While the 2009 class doesn’t have a player in the class of Justin Upton, who of course no longer plays shortstop, the 2009 draft class has some interesting talent and overall depth to offer at the position.

Most of the talent presides at the high school level, although the premier talent (Grant Green, D.J. LeMahieu, Ryan Jackson) comes from the college level.  It is important to remember that there are a lot more players out there that currently play shortstop that aren’t included on this list.  I’m doing my best listing the ones that best project to play the middle infield, noting that several of these players are likely to end up at second base, third base or even somewhere else to make the best use of their skill sets.

Here are 20 of the top prospects from both the college and high school ranks that currently play shortstop and have the best chances of staying in the middle infield at the next level.

Michael Broad - Nova High School, Plantation, FL

Broad is no stranger to Perfect Game, WWBA and other national events, and he seems to get better and better each time scouts get a chance to watch him play. With a confident and advanced approach at the plate, he sprays balls to all parts of the field.  He is a good overall athlete, showing good speed, quickness, hands and arm strength.  A commitment to the University of Miami puts him in line to replace Ryan Jackson (listed below) should he ever step on campus.

Stephen Bruno – Gloucester Catholic, Audobon, NJ

Bruno’s game is highlighted by his glove, a do-it-all defender and high energy player overall that shows great range and arm strength.  His lack of ideal size places some limitations on his future projection, but he has some pop in his bat and shows good contact skills and gap power.  He is also a threat on the basepaths, and has committed to play for the Virginia Cavaliers.

Daniel Fields – University of Detroit Jesuit (MI)

Fields follows in the footsteps of D.J. LeMahieu as a talented, athletic shortstop hailing from the state of Michigan.  Fields may not have the power potential of LeMahieu, but he has better speed, and equally strong arm, and may be a better natural fit at the shortstop position.  If he isn’t drafted early enough, he could honor his commitment to the University of Michigan where his size, tool-set and left-handed bat could remind some Wolverines fans of Jason Christian.

Scooter Gennett – Sarasota High School (FL)

I can’t think of too many pure hitters available for the 2009 draft that I like more than Gennett.  A left-handed hitter, he looks like a professional, with a compact yet powerful stroke and a confident, refined approach.  Comparisons to Nick Noonan, and ultimately, Chase Utley, are inevitable, and while Gennett, like those, may profile best at second base, there is a chance he could stick at shortstop given his speed and arm strength.  If he winds up at Florida State he likely will make an immediate impact as a freshman.

Mychal Givens – Plant High School, Tampa, FL

Blessed with a golden right arm, Givens’ prowess as a pitcher may trump his potential as a five-tool shortstop.  He has been clocked in the upper-90s, and his breaking ball can be an equally destructive pitch.  In addition to his powerful arm, he also has very good foot speed that translates well both in the field and on the basepaths, and he has enough power to be considered a threat in the middle of a lineup.  He isn’t expected to make it to Oklahoma State, where he could continue to display his two-way talents.

Anthony Gomez – Don Bosco Prep, Nutley, NJ

The second of two talented shortstops to hail from New Jersey preps this spring, Gomez, like Bruno, is very good defensively and is also a very good student in the classroom who has committed to play for Vanderbilt.  With a line drive approach, Gomez is able to hit the ball to all parts of the field, even though there isn’t much power projection to his swing.  He’s a good, not great, runner that relies on his smarts and instincts more than his speed to make a difference on the basepaths.

Grant Green – University of Southern California

Green is the cream of the crop at shortstop of those eligible for this year’s draft, and could one of the top two to three players taken overall.  A talented player coming out of high school that participated in the 2005 Aflac All-American Classic, Green attended USC to improve his game.  He’s as close to a five-tool athlete at the position as you can find, with good speed, arm strength, power, hitting and fielding ability.  There was concern that his tall frame may necessitate a move to third base down the road, but he continues to more than hold his own defensively at shortstop.

Ryan Jackson – University of Miami

Like Green, Jackson participated in the 2005 Aflac game, and even then he received high marks for his defense, as many felt he could have played in the big leagues at that point in time.  His bat continues to improve as he adds strength.  He likely will never be a huge offensive threat, but he has a good approach and is a good situational hitter.  Whatever he adds on offense may be considered a plus given his glove, and he receives a lot of comparisons to Adam Everett, and like Everett, Jackson could be drafted in the first round based on his defense alone.

Michael Heller – Cardinal Mooney, Bradenton, FL

Heller may not be playing shortstop for much longer, thanks to his development on the mound.  His fastball has improved, as he now sits in the low-90s touching 95, while his curveball and changeup also have the potential to be plus pitches.  While his future may lie on the mound, he is built like an infielder, with naturally sloped shoulders and long, wiry limbs.  He’s a very good natural athlete that could thrive anywhere on the field, and may have the opportunity to continue to shine as a two-way player should he play for the Florida Gators.

Chad Kettler – Coppell High School (TX)

Kettler pulls two-way duty for national powerhouse Coppell High School, where he plays with two other players that stand to go early in this year's draft in catcher Jonathan Walsh and outfielder Jacob Morris.  Kettler, like Walsh and Morris, is a switch-hitter with a good stroke from both sides of the plate.  He has good power, soft hands and a great arm.  His foot speed isn't the greatest, meaning a future position change could be in store for him at the pro level, but he makes all the plays he gets to and his arm strength can help make up some for the lack of ideal range.  Kettler has committed to play for the Oklahoma Sooners.

