5/25/14

Top 13 1B in 2014 MLB Draft - revised 5-23-14


              1.   Casey Gillespie – Wichita State

                                             
10-14-13 – Top ’14 College Hitters - 11. Casey Gillespie / 1B / Wichita State — There’s no doubt that the switch hitting Gillespie can get on base (.447 on-base percentage, 62 walks in 2012), but there are concerns about his size (6-5, 240) and whether or not he’ll hit for enough power to play everyday at first. http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2013/10/top-14-for-14-college-hitters/


2.  A.J. Reed  -  Kentucky

    
Kentucky's A.J. Reed has beaten opponents with mammoth home runs. He's also silenced them with a well-placed breaking ball.
The 6-foot-4, 235-pound left-hander is one of the few two-way stars in college baseball this season, hitting .373 with a Southeastern Conference-leading 12 homers. On the mound, he has a 6-1 record and 1.93 ERA as the team's Friday night pitcher entering play on April 11th.
Reed's coach Gary Henderson said there's one main reason there aren't more two-way stars in the college game: It's really hard to do.
Reed is one of just seven players in NCAA Division I who have hit a home run and earned the win on the mound in the same game this season. Reed and Pepperdine's Aaron Brown are the only ones to do it twice.  http://www.ncaa.com/news/baseball/article/2014-04-12/kentuckys-aj-reed-among-nations-elite-hitter-and-pitcher 


      3.  Sam Travis – Indiana

                                        
1-20-14 – PG Preseason College All-Americans - First Base - Sam Travis, Indiana - 2013 Stats: .316 AVG, 22 2B, 2 3B, 10 HR, 57 RBI, 39 BB, 33 SO - Travis didn’t receive as much fanfare as Schwarber last season. One reason for that is that he hit several points lower than Schwarber, but still managed to smack 10 homers and knock in 57 runs while nursing a broken hamate bone for much of the season. Travis, ranked No. 41 in our college prospects list, has big-time raw power and packs a punch in his 6-foot, 210-pound, frame. Entering the season 100-percent healthy and ready to go, look for Travis to tally very good offensive numbers this season. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=9294


4.  Bobby Bradley  -  Harrison Central HS

     
        PG - Bobby Bradley is a 2014 3B/1B with a 6-2 220 lb. frame from Gulfport, MS who attends Harrison Central HS. Large frame, strong physical build. Big raw power, very strong at contact, ball jumps off his bat when he squares it up. Spread stance, uppercut swing path, deep hand load, uses strong lower half well, very aggressive swings and approach. Long loose arm action with present arm strength, Good student. Verbal commitment to LSU. - http://www.perfectgame.org/players/playerprofile.aspx?ID=338371 
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      5.   J..D. Davis – Cal State Fullerton

                      
1-30-14 - Number 25 on our countdown is Cal State Fullerton junior first baseman and RHP JD Davis. The Elk Grove High School native was a four-year letter winner at Elk Grove High School. He was a two time All-American selection in his junior and senior year with outstanding campaigns which he hit .486 batting average with 8 homers, 60 RBI, 1.80 ERA, 91 strikeouts as a junior and a .505 batting average, 9 homers, 45 RBI, 1.56 ERA, 70 strikeouts. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2011 MLB Draft. As a freshman, he appeared in 41 games while making five pitching appearances as he hit .229 with 20 RBIs and a team high four home runs. On the mound, he had a 3.52 ERA with three walks and nine strikeouts in 23 innings. He played the summer with the Wisconsin Woodchucks of the Northwoods League as he batted .344 with three home runs and 26 RBIs while posting a 4-0 record with a 2.10 ERA on the mound. His summer was cut short after getting into an auto accident which broken his clavicle and sprained an ankle. http://ht.ly/2DnG2Y


6.  J.J. Matijevic  -  Norwin HS

           
PG- JJ Matijevic is a 2014 3B/OF with a 5-11 211 lb. frame from North Huntingdon, PA who attends Norwin HS. Very strong well proportioned build, fairly mature physically. Left handed hitter, wrapped start, swings hard and creates very good bat speed, ball jumps hard off the barrel, big pull power at times, will hit around the ball looking to pull, mature game hitter who sees the ball and recognizes pitches. 7.31 runner, deliberate balanced actions at third base, will make the routine play, tends to field straight up, some lateral agility. Polished defender at first base but will enhance his prospect status if he is able to play third base or left field. Bat is his carrying tool. Good student, verbal commitment to Arizona.   -  http://www.perfectgame.org/players/playerprofile.aspx?ID=297180 
        


      7.  Hunter Williams   - Chesterfield (VA) HS

                
                            Hunter Williams is a 2014 1B/LHP with a 6-3 215 lb. frame from Chesterfield, VA who attends Cosby HS. Tall, strong, physically mature frame. Ran a 7.23 60 yard dash. Shows outfield arm strength, is a primary first baseman. Moves well around the bag and shows soft hands. Left-handed batter, shows major present power to his pull side and to the gaps, a plus power bat in the making. Hits from an open stance, gets out in front at times. Hit well to the opposite field in game action. Strong young man that already has very usable raw power that translates against live pitching. Excellent student. Committed to North Carolina.







