5/27/10

DRAFT: - Stefan Sabol, Andy Wilkins, Derek Spencer, Reggie Williams... and Brock Stassi

Stefen Sabol:

5-25 from: - http://baseballbeginnings.com/category/2010-draft  - Here’s one more look at Stefan Sabol before the draft. This is a short clip, but this is a good thumbnail description of what kind of player this is and will be in the future. Athletically, he belongs on the field. This has always been one of the things I’ve liked most about him. If he stays behind the plate in the coming years, he’ll need to continue refining his defense. I keep coming back to the Biggio compairson. I look at his combination of offensive and athletic ability, the fact that he can run enough to help, the fact that his arm is strong enough to make the off-balanced double play throw, the fact that I bet he could go to his left and plug the hole, and I imagine second base. I think there will be better defensive catchers in front of him. Now, maybe I’m wrong. If he becomes a better defender behind the plate in the coming years, I’ll say, OK, tip my hat. But if he hits he plays, and if he plays, you maximize his athletic value. Where that will be? Call me in a few years and we’ll find out. Either way, he’s a solid high school draft. Good luck on the minor league side because I have a feeling we’ll see you there first.

Andy Wilkins:

5-25 from: - link  - Steadiness is the main knock on Wilkins. He started the 2010 season on a nine-game hitting streak, but has also found himself in the middle of a four game hitless streak, directly followed by a 6-for-17 stretch. "He needs to become that consistent hitter who doesn't go into two- or three-week slumps. If he does, he will have a tremendous career," Van Horn said. "We are hoping he kicks it into gear." So far this year, the left-handed hitting Wilkins' contact numbers are slightly down. He is batting .279 in comparison to hitting .319 as a sophomore and .331 as a freshman. He ranks second on the Razorbacks with 13 home runs, and first with 62 RBIs. During the off-season, Wilkins worked on his conditioning and it has paid off with improved defensive range. While he profiles as a first baseman, this has enabled Arkansas to utilize him at third if needed.

-26 from: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/5/26/1488491/top-5-by-position-first-basemen#storyjump  - Like Hunter Morris, Andy Wilkins has been on the scouting scene for some time. Having played high school ball out of Broken Arrow High in Oklahoma, he was expected to be what a first day pick was back in 2007 when the first day lasted six rounds. However, he was committed strongly to Arkansas, sliding in the draft, and he was a contributor for the Razorbacks from day one. He has slid quite a bit in the last month and a half as he’s gone on one of his infamous cold streaks, but when he heats up, he’s a very hard out, and the scouts that have seen him in those periods might be quick to pull the trigger on him. Wilkins’ tools aren’t exactly optimal, but like Morris, he offers a good amount of production from the tools he does have. At the plate, he struggles against good breaking stuff when he’s slumping, and he’s going to strike out his fair share of times, but he also works over pitchers, causing them to throw large numbers of pitchers. He’s not going to hit for a very high average, but he has plus raw power, a trait that could make him a regular first baseman in the future. He’s less athletic than either Morris or Yelich, as he’s a below-average runner, but he has a solid-average arm and has played third base much of his career. He could go as high as the fourth round to a team that really likes him, but he’s a more likely fit somewhere between rounds six and ten.

Derek Spencer:

5-25 from: - http://baseballdraftreport.com/2010/05/25/2010-mlb-draft-top-30-college-third-base-prospects-30-21  - Top 30 College Third Base Prospects - 30. Bowling Green SR 3B Derek Spencer - Spencer won’t wow you with his tools or outstanding collegiate production, but his skills are good enough when taken in altogether to get himself on a professional roster. He’s the classic well-rounded, hard working, good enough senior sign who doesn’t do any one thing exceptionally well, but does everything so wonderfully competently that he profiles as an organizational player with backup upside. Three of his tools have average upside or better (power, speed, glove), so it’s no stretch to see him sneak him onto a big league bench someday.


Reggie Williams:

5-25 from: - link  - Is PG, Shep and myself, the only one's that have seen Reggie Williams Jr, from Middle Georgia and late, DeBartolo HS Tampa the last 3 years? A recent article in a baseball pub doesn't even have Reggie listed in the top 200? That's absurd, but then again, baseball is not an exact science and there were names I wouldn't put in the top 100 that were in there, but that's their job, to report on what they see right? Or is that from polling ML Scouting Directors and listening the stands and reading from message boards? Who knows. I wish the best to Reggie Williams Jr. this spring, as well as those players I've listed that I feel warrant top 3 round consideration for this year.

Brock Stassi:

5-26 from: - link  - The Western Athletic Conference today released its 2010 all-WAC baseball teams and postseason awards as selected by the league’s head coaches. Nevada junior Brock Stassi earned Pitcher of the Year honors. Stassi, a junior from Yuba City, Calif. (Yuba City HS), earned the WAC’s Pitcher of the Year award. Stassi made five starts during conference play, registering a 3.58 ERA. He recorded a 3-1 record in five conference games with a pair of complete games and one shutout.

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