Official League Website
League
Strength: ***
Florida Collegiate Summer League top 25 prospects (list)
The
Florida Collegiate Summer League maintains a relatively low profile
among the nation’s top summer leagues, and yet has quietly
established a solid foothold in central Florida in its eight years of
existence.
Though
most of the state’s better college prospects typically leave the
state to play elsewhere each summer, there is such a plentiful supply
of college and junior-college talent in Florida that there are more
than enough players with pro-level or major-college level ability to
stock the league’s six clubs.
The
state’s rich junior-college ranks, in particular, set Florida apart
from any other state, and the accompanying list of 25 prospects is
riddled with players with connections to local junior colleges—most
notably players who played at the JC level in 2011 and were in the
process of transitioning to four-year programs this fall, or going in
the reverse direction.
Twenty
of the 25 prospects noted have ties to Florida, including Orlando
Freedom lefthander Garrett Nuss, rated the league’s top prospect.
Nuss is one of the rare Florida high-school players to participate
in, let alone make his mark in the FCSL, and yet was so impressive in
seven starts against older competition that he should easily play a
meaningful role at Central Florida as a college freshman.
The
league also had a sprinkling of prospects from other states,
specifically neighboring Alabama and Georgia, but rarely strays too
far from home to attract players, thus preserving its national image
as more of a regional-based summer league.
The
defending champion Winter Park Diamond Dawgs were considered the
league’s most talented team this summer, and occupy 12 of the 25
spots on the list of top prospects. It boasted a lineup that scouts
said could more than hold its own against many of the nation’s
elite summer clubs, though it speaks to the quality of the league
that the Diamond Dawgs neither finished in first place during the
regular season nor won the league’s five-team playoff in a second
kick at the can. In both cases, they finished second.
Leesburg,
with just three players in the top 25, pulled away from the Diamond
Dawgs in the regular season, while Sanford, with a 16-22 season
record and just two players on the accompanying list, upset the
Diamond Dawgs 7-5 in the championship game, played at St.
Petersburg’s Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays.
FAST
FACTS
Year
League Established: 2004.
States
Represented in League: Florida.
No.
of Teams in League: 6 (5 in 2010).
Regular-Season
Champion: Leesburg Lightning.
Post-Season
Champion: Sanford River Rats.
Teams,
PG CrossChecker Summer 50/Final Ranking:
No. 34 Leesburg Lightning, No. 40 Winter Park Diamond Dawgs.
No.
1 Prospect, 2010 (per PG CrossChecker):
Brandon Thomas, of, Sanford River Rats (Georgia Tech; played in Cape
Cod League in 2011).
First
2010 Player Selected, 2011 Draft: Dejai
Oliver, lhp, Sanford River Rats (Seminole State, Fla., JC;
Marlins/8th
round).
Most
Valuable Player: Teddy Blackman, of,
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs.
Most
Outstanding Pitcher: Ben Brown, rhp,
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs.
Top
Prospect (as selected by league):
Garrett Nuss, lhp, Orlando Freedom.
BATTING
LEADERS (League games only)
Batting
Average: Teddy Blackman, of, Winter
Park Diamond Dawgs (.425).
Slugging
Percentage: Teddy Blackman, of,
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs (.604).
On-Base
Average: Teddy Blackman, of, Winter
Park Diamond Dawgs (.582).
Home
Runs: Matthew Mattone, c, Orlando
Freedom (5).
RBIs:
B.J. Zimmerman, 1b/3b, Winter Park Diamond Dawgs (30).
Stolen
Bases: Stephen Bellantoni, of,
DeLand Suns (31).
PITCHING
LEADERS (League games only)
Wins:
Nic Kovacs, rhp, Leesburg Lightning (5).
ERA:
Montana DuRapau, rhp, DeLand Suns (1.09).
Saves:
Max Rusch, rhp, Leesburg Lightning (8).
Strikeouts:
Ethan Bader, rhp, Leesburg Lightning (47).
BEST
TOOLS
Best
Athlete: Omar Cotto, of, Winter Park
Diamond Dawgs.
Best
Hitter: Todd Hankins, 2b, Winter
Park Diamond Dawgs.
Best
Power: B.J. Zimmerman, 1b, Winter
Park Diamond Dawgs.
Fastest
Base Runner: Omar Cotto, of, Winter
Park Diamond Dawgs,
Best
Defensive Player: Alex Cruz, 3b,
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs.
Best
Velocity: Michael Heller, rhp,
Winter Haven Loggerheads.
Best
Breaking Ball: Garrett Nuss, lhp,
Orlando Freedom.
Best
Command: Ethan Bader, rhp, Leesburg
Lightning.
TOP
25 PROSPECTS
1.
GARRETT NUSS, rhp, Orlando Freedom (Central Florida/FR in 2012)
SCOUTING
PROFILE: The 6-foot-2, 175-pound
Nuss hardly qualified as one of the elite arms in Florida’s deep
crop of high-school players for the 2011 draft, and lasted until the
32nd round, where he was drafted by the New York Yankees. But Nuss made a
strong impression as a senior at Mt. Dora High by going 11-1, 0.94
with 93 strikeouts in 56 innings while leading that school to its
deepest run ever in the Florida 3-A tournament. Nuss suffered his
only setback of the season as his team lost to Fort Myers’ Bishop
Verot High in the semifinals. His impressive showing led to his
pitching this summer in the FCSL and he excelled against faster
competition, going 3-1, 2.80 with 43 strikeouts in 35 innings, while
allowing just 25 hits and walking 18. More than his impressive raw
stuff, the thing that stood out most about Nuss was his excellent
feel for pitching, mature mound presence and competitive approach.
Nothing phased him and he showed no reluctance in attacking older,
more experienced hitters while mixing his pitches like a veteran. His
fastball was a steady 89-91 mph, topping at 92 and his curve had
excellent 12-to-6 shape. His change was a solid third pitch, but he
used it infrequently. He generally threw quality strikes from a low
three-quarters arm angle, and was dominant when he had command of all
three. He also excelled at holding runners and fielding his position,
and even though he had a somewhat unorthodox stand-up delivery, he
consistently kept his balance and on-line direction to the plate.
Nuss should continue to make progress as he corrects some of the
minor mechanical flaws in his delivery and through additional
physical maturity to an already durable frame.