JUPITER, Fla.—Assembling a raw list of the Top 10 prospects attending this week’s World Wood Bat Association Fall Championship would be a relatively easy task. Take maybe the top seven from the 2009 class, the top couple from 2010 and one from 2011, and line them up. They’ve all been heavily scouted before, so it wouldn’t be too challenging to assemble them in a rough order.
In a simple format, such a list might look like this (based on PG Crosschecker rankings and submitted rosters for the WWBA tournament):
1. Bryce Harper, c, Las Vegas (Nev.) HS (2011)
2. Tyler Matzek, lhp, Capistrano Valley HS, Mission Viejo, Calif. (2009)
3. Mychal Givens, rhp-ss, H.B. Plant HS, Tampa (2009)
4. Austin Maddox, c, Eagle’s View Academy, Jacksonville (2009)
5. Matt Davidson, 3b, Yucaipa (Calif.) HS (2009)
6. A.J. Cole, rhp, Oviedo HS, Winter Springs, Fla. (2010)
7. Keyvius Sampson, rhp, Ocala Forest HS, Ocala, Fla. (2009)
8. Yordy Cabrera, ss-rhp, Lakeland (Fla.) HS (2010)
9. Shelby Miller, rhp, Brownwood (Texas) HS (2009)
10. Luke Bailey, c, Troup County HS, LaGrange, Ga. (2009)
But if we’re trying to identify 10 players who might make the biggest impact from Thursday through Monday in the 80-team WWBA championship, listing players simply on the basis of raw, draftable talent might not be appropriate. After all, this is a team championship, not a showcase.
So here’s our take on 10 players who might be difference-makers this weekend—not necessarily down the road. In other words, here are our 10 pre-tournament favorites to win the MVP award:
1. Bryce Harper, c-3b, Braves Scout Team. Harper, the top prospect in the 2011 draft class, may not even catch much on a Braves roster that includes Tucker Barnhart (Brownsburg, Ind.), Cameron Garfield (Murrieta Valley, Calif.) and Andrew Susac (Roseville, Calif.), three potential high-round catching prospects in the 2009 class. But Harper will play some third base, perhaps DH and he’ll definitely hit. How his phenomenal showcase tools translate to game action at this level of competition will be interesting to watch.
2. Brooks Pounders, rhp-1b, ABD (Calif.) Bulldogs. ABD used Pounders (Riverside, Calif.) as an all-purpose reliever at the WWBA summer championship in Marietta, Ga., in July and the team’s lack of consistent pitching meant that he was used frequently. He’ll also bat next to power-hitting Matt Davidson in the ABD order, giving the Bulldogs the most lethal 3-4 punch in the tournament.
3. Brian Goodwin, of, Dirtbags. The North Carolina-based Dirtbags often fall just short in major national-level tournaments because they never seem to have an offensive center piece—just as ABD can’t quite seem to get over the hump because of a lack of dominant pitching. Goodwin (Rocky Mount, N.C.) might be the most talented offensive player the Dirtbags have ever put on the field—and, if he isn’t, third baseman Wil Myers (Thomasville, N.C.) could be. Both are fringe first-rounders for the 2009 draft. If either Goodwin or Myers makes a run at the MVP award, it will bode well for the Dirtbags chances.
4. Luke Bailey, c, Texas Scout Team Yankees. Some scouts thought Bailey had the best summer season of any high school prospect in the 2009 class—and he’s moved right to the top of an unbelievably-talented group of senior catchers. He ranks right with Austin Maddox (see above). How Bailey hits and manages a formidable Texas Scout Team pitching could determine if that team will challenge for the championship.
5. Mychal Givens, rhp-ss, Winning Inning. Givens is the top-ranked two-way talent in the country and such versatility is at a premium in an event like Jupiter, where the winning team is normally required to play eight games in four days. Givens will impact games on the mound, on defense and at the plate. He’ll be joined in the Winning Inning (Fla.) lineup/pitching rotation by Keyvius Sampson, another top two-way talent who could have just as big an impact.
6. Yordy Cabrera, ss-rhp, All-American Prospects. See Mychal Givens above. Cabrera is the Givens-equivalent of the 2010 class, only with more pop in his bat. He was the dominant player for the champion All-America Prospects at the 65-team WWBA Fall Underclass Championship two weeks ago in Fort Myers, Fla.
7. Austin Maddox, c-rhp, East Cobb Astros. It’s rare for the Astros to go “outside the family” for top talent, so when Maddox’ name appeared on the East Cobb roster it was a significant addition. No one comes more talented than Maddox, especially if he can contribute his 94-mph fastball to an unusually shallow East Cobb pitching staff.
8. Dan Aldrich, of, Diamond Devils. Aldrich (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) doesn’t quite compare as a prospect to most of the other names on this list as he ranks only No. 70 on PG Crosschecker’s ranking of the top high school seniors. But the lefthanded-hitting slugger has always hit at WWBA events, and put on one of the top performances in WWBA history in leading South Carolina’s Diamond Devils to the 2008 WWBA 17-and-under summer championship.
9. Colton Cain, 1b-lhp, Dallas Tigers. Scouts may focus more on the talented Coppell (Texas) High trio of shortstop Chad Kettler, outfielder Jacob Morris and catcher Jonathan Walsh, all potential top three-round picks next June. But Cain’s performance on both sides of the ball will likely do more to dictate the Tigers success in the tournament. The big Waxahachie, Texas, lefthander is one of the top performance players in the country.
10. Tyler Matzek, lhp, Braves Scout Team. This is more of a hedge pick as it is pretty unlikely that one pitcher on an absurdly-deep 15-plus man Braves pitching staff will have a special impact on the championship. A year ago, the Braves used 17 pitchers in running the table. But Matzek’s two chief competitors for top high school pitcher on the 2009 prospect lists, lefthander Matt Purke (Spring, Texas) and righthander Jacob Turner (St. Charles, Mo.), are among the few projected first-rounders not scheduled to be in Jupiter. An especially strong performance by Matzek could shake up the top of the rankings.