In
the weeks leading up to the draft, Perfect Game will be providing a
detailed overview of each state in the U.S., including the District
of Columbia, as well as Canada and Puerto Rico. These overviews will
list the state's strengths, weaknesses and the players with the best
tools, as well as providing scouting reports on all Group 1 and 2
players as ranked in Perfect Game's state-by-state scouting lists.
Contributing:
Allan Simpson
Wyoming State-by-State List
2011 Wyoming Overview
Wyoming
Overview:
Nimmo
Proves 2011 Crop was Once in a Lifetime
The
2011 draft was historic by Wyoming’s modest standards as outfielder
Brandon Nimmo was selected in the first round (13th overall) by the New York Mets. Never before had a player with Wyoming
connections been taken earlier than the fourth round, and there
wasn’t a Wyoming player of any kind drafted in the previous three
years.
With
no active intercollegiate or formal interscholastic baseball programs
in the state, any player hailing from Wyoming faces significant
obstacles in the pursuit of a meaningful baseball career, and Nimmo
gained experience and exposure in the spring and summer while playing
American Legion ball for state Legion power Cheyenne Post 6. Nimmo
alone made the 2011 Wyoming draft class special, and his former Post
6 teammate Zach Lain, son of long-time Legion coach Tagg Lain, could
be drafted this year, though in a much later round than Nimmo.
Wyoming
in a nutshell:
OVERALL
RATING
(1-to-5 scale): 1.
BEST
OUT-OF-STATE PROSPECT, Wyoming Connection:
Alex Hill, lhp, Central Arizona JC (Attended high school in Casper).
Top
2013 Prospect:
No established candidate.
Top
2014
Prospect:
No established candidate.
HIGHEST
DRAFT PICKS
Draft
History:
Brandon Nimmo, of, East HS, Cheyenne (2011, Mets/1st round, 13th pick).
2006
Draft: Dusty
Harvard, of, Natrona County HS, Casper (Giants/28th round).
2007
Draft: Billy
McHenry, 2b, Cheyenne HS (Rockies/50th round).
2008
Draft:
No selection.
2009
Draft: No
selection.
2010
Draft: No
selection.
2011
Draft:
Brandon Nimmo, of, East HS, Cheyenne (2011, Mets/1st round, 13th pick).
2011
DRAFT OVERVIEW
High
School Players Drafted/Signed:
1/1.
TOP
PROSPECTS, GROUPS ONE and TWO
None
PROSPECT TO WATCH
ZACHARY LAIN, ss,
Cheyenne Central HS
Lain
certainly benefitted a year ago from the tremendous amount of
attention heaped on his former American Legion Post 6 teammate,
Brandon Nimmo, who became a first-round pick of the Mets. Lain, the
son of long-time Post 6 coach, Tagg Lain, has become the top talent
on this year’s Post 6 squad. Over his three-year career, he has hit
.394 with 69 extra-base hits. Lain has a good short swing, ideal for
making steady, live-drive contact, and is light on his feet as a
middle infielder. His future success may depend on his ability to add
strength to his lean, athletic 6-foot-2, 185-pound frame. Ultimately,
he may end up in a utility role as he has the speed and quickness to
serve him well in most positions on the field. A late Division I
signee, he recently committed to playing in college at Temple.