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:
Allan Simpson/Ben Collman
Oklahoma State-by-State List
2011 Oklahoma Overview
Oklahoma
Overview:
No
Bundy/Bradley Star Power, But Still Plenty of Talent
The
2011 draft was One For the Ages in Oklahoma as the state featured the
fourth and seventh overall picks in prep righthanders Dylan Bundy
(Orioles) and Archie Bradley (Diamondbacks), two other high-school
pitchers in the top two rounds (righthanders Michael Fulmer,
Mets/44th
overall; Adrian Houser, Astros/69th overall) and seven picks in the first five rounds. Bundy and Bradley
have quickly established themselves as two of the elite prospects in
the minor leagues this spring.
Though
the 2012 Oklahoma draft class does not have that kind of star power,
it does feature two more players ticketed for the first round in
Oklahoma State southpaw Andrew Heaney and Santa Fe High righthander
Ty Hensley, and at least three more players who are possibilities in
the top three or four rounds.
After
being overshadowed by the wealth of high-school talent in the state a
year ago, both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State should become more factors
in this draft. Heaney has been dominant as Oklahoma State’s ace,
while Oklahoma’s hard-throwing relief duo of righthander Damien
Magnifico (and his 103-mph fastball) and lefthander Steven Okert (up
to 97) has attracted plenty of scouting attention. It just hasn’t
translated into sustained success on the field, and neither school is
assured an NCAA regional appearance.
NAIA
power Oklahoma City has been as dominant as any college program in
the state, and has done so with a significant contribution from
ex-Oklahoma State catcher Dane Phillips, who could become the
nation’s first non-Division I college player drafted.
Oklahoma’s
deep junior-college ranks should also provide more than their share
of talent, with the possibility of two pitchers in the first 10
rounds, and several more power arms lurking close behind. Eastern
Oklahoma State alone features four arms that have been clocked this
spring as high as 94 mph, and would have had a fifth in righthander
Jonathan Gray had he elected not to transfer to Oklahoma for his
sophomore season. Gray, a potential first-rounder in 2013, has been
clocked up to 97 mph. Eastern, however, lost one of its power arms in
late April when freshman righthander Koda Glover injured his elbow
and will be lost to Tommy John surgery.
At
the high school level, slugging catcher Taylor Hawkins has generated
appeal with his considerable long-ball exploits. He slugged his 28th homer of the season as Carl Albert High won the Oklahoma 5-A state
championship game. Hawkins leads a deep, impressive crop of catching
prospects in the state.
The
state is filled with top 2013 and 2014 prospects as well, including
2014 phenom shortstop Drew Ward, the top-ranked player in the class
nationally.
Oklahoma
in a nutshell:
STRENGTH:
Power
arms, high-school catching.
WEAKNESS:
Established high-school prospects after Ty Hensley.
OVERALL
RATING
(1-to-5 scale): 4.
BEST
COLLEGE TEAM:
Oklahoma.
BEST
JUNIOR-COLLEGE TEAM:
Seminole State.
BEST
HIGH SCHOOL TEAM:
Carl Albert HS, Midwest City.
PROSPECT
ON THE RISE: Steven Okert, lhp, University of Oklahoma. Sometimes
it just takes finding the right role for a pitcher to develop. Okert
was a non-descript starter for two years in junior college, and in
the first month of the 2012 season for the Sooners, before being
switched to the bullpen as a potential solution for his
command/performance issues. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound lefthander, a
two-time Milwaukee Brewers draft pick, has blossomed in relief with
at least a full-grade jump in his fastball velocity, which is now
steadily in the mid-90s. Okert’s slider and changeup are solid
secondary weapons. His command still needs fine-tuning but he throws
hard with little effort, and has a clean arm action and injury
history.
WILD
CARD: Dane Phillips, c/of, Oklahoma City University.
