OKLAHOMA

2007 FOLLOW LIST  

OVERVIEW: Oklahoma has had three players mentioned as potential first-round picks, Oklahoma State hitters Corey Brown and Matt Mangini, and Owasso High shortstop Peter Kozma, although none is a lock to go among the first 30 picks. That kind of upper-level talent counts as an above-average year for Oklahoma .

 

Who in that trio is picked first is anyone’s guess. Mangini would have been considered a shoe-in for that honor for much of the past year after transferring from North Carolina State , but the 2006 Cape Cod League batting champion has not hit with close to the power scouts were looking to see, especially against the tougher Big 12 Conference pitching. At the same time, Brown and his 5-tool potential has seen his stock rise just as steadily as Mangini’s may have fallen.

 

While the talent at Oklahoma State stands out, the other primary college programs in the state—Oklahoma, Oral Roberts and NAIA power Oklahoma City —have their share of prospects as well. The usually-fertile Oklahoma junior college ranks are again fairly rich with talent and boast some of the best pitching arms in the state, though it is entirely possible that no Oklahoma-based pitcher will hear his name called until at least the fifth round.

 

Although Kozma stands out in the high school ranks, there are a couple of other prospects who could impact the top 10 rounds. Kozma’s teammate, lefthander Matt Hoffman, has benefited from the exposure Kozma has received and could be the next high school player from state selected—as could third baseman Andy Wilkins and righthander Parker Frazier for the right teams. Outfielder Londell Taylor is the top baseball athlete in the state, but his football ride to Oklahoma will probably eliminate him from a baseball future.

 

STRENGTH: Position players, especially lefthanded hitters.

WEAKNESS: Top 5-round type pitchers.

OVERALL RATING (1-to-5 scale): 4.

 

Best Out-of-State Prospect, Oklahoma Connection: Matt Brown, of, Wichita State U. (Attended high school in Oklahoma City ).

Top 2008 Prospect: Mark Ginther, ss, Jenks HS, Tulsa .

 

Highest Pick, Draft History: Mike Moore, rhp, Oral Roberts U. (1981, Mariners/1^st round, 1^st pick).

Highest Pick, 2006 Draft: Brett Anderson, lhp, Stillwater HS (Diamondbacks, 2^nd round).

 

BEST COLLEGE TEAM: Oklahoma State .
BEST JUNIOR COLLEGE TEAM: Connors State JC.
Best High School Team: Owasso HS.

 

TOP 30 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

 

*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.   Corey Brown                         OF      Jr.     L-L     6-2     210     Oklahoma State U.          Tampa, Fla.                  Never drafted 11-26-85

SCOUTING REPORT: Brown’s last year has paralleled Texas outfielder Kyle Russell’s in many ways, and they both end up in the same general area of draft consideration—late first round to comp round—with Brown holding an upper hand because of his overall athleticism and potential five-tool ability. The good news:  Brown has had a great spring, showing power, speed, consistency and a great approach at the plate. He was hitting .356-19-64 with 20 stolen bases entering the Big 12 tournament, and had an impressive 56 walks (to go with 55 strikeouts). He’s poised to join the very rare college 20-20 crowd for home runs and steals, and can dominate a college game like few other players in the country. The bad news: Brown struggled just as badly with wood bats against top pitchers in the Cape Cod League last summer, hitting .192-2-16 with 57 strikeouts in 130 at bats. The same worries about a long, grooved swing worry scouts about Brown as they do Russell. The rest of Brown’s package is excellent; he’s a plus runner with well above-average natural strength and very good defensive tools. Brown also brings a football mentality to the game; he comes from a family of six athletic brothers who are very close (his younger brother Dylan, also an outfielder, is a top freshman prospect at OSU), and Brown was a noted football star in high school.