Draft 2007: 25 Players On The Rise

By DAVID RAWNSLEY

The 2007 draft is about eight weeks away and things are beginning to take shape in terms of whose stock is rising and whose isn’t. That is, unless you happen to live and play in the Northeast and are struggling just to find a dry field or one that isn’t lined with snow instead of chalk.

Every spring a number of players move among the Top 100 prospects heading into the draft who “experts” wouldn’t have considered for that type of ranking entering the season. Here are 25 players, listed alphabetically, who arguably belong in a revised “Top 100” prospects list as of mid-April who weren’t necessarily in the same category at the start of the spring.

Kevin Ahrens, ss, Memorial HS, Houston. Ahrens is a four-tool player who is lacking only speed. Scouts have become comfortable with the idea that Ahrens isn’t going to play shortstop in the future and concentrated on his powerful bat and overall athletic ability. Third base is his likely future position, although outfield has been mentioned and some scouts are sure to be thinking about Ahrens as a catcher.

Travis Banwart, rhp, Wichita State . Banwart served notice last summer that he could emerge as a top prospect when he went 3-2, 1.06 as a Cape Cod League all-star, but he was overshadowed on his own staff by sophomore Aaron Shafer. Banwart has a profile body at 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds and a fastball that reaches 94 mph. He has developed much better command and consistency this spring. Banwart’s status will be helped by a less than impressive group of college righthanded starters.

Travis D’Arnaud, Lakewood (Calif. ) HS. D’Arnaud is a quick, athletic catcher at 6-feet and 175 pounds with plus defensive skills and tools. His bat has come so far this spring that there is talk that he could potentially be the first high school catcher drafted. A complicating factor could be signability if D’Arnaud wants to honor a commitment to Pepperdine and play with his brother Chase, a third baseman and 2008 top prospect who was hitting .333-3-22 for the nationally-ranked Waves this spring.

Dan Duffy, lhp, Cabrillo HS, Lompoc, Calif. Duffy was a mid-level recruit last fall with a scholarship commitment to Cal Poly. With a renewed fastball that has consistently been in the low 90s and up to 94 mph this spring, the 6-foot-3 Duffy should be the first high school lefthander—and possibly the first prep pitcher overall—drafted out of California now.

Alan Farina, rhp, Clemson. A junior college transfer, Farina enrolled at Clemson last fall with a fastball that was flat and lacked command. This spring it’s been 92-94 mph every time out and he’s combined it with an above-average curve and slider. With projected first-rounder Daniel Moskos recently moving from closer to a starting role, the door has been opened for Farina to showcase his stuff in a more prominent role over the last several weeks of the college season. The big knock is he’s a six-foot righthander.

Cody Gearrin, rhp, Mercer. The most important numbers for Gearrin this spring might not necessarily be his be his incredible 32 IP/7 H/52 K stat line at Mercer. It might be the 8 G, 8 IP, 0.00 ERA numbers that Joe Smith has posted with the New York Mets thus far this season. Smith, the Mets third-round pick in 2006, went almost directly to the big leagues in large part because of his deceptive and difficult-to-hit sidearm delivery and low 90s fastball—the same package that Gearrin possesses. Gearrin’s track record is longer than Smith’s as well; he did the same thing at Young Harris (Ga. ) Junior College in 2006 and in the Cape Cod League last summer.

Nevin Griffith, rhp, Middleton HS, Brandon, Fla. Griffith’s performance at Perfect Game’s World Showcase in January put the scouting world on notice that something special could be coming and the Tampa righthander has built on that this spring. He’s run his fastball consistently into the mid-90s and improved his breaking pitches.

Brandon Hicks, ss, Texas A&M. The knock on the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Hicks last year at San Jacinto (Texas ) JC, when he went undrafted, was that he was a slick and often spectacular fielder whose bat was short. He hasn’t been quite as slick in the field this year (15 errors) but his offensive performance as a middle infielder (.354-8-42, 21 SB, 22 BB) has put him in a different draft area.

David Kopp, rhp, Clemson. While Daniel Moskos, who is expected to be among the first 10 players drafted in June, has garnered most of the draft attention among Clemson pitchers but scouts say that the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Kopp may have better stuff. He has three plus pitches, including a 91-95 mph fastball, and his tall, angular frame gives him more tilt on his slider than the smaller, stockier Moskos. A likely sandwich pick now, Kopp could sneak into the back end of the first round if performs to his ability over the next few weeks.

