2016 Summer Collegiate Top Prospect Index
Futures Collegiate Baseball League
Official league website
Year established: 2011
States represented: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire
No. of teams: 10
Regular season Champion (best overall record): Worcester Bravehearts (37-18)
Postseason Champion: Nashua Silver Knights
Player of the Year: Mickey Gasper, c, Nashua (Bryant)
Pitcher of the Year: Nick Mondak, lhp, Torrington (St. John’s)
Top 10 Prospects
1. Nick Mondak, lhp, Torrington (St. John’s/FR in 2017)
An incoming freshman at St. John’s, Mondak was incredibly dominant this summer facing college-level hitters on his way to being named the league’s Pitcher of the Year and its top pro prospect. A 6-foot-3 lefthander, Mondak posted a 1.45 ERA with 64 strikeotus in 43 1/3 innings, using an easy arm action that produced low-90s heat. With his projectable frame and the ease of his throwing motion it’s expected that his velocity could increase while in college, where he also should gain valuable experience developing his secondary offerings. Mondak and fellow freshman lefthander Jeff Belge could give the Johnnies quite the formidable 1-2 punch in the Big East.
2. Dylan Grove, rhp, Martha’s Vineyard (Oklahoma/SO in 2017)
Grove was eased into duty during his freshman year at Oklahoma, pitching 28 2/3 innings across 11 appearances, and built upon that during the summer, striking out 40 in 31 1/3 innings. He creates some deception with a somewhat lower three-quarters arm slot, creating nice arm-side life on his low-90s fastball. At 6-foot-2, 170-pounds there’s room for added strength, and subsequent velocity gains, and he should gain more time on the mound next spring as a sophomore for the Sooners.
3. Jake Nelson, rhp, Nashua (Pennsylvania/SO in 2017)
Nelson arrived at the University of Pennsylvania with a promising profile, finishing his high school career as Perfect Game’s 266th-ranked prospect in the class of 2015. He opened eyes this summer, hitting 95 mph at the league’s all-star game, sitting in the low-90s for the majority of the summer while striking out 25 in 23 innings of work in a bullpen role. He also throws a developing changeup and a slider, with projectability remaining in his strongly-build 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame. He made good mechanical strides working with Nashua’s coaching staff this summer and with further improvement could be an intriguing pick for the 2018 MLB Draft.
4. Eric Keating, lhp, Brockton (Florida Atlantic/SO in 2017)
An athletic 6-foot-4 lefthander, Keating, like the other pitchers in the league, showed considerable future promise with a full three-pitch mix and an advance sense for changing speeds. He emerged as the ace of the Brockton staff, posting a 1.96 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings. At 190-pounds, there are potential strength and velocity gains that could be made, which would elevate his prospective value.
5. Scott Manea, c, Wachusett (SIGNED/Mets)
Manea has a strong reputation defensively as a catcher, starting his college career at NC State before transferring to St. Petersburg College at the Junior College level in Florida. He’s a natural behind the plate, handles the pitching staff well and has a strong arm. He also displays offensive promise, hitting .368 this summer with five home runs, all of which led to him signing with the New York Mets in mid-July as a nondrafted free agent.
6. Dante Baldelli, of, Nashua (Boston College/FR in 2017)
The name Baldelli in the Northeast may sound familiar as Dante is the younger brother of former big-leaguer Rocco, a former first-round pick and seven-year big leaguer, spending most of his time with the Tampa Bay Rays. The younger Baldelli was taken in the 37th round of this past year’s draft by the Phillies and opted not to sign. At 6-foot-4, 170-pounds he’s an exciting prospect, with good bat speed and a line drive approach to the gaps. He tracks balls well in the outfield, showing good instincts and first-step quickness, although he’s not a burner. He hit .309 with four doubles and a home run in 14 games with Nashua giving onlookers a brief taste of his future promise.
7. Michael Hart, of, Seacoast (UMass Amherst/SR in 2017)
Hart is a gritty ballplayer, hailed by coaches across the league for his tough-as-nails throwback persona on the field. He has solid tools across the board and smooth left-handed swing that led to a .364-10-31 line for Seacoast. He also walked 33 times and stole 17 bases, showing his versatility, to go along with a strong arm in right field. He could be an intriguing senior sign in next year’s draft with another big showing at the plate.
