Draft Day Hidden Gems

[Matt]

Draft Day Hidden Gems

The Laredo Midday Times takes a look at some of the lesser known prospects in this years draft, and gets some scouts first hand opinions on these potential late round bargains.

Starting Pitchers
Matt Howard - right - Bishop Moore HS - 18 yrs - 4 pitch repetoire that keeps hitters off balance, posted a very good k/w ratio, but gave up a few too many hits. The control and movement only need slight improvement for Howard to blossom into a real prospect, and he's just 18 years old, so there's room for improvement. Fairly good at inducing the ground ball, a real plus for a pitcher who doesn't have knockout stuff.

Ramon Rodriguez - right - Bishop Moore HS - 18 yrs - 5 pitch repetoire, great endurance, and very good at getting the groundball. Needs to harness his control, and if he ever does he could become a bonafide prospect. Just 18 yrs old, so there's a lot of room for improvement.

Dan Davis - left - UCLA - 20 yrs - his control and movement are borderline, and his stuff is well below average. He's a southpaw, a soft tosser, and very good at getting the ground ball. Extremely intelligent and a battler. "A young Jaime Moyer" is how one scout described Davis, "couldn't break a lightbulb with his fastball, but he's as smart as any pitcher out there."

Arnold Wilson - right - Northwestern - 21 yrs - control an issue, but has really good stuff and great endurance. Fairly good at getting a ground ball.

Dan Edwards - left - Memphis - 21 yrs - worked mostly out of the bullpen for Memphis, but did not allow a hr in 47.1 innings, and posted a nice k/w ratio. Very good at getting the ground ball and a hard worker. Has the durability to be a full time starter.

Middle Relief
Carlos Zapata - right - Moody HS - 18 yrs - has been pounded hard this season, but has enough potential that scouts think a few tweaks to his mechanics might make him a decent prospect. An extreme groundball pitcher with the endurance to be a starter, scouts biggest concerns are about his mental toughness. "Gives in too much. Has the stuff to be better, but needs to learn how to pitch" Just 18, has room to grow.

Ki-Hyuk O - right - Katy HS - 17 yrs - another extreme ground ball pitcher with excellent endurance and should be converted to starting. The control is borderline of being prospect level, but needs to work on other areas of his game, like keeping the ball in the park. His reputation for working hard could prove to serve him well, as he's just 17 and has plenty of time to blossom.

Roy Hopper - right - James River HS - 17 yrs - back again with yet another extreme ground ball pitcher, the control and stuff are not that far off from being a true prospect, and he has the endurance to be a starter. And again, another young player who could really blossom under the right conditions.

Leonard Parks - right - UCLA - 20 yrs - the control and movement are decent, the endurance is great and he would make a durable starting pitcher. Very good at getting the ground ball.

Ivan Cruz - left - Villanova - 21 yrs - strong arm and should be a starter. Fairly decent ratio of ground balls, and some scouts think he has enough control to make it to the majors. A soft tossing lefty who pitches with his head, the one glaring weakness was his abiliity to keep the ball in the ballpark, allowing 8 hr in 39.2 innings.

Catcher
Bobby Flory - switch - UAB - 21 yrs - will never hit for any power, but makes good contact and very tough to strikeout. His defense is only slightly above average, but has drawn favorable comparisons to a young Greg Zaun.

Larry Brown - right - East Carolina - 21 yrs - his ability to make contact and his defense make him worth a look, although his lack of power and the fact that most scouts think he has already peaked make him a gamble. A potential backup catcher at the major league level in a few years based on his defense alone.

Bernardo Gonzalez - right - Villanova - 21 yrs - excellent defense make Gonzalez worth a look. Scouts love his ability to call a game and gun down runners, but might never be much more than a defensive specialist.

1st base
Fernando Lopez - right - California - 21 yrs - scouts generally agree, he will hit for good average and he will be tough to strike out, but offers nearly nothing in the power department and his defense leaves a lot to be desired.

Jerry Hopkins - right - California - 21 yrs - scouts are a little divided over the enigmatic Hopkins, one scout we talked to loved his bat and thought his defense was okay, while several others thought his defense was average at best and his bat made nothing more than a borderline prospect or possible platoon player. He will hit with average power, but has no speed and might strike out too often.

