The 2013 amateur draft will be held from June 6-8 this year, and between now and then I’m going to highlight some prospects individually rather than lump them together into larger posts.

Tom Windle | LHP

Background
A Minnesota kid who turned down the White Sox as 28th round pick in 2010, Windle pitched to a 2.41 ERA with 72/28 K/BB in 82 mostly relief innings for the University of Minnesota during his first two years on campus. He shined as a starter in the Cape Cod League last summer, and this spring he has 1.76 ERA with 78 strikeouts and 23 walks in 81.2 innings as a starter for the Gophers. Windle threw the school’s first nine-inning no-hitter back in March.

Scouting Report
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 lbs., Windle is a three-pitch left-hander with varying reports on his secondary stuff. His fastball sits in the 88-93 mph range as a starter and closer to 94-95 mph out of the bullpen. Depending on the day, his low-80s slider and low-80s changeup will look like out pitches or inconsistent works in progress. Windle has athleticism but he doesn’t use his lower half well, plus his delivery has some recoil. His future could lie in the bullpen even though his command is solid. There are plenty more videos on YouTube.

Miscellany
Baseball America and Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranked Windle as the 46th and 60th best prospect in their draft in their latest rankings, respectively. Even though he doesn’t have much (if any) physical projection remaining, Windle offers quite a bit of upside if he can iron out his offspeed pitches and pair both with his fastball on an every-start basis. The fallback option is a lefty reliever who might be something more than a specialist because of the changeup. The Yankees have made it clear they value strong performance on the Cape, the premium wood bat collegiate league, so Windle is very likely on their radar.

The 2013 amateur draft will be held from June 6-8 this year, and between now and then I’m going to highlight some prospects individually rather than lump them together into larger posts.

(ECCC Baseball)

Tim Anderson | SS

Background
Primarily a basketball player at Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa, Anderson went undrafted in 2011 and headed to East Central Community College in Mississippi. He came into the weekend hitting .503/.564/.911 with nine homers and 36 steals in 45 games this spring, and he’s committed to attend the University of Alabama at Birmingham next year.

Scouting Report
Listed at 6-foot-1 and 175 lbs., Anderson is an excellent athlete whose best present tool is his speed. He has bat speed and a level swing from the right side, but he doesn’t use his lower half well and hasn’t shown much power. He’s basically a slap hitter at this point. Defensively, Anderson is one of the few players in this draft with a legitimate chance to remain at shortstop long-term thanks to his quick feet and reactions. His arm leaves something to be desired and his overall game is raw for a college sophomore because he’s only been playing baseball full-time for two years. The speed, swing, and pure athleticism point to a very high ceiling but also a lot of risk.

Miscellany
Baseball America (subs. req’d) and Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranked Anderson as the 34th and 43rd best prospect in the draft in their latest rankings, respectively. The Yankees love those toolsy up-the-middle athletes, so Anderson is right up their alley. He needs a lot of work and won’t climb the ladder all that quickly despite being two years removed from high school, so it’s fair to consider him a project. The athleticism will get him drafted early despite that lack or refinement, and the Yankees have three picks right at the end of the first round (26th, 32nd, 33rd).

The 2013 amateur draft will be held from June 6-8 this year, and between now and then I’m going to highlight some prospects individually rather than lump them together into larger posts.

Phil Ervin | OF

Background
Ervin was a three-sport athlete who played for state championship football and baseball teams at Leroy High School in rural Alabama, about an hour north of Mobile. He went undrafted in 2010 because he tore a knee ligament his senior year and didn’t play much, which landed him at Samford. Ervin has hit .339/.456/.637 with eleven homers and 13 stolen bases this spring after putting up a .347/.421/.518 line with 14 homers and 23 steals during his first two years on campus.

Scouting Report
Listed at 5-foot-11 and 190 lbs., Ervin is more of a safe college bat than a toolsy upside type. He has a real quick and compact right-handed swing that allows him to get the fat part of the bat on the ball and make hard contact consistently. Some excess pre-swing movement has hindered his ability to catch up to good fastballs. Ervin is just an okay runner who is likely to wind up moving to corner outfield spot down the line. He does some pitching for the Bulldogs and has a strong arm, and he fared well against high-end pitching in the Cape Cod League last summer. There are some more videos on YouTube.

Miscellany
Baseball America (subs. req’d) and Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranked Ervin as the 19th and 50th best draft prospect in their latest rankings, respectively, so there’s a definite split of opinions. Kiley McDaniel recently reported the Yankees are “heavy” on Ervin late in the first round, when they have three picks (26th, 32nd, 33rd). Premium college performance guys are always highly valued but there isn’t a ton of upside here. Ervin is a righty hitting corner outfielder without any projection left in his small frame, and frankly that does not jibe with what Damon Oppenheimer has done with his early draft picks over the years.