colbyjack

It's not a ranking, but Brian Sakowski and myself identify some of our favorite draft results (with explanation ): https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=14042

Alec Bettinger wasn't ranked among the PG Top 500, but here's the report on Dallas Carroll: 410. Dallas Carroll, 3b, Utah R-R, 6-0/205, Taylorsville, Utah Previously Drafted: Never Drafted One of the better contact hitters in college baseball, Carrol had a very good senior season for the Utes, leading the team in hitting at .369 with an overall slash of .369/.465/.591. He collected 17 doubles and 7 home runs; but what really stands out is that Carroll only struck out 19 times in just shy of 250 plate appearances. Carrol's best tool is that pure bat to ball skill; he's capable of manipulating the barrel and while he can get bat on nearly everything; he's not over-aggressive and is willing to take his walks. As a matter of fact, his approach is rather patient; a pretty good trait to have when coupled with his bat-to-ball skills and gap pop. He's a decent defender at third base and should be fine there long term, overall. He's also commended for his makeup and leadership skills.

Hairston is a super-short middle infielder with a contact bat that may be a better fit at second base, Francis has good size and a good fastball but might by physically maxed out as a reliever at the next level while Rose may have the best changeup of any player eligible for this year's draft. It's a great signature pitch, similar to Chad Fox's slider in effectiveness (and overall use). Here are the more detailed reports from PG on last 3 picks: 280. Devin Hairston, ss, Louisville (JR) R-R, 5-7/162, Lexington, Ky. Previously Drafted: Never Drafted Hairston is a well-known name among scouts and evaluators, something that’s bound to happen when you’re the starting shortstop on one of the nation’s top collegiate teams, along with making a stint on the Collegiate National Team. He’s a quality athlete and defender, projecting to stay up the middle, thanks to his instincts and advanced overall actions. His approach at the plate is geared to a high contact rate while working the gaps, showing a short and quick stroke with a nice overall feel for the barrel. On the whole Hairston is a solid baseball player who has performed at a very high level each of the last two seasons and is a key piece that help makes the offense go. 307. Bowden Francis, rhp, Chipola (JC) (SO) R-R, 6-5/230, Tallahassee, Fla. Previously Drafted: Never Drafted An extremely physical righthander who is committed to hometown Florida State; Chipola's Bowden Francis did a great job of helping to lead Chipola to a National Championship this year. As a matter of fact, with ace Evan Steele missing a good part of the season, Francis led the team in innings pitched. Francis primarily works with a fastball in the mid-90's, touching as high as 97 mph this season; attacking hitters with the pitch early and often while doing a pretty solid job overall of throwing consistent strikes. He also mixes in a breaking ball that will show as a solid average offering at times; though it will need continued refinement. 256. Jayson Rose, rhp, Utah (JR) R-R, 5-11/175, Alpine, Calif. Previously Drafted: Never Drafted Rose isn't getting as much draft buzz as fellow Ute Riley Ottesen, but Rose is very good in his own right. The ace of the staff for two years now, Rose is a bit undersized and his slender frame causes some concerns in terms of potential durability over 200+ innings at the professional level; but Rose has been very durable at Utah, regardless. He threw 94 innings this season with a 3.35 ERA, striking out 82 hitters in those 94 frames and allowing a mere .241 batting average against. The calling card for Rose is undoubtedly his plus changeup, which he's comfortable throwing in any count vs. any hitter, and will double/triple up on the pitch as well. He has been up to 92-93 mph with his fastball but usually sits in the 87-91 mph range with solid control; and he does a good job of using a pair of fringe-average offerings in his slider and curveball to set up the fastball/changeup combo.

Here's the report on Egnatuk. Again, another bat, and what's interesting is that these have all been righthanded hitters after loading up on so many lefthanded hitters in recent years. 188. Nicholas Egnatuk, 3b, Immaculata HS R-R, 6-2/185, Basking Ridge, N.J. College Commitment: Pittsburgh Egnatuk wasn't on most scout's radars before last August but was very impressive, especially offensively, in the East Coast Pro Showcase and the Area Code Games that month to establish himself as perhaps a late rising Northeast hitting prospect. Egnatuk's best tool is unquestionably his right handed bat. He has a crisp and strong swing that is high on line drive contact and enough strength to drive the gaps. He also runs from 4.2 to 4.3 from the right side and will be able to beat out some infield hits and stretch some singles into doubles. Defensively, Egnatuk has shown the ability to make the athletic play, especially with his athletic quickness, but will need more repetitions to get consistent on the routine plays. His arm has big league average strength but his lower release slot tends to make some throws tail.