2nd base
Richard Carlson - left - Seton Hall - 21 yrs - should hit enough to get a long look from teams, but his lack of power a real drawback. His defense average at best in the middle of the diamond, but he does have enough speed to be an occassional threat on the basepaths. Works hard and does a lot of the little things right. "Think David Eckstien" said Calzones head scout Scotty McDonald, "he doesn't scout well in many areas, but he's just good enough to be a pain in the butt to opposing managers".

Oliver Robinson - right - Cincinnati - 21 yrs - speed and defense are his game, and can play anywhere on the infield. Nothing in the way of power, but most scouts generally agree that he has a decent chance to be a utility infielder at the major league level.

3rd base
Steve Henry - right - Arizona - 20 yrs - scouts projects his bat to be about average with below average power for a corner infielder, but his defense is worth a look, and his numbers at Arizona were impressive enough that teams should take a hard look Henry if they need help at third base.

Shortstop
Alejandro Cantu - right - Louisville - 21 yrs - not very good numbers at Louisville this season, but scouts love his plate discipline and think he will be an adequate hitter, though he lacks power or speed. His defense is above average and that should at least earn him a look.

Conner Dugles - right - Arizona - 20 yrs - slap hitter with not much speed, if you love defense then this is your guy. Will never be much of a hitter, but will be among the slickest fielders in the league. "When I watch this guy, I see Rey Ordonez" said one scout, "he'll make all the plays, but you'll bury him at the bottom of the lineup and be happy with a .240 average and 30 rbi".

Josh Christenson - right- Memphis - 21 yrs - very good defense and great speed, he'll never hit a home run but his legs might earn him an occassional extra base hit. Even so, he'll get buried at the bottom of the lineup.

Jesus Ramirez - right - Notre Dame - 21 - great defense, sure hands. Enough speed to be pesky, might hit for a decent average, but power and plate discipline are not part of his game. Some scouts think he could play at the major league level right away.

Bill Page - switch - Stanford - 21 yrs - yet another great defensive shortstop, and another who might not ever hit a lot, but is major league ready if your simply looking for defense. Will pile up the strikeouts, but his legs will make a minor annoyance on the basepaths.

Kelvin Taylor - right - Notre Dame - 21 yrs - great defense, slap hitter whose bat has peaked, possibly major league ready if your looking for a defensive specialist or utility player type.

Left Field
Shawn Wagner-switch- Tulane- 21 yrs - a singles machine - barely average defense, below average power, no speed, and his plate discipline leaves a lot to be desired. Tends to remind scouts of Greg Gross, could be a good pinch hitter and bench player.

John Mayer - left - South Caldwell HS - 18 yrs - not much doubt that he'll hit and put the ball in play. Defensive skills are lacking, speed is roughly average, and smallish frame suggests power will never develop. Just 18, if the defense came around a little he might make a decent bench player some day.

Chase McClure - right - East Carolina - 21 yrs - no power, but just enough speed, defense, and ability to stretch out extra base hits that he is slightly intriguing as a late round gamble.

Graham Hunter - left - Illinios - 20 yrs - very good defense with very good arm, though slow of foot and lacking baserunning instincts, with just enough hitting potential to be worth a look.

Center Field
Jake Barker - left - California - 21 yrs old - speed merchant and defensive specialist, though scouts doubt he'll ever hit
Mike Ball - right - California - 21 yrs - speed merchant and defensive specialist, much like his Cal teammate Barker. He might hit just a little, though with no power and little plate discipline.

Right Field
Christian Gonzalez - right - Wilson Classical HS - 18 yrs - scouts think he'll be a borderline hitting prospect, with some power and good overall speed, just 18 there is room to improve and he might be worth a look

Todd Hansen - right - Ohio St - 21 yrs - hit .382 with 27 sb's at OSU this season. Has world class speed and puts the fear of god into catchers. His defense is above average and his bat is major league ready, just don't expect much power or plate discipline. Scouts most often compare him to a young Vince Coleman. "If he can hit .250 or so, he's a lock to steal 90 bases" we were told by one scout.