10-17-11: - http://mlbdraftguide.com/1 - Austin Maddox, C/IF, Florida - Maddox came out of high school as a catcher with a big arm and power potential. He was one of my favorite prep prospects who made it to college. Arriving in Gainesville with Mike Zunino took catching away from Maddox’s profile, at least for the duration of his time in college. He has played primarily the corner infield spots for the Gators while also spending time at DH. The big bat remained for Maddux in 2010. He hit .333/.369/.587 with 17 home runs on his way to being named the SEC Freshman of the Year. Maddox experienced a drop-off at the plate in 2011, falling to .280/.327/.368 with 6 home runs. A return to catcher will have to wait until Maddox reaches the next level, but a return to his freshman form as a batter could shoot him up draft boards. 10-22-11: - http://ht.ly/1fglCb - We continue the countdown today at number 83 with Stony Brook’s Travis Jankowski. In his sophomore season in 2011, he finished second on the squad with a .355 batting average with two homers and 38 RBI in 54 games. He led the squad with 30 stolen bases in 34 attempts while also not committing a single error in the outfield. Jankowski had a breakout summer in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the Bourne Braves. He played in 47 games hitting .326 with seven triples and 22 RBI. He continued his prowess on the basepaths with 15 stolen bases. He was named the 2011 CCBL MVP for his play over the summer 10-23-11: - http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/2011/10/smoral-stands-out-among-big-arms - The World Wood Bat Association World Championship has long been a place where high school prospects can establish themselves as elite players against high-level competition. Matt Smoral, a lefthander from Solon (Ohio) High has always been considered to be among the top pitchers in the country, but he may have solidified himself as the top southpaw with an impressive outing on Friday. Smoral took the hill for the Midland Redskins/Royals Scout Team and lit up radar guns immediately, sitting 90-92 mph and touching 94 twice in the first inning. He remained in the low 90s for the first three innings before settling in at 88-91 in his final inning. He throws from a three-quarter arm slot and has a fairly easily delivery. His second-best pitch is a hard tilting slider in the low 80s. 10-22-11: - http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=6347 - Having grown and matured into one of the nation’s top outfield prospects in the class of 2012, Lewis Brinson finds that he really isn’t overwhelmed by too much anymore. It’s just that there remain some scenes and situations that can be just a little bit more overwhelming than others, or at least trigger memories of the same. Brinson was at the Roger Dean Complex – the spring training home of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Florida Marlins – late Saturday morning in preparation of taking the field for the Red Sox Scout Team/Elite Squad at this year’s Perfect Game WWBA World Championship. 10-23-11: - http://ht.ly/1fhxpn - Dylan Floro will be the anchor for the Titan pitching staff. Having watched him several times over the summer on the Cape, I’m pretty comfortable saying that. In Game 1, the junior pitched four innings, allowing only one run, unearned, on one hit, and he struck out three. It wasn’t until he left the game that Vanderbilt managed to get their momentum in what turned out to be a 10-8 Fullerton win.
10-11-11: - http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/baseball/post/_/id/455/prep-arms-the-difference-in-class-of-2012 - Matt Smoral, LHP -- Solon (Solon, Ohio) Smoral may be the pitching prospect with the most room to climb up the charts thanks to his 6-foot-8, 230-pound frame and low-90s fastball. Scouts believe there is more in the tank in terms of velocity and he also uses a fringe-average slider and is becoming more comfortable with his changeup. Smoral, a North Carolina commit, isn't likely to see Chapel Hill since left-handers with plus heaters and projectable bodies don't last long in the draft. Smoral could land in the top 10. 10-16-11: - http://mlbdraftguide.com/1/2011/10/16/alex-bregman-2012-draft-profile - Alex Bregman has been on the 2012 draft radar for quite a while. In 2010, Bregman became the first youth player ever named the USA Baseball Player of the Year. Past recipients of the award include Stephen Strasburg, Ryan Zimmerman, and Ben Sheets. He followed up his strong showing in 2010, by participating in the Perfect Game All-American Classic and being named to the USA Baseball 18U National Team in 2011. Bregman is an extremely advanced hitter for his age. He has a good approach and shows good plate discipline. He is relaxed at the plate and has an easy line drive swing. Bregman has plus bat speed. He squares up the ball well. He has surprising power and hits to all fields. 60 times for Bregman range from 6.8 to 7.0. 10-18-11: - http://www.rantsports.com/blog/2011/10/18/2012-mlb-mock-draft-update-heading-into-the-world-series - 4. Baltimore Orioles Lance McCullers Jr. Pitcher Tampa Jesuit High School Florida The Orioles need to add another pitching prospect. Their rotation has no identity. Lance McCullers Jr. could develop into a #1 pitcher. When most 2012 MLB Mock Drafts started Lance McCullers Jr. was the clear cut #1 overall pick. This changed because McCuller’s lacked the size. McCuller’s has pinpoint accuracy on his pitches along with deadly velocity for a starter. Lance McCullers Jr. still looks like a stone cold lock to get drafted in the top 5 even if he took himself out of contention for that top pick. 10-20-11: - http://www.collegebaseballdaily.com/2011/10/20/top-100-countdown-85-eric-anderson-missouri - We continue the countdown today at number 85 with Missouri junior righthanded pitcher Eric Anderson. The Highlands Ranch, Colorado native attended Mountain Vista High School where he was a perfect 10-0 with an ERA of 1.71 and 89 strikeouts as a senior. In his high school career, he went 15-1 with an era of 2.80 while striking out 122 batters. As a freshman in 2010, he made 10 appearances (nine starts) while going 1-4 with a 5.74 ERA in 42.1 innings. He struck out 31 batters while walking 16 before having his season cut short due to an injury. Anderson’s sophomore season saw him go 3-0 with a 4.93 ERA in eleven appearances (nine starts). He walked 16 batters and struck out 26 on the year. He made two appearances with the USA Collegiate National Team in the summer of 2011. He went a perfect 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA. He struck out 7 batters while walking two. He also made two starts with the Falmouth Commodores giving up two runs in 12 innings. 10-21-11: - http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=6343 - Rodriguez is encouraged by the number of top-notch Puerto Rican pitching prospects that are here this weekend, including right-handers Edwin Diaz on Team Mizuno Puerto Rico and Jose Orlando Berrios on the Florida Legends Scout Team. Middle infielders Carlos Correa (PRBAHS) and Jesmuel Valentin Diaz (PRBAHS) and catchers Tomas Nido (Cardinal Scout Team/FTB Mizuno) and Wilfredo Rodriguez (PRBAHS) are the top-ranked position players. Correa stands a rung ahead of the rest. A student at PRBAHS, the primary shortstop is ranked the nation’s No. 7 overall prospect and No. 1 at his position. He has entertained collegiate offers from Miami, Florida State, Liberty and Vanderbilt, among others, but is yet to verbally commit. It seems certain he will be a first round draft pick. Outfielder Reymond Fuentes was the last player selected in the first round of the draft to come straight out of a Puerto Rico high school when he was taken 28th overall by the Red Sox in 2009.
