PERFECT GAME CROSSCHECKER'S TOP TEN LIST
WEEK 3: 1/21/08 - 1/27/08
 
SOUTHERN NEVADA TOPS JUCO LIST
Friday January 25, 2008
With three of the nation’s top 10 junior college prospects on the roster, the College of Southern Nevada begins the 2008 season as PG Crosschecker’s No. 1 rated junior college team. The Coyotes open their season today (Friday) by hosting the second annual Coyote Border Battle, a three-day event in Henderson, Nev., that also involves two junior college teams from neighboring Arizona, Cochise and Gateway.

The Cougars should get a stiff early test to their No. 1 ranking at the Rahal-Miller Junior College National Classic Feb. 8-10 in Marianna, Fla., when they meet several other top-ranked schools in PG Crosschecker’s Top 50 Junior College teams: defending national champion and No. 2-ranked Chipola (Fla.), 2006 national champion and No. 3-ranked Walters State (Tenn.) and perennial power and No. 5-ranked St. Petersburg (Fla.).

Southern Nevada (41-18 in 2007) will be closely watched all season as it seeks to win its first Junior College World Series title since 2003. Outfielder Devin Shepherd, and righthanders Colby Shreve and Taylor Cole are the centerpiece of the team and all are potential early-round picks in this year’s draft.

A number of the nation’s top junior college teams open the 2008 season today and will have the stage pretty much to themselves over the next month as the NCAA, effective this year, enacted a uniform starting date of Feb. 22 for Division I schools.

The nation’s top 10 junior college teams, as ranked by PG Crosschecker, and the top prospect on each club:
 
Rank. School (2007 Record) Top Prospect, Position
1. Southern Nevada (41-18) Devin Shepherd, of
2. *Chipola, Fla. (41-18) Ryan Chaffee, rhp
3. Walters State, Tenn. (43-11) Adam Milligan, of
4. Santa Ana, Calif. (34-15) Crispin Tarango, ss
5. St. Petersburg, Fla. (37-17) Jeff Walters, rhp
6. Young Harris, Ga. (45-20) Grimes Medlin, lhp
7. San Jacinto, Texas (46-16) Chris Corrigan, rhp
8. Riverside, Calif. (37-18) Orlando Torres, c
9. New Mexico (56-8) Trevor Harden, rhp
10. Spartanburg Methodist, S.C. (54-15) Allen Caldwell, of
* Defending Junior College World Series champion
-- Allan Simpson Top Ten List Archives
SHEPHERD TOPS JC PROSPECT LIST
Thursday January 24, 2008
The 2008 college season kicks off in several Sun Belt states on Friday but, unlike in past years when select Division I schools would start their seasons in late January, all the action this year will be at the junior college level. Junior colleges were not impacted by recent NCAA legislation that resulted in a uniform starting date this year of Feb. 22 for four-year schools.

In anticipation of the opening of the junior college season, we’ll unveil our list of the top 200 JUCO prospects for this year’s draft today for Insider-level subscribers. However, we’ve provided a sneak preview of the top 10 prospects on the accompanying list. Tomorrow, we’ll have our take on the top 50 junior college teams.

Unlike last year, when freshmen righthanders Matt Latos (Broward, Fla., CC) and Jordan Walden (Grayson County, Texas, CC) were the marquee names at the junior college level and went on to sign lucrative seven-figure bonuses just before the 2007 draft, there are no can’t miss prospects this year. College of Southern Nevada sophomore outfielder Devin Shepherd, a transfer from the University of Oklahoma, is the No. 1-ranked talent—a potential third- to fourth-rounder if he performs to the same level as last summer in the California Collegiate League.

While junior colleges have the stage pretty much to themselves for the first month of the 2008 college season for the first time this year, junior college players will otherwise be treated the same as four-year players for the first time in draft history with the abolishment of the draft-and-follow process, effective with the 2007 draft. No longer can clubs control the rights to unsigned draft picks from one draft until a week before the next year’s draft, such as was the case a year ago with Latos (Padres) and Walden (Angels).

The lone distinction now that separates junior college players from four-year players from a draft standpoint is that all juco players are draft-eligible. With limited exceptions, four-year college players aren’t eligible until their junior year.

