Post by Red Sox GM on Dec 2, 2013 10:02:10 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox:
(#2) Jonathan Gray RHP:
Gray's metamorphosis from a live-armed but chubby high schooler to a potential No. 1 overall choice is reminiscent of Stephen Strasburg's. His stuff calls to mind Gerrit Cole, another top overall pick. Drafted in the 13th round out of an Oklahoma high school in 2010 by the Royals and in the 10th round out of Eastern Oklahoma State JC in 2011 by the Yankees, Gray steadily improved before exploding in his second season with the Sooners. After maxing out at 94 mph in high school, he now works comfortably at 94-97 and can hit 100 mph while looking like he's just playing catch. Gray's fastball also features heavy life. He shows the ability to dial it down to 92-94 in the middle innings before turning it back up toward the end of games, a la Justin Verlander. He has refined his slider into a wipeout pitch with depth and bite, and he can make hitters look silly with an improved changeup that bottoms out at the plate. Gray has firmed up his frame to a solid 6-foot-4 and 239 pounds, and he has his delivery and his pitches more under control than ever. He has maintained a high level of performance all spring, carrying an 8-1, 1.20 record with a 104-16 K-BB ratio and a .166 opponent average through his first 12 starts.
(#33) Chi-Chi Gonzalez RHP:
Gonzalez grew up in Boca Raton, Florida and was a mid- to upper 80s thrower with a pretty firm mid-70s curveball in high school. The Baltimore Orioles thought enough of him to draft him in the 11th round in the 2010 draft, but interestingly it seems as if the Florida schools did not recruit Gonzalez heavily, as his Oral Roberts bio states that Gonzalez “chose ORU over UNC Greensboro, College of Charleston and Western Kentucky.” That oversight has been a boon for Oral Roberts, as Gonzalez has been their top starter for each of his three college seasons, including posting a 7-4, 1.89 mark in 90 innings this spring, with 101 strikeouts and only 69 hits and 20 walks allowed. Gonzalez stuff has grown since high school, of course, and he has filled out to a solid 6-foot-3, 200-pounds. He now throws in the 90-93 mph range and will touch higher occasionally. More important than the velocity of his fastball is the frequent plus/plus cutting life he gets on the pitch and his ability to command that movement. Some scouts have even called it a “Mariano Rivera” type fastball that could make him a very effective closer by itself. Gonzalez has also gone from a hard curveball to a true slider in the low-80s that is a second potential plus pitch and resembles a slower and somewhat deeper version of his fastball. He also throws a steadily improving changeup that will become a bigger factor for him as a professional, especially as he learns to make it run and sink to differentiate it from his other two pitches. Gonzalez has been picking up huge momentum during the spring as more and more decision makers get in to see him, and is now frequently mentioned in late first-round conversations.
(#36) Justin Williams OF:
Williams is a man-child with huge raw power in his 6-foot-2, 215-pound body. He's been on the showcase scene for several years, and one scout said he thought Williams had a chance to be the first pick in the draft in this class when he first saw him three years ago. While he is still young for his class as a 17-year-old, he just hasn't developed yet as scouts had hoped. He has some of the biggest raw power in the class, with some scouts putting top-of-the-scale power grades on him. He has gotten into bad habits at the plate, though. He needs to keep his feet quieter and hit from a solid foundation to get to his power. Williams lacks a great feel for hitting but is strong enough to drive the ball to all parts of the park. He'll have to add polish to hit better pitching. He's athletic but lacks instincts to stay in the infield and likely will wind up in left field or first base. Williams' easy power will still earn him a high draft slot, and most of his value will stem from his bat.
(#47) Gleybar Torres SS:
Torres is a savvy player with present skills and the potential for five average or better tools. He has a clean, compact stroke, hits in games and shows good power projection, although he mostly works the gaps right now. He has good bat speed and hand-eye coordination to put the ball in play, although he can be a bit of a front-foot hitter and tends to pull off the ball at times.