8. Mickey Gasper, c/1b, Nashua (Bryant/JR in 2017)
Named the league’s top player this summer after leading the league in hitting (.421) for the league champion Nashua Silver Knights, Gasper also hit 21 doubles and nine home runs, leading to 42 driven in. Gasper also walked 39 times as compared to 25 strikeouts in 164 at-bats. A strong and compact 5-foot-10, 195-pound switch-hitting catcher, he was the most complete offensive player in the league, from both sides of the plate, after hitting .392/.489/.557 for an upstart Bryant team this past spring.
9. Eric Feliz, of, Brockton (Notre Dame/SO in 2017)
Feliz arrived at Notre Dame with considerable promise, a graduate of the IMG program in Florida and Perfect Game’s 243rd-ranked prospect in the class of 2015. He made up for lost time after sitting out his true freshman season by hitting .314 this summer with 14 extra-base hits, four of which were home runs. He has very good bat speed as a righthanded hitter with a quick-twitch and athletic 6-foot, 190-pound build. While the tools are there Feliz needs experience to help round out some of the rough spots in his game, but the talent and tools are there for him to succeed.
10. Bryce Verplank, rhp, Brockton (Oklahoma State/SO in 2017)
Similar to Feliz, Verplank arrived in Stillwater with a lofty reputation (ranked 459th in the high school class of 2015 by PG) but didn’t take the field during his true freshman season. A 6-foot-4, 225-pound righthander, Verplank made up for lost time this summer, throwing a heavy sinking 89-92 fastball to go along with a plus slider. He made 19 appearances, almost all of which came out of the bullpen, striking out 32 and allowing just 10 hits in 21 2/3 innings. He also walked 22 in that time, an area that is an obvious need for improvement, but with his size and stuff he could blossom the next few years for the Cowboys.
Golden State Collegiate Baseball League
Official league website
Year established: 2012
States represented: California, Nevada, Oregon
No. of teams: 8
Regular season Champion (best overall record): Top Speed Baseball (41-3)
Postseason Champion: Top Speed Baseball
Player of the Year: Matthew Martinez, of, Top Speed (Central Connecticut State)
Pitcher of the Year: Jared Koenig, lhp, San Francisco (Cal State Monterey)
Top 5 Prospects
1. Jackson Zarubin, rhp, Top Speed (SIGNED/Braves)
Zarubin’s stay in the GSCBL was short, making just three appearances before signing with the Atlanta Braves as a nondrafted free agent. He made a strong impression during those three games, all in relief, striking out 10 and allowing just one walk and four hits in 5 2/3 innings. A still-projectable 6-foot-1, 190-pound righthander, Zarubin threw hi fastball in the 93-94 mph range, touching 96, while mixing in a hard 86-87 mph slider. With two power pitchers he projects as a relief pitcher as he ascends through the Braves minor league system.
2. Jared Koenig, lhp, Top Speed (Cal State Monterey/SR in 2017)
A 6-foot-5, 210-pound lefty, Koenig dominanted the GSCBL this summer, taking home triple crown honors with nine wins, 84 strikeouts and a 0.89 ERA. He has an advanced feel for changing speeds between his 89-92 mph fastball and 12-to-6 curveball. His delivery is loose with some room for added improvement, although as a college senior he likely has reached his ceiling. Koenig got knocked around during his one season at Old Dominion in 2015 but collectively went 11-1 in two years at Central Arizona College prior to that.
3. Matthew Martinez, of, San Francisco (SIGNED/Independent)
Martinez was almost as dominant at the plate this past summer as Koenig was on the mound, leading the league in home runs (16) and RBI (48) while finishing third in batting (.387) on his way to being named the Hitter of the Year. Martinez offers a physically imposing presence in the righthanded batter’s box at 6-foot-2, 200-pounds, and exhibits a keen knowledge of the strike zone. He signed with the Joplin Blasters (Independent) after playing at Central Connecticut State in college.