MilwaukeeBeers, you're absolutely right. I'm surprised by how many people are concerned about signability. If they're drafted in the top 10 rounds it is a much, much,much larger shock if they don't sign than if they do. The changes to the draft pool a few years back changed that significantly. So far I really like the Brewers picks. They're taking some good, proven players. Here's the report on Murphy: 88. Brendan Murphy, lhp, Mundelein HS L/L, 6-4/210, Mundelein, Ill. College Commitment: Arizona State Murphy has been on the prospect radar for a good while now, having participated in the prestigious Perfect Game National Showcase last summer and followed that up with an appearance at the Area Codes in August. Always lauded as a projectable, athletic lefthander with good size and a good changeup; Murphy retains that profile, but has taken several steps forward this spring regardless. Now working consistently in the 88-93 mph range with his fastball, Murphy creates good angles to the plate and and both his body and ease of operation lead scouts to believe that he has some projection remaining in terms of velocity. His changeup is still his out pitch, flashing plus pretty often this spring and doing enough to earn consistent 55 (on the 20-80 scale) grades from scouts. The change has late, bottom-falling-out action at the plate with good deception and velocity differential; and projects to miss bats consistently for the rest of his career. His slider still lags behind the fastball/changeup combo at this point; but has flashed enough sharpness and spin this spring to earn some average projections from scouts. With a good body, projection remaining, and potentially three average-or-better pitches; Murphy is a bit of wildcard in the Midwest. Some scouts believe he could come off the board as early as the top of the 3rd round.

I'm surprised by the number of hitters! I really liked Harrison defensively coming out of high school. I saw him at our National Showcase the summer before his senior year and his leadership and overall defensive skills really stood out. But his body took a different turn while in high school. Not necessarily a bad one, but he isn't as long and loose as he once was, he's more strong and compact now, built kind of like Steven Pearce, and the profile to Pearce might be similar. I think he can catcher, and given the team's newfound appreciation for versatility, I could see him being a catcher a couple of days a week, playing first base a couple of days a week and filling in at DH during interleague play. Kind of like Kyle Schwarber, initially, but I hate to use that comp too much since the two are really different players. They just have similar profiles. Anyway, here's his PG Draft Pack scouting report: K.J. Harrison – C/1B Height/Weight: 6-0/209 Bats/Throws: R/R Birthdate: August 11, 1996 College: Oregon State Hometown: Kailua, Hawaii Projected Draft Round: 2-3 One of the potentially more intriguing storylines of the 2017 draft, Oregon State’s K.J. Harrison has been lauded as one of the best pure hitters in college baseball since stepping foot on campus, but retains some positional concerns about where he’ll profile in professional baseball. A catcher by nature, Harrison hasn’t seen a lot of reps behind the plate, due mostly to the presence of ’16 third rounder Logan Ice and current freshman Adley Rutschman, but his tools at the catcher positon are intriguing even though he’s spent most of his time at first base, where he’s a solid defender in his own right. He has solid arm strength and his footwork on throw downs is clean, but the blocking skills and overall lateral agility raise some question marks, as does the projectability of his receiving skills. Regardless, Harrison’s calling card is the bat. He’s hitting .365/.427/.510 thus far in 2017 and has shown over the course of his career that there is plenty of juice in the bat as well. With a very easy, powerful swing generating plenty of bat speed and seemingly effortless loft, Harrison projects to hit for both average and power at the next level, and collectively scouts aren’t worried about projecting his bat into the future. His draft stock likely hinges on where he profiles defensively. If a team believes he can catch at an average level long-term he’ll likely be taken quite high in the draft, whereas if he’s seen as more of a first baseman he could slip a little. From our perspective, there’s no reason not to send him out as a catcher when first signed, as he shows the tools necessary to project behind the plate long-term with more and more repetitions.

A few have asked about players that are still available. Allow me to point out that any high school player that is still available, especially if they were ranked in the top 50, are likely to be signability risks. We're going to see a lot more college players taken from this point forward, although the 3rd and 4th rounds should still have a handful of prep players sprinkled in. Players like Jacob Heatherly and Blayne Enlow, if I had to guess, are college bound at this point, or at least are likely going to need a larger bonus to get them in the fold. LouisEly asked who a few Corbin Burnes-esque college pitchers may be. I would agree with the premise (even if it wasn't said) that with Hiura and Lutz going with the first two picks that I would expect a run on arms, particularly from the college ranks, similar to last year. Erich Uelmen could be one, who actually profiles somewhat similar to Burnes. He doesn't throw as hard as Burnes, at least not consistently, but he's a well built righty with strength and a solid 3-pitch repertoire. Colton Hock, who I've mentioned before, is another intriguing option. He has very good size and very good stuff with a relatively fresh arm, but also doesn't have much starting experience the past few years. Trevor Stephan was mentioned but his teammate Blaine Knight could also be an option. However, Knight is eligible as a true sophomore and may be more inclined to return to Arkansas. That said, his upside is higher than Stephan's with the ability to touch 95-96, although his fastball is fairly straight, and a pretty good slider. The best pitchers available could be from the JUCO levels as RHP Ryley Widell and LHP Daniel Tillo offer present stuff with future upside.

Here's the PG Draft Pack report on Caden Lemons, super projectable prep RHP that moved up considerably this spring: Caden Lemons - RHP Height/Weight: 6-6/175 Bats/Throws: R/R Birthdate: December 2, 1998 High School: Vestavia Hills Hometown: Birmingham, Ala. Travel Team: Excel College Commitment: Mississippi Projected Draft Round: 2-4 After topping out at around 91 mph and working in the high-80s after PG National, Lemons was seen as a high end projection play and someone, once he filled out his body, could be a strong righthanded arm. The frame is still extremely lean and lanky, but the fastball velocity has ticked up this spring, touching as high as 96-97 mph per some reports and was up to 95 mph during Perfect Game’s single viewing. That kind of power arm normally indicates someone who will be drafted in the top three or four rounds, not someone who finds their way going to college. Lemons has extremely long limbs with a high-waisted frame and extreme length on both his arms and legs. He uses that length to generate extension down the mound and whips his arm throughout a loose and full arm circle. The arm strength and speed along with the coordination of his body allow him to gain that velocity and he goes to the fastball often. Though the fastball has ticked up in terms of the top of the range, he works comfortably in the 89-92 mph range. Currently, the secondary pitch that Lemons has the most confidence in is his big breaking curveball. The pitch generates good angle upon delivery and shows sharpness with downward tilt in the mid-70s. It is an effective offering both at being thrown for strikes in the zone and getting chase swings down in the zone. He has had some of the strongest buzz and has climbed draft boards as one of the biggest risers this spring, mostly due to his increased velocity. Regardless, Lemons has an extremely high ceiling as a pitcher and if he can add some good weight, whether that be through professional training programs or in a college program, the velocity of his fastball should only continue to climb. The projection still left on his body and arm coupled with the current velocity levels make Lemons an extremely intriguing piece to MLB organizations come June’s draft.

I'm a little surprised they went with another bat with their next pick, but I like Tristen Lutz a lot. He's one of those guys that quickly passes the eye test, a very physical player with a big upside. Here's the PG Draft Pack report on Lutz: Tristen Lutz – OF Height/Weight: 6-3/210 Bats/Throws: R/R Birthdate: August 22, 1998 High School: Martin Hometown: Arlington, Texas Travel Team: Academy Select Commitment: Texas Projected Draft Round: 2-3 If you put all the top prospects in the country in order according to their physical strength and build, Texas high schooler Tristan Lutz would be right near the top. His 6-foot-3, 210-pound chiseled frame is immensely strong without being tight and restricted and he stands out even on a field crowded with top players. Lutz has also stood out for his performance. He was among the top hitters at two of the last major events on the 2016 circuit, the Area Code Games and the WWBA World Championships, giving scouts a positive last impression going into their winter planning. He has also been a consistent high level for Arlington Martin High School, annually one of the top programs in the country. For a right handed hitter with his strength and raw power, Lutz has a very short and direct swing and has consistently shown the ability to hit the ball as hard to right centerfield as he does pulling the ball. He hits from a deep bent knee crouch, which doesn't help his ability to lift the ball with any consistency, but he does consistently square up the ball hard, which given his strength, results in a steady diet of line drives and extra base hits. Scouts project that his power will improve as he stands taller in the box. Lutz's secondary tools are very solid. He runs in the mid-4.2's from home to first, which is solid average major league speed, and has a plus throwing arm from the outfield. He plays centerfield at present but has the prototype tools to be a above average defender in right field. Lutz has been slowly moving up team's draft boards all spring as more and more scouts appreciate his combination of strength driven tools and polished high school skills. With how much his stock has already gone up, it would be shocking if he even exceeded his second-third round projected draft position above. (DR) And video from the good folks at 2080 Baseball:

For people that don't like the Weeks comparison for Hiura, don't worry, he's nothing like Weeks . Toby, I've never seen Hiura's arm, but he threw 77 mph across the diamond in HS (which is well below average) at one of our events, so I doubt it got that much better.

Yeah, it's important to remember that Hiura was injured and yet he led all of NCAA Division I in hitting. He didn't fall due to a lack of production, playing time or anything like that, and some would argue that he didn't fall at all. The only question, and it's a big one for some teams, scouts and overall people, is his future position. He was supposed to play second base this year, a position a lot of people believe he could play but he hasn't had a chance to prove it yet due to his elbow injury. He's a good overall athlete and has some versatility, even if he doesn't profile as plus at any one position. I've said it before, but even if he plays left field he should hit enough to justify the spot. That's why I've compared him to Ian Happ, who is/was a bat-first prospect that could play multiple positions even if he wasn't a standout at any of them defensively.

Here's the PG Draft Pack report on Hiura: Keston Hiura – 2B/OF Height/Weight: 5-11/190 Bats/Throws: R/R Birthdate: Aug. 2, 1996 College: UC Irvine Hometown: Pasadena, Calif. Projected Draft Round: 1 Every year there seems to be a few prospects who can absolutely hit, and hit at a high level, but raise questions as to where the rest of their game profiles. This year, there is no one in the class more highly thought of and projected to be drafted earlier than UC Irvine's Keston Hiura. Comfortably projected by scouts to have both plus hit and power tools, Hiura is going to be an impact bat at the next level who can hit in the middle of the order and be productive. The concerns, however, have to do with where he's going to end up profiling defensively at the next level. Having played all over the place throughout his career, including second base, third base, and some outfield, Hiura may hit well enough for that conversation not to be a significant one several years down the road. He has been DH'ing all season at UC Irvine due to an elbow issue, one that also caused him to stay out of the defensive lineup with Team USA all of last summer, so that is also an concern for scouts, seeing as it's hard to project a prospect to play a position when they can't actually see the prospect play defense. Regardless of where he ends up playing professionally, and the general consensus among scouts, as well as our own Steve Fiorindo (who has seen Hiura quite a bit), is that he fits best at second base with the ability to move to left field if necessary. Regardless of where he ends up playing defensively he's definitely going to hit and be an impact player as a result. As such, he's almost assuredly a first rounder right now with a chance to sneak into the top half as more and more teams buy the bat and worry about positions later. And here's a link to video of Hiura hitting a home run against TCU in mid-March that is an excellent display of his forearm strength and bat speed: One more link, a feature from my co-worker Jeff Dahn on Hiura as part of the PG draft preview content: https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=13898

If you followed the draft thread this spring you should know how much I like Hiura. This is a great pick. Go with the legit tool, Hiura's bat, and worry about where he plays defensively lately. Great, great pick.

Two points: Most mocks had the Brewers taking Delvin Perez last year leading up to the draft. I don't think all of these different people have individual knowledge that's what they're going to do, rather, they're "piggy-backing" this information and it has steamrolled. I'm not saying it won't be Adell, but recent history has told us to be wary of this info. My money is on Heliot Ramos at #34. Book it.

I really like McKay, and I really like Kyle Wright. I think both could move quickly as pitchers. McKay makes everything look so easy and Wright has the upside of a true No. 1 or 2 starters at the MLB level. However, as noted in the feature I'm quoted in, Hunter Greene has the chance to be a special/generational talent. I think it's a mistake to pass on him and I certainly hope it's not being done as a cost-savings measure by the Twins.

I forgot to mention this before, as I know LouisEly brought up his name as someone he liked, but there have been several players that have stood out as part of the college postseason and Long Beach State catcher David Banuelos is one of them. I was aware of Banuelos before (you can read his first-hand report w/ video here: https://www.perfectgame.org/Players/PlayerProfile_CollegeReports.aspx?ID=286882&cpr=485#485), but his defense really stood out, especially in postseason play when so much more is on the line. Basically you could plug this guy into a lineup, defensively, right now. The offensive upside is limited, but he does have some power, and he does know at least what he's doing at the plate (meaning he's not a complete liability). Catchers always seem to go a little earlier than where they should, so Banuelos likely would have to be taken in the 3rd round. UIC catcher Rob Calabrese is another name to watch. While UWM's Daulton Varsho got more attention, Calabrese was actually a pretty talented recruit when he went to UIC, but had 2 pretty ho-hum seasons, and I believe dealt with some injuries as well. This year he stayed healthy and the bat really came around, and he had an All-American caliber season for the Flames (UIC had the 2nd best team ERA in the nation). If you're looking for a pure third baseman (since there aren't many of them for this year's draft) Will Toffey of Vanderbilt could be your guy. His season is now over, but he really stepped up in the postseason and helped make himself some money. A lefthanded hitter, Toffey has always displayed a good approach at the plate. That doesn't mean he's too passive, as he'll let 'er rip when he gets a pitch he likes, leading to strikeouts and extra-base hits. He's a good overall athlete that fields third base well (he could probably play SS in a pinch) and also has decent wheels. He could be another interesting target in rounds 3-4 and could be a candidate to move up fairly quickly. Drew Ellis had a huge weekend for Louisville, hitting 3 home runs in 2 games. He's now up to 20 I believe, and is incredibly quick to the ball and can catch up to premium fastballs. He had a huge spring, out-hitting his teammate McKay is pretty much every way you can, and could be another candidate to take in the 2-4 round range (probably closer to 2-3 now). I know a lot of people have been all over Brent Rooker this spring, but Wake Forest's Stuart Fairchild is actually considered the best overall prospect with near 5-tool upside. He can run, hit for average, hit for power and plays good defense. He's not the biggest of players, but neither is Adam Haseley who could be off the board before the Brewers pick. Another college guy (you could probably sense where my preference is this year) that had a big season this year and could move fairly fast. Fairchild's teammate, first bseman Gavin Sheets, is another player to watch and one I brought up a week or two ago. Very good size, advanced hitting mechanics, big league bloodlines and huge power potential. Arizona outfielder Jared Oliva is a player I fell in love with at last year's College World Series. Build tall and rangy, physically he's a little similar to New Mexico's Luis Gonzalez, who Toby brought up before. Oliva still has room to grow into his frame, with broad shoulders and long, wiry strong limbs despite his lean and tapered frame. He can drive the ball to the gaps with enough speed to stretch extra bases. While I think pitchers that have been previously discussed such as Seth Romero, Jacob Heatherly, Tristan Beck, Wil Crowe and Steven Jennings are all interesting options for the team's comp/2nd round picks, a few others that could be in the mix for there (or even later) are Socal prep RHPs Hagen Danner and Jeremiah Estrada as well as Stanford closer Colton Hock. Danner is an accomplished 2-way guy whose talents are probably better served on the mound full time, with good size and a full 3-pitch mix that keeps getting better. Estrada regressed a little this spring, with rumors of him having some off-field problems, but he has one of the livest arms in the country, and he showed incredibly well last summer on the tournament circuit. A great competitor, he also has a full complement of pitches and is among the prep pitchers I like the most. Hock, as noted, closed for Stanford but he has a legit 3-pitch mix and some wondered why he didn't start this spring. He's a big fella, like 6-5/220 or something like that, and very athletic. As a result of relieving he has a low mileage arm that could be developed as a starter, with some patience, as a pro.

Thanks Eye Black, I'm actually rather humbled by that feature as Dennis quoted me exclusively for that piece. One part of my conversation with Mr. Punzel that wasn't included in the feature has to do with statistics. The one interesting thing I find in scouting with stats is that I've been told a lot of the metrics people are looking at numbers that most fans easily have access to, at least not the ones you find at milb.com, baseball-reference, etc. In the business I am I have spoken with some people and each club has different things they look at, and are willing to pay top dollar to acquire. Exit velocity and spin rates are just the beginning of some of this, and some of the quotes from the Brewers scouting director back up just how much a lot of this is almost "experimental" at this point in time. Basically, it's not just the guys BB:K rate or OPS against Friday night arms, it goes much deeper than that in ways I can't even comprehend at times. And, the teams aren't willing to talk about it since so many of them believe it could be a way to help separate themselves from everyone else, but I can decipher some of those interests by some of the requests we received from MLB clubs. Anyway, if you like the draft we at Perfect Game just posted our last 'State Snapshot' (Canada and Puerto Rico) as part of our draft preview content. Aside from our last mock draft, set to hit the site tomorrow, that's a wrap. I know most of it is subscriber content, but that has everything to do with the amount of time and effort it takes to produce that content. If you do take the time to sign up, thank you, and more important I hope you enjoy what we have to offer. I know I'm biased, but I personally don't think any other publication comes close to providing what we do. Here's the link to the preview content that contains all of the links: https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=13752

Make no mistake about is, Jordon Adell is ridiculously talented as he's the type of player that you'd hate to pass on only to see him develop into a perennial star. His tools are very much similar to Justin Upton's at a similar stage of their respective careers, but the bat obviously isn't as developed otherwise, as others have said, there would be no way he would last to No. 9. However, if the Brewers do take him there could easily be 8 other teams kicking themselves in a few years. Or maybe not, that's the tough thing about any boom or bust prospect. Austin Beck is in a similar situation, although Adell has more of a proven background since he played on the showcase/tournament circuit last summer and at least proved he can handle elite pitching. I personally would take one of the riskier high school hitters/athletes over some of the high school pitchers being discussed (with the exception of Shane Baz, who one scout told me looked like Josh Beckett this spring, which is really, really high praise). I love the idea of Tristan Beck at #34, if he makes it that far. If he would have been healthy this spring he may not have been available at #9. One thing I think is incredibly important that a few have brought up recently, but the Brewers REALLY have to do a better job with their early picks. Easier said than done of course, as it's not like they're intentionally trying to mess them up. However, if it weren't for the success of so many prospects they have acquired from other teams their farm system would still be pretty bare right now (even if I do like Ray, Erceg, among others).

madtownhawk, picking between Adell and Beck is hard. Both offer the best tools this draft has to offer. While at first I may lean toward Beck due to the insane bat speed he hasn't exactly had an opportunity that he had hit advanced hitting. While Adell is having a ridiculous season, there are still concerns that he will be able to continue to make the proper adjustments as a pro. That said, either one has the upside of a perennial all-star. I'm glad Bukauskas is in the picture and that the Brewers are connected to him. There are a lot of things in his profile that point to a role as a future short reliever, but I'm fairly confident he could stick as a starter. I don't feel that way with every short-ish pitcher, as I believed Carson Fulmer would be a reliever long-term, but there's something about Bukauksas that reminds me of Roy Oswalt. That may start with his stuff, as he could have the most electric arm in this year's draft with three very good pitches. His changeup gets the most scrutiny, but I know scouts that have seen the pitch as a 60-65 grade pitch at its best with the potential for more. He's the one player that has a chance to fall to the Brewers pick who I would not let fall any further. And it's more than just size with Bukauskas, as he does pitch with a fair amount of visible effort, although not quite as "violent" as the aforementioned Fulmer.

Hans Crouse is a pretty excitable young man. He doesn't mean any harm by his comments and JSerra's coach, Brett Kay (who is a really good guy) know that. Age and maturity will help channel Crouse's competitiveness. MilwaukeeBeers, Heliot Ramos is actually one of the top draft picks that I have not seen in person. I've seen video and am well aware of his reports, but he's a very good all-around athlete with surprising speed and overall quickness. The arm is average and he can put a charge in the ball, but my understanding is that you have to see him on the right day as that's the matter of falling in love with his talents or not. Chad Spanberger is an impressive physical specimen. Going back to his HS days he has always towered over others, especially the vertically challenged like myself. He is draft eligible this year and obviously has done a lot to help his profile in the SEC tournament. The power is very, very real, and it's good to see him finally putting up big numbers as his production hasn't matched his profile the past few years. However, the swing is very long and he comes up empty a lot, meaning he's going to strikeout a ton at the next level unless he drastically improves his approach. That said, he has made some impressive strides this year and could be a 3TO dream player similar to Russell Branyan. While Spanberger did play catcher in high school he's likely limited to 1B now. Eye Black, it's hard for me to choose between Hiura and Smith. I'd probably go Hiura just because I think he has a slightly better chance to be a "special" hitter, but Smith's overall profile (and lack of injury/uncertainty) is more appealing.

Sorry, it's been a while, so I'm catching up on a few comments... I'm not sure if DL Hall has really fallen this spring as much as other players have jumped ahead of him. From the reports I've seen, his stuff is just as good, with the usual minors concerns about his future command. As for Hall vs. David Peterson it's kind of an interesting question because the two really couldn't be different LHPs. Hall is a little shorter, nearly a perfect comp physically and stuff-wise at the same age as Scott Kazmir. While Peterson is very tall and pretty strong, with a good, not great 4-pitch mix. Peterson of course is a candidate to move fast, but his total package is going to have to elevate his profile some, although he does throw 90-94 regularly in games. Drew Waters is an interesting athlete that I would probably be mildly surprised if he were available at the Brewers 2nd pick at #34. There was some buzz about a month ago about him getting a lot of interest from teams in the 20-30 range, but a lot can happen in a month. We had one of our PG scouts see Trevor Stephan yesterday. Arkansas has 2 really good starters, including Blaine Knight, that could both be drafted in the top 2 rounds. Knight is more about pure projection, a draft-eligible sophomore with a fastball that touches 96 (but is fairly straight) and a potential wipeout slider. Stephan has a lot more movement, more of a true sinker/slider type and a still-projectable frame. I watched a couple of innings of Stephan's start yesterday and was pretty impressed with both his fastball and slider, of which he commanded both well and complemented the two pitches off of one another very well. About a month ago there was a very strong rumor that the Braves were going to take Beck with their 2nd pick, possibly taking a player with their first pick that may not cost the full bonus allotment to be able to make that happen. I've thrown it out there before, but I'd love to see the Brewers use a similar tactic. Beck has top 10 overall upside as a draft pick, maybe even higher, but it seems as though he wants to go pro as a draft-eligible sophomore. I don't think the fact that the Brewers took him out of high school will have anything to do with where he goes, even if it is the Brewers that take him. MJ Melendez is a name that Toby and I have at least discussed for one of the team's early picks. Very good defensive catcher with a promising offensive profile as a LHH. Brady McConnell is a tough prospect to figure out in that his tools do grade very high but he has struggled to put the hit tool and overall approach together, especially at some of the bigger, national profile events. Mike Rivera is one of the best defensive catchers in the nation that is draft eligible and just returned from injury the other day for Florida. He's a take-charge backstop, somewhat of a poor man's Yadier Molina. I still wouldn't touch JJ Schwarz in the top 5 rounds right now, his confidence looks pretty broken, both at the plate and behind it. He's a candidate to drop in the draft, and therefore return for next year. As for the BPA argument, it's really a subjective topic. You can pretty much craft the topic around however you prefer to see the Brewers draft, and the Brewers can also craft the topic to defend whoever they pick. There are so many players, especially this year, that have equal value to one another that you could pick for need if that is the angle you take. I personally don't see the same amount of pitching depth, but that comes from the person who believes the Brewers also need to add one legit bat to the system. Speaking of, I know I have professed my interest in guys like Hiura and Pavin Smith in the past, but two other pure hitters I really like are Evan White of Kentucky and Gavin Sheets of Wake Forest. White is a versatile player, somewhat similar to Darin Erstad in that he can play 1B at a very high level defensively but also can play CF. Sheets is a big fella, 6-foot-5 or so, a LHH whose dad also played in the big leagues. Sheets is a great approach and pretty special power. He hasn't been mentioned much but I could see him even sneaking into the first round (and am actually a little surprised he hasn't been discussed more often to do so). LouisEly, of the guys you mentioned Kevin Merrell has the chance to be special, possibly even as a super-sub given his versatility and overall athleticism. I'm not so sure he's an everyday SS long-term, but he can do a little big of everything at a pretty high level. A special player for sure. As for Brent Rooker, I touched upon him earlier in this thread but he's somewhat of a 1-dimensional player. He's a dead-red fastball pull hitter. He has shown some nice adjustments over the course of the season laying off soft stuff down and away, but the times I have seen him face pitchers with advanced secondary stuff he seems to struggle. If you challenge him high and inside he's going to make you pay. In that regard, he reminds me a little of Jose Bautista, who obviously still has a lot of value, but Rooker will need to prove he can continue to hone his approach at the next level, which is a big if, and it also didn't help him that he played first base all of this season.

madtownhawk mentioned what I was about Faedo and some of these players in general, but there are a lot of opportunities right now to watch some of these players. I believe both Luke Heimlich of Oregon State and David Peterson of Oregon will both be throwing on stations, at least for me, and I have Spectrum outside of Milwaukee. As for Faedo, since I know a lot of people have mentioned their interest in him, isn't for me at least not at #9. He's far too slider reliant, and several of my staff-mates think he's more of a short reliever long-term that could potentially dominant with that slider (to go along with a good fastball too, but he doesn't have the same confidence with the pitch). Enlow from what I have heard has been what he has been in the past, but with so many players moving up (and down) boards sometimes staying put isn't necessarily a good thing. It also may not mean anything, as we've heard the 30-40 range is probably where he would end up going anyway. Very good, projectable frame, low-90s fastball with room for more and spins one of the better curveballs in draft. Interesting that Austin Beck and Jordon Adell are finding their way onto more and more mock draft at #9. Some really interesting stuff floating around right now. I still think one of the bigger college bats, Pavin Smith and Keston Hiura, may be the way to go based on pure value.

Toby, the aggregate rankings you're doing this spring are fun to look at, especially lined up for the Brewers picks. If they landed those six players Brewers fans should be pretty happy. And I know you're a big fan of the LHPs available this year and I'm going to make my pitch for two that I don't think have been talked about much: Oregon State's Luke Heimlich and Oregon's David Peterson. Heimlich can absolutely deal. A little on the smaller side but he's competitive with great command of 4 pitches. His fastball is mostly 90-93, but he spots it extremely well and the rest of his repertoire is thrown off of his fastball, which I really like (the fastball is still the most effective pitch in all of baseball). He's a shorter version of Cliff Lee and just doesn't get beat or beat himself. He's not ranked super high right now but I think that will change as I just can't see him being drafted where some people, including Perfect Game, currently has him ranked. Peterson also is a 4-pitch lefty from a college in Oregon. However, he's much more physical. He also doesn't throw super hard (90-94) and mixes and matches extremely well with four legitimate solid pitches. I personally think either player could be justified at #9 and both, especially Heimlich, are candidates to move quickly through the minors, even though neither would likely throw much this summer after signing given their current workloads. In fact, if I were the Brewers I would target Heimlich, hope to sign him quickly for under slot and then use the extra money with one of their next picks and target a player that falls a little further than expected. That could be Seth Romero, who, as ZBTMP pointed out, has had some off-field issues recently (that story is legit by the way), or Stanford's Tristan Beck, who the Brewers drafted out of high school and has missed all of this year with an injury but some have speculated that he may be healthy right now but is intentionally not returning to the mound to save his arm.

Agreed. Nicely done LouisEly, as I noted previously this is always one of the annual threads, either here or at LL the past few years, that I make sure to read from top to bottom.

And like Ty he's had problems staying healthy. He runs fairly upright with more of a striding motion, like Latavius Murray or James Starks (or even Eric Dickerson if you want a more positive picture painted). I'm not thrilled they waited that long to take a RB but I'll reserve judgement until I read more about him. And I've said before if Montgomery was a better standard of health I would agree that RB wasn't as big of a priority. However, since he can't stay on the field for more than a handful of games at the time I remain concerned. I like what I've read about all of the defensive players they took prior to that. I'm not sure what the big deal is about drafting a DT. He's going to play plenty of DE in the rotation, which has always been a big deal in the 3-4 defense they run.