PG College Top 25 | College Top 25 Chat | Tigers eye the top from Houston
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Draft
Watch
Here
is how the players currently ranked among the top 50 of Perfect Game's top 250 draft-eligible prospects have fared so far this season.
Hitters
| Rk. |
Player |
Pos. |
School |
Stats |
| 6 |
Dansby Swanson |
SS |
Vanderbilt |
.354/.419/.538, 5 2B, 1 HR, 7 SB |
| 16 |
Richie Martin |
SS |
Florida |
.283/.429/.415, 2 2B, 1 HR, 3 SB |
| 17 |
Alex Bregman |
SS |
Louisiana State |
.338/.397/.554, 6 2B, 2 HR, 12 SB |
| 20 |
Ian Happ |
OF |
Cincinnati |
.511/.623/.936, 5 2B, 5 HR, 3 SB |
| 25 |
Christin Stewart |
OF |
Tennessee |
.316/.460/.605, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR |
| 26 |
D.J. Stewart |
OF |
Florida State |
.292/.528/.667, 3 2B, 5 HR, 2 SB |
| 34 |
Chris Shaw |
OF |
Boston College |
.244/.375/.533, 1 2B, 4 HR, 19 RBI |
| 40 |
Gio Brusa |
OF |
Pacific |
.217/.368/.435, 4 2B, 2 HR |
| 44 |
Steven Duggar |
OF |
Clemson |
.255/.344/.294, 2 2B, 9 BB, 2 SB |
47th-ranked
prospect, Joe McCarthy, out with back injury
Pitchers
| Rk. |
Player |
Pos. |
School |
Stats |
| 3 |
Michael Matuella |
RHP |
Duke |
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 10 IP, 9:4 |
| 4 |
Kyle Funkhouser |
RHP |
Louisville |
1-2, 3.38 ERA, 24 IP, 28:10 |
| 5 |
Walker Buehler |
RHP |
Vanderbilt |
0-0, 1.50 ERA, 6 IP, 7:3 |
| 8 |
Carson Fulmer |
RHP |
Vanderbilt |
3-0, 0.81 ERA, 22.1 IP, 33:13 |
| 11 |
Cody Ponce |
RHP |
Cal Poly Pomona |
1-0, 1.08 ERA, 8.1 IP, 11:2 |
| 14 |
Nathan Kirby |
LHP |
Virginia |
3-1, 0.71 ERA, 25.1 IP, 37:10 |
| 18 |
Kyle Cody |
RHP |
Kentucky |
2-1, 3.43 ERA, 21 IP, 26:3 |
| 19 |
Jake Lemoine |
RHP |
Houston |
1-1, 3.63 ERA, 22.1 IP, 14:3 |
| 21 |
Riley Ferrell |
RHP |
Texas Christian |
0-0, 1.17 ERA, 5 SV, 7.2 IP, 11:5 |
| 27 |
James Kaprelian |
RHP |
UCLA |
3-1, 3.33 ERA, 24.1 IP, 29:3 |
| 29 |
Dillon Tate |
RHP |
UC Santa Barbara |
3-1, 0.96 ERA, 28 IP, 35:11 |
| 31 |
Alex Young |
LHP |
Texas Christian |
3-0, 1.29 ERA, 21 IP, 21:3 |
| 36 |
Brett Lilek |
LHP |
Arizona State |
1-1, 4.91 ERA, 18.1 IP, 19:11 |
| 38 |
Tyler Ferguson |
RHP |
Vanderbilt |
0-0, 24.30 ERA, 3.1 IP, 3:14 |
| 43 |
Marc Brakeman |
RHP |
Stanford |
0-1, 3.71 ERA, 17 IP, 13:7 |
30th-ranked prospect, Jon Duplantier, out
with arm soreness
Freshman/Sophomore Stat Pack
During the course of the season our friends at CollegeSplits.com are going to be providing statistical leaders in the freshmen and sophomore classes in five different offensive categories and four different pitching categories. Each week we will choose one of those categories to share in the weekly PG college baseball national notebook, starting with home runs for the hitters and strikeouts for pitchers.
