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2005 |
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1 |
C Ralph Henriquez |
Henriquez showed incredible power from both sides of the plate in both
batting practice and in the games. His father Ralph Henriquez is the
minor league catching coordinator for the Atlanta Braves and
Henriquez’s physical tools behind the plate measure up to the skills
he’s been taught. He might very well be the top catching prospect in
what promises to be an above average group of 2005 receivers. |
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2 |
3B Chris Dominguez |
About the only thing that Dominguez didn’t show at the first two
showcases of the year was the big time power hat everyone has seen
before. He runs sub-7.00 at 6-5, 225, has one of the top arms in the
country and is an agile fielder. Dominguez’ ceiling is as high as any
high school player in the country. |
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3 |
3B Kent Matthes |
Matthes is a physically impressive 6-3, 195 lb right handed hitting
third baseman who is going to draw comparisons to 2002 1st round pick
Matt Whitney. Matthes has the edge defensively, especially with his
rocket arm, but his swing still needs a bit of shortening before
matching Whitney’s. |
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4 |
RHP Ryan Mitchell: |
Mitchell showed his usual low 90’s velocity in Ft. Myers and snapped
off a couple of good curveballs as well, something we’re always
looking for in this big right hander. We are a bit concerned that
Mitchell has been throwing too much for too many different teams and
might be putting too many innings on his young arm. |
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5 |
3B Mark Ortega: |
Ortega has big league tools and actions right now. His movements and
balance both at the plate and in the field are very smooth. Ortega is
going to be a plus hitter early in his career and is already a very
good defender. It looks like the game comes very easily to him. |
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6 |
OF David DiNatale: |
DiNatale is a regular at PG/WWBA events and is really swinging the bat
well and aggressively right now. He has some serious power potential
down the road. DiNatale is a good runner with one of the strongest
outfield arms in the country. |
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7 |
SS Ben Booker: |
Booker co-led the Showcase in base hits with 6 and may have led in
great defensive plays as well. He’s a plus runner who is only adding
some strength and power to his wiry 6-2 frame away from becoming a
5-tool player. |
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8 |
RHP Shaun Garceau |
Garceau was one of the hardest throwers at the event, hitting 90-91
mph frequently, even out of the stretch, and his curveball had
excellent depth and bite to it. He also impressed with his athletic
ability during batting practice and games. Garceau is very
projectable and should emerge as a top right handed pitching prospect
for 2005. |
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9 |
OF Chadd Hartman |
Hartman’s left handed bat stood out for both its power and
consistency. No one hit more balls hard at this event than this
Florida native, who reminds us of top 2004 prospect Steve Chapman.
Hartman’s speed and arm strength is very good, too. |
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10 |
C Cody Neer: |
Neer is one of the strongest prospects in the 2005 class. He gets
great torque from his hips and thighs and generates serious bat
speed. Neer’s arm is above average and he’s done a good job of
maintaining his lower body quickness and balance. |
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11 |
RHP Nathan Freiman: |
Like Jimmy Marshall above, Freiman lists himself as a catcher first
and could play high at that position. But at 6-7, 215, he will
outgrow that position as the game speeds up. On the mound, Freiman
throws 86-88 easily and there’s a lot more there. Also like
Marshall, his athletic ability will be a great benefit. |
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12 |
RHP Kurt Smith: |
This was our first look at Smith and we were very impressed. He’s a
physically mature workhorse type of pitcher with solid mechanics and
an easy high 80’s fastball and good curveball. Smith’s a good
athlete who can really hit, too, which adds to his projection. |
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13 |
RHP Daniel Bennett: |
Bennett has a pro style 6-3 body that has good present strength and