4. Casey Brown, lhp, Top Speed (SIGNED/Independent)
Another player who enjoyed a big summer before signing an Independent League contract in mid-July (Normal Cornbelters), Brown finished his time in the GSCBL with a 7-0 record, a 1.60 ERA and 60 strikeouts (good for fourth in the league) in 50 1/3 innings. A 6-foot, 190-pound lefty, Brown gets good downhill plane on his lively upper-80s fastball that can touch 92 at times. He also threw a good curveball to go along iwht a strong pickoff move that helped neutralize opposing teams’ running game. Brown has since signed with the Philadelphia Phillies.
5. Mario Morales, rhp, Top Speed (SIGNED/Independent)
An undersized righthander at 5-foot-11, 190-pounds, Morales finished third in the league in strikeouts with 64, showing impeccable command of the strike zone by walking just four in 54 2/3 innings. His heavy fastball sits in the upper-80s, a pitch he establishes early in the count to set up his slider, which he uses as his strikeout pitch. He pitched for Campbellsville in the spring and ended up signing an Independent League contract with the Joplin Blasters.
Southern California Collegiate Baseball League
Official league website
Year established: 2008
States represented: California
No. of teams: 5
Regular season Champion (best overall record): San Diego Force (14-5)
Postseason Champion: San Diego Force
Top 5 Prospects
1. John Mauldin, of, Palm Springs (Baton Rouge CC/SO in 2017)
A legitimate five-tool player, Mauldin is a solid overall athlete with good first-step quickness and straight-line speed, running the 60-yard dash in 6.78 seconds. With that speed he’s an aggressive baserunner, both in base-stealing and when stretching extra bases. He has a quick bat and makes consistent hard contact to all fields with a gap-to-gap, line drive approach. His arm is also a solid tool, recording 89 mph throws from the outfield with accuracy and carry to his throws, and also covers a good amount of ground in the outfield while making solid reads off the bat. He has committed to play for New Orleans at the Division I level for the 2017-18 season.
2. Justin Gomez, c, Inland Valley (Azusa Pacific/SO in 2017)
Gomez regularly displays sound defensive actions behind home plate, with soft hands and a quick transfer and release while popping 1.87 on throws to second base. He threw out 13 of 26 (50 percent) of attempted steals during his freshman year at Azusa Pacific to go along with an overall fielding percentage of .988. An aggressive hitter at the plate, Gomez has a knack for hitting the ball hard and on a line and could develop more power in time.
3. Bryan Menendez, rhp/c, Palm Springs (UNLV/JR in 2017)
A recently convereted catcher, Menendez took to the mound this past summer and showed an advanced knowledge of how to pitch given his inexperience. The move was made thanks to a free and easy arm action, as he throws with minimal effort on a natural downhill plane. Built strong an compact at 5-foot-11, 210-pounds, Menendez fastball sat in the 89-92 mph range while touching 93 at times. While hi secondary pitches need work, his changeup showed the most promise, thrown in the upper-70s with late dive when it was at its best. He also throws both a splitter and a slider.
4. Marco Quintanar, lhp, Arroyo Seco (Glendale College/SO in 2017)
A 6-foot, 205-pound lefty, Quintanar can create an uncomfortable at-bat, particularly for lefthanded hitters, with a lower three-quarters delivery and a hard-tailing two-seam fastball thrown in the mid- to upper-80s. He also throws a slider, giving him a sinker/slider profile, as he does a good job working the bottom of the strike zone. He could progress at the next level as a lefthanded specialist.
5. James Smith, of, So Cal (Central Washington/JR in 2017)
Smith is a big, physical righthanded hitting outfielder listed at 6-foot-2, 210-pounds, giving him intriguing power potential as he continues to develop his swing. He quickly passes the eye test physicially, and while he did walk more than he struck out (12 to 11 in 22 games) he will need to develop his plate discipline to fully tap into his offensive potential. He hit .301 on the summer and 12 of his 22 hits went for extra bases (nine doubles, three home runs) after hitting .186 in limited duty during the spring for Central Washington (Division II).