Prospect Lg. Prospect Reports
Official League Website
Prospect League top 30 prospects (list)
Perfect Game Summer Collegiate top prospect coverage
A
year ago, DuBois County Bombers lefthander Sean Manaea emerged from
relative obscurity to become the top prospect in the Prospect League.
The Indiana State product went on to earn the same designation this
summer in the higher-profile Cape Cod League and currently ranks as
an early favorite to be the top pick overall in the 2013 baseball
draft.
It’s
safe to say that no pitcher—or player of any kind—from this
year’s Prospect League talent pool has the magnitude to make the
same meteoric rise to prominence.
West
Virginia Miners righthander Jake Johansen, who succeeds Manaea as the
league’s top prospect, was an afterthought 27th-round
pick in this year’s draft out of Dallas Baptist, and fellow
6-foot-6 righthander Nick Blount, the next arm on the accompanying
list of leading Prospect League prospects, was passed over
altogether.
For
sure, offense dominated the Prospect League this season as the league
collectively hit 465 home runs—compared with 260 a year ago, even
with two less teams. That surge was consistent with the spike in home
runs throughout the summer-college ranks that stemmed principally
from a juiced-up baseball, but it did not mask the overriding
sentiment that no pitcher in the current crop of prospects comes
close to matching Manaea and his considerable upside.
Nonetheless,
pitching stood out in the league on several counts this summer, and
no less than six of the top eight prospects are pitchers.
West
Virginia posted the best overall record in the league at 40-19 and
went on to capture its first league title with three straight playoff
wins. The Miners boasted easily the best pitching staff in the league
with a 3.54 ERA (more than a half run better than their closest
pursuer), while coincidentally tying for last in the league with 23
homers (53 less than Chillicothe’s league-leading total). They are
also represented by four arms on the accompanying list, including
Johansen at No. 1 and righthander Sam Lewis at No. 6.
Like
Johansen, Lewis went undrafted in June as a little-known junior out
of Indiana Wesleyan, but may have been the most-dominant arm in the
league this summer. He spun two no-hitters during the regular season
on his way to a league-best eight wins and outdid himself in Game One
of the championship series by striking out 18 in a 4-2 win over
DuBois County. Shortly thereafter, he signed a free-agent contract
with the Kansas City Royals.
FAST
FACTS
Year
League Established: 2009.
States
Represented in League: Illinois,
Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia.
No.
of Teams in League: 12 (14 in 2010).
Regular-Season
Champion (best overall record):
EAST/First Half—West
Virginia Power (21-9); Second
Half—West Virginia Power (19-10).
WEST/First Half—DuBois
County Bombers (20-9); Second
Half—Terre Haute Rex (22-9).
Post-Season
Champion: West Virginia Power.
Teams,
PG CrossChecker Summer 50/Final Ranking:
No. 7 West Virginia Power, No. 28 Terre Haute Rex, No. 47 DuBois
County Bombers..
No.
1 Prospect, 2011 (per PG CrossChecker):
Sean Manaea, lhp, DuBois County Bombers (Indiana State; played in
Cape Cod League in 2012).
First
2011 Player Selected, 2012 Draft:
Bruce Maxwell, 1b, Nashville Outlaws (Birmingham-Southern; A’s/2nd round).
Player
of the Year: Matt Tellor, 1b,
Springfield Sliders.
Co-Top
Prospects (as selected by league):
Nick Blount, rhp, Terre Haute Rex; Matt Tellor, 1b, Springfield
Sliders.
BATTING
LEADERS (League games only)
Batting
Average: Clay Prestridge, c, West
Virginia Miners (.393).
Slugging
Percentage: Matt Tellor, 1b,
Springfield Sliders (.696).
On-Base
Average: Justin Pearson, of,
Richmond River Rats (.523).
Home
Runs: Giancarlo Brugnoni, 1b,
Chillicothe Paints (20).
RBIs:
Matt Tellor, 1b, Springfield Sliders; Giancarlo Brugnoni, 1b,
Chillicothe Paints (66).
Stolen
Bases: Brad Strong, 3b, West
Virginia Miners; Landon Curry, of, DuBois County Bombers (29).
PITCHING
LEADERS (League games only)
Wins:
Sam Lewis, rhp, West Virginia Miners (8).
ERA:
Alex Britt, rhp, DuBois County Bombers (1.85).
Saves:
Adam Dian, rhp, Butler Blue Sox (13).
Strikeouts:
Tommy Strunc, rhp, Terre Haute Rex (72).
BEST
TOOLS
Best
Athlete: Elliot Caldwell, of, Butler
Blue Sox
Best
Hitter: Eliot Caldwell, of, Butler
Blue Sox
Best
Power: Giancarlo Brugnoni, 1b,
Chillicothe Paints
Fastest
Base Runner: Justin Pearson, of,
Richmond River Rats
Best
Defensive Player: Radley Haddad, c,
Slippery Rock Sliders
Best
Velocity: Jake Johansen, rhp, West
Virginia Miners
Best
Breaking Ball: Sam Lewis, rhp, West
Virginia Miners
Best
Command: Kris Gardner, lhp, Hannibal
Cavemen
TOP
30 PROSPECTS
1.
JAKE JOHANSEN, rhp, West Virginia Miners (Dallas Baptist/JR in 2013)
SCOUTING
PROFILE: The 6-foot-6,
230-pound Johansen ranked among the elite college pitching prospects
in the 2012 draft with his live arm and intimidating frame, and had
designs on being taken in the first three rounds. But he priced
himself out of that range with the supposed leverage he enjoyed as a
draft-eligible sophomore, and tumbled all the way to the 27th round. Undeterred, he quickly moved on to play this summer with the
Miners and used the time to transition from a reliever to starter.
Johansen flashed excellent raw stuff last spring in his short role
for Dallas Baptist with a fastball at 93-95 mph that touched 97-98 at
times, and the makings of a dominant cutter-like slider in the mid-
to high 80s. But he struggled to command both pitches while going
3-1, 5.48 with a save. In 46 innings, he walked 32 and struck out 40.
He made excellent strides as primarily a starter for the Miners,
going 5-2, 3.18 (51 IP, 19 BB/56 SO), and is expected to be utilized
in that role in 2013 for Dallas Baptist. His velocity was a steady
92-94 on the summer (topping at 97 in a one-inning burst at the
all-star game), and he maintained it well into the middle innings.
But going forward, he’ll need to develop secondary pitches that
have a greater differential from his fastball in order to thrive as a
starter. He gets excellent bite and depth on his hard slider but has
a way to go to master a true curve and/or changeup. More than
anything, Johansen needs to continue to develop his pitchability and
refine the command of all his pitches. But he has come a long way
from his freshman season at Dallas Baptist, when he was red-shirted
because he was simply not ready to pitch at the college level. Scouts
have no major issues with Johansen’s mechanics or arm action, so it
remains mostly a matter of simply waiting for him to grow into his
coordination, develop consistency and learn the craft of pitching.
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