5 Tool Talk - Draft-Related Baseball Notes

Draft Notes 1-23-10

Catching On

Muncie, Indiana native Justin O’Conner is expected to don the tools of ignorance this spring, although not necessarily on a full-time basis. He is a great all-around athlete, and a two-way star that has excelled as both an infielder and as a pitcher. He has smooth actions defensively and budding power at the plate, taking home the home run derby crown from last summer’s Perfect Game National Showcase held at the Metrodome, previous home of the Minnesota Twins.

I have compared O’Conner to J.J. Hardy in the past, as they are comparable players at a similar stage in their careers. Although some have questioned whether O’Conner can stick at shortstop long-term, although that is a common question that just about every amateur shortstop has to answer.

His profile could also be compared to that of Buster Posey, who also pitched and played shortstop in high school, and like O’Conner was an Aflac All-American. Posey of course went on to have an All-American career at Florida State, winning the Golden Spikes award in 2008. That season was when he too switched from the shortstop position to behind the plate, excelling under the tutelage of Florida State coach Mike Martin, Jr.. Posey of course enjoyed a huge season, was selected fifth overall by the Giants and is already enjoying life at the Major League level.

Of course that doesn’t mean that O’Conner is going to enjoy a similar career path, but it is a recent enough conversion to point to when trying to determine what career path may be the best avenue for a player to succeed. Scouts are still anxious to see how he performs behind the plate on a more regular basis. He certainly has the quick feet, hands and strong arm to handle the position.

Indiana may not offer the same talent as it did a year ago, in which four players from the state went in the first and sandwich rounds, but O’Conner is projected to go somewhere in round one, and if he fares well behind the plate, he could become the best catcher available not named Bryce Harper.

Harper-Washington showdown in Sin City

Speaking of Harper, I will be in Las Vegas in less than a month from now checking out the College of Southern Nevada as they host two of the most prominent national junior college programs: Cypress (California) and Chipola (Florida).

Bryce Harper isn’t the only projected first-round that will be in attendance, as LeVon Washington, an unsigned first-round pick from last year’s draft, plays for the Chipola team after academic issues prevented him from pursuing his commitment to Florida coming out of high school.

Unsigned second round pick, left-handed pitcher Jake Eliopoulos, also is part of the Chipola team, and he too could sneak into the first or sandwich round come June.

And there are plenty of talented players from all three teams that figure to factor into the early rounds. In addition to Harper, CSN’s pitching staff is loaded with talent, as right-handers Donn Roach, Tyler Hanks and Joe Robinson are expected to go early (top five to 10 rounds) in the draft. The same can be said for Chipola third baseman Michael Revell and Cypress righty Ray Hanson.

This is the first weekend of college baseball across the nation, but with the tournament set to kick off on Thursday, February 18, I’m sure there will be plenty of scouts, crosscheckers and scouting directors in attendance to watch the premium talent that will be on display.

Stay tuned both here, the 5 Tool Talk Facebook page page and to my work over at Perfect Game for updates from the event.

Gerhart, Jones opt for NFL

It turns out that the prospect of playing in the NFL was too great for a pair of players who were poised to make an impact for their respective college baseball teams this coming spring.

I chronicled Toby Gerhart’s situation prior to the Heisman Trophy voting over at PG Crosschecker, in which he finished a close second to winner Mark Ingram; the closest vote in the 75-year history of the prestigious award. He did receive the Doak Walker award for the nation’s top running back and also led the nation in rushing touchdowns (28) for Stanford.

Chad Jones’ decision may not be as surprising, as football has always been his first priority. He missed more than a month of the LSU baseball team’s season last year, but still played a key role in the Tigers’ College Baseball World Series Championship season. In a limited role as both an outfielder and as a left-handed relief specialist, he hit .343 in 35 at-bats and posted a 2.70 ERA in nine relief appearances.

In declaring to become eligible for the NFL draft, both are passing on the opportunity to not only play baseball, but also to play another year of football. Jones has declared as a junior, and Gerhart could have come back for another year of medical red-shirt eligibility after playing only one game during the 2007 season due to a knee injury.