The nation’s top 10 junior college prospects, as ranked by PG Crosschecker:
 
Rank. Player, Pos., School Previously Drafted
1. Devin Shepherd, of, Southern Nevada Twins ’06 (5)
2. Ben Whitmore, lhp, Fresno (Calif.) Never drafted
3. Ryan Chaffee, rhp, Chipola (Fla.) Braves ’07 (43)
4. Colby Shreve, rhp, Southern Nevada Braves ’07 (8)
5. Lonnie Chisenhall, 3b-rhp, Pitt (N.C.) Pirates ’06 (12)
6. Tyler Ladendorf, ss, Howard (Texas) Giants ’07 (34)
7. Justin LaTempa, rhp, Golden West (Calif.) Never drafted
8. Craig Kimbrel, rhp, Wallace State-Hanceville (Ala.) Braves ’07 (33)
9. *Taylor Cole, rhp, Southern Nevada Dodgers ’07 (26)
10. Jeff Walters, rhp, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Nationals ’07 (47)
* Freshman
-- Allan Simpson Top Ten List Archives
GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Tuesday January 22, 2008
It’s January, hardly the time of year for teams to be making final plans for the baseball draft. But there was a time when baseball staged a January draft—actually two drafts, a regular and secondary phase.

The January draft was an integral part of the draft process from the outset in 1965, but it (along with the secondary phase of the June draft) was phased out in 1987—in large measure because teams were becoming increasingly concerned over rising bonus payments. With four first-round draft picks each year, teams felt that players were getting an artificial sense of self-worth, so everything was consolidated into one phase.

Junior college players were automatically eligible for the January drafts, and most of the selections came from the junior college ranks. But players who had dropped out of four-year colleges or graduated from high school in December were also eligible. Generally, if a player had been drafted within the previous 13 months, he was eligible for the secondary phase.

With the abolishment of the January drafts, the draft-and-follow rule became part of the draft process in 1987. That rule, which also primarily impacted junior college players, was abandoned effective with the 2007 draft.

While the last January draft took place in 1986, the impact of that draft is still being felt as three players—Moises Alou, Doug Brocail and Curt Schilling—were still active in the big leagues in 2007. Alou, an outfielder from Canada (Calif.) JC, was the second overall pick in the regular phase. He was signed to a $75,000 bonus by the Pittsburgh Pirates and has gone on to a productive 18-year career. Schilling, a righthander from Yavapai (Ariz.) JC, lasted until the second round of the same phase and turned a $15,000 investment by the Boston Red Sox into 216 career wins over a 20-year career.

A total of 44 players (of 367 drafted) from the regular phase of the 1986 draft eventually played in the big leagues, though only 20 of the 44 signed at the time. One of the 20 was Cuyahoga (Ohio) CC righthander Jeff Shaw, drafted first overall by the Cleveland Indians. He parlayed a $50,000 bonus into 34 big league wins and 203 saves.

The top pick in the secondary phase, San Jacinto (Texas) JC righthander Toby Nivens, never player in the big leagues—despite receiving $75,000 from the Minnesota, tying Alou for the largest bonus given in the final January draft. Only nine players from the secondary phase became future big leaguers, though only 52 were drafted and just four of the nine signed out of that draft.

Following is PG Crosschecker’s take on the 10 most successful future big leaguers that were signed out of the final January draft, their signing bonus and career accomplishment:
 
Rank. Player, Pos., Team (Phase/Round) Bonus Career Accomplishment (Years)
1. Curt Schilling, rhp, Red Sox (R-2) $15,000 216 wins (1988-2007)
2. Moises Alou, of, Pirates (R-1) 75,000 .303 BA, 332 HR (1990-2007)
3. Jeff Shaw, rhp, Indians (R-1) 50,000 34 W, 203 SV (1990-2001)
4. Chris Hammond, lhp, Reds (R-6) 1,000 66 wins (1990-2006)
5. Doug Brocail, rhp, Padres (R-1) 18,000 44 W, 7 SV (1992-2007)
6. Mark Whiten, of, Blue Jays (R-5) 4,000 .259 BA, 105 HR (1990-2000)
7. Sean Berry, 3b, Royals (S-2) 35,000 .272 BA, 81 HR (1990-2000)
8. Jerome Walton, of, Cubs (R-2) 15,000 .269 BA, 25 HR (1989-98)
9. Shawn Boskie, rhp, Cubs (R-1) 31,500 49 wins (1990-98)
10. Dave Veres, rhp, A’s (R-4) 8,500 36 W, 95 SV (1994-2003)
R = Regular Phase
S = Secondary Phase
-- Allan Simpson Top Ten List Archives