(#62) Rafael Devers 3B:
The typical profile for a Latin American amateur third baseman is big body, big raw power, big strikeouts and big questions about whether he can stay at the position. While Devers faces the defensive questions, he stands apart because of his advanced feel for hitting. He’s the most advanced lefthanded hitter on the market.
Devers, who plays in the International Prospect League, has a good hitting approach, excellent bat speed and a smooth, compact hitting stroke that stays in the hitting zone. He performs in games against lefties and righties, recognizes and drives offspeed pitches with the ability to manipulate the bat head and make contact on pitches out of the strike zone. He has a level swing and average raw power, which could become above-average once he gets stronger.
(#63) Edgar Arredondo SP:
That should help inflate the price of Mexican righthander Edgar Arredondo, whose rights are owned by Quintana Roo of the Mexican League. Arredondo is 6-foot-3, 190 pounds with solid mechanics for his age and an 87-91 mph fastball. He throws a solid changeup that flashes average and is ahead of his below-average curveball. Some scouts like his feel for pitching, although he’s not as advanced as Julio Urias was last year when the Dodgers signed him from the Mexico City Red Devils.
(#64) Erisbel Arruebarruena SS:
At 6 feet, 195 pounds, Arruebarruena has clean hands, quick actions and good body control. He’s a below-average runner, but his quick first step and instincts give him good range. He has a quick transfer and a plus-plus arm with accuracy, which allows him to make throws from deep in the hole and turn 4-6-3 double plays with ease. His awareness in the field is advanced and he’s shown the ability to make the barehanded play look routine and make strong throws from different angles. Scouts have called Arruebarruena a magician in the field, and if he can hit enough to be an everyday major league shortstop, he has the potential to win a Gold Glove.
(#66) Kenta Maeda SP:
Maeda dominated with stellar command of four pitches—including an 89-93 mph fastball— in a second-round game against the Netherlands in which he struck out nine in five scoreless innings with only one hit and no walks allowed. He looked more uncomfortable in the semifinal game in San Francisco, where he appeared to have trouble gripping the ball and dealing with the cold.
Maeda doesn’t have a plus pitch, but he’s shown plus command at his best with the ability to throw all of his pitches for strikes, pitch to both sides of the plate and change hitters’ eye levels. Maeda, 24, throws from a full windup with a pause in his delivery, with the athleticism to repeat his mechanics and field his position well. Maeda’s size (6 feet, 161 pounds) doesn’t give him great fastball plane, but his fastball plays up because it has good sink and run and he commands it well. He throws a solid-average slider with short break, a low-70s curveball that he’ll use early in the count and an occasional changeup.
(#74) Kean Wong 2B:
Wong is the younger brother of Cardinals second base prospect Kolten Wong, a first-round pick out of Hawaii in 2011. With a similar build at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, Kean is seen as a more advanced hitter than Kolten was coming out of high school. They both have compact lefthanded swings, a great approach at the plate and good feel for the barrel. Kean, who is tightly wound and has already filled out, also offers a bit more power and could hit 10-15 home runs annually. Kolten is a little quicker and better defensively, and some scouts wonder whether Kean would be better at third base. He is a fringy runner. Like Kolten, Kean is a baseball rat and could be signed away from his commitment to Hawaii if he goes in the top six rounds.
(#75) Kyle Wren OF:
The son of Braves general manager Frank Wren, Kyle had a tremendous freshman season as a dynamic leadoff hitter back in 2011. He was draft-eligible last year and sagged, hitting just .256 and falling to the Reds in the 30th round. As a junior, he has shifted from center field to left in deference to Brandon Thomas, an unsigned fourth-rounder from 2012 who returned for his senior season. That seems to have helped Wren get back to his old self, as he has had a big season and put himself back into the discussion as a top 10 rounds pick. Wren has explosive speed and was running easier this season, earning 70 grades on the 20-80 scale. He is more aggressive on the basepaths, improved his routes in the outfield and gets the most out of his below-average but accurate arm. He works counts and is stinging the ball more this year after adding 10-15 pounds in the offseason.