Kyle Lotzkar, rhp, South Delta SS, Delta, B.C. It was no surprise when Quebec ’s Phillippe Aumont established himself as a probable first-round pick early in the spring. But the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Lotzkar was far more of an unknown until he threw 94-95 mph during a spring trip to Arizona . Lotzkar’s club team, the Langley Blaze, count 2006 American League MVP Justin Morneau and Orioles lefthander Adam Loewen, the highest-drafted Canadian ever, among its former players.

Taylor Martin, rhp, St. Michael HS, Baton Rouge, La. Martin was seen frequently on the summer circuit, including at many World Wood Bat Association events, and was a solid prospect before this spring based on his 90-mph fastball. Adding two inches and corresponding strength and leverage has pushed his fastball to the 93-95 mph range and given his slider that much more power as well. Now the 6-foot-5, 210-pound Martin is frequently mentioned as a comp-round pick.

Devin Mesoraco, c, Punxsutawney (Pa. ) Area HS. Scouts who were thinking of Mesoraco as a potential utility player last summer have realized that his high-level athleticism plays behind the plate the best. Mesoraco has plus, plus arm strength and is a quick-twitch athlete. He's the type of hitter you can't throw a fastball past because of his quick hands and aggressive approach at the plate. He's joined Florida’s Yasmani Grandal and California ’s Travis D'Araud (see above) in a small group looking to be the first high school catcher picked, as early as the comp round.

Mike Moustakas, ss, Chatsworth (Calif. ) HS. Moustakas recently broke the Chatsworth High record for home runs in a season for the third time, by hitting his 15^th of the season. He set the mark with 12 as a sophomore and topped it with 14 as a junior. Some scouts say he may have become the best high school hitter in the country. Combined with a loss of weight that has helped his range and quickness in the field, his draft status has surged into the first round.

Will Middlebrooks, ss, Liberty Eylau HS, Texarkana, Texas. Middlebrooks was the hottest prospect in the country in early scout conversation, due in large part to the fact that many area scouts hadn’t even seen the multi-sport star on the baseball field, let alone crosscheckers. One cross checker described him as “a Cal Ripken-type shortstop who could be a top-of-the-rotation starter if you put him on the mound.”

Jarrod Parker, rhp, Norwell HS, Bluffton, Ind. Parker may have been the highest-regarded prospect on this list at the beginning of the spring, but 6-foot, 165-pound high school righthanders don’t often garner top 2 round consideration. They do when they come out of the gate throwing up to 98 mph with a disappearing slider, as Parker has done. 

Danny Payne, of, Georgia Tech. Before the spring it was easy to categorize Payne as a Shane Robinson-type (Florida State , 2006) performance player. But Payne’s 90-plus fastball off the mound and plus speed are real tools and his incredible batting eye (43 walkss in 36 games/.525 OBA) is a constant that many teams value. The shortage of college outfield prospects doesn’t hurt Payne’s case, either.

Drew Pomeranz, lhp, Collierville (Tenn. ) HS. Pomeranz’ brother Stuart was the Cardinals second-round pick in 2003 and his “little brother” (Stuart is 6-7, 210; Drew is 6-5, 190) is starting to show the same type of talent from the left side. Pomeranz pitches at 87-88 mph and just touches 90, but he has a hard-biting breaking ball and is considered one of the most projectable pitchers in the draft. 

Matt Presley, 3b, Cheyenne Mountain HS, Colorado Springs, Colo. When word started to get around about Presley last fall, it was initially thought that he was related to the Mariners former all-star third baseman Jim Presley (no relation). Since then, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Presley has established himself as one of the top righthanded power bats in the high school class, sort of a poor man’s Josh Vitters. Presley’s other tools are solid. He has thrown 90-plus from the mound at WWBA events.

Kyle Russell, of, Texas . The NCAA home run leader’s spring has been well documented. He has had a breakout sophomore season though not all scouts are sold on Russell’s power, claiming he has a grooved swing and that his performance in the Cape Cod League last summer (.206-3-18 with a Cape record 64 K’s in 126 at-bats) is more predictive of his future performance than the power numbers he has put up this spring (.359-21-52 in 42 games). Russell, like his teammate Bradley Suttle (below) is a draft-eligible sophomore by age.

Daniel Schlereth, lhp, Arizona . Schlereth, a red-shirt sophomore, is no stranger to the spotlight as he is the son of ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth, who played 12 years in the NFL as a 6-foot-3, 280-pound offensive lineman. Schlereth was even an all-state quarterback at a Colorado high school. He chose baseball despite Tommy John surgery after his senior high school season that caused him to miss his freshman year at UNLV before transferring to Arizona . Schlereth and his low to mid 90s fastball were untouchable in a closer role this spring (20 IP, 12 H, 35 K) before he was sidelined with a minor oblique muscle strain.

