FLORIDA

2007 FOLLOW LIST  

OVERVIEW:Florida has maintained its position as one of the “Big 3” talent-producing states, alongside California and Texas . It will never lose that distinction, but has lacked real star appeal the past few years when it comes to high draft picks. Third baseman Chris Marrero was the state’s top pick last year at the No. 15 slot in the first round; this year, either righthander/outfielder Michael Main or first baseman Matt LaPorta figures to be the state’s top pick in approximately the same slot.

The level of high school talent in 2007 was solid and would have been even better on draft day had lefthander John Gast, a likely first-rounder, not gone down in late spring with Tommy John surgery. A number of promising young pitching prospects such as righthanders Nevin Griffith and John Bachanov have significantly improved their stock with good springs. 

The junior college talent, led by Broward CC flamethrower Matt Latos, was above average and featured a seemingly limitless supply of hard-throwing righthanded pitchers. It will be interesting to follow how the Florida junior colleges are impacted by the rules eliminating the draft-and-follow process; no schools in the country attract more players from all over the country, especially previously-drafted players, than the Florida jucos.

What scouts point to as a problem area is the inability of the state’s three marquee schools—Miami, Florida and Florida State —to consistently churn out top-level talent. Only two players at those three schools, LaPorta and FSU second baseman Tony Thomas, project as definite top 3-4 round picks in this draft. It’s a trend that scouts see extending back many years and growing worse. One veteran area scout remarked late in the spring, “Thank goodness for Stetson and Tampa , or I would have stopped going to college games altogether this spring.”

STRENGTH: High school and junior college righthanders.
WEAKNESS: Top-level college talent.
OVERALL RATING (1-to-5 scale): 3.

Best Out-of-State Prospect, Florida Connection: J.P. Arencibia, c, U. Tennessee (attended high school in Miami )
Top 2008 Prospect: Eric Hosmer, 1b, American Heritage HS, Cooper City .

Highest Pick, Draft History: Chipper Jones, ss, The Bolles School, Jacksonville (1990, Braves/1^st round, 1^st pick); Alex Rodriguez, ss, Westminster Christian HS, Miami (1993, Mariners/1^st round, 1^st pick); Paul Wilson, rhp, Florida State U. (1994, Mets/1^st round, 1^st pick); Pat Burrell, 1b, U. of Miami (Phillies, 1998/1^st round, 1^st pick).
Highest Pick, 2006 Draft: Chris Marrero, 3b, Monsignor Pace HS, Hialeah (Nationals/1^st round, 15^th pick).

Best College Team: Florida State .
Best Junior College Team: Palm Beach JC (Chipola JC advanced to Junior College World Series).
Best High School Team: Bishop Moore HS, Orlando.

TOP 120 PROSPECTS / By David Rawnsley

GROUPS (College, Junior College, High School)
      1   High-round draft (Rounds 1-3; projected first-round pick in boldface type
      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.   Michael Main                 RHP/OF      Sr.     R-R     6-2     180     Deland HS                         Deltona                        (Florida State )           12-14-88
SCOUTING REPORT: Main will be one of the real wild cards at the top of the draft with three possible scenarios: a high draft as a pitcher, a high draft as an outfielder or passed over altogether so scouts can watch him develop his skills both ways at Florida State . Main did not throw the 100 mph fastball that some had envisioned he might after he hit 98 mph last summer, but he did show some progress with his delivery and command during some starts. In other starts, scouts say he reverted back to his old style of pitching that leaves too many flat fastballs and hanging curveballs in the middle of the plate. Taken as a whole, Main had a good spring on the mound, usually pitching at 92-95 mph and finishing strong in the Florida high school playoffs, all the while remaining healthy. As hard as it is to imagine that a high school pitcher who can throw in the upper 90s might be a better outfield prospect, some teams won’t hesitate to pick Main as a Rocco Baldelli-type centerfielder. He is a 6.4 runner in the 60 and obviously has top-of-the-line arm strength from the outfield, along with a projectable bat.