Phillips
spent two years at Oklahoma State, primarily as the Cowboys
designated hitter, before deciding to transfer to Arkansas last
summer. He attempted to gain immediate eligibility, ostensibly for
academic reasons, while practicing with the Razorbacks all fall. When
his eligibility request was subsequently turned down by the NCAA, he
moved on quickly to NAIA powerhouse Oklahoma City, where he was
eligible to play immediately this spring. Phillips led that team with
a .416 average as it embarked on post-season play, and with the lack
of lefthanded-hitting catchers at the big-league level with Phillips’
offensive tools, a team may jump on him in the draft—if it thinks
Phillips has what it takes to hold his own behind the plate.
BEST
OUT-OF-STATE PROSPECT, Oklahoma Connection:
Matt Reynolds, 3b, University of Arkansas (Attended high school in
Tulsa).
Top
2013 Prospect:
Jonathan Gray, rhp, University of Oklahoma.
Top
2014
Prospect:
Drew Ward, ss, Leedey HS.
HIGHEST
DRAFT PICKS
Draft
History:
Mike Moore, rhp, Oral Roberts University (1981, Mariners/1st round, 1st pick).
2006
Draft: Brett
Anderson, lhp, Stillwater HS (Diamondbacks, 2nd round).
2007
Draft: Pete
Kozma, ss, Owasso HS (Cardinals/1st round, 18th pick).
2008
Draft: Jordy
Mercer, ss, Oklahoma State University (Pirates/3rd round).
2009
Draft: Chad
James, lhp, Yukon HS (Marlins/1st round, 17th pick).
2010
Draft: Andrelton
Simmons, ss/rhp, Western Oklahoma JC (Braves/2nd round, 70th pick).
2011
Draft: Dylan
Bundy, rhp, Owasso HS (Orioles/1st round, 4th pick).
2011
DRAFT OVERVIEW
College
Players Drafted/Signed:
27/24.
Junior
College Players Drafted/Signed:
2/1.
High
School Players Drafted/Signed:
12/8.
BEST
TOOLS
Best
Athlete: Max
White, of, University of Oklahoma.
Best
Hitter:
Dane Phillips, c/of, Oklahoma City University.
Best
Power:
Taylor Hawkins, c, Carl Albert HS, Midwest City.
Best
Speed:
Jarrett Higgins, of, Oklahoma State University.
Best
Defender:
Mark Ginther, 3b, Oklahoma State University.
Best
Velocity:
Damien Magnifico, rhp, University of Oklahoma.
Best
Breaking Stuff:
Ty Hensley, rhp, Santa Fe HS, Edmond.
Best
Command:
Andrew Heaney, lhp, Oklahoma State University.
TOP
PROSPECTS, GROUPS ONE and TWO
GROUP ONE (Projected
ELITE-Round Draft / Rounds 1-3)
1. ANDREW HEANEY,
lhp, Oklahoma State University (Jr.)
Heaney
was a part-time starter for the Cowboys his freshman and sophomore
years, but has blossomed as a junior into one of the top starters in
college baseball, not only in terms of performance (8-1, 1.59, 102
IP/65 H/19 BB/109 SO) but prospect status, as well. He should be the
first college lefthander drafted, and it’s not inconceivable that
he could be snapped up in the top 10-12 picks, especially if he
continues to dominate down the stretch. Despite his slender 6-foot-3,
180-pound build, Heaney maintains his 90-94 mph velocity very well
throughout starts. He
has always had quality stuff for a lefthander, but it wasn’t until
he settled in as a regular starter that he displayed much-improved
command of his fastball-slider-changeup mix. His
slider is not only an out-pitch, but he has the advanced ability to
change the shape and angle on it, and even his release point like
only a veteran might. Heaney
has always had solid mechanics, dating back to his high-school days,
and with minor tinkering since then now has a clean delivery with an
unusually loose, quick, easy arm action—even as he will vary his
delivery to give hitters a different look.
He was a slender 6-foot-1 and 150 pounds when he enrolled at Oklahoma
State, but has since added 25-30 pounds to his lean, wiry frame, and
in the process, has improved the velocity on his fastball from the
mid- to high-80s to the mid-90s. With
Heaney’s advanced feel for pitching, scouts say that he could
become one of the first players from the 2012 draft class to reach
the big leagues.
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