            8.  Justin Bellinger - St. Sebastians (MA) HS

                                    
6-13-13 - Justin Bellinger hit .415 with eight home runs for St. Sebastian's School in 2013. .No prep player from Massachusetts was drafted this year, but that could change next year when Bellinger is available. He batted .415 with 36 RBI and eight home runs. He had a monster game against Portsmouth Abbey in the first game of the year, belting three home runs with 11 RBIs. Followed that outing with a triple and home run and eight RBIs against Dexter School. http://www.maxpreps.com/news/article.aspx?articleid=7c0ad513-b5e1-4ac1-b57e-8dedcc72c783&page=7


             
               9.  Josh Ockimey  
   
               
      9-11-13 - Sully’s 2014 Top 100 MLB HS Draft Prospects – 98.Josh Ockimey – 1B, Neumann-Goretti (PA) HS - http://www.ninebaseball.org/Wordpress/sullys-2014-top-100-mlb-hs-draft-prospects/


      
       


10.        Jeremy Vasquez   -   Palm City (FL) HS
     
                     
                    Jeremy Vasquez is a 2014 1B/OF with a 6-0 195 lb. frame from Palm City, FL who attends Martin County HS. Medium build, good present strength, fairly mature physically. Left handed hitter, outstanding hitting tools, quick strong hands, easy flow into contact, calm and direct to the ball from a deep load, squares up just about everything, no issues with big velocity or off speed pitches, sees the ball, gap power and a bit more at times, will occasionally stay over his back side too long. 7.25 runner, left field/first base tools defensively, smooth actions around first base with good hands, quick release on throws. One of the best hit tools in the 2014 class, highest level performer. Good student, verbal commitment to Florida. 



         
                  11.     Kevin Cron – TCU

                                  
7-17-13 - Kevin Cron (TCU) - First Base, Falmouth Commodores - .330 BA, 19 R, 21 RBI, 4 HR, 6 SB -  After an explosive week last week, Cron responded with a mediocre stretch. In four games, he went 2-for-15 with a run and an RBI, striking out more times then he reached base. While his consistency can be called into question, it is still hard to ignore the raw numbers. Cron is one week removed from leading virtually every batting category, and his presence is still being felt. He is tied for first place in extra-base hits, second in RBIs, tied for second in home runs, tied for third in runs, and is just outside the top 10 in batting with a respectable .330 average. Cron is still a very skilled player in all facets of the game, but he cannot afford another week like this. With an MVP contender in Hoskins and the upstart Dylan Davis (Oregon St.) challenging him just on his team alone, he needs to step it up and the struggling Commodores need him to step it up as well. He is still in the conversation, but this week will be a big one for Cron. http://capecodbaseball.org/news/league/index.html?article_id=1565      


        12.  Sikes Orvis  -  Ole Miss

                           
                             2013: Played in 57 games, making the start in 48 games on the season ... Hit .237 with three home runs, three doubles and a triple ... Tallied 21 RBI and 21 runs scored ... Posted 10 multiple-hit games and three multiple-RBI games ... Scored the game-winning run in a 1-0 victory over No. 12 TCU (2/15) to open the season ... Posted a season-high three hits on three occasions ... Posted a season-high two RBI on three outings ... Turned in a 2-for-5 performance with two RBI, a run scored and a solo home run at Tennessee (4/20) ....The solo shot against the Vols in the eighth inning was the go-ahead and game-winning run to clinch the series and set up the sweep ... Also hit home runs at No. 11 Arkansas (3/15) in the series opener and at Auburn (5/5) ... Went 2-for-3 with a walk, two RBI and a run scored in that series finale at Auburn (5/5) ... NCAA TOURNAMENT: Made two appearance as a pinch hitter in the Raleigh Regional ... Drove in a run with a sacrifice fly against Binghamton (6/1) in an elimination game ... Went 1-for-1 against William& Mary (6/2) in the elimination game ...


       13.   Richard Prigatano  -  Long Beach State 

                               

             Long Beach State (2013):Hit .302 while playing in 44 games before missing the end of the season due to injury ...ranked third on the team in batting average and second with a .362 on-base percentage ... earned All-Big West Second Team honors in the outfield ... started every game in right field before his injury ... tallied 23 RBIs and scored 22 times ...ranked third on the team with 11 doubles ... was 7-for-9 in stolen base attempts ... began the season going 2-for-4 at Vanderbilt (2/15) with a run, an RBI and a double ... had a base-clearing double in the finale at Vanderbilt (3/17) for three RBIs to go along with a run scored ... had a perfect 3-for-3 day with a double and two RBIs in the finale against Valparaiso (2/24) ... went 3-for-4 against Seattle (3/2) and drove in a run ... had two hits against UCLA (3/5), including his only homer of the year - a solo shot ... smashed a double at Arizona State (3/9) and again at Loyola Marymount (3/12) ... went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI against Wichita State (3/17) ...went 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored at San Diego State (3/19) ... had four consecutive multiple hit games from Mar. 24-30 ... went 3-for-4 in the finale at Cal State Fullerton (3/24) ... had two hits, including a double, and scored a run in the Cal State Northridge opener (3/28) ... went 3-for-5 with three RBIs in the middle game (3/29) ... had two more hits with a double and two more RBIs in the CSUN finale (3/30) ... scored two runs and drove in another at Pacifc (4/6) ... went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the Pacific finale (4/7) ... had a season-best 4-for-5 performance against UC Davis (4/12) with two RBIs and two runs scored ... hit a triple in the UC Davis finale (4/14) and scored a run ... went 2-for-5 with an RBI at UC Santa Barbara (4/21) ... scored a run in five consecutive games from Apr. 23-30.

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