polished pitching mechanics. He pitched up to 88 mph on his fastball
and used it aggressively inside to hitters. Some improvement on his
secondary pitches would Bennett among the premium right handers in the
class. |
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14 |
OF-LHP Jeff Beliveau: |
Beliveau comes from the same Rhode Island high school as Devil Rays CF
Rocco Baldelli and top 2004 prospect Jay Rainville. He’s a
multi-tooled athlete who throws 86 mph from the left side, runs big
league average and swings a very good bat. |
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15 |
LHP Matt Clark: |
Not many left handed pitchers have emerged in the class of 2005 and
Clark has a chance to be among the best. He’s loose and athlete and
tops out in the 86-87 mph range with a nasty hammer of a curveball and
a very developed change up. |
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16 |
RHP-C Jimmy Marshall: |
Marshall still lists himself as a primary catcher and he has plenty of
potential at that position. But we think he will end up on the mound
eventually. His 85 mph throws during the catcher’s workouts dwarfed
the rest of a strong catcher’s group and it translates easily into a
90+ mph fastball. Marshall’s slider is first rate and his athleticism
will enable him to make easy adjustments at the higher levels. |
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17 |
OF/LHP Jake Shaffer: |
Two present big league average to above average tools always mark a
player as a potential pro prospect and Shaffer has those right now in
his speed and arm strength. He has the strength to hit with wood if
he can make some adjustments. |
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18 |
C Max Gonzalez: |
Gonzalez is the right handed brother of top 2004 prospect LHP Giovanni
Gonzalez and you can see the resemblance right away. Like Gio, Max is
a gamer with a live, quick actioned body and very good baseball
skills. He can hit and is going to be a top flight defensive catcher. |
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19 |
OF L.V. Ware: |
Ware was perhaps the top “tools” player in Fort Myers, registering the
top 60 time and throwing 87 mph from the outfield. His bat speed is
above average, although his approach is a bit raw and he’ll have to
work on recognizing breaking pitches better. |
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20 |
RHP Jared Leeds: |
Leeds looks like a young pitcher in the classic sinker/slider mold.
He’s an intense competitor who throws a consistent 87-88 mph fastball
with bat breaking boring action and sharp 80 mph slider. Leeds also
has a curveball and a change up but he can get quick outs with his two
lead pitches. |
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21 |
IF Jared Lansford: |
Jared is the latest in the celebrated Lansford clan from the San
Francisco Bay Area that has included a number of first round picks and
even an American League batting champion (Carney). Jared is an
athletic infielder with the same type of strong bat and good overall
skills. |
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22 |
OF Clinton Storr: |
This is one of the true sleepers of the 2005 class. He’s a plus
runner with good arm strength and we’ve seen him do some things with
the bat from the left side that are really impressive. Look for some
big things from this young man in the future. |
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23 |
IF Kurt Lipton: |
At 6-4, Lipton is a surprising good and agile athlete with big league
average running speed and arm strength. Lipton’s left handed bat is
his best tool. He wears out pitches low in the zone and is going to
hit with power in the future. |
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24 |
SS William Long: |
Switch-hitting middle infielders with some pop in their bats are
difficult to find but Long’s power keeps getting better every time we
see him. He has polished actions and good defensive tools, too. |
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25 |
SS Billy Block: |
Block looks like a skinny young middle infielder at first but that’s
deceiving. He has very good strength in his hands and arms and the
ball jumps off his bat with the power of a much bigger player. Block
is a smooth player defensively and even threw 86 mph off the mound. |
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26 |
C Andrew Giobbi: |
Giobbi is a power/power catcher from Maine who we’ve seen at a number
of events. He’s very strong in his hands and arms and generates some
serious bat speed and raw power. Giobbi has excellent arm strength.
