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. Please visit this page for all of the links to Perfect Game's 2013 Draft Preview content.
North Carolina
State-by-State List
North
Carolina has a noteworthy 2013 draft crop, if only because of the
presence of two potential first-rounders: University of North
Carolina third baseman Colin Moran, possibly the elite,
most-professional hitter in the country, and right-hander Hunter
Harvey, the son of a former major-league all-star and one of the
hardest throwing pitchers in the prep ranks.
But
it’s not a banner year overall for the state as Moran’s teammate,
stylish left-hander Kent Emanuel, is the only other player assured of
being drafted in the top five rounds. And beyond Harvey, there may be
no other high school player taken in even the first 10 rounds as
shortstops Ryder Jones (Stanford) and Weston Wilson (Clemson), whose
talent easily warrants going early in the draft, have strong college
commitments and could fall in the draft, as a result.
STRENGTH:
University of North Carolina talent
WEAKNESS:
Signable high-school players
OVERALL
RATING
(1-to-5 scale): 3
BEST
COLLEGE TEAM:
North Carolina
BEST
JUNIOR-COLLEGE TEAM:
Louisburg
BEST
HIGH SCHOOL TEAM:
Richmond HS, Rockingham
PROSPECT
ON THE RISE: Champ Stuart, of, Brevard College. The
previously under-exposed Stuart was tucked away at a remote Division
II school, but even a couple a couple of major-league scouting
directors made their way in this spring to see what all the fuss was
about. Stuart’s blazing speed is his obvious attraction, but scouts
soon discovered upon closer look that The Bahamas native has
well-rounded tools, including surprising power in his small, compact
frame.
WILD
CARD: Ryder Jones, ss/rhp, Watauga HS, Boone. Jones,
the son of new Appalachian State baseball coach Billy Jones, could be
drafted as early as the second round, or could slip all the way to
the 20th round—or beyond. It all depends on how signable scouts determine
the Stanford signee to be.
Best
Out-of-State Prospect, North Carolina Connection: Tyler
Brosius, rhp, Walters State (Tenn.) CC (Attended high school in
Waynesville; attended college at North Carolina State)
Top
2014
Prospect:
Carlos Rodon, lhp, North Carolina State University
Top
2015 Prospect: Skye
Bolt, of, University of North Carolina
HIGHEST
DRAFT PICKS
Draft
History:
B.J. Surhoff, c, University of North Carolina (1985, Brewers/1st round, 1st pick); Brien Taylor, lhp, East Carteret HS, Beaufort (1991,
Yankees/1st round, 1st pick); Josh Hamilton, of, Athens Drive HS, Raleigh (1999, Devil
Rays/1st round, 1st pick)
2008
Draft: Allan
Dykstra, 1b, Wake Forest University (Padres/1st round, 23rd pick)
2009
Draft: Dustin
Ackley, of, University of North Carolina (Mariners/1st round, 2nd pick)
2010
Draft: Matt
Harvey, rhp, University of North Carolina (Mets/1st round, 7th pick)
2011
Draft: Levi
Michael, ss, University of North Carolina (Twins/1st round, 30th pick)
2012
Draft:
Corey Seager, ss, Northwest Cabarrus HS, Kannapolis (Dodgers/1st round, 18th pick)
2012 DRAFT OVERVIEW
College
Players Drafted/Signed:
36/32
Junior
College Players Drafted/Signed:
0/0
High
School Players Drafted/Signed:
11/5
BEST
TOOLS
Best
Athlete: Julian
Ridings, of, Western Carolina University
Best
Hitter:
Colin Moran, 3b, University of North Carolina
Best
Power:
Colin Moran, 3b, University of North Carolina
Best
Speed:
Champ Stuart, of, Brevard College
Best
Defender:
Jack Reinheimer, ss, East Carolina University
Best
Velocity:
Hunter Harvey, rhp, Bandys HS
Best
Breaking Stuff:
Justin Livengood, rhp, UNC Wilmington
Best
Pitchability: Kent
Emanuel, lhp, University of North Carolina
TOP
PROSPECTS, GROUPS 1 and 2
GROUP 1
(rounds 1-3)
1.
COLIN MORAN, 3b, University of North Carolina
Moran
has done nothing but hit in three college seasons at
Carolina—stroking the ball at a .335-9-71 clip as a freshman,
.365-3-35 in an injury-plagued sophomore season and .389-12-74
through his first 46 games as a junior. Not only does he lead the
NCAA Division I ranks in RBI while hitting in the 3-hole for the
nation’s No. 1 ranked team, but he also has an eye-popping 40-10
walk-to-strikeout ratio. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Moran comes by his
talent honestly as he is the nephew of B.J. Surhoff, a three-year
star at North Carolina, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1985 draft and
a career .282 hitter over 19 big-league seasons. With advanced
hitting skills and extremely quick hands, balls routinely jump off
Moran’s bat and he may qualify as the surest bet of all the top
offensive players in this year’s draft to succeed at the big-league
level. More than anything this spring, Moran has demonstrated to
previously-skeptical scouts that his raw power is a legitimate tool,
that he is capable of turn on balls consistently against any kind of
pitching. His most frequent power remains to the gaps, however, and
he may end up producing 30-35 doubles vs. 15-20 homers once he
settles in as a big-league regular. Of equal significance, Moran has
put to rest any notion that he lacks the quick-twitch actions to
remain at third base in the long run. He has committed just four
errors this spring, while posting an impressive .983 fielding
average, and his hands and release have become much more sure. While
he continues to get to considerably more balls in both directions
than he once did, he still needs to refine his actions laterally.
Moran’s professional upside may still be perceived as lower than
some of his more athletic peers in the college ranks, but he is
viewed as one of the safest picks in this year’s class and has
continued to edge his way closer and closer to the No. 1 overall
selection with his dominant season at the plate. Read more about
Moran in Frankie Piliere's detailed Draft
Focus profile report
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