DRAFT 2008 - STATE-BY-STATE PREVIEW
MASSACHUSETTS
2008
FOLLOW LIST
OVERVIEW:
Scouts spent much of their spring coverage in Massachusetts dodging the weather
to see primarily pitchers, but there may still not be a pick in the top five
rounds. High school southpaw Keith Landers and Boston College righthander Dan
Houston certainly are mentioned in that range, but they could easily not be
picked on the first day as well.
Actually, the top lefthanded
pitchers with Massachusetts ties will both be drafted as out-of-state
selections. Chris Dwyer, a Swampscott resident, attends the Salisbury School, a
boarding school in Connecticut where scouts flocked to see him and potential
first-rounder Anthony Hewitt (a New York native) play this spring. In addition,
St. John’s lefty Scott Barnes, another potential top 3-round pick, is from
Springfield.
One demographic almost completely
lacking in Massachusetts this spring was prospect-level hitters. Northeastern
shortstop Mike Lyon will likely be the only hitter from the state drafted in
the top 20 rounds.
STRENGTH:
Pitching.
WEAKNESS:
Hitting.
OVERALL RATING
(1-to-5 scale): 2.
Best Out-of-State Prospect,
Massachusetts Connection:
Scott Barnes, lhp, St. John’s U. (Attended high school in Springfield).
Top 2009 Prospect:
Tony Sanchez, c, Boston College.
Top 2010 Prospect:
Kevin Moran, rhp, Boston College.
Highest Pick, Draft History:
Joe Coleman, rhp, Natick HS (1965, Senators/1st round, 3rd
pick).
Highest Pick, 2006 Draft:
Adam Ottavino, rhp,
Northeastern U. (Cardinals/1st round, 30th pick).
Highest Pick, 2007 Draft:
Jack McGeary, lhp, Roxbury
Latin HS, Newton (Nationals/6th round).
Best
College Team: Boston
College.
Best
Junior College Team:
Massasoit.
Best
High School Team:
Plymouth North.
TOP PROSPECTS /
By David Rawnsley (Allan Simpson)
GROUPS (College, Junior
College, High School)
1 Premium-round draft (Rounds 1-3)
2
High-round draft (Rounds 4-10)
3
Mid-round draft (Rounds 11-25)
| GROUP TWO |
| Rank |
Player |
Pos. |
Class |
B-T |
HT |
WT |
High School |
Hometown |
Commitment |
B’date |
| 1 |
Keith Landers |
LHP |
Sr. |
L-L |
6-7 |
200 |
St. Peter-Marian |
Worcester |
Louisville |
11/12/1989 |
| SCOUTING REPORT (3/1): Landers gets immediate
attention due to his long, lean 6-foot-7, 200-pound frame. His fastball touches
91-92 mph from a long, slinging mid three-quarters arm action that is very
tough on lefthanded hitters. His breaking ball is a 76-mph, big-breaking
slurve. Landers projects well and his stuff is deceptive and hard-to-hit.
Scouts have compared Landers physically to big league lefthanders Randy Johnson
and Steve Carlton. Actually, Landers is used to being in the national
spotlight. He played for the Worcester Little League team that finished second
in the U.S. section of the 2002 Little League World Series. He threw a
complete-game, 2-1 victory in Worcester’s second game.—DAVID RAWNSLEY |
| UPDATE (5/15): There is a wide range of opinion
in New England on where Landers might be drafted, ranging from the third round
to the 10th round. While Landers has shown his good raw stuff at times this
spring, he hasn’t built on the level he established last summer and fall, and
many scouts feel that he’s taken a step back. Landers has done a good job of
repeating his delivery for a larger southpaw with some effort in his release,
but his arm speed wasn’t impressive and the 90-91 mph velocity on his fastball
was inconsistent.—DR |
| |