Home Runs
|
Freshmen |
|
|
|
|
Sophomores |
|
|
| Rk. |
Name |
School |
HR |
|
Rk. |
Name |
School |
HR |
| 1 |
K.J. Harrison |
Oregon State |
6 |
|
1 |
Kyle Lewis |
Mercer |
6 |
| 2 |
Kel Johnson |
Georgia Tech |
5 |
|
2 |
Matt Thaiss |
Virginia |
5 |
| 3 |
P.J. Harris |
Alabama State |
3 |
|
2 |
Sheldon Neuse |
Oklahoma |
5 |
| 3 |
Pavin Smith |
Virginia |
3 |
|
4 |
Andrew Martinez |
UC Irvine |
4 |
| 3 |
Keston Hiura |
UC Irvine |
3 |
|
4 |
Will Craig |
Wake Forest |
4 |
| 3 |
Randy Righter |
Bowling Green |
3 |
|
4 |
Weston Wilson |
Clemson |
4 |
| 3 |
J.J. Schwarz |
Florida |
3 |
|
4 |
Chris DeVito |
New Mexico |
4 |
| 3 |
Alex Destino |
South Carolina |
3 |
|
4 |
Nate Palace |
Valparaiso |
4 |
| 3 |
Brett Cumberland |
California |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
38 tied with two |
|
|
|
|
16 tied with three |
|
|
Strikeouts
|
Freshmen |
|
|
|
|
Sophomores |
|
|
| Rk. |
Name |
School |
Ks |
|
Rk. |
Name |
School |
Ks |
| 1 |
Eddie Macaluso |
Iona |
30 |
|
1 |
Brady Bramlett |
Mississippi |
34 |
| 2 |
Drew Rasmussen |
Oregon State |
27 |
|
2 |
T.J. Zeuch |
Pittsburgh |
32 |
| 3 |
David Peterson |
Oregon |
26 |
|
2 |
Parker Dunshee |
Wake Forest |
32 |
| 3 |
Alex Lange |
Louisiana State |
26 |
|
2 |
Alec Hansen |
Oklahoma |
32 |
| 5 |
J.B. Bukauskas |
North Carolina |
24 |
|
5 |
Anthony Kay |
Connecticut |
31 |
| 6 |
Griffin Canning |
UCLA |
23 |
|
5 |
Wil Crowe |
South Carolina |
31 |
| 6 |
Michael Baumann |
Jacksonville |
23 |
|
7 |
Boomer Biegalski |
Florida State |
30 |
| 6 |
Seth Oliver |
Texas Southern |
23 |
|
7 |
Mike Shawaryn |
Maryland |
30 |
| 9 |
Glenn Otto |
Rice |
22 |
|
9 |
Keegan Akin |
Western Michigan |
29 |
| 9 |
Ryan Wilson |
Pepperdine |
22 |
|
9 |
Daulton Jefferies |
California |
29 |
| 9 |
Will Gaddis |
Furman |
22 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 9 |
Tanner Houck |
Missouri |
22 |
|
|
|
|
|
The following reports comes courtesy of Nick Faleris and Baseball Prospectus as part of their weekly Draft 10 Pack feature. To view the full feature please visit Baseball Prospectus and follow Nick on Twitter @NickJFaleris.
Scouting Report: Dansby Swanson, SS, Vanderbilt
Swanson
entered the season as one of the top position players in this year’s
draft class and has thus far done little to dissuade evaluators from
confidently projecting him as a top half of the first round talent.
At present, the Vandy standout projects to have four above average or
better tools with an outside shot at pushing his playable power to
average as well. The profile is that of an up-the-middle impact
talent, and Swanson showed every bit of that upside in last Friday’s
matchup against UCLA.
In
the box, Swanson boasts a contact-friendly swing anchored by terrific
balance throughout and a steady head and hands from load through
finish. He utilizes a minimalist rock/load and launch with a quick
trigger and good barrel acceleration, allowing him to square-up balls
across the zone with regularity. The ball jumps and comes with solid
carry, though the power and swing project more to fringe average and
skewed to the gaps as of today. There is enough natural strength and
bat speed for Swanson to tease out more over-the-fence pop in time as
he continues to grow as a hitter and more regularly identify
situations where he can add some length, leverage and lift. He’s
quick out of the box, registering home-to-first times of 4.15 and
4.22 on Friday, and regularly clocks in the 55 to 60 range on the
20/80 scouting scale.
Swanson
gave evaluators a taste of his talents at shortstop this past summer
with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team and has continued to
prove more than capable of holding down the position after serving as
the Vandy second baseman on last year’s National Championship
squad. His overall athleticism and lower-half feel have made for an
easy transition to the six spot, with the potential first-rounder
showing clean actions and solid range across his zone. More
importantly, his precision in movement, arm strength, and hands allow
him to max out on his functional range and give him the ability to
finish plays at the margins with regularity.
