TOP PROSPECT LIST 2004 Prospects 1.  RHP Erik Cordier:  Cordier didn’t have the fastest fastball or the sharpest breaking ball at the showcase.  But at 6-3, 195 lbs with a silky smooth arm action, a 92 mph fastball and a hard spinning 78 mph curveball, add a very good change up and Cordier has three present average big league pitches and plenty of projection.  He’s made significant improvement in his mechanics over the last year, too. 2.  RHP Lucas Harrell:  This Missouri right hander was one of the big surprises of the event.  He pounded the strike zone with three quality pitches, including a 92 mph fastball, and had excellent pitching mechanics.  3.  RHP Gary Perinar:  Perinar threw harder than anyone at the showcase, at 92-93 mph and throwing plenty of 91’s and 92’s.  He’s a strong, mature young power pitcher who we’ve seen get better and better over the past year.  4.  LHP Danny Bales:  Bales has added 20+ pounds of good weight during the winter, which has added more consistent power to his pitches.  There may not be a better high school pitcher in the country at changing speeds or making the ball move where he wants it to. 5.  RHP Will Jostock:  The 6-6 Jostock’s velocity isn’t back into the low 90’s yet but he did pitch in the high 80’s at the Indoor Showcase and his curveball and change up were both quality pitches.  He looks primed for a strong spring. 6.  C Brandon Hall:  Hall was the top position player prospect at the Indoor Showcase and deserves more recognition as one of the better hitting prospects in the 2004 class.  He has all the physical tools, including switch-hitting power potential and a strong arm, to be a top notch receiver. 7.  RHP Kris Dabrowiecki:  Dabrowiecki was the most impressive of the many Canadian prospects who came down for the event.  He’s a 6-4 athlete who pitched in the high 80’s and had a good slider/change up combination 8.  RHP Travis Sweet:  The 5-10 Sweet opened everyone’s eyes with a fastball that touched 92 mph and a nasty 76 mph curveball.  He struck out 10 straight hitters and made them look bad doing it. 9.  RHP Tim Radmacher:  Radmacher’s 78 mph curveball is one of the best high school  breaking balls in the country and he’s added a 84 mph cutter to create another look in addition to his high 80’s fastball.  10.  RHP Shaun Seibert:  Siebert has a very quick, short arm stroke that produces a sinking 89-91 mph fastball from a lower than normal release point.  Siebert’s slider is a very good pitch, also. 11.  C Matt Kramer:  We’d never seen this 6-2, 190 lb. catcher play before the Indoor Showcase but after watching him catch well, hit with power and throw 86 mph off the mound, we took definite notice.  When he told us he had been early accepted to Harvard (he hadn’t committed yet), our appreciation for him went way, way up. 12.  C/RHP Ben Geelan:  Geelan might have been the hardest player at the Showcase to label as a position player or pitcher.  He threw 88-89 mph off the mound, but has a live athletic body and both hits and receives the ball well.  Geelan’s future is bright in either role. 13.  RHP Tim Stringer:  Stringer is another 5-10 pitcher with an outstanding arm.  He threw a bunch of 89’s and had a tight, sharp breaking ball in the mid-70’s that was an outstanding pitch.  Stringer’s bat is also good enough to play at the next level. 14.  RHP Jacob Parrish:  Parrish traveled all the way from New Mexico to pitch in Cedar Rapids and it was very worth it.  He has a strong 6-5 frame and an 87 mph fastball that’s going to improve as he continues to get stronger.  15.  C Adam Whiting:  Whiting has a pro body at 6-2, 190 and plenty of solid tools.  He’s a smooth and mature defensive catcher who can swing the bat a bit, too. 2005/2006 Prospects 1.  LHP Michael Wilson:  Wilson has the size (6-5), athletic ability and current stuff to project as high as you want to project him.  He threw in the mid-80’s with a sharp curveball and did it easily.  Wilson is going to be in the 90’s soon and will be a top prospect. 2.  C Mickey White:  White has all the physical tools to be a top prospect catcher and at 6-1, 215, is already strong and mature.  He plays with a confidence and toughness that we really liked, too. 3.  SS/RHP Bobby Simmons (’06):  There isn’t anything not to like about this sophomore.  He hits the ball hard off very good pitching, throws 85 mph off the mound, carries himself like an athlete and is very projectable physically. 4.  C John Grunwald (’06):  Grunwald’s catching and hitting are very advanced for his age and he’s a live bodied, projectable athlete.  He can really throw the ball well and is just going to get better. 5.  RHP-IF Tim Clubb:  Clubb is loose and projectable and threw 85 mph with a very good hard curveball in the mid-70’s.  He has a nice swing and should develop impressive power as he fills out and matures. 6.  OF Tyler Kipke:  Kipke was one of only a few non-pitcher/catcher’s at the event but he stood out.  His 86 mph fastball off the mound was noteworthy just because he went out there and showed arm strength, but this left handed hitter has a live athletic body and a sweet line drive swing. 7.  C Chris Valeriote:  This young Canadian can really catch and throw.  He has a mature, polished attitude towards the game that’s going to make him successful right away at the next level.  He reminds us of top 2004 Canadian catcher Joel Collins. 8.  C Bryan Kloetzke:  Kloetzke doesn’t have a classic hitting style but he’s very strong in his hands and upper body.  The ball jumps off his bat and he showed a very good ability to hit the ball hard to the opposite field. 9.  RHP Miles Clauss:  Clauss is a big, physical right hander who threw up to 86 mph and had perhaps the best hard, late sinking action on his fastball of any pitcher at the Showcase.  Clauss’s 75 mph slider helps profiles him as a classic sinker/slider workhorse. 10.  C Brent Quimby:  Yet another strong and talented catcher from the 2005 class.  Quimby’s swing is short and strong and he receives the ball very smoothly.