MISSISSIPPI

2007 FOLLOW LIST  

OVERVIEW: Mississippi shortstop Zack Cozart may be the best defensive player in college baseball—at any position—and was the state’s only sure-fire, early-round pick at the state of the 2007 season. But he’s got company now with the emergence ofMississippi State catcher Ed Easley and Ole Miss righthander Will Kline. All three are expected to be among the top 100 picks.

Mississippi ’s high school ranks are traditionally the slowest to evolve of all the Sun Belt states, but outfielder Wendell Fairley surfaced early as a legitimate talent and maintained his position atop prep draft lists throughout the spring.

STRENGTH: Power bats.
WEAKNESS: Polished pitchers.
OVERALL RATING (1-to-5 scale): 4.

Best Out-of-State Prospect, Mississippi Connection: Bruce Edwards, of, Auburn U. (Attended high school in Columbus).
Top 2008 Prospect: Cody Satterwhite, rhp, U. of Mississippi.

Highest Pick, Draft History: Will Clark, 1b, Mississippi State U. (1985, Giants/first round, 2^nd pick).
Highest Pick, 2006 Draft: Chris Coghlan, 3b, U. of Mississippi (Marlins/1^st round, 36^th pick).

Best College Team: Mississippi State .
Best Junior College Team: Meridian JC.
Best High School Team: West Lauderdale HS, Collinsville .

TOP 25 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.   Zack Cozart                           SS      Jr.     R-R     6-1     180     U. of Mississippi            Collierville, Tenn.      Never drafted             8-12-85
SCOUTING REPORT: Cozart has game-changing shortstop skills. He is an exceptional defender, possibly the steadiest and best pure shortstop in college baseball. He’s fundamentally sound in all aspects of shortstop play with quick feet, easy actions and a strong, accurate arm. But his best tools are his hands. He catches everything hit his way and is masterful at reading hops of all kinds. He has above-average arm strength even as he unloads balls from a somewhat unorthodox three-quarters slot—yet his throws are almost always true with little tailing action. He committed eight errors in his first 55 games, but was nearly flawless in Southeastern Conference play. While Cozart’s defensive play is first-round quality, the rest of his tools are average, at best. He had raised his average to .307 after a rough start and was hitting .360 in SEC games, but he has limited upside with the bat and it may ultimately cast him into a utility role at the big league level. He’s predominantly a front-foot hitter who insides-out the ball. He also projects little power, even though he’s shown surprising pull pop this spring and taken five balls out of the yard and driven in 41 runs. He is a below-average runner for a middle infielder.