With
only a portion of the season in the books, Swanson has exited the
starting gates in midseason form and appears to be laying a solid
foundation for early first-round consideration. He represents one of
the better potential hit tools in the draft class, above-average
speed, and an up-the-middle glove that looks at home on the left side
of the keystone. If he can maintain this level of play, it may be
difficult for the rest of the collegiate position players to keep up
with the pace being set.
James
Kaprielian, RHP, UCLA
In
a marque matchup against Vanderbilt ace and fellow first round
hopeful Carson Fulmer, Kaprielian struggled to find his stride early
in the contest, ultimately settling in but falling shy of the
forceful statement evaluators were hoping to witness. The righty
battled his fastball command in the first, all but abandoning the
offering in favor of his curve, slider, and changeup, the latter
proving most effective in helping him to work out of his early jams.
Over
the course of his start Kaprielian was better able to spot his 89-91
mph heater, which allowed for his curveball and slider to play up
substantially. While he was able to register some 92s and 93s early
on, the pitch played mostly in the upper-80s through the later
innings, showing some occasional natural cut.
The
changeup, while at times a little too firm, serves as his best
secondary offering at present and likewise projects as his standout
offering at the next level. He worked the offering between 83-85 mph
throughout the start, showing good arm speed and deception, with
solid tumble that drew empty swings and soft contact alike.
The
curve is a deep 11-to-5 breaker with solid shape but inconsistent
bite, flashing above average but most frequently playing and
projecting alike as solid average in the upper-70s to low-80s velo
band. The slider is an 83-84 mph offering that can show sharp late
action but will also lose depth and hug the swing plane when he isn’t
able to stay on top of the pitch.
Overall,
it was far from Kaprielian’s best outing, though his ability to
right the ship and battle into the sixth inning after being taxed
with 50-plus pitches through his first two frames was a silver
lining. From the third inning on the Bruins’ ace showed a high
level of comfort mixing each of his offerings and varying his
sequencing, helping to keep a talented ‘Dores lineup at bay before
ultimately tiring in the fifth and sixth and succumbing to hard
contact.
He’ll
need to continue to improve his consistency in execution across the
board, and tangentially his ability to spot his pitches in and just
outside of the zone, and the lack of power stuff will always limit
his margin for error as he climbs the pro ranks. There is
mid-rotation upside here predicated on the potential for above
average command and a plus changeup, backed by three additional
average or better major league offerings, with a more likely outcome
as a solid back-end option.
Carson
Fulmer, RHP, Vanderbilt
Fulmer
is one of the more exciting college arms in the game, coming with a
high-effort, high speed motion that screams explosiveness. The
diminuitive righty had his power stuff on display Friday against
UCLA, hitting a lively 94 mph with the consistency of a pitching
machine throughout the early innings, touching some 95s, and
ultimately settling around 92 for the latter half of the 6 1/3 inning
start.
Fulmer
did a solid job early on keeping the heater around the plate and
often sprayed the offering throughout the zone. There’s plenty of
feel to elevate the pitch when called for and a chance for average
control, though that may depend on his ultimate role and ability to
maintain his stamina and mechanics in that role.
Fulmer’s
best secondary is a malleable power curve that plays 79-83 mph, with
the Vandy righty showing an ability to alter shape and depth. He has
a tendency to overthrow the offering, in particular burying the pitch
early in the count, which can force him to work from behind more
often than one would like. When ahead in the count, the breaker can
be a weapon thanks to solid pitch plane deception and good action.
His change is a third potential average offering, though on Friday he
generally relegated the mid-80s cambio to a change-of-pace pitch to
same-side bats.
Fulmer’s
arsenal and aggressive approach make him an impressive force as a
Friday night collegiate arm, though the overall stuff isn’t as
exciting when projecting to a starter role at the pro ranks. There
are the obvious questions as to whether his smaller stature and high
effort mechanics will limit his overall effectiveness, both due to
his tendency to rack up higher pitch counts and through the
day-to-day wear and tear of a pro starter’s workload.
It’s
possible Fulmer proves up to the task, physically, in which case his
pure stuff and command/control profile project to a potential solid
mid-rotation arm.
In
short bursts Fulmer has shown little issue sitting in the 94-97 mph
range without much loss of life, and by removing the need to turnover
lineups the power righty could focus on fine-tuning his two best
offerings rather than further developing the change piece. Perhaps
more importantly, the impact of his loose command and average control
could be greatly minimized with more limited exposure against
advanced pro lineups and his personality and presence on the bump
would seem to dovetail with the profile commonly sought after for
high-leverage pro relief work.
Fulmer
without question looks the part of a first round talent, with his
ultimate value likely tied to the balance of his starter portfolio
come June. If he can finish the season with the same quality of stuff
that has marked his first few outings he could earn a long enough
leash to begin his pro career on a starter’s trajectory, which
could find him in the top 15 picks or so.
