colbyjack

ASU and Stanford are the most loaded with talent. Marrero could go in the top 3-5 overall picks. Brady Rodgers is a nice pitcher, but it known more for his command and 3-pitch repertoire than for his velocity. Barrett can light up radar guns, but as I noted above, is as max effort as they come. Alex Blackford is mostly upper-80s but spins a nice CB while Andrew Aplin is one of the best defensive CFs in the college game. Stanford is loaded, led by RHP Mark Appel. LHP Brett Mooneyham is coming off of a finger injury, giving them 2 pretty good weekend starters. 3B Stephen Piscotty, SS Kenny Diekroeger, LF Tyler Gaffney and CF Jake Stewart could all go in the early rounds. Austin Wilson, Brian Ragira and AJ Vanegas are players to watch for the 2013 draft. Unfortunately for you, ASU is traveling to Stanford this year. Cal has a couple of intriguing prospects in 2B Tony Renda and LHP Justin Jones. Arizona has a solid Friday starter in Kurt Heyer who can dial it up to the mid-90s. Oregon (another team I think ASU travels to) has LHP Christian Jones. Washington has 3B Jake Lamb, who has promise but has yet to break out.

If you're looking to get a head start on the 2012 draft, check out Perfect Game's free preview week. Yes, you need to provide a credit card number to take advantage of it, but there is a way for you to opt out after registering to make sure you don't get charged after the trial. If you have any questions, let me know: http://www.perfectgame.or...s/View.aspx?article=6441

McFarland is a good player, but not a SS long-term. He's a 2B/3B. Jenkins is a long ways away. Even if McFarland played SS I wouldn't find peace with the organization's SS depth due to his/their presence. Arcia from what I can tell is the only guy worth getting excited about at this point in time, and yet scouting reports on him are limited (not to mention how far away he is from contributing). Keep in mind the Brewers have a pretty incredible track record drafting shortstops in the first round, including Gorman Thomas, Yount, Molitor, Sveum, Sheffield and even Bill Spiers, even if some switched positions. Without looking, and I'm guessing I'm forgetting someone, but I think the earliest they have taken a SS recently was Josh Murray in 2002.

Yeah, Diaz is a little more raw, but his upside is pretty tremendous. I know I've mentioned his electric arm, but just watch his arm speed and easy, whip-like motion. Mechanics can be brushed up, but you can't teach what he has going for him. Sims and Virant could both easily fall, as they're far from finished products. Max Fried is probably my favorite prep pitcher not named Giolito as his curveball is a big-league hammer when he's throwing it as well as he can. Nathan Kirby is my pick for a player who I think could make a big jump this spring. He's a LHP that peaks around 92 and a big CB that strikes out just about everyone he faces. He's a Virginia recruit, a school known for developing some pretty good pitchers. However, if the Brewers find themselves in the middle of the first I hope they take advantage of the incredible HS OF class. They need to get some more impact bats in their system, and this is a good year to do that.

Wouldn't mind the Brewers getting him later in the draft. How much later do you expect him to fall? Several people in my office think Diaz is already a first round pick as it stands right now, as his projectability and electric arm suggests that his 91-94 fastball could easily turn into a 93-97 arm within no time. As for Traver vs. Sims and Virant, Sims and Virant don't have much of a chance to fall to #28, whereas Traver is more likely to fall to the Brewers 2nd round pick than Diaz does. Of course it's way too early to try and figure who falls where.