Bradley Suttle, 3b, Texas . Freed from having to play out of position at second base as he did as a freshman, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Suttle has unleashed his offensive potential (.406-10-50) this spring while also showing top level defensive skills at third (only three errors). While his tools profile him as a potential Top 100 pick, scouts will be worried both about his signability as a draft-eligible sophomore and for his Type 1 diabetes.

Nick Tepesch, rhp, Blue Springs (Mo. ) HS. Tepesch has been seen less than perhaps any other pitcher in consideration for the top two rounds but is making up for that quickly. He's a 6-foot-4, 200-pound righthander who was seen as high as 94-96 mph early this spring. The problem in the past for Tepesch has always been command (he was 3-3, 3.85 as a high school junior, hardly prospect numbers), but he's refined his delivery during the past year and is controlling his plus stuff more consistently.

Tony Thomas, 2b, Florida State . Thomas has been a starter at Florida State since the beginning of his freshman year and has flashed his athletic tools, but his Player of the Year type spring (.467-7-36, 61 R, 19 SBs) is a big surprise. Thomas has shortened his swing and significantly cut down his strikeouts while growing his power (33 extra-base hits in 39 games). He has plus speed and is a solid defender at second base.

Matt West, ss, Bellaire (Texas ) HS. West created a stir at the WWBA fall championship in Jupiter, Fla. , last fall when he threw 95 mph off the mound in a short stint against the eventual champion Reds Scout Team. His power and bat speed have taken a similar jump this spring and he’s putting up Little League-type numbers against Houston area pitching. When West first played at a Perfect Game event two years ago, he was a slender 6-foot, slick-fielding shortstop; now he’s a 6-foot-2, 195-pound well-rounded athlete with plus tools.

Danny Worth, ss, Pepperdine. You could actually put Worth’s teammates, righthander Barry Enright and outfielder Adrian Ortiz, into the same category, but Enright did win 13 games as a sophomore and Ortiz was a fifth-round pick out of high school. Worth entered the spring as a steady, but unspectacular player. More strength in his bat and extreme consistency in the field have put him among the elite shortstops in the country.

NCAA Sends Coaches a Message

The subjects of two recent PG Crosschecker columns were in the national news on Thursday. One many would take as good news, the other definitely not.

The NCAA Management Council met in Indianapolis April 16-17 to discuss a wide variety of issues, including the controversial role of text messaging in recruiting prospects. Following is the summary of result of that discussion, as posted on the NCAA web site (www.ncaa.org).

Division I Management Council votes to eliminate text-messaging

The Division I Management Council approved a measure that eliminates the use of text-messaging in recruiting prospective student-athletes. The legislation now goes before the Division I Board of Directors for approval at its April 26 meeting in Indianapolis .

The proposal, sponsored by the Ivy Group, was one of two proposals related to the use of technology in recruiting. The other proposal, which would have put limits on the practice, was defeated in January.

Anna Chappell, former University of Arizona student-athlete and chair of the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, spoke in favor of the Ivy proposal. Chappell reminded Management Council members that while recent media reports called the Association “stuffy” and accused it of ignoring new technology, it was the student-athletes she represents that expressed a desire to eliminate text messaging as a form of recruiting.

“It’s intruding on their lives and creating inappropriate relationships with coaches. If you don’t stop it now, what roads are you going to have to cross later on?” Chappell said. “If you want to ‘keep up with the times’ and ‘keep up to speed with student-athletes,’ you forget that student-athletes as a whole said they wanted the elimination of text-messaging.”

Shane Lyons, Atlantic Coast Conference associate commissioner, said eliminating the practice would also eliminate loopholes that allowed coaches to use text-messaging to prod prospects to initiate telephone calls that would have been impermissible if initiated by the coach.

“King Felix” Hernandez

Righthander Felix Hernandez, the Seattle Mariners 21-year-old phenom whose dominant stuff was documented in last week’s column, left his start Wednesday night against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning after wincing in pain and grabbing his elbow after throwing a pitch.

The official report indicated that Hernandez left the game “due to arm tightness,” but he had already left the stadium by the time the game ended. Fortunately, Hernandez will likely miss only two or three starts after it was diagnosed Thursday that he had a muscle strain inside his right elbow and forearm. It was feared the diagnosis could have been much worse.

Ironically, the Twins are playing this year without their own much heralded young pitcher, lefthander Francisco Liriano, who is out for the season because of Tommy John surgery.