(#96) Rowdy Tellez 1B:
Though his given name is Ryan, Tellez earned his nickname as a baby and it's fitting for the best lefthanded power bat in this year's class. He beat Clint Frazier in the Perfect Game National Showcase home run derby on the showcase circuit last summer and impressed scouts by hitting two home runs over the scoreboard at Blair Field in Long Beach, Calif., in a preseason game this spring. But even with his prodigious power, Tellez isn't just a big lefthanded slugger. Scouts are also impressed with his feel for hitting. He has a patient approach at the plate and excellent hand-eye coordination, rarely swinging and missing. He keeps his hands back, tracks pitches well and drives offspeed pitches to the opposite field with ease. Tellez has worked hard to tighten up his body and moves well for a player 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds. He has played in the outfield this spring and has an average arm, but profiles as a solid first baseman. Tellez is committed to Southern California, but will be drafted high enough to forgo that commitment.
(#113) Kevin Ziomek SP:
For the second straight year, Ziomek’s performance in summer-league competition—good or bad—has largely carried over to the following spring, and he has gone a sparkling 9-2, 2.03 through his first 12 starts as Vanderbilt’s Friday starter. In 89 innings, he has allowed just 53 hits, walked 29 and struck out 88—a significant upgrade from 2012. With a couple of minor exceptions when his velocity dipped, Ziomek has pitched every bit as impressively as a junior for the Commodores as he did in his five-game cameo on the Cape, with stuff and command to match. In the end, Ziomek has done pretty much everything this spring that he was supposed to do from the beginning of his career at Vanderbilt, after he arrived there from a Massachusetts high school in 2010 with all the credentials of a first-rounder, only to have been passed over in that year’s draft because he was so intent on pursuing a quality education at a Southeastern Conference baseball power.
(#126) Japhet Amador 1B:
He's fat. It's the fifth round. Why not?
(#143)
(#2) Jonathan Gray RHP:
Gray's metamorphosis from a live-armed but chubby high schooler to a potential No. 1 overall choice is reminiscent of Stephen Strasburg's. His stuff calls to mind Gerrit Cole, another top overall pick. Drafted in the 13th round out of an Oklahoma high school in 2010 by the Royals and in the 10th round out of Eastern Oklahoma State JC in 2011 by the Yankees, Gray steadily improved before exploding in his second season with the Sooners. After maxing out at 94 mph in high school, he now works comfortably at 94-97 and can hit 100 mph while looking like he's just playing catch. Gray's fastball also features heavy life. He shows the ability to dial it down to 92-94 in the middle innings before turning it back up toward the end of games, a la Justin Verlander. He has refined his slider into a wipeout pitch with depth and bite, and he can make hitters look silly with an improved changeup that bottoms out at the plate. Gray has firmed up his frame to a solid 6-foot-4 and 239 pounds, and he has his delivery and his pitches more under control than ever. He has maintained a high level of performance all spring, carrying an 8-1, 1.20 record with a 104-16 K-BB ratio and a .166 opponent average through his first 12 starts.
(#33) Chi-Chi Gonzalez RHP:
Gonzalez grew up in Boca Raton, Florida and was a mid- to upper 80s thrower with a pretty firm mid-70s curveball in high school. The Baltimore Orioles thought enough of him to draft him in the 11th round in the 2010 draft, but interestingly it seems as if the Florida schools did not recruit Gonzalez heavily, as his Oral Roberts bio states that Gonzalez “chose ORU over UNC Greensboro, College of Charleston and Western Kentucky.” That oversight has been a boon for Oral Roberts, as Gonzalez has been their top starter for each of his three college seasons, including posting a 7-4, 1.89 mark in 90 innings this spring, with 101 strikeouts and only 69 hits and 20 walks allowed. Gonzalez stuff has grown since high school, of course, and he has filled out to a solid 6-foot-3, 200-pounds. He now throws in the 90-93 mph range and will touch higher occasionally. More important than the velocity of his fastball is the frequent plus/plus cutting life he gets on the pitch and his ability to command that movement. Some scouts have even called it a “Mariano Rivera” type fastball that could make him a very effective closer by itself. Gonzalez has also gone from a hard curveball to a true slider in the low-80s that is a second potential plus pitch and resembles a slower and somewhat deeper version of his fastball. He also throws a steadily improving changeup that will become a bigger factor for him as a professional, especially as he learns to make it run and sink to differentiate it from his other two pitches. Gonzalez has been picking up huge momentum during the spring as more and more decision makers get in to see him, and is now frequently mentioned in late first-round conversations.