I thought Brewers fans would take interest in this story from today's PG World Showcase on RHP Edwin Diaz since some parallels are drawn to Jorge Lopez: http://www.perfectgame.or...s/View.aspx?article=6446 Rhett Wiseman is a good player. He has good speed, arm strength and some pop, with most of his power going to the gaps at this stage in his career. He really competes, especially at the plate, as I've never seen him cheated in any PA. His work ethic and personality stand out, as he's a really sharp and respectful young man and someone you root for. His tools don't stand out in this special HS OF class, but they're solid at worse across the board, although I wouldn't be surprised to see him go to Vanderbilt. That said, I could also see him enjoying success given his drive and dedication alone. Adam Brett Walker does have incredible power, and he's from Milwaukee. I'm not sure if his power is the best in this class, as prep IF/RHP Joey Gallo (a Russell Branyan clone) and Georgia Southern OF Victor Roache would be in the same conversation. I've written before that I'm a little concerned with Walker's swing, as I think he's going to be prone to strikeouts, possibly as severe as Adam Dunn is. But he also has a Dunn-type upside in regards to productivity. He has been compared to Frank Thomas, but Thomas was an incredible athlete (Auburn TE IIRC) and one of the best, most underrated and complete hitters the game has ever seen. I would think both Walker and Traver would be realistic possibilities for the Brewers when they pick. Cecchini actually is the one player you mentioned that I think may be gone when the Brewers pick (at least where their pick stands now) given his defense and upside at a premium position. Barrett's a future short reliever. Watch him pitch if you can sometime, or find some video online, and you'll see he's about as max effort as they come. Speaking of Cecchini, if he is available, I think the Brewers have to take him, and it's something I've been meaning to bring up in this forum for quite some time. Yes, you should never draft for need, but the Brewers have a severe need for a SS. Jose Valentin's son Jesmuel should be another target of theirs for the same reason.

Also, via MLBTR and Buster Olney, reports indicate that the Cubs may still be in on Fielder despite acquisition of Rizzo. I'm not so sure I buy that, but Olney also notes that the Mariners may be more willing to give Fielder the years and money he's looking for, and it may just be a matter of Fielder choosing to go to Seattle. Of course that is terrible scenario for the Brewers when it comes to draft picks, which would be the third pick in the second round, a pick in the 60s should all the comp picks fall in place as they could (see link above). And Puerto Rican SS Carlos Correa just threw 97 across the infield from our PG World Showcase currently being conducted in Fort Myers, Fla. Lance McCullers has the all-time PG event record at 98, but that was with 3 crow hops at last June's National Showcase. Correa's 97, via PG's Twitter (retweeted on mine if you follow me), was as smooth and easy as they come. He set the set at the World last year with 93. http://twitter.com/#!/PerfectGameUSA

Heath Bell's pick comes before the Marlins' 2nd round pick since their 1st-round pick was protected. Plus, MLB basically came out and said that is the pick the Padres would get for Bell. I need to check out the rest of them, as there are still some big questions that need to be answered. EDIT: I forgot I had this point in that story about the compensation for modified Type A free agents: Teams will not lose a draft pick when signing any of these players, but the teams that lose the players will receive compensation comparable to what they received under the old draft rules. So it is still dependent on where or not the signing team's 1st rounder is protected in the first round and whether or not they sign any other Type A free agents. Also the order has been updated with a few recent signees that I missed over the holidays. http://www.perfectgame.or...s/View.aspx?article=6410

Also, why does the supplemental pick for Cuddyer, Bell, etc... all come before Pujols and Fielder? And why do the Padres' get the Marlin's second round pick for Reyes? It still needs to be determined if compensation picks for Type A and modified Type A free agents will be distributed in order as opposed to lumped together. I have them lumped together for now, as the team with the worst record from 2011 would get the first pick for losing a Type A free agent. Since the Twins finished with the 2nd worst record in all of baseball, they go first in the sandwich round. The Marlins signed Heath Bell before the new CBA was announced, and under the old rules the Padres would have received the Marlins' third-round pick, since the Marlins also signed a higher-ranked Type A free agent, Jose Reyes. With the new rules Heath Bell was classified as a modified Type A free agent, and MLB decided that the Marlins would not give up a pick, but the Padres would receive a pick just before the Marlins' 2nd round pick. That remains to be the same even after the Marlins gave up their 2nd rounder to the Mets for Reyes, as it's pretty much a unique instance given the rule changes. Lewis Brinson has drawn some comparisons to Dexter Fowler, which is about as solid of a comp for any player.