He’s a hard nosed player who plays for keeps. |
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27 |
RHP-SS Tyler Herron: |
Herron came to the Showcase as an infield prospect and left as a
pitching prospect after throwing 87 mph with an easy arm action and
showing a good curveball/change up combination. The low 90’s are in
Herron’s near future. |
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28 |
RHP Aaron Everett: |
Everett is a very sound bet to add a good amount of velocity in the
next few years. He’s 84-86 mph now but has extra long limbs and
plenty of room to add strength. We also like that Everett is a very
good athlete who is a position prospect as well. |
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29 |
C Steven Stropp: |
Stropp was definitely one of the stronger players at the Showcase and
it translated to excellent bat speed. Stropp’s power projects off the
board. He’s a solid defensive catcher with a hard nosed attitude. |
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30 |
OF Jason Rago: |
It’s sometimes difficult for an outfielder to shine defensively at a
showcase but Rago did with his arm strength, speed and jumps. At 6-1,
190, he has plenty of strength to swing the bat with power, too. |
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31 |
RHP Anthony Perez: |
No pitcher at the Showcase is better suited to get hitters out right
now than Perez. He combines a high 80’s fastball with a sharp
curveball, precise command and a highly competitive attitude. He’s
not especially projectable but his present tools and skills are top
notch. |
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32 |
3B Edward Mendiola: |
Mendiola is very similar in all respects to fellow Florida 2005 third
baseman Mark Ortega. They have the same ease, balance and confidence
on the field, with Ortega having the slight edge in present tools and
physical projectability. Like Ortega, Mendiola is going to hit right
away at the next level. |
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33 |
C Michael Roberts: |
Roberts is a very good all around athlete with no dominant tool but a
collection of very solid skills and abilities. He’s very quick behind
the plate, has good arm strength and good gap to gap power. His
younger brother Sam is a top 2007 prospect, also. |
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34 |
Mario Duarte |
Duarte keeps getting better. He showed off an 88 mph OF arm and is
swinging the bat like an All American these days. |
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35 |
C Bryan Bennett: |
Bennett has an old school approach to the game that we really like but
it’s his tools and skills that make him a top prospect. He has very
good power potential and can really put a charge into the ball.
Bennett is a solid all around defensive player as well. |
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36 |
C-3B Brant McKown: |
McKown was the top game hitter at the Showcase, going 6-7 with 3
doubles against live pitching. This young man looks like a pure
hitter who has some power. If his catching skills keep improving,
that will make his bat play even better. |
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37 |
DePhillips Mason |
DePhillips is an outstanding athlete with impact speed and a package
of tools that will be attracting lots of D1 College attention |
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38 |
Frank Compagnone |
Compagnone is a 2-way prospect that showed us the ability to strike
out the side on the hill, get in the batters box and drive in the
winning runs. He has all the tools for the next level. |
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39 |
LHP Lance McClain: |
McClain is a very polished southpaw who has no trouble cutting through
line ups at this level. He has excellent command of an 84 mph
fastball and sharp breaking curveball and great instincts on how to
use them. |
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40 |
RHP Josh Wall: |
Wall is tall and thin and throws with so little effort that when his
fastball comes in at 86 mph you wonder where it comes from. There’s a
lot more velocity there. Wall’s curveball and change up are very
advanced for his age. |
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41 |
RHP Mark Triolo: |
Triolo is a big 6-5 right hander who hasn’t started to get strong yet
at all. He maintained his velocity well on a hard sinking mid-80’s
fastball and showed good command of the strike zone. |
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42 |
OF Tyrone Anu: |
Anu is a top flight defensive centerfielder with above average speed
right now and very good arm strength. He has a slashing swing with
good bat speed and projects to get stronger. |
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43 |
Sean Baumann |
One of the most athletic catchers in the showcase, Baumann can catch
and throw with the best of them and still stretch a double into a
triple on the bases ! |
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44 |
LHP Gib Dannehower: |
Dannehower jumps out at you right away with his highly athletic 6-4,
200 lb frame. He threw in the mid-80’s with good spin on his breaking
pitches and projects well. |
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45 |
C Brett Basham: |
Basham looks like he’ll be one of the top defensive catchers in what
is looking like a vintage group of receivers. His game throwing
skills are excellent and he is quick behind the plate. Basham has
some power in his bat, too. |
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46 |
C Ryan Saldivar: |
Saldivar wasn’t one of the bigger catchers at the event but he swung
one of the biggest bats. He’s quick to the ball and has some loft in
his swing. Saldivar is also quick behind the plate and has enough arm
strength to throw in the mid-80’s off the mound. |
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47 |
3B Joaquin Valdes: |
Valdes is long and lean at 6-4, 180 lbs and uses his size to get some
