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2013 Draft: Hunter Green

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The 2013 amateur draft is less than one week away, so between now and then I’m going to highlight some prospects individually rather than lump them together into larger posts.

Hunter Green | LHP

Background
Green is a Kentucky kid who attends Warren East High School in Bowling Green. He led the Raiders to a regional championship as a sophomore and is committed to Kentucky.

Scouting Report
Listed at a very projectable 6-foot-4 and 180 lbs., Green has been inconsistent this spring but has looked like a slam-dunk first rounder at times. His fastball has run anywhere from 87-95 as a senior, and he’s settled into the 90-93 mph range as the weather warmed up in the recent weeks. A low-80s changeup is his top secondary offering and advanced for a high schooler, but his slurvy upper-70s breaking ball is still trying to decide if it wants to be a curveball or slider. When he stays on top of the ball, its a downer curve that misses bats. Green needs to iron out his command and mechanics, but he gets good extension from a low three-quarters arm slot. There’s some more video on YouTube.

Miscellany
Baseball America and Keith Law (subs. req’d) rank Green as the 31st and 51st best prospect in the draft in their latest rankings, respectively. In his latest mock draft, Law mentioned the southpaw is one of several prep pitchers the Yankees are looking at for one of their three first round picks (26th, 32nd, 33rd). Green is a classic high-risk, high-reward pitcher with a big projectable frame and promising but raw stuff. He’s done his best work in the recent weeks leading up to the draft, so there’s some helium as well.

2013 Draft: MLB.com’s Mock Draft v2.0

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In his second mock draft, MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo has the Astros taking Oklahoma RHP Jonathan Gray with the first overall pick in next week’s draft. Stanford RHP Mark Appel and San Diego 3B Kris Bryant fall into place and go second and third to the Cubs and Rockies, respectively.

Mayo projects the Yankees to take Stanford OF Austin Wilson (26th), New Jersey HS LHP Rob Kaminsky (32nd), and Oklahoma HS C Jon Denney (33rd) with their three first round picks. The Yankees have been connected to all three guys in recent weeks, and you can click the links for my write-ups. I don’t love Wilson, but that would be a pretty great haul in the first round. Three real high upside guys including a sorely needed left-hander.

Other Mock Drafts: Baseball America (v1.0, v2.0, 3.0) Keith Law (v1.0, v2.0), and MLB.com (v1.0).

2013 Draft: Kyle Serrano

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The 2013 amateur draft is less than one week away, so between now and then I’m going to highlight some prospects individually rather than lump them together into larger posts.

Kyle Serrano | RHP

Background
Serrano attends Farragut High School in the Knoxville suburbs. His father Dave is a long-time college head and pitching coach who currently calls the shots at Tennessee after stints at UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton. Kyle missed most of his junior year with a cracked rib and is committed to (you guessed it) Tennessee.

Scouting Report
Listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 lbs., Serrano broke out in a huge way this spring. He generates easy 90-94 mph velocity with a clean and compact delivery that he repeats very well. An upper-70s/low-80s power curveball is a true out pitch for him, with a sharp bite and hard finish at the bottom of the zone. It’s one of the best breaking balls in the entire draft, college or high school. Serrano also throws a very advanced changeup, especially compared to other high schoolers. That isn’t much of a surprise given his father’s reputation for teaching the pitch. He throws strikes and has now stuff, so the only real knock on Serrano is his size. That frame doesn’t lend itself to much projection.

Miscellany
Keith Law (subs. req’d) and Baseball America ranked Serrano at the 21st and 35th best prospect in the draft class, respectively. For what it’s worth, Law said Serrano is one of several prep pitchers the Yankees are monitoring in his latest mock draft. They have three first round picks (26th, 32nd, 33rd) and plenty of draft pool money to throw around. Serrano was considered unsignable coming into the year, but his stuff now lines up with his asking price and he seems likely to turn pro if drafted high enough. There’s an awful lot to like here — growing up around the game at a reasonably high level should make adjusting to pro ball less of a concern — even though 6-foot-1 righties usually aren’t a popular demographic.

2013 Draft: Baseball America’s Mock Draft v3.0

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In his third mock draft, Baseball America’s Jim Calls has the Astros taking Oklahoma RHP Jonathan Gray with the first overall pