2014 Draft Outlook: High School Players (Part 4)
Chad Miller – SP – R – Electric arm with 99 MPH heat. Good stamina and has posted high strikeout totals. The knock has been the walks, but an arm like that doesn’t drop very far in any draft. Worst-case scenario is probably late 2nd round.
Sergio Tinker – CL – R – Houston native with 97 MPH gas. Numbers have been rather lackluster so far, but live arms are always in high demand. Probably considered in the second tier of closers.
Manuel Benavides – CF – R – Speedy fifth outfielder type that some team will take a flyer on late.
José Maldonado – 1B – R – No future in baseball.
Jeff O’Neill – MR – L – Soft-tossing two-pitch southpaw. Outside chance he could be a situational lefty in the middle of a pen someday, which means a best-case scenario is a draft slot somewhere near the utility infielders on day two.
Enrico Ramírez – 3B – R – Has enough power that he will get a look in the latter half of the first day.
Juan Rodríguez – SP – L – Soft-tossing lefty with three hittable pitches.
William Talley – MR – R – Throws 96 MPH and has the type of talent that could land him a setup role someday. Borderline chance of creeping into the bonus rounds.
Clinton Collins – MR – R – San Antonio native who throws 93 MPH but is a borderline talent otherwise. Likely to get a look in the early part of day two.
Loren Gary – SP – L – Crafty southpaw, four-pitch repertoire. Just enough talent that he might make a very bad backend starter someday.
Mike Lawrence – 2B – R – Rather useless. Has as much talent as a tackling dummy.
Tony Wright – CL – L – Soft-tossing southpaw. Four pitches, none of them even remotely worth throwing.
Conner Hurst – SP – R – Brick, NJ native who hits 97 MPH on the gun and has impeccable control. Has walked 26 while striking out 226 in his career. That’s a K:BB ratio of nearly 8.7 to 1. Hands down, “Blackjack” will be a top five pick come draft day.
Michael Johnson – SP – L – Southpaw who brings it at 97 MPH and has a five-pitch repertoire. He doesn’t have quite the pedigree of Hurst, but he’s close enough that he will be a first round choice.
Jesús Negrete – C– R – Calls a good game, but not a top-flight arm. The bat projects well, with at least average power and a plus eye. He will be one of the better catchers coming out of the high school ranks. Hard to see him remaining on the board when the bonus rounds draw to a close.
Al Tice – CF – S – Speedy type with decent defense, but a lousy bat suggests this switch-hitter should switch careers.
Tony Ríos – SP – R – Hits 92 MPH on the gun and shows very good control. Consistent numbers to this point suggest he has a decent chance of being a back-of-the-rotation starter someday. A likely slot somewhere in the 3rd or 4th round.
Dave Carter – RF – R – Had a decent season as a freshman, but hasn’t gotten an at bat since. Scouts like his arm but think he doesn’t read the ball off the bat very well. Good speed. Projected to be rather average with the bat. Should get a look somewhere in the middle of the second as a potential fifth outfielder.
Mark Lee – C – R – No talent at all.
Pedro Ortíz – 1B – L – Free swinger with good size and some pop. No speed and a liability in the field. The modest power potential may get him a look in the latter part of the second day of the draft.
Ralph Richardson – SP – R – Can hit 94 MPH on the gun and possesses three average pitches. Not a lot of stamina, suggesting a spot in the back of the rotation is about the best to be hoped for. Scouts knock him on his control, but his walk totals have gotten better each season. If that trend continues, scouts may need to rethink their opinions on Richardson. Second day selection.
Lonnie Terry – SP – L – Soft-tossing lefty with lousy control and low stamina. His future includes high ERAs and unemployment checks.
Víctor Carrillo – SP – R – Throws 94 MPH with a plus fastball and curve. Has shown better control than scouts seem to give him credit for, but he is a bit light on stamina. He likely falls into the third tier of starting pitchers, but that might be enough to get him a bonus check.
Jesús López – CF – L – Excellent speed, excellent power to the gaps and very hard to strike out. Scouts project at least average power someday. Gets to most everything in the outfield, but his hands are not very soft. A month-long injury cut his season short in 2013, but if his 2013 numbers are any indication, López is a youngster worth keeping an eye on. Maybe not the top CF coming out of high school this season, but his name makes it into the discussion.
Vicente Ortíz – SP – R – Soft-tossing right-hander who lacks talent.
Roberto Ruíz – LF – L – Not a lot of at bats make it hard to get a great read on this kid, but he does have excellent speed and can play passable defense at a corner outfield spot. Scouts project at least average power and a decent eye. That should get him a look early on the second day.
Michael Davis – RF – L – The huge holes in his swing will lead to even larger gaps in his employment.
Travis Gross – RF – S – Has displayed some power but not much else. Someone might take a very late flyer on his power potential, but he is likely to disappoint.
Rob Johnston – SP – R – Soft-tossing right-hander with three hittable pitches and poor makeup. Second day filler at best.
Pat Thomas – 2B – R – Has some speed, but that’s about it. Likely to go undrafted.
Fernando Varela – MR – L – Southpaw who throws 94 MPH with six mediocre-to-bad pitches. Has displayed okay control and an ability to keep the ball in the park. Varela’s repertoire suggests a starter’s role, but is weak on the stamina. Likely to get nabbed mid-draft.
Chris Daniels – SP – R – Soft-tossing right-hander with three mediocre pitches and equally mediocre stats. Likely an early-to-mid second day selection.
Cordell Lucas – CL – R – Soft-tossing right-hander with decent control who gets a lot of ground balls. He might make a decent option in the middle of the pen someday, but he’ll never work the important outs. Should get taken halfway through the draft.