Gerhart has already withdrawn from school to prepare himself for the NFL combine. Both players are projected to be selected in the second round of the draft in late April.

Both players remain eligible to be taken in the baseball draft, where teams could take a chance on them while retaining their signing rights. After all, Jake Locker signed with the Los Angeles Angels last summer for $200,000, and he has shown no inclination that he intends to ever pursue a baseball career. So, it’s possible similar, creative contracts could be reached with both Gerhart and Jones, even if their baseball careers are also effectively over.

Radical Changes for 2012?

Word emerged from Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun (draft enthusiasts should check out Elliot’s work on the Canadian Baseball Network, where he ranks and profiles the top Canadian draft-eligible prospects) via Twitter that Major League Baseball is working on putting together a committee to hammer out the details to institute hard draft slotting and a world-wide draft, as quoted by an unnamed scouting director.

Bud Selig has made it perfectly clear over the past year that he fully intends to make slotting a reality the next time the Collective Bargaining Agreement is ratified. The current CBA expires after the 2011 season.

You may remember two Collective Bargaining Agreements ago that both the owners and the players agreed to make changes to the draft, changes that would be made as advised by a panel that was put together after the CBA was signed. Of course, nothing was made of those efforts.

This time around they are handling the draft, usually forgotten and/or overlooked by both the owners and the players, the right way to tackle the issues prior to the expiration of the current deal.

Draft slotting may not be as hard to get the players’ union to sign off on, since players eligible for the draft are not part of the players’ association, although it is an issue that needs to be collectively bargained. The basic idea is that if amateur players sign for less money, there will be more cash available for current big leaguers.

I’ve expressed before that I’m less confident a world-wide draft could work, but this news is very intriguing regardless. It’s pretty obvious that the commissioner’s recommended slotting system just isn’t working, and the only way to make sure the worst teams are getting the best players is to level the playing field financially, at least when it comes to the draft.

Texas Toast

I will be mildly surprised if any scouting publication doesn’t put the Texas Longhorns atop their 2010 preseason poll. While the LSU Tigers are still loaded, they did lose some significant talent, even if their young talent pipeline continues to look strong. However, from top to bottom it’s hard to find a weakness on the Longhorns’ team, particularly in the pitching staff.

Juniors Brandon Workman, Chance Ruffin and Cole Green have all enjoyed success throughout their college careers, and all three seem poised to have their best year yet. Sophomores Taylor Jungmann and Austin Dicharry both enjoyed fine seasons a year ago, and should be able to build off of that success. They easily have the best pitching staff in college, and as a team this quintet accounted for 37 of the team's 50 wins, compiling a collective 2.95 ERA, which also matched the overall staff ERA. Versatile lefty Austin Wood is the only notable member of their staff that is no longer a member of the program, haven begun his professional career in the Detroit Tigers organization.

Kevin Keyes moves from the outfield to first base, as he and catcher Cameron Rupp are expected to provide much of the power for the Longhorns offense. Freshman Jonathan Walsh could see some time behind the plate and as the team’s DH, as his bat is good enough for him to make an early impression.

Head Coach Augie Garrido of course knows what it takes to be successful, and with his team style of play, manufacturing runs, constantly placing pressure on the opposing team’s defense and the always imperative solid pitching, it’s hard to imagine Texas not cruising to Omaha this coming spring.

Dandy Dozen

SP	Cameron Bedrosian	Son of Steve with big-league curve
SP	Ryne Stanek	Projectable RHP on the rise with big FB
SP	Seth Blair	Sinker/slider RHP with improve velocity
SP	Zach Cates	Former catcher showing big-time arm
SP	Jesse Biddle	Big lefty throwing more in the 90s
CL	Kevin Munson	Power closer with big FB, SL
CL	Chance Ruffin	Son of Bruce has thrived in closer role
C	Kellin Deglan	Good D' tools with improving lefty bat
IF	Kellen Sweeney	Athletic IF with sweet lefty swing
SS	Mason Williams	Speedy, toolsy former CF on the rise
OF	Drew Smyly	Power prospect also strong armed QB
OF	Ryan LaMarre	Five-tool CF prospect from Big Ten

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Analyzing Amateur Baseball Talent as it pertains to the MLB Draft