I'll be updating the draft order and I've also outlined how the new CBA will impact the draft here: http://www.perfectgame.or...s/View.aspx?article=6410 The Brewers have pick #28 and will have pick #38 for Prince Fielder. Some of the teams believed to be interested in Prince include the Nationals (16th overall), Blue Jays (17th) and Rangers (29th). Should the Mariners, Cubs or Orioles sign him, the Brewers would get their second-rounder. The Brewers shouldn't have to worry about a Sabathia-type situation getting a pick bumped back one round later since the Angels signed the only free agent rated higher than Prince (Pujols). With a move to the AL -- and the Brewers just played the AL East this past year -- and the 2nd highest pick possible, allow me to say go Blue Jays!

I think Caleb Gindl deserves a chance to win a reserve role out of camp. He may be better at AAA getting regular ABs, but the same could be said for Taylor Green. I agree with the overall sentiment that the bench will likely have to be extremely cost effective, while also pointing to the Cardinals knack for developing young players while they assume reserve roles early in their careers. C Kottaras IF Green + someone that can play SS as Al pointed out, who knows who that player may be, but I don't think it's someone already mentioned in this thread OF Gomez, Gindl That also provides at least 3 LH bats off the bench for a predominantly RH lineup. I would have both Ramirez and Green bring a 1B glove to camp to get enough reps at the position just in case.

Manny Ramirez was reinstated. Figure out a way to sign him for 50 days.

Almora is the better all around player, but Nick Williams' ceiling offensively is pretty incredible. He's drawn some Griffey comps (for his bat only), and one person I work with has compared his approach/stance/swing to Barry Bonds. There's obviously a lot that needs to happen for him to come close to matching that productivity, but that's the kind of upside he has. He isn't a very instinctive player defensively or on the basepaths, and doesn't seem to show much interest in those aspects of the game, so there is some personal roadblocks for him achieving his potential.

Word from NC State indicates that freshman LHP Carlos Rodon will likely open the season as the team's Friday night ace. That doesn't happen very often. He's been up to 97 several times in fall ball, and already is generating buzz as one of the top 3-5 players that will be available in the 2014 draft.

Kyle Zimmer would definitely fit the mold of the type of big-bodied, power arm Seid and his staff have shown a preference for. I'm a big fan of Weickel. Great size, pitchability, and he keeps getting better. Sims has a loose power arm, and Gallo reminds me an awful lot of a young Russell Branyan. Good size, big LH swing, and crazy power everywhere. Watch Gallo take BP and you'll see that one bomb rockets out to RF, the next to LCF, the next to straight-away CF, etc. David Dahl and Courtney Hawkins are the best players in the 2012 draft class that no one is talking about. Dahl is a 6.5 runner with a 95 arm from the OF that also shows great bat speed, while Hawkins blew up this summer as a hitter, and whatever scouts he hadn't wooed over by October he did at our World Championship. Of course that means neither is probably available past the top 10-15 picks, but you never know. Boom or bust picks go to Nick Williams and Byron Buxton. The sky's the limit for both, but both are pretty raw in almost all aspects. Williams' upside offensively is greater than Buxton, who is a much better baserunner and defender. Jesse Winker gets the Jay Bruce/Derek Fisher comp from me, although he is more of a Paul O'Neil type of hitter and overall player with very good defensive tools in RF and a willingness to drive the ball to the gap in LCF as a LH hitter. Bregman has an incredible idea of what he's doing at the plate, and consistently hits the ball hard. He's a lot like Brett Lawrie in that he's played SS and C and may be tried at 2B or 3B, but is likely destined for LF where he still could hit plenty enough to earn his keep. There are some intriguing shortstops too. Carlos Correa is a darkhorse to go No. 1 overall, while Gavin Cecchini has great range at the position and enough at the plate to lead you to believe there is more to come. Some 2-way guys include Tanner Rahier, who has more present-day pop than Cecchini at SS and a cannon for an arm. Carson Kelly is another 2-way guy that shows great hitting and pitching mechanics. Most like him better as a hitter, but I really liked what I saw of him on the mound. Rio Ruiz draws a lot of comparisons to Eric Chavez as a SoCal LH hitting 3B with a sweet swing, strong arm and slick glove. And if prep LHP Max Fried somehow makes it to whatever pick the Brewers may have, take him. Inconsistent right now, but a loose arm, projectable frame and a plus-plus big-league curveball when he's snapping it off as well as he can. Some college guys I like that could be in the Brewers wheelhouse include RHP Chris Beck (big-bodied, good stuff, advanced change/command), Josh Conway (live-armed 2-way guy who has some Tim Hudson to him), 3B Stephen Piscotty (great idea at plate, consistently hits ball hard a la Ryan Zimmerman at same stage, although D' is nowhere as good) and OFs Travis Jankowski (leadoff type with good speed, live drive bat), Brandon Thomas (similar to Jankowski) and Jeremy Baltz (good discipline, strong, muscular build, impressive power potential).

