Nationals Farm Authority

UPDATE: From PG Crosschecker on Hamilton … “Hamilton is a freakish athlete with the same type of tools that makes Tampa Bay’s Carl Crawford an all-star, plus the ability to play center field if shortstop doesn’t work out. There is some risk with Hamilton as he hasn’t played baseball at the same high level as most top prospects, and he comes from a rough background (like Crawford) that will take some maturity to overcome. Crawford, by the way, was just the 52nd overall selection in the 1999 draft. A bonus of picking Hamilton in this spot is the ability to spread his bonus money out over a five-year, multi-sport contract due to his football scholarship to Mississippi State.”

Thanks to Jonathan Mayo of MiLB.com, we have the names of some high school middle infielders who were also at Nats Park yesterday for pre-draft workouts

They also had a bunch of HS SS in for later-round consideration – Stephen Perez, Nick Franklin, Billy Hamilton were all there and all performed well.

Here is what I found on those guys

• Nick Franklin … “It seems every Draft class has a few middle infielders from Florida who don’t wow you with tools, but impress with how they play the game. Franklin might be in that group with a solid, if unspectacular, tool set. Nothing jumps out at you tools-wise, but he just goes out and does a good job and can do a little bit of everything. He won’t be the first prep shortstop to go in the Draft, but his kind of solid all-around profile usually gets taken early.” … #7 in Florida according to PGCC, committed to Auburn; PGCC lists him as a rd 1-3 talent
• Billy Hamilton …”Hamilton is the quintessential high-risk, high-reward athlete at this level who is sure to interest many in June. A three-sport star in Mississippi, he’s got all sorts of tools, though his hitting approach is a bit crude and he’s got some holes in his swing. But the bat speed, strength and running speed would make any scout at least intrigued, especially if you think he can stay at shortstop. Someone will take a chance on that — and that they can sign him away from his football commitment to Mississippi State on Draft day.” … #2 in Mississippi according to PGCC; he has a football scholarship to Mississippi State (as mentioned in the comments last night); PGCC lists him as a rd 1-3 talent
• Stephen Perez … “Perez is a baseball rat with a great feel for the game. His plus instincts help him maximize his skills, which include some definite hitting ability from both sides of the plate, a solid glove and arm from shortstop. He doesn’t have the kind of speed you’d normally like to see from a middle infielder, but he makes up for that with those instincts. Whoever drafts him could be getting a high schooler with a better understanding of how to play the game than most prepsters.” … #25 in Florida according to PGCC; committed to Miami (FL); PGCC lists him as a rd 4-10 talent