ALABAMA

2007 FOLLOW LIST  

OVERVIEW: The first Alabama player off the board this year will probably be a college player, Auburn catcher Josh Donaldson, but the strength of the state is another banner high school crop. A year after producing three picks in the first 44 selections, the Alabama prep ranks may not have a first-rounder this time but they could have as many as seven or eight players go in the first five or six rounds. Signability issues may eliminate one or two of those players, but it does not diminish the front-line high school talent the state offers.

Overall, Alabama has obvious strengths and obvious weaknesses. It’s deep in power bats (particularly at the high school level), projectable high school arms and speed-oriented college center fielders. But there are few quality middle infielders to speak of—unless a team is prepared to take a run at shortstop Cale Iorg, a top prospect who went on a Mormon mission for two years after his freshman year at Alabama . He is scheduled to return in June.

The contributions of the state’s two marquee college programs are expected be minimal, as neither Alabama nor Auburn has had a banner 2007 season. Auburn continues to be in a rebuilding mode and most of its better prospects are underclassmen. Alabama has been impacted more by injuries, particularly catcher Vin DiFazio, who was projected to go in the first 10 rounds but never got out of the gates. He was lost for the season with a nerve disorder in his shoulder.  

STRENGTH: High-end high school talent.
WEAKNESS: Middle infielders.
OVERALL RATING (1-to-5 scale): 4.

Best Out-of-State Prospect, Alabama Connection: Michael Davitt, rhp, Okaloosa-Walton (Fla.) JC (Attended high school in Mobile ).
Top 2008 Prospect: Miers Quigley, lhp, U. of Alabama.

Highest Pick, Draft History: Gregg Olson, rhp, Auburn U. (1988, Orioles/first round, 4^th pick).
Highest Pick, 2006 Draft: Kasey Kiker, lhp, Russell County HS, Phenix City (Rangers/1^st round, 12^th pick).

Best College Team: Alabama .
Best Junior College Team: Shelton State JC.
Best High School Team: Russell County HS/Cullman HS.

TOP 30 PROSPECTS / By Allan Simpson

GROUPS (College, Junior College, High School)
      1   High-round draft (Rounds 1-3)
      2   Mid-round draft (Rounds 4-10)
      3   Late-round draft (Rounds 11-25)
      4   Chance draft / Player to follow

*Draft-and-follow; eligible to sign before 2007 draft

GROUP ONE
Rank  Player                                  Pos.       Yr     B-T      HT     WT     School                              Hometown                 Drafted/(Commit)       B’date
     1.   Josh Donaldson                     C      Jr.     R-R     6-0     200     Auburn U.                         Mobile                          Never drafted             12-8-85
SCOUTING REPORT: Donaldson is a first-rate defender at third base, but his profile plays better behind the plate and he began a successful conversion to catching a year ago, successfully completing the transition this year. He ranks as one of the nation’s elite college catchers and there is an outside chance he could slip into the back end of the first round. He established more of a comfort zone at his new position this spring, while polishing his receiving skills. By most accounts, he has a solid-average arm with pop times consistently under 2.0 seconds, but some scouts say his arm strength is below average and he makes up the for the deficiency with quick feet. His athleticism, offensive upside, work ethic and take-charge ability are all considered the strengths of his game. He has impressive bat speed and either led Auburn or was second in every key offensive category this spring—hitting (.348), home runs (10), RBIs (50) and on-base percentage (.448). While his speed is a non-factor at his new position, he runs well for a catcher and stole 17 bases in 20 attempts. More than raw speed, he has good base-running instincts—an aptitude that serves the rest of his game well.