In
the weeks leading up to the draft, Perfect Game will be providing a
detailed overview of each state in the U.S., including the District
of Columbia, as well as Canada and Puerto Rico. These overviews will
list the state's strengths, weaknesses and the players with the best
tools, as well as providing scouting reports on all Group 1 and 2
players as ranked in Perfect Game's state-by-state scouting lists.
Contributing: Ben Collman/David Rawnsley
Alabama State-by-State List
2011 Alabama Overview
Alabama Overview
Strong
Prep Crop Offsets Disappointment in College Ranks
Scouts
in the Deep South states of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi are
overjoyed this spring with the realization that essentially every top
high-school prospect in the three-state area has lived up to
expectations.
That
phenomenon is particularly evident in Alabama, which could end up
producing as many as five picks in the top three or four rounds from
the state’s prep ranks, marking 2012 as one of the most-lucrative
drafts in the state’s history. Sweet-swinging outfielder David Dahl
established himself as the No. 1 prospect in Alabama entering the
season and not only has held form, but could easily be snapped up in
the latter half of the first round. In contrast to this year, the
first Alabama high-school player in 2011 wasn’t even drafted until
the ninth round, and only two subsequently signed.
If
anything, the Alabama high-school crop has only gotten stronger since
the outset of the current season as Hoover High outfielder Sam
Gillikin and Bibb County High shortstop Jalen Goree have emerged from
back in the pack to quickly establish themselves as legitimate
front-line talents.
By
contrast, the Alabama college crop isn't as strong.
Samford lefthander Lex Rutledge and Alabama righthander Ian Gardeck,
who ranked 1-2 heading into the season and were expected to be
difference-makers for their respective teams in closing roles, have
had difficulty harnessing their raw stuff.
That
has left an opening for righthander Corey Black, a former San Diego
State righthander who curiously ended up at Alabama’s Faulkner
University, an NAIA-affiliated school, to move to the top of the
pack. He made a strong first impression with his mid- to high-90s
fastball and quickly surpassed both Rutledge and Gardeck to rank as
the state’s most-draftable college talent.
Alabama
in a nutshell:
STRENGTH:
Premium high-school position talent.
WEAKNESS:
College players.
OVERALL
RATING
(1-to-5 scale): 4.
BEST
COLLEGE TEAM:
Auburn.
BEST
JUNIOR-COLLEGE TEAM:
Central Alabama.
BEST
HIGH SCHOOL TEAM:
Pelham HS.
PROSPECT
ON THE RISE: Sam Gillikin, of, Hoover HS. Bibb
County High’s rapidly-rising shortstop Jalen Goree could qualify
every bit as much as Gillikin for this distinction, but scouts see a
little more upside in Gillikin. He wasn’t considered a consensus
top-10 draft at the beginning of the spring, but his stock has risen
quickly as he has performed at a high level and scouts have become
won over that all his tools will play at the next level.
WILD
CARD: Jameis Winston, of, Hueytown HS. Winston
is the top-ranked prep quarterback in the nation, but has always had
a passion for baseball, and as a highly-athletic, well-rounded talent
could factor early into the draft in June if he were to give scouts
any indication that he wanted to pursue a career in professional
baseball at the expense of a promising football opportunity at
Florida State. Paying Winston to drop football and pursue a baseball
career, a la Bubba Starling in 2011, seems out of the question,
however, and even a scenario where Winston might play football at
Florida State in the fall and baseball professionally during the
summer has been rendered unlikely by the new draft rules in place.
BEST
OUT-OF-STATE PROSPECT, Alabama Connection:
Darryl Norris, 3b, Mississippi State (attended high school in
Fairhope).
Top
2013 Prospect:
Keegan Thompson, rhp/ss, Cullman HS.
Top
2014
Prospect:
Jo-El Bennett, of, Troy University.
HIGHEST
DRAFT PICKS
Draft
History:
Gregg Olson, rhp, Auburn University (1988, Orioles/1st round, 4th pick).
2006
Draft: Kasey
Kiker, lhp, Russell County HS, Phenix City (Rangers/1st round, 12th pick).
2007
Draft: Josh
Donaldson, c, Auburn University (Cubs/1st round, 48th pick).
2008
Draft: Destin
Hood, of, St. Paul’s Episcopal HS, Mobile (Nationals/2nd round).
2009
Draft: Ben
Tootle, rhp, Jacksonville State University (Twins/3rd round).
2010
Draft: Todd
Cunningham, of, Jacksonville State University (Braves/2nd round).
2011
Draft: Adam
Morgan, lhp, University of Alabama (Phillies/3rd round).
2011
DRAFT OVERVIEW
College
Players Drafted/Signed:
23/17.
Junior
College Players Drafted/Signed:
3/0.
High
School Players Drafted/Signed:
12/2.
BEST
TOOLS
Best
Athlete: Jameis
Winston, of, Hueytown HS.
Best
Hitter:
David Dahl, of, Oak Mountain HS, Birmingham.
Best
Power:
Brandon Miller, of, Jacksonville State University.
Best
Speed:
Jameis Winston, of, Hueytown HS.
Best
Defender:
Taylor Dugas, of, University of Alabama; David Dahl, of, Oak Mountain
HS, Birmingham.
Best
Velocity:
Ian Gardeck, rhp, University of Alabama.
Best
Breaking Stuff:
Lex Rutledge, lhp, Samford University.
Best
Pitchability: Trey
Wingenter, rhp, Bob Jones HS, Madison.
TOP
PROSPECTS, GROUPS ONE and TWO
GROUP ONE (Projected
ELITE-Round Draft / Rounds 1-3)
1. DAVID DAHL, of,
Oak Mountain HS, Birmingham
Dahl’s combination of
high-level tools—he runs a 6.49 in the 60 and has a 95-mph outfield
throwing arm—and lefthanded hitting ability make him a strong
candidate to be a mid- to late-first-round pick. His offensive
package not only includes the ability to square up balls hard
consistently and drive them to the alleys, but he is also a very
patient hitter who takes walks and works counts. He has
well-above-average instincts on the bases to go with his superior
speed, and is an accomplished defender in center field. The 6-foot-2,
190-pound Dahl, an Auburn recruit, hasn’t developed loft power in
game conditions yet, but will show his raw power in batting practice.
A year ago for Oak Mountain High, batting in the leadoff spot, he hit
.449-2-29 and drilled 18 doubles, and was the catalyst for USA
Baseball’s undefeated junior-national team in the fall, leading
that squad with 11 stolen bases while hitting .316-0-11. He has
continued to hit for a high average and on-base percentage this
spring, cementing his lofty standing.
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