D.J. LeMahieu – Louisiana State University

A draft-eligible sophomore, LeMahieu showed his stuff at the 2006 Aflac All-American Classic.  Similar to Grant Green, his tall and angular stature led many to believe that a switch to third base may be in his future, but he continues to pick it at short.  He has good range and a strong arm, as well as an every-improving bat with a knack for driving the ball the opposite way to right-centerfield.  Being a true sophomore gives him negotiating power, although he could go in the middle of the first round, where few players pass on the kind of money that is involved.

Deven Marrero – American Heritage High School, Davie, FL

Few athletes are impressive as Marrero is physically, who carries an obvious confidence about him on the field, which is similar to the way his cousin, Washington Nationals farmhand Chris Marrero, carried himself at a similar stage of his career.  Deven may be the best defensive shortstop in the country, with easy, gliding actions at the position and a strong arm.  Like many of the players on this list, his bat is the biggest question mark, although all of the tools are there for him to succeed.  He makes consistent, hard contact and currently has gap power with plenty of reason to believe home run power will develop as he hones his game.  He has committed to play for Arizona State.

Jiovanni Mier – Bonita High School, Pomona, CA

Mier is a gifted athlete that performs well as both a position player and as a pitcher.  He fits best as an everyday shortstop, with the ideal range, soft hands and arm strength for the position, allowing him to make all of the plays.  A rangy and wiry athlete with a good leg base, his upper body is on the slight side, but he has enough room, and time, to fill out and add strength.  When I saw him hit last summer he stepped into pitches a little bit, similar to the way most Japanese hitters swing the bat, seemingly as a way to compensate for his lack of strength.

David Nick – Cypress High School (CA)

Nick is a gamer, the type of player that was born to play the sport and a player that does everything well.  He may not have one standout tool, but he is very polished at the plate, with a polished approach and a knack for delivering the big hit.  Most of his power is to the gaps at this point in time, but he should have enough home run power to creep into double digits, whether that be as a pro or at UCLA.  He has good speed and a solid arm, although his tools may profile best at second base down the road.

Stephen Perez – Gulliver Prep, Miami, FL

Perez is somewhat similar to Mier in that he is already a very slick shortstop defensively that looks like a natural at the position, but he needs to add strength to be considered a greater threat on offense.  He does exhibit a disciplined and patient approach from both sides of the plate as a switch hitter, showing that he knows what he is doing when he stands in the batter’s box.  He has good speed and overall has the tools to be a consistent threat on offense.  Like Michael Broad, Perez has also committed to Miami, where they would have an embarrassment of riches on the infield if both were to end up in college.

Josh Prince – Tulane University

Yet another tall yet graceful college shortstop, Prince is about to open his second year for the Green Wave after beginning his career with the Texas Longhorns.  He good range and arm strength despite his six-foot-three frame, and with 6.6 speed and maturing power, Prince has the tools that may allow him to continue to blossom.  If that package continues to come together this spring, he could be drafted in the top three to five rounds.

Michael Revell – Florida High School, Havana, FL

Revell is really starting to emerge thanks to his bat.  A talented left-handed hitter, Revell managed to consistently square up the ball in the sweet spot, and is able to hit the ball with power to all parts of the field.  He may be better off moving to third base, or even second, down the road, as he doesn’t have the ideal speed and range to play shortstop, and his arm strength is good, not great.  He has committed to play for national juco powerhouse Chipola College.

Robbie Shields – Florida Southern University

A wrist injury shortened Shields impressive showing last summer in the Cape Cod League, where he put up impressive numbers over the first few weeks of the summer schedule swinging a wood bat.  He doesn’t have the long and sinewy build of the prototypical shortstop, built more strongly and compact, but he has an equally strong and compact swing.  Above average speed makes him an above average offensive performer, although he has his skeptics about where he fits in best down the road defensively, with both second and third being possibilities.

Marcus Stroman – Patchogue Medford, Medford, NY

Stroman is a shorter yet strong sparkplug with very good bat speed and good foot speed as well.  His game was tailor-made for hitting near the top of the order, with the ability to smack line drives to all parts of the field while wrecking havoc once he is on base.  He has a very good arm and can hit the lower 90s as a pitcher despite his smallish frame.  He is a very good student that has committed to Duke.

Jason Thompson – Germantown High School (TN)

Thompson was selected to be a member of the Aflac All-American Classic last summer, but could not play due to Tennessee's rules about prep participation in all-star events.  That would have given him one more major stage to perform, haven succeeded at nearly every stop before and since.  He's a switch hitter that shows good plate coverage from both sides of the plate and knows how to use the entire field.  A Louisville recruit, he has great speed, a strong arm and overall makes the position look easy defensively.

The thoughts and opinions listed here do not necessarily reflect those of Perfect Game USA.  Patrick Ebert is affiliated with both Perfect Game USA and Brewerfan.net, and can be contacted via email at pebert@brewerfan.net.