CheezWizHead, the high school ranks have the potential to be special, but the college ranks look a little thin. Stanford's Mark Appel is typically considered the top prospect, but he has a lot to prove in the spring. We at PG currently have Lucas Giolito, a prep RHP, as the No. 1 player for next year's draft, but no HS RHP has ever gone 1st overall. http://www.perfectgame.or...s/View.aspx?article=6293 It is a good year for both high school pitchers and outfielders. There are some really good, natural hitters such as Alex Bregman and Jesse Winker that may be around late in the 1st round, and yes, I think the Brewers need to get some more potential impact bats in their system after pursuing pitchers so heavily each of the last 3 years. One thing I find interesting is the fact that Bruce Seid has shifted the Brewers focus to college players during his time as the team's scouting director. Some of that may be coming from Melvin and Ash, who are on record around the time Zduriencik left and Seid took over that the team would look to draft more players closer to contributing at the big-league level, not only to move them quickly, but so to speed up their value as trade commodities. They did of course take Covey with their 1st-round pick in 2010, so it's not like they're avoiding prep players.

Don't get too wrapped up by BA's future lineup projection. Keep in mind that several years ago they have Richie Sexson and Prince Fielder in the same lineup (with Sexson in LF IIRC). It's just a way to merge who is currently with the team and who is on the way up. As for Gennett, as already noted he's not a SS. It's one thing to try Eric Farris there, who showed a pretty slick glove at the SS position in college, but just doesn't have the arm strength to stick there long term (that said, the same was said of Marcos Scutaro and David Eckstein). Gennett fits into the Brewers system nicely in that he's a bat first everything else next type of player. And by 'nicely' I just mean he follows a trend we've seen with several Brewers past and present including Gamel, Braun, Fielder, Weeks, Hart, etc. That said, I've always like Gennett's bat. I'm not as concerned about the lack of walks, as he's always shown to have a very good idea of what he's doing at the plate even if he does have a propensity to swing the bat. I'm excited to see what kind of numbers he posts at Huntsville, as he's been somewhat fast-tracked, and at the very worse should profile as a strong utility player at the MLB level.

When I saw Jungmann he was 91-93 with good run. Is it possible that you saw him on a back night or did I just see him amped up? I've seen Jungmann pitch at least 8 times in college. And 88-93 compared to 91-93 really isn't that different. He usually peaks at 93 in the early innings, settling into the 90-91 range and then 88-89 in the later innings. That's certainly not uncommon for any pitcher, and he has a good enough repertoire to go along with his command to succeed without a premium fastball. I wrote this story leading up to last year's draft: http://www.perfectgame.or...s/View.aspx?article=5785 Yes, he does have good run on his fastball, and while he doesn't have a huge bender, he does a nice job dropping it in for strikes with the ability to pull the string on his changeup. As TheCrew descriptively noted, there are some mechanical tweaks he could make, although I'm not convinced a complete overhaul is needed. And don't take my earlier comments as criticism on Jungmann. I have liked him for quite some time, dating back to high school, but do believe his upside is limited. He's never been a flamethrower, but he could become an effective mid-rotation starter, although as I note in my column as linked above, there are plenty of other pitchers who play bigger than their stuff when you consider the entire package of control, command, changing speeds, etc. I think you have the top 2 guys right in Peralta and Bradley. It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Bradley. I've seen him at his best 2 or 3 times, and not as great later last spring, and if he gains more consistency he could be a stud.

