the more likely Texas will sign him.
The Rangers are also heavily tied to Curacao pitcher Jurickson Profar, a 16-year-old right-hander who once starred in the 2004 Little League World Series.
Outfielder Wagner Mateo, considered by some as the top position player available this year, has had several visits with the Los Angeles Dodgers, most recently Monday. Mateo also visited with the Dodgers in Arizona this spring.
Juan Urbina, the left-handed pitcher who is the son of former major leaguer Ugueth Urbina, has been linked by several sources to the New York Mets, though Urbina says he has not yet decided on a team. “I’ve heard the rumors [that I'm signing with the Mets],” Urbina wrote in an e-mail. “In reality, there is not a specific team at this point. The Mets are a good organization, but there are many organizations interested in me like the Chicago Cubs, the San Diego Padres, the New York Yankees, the San Francisco Giants, the Kansas City Royals, the Texas Rangers, among others. But really there is no favorite right now.” Urbina also clarified that he is now 6-foot-2 and not 5-foot-11 as had been previously listed in this blog.
SIGNING VERSUS SWINE
Though the swine flu epidemic in Mexico has caused the suspension of all Mexican League baseball games from May 1 through May 5, it has not stopped the resolve of one Cuban defector. Leo Cardoso, a left-handed reliever from Cienfuegos, Cuba, who defected to the United States in the spring of 2007, has worked out for several Mexican League teams in Mexico the past few days. “He seems far more concerned with signing than he does with the swine flu outbreak,” agent Joe Kehoskie wrote in an e-mail.
Cardoso is not considered a top prospect, and has been mostly ignored by major league teams. Kehoskie said Cardoso has attracted interest from several Mexican teams.
“Assuming he can get his velocity back to the 88 to 91 mph range like it was when he left Cuba, I have no doubt he could serve as a lefty reliever in the big leagues,” Kehoskie wrote. “He drops down and throws almost sidearm against left-handers. I have video of some of the best LH hitters in Cuba really struggling against him.”
SLEEPERS
Within the past few weeks, a few sleepers — Jose Alberto Peña, a 16-year-old power-hitting outfielder; Cristopher Cabrera, a 16-year-old hard-throwing right-handed pitcher; and Luis Jolly, a 16-year-old outfielder — have emerged for this year’s signing period.
Peña has attracted interest from Cincinnati, Boston, Atlanta, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers. According to one observer, Peña outshined top prospect Mateo at a workout Monday at the Dodgers’ Dominican academy by hitting a home run in a game and then also hitting a ball over the batter’s eye in centerfield during batting practice.
“He shows some raw power and he is a decent athlete,” Dodgers assistant general manager Logan White, who attended Monday’s workout, wrote in an e-mail. Said one international scouting director of Peña: “He’s a good kid with talent and plus makeup.”
Peña will likely compete with Jolly for a bonus in the $500,000-$1 million range. Jolly is a raw, toolsy prospect who has a good bat but is limited defensively. He doesn’t have a strong arm, but is fairly athletic. The Dodgers are rumored to like Jolly.
Cabrera, who throws in the 89-91 mph range, has attracted interest from the Yankees and Red Sox. One scouting report said of Cabrera: “Sturdy build, strong legs, good flexibility, frame has strength, with room for continued development.”
#9 by Sue Dinem - May 2nd, 2009 at 09:10
HWSRN is reportedly not hiding in the bullpen this year. From the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram:
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blockquote> The Fort Worth Cats open their spring training camp today at LaGrave Field.
The Cats begin exhibition play Monday at LaGrave Field against Grand Prairie at 7:05 p.m. The regular season begins May 14 at LaGrave with the Cats facing Grand Prairie at 7:05 p.m.
[HWSRN], a 2008 first-round draft pick, will be in the Cats’ pitching rotation for the first month of the season before re-entering the major league draft. [HSWRN] was drafted No. 9 overall by the Washington Nationals last year but didn’t sign.
Personally, I’m disappointed that HSWRN won’t be facing Vic Davilla, who appears to have finished out his if-there-were-an-indy-HOF career last year with Wichita. But we can still hope that some of the other veteran players will do their part to drop him down.
#10 by Farid - May 2nd, 2009 at 15:10
Brian, There is some discussion over at the WaPost Journal about the Nationals redrafting Aaron Crow with pick #10.
A couple of posters said that Crow would have to give his consent to be redrafted by Washington.
Is that true? I have never heard of that.
Thanks, Farid
#11 by Brian Oliver - May 2nd, 2009 at 15:11
Farid – Yes, that is true. A player must sign a form giving his consent for a team to redraft him.