National
Notes
• Here's
a statistic for any remaining doubters of the new flat-seamed college
baseball: from the 2005 season to present, only five true freshman
hitters have hit 20 or more home runs in their rookie season. K.J.
Harrison of Oregon State looks like No. 6 as his six round trippers
and 22 RBI put him on pace for 21 home runs and 77 RBI. Here is the
list Harrison is chasing:
Year, Player/School, Home
Runs
2005,
Beau Mills, Fresno State – 22
2006,
Pedro Alvarez, Vanderbilt – 22
2009,
Troy Channing, St. Mary's – 20
2009,
Anthony Rendon, Rice – 20
2010,
Jeremy Baltz, St. John's – 24
The
draft pedigree of this group is strong to quite strong. Alvarez,
Rendon, and Mills were all first rounders going with the second,
sixth, and 13th overall picks in their respective drafts. And Baltz
went in the second round of the 2012 draft. Harrison was a
well-regarded high school prospect coming out of Hawaii, and if this
group sets the precedent then his stock is rising.
• Mark
Mathias of Cal Poly is back in the Mustang lineup as the designated
hitter – he had labrum surgery in December – and the defending
Big West Player of the Year is already making a huge impact. Cal Poly
started the year 1-6 without Mathias, and they are now 3-2 in his
five starts since. Mathias is hitting .391 with nine runs scored
through those five games. If the Mustangs pitching staff finds its
footing then this is a team that becomes very dangerous late in the
year.
• Ironically,
the Sunday matchup of the Arizona State/Long Beach State series was
the one targeted by scouts last weekend. The Sun Devils' Brett Lilek
was moved to the Sunday spot in the rotation and the Dirtbags'
freshman sensation Chris Mathewson was coming off of seven innings of
no-hit baseball in just his second collegiate start last week against
Wichita State.
Lilek
earned the win for just his second victory in his last 14 starts.
While the win is a debatable statistic, in this instance it reveals
Lilek's biggest issue right now: pitch efficiency. Lilek's fastball
wasn't as hot as usual, sitting at 88-91 and touching 92 mph, but he
once again displayed a loose arm and strong frame. Lilek continues to
struggle in finding a consistent second pitch he can rely on and his
fastball command comes and goes. However, you can see why he entices
scouts as the arm works well and the fastball has almost no effort to
it.
Mathewson's
velocity fails to impress at 85-88 mph but you can see why he has had
early success in his college career. His two gifts are spin and the
ability to pitch in. Mathewson relies heavily on his multiple
breaking balls and he can manipulate the velocity of those pitches
anywhere from the low-70s to the low-80s. At times, Mathewson
showcased a true 12-to-6 curveball with sharp downward action, a rare
pitch in college baseball. The fastball velocity might be a tick down
as Mathewson continues to recover from a preseason knee issue, but
the pitch plays up because he pounds righthanded hitters on the inner
half. The combination of Mathewson's breaking stuff plus his fearless
attacking inside will surely make him a force to reckon with in the
Big West.
• Justin
Langley could be a significant pop-up player in regards to this
year's draft. A draft-eligible sophomore who missed most of the 2014
season due to injury, Langley is a 6-foot-6, 225-pound sophomore
lefthander for Wisconsin-Milwaukee that has seen his fastball
velocity bump up to the 89-92 range while touching 93 mph regularly.
He uses his stature very well to create sharp downhill plane on his
pitches, and has proven to be somewhat of a giant killer the past
couple of weeks. After pitching six strong innings again Grand
Canyon, Langley was inserted into the Friday role against Missouri
this past weekend, out-dueling Reggie McClain while punching out 10
Tigers in 5 1/3 innings. The 8-3 Panthers ended up sweeping Mizzou
and Langley is currently 3-0 with a 1.65 ERA on the year, allowing
only 11 base hits and eight walks in 16 1/3 innings, striking out 25.
• Speaking
of big seasons, look no further than the Nintendo-based stats
Alabama's Casey Hughston is posting so far this year. His slash line
is .500/.515/.833 and 14 of his 30 base hits have gone for extra
bases (10 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs). He also has 21 RBI and is
a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts. Hughston, a physically
built 6-foot-2, 205-pound sophmore, made a strong impression last
summer in the Northwoods League and entered the year at PG's 63rd ranked sophomore. He turns 21 on the second day of the draft (June
9), thus making him draft-eligible, and could very well be taken that
day should he continue to post big numbers.