Draft : : State Preview
State Preview: Mississippi
Published: Saturday, April 21, 2012
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: David Rawnsley/Allan Simpson
Mississippi State-by-State List
2011 Mississippi Overview
Mississippi’s
2011 prep class was labeled the deepest and strongest in the state’s draft history, and with every top prospect spurning an
offer to turn pro immediately in favor of attending in-state
colleges, that scenario could be repeated in 2014 at the college
level.
This
year, things are pretty much back to normal as the 2012 Mississippi
draft class fits the state’s recent trends almost to a “T.” As
usual, the state is strong in two areas: highly-athletic high-school
outfielders, and college pitching.
The
top college arm is Mississippi State righthander Chris Stratton, a
potential third- to fourth-rounder at the start of the season who has
rocketed up draft boards this spring and barged his way into the
first round. He signaled his arrival as a prime-time prospect when he
went head-to-head with Louisiana State’s Kevin Gausman in the
opening game of the Southeastern Conference season and outpitched one
of the draft’s leading candidates to go first overall by striking
out 17. He has only cemented his top-round status since by ranking
second nationally with 88 strikeouts 66 innings.
The
two high-school outfielders earning high-round grades are Petal
High’s Anthony Alford and Stone County High’s D.J. Davis, and
they rank as two of the more-intriguing athletes in the nation’s
entire prep class. Alford’s draft status is somewhat tentative as
he is heavily-committed to playing football at Southern Mississippi,
and he could fall right out of consideration as a result.
Davis,
meanwhile, has been one of the draft’s fastest risers with his
combination of blazing speed and power potential, and like Stratton
had his own coming-out game this spring before dozen of scouts when
he launched two mammoth home runs.
Mississippi
in a nutshell:
STRENGTH:
Athletic high-school outfielders.
WEAKNESS:
College position players.
OVERALL
RATING
(1-to-5 scale): 3.
BEST
COLLEGE TEAM:
Mississppi.
BEST
JUNIOR-COLLEGE TEAM:
Meridian.
BEST
HIGH SCHOOL TEAM:
Oak Grove HS, Hattiesburg.
PROSPECT
ON THE RISE: D.J. Davis, of, Stone County HS, Wiggins.
It is difficult to find a review of Davis’ performance this spring
that isn’t glowing. A little-known prospect before last summer’s
East Coast Professional Baseball Showcase, Davis ran an event-best
6.38 seconds in the 60. He then showcased his blinding speed and
reckless abandon on the bases by hitting .375 with a
tournament-leading five stolen bases at the World Wood Bat
Association fall championship in Jupiter, Fla., in October. From all
reports, he has only continued to get better in all phases of his
game this spring, and gave a graphic demonstration of his evolving
power potential when he slammed a pair of long home runs in a game
before the watchful eyes of some 50 scouts, including several
scouting directors and prominent front-office officials.
WILD
CARD: Anthony Alford, of, Petal HS.
While Davis’ name was virtually unknown until last summer/fall,
both baseball scouts and football recruiters have been familiar with
Alford for years. He led Petal High to Mississippi 6-A state baseball
titles as both a sophomore and junior, and is even better-known as
one of the top dual-threat quarterback prospects in the country. His
football commitment to Southern Mississippi significantly complicates
his chances of being an early-round selection in the baseball draft
in June, and big-league clubs may ultimately determine he is too high
a risk to warrant spending a premium pick. Alford’s chances of
passing up football are considered all the more unlikely because his
former football coach at Petal High is now an assistant at USM, and
he’s also a close friend of the son of Golden Eagles baseball coach
Scott Berry
BEST
OUT-OF-STATE PROSPECT, Mississippi Connection:
Lex Rutledge, lhp, Samford University (Attended high school in
Tupelo).
Top
2013 Prospect:
Bobby Wahl, rhp, University of Mississippi.
Top
2014
Prospect:
Connor Barron, ss, University of Southern Mississippi.
HIGHEST
DRAFT PICKS
Draft History: Will
Clark, 1b, Mississippi State University (1985, Giants/first round,
2nd pick).
2006
Draft: Chris
Coghlan, 3b, University of Mississippi (Marlins/1st round, 36th pick).
2007
Draft: Wendell
Fairley, of, George County HS, Lucedale (Giants/1st round, 29th pick).
2008
Draft: Lance
Lynn, rhp, University of Mississippi (Cardinals/1st round, 39th pick).
2009
Draft: Billy
Hamilton, ss, Taylorsville HS (Reds/2nd round).
2010
Draft: Drew
Pomeranz, lhp, University of Mississippi (Indians/1st round, 5th pick).
2011
Draft: Conner
Barron, ss, Sumrall HS (Marlins/3rd round).
2011
DRAFT OVERVIEW
College
Players Drafted/Signed:
14/13.
Junior
College Players Drafted/Signed:
3/2.
High
School Players Drafted/Signed:
10/1.
BEST
TOOLS
Best
Athlete: Anthony
Alford, of, Petal HS.
Best
Hitter:
Alex Yarbrough, 2b, University of Mississippi.
Best
Power:
Matt Snyder, 1b, University of Mississippi.
Best
Speed:
D.J. Davis, of, Stone County HS, Wiggins.
Best
Defender:
D.J. Davis, of, Stone County HS, Wiggins.
Best
Velocity:
Chris Stratton, rhp, Mississippi State University.
Best
Breaking Stuff:
Chris Stratton, rhp, Mississippi State University.
Best
Pitchability:
Kendal Graveman, rhp, Mississippi State University.
TOP
PROSPECTS, GROUPS ONE and TWO
GROUP ONE (Projected
ELITE-Round Draft / Rounds 1-3)
1. CHRIS STRATTON,
rhp, Mississippi State University (Jr.).
Stratton
stamped himself as a legitimate first-round candidate when he went
head-to-head with LSU righthander Kevin Gausman in the opening game
of the Southeastern Conference schedule, and outpitched one of the
top candidates to go No. 1 overall. Stratton struck out 17 in 8-2/3
innings, while walking two and allowing four hits. His fastball was a
steady 92-94 mph, peaking at 95, but the difference-maker in his
dominant outing was a nasty 85-87 mph slider, a pitch that he added
to his repertoire in just the last year. Stratton has also resorted
this spring to emphasizing a two-seam fastball vs. a four-seamer, and
has responded by going 7-0, 2.71 with 88 strikeouts in 66 innings,
while walking 16 and allowing just 49 hits. His performance to date
has been a significant upgrade from his first two seasons at
Mississippi State, when he served as a weekend starter but went only
a combined 10-10, 5.25 with 152 strikeouts in 154 innings. At
6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Stratton has an ideal pitcher’s frame. He
also has a quick arm and a very easy, clean delivery that he repeats
consistently. Stratton has always had a good feel for pitching and
adapted well in the fall to changes in his style and approach to his
craft. The addition of a slider not only provided him a second
dominant pitch, but essentially solidified his case to be a starter
down the road as he now has four solid pitches for the role,
including a curve and changeup as his No. 3 and 4 pitches.
This is Insider Level content. You must be a subscriber to read the rest. Want to read more???
Click here for subscription info!
(Already a member? Just log in at the top of the page.)
Keywords in this article
Player Profile Page
Event Page
