OHIO

2007 FOLLOW LIST  

OVERVIEW: The college pitching was good enough inOhio this spring that even the loss of two top college arms, Ohio State’s Dan DeLucia and Akron ’s Tom Farmer, to elbow injuries didn’t stop scouts from flocking to the state. In a year where scouts bemoaned the lack of college pitching, up to five Ohio pitchers could be drafted in the top five rounds, headed by hard-throwing Kent State righthander Chris Carpenter.

The prep ranks have their share of top prospects as well, although 6-10 righthander Scott Moviel (basketball) and speedy outfielder DeVon Torrence (football) come from prominent backgrounds in other sports.

In fact, there must be something about height and Ohio pitchers. Comparisons abounded all spring between Moviel and 6-foot-11 righthander Andrew Brackman of North Carolina State, a Cincinnati native. Ohio State’s 6-foot-7 Jake Hale could be a top five-round pick if everything falls right, while down in Georgia, Ohio native David Duncan, a 6-foot-7 lefthander is also a top five round prospect.

High third baseman Derek Dietrich is the state’s top position prospect, although the colleges have a good depth of solid hitters who fit more into the mid-round category.

STRENGTH: College righthanded pitchers.
WEAKNESS: Top-round college hitters.
OVERALL RATING (1-to-5 scale): 4.

Best Out-of-State Prospect, Ohio Connection: Andrew Brackman, rhp, North Carolina State U. (Attended high school in Cincinnati ).
Top 2008 Prospect: Mike Nastold, rhp, Elder HS, Cincinnati .

Highest Pick, Draft History: Tim Belcher, rhp, Mount Vernon Nazarene College (1983, Twins/1^st round, 1^st pick); Ken Griffey Jr., of, Moeller HS, Cincinnati (1987, Mariners/1^st round, 1^st pick).
Highest Pick, 2006 Draft: Emmanuel Burris, ss, Kent State U. (Giants/1^st round; 33^rd pick).

Best College Team: Ohio State .
Best Junior College Team: Sinclair CC.
Best High School Team: Moeller HS, Cincinnati .

TOP 25 PROSPECTS / By David Rawnsley

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

GROUP ONE
Rank  Player                                  Pos.       Yr     B-T      HT     WT     School                              Hometown                 Drafted/(Commit) B’date
     1.   Chris Carpenter                 RHP     So.     R-R     6-4     210     Kent State U.                    Bryan                            Tigers ’04 (7)      12-26-85
SCOUTING REPORT: Carpenter turned down the Tigers as a seveth-round pick in 2004 with the thought that pitching full-time in college would significantly improve his pitching ability. Carpenter was an outstanding high school basketball player who averaged 20-plus points a game for his career and was more of a primary shortstop than pitcher due to his athletic ability. While his pitching has been severely curtailed by injuries over the past three years, he still appears to have emerged as a first-round candidate. Carpenter underwent Tommy John surgery in the spring of 2005, additional surgery early in 2006 to clean out the elbow and got off to a late start this spring due to a mild sprain in his elbow. Carpenter was understandably a little rusty this spring, going 4-0, 3.65 with 26 walks in 37 innings, but his stuff was electric at times, topping out at 98 mph and staying consistently in the mid 90s for long stretches. His curveball and changeup showed some quality for someone who hadn’t pitched in two years as well. There will be some teams that will be scared off by Carpenter’s medical background but his ceiling among college righthanders in this draft is unsurpassed. His status as a draft-eligible sophomore shouldn’t be a factor.