Looking at the talent that projects to be available at the top of next year’s draft, we might see a repeat of the 2001 draft. Specifically, David Price and Matt Wieters at this point in time are the top two players available, and both have some interesting similarities to Mark Prior and Mark Teixeira, who entered the 2001 scouting season as the top two players available.

Price vs. Prior

Their names are similar, their statures are similar, and they both pitched for Vanderbilt (Prior started his college career at Vandy before transferring to USC). The biggest difference between David Price and Mark Prior (aside from their ethnicity) is the most obvious one: Price throws left-handed while Prior is a righty.

Price, like Prior, is built tall, athletic and projectable at 6’6” and just over 200 pounds. His athleticism allows him to repeat his delivery well, and when his power repertoire is working for him, he’s able to mow down hitters effortlessly. Price not only has had success at Vanderbilt, but also for Team USA in two consecutive summers. He was recently named Baseball America’s Summer Player of the Year after allowing only one earned run in 44 innings of work (0.20 ERA) with 61 strikeouts and only seven walks issued. In his two year at Vanderbilt he has posted a collective 11-9 record with a 3.61 ERA with 247 strikeouts in just over 179 innings of work. The strikeouts stand out, as does Price’s durability, although teams should monitor his heavy workload so far while in college, as such a workload on such a young arm may be part of the reason Prior has missed so much time early in his career despite his immense talent.

Mark Prior ended his career with the reputation as one of college baseball’s all-time best pitchers, and if Price carries his success from this summer into next spring and develops more consistency during Vanderbilt’s tough SEC schedule, Price could end his college career with similar accolades.

Wieters vs. Teixeira

The similarities continue for Wieters and Teixeira. They both are switch-hitters, they both starred at Georgia Tech, and they both have an influx of vowels in their last names. Teixeira was a stud third baseman for the Yellow Jackets, and moved to first base for the Texas Rangers primarily due to the presence of Hank Blalock. Wieters currently plays catcher and also closes for Georgia Tech, but there are some that believe Wieters’ size will cause him to move to first base or possibly third at some point in his career.

Wieters, like Price, has enjoyed success at every level he has played at. This past summer he finished second in the Cape Cod League in batting average (.307), on-base percentage (.417) and home runs (8), and he finished third in slugging (.535). That alone proves that he shouldn’t miss a beat making the permanent switch to wood bats once he becomes a pro. In his two years at Georgia Tech, Wieters has hit .360/.475/.595, and has been a force in the middle of a lineup that scores runs in bunches.

As noted, Wieters also serves as the Jackets’ closer, with his fastball reportedly clocked as high as 98 mph, but most view his future as an everyday player. His profile may actually be closer to Jason Varitek, another switch-hitting, slugging catcher that played for Georgia Tech.

No Stock, no Mauer

Of course neither Prior nor Teixeira went first overall in 2001. Joe Mauer went first overall, a pick that was somewhat questioned at the time since Mark Prior was considered to be the best overall player by most talent evaluators. That move has turned out to be an extremely astute one for the Minnesota Twins, as Prior hasn’t been able to stay healthy while Mauer has emerged as the heart and soul of the Twins, and is now arguably the best catcher in all of Major League baseball.

While next year’s draft doesn’t have a player of Mauer’s stature, at least not at this point in time, Robert Stock may have been the best prep catcher to emerge from the prep ranks since Mauer. Of course that is assuming teams would have preferred Stock’s powerful left-handed bat more than his powerful right arm, a point that is now moot since Stock has enrolled early at USC and won’t be eligible for the draft until 2009.

Other impressions

The talent available for the 2007 definitely looks better at this point in time than the talent that was available for last year’s draft. Price and Wieters alone could make the talent for next year special, and there is quite a bit of depth at both the college and high school levels at virtually every position.

College left-handed pitchers, both starters and relievers, is a definite early strength. Arkansas’ Nick Schmidt and Tennessee’s James Adkins are both tall and athletic with power arsenals. A pair of two-way players may join Schmidt and Adkins should scouting directors prefer their left arms to their special bats: Rice’s Joe Savery and Virginia’s Sean Doolittle. Rice’s left-handed closer, Cole St. Clair, Clemson’s Daniel Moskos and Maryland’s Brett Cecil gives the draft three extremely talent left-handed closers.

The best closer available for next year at this point in time is Georgia’s Josh Fields, a shorter righty that possesses a mid-90s heater and a devastating mid-80s slider.

Tennessee catcher J.P. Arencibia could join Wieters among the draft’s first 10 overall selections. Catchers are always hard to come by, and having two backstops eligible to go in the top 10 makes the 2007 very rich at the position.

NC State righty Andrew Brackman, checking in at seven feet tall, reportedly will give up playing basketball to focus on pitching next spring, and offers an extremely intimidating an exciting presence on the mound with a repertoire to match.

On the prep side there seems to be an endless wealth of arms. Most readers probably noticed that wealth over the course of this summer, with numerous pitchers putting up impressive radar gun readings at the Aflac All-American Classic, the Area Code Games, the East Coast Professional Showcase and the Perfect Game National Showcase. Left and right, short and tall, the crop is deep and offers a little bit of everything.

Last year oddly enough didn’t offer a single pure shortstop that was drafted in the first round. This year there should be two: Christian Colon and Justin Jackson.

Michael Burgess and Jason Heyward will bring the thunder, while Kentrail Davis and Josh Vitters will offer two of the more well-rounded bats available from the prep ranks.

Obviously a lot can happen between now and next June, and there are always other factors that determine who goes where (money), but the talent available at this point in time appears to be special.

The thoughts and opinions listed here do not necessarily reflect those of Perfect Game USA. Patrick Ebert is affiliated with both Perfect Game USA and Brewerfan.net, and can be contacted via email at pebert@brewerfan.net.