(#36) Justin Williams OF:
Williams is a man-child with huge raw power in his 6-foot-2, 215-pound body. He's been on the showcase scene for several years, and one scout said he thought Williams had a chance to be the first pick in the draft in this class when he first saw him three years ago. While he is still young for his class as a 17-year-old, he just hasn't developed yet as scouts had hoped. He has some of the biggest raw power in the class, with some scouts putting top-of-the-scale power grades on him. He has gotten into bad habits at the plate, though. He needs to keep his feet quieter and hit from a solid foundation to get to his power. Williams lacks a great feel for hitting but is strong enough to drive the ball to all parts of the park. He'll have to add polish to hit better pitching. He's athletic but lacks instincts to stay in the infield and likely will wind up in left field or first base. Williams' easy power will still earn him a high draft slot, and most of his value will stem from his bat.
(#47) Gleybar Torres SS:
Torres is a savvy player with present skills and the potential for five average or better tools. He has a clean, compact stroke, hits in games and shows good power projection, although he mostly works the gaps right now. He has good bat speed and hand-eye coordination to put the ball in play, although he can be a bit of a front-foot hitter and tends to pull off the ball at times.
(#62) Rafael Devers 3B:
The typical profile for a Latin American amateur third baseman is big body, big raw power, big strikeouts and big questions about whether he can stay at the position. While Devers faces the defensive questions, he stands apart because of his advanced feel for hitting. He’s the most advanced lefthanded hitter on the market.
Devers, who plays in the International Prospect League, has a good hitting approach, excellent bat speed and a smooth, compact hitting stroke that stays in the hitting zone. He performs in games against lefties and righties, recognizes and drives offspeed pitches with the ability to manipulate the bat head and make contact on pitches out of the strike zone. He has a level swing and average raw power, which could become above-average once he gets stronger.
(#63) Edgar Arredondo SP:
That should help inflate the price of Mexican righthander Edgar Arredondo, whose rights are owned by Quintana Roo of the Mexican League. Arredondo is 6-foot-3, 190 pounds with solid mechanics for his age and an 87-91 mph fastball. He throws a solid changeup that flashes average and is ahead of his below-average curveball. Some scouts like his feel for pitching, although he’s not as advanced as Julio Urias was last year when the Dodgers signed him from the Mexico City Red Devils.
(#64) Erisbel Arruebarruena SS:
At 6 feet, 195 pounds, Arruebarruena has clean hands, quick actions and good body control. He’s a below-average runner, but his quick first step and instincts give him good range. He has a quick transfer and a plus-plus arm with accuracy, which allows him to make throws from deep in the hole and turn 4-6-3 double plays with ease. His awareness in the field is advanced and he’s shown the ability to make the barehanded play look routine and make strong throws from different angles. Scouts have called Arruebarruena a magician in the field, and if he can hit enough to be an everyday major league shortstop, he has the potential to win a Gold Glove.
(#66) Kenta Maeda SP:
Maeda dominated with stellar command of four pitches—including an 89-93 mph fastball— in a second-round game against the Netherlands in which he struck out nine in five scoreless innings with only one hit and no walks allowed. He looked more uncomfortable in the semifinal game in San Francisco, where he appeared to have trouble gripping the ball and dealing with the cold.
