A Look Beyond Round 1: MLB Draft Talk

The MLB draft is quickly approaching, as there are only three full days left for teams and a scouts to finalize their respective draft boards and start putting their plans in motion. I talked a couple posts back about a few guys who very well could end up with the Giants at pick number 6, so in this post we were going to look beyond round one of the draft look at some guys outside of the consensus top-30.

OF's Kent Matthes and Marc Krauss: These two are a couple of the biggest college power hitters in the draft and both are coming off of big seasons. Matthes, from Alabama, hit 28 bombs in 2009, to go along with 81 RBI and a .365 average in just 197 at-bats. He was widely thought to be the SEC's most dangerous hitter in '09. I know it's only college, but his HR ratio translates out to nearly a home run every 6 at-bats, which is ridiculously good no matter what level your at. Baseball America has Matthes ranked 63rd in the overall draft pool, so if he were still around when the Giants select in the second, I'd be a little surprised, but if he is, he could be just what they're looking for after they plan to take an arm with their top pick. Krauss is actually ranked a few slots higher than Matthes, as he hit .402 with 27 jacks and 70 RBI this year for Ohio. Either one of these guys would give the Giants a top-10 type outfield prospect in due time. If I had my choice I'd go with Matthes, just because of that huge power potential. He looks like he has control of the ballgame when he's in the box and really brings confidence to the field.

3B Tommy Mendonca and Chris Dominguez: Here are a couple more power prospects who should be available when the Giants have their second choice. Mendonca would be my first choice out of these two, but both look like legit third base prospects. Even though the Giants don't really need to draft a third basemen this early, it could end up being their best chance to get power into the system. Mendonca set a Fresno State record for career home runs, and there is plenty of few video on him around the web. I found this one pretty interesting, a game in which he showed his ability to hit to both fields with pop. He actually reminds me a bit Connor Gillespie in his plate approach, but he's got significantly more power than Gillespie. Dominguez mirrors Albert Pujols' batting stance and mechanics at the plate and has a pretty solid foundation. He's been known as one of the better third basemen in college ball over the past couple of years. Both guys hit over 20 bombs and drove in over 70 runs for their teams this season.

SP's Matt Hobgood and Zack Von Rosenberg: Theses two guys are ranked 40-41 on BA's draft prospect board as both had ridiculously good numbers in their senior year in high school. Von Rosenberg was especially dominant, leading the nation in strikeouts by a prep arm, and is second amongst top-100 pitching prospects, behind only Steven Starsburg with 141 strikeouts in 93 innings pitched (a ratio of about 14 k's per 9 innings). The 6'5", 205 pound righty with a silky smooth delivery also had an era of just 0.60 to go along with his 11-1 record and 0.80 WHIP. Hobgood is a big kid in his own right, and throws hard as well. His 6'4", 245 pound frame has the 18 year-old from Norco, Ca looking like a man-child. Here's a quick video of him in game action. Hobgood used that 92 mph heater and knee-buckling curve ball to go a perfect 9-0 this spring, carrying a 0.38 era and striking out an incredible 85 batters in 55 innings pitched. Either of these guys would be ideal for the Giants in round 2 if they last, though they may look for positional talent in round 2 if they end up taking a pitcher with their top pick.

SP-A.J Morris and SS-Chris Owings: The last two guys we're going to look at today are a couple of guys who may be available when the Giants have their third pick of the draft. Morris had a great year in 2009 and definitely helped his case because of it. The 22 year-old from Kansas state went 13-1 in 15 starts this year, carrying a 1.84 era and had a 98:28 strikeout/walk ratio spread out over 108 innings. His 108 innings pitched actually led all top-100 pitching prospects. He's actually a guy the Giants may eye with their 2nd rounder as well... Owings is another high school shortstop, in a class that is rich with them. The 5'11" prep star out of South Carolina can do a little bit of everything on the field. He may not project out to be quite the player or athlete that Mychal Givens or Nick Franklin might, but he's been equally impressive in his high school career. In 2009, he showed his array of abilities, hitting .482, with 5 home runs, 19 RBI and 20 steals. The amazing thing though is that he put those numbers up in only 56 at-bats. If the Giants want a shortstop in the early rounds, this could very well be their guy.

Giants Notes: The Giants are on a roll again, having won 8 of their last 10 ballgames. And once again, the starting pitching is rolling... Randy Johnson got his 300th win with a masterpiece vs. Washington on Thursday, just before Matt Cain pitched a rain-aided, complete game for a victory as the Giants swept the double-header. Then Barry Zito got a much-deserved win Friday night, making Pablo Sandoval's 2-run home run be the difference in the game. The one guy I'd like to see get back on track is Jonathan Sanchez, and hopefully that happens tonight. Sanchez opposes Florida's Andrew Miller in tonight's game in attempt to drop his 1.61 WHIP earn a victory for only the second time since April 17th.