Scouts had the opportunity to check many top players that are available for this year’s draft when Clemson and North Carolina kicked off the ACC Season this past weekend. North Carolina is headlined by Juniors Alex White and Dustin Ackley, as well as several other players that have the potential to go early in the draft. While UNC is loaded with talent, it was Clemson’s Chris Dwyer that had scouts buzzing on Sunday.
-As mentioned in previous blog entries, Clemson LHP Chris Dwyer is an extremely rare draft-eligible freshman that has seen his draft stock soar this spring. In his first two starts of the season, Dwyer was outstanding going 11.2 innings, allowing only two hits and one walk, while striking out 12 batters.
Dwyer (4 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) struggled some with his command on Sunday, but his raw stuff was still very impressive. He has an extremely quick arm and sat in the 90-94 range with his fastball, while also showing a very tight curveball that froze many hitters. Both his fastball and curveball grade out as above average pitches, but he will need to work on improving his change-up. As things stand now, Dwyer is a pitcher that has easily worked his way in to the top two rounds with the later part of the first round being a real possibility.
-Squaring off against Chris Dwyer on Sunday was North Carolina SO RHP Matt Harvey (3-0, 2.25; 16 IP, 7 H, 3 BB, 22 K) who is rated as the top-ranked college player for the 2010 MLB Draft. Harvey out-dueled Dwyer on the day throwing seven innings, while only allowing one run. The North Carolina bullpen did their best to blow a 7-1 lead, but they eventually came back to win 9-8 and take the series over the Tigers. Harvey despite the impressive numbers looked like a different pitcher than many scouts remember from high school. He still sat in the 91-96 range with his fastball, but a somewhat tight and wrapping arm action had some scouts concerned.
-RHP Alex White entered the season as one of the top arms available for the draft and not a whole lot has changed so far this season. He has consistently sat in the 90-93 range in his first three starts, topping at 95 each time. Alex has shown an average slider at times, but it has been his low 80’s split-finger that has been his best off-speed pitch so far this year. In each of his starts this year, Alex has had a few rough stretches generally related to a lack of command in the strike zone. Most scouts see him as a third starter and he should be gone in the top half of the first round.
-Heading in to the season Dustin Ackley was the consensus top hitter in college baseball, but he has struggled some out of the gates. Ackley might still be feeling the effects of off-season Tommy John surgery, as he has not been driving the ball with much authority in early season action. He went 2-14 in the three-game series against Clemson.
Where it gets interesting with Ackley is figuring out what position he will play. Ackley is clearly not letting loose on his throws yet and his value is greatly increased if he is playing somewhere other than first base. He is a plus runner that scouts would like to see in the outfield. As far as projection goes scouts see Ackley as an ideal two-hole hitter. Even though he has struggled some in the early part of the season he is still a near lock to go in the first round.
-Considered a potential late first-round pick after an outstanding summer in the Cape Cod League, Clemson 1B Ben Paulsen has slipped a little in the eyes of scouts. Paulsen is most likely limited to first base, which makes his bat that much more important come draft time. Ben still shows the potential to show at least average MLB hitting ability and raw power, but some slight adjustments in his approach could really help him out. If Ben can show the potential to hit for above average power his draft stock will greatly increase.
-The bat will be the key for Clemson OF Addison Johnson who grades out as an above average defender in centerfield, as well as an above average runner. At 5’7”, 175 lbs., Johnson is a true baseball player in every sense of the word and has a chance to profile as a fourth outfielder. He is off to a slow start so far this year only hitting .200 through 11 games, but if the offense picks up he could possibly work his way in to the 3rd to 5th rounds.
-While Alex White and Matt Harvey get most of the accolades for the Tarheel pitching staff, it is SR RHP Adam Warren (2-0, 0.98) who has easily been the most dominant pitcher so far this year for North Carolina. Warren (7 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 8 K) was strong once again in a 5-2 victory over Clemson on Saturday. He does not wow people with his stuff, but he shows great pitchability with a fastball in the 88-91 range and a hard low 80’s slider. He is a player that will be a very good senior sign and could be a bargain in the 5th to 7th round.