Maeda doesn’t have a plus pitch, but he’s shown plus command at his best with the ability to throw all of his pitches for strikes, pitch to both sides of the plate and change hitters’ eye levels. Maeda, 24, throws from a full windup with a pause in his delivery, with the athleticism to repeat his mechanics and field his position well. Maeda’s size (6 feet, 161 pounds) doesn’t give him great fastball plane, but his fastball plays up because it has good sink and run and he commands it well. He throws a solid-average slider with short break, a low-70s curveball that he’ll use early in the count and an occasional changeup.
(#74) Kean Wong 2B:
Wong is the younger brother of Cardinals second base prospect Kolten Wong, a first-round pick out of Hawaii in 2011. With a similar build at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, Kean is seen as a more advanced hitter than Kolten was coming out of high school. They both have compact lefthanded swings, a great approach at the plate and good feel for the barrel. Kean, who is tightly wound and has already filled out, also offers a bit more power and could hit 10-15 home runs annually. Kolten is a little quicker and better defensively, and some scouts wonder whether Kean would be better at third base. He is a fringy runner. Like Kolten, Kean is a baseball rat and could be signed away from his commitment to Hawaii if he goes in the top six rounds.
(#75) Kyle Wren OF:
The son of Braves general manager Frank Wren, Kyle had a tremendous freshman season as a dynamic leadoff hitter back in 2011. He was draft-eligible last year and sagged, hitting just .256 and falling to the Reds in the 30th round. As a junior, he has shifted from center field to left in deference to Brandon Thomas, an unsigned fourth-rounder from 2012 who returned for his senior season. That seems to have helped Wren get back to his old self, as he has had a big season and put himself back into the discussion as a top 10 rounds pick. Wren has explosive speed and was running easier this season, earning 70 grades on the 20-80 scale. He is more aggressive on the basepaths, improved his routes in the outfield and gets the most out of his below-average but accurate arm. He works counts and is stinging the ball more this year after adding 10-15 pounds in the offseason.
(#96) Rowdy Tellez 1B:
Though his given name is Ryan, Tellez earned his nickname as a baby and it's fitting for the best lefthanded power bat in this year's class. He beat Clint Frazier in the Perfect Game National Showcase home run derby on the showcase circuit last summer and impressed scouts by hitting two home runs over the scoreboard at Blair Field in Long Beach, Calif., in a preseason game this spring. But even with his prodigious power, Tellez isn't just a big lefthanded slugger. Scouts are also impressed with his feel for hitting. He has a patient approach at the plate and excellent hand-eye coordination, rarely swinging and missing. He keeps his hands back, tracks pitches well and drives offspeed pitches to the opposite field with ease. Tellez has worked hard to tighten up his body and moves well for a player 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds. He has played in the outfield this spring and has an average arm, but profiles as a solid first baseman. Tellez is committed to Southern California, but will be drafted high enough to forgo that commitment.
(#113) Kevin Ziomek SP:
For the second straight year, Ziomek’s performance in summer-league competition—good or bad—has largely carried over to the following spring, and he has gone a sparkling 9-2, 2.03 through his first 12 starts as Vanderbilt’s Friday starter. In 89 innings, he has allowed just 53 hits, walked 29 and struck out 88—a significant upgrade from 2012. With a couple of minor exceptions when his velocity dipped, Ziomek has pitched every bit as impressively as a junior for the Commodores as he did in his five-game cameo on the Cape, with stuff and command to match. In the end, Ziomek has done pretty much everything this spring that he was supposed to do from the beginning of his career at Vanderbilt, after he arrived there from a Massachusetts high school in 2010 with all the credentials of a first-rounder, only to have been passed over in that year’s draft because he was so intent on pursuing a quality education at a Southeastern Conference baseball power.
(#126) Japhet Amador 1B:
He's fat. It's the fifth round. Why not?
(#143)