I forgot to mention 2 things about size: I enjoyed your assessment of the size of shortstops, as it always seems to be that if a SS is taller than the 5-11 to 6-1 range that player is frequently pegged as a 3B, while a player shorter than that range is pegged for 2B. For pitchers, given my comments above in relation to the pitchers taken in the 2010 draft, it's been well documented that Bruce Seid and Gord Ash have expressed an organizational interest in pitchers that are larger given some of the research they have done. Despite that research, they still took Thornburg, who looks to be the best player from that draft.

Not to criticize the efforts, as it's clear you put a lot of time into that list, but Thornburg pitched just over 160 innings collectively at Charleston Southern. As DHonks noted, he was used in an expanded role prior to his junior year. Even then, he threw 78 innings. For reference, Jungmann threw 140+ his junior year, as you noted. In the 2010 draft the Brewers took a trio of college arms early whose future role was somewhat in question, including Jimmy Nelson and Matt Miller. Austin Ross could even be thrown into that conversation, and they continued that trend this past year with Tommy Toledo as a similar example. I don't get too hung up with size, as there are plenty of shorter righties that have enjoyed success that don't have traditional, picture-perfect mechanics (Roy Oswalt comes to mind, not to slap another unfair comp on an unconventional prospect), and the limited times I've seen Thornburg I've been really impressed. I also don't recall hearing Scarpetta having TJ surgery. Didn't he tear a tendon in his finger (tendon sheath?) or something like that that caused the Brewers to void the initial deal he signed? And Jungmann was 88-93 almost all of last spring.

As much as I love the idea of adding Jose Reyes, his situation just screams Alfonso Soriano to me. I want him in the lineup, and on paper he's a perfect fit for the team, but more than likely wherever he ends up his deal is going to look really, really bad in 3-5 years, if that. And the draft pick issue doesn't bother me as much either, and not because picks are 'hit and miss.'

I've already thanked and congratulated Mass privately, but I just wanted to add that when I learned Tommy Tanous became the new scouting director of the New York Mets, the first person/thought that immediately popped in my head was Jim. That's just one quick and recent example of the strong impression he has had on my life, and my new career, as I have always admired his tireless work and dedication to this site, we the fans, and the Milwaukee Brewers. A tip of the cap to you my friend, best wishes moving forward.

I haven't seen this mentioned, but fans can watch Jed Bradley pitch in the AFL's Rising Stars game this Saturday at 7:10 central on the MLB Network. I'm interested to see if Bradley resembles the pitcher I saw during the summer of 2010 on the Cape and over the first half of the 2011 college baseball season. If he shows that, even in a short stint, I think people here will be pleased with the team's 2nd 1st round pick from last June (who I contend is still a better prospect than Jungmann). BA provides the roster and a brief synopsis of the players (as noted, Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, Gerrit Cole and Danny Hultzen may be enough reason to tune in): http://www.baseballameric...league/2011/2612561.html

Here's the link to the chat room for today's 2012 draft chat, which starts at noon CST: http://www.perfectgame.or...s/View.aspx?article=6253

If you would like to chat about the 2012 draft, PG scouting director David Rawnsley, college guru Kendall Rogers and myself will be talking about the top prospects for next year in a chat that starts at noon tomorrow. Rawnsley and myself put the early odds on something historical happening with the No. 1 overall pick. Visit the Perfect Game homepage tomorrow for linkage.