serious whip and extension into his swing. The pro scouts are going
to like his power potential for the future. Valdes is quick and agile
at third base and throws well, too. |
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48 |
IF Jason Ogata: |
We don’t see many prospects from Oregon but Ogata is a 6-2 shortstop
that the pro scouts and college coaches definitely need to see. He
has some juice in his bat and present average big league speed and arm
strength. |
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49 |
C David Hum: |
Left handed hitting catchers with sweet, projectable swings are
difficult to find but Hum qualifies. In addition to his very nice
bat, Hum is a very good receiver who only needs to improve his arm
strength a notch to be a complete prospect. |
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50 |
Chris Craycraft |
Craycraft is a 2 way player that could have made this list either
way. Has nice fundamentals with the bat but really showed us too much
pitchability not to mention him on the mound. |
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51 |
Rauri O'Connor |
O'Connor has an advanced bat with power and we have seen hit some of
the best pitching in his class. He has an offensive mentality to his
game and will make any team that he plays on better. |
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52 |
RHP Sam Newton: |
Newton’s best pitch is a very sharp 78 mph slider that is going to
produce many strikeouts for him in the future. He throws in the
mid-80’s now with a loose, projectable body. |
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53 |
Steve Vitale |
One of the top athletes in the Northeast, Vitale showed nice range at
SS with a playable arm and attacker approach at the plate. We've even
seen him run much better on a firmer track in the fall. |
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54 |
SS Matthew Hall: |
Hall is a 6-2 shortstop with very nice actions and arm strength. He
showed us a slashing swing with good bat speed that sent some balls up
the gaps for extra base hits. |
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55 |
OF Jay Dantzler: |
Dantzler has the tools to be a top flight defensive centerfield at the
next level, no question. We did have questions about his bat after BP
but Dantzler answered them with a crushed triple off a 90 mph fastball
and a couple of other good hits. |
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56 |
Matt Williams |
Williams can hit but his arm strength and catching ability will allow
him to stick out among an elite group of backstops. He shined in Ft
Myers and it was an outstanding group of catchers. |
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57 |
Will Hebberger |
Hebberger has a good balance of defensive and offensive ability that
caught our attention. He might not be in the top 10 offensively or
defensively but he'd be in the top 5 production guys at the catcher
position. And he's got some nice power. |
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58 |
Kasey Ko |
This Hawaiian switch hitter can really punish the ball and he does it
from both sides of the plate. He showed us gap to gap hitting ability
and he does it with a different look from each side. |
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59 |
RHP Michael Lee: |
The only thing the 6-5 Lee lacks right now is velocity. He throws a
low 80’s fastball, a quality curveball and change up combination and
has very good mechanics that lead to above average command potential.
When the velocity kicks in, Lee is going to get very good very
quickly. |
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60 |
RHP A.J. Dunn: |
Dunn has a mature pitcher’s build and two quality pitches in a 86 mph
fastball and a hard breaking 72 mph curveball. His smooth pitching
mechanics ensure that he’s going to both improve and have strong
command of the strike zone. |
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61 |
Nolan Crawley |
Crawley is an all around catching prospect for the next level. His
athleticism allows him to hit good pitching, throw with the best of
them and being from the north we can easily see a taller than average
ceiling. |
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62 |
SS Michael Brady: |
Brady has significantly improved his bat speed and strength over the
past few months and now looks like he’s going to be a strong hitter.
He has natural shortstop actions, good arm strength and showed a
better ability to drive the ball. Brady also threw 85 mph off the
mound. |
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63 |
Robert Lawler |
Lawler is among the top caliber middle infielders and he hits like a
corner guy at the next level. We've sen him before and he never
surprises us with his quick bat and swift glove. |
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64 |
Eddie San Roman |
San Roman has shown us a steady improvement not as much in his tools
but in his ability and approach. He can do it all and most
importantly he can hit. His tools easily play better than they read
on paper and we love watching him swing the bat. |
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65 |
Matt McFolling |
McFolling is one of those players that we could have ranked higher
because even though he isn't big, his swing is one of the best we
saw. He threw 84 from the OF, ran well but this is one LH bat that we
have no problem bragging about ! |
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66 |
Rick Marlin |
Marlin is a power player who can turn on the ball and drive in runs.
He also showed one of the top OF arms but we still can't grade it
better than his bat ! |
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67 |
3B Pedro Alvarez: |
This New Yorker tore up the ball during batting practice with his bat
speed and raw power. He has the physical skills to play third base in
the future and just needs some more refinement and game experience
before he’s one of the top hitters in the 2005 cl |
