PGCrosschecker - Draft 2008, State-By-State Previews with Scouting Reports on Top Prospects

DRAFT 2008 - STATE-BY-STATE PREVIEW
NORTH CAROLINA

2008 FOLLOW LIST

OVERVIEW: North Carolina has produced at least two first-round picks in each of the last three drafts, but that streak should come to a screeching halt this year. In fact, the state may be hard-pressed to produce a single selection in the top 50 picks.

The best talent in the state, according to most scouts, is a junior college player, Pitt CC shortstop Lonnie Chisenhall. But Chisenhall’s selection would not come without controversy as he remains on probation from an incident at South Carolina in 2007 that led to his dismissal from the school.

The University of North Carolina, coming off back-to-back second-place finishes at the College World Series, has another team in the national-title hunt, but the sophomore-dominated Tar Heels will largely be a non-factor this year, from a draft standpoint, with the possibility of only one pick in the first 10 rounds. Next year will be a whole different story, though. North Carolina State, which like UNC has produced two first-rounders in the last three drafts, lacks that kind of elite-level talent, but the Wolfpack has so much depth, especially on its pitching staff, that it could approach a double-digit number of picks.

Staying on theme, the North Carolina high school ranks are also so thin this year that there may not be a single selection in the first 10 rounds. There is not even consensus on who will be the first prep player drafted. There’s also a depth issue as it’s possible that there may not be even 10 high school players selected overall.

Led by nationally No. 1-ranked Mt. Olive (54-6), which made its first-ever trip to the Division II World Series, the North Carolina small college ranks have an unusually strong crop of prospects for this year’s draft. In fact, Mt. Olive and Catawba College, to name two, could make more of an impact than some of the state’s more established four-year colleges.

STRENGTH: College pitching.
WEAKNESS: Elite high-school talent.
OVERALL RATING (1-to-5 scale): 2.

Best Out-of-State Prospect, North Carolina Connection: Greg Miclat, ss, U. of Virginia (Attended high school in Concord).
Top 2009 Prospect: Alex White, rhp, U. of North Carolina.
Top 2010 Prospect: Matt Harvey, rhp, U. of North Carolina.

Highest Pick, Draft History: B.J. Surhoff, c, U. of North Carolina (1985, Brewers/1^st round, 1^st pick); Brien Taylor, lhp, East Carteret HS, Beaufort (1991, Yankees/1^st round, 1^st pick); Josh Hamilton, of, Athens Drive HS, Raleigh (1999, Devil Rays/1^st round, 1^st pick).
Highest Pick, 2006 Draft: Andrew Miller, lhp, U. of North Carolina (Tigers/1^st round, 6^th pick).
Highest Pick, 2007 Draft: Madison Bumgarner, lhp, South Caldwell HS, Lenoir (Giants/1^st round, 10^th pick).

Best College Team: North Carolina.
Best Junior College Team: Pitt.
Best High School Team: Ardrey Kell (Charlotte).

TOP PROSPECTS / By 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 ONE
Rank	Player	Pos.	Class	B-T	HT	WT	College	Hometown	Prev. Drafted	B’date
1	Lonnie Chisenhall	3B/RHP	So.	L-R	6-2	190	Pitt	Morehead City	Pirates ’06 (12)	10/4/1988
SCOUTING REPORT (3/1): Chisenhall was one of the nation’s top freshmen recruits last spring at South Carolina, but made headlines for all the wrong reasons when he was dismissed from the team after being charged along with teammate Nick Fuller for burglary and grand larceny. He was hitting .313-1-13 through 20 games at the time of his dismissal. Chisenhall was placed on six months probation for his misdeed and charges could be dismissed by as early as mid-August. In the meantime, he has re-surfaced at North Carolina’s Pitt CC, near his home in Morehead City, and will be eligible for the 2008 draft. He has lost little of the talent that made him one of the nation’s most coveted players out of high school. He spent his summer playing American Legion baseball in his hometown to keep his game in check, and was used as both a hitter and pitcher. He has continued to go both ways in junior college, but his bat is his most prized tool. He has an excellent approach to hitting, uses the whole field and hits for both average and power. He is not overly athletic and doesn’t run that well, however, and that will force him to play third base or right field, but he has plenty of arm strength for those positions.—ALLAN SIMPSON
UPDATE (5/15): Chisenhall did just what he needed to do this season at the junior-college level. He re-established himself on-the-field as one of the premier batsmen in the draft, and off-the-field as a model citizen. Most teams came to the conclusion that his indiscretion was a youthful mistake and seemed prepared to grant him a pass. His talent, especially his superior hitting ability, has landed him on the cusp of the first round. He displays excellent hitting mechanics and an excellent approach to hitting, and proved to be an extremely tough out this spring. He got the bat head through the hitting zone in a hurry and hit a steady diet of screaming line drives. He rarely swung and missed, chased pitches or gave away at-bats. His raw power potential wasn’t always in evidence but scouts are convinced it will come as he learns to lift balls more consistently. Not only did Chisenhall hit .401-8-61 and play a steady shortstop, but he was also effective in a closer role. His combined efforts led Pitt to within a game of its first Junior College World Series appearance.—AS

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