The draft is just around the corner, and here's the three guys the Bucs have reportedly zeroed in on:
-- LHP Drew Pomeranz, 20, a junior from Ol' Miss with a three-pitch repertoire and a rubber arm. Pomeranz, 6-5, 230, has two out pitches, a low nineties fastball that sets up his curve, said to be his best pitch, and he has a changeup.
Pomeranz had an 8-2, 2.21 ERA season and was the Southeastern Conference's Pitcher of the Year. He's considered a guy that can reach the bigs in a hurry. Pomeranz should provide good value as an inning-eating #3 starter with a shot at #2 upside.
The Pirates should have a thick file on him after drafting Ol' Miss teammates Nathan Baker and Phillip Irwin last year,and were said to be interested in him while he was in high school in Tennessee. GW considers him as the front-runner.
-- 6-7, 225 pound RHP Jameson Taillon, from The Woodlands HS, Texas, has a fastball that hits the mid-to-upper 90s, and is thought to be the best pitcher, stuff wise, in the draft with a chance to be an ace. He throws a fastball, slider and curve, and is said to have a serviceable changeup. They must be OK; he's got 96 Ks in 47 innings.
Taillon's only black mark is his command, and learning to work inside. He's 18 and made a commitment to Rice. A HS arm is always a risk, especially this high in the draft. His agents are the Hendricks brothers.
-- High school SS Manny Machado, 17, from Miami Brito HS, Florida, led Team USA in hitting last summer and batted .642 with 12 homers, 56 RBI and 17 steals in 27 games now.
He could be moved, as he has a big (6-2, 180), lean body that may outgrow short; keeping his weight down will determine his position. Machado has all five tools, and so could transition to third or a corner OF spot easily.
MM verbally committed to Florida International. Machado is represented by Scott Boras, so his signability could be an issue. A big issue.
The draft schedule:
-- Monday, June 7th (7PM) - Round 1
-- Tuesday, June 8th (noon) - Rounds 2-30
-- Wednesday, June 9th (noon) - Rounds 31-50
Showing posts with label draft 2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label draft 2010. Show all posts
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Already, the Draft
OK, Neal Huntington has been trying to calm the Bryce Harper storm, at least until the June meat market opens. Who might he be looking at right now?
Well, doh, Bryce Harper, despite Huntington's cool as a January dip in the Mon attitude. The kid's 17, hits a ball 500 feet, and has four tools (a roadrunner he ain't.)
In his favor: he's a lefty bomber. Also, the suits seem to favor plucking a position player (Pedro Alvarez, Tony Sanchez) with their first pick. And while he's mainly catching now, he projects as a corner fielder (he throws righty) and could be Pedro's infield bookend down the road or a big bat in right field.
Drawbacks: Awfully young, still jumps at the ball, and is represented by the piledriving Scott Boras, so he'll be a tough sign. But give the devil his due; he's the only reason Pittsburgh may sniff Harper.
After last year's dealing with the Boras Corporation, who was representing Stephen Strasburg, the Nats may let young Mr. Harper drop to the Pirates. They didn't sign Strasburg until the deadline (hey, they had a minute left), which was less contentious than the Pirate's dealings with Boras and his 2008 client, Alvarez.
The Bucs have also been associated - and this is very early - with RHP Jameson Taillon of The Woodlands HS, Texas. The 6'-5" hurler throws a low to mid-90s fastball and a power 12-to-6 curve.
Another name that's a blip on the Pirate radar is RHP Anthony Ranaudo of LSU. His fastball hits 93, he works the inside half of the plate, misses bats, and owns a plus hook and change up. He's 6'-7", and the Bucs love those big guys.
Other highly ranked players are:
-- A.J. Cole, a RHP from Ovedia HS, Florida. He features a low 90s heater and is reputed to have the best arm in this year's high school class.
-- RHP Cameron Bedrosian of East Coweta HS, Georgia. The son of former MLB vet Steve Bedroisian, he throws in the low 90s and has a nasty power curve.
-- Drew Pomeranz, a LHP from Ole Miss. The junior was taken by the Rangers out of high school but wasn't signed. His fastball was clocked at 94-90 and his curveball darts at 78-80.
-- Christian Colon, SS, from Cal-State Fullerton. He was taken out of high school, but didn't sign. Colon was a freshman All-American and started every game for a Team USA team that went undefeated over the summer. He hit .352 as the sophomore shortstop for the College World Series-bound Titans, and projects as a second baseman.
-- Deck McGuire is a RHP from the Ramblin' Wrecks of Georgia Tech, the ACC's Pitcher-of-the-Year for 2009 and was named to several All-America teams. He shows a sinking 90-93 mph fastball that runs into righthanded hitters, a hard, upper-70s slurve, and a changeup.
Baseball America has their preliminary ratings here.
Well, doh, Bryce Harper, despite Huntington's cool as a January dip in the Mon attitude. The kid's 17, hits a ball 500 feet, and has four tools (a roadrunner he ain't.)
In his favor: he's a lefty bomber. Also, the suits seem to favor plucking a position player (Pedro Alvarez, Tony Sanchez) with their first pick. And while he's mainly catching now, he projects as a corner fielder (he throws righty) and could be Pedro's infield bookend down the road or a big bat in right field.
Drawbacks: Awfully young, still jumps at the ball, and is represented by the piledriving Scott Boras, so he'll be a tough sign. But give the devil his due; he's the only reason Pittsburgh may sniff Harper.
After last year's dealing with the Boras Corporation, who was representing Stephen Strasburg, the Nats may let young Mr. Harper drop to the Pirates. They didn't sign Strasburg until the deadline (hey, they had a minute left), which was less contentious than the Pirate's dealings with Boras and his 2008 client, Alvarez.
The Bucs have also been associated - and this is very early - with RHP Jameson Taillon of The Woodlands HS, Texas. The 6'-5" hurler throws a low to mid-90s fastball and a power 12-to-6 curve.
Another name that's a blip on the Pirate radar is RHP Anthony Ranaudo of LSU. His fastball hits 93, he works the inside half of the plate, misses bats, and owns a plus hook and change up. He's 6'-7", and the Bucs love those big guys.
Other highly ranked players are:
-- A.J. Cole, a RHP from Ovedia HS, Florida. He features a low 90s heater and is reputed to have the best arm in this year's high school class.
-- RHP Cameron Bedrosian of East Coweta HS, Georgia. The son of former MLB vet Steve Bedroisian, he throws in the low 90s and has a nasty power curve.
-- Drew Pomeranz, a LHP from Ole Miss. The junior was taken by the Rangers out of high school but wasn't signed. His fastball was clocked at 94-90 and his curveball darts at 78-80.
-- Christian Colon, SS, from Cal-State Fullerton. He was taken out of high school, but didn't sign. Colon was a freshman All-American and started every game for a Team USA team that went undefeated over the summer. He hit .352 as the sophomore shortstop for the College World Series-bound Titans, and projects as a second baseman.
-- Deck McGuire is a RHP from the Ramblin' Wrecks of Georgia Tech, the ACC's Pitcher-of-the-Year for 2009 and was named to several All-America teams. He shows a sinking 90-93 mph fastball that runs into righthanded hitters, a hard, upper-70s slurve, and a changeup.
Baseball America has their preliminary ratings here.
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