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Draft  | Follow List | 6/4/2010

MICHIGAN

2010 FOLLOW LIST
 
COMPILED by ALLAN SIMPSON
 
STATE OVERVIEW
It’s possible that no other state has been so harshly impacted by the economic woes that have gripped the country over the last year or two than Michigan. As the hub of the nation’s once-thriving auto industry, the state first took a hit when consumers stopped buying American-made products in favor of foreign models, and then almost stopped buying cars altogether in the wake of the recent economic downturn that gripped the country.
 
From a baseball standpoint in Michigan, there are parallels to the hardships that the auto industry has endured through the years.
 
No state has been so adversely impacted by baseball’s changing face at the grassroots level, and the way the game at the college and high-school levels has thrived at an ever-increasing rate in the warmer climates found in the nation’s Sun Belt states.
 
It’s been 26 years since a team from Michigan participated in the College World Series. And yet there were years when a college team from Michigan made regular appearances in the national-championship tournament, which actually has its roots in Kalamazoo, Mich., in 1947, before settling permanently in Omaha, in 1950.
 
Michigan won College World Series titles in 1953 and 1962, and later made five trips to the CWS in a seven-year period from 1978-84. Western Michigan made six visits to Omaha from 1952-63. Eastern Michigan made consecutive appearances in 1975-76, behind twin first-round draft picks and future big-leaguers Bob Owchinko and Bob Welch. Michigan State also has a CWS to its credit, in 1954.
 
But that’s all in the distant past, and no Michigan college team came close to ending the drought this year as all six Division I schools were on the outside looking in when 64 bids were extended to the NCAA tournament, ultimately leading to the eight-team College World Series field.
 
Not only has the state experienced a significant dry spell in legitimately contending for a national title, but the draftable talent coming out of Michigan through the years has also seen a pronounced dip, as well. In 1969, there were 45 players drafted that were products of Michigan high schools. Twenty years later, that total had dipped to 34; another 20 years hence (last year), that number was just 20.
 
Much as the state’s primary resource, the auto industry, has seen a precipitous decline through the years, so has Michigan’s manufacture of baseball talent. Only New York has regressed at a faster clip.
 
The pickings in the state this year are modest by Michigan’s declining standards, but at least two players will factor prominently into the early rounds of the draft: University of Michigan center fielder Ryan LaMarre and closer Tyler Burgoon.
 
LaMarre actually enhanced his status this spring, even as he missed four weeks of the season with a broken thumb, and suffered a resultant loss in power upon his return to the lineup. LaMarre, though, smoked the ball at a .419 clip and drove in 40 runs in 36 games. With his assortment of other tools, and a good track record of success, that was enough to elevate his stock close to the first round.
 
Burgoon also experienced a significant boost in his draft stock, as he has finally been able to convince scouts to look beyond his diminutive size and judge him on the basis of his stuff, command and competitive spark. Though a slight 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds, Burgoon has two above-average pitches in a fastball that reaches the mid-90s and a slider that peaks in the mid-80s.
 
Beyond those two, there are no other players assured of going in the top 10 rounds, although Wolverines outfielder-turned-pitcher Alan Oaks and Michigan State righthander A.J. Achter are possibilities. Two athletic high-school talents could also squeeze into that area.
 
But it’s been seven years since a player with a Michigan connection (current Kansas City Royals outfielder Mitch Maier, who played in college at the University of Toledo) was last drafted in the first round. That’s a far cry from even 1979, when the University of Michigan produced three first-rounders on its own, becoming the first college team to hold that distinction.
 
IN A NUTSHELL
STRENGTH: University of Michigan players.
WEAKNESS: Depth of high-school talent.
OVERALL RATING (1-to-5 scale): 2.
 
BEST COLLEGE TEAM: Michigan.
BEST JUNIOR-COLLEGE TEAM: Kellogg.
BEST HIGH SCHOOL TEAM: Grand Ledge.
 
PROSPECT ON THE RISE: Tyler Burgoon, rhp, Michigan. Scouts no longer focusing on his undersized frame; he has both the fastball and slider to a legit early pick.
PROSPECT ON THE DECLINE: Kolby Wood, rhp, Michigan. Size and raw stuff all there; he just needs to learn how to pitch.
WILD CARD: Matt Miller, rhp, Michigan. Huge stuff and size (see Wood); if teams think he can repeat his delivery and be more consistent, he could jump into the top 10 rounds.
 
BEST OUT-OF-STATE PROSPECT, Michigan Connection: Burny Mitchem, rhp, U. of Dayton (Attended high school in Farmington).
TOP 2011 PROSPECT: Derek Dennis, ss, Michigan.
TOP 2012 PROSPECT: Pat Biondi, of, Michigan.
 
HIGHEST DRAFT PICKS
Highest Pick, Draft History: Mark Mulder, lhp, Michigan State U. (1998, Athletics/1st round, 2nd pick).
Highest Pick, 2006 Draft: Dan O’Brien, lhp, Western Michigan U. (Blue Jays/8th round).
Highest Pick, 2007 Draft: Jeff Fischer, rhp, Eastern Michigan U. (Rockies/10th round).
Highest Pick, 2008 Draft: Ethan Hollingsworth, rhp, Western Michigan U. (Rockies/4th round).
Highest Pick, 2009 Draft: Daniel Fields, ss, University of Detroit Jesuit HS (Tigers/6th round).
 
BEST TOOLS
Best Hitter: Ryan LaMarre, of, Michigan.
Best Power: Ryan LaMarre, of, Michigan.
Best Speed: Myles Smith, rhp/ss, Divine Child HS, Dearborn.
Best Defender: Jonathan Roof, ss, Michigan State.
Best Velocity: Matt Miller, rhp, Michigan.
Best Breaking Stuff: Tyler Burgoon, rhp, Michigan.
 
TOP PROSPECTS
Full scouting reports available on players ranked on national Top 250 list (click on National Top 300)
 
GROUP ONE (Projected ELITE-Round Draft / Rounds 1-3)
1. RYAN LaMARRE, of, University of Michigan (Jr.)                                        National Top 250 (Rank 87)
Broken thumb hurt power output, but advanced bat/approach, speed/strength pushed him near first round

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