4/28/10

DRAFT: - Robbie Anston, Aaron Sanchez, Kellen Deglan, Yasmani Grandal... and Drew Pomeranz

Robbie Anston:

4-26 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/04/26/acc-baseball-weekly-honors  - Boston College outfielder Robbie Anston has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Player of the Week. Anston continued his torrid hitting streak throughout last week, recording three hits in each of BC’s four games. The senior from Odessa, Fla., is currently on a nine-game hitting streak and has recorded two or more hits and an extra-base hit in each of the last six games. Anston led the Eagles in batting, runs, hits, doubles, homers, RBI, total bases (23) and slugging (1.045) and was second in on-base percentage (.545) for the week. In the first game of a three-game series sweep at NC State, Anston accounted for six of BC’s nine runs as he drove in three and scored three runs of his own. Anston also came up big in clutch situations as he drove in the game-winning runs on Saturday. With the bases loaded with one out and the score tied, Anston singled to center on a 1-2 count to drive in two runs to give BC the 10-8 win. Then on Sunday with BC down 7-6 in the top of the eighth, he led off with a solo home run to tie the game in an eventual comeback win.

Aaron Sanchez:

4-27 from: - http://www.baseballrumormill.com/2010/04/mlb-draft-notes-high-school-review-419-426/#more  - Barstow HS's Aaron Sanchez struck out twelve batters in a seven inning effort recently. He now has a whopping 82 strikeouts in 44.2 IP. According to Churchill "Sanchez reaches the 93-94 mph range with his fastball and turns over an improved curveball from a high three-quarter arm slot. His arm strength, projectable 6-3 frame and athleticism could get Sanchez into the first round."

Kellen Deglan:

4-27 from: - http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/MLB_Draft  - Meanwhile, this year's top Canadian player, British Columbia prep catcher Kellin Deglan (pictured), has been slowly creeping up draft boards. One NL West scout said comparisons to Joe Mauer and Matt Wieters are inevitable because of Deglan's size (6-2, 200). Deglan has the physical attributes to develop into a major league backstop in the mold of Giants prospect Buster Posey.

Yasmani Grandal:

4-28 from: - http://projectprospect.com/article/2010/04/28/lincolns-2010-draft-board  - Miami catcher Yasmani Grandal has vaulted himself into the top 20. Grandal has been extremely productive, hitting .432/.548/.764 while walking in 19.1% of his trips to the plate and striking out just 12.8% of the time. Those numbers stack up with anyone in the country, especially when they come from a switch-hitting catcher with good defensive tools. Grandal’s arm strength is solidly above-average and there are little, if any, doubts about his ability to be at least average defensively behind the plate. A rumor has floated around that Grandal could be headed to Kansas City with the fourth pick in the draft. Grandal is certainly a better prospect than Tony Sanchez, last year’s top college catcher who went to the Pirates in a pre-draft deal.

Drew Pomeranz:

4-28 from: - http://pnrscouting.com/scoutingreports_2010_pomeranzdr.html  - Pomeranz leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination, but with his current stuff and profile he doesn't have to. A lefty with good velocity, a plus breaking ball and big workhorse build, all with an easy arm action and solid mechanics is a winning combination no matter how you slice it. The mechanical nits discussed above could prevent him from ever being more than an average command guy and, while his fastball/curve combo baffles collegiate hitters, he'll need to be a bit more precise to show consistent success at the next level. He started off the year in strong fashion from a BB/9 standpoint (an area that I marked as a potential concern due to his long arm action and potential difficulties repeating his release). However, the big lefty has regressed some as the season has worn on, going from 1.59 BB/9 in his first two starts to 3.16 BB/9 in March and 5.32 BB/9 in April. He continues to miss bats, but his ceiling is ultimately limited by his command and above-average, but shy of elite, arsenal. His erratic command and high strikeout totals also tend to lead to high pitch counts and could make it difficult for him to regularly work deep into games against more advanced hitters, though his build is such that he stands a good chance of enduring the long pro season provided he keeps-up with his conditioning. Pomeranz represents a fairly safe first round option in a draft filled with high school power arms and limited surefire offense. He should move quickly and provide good value as an inning-eating #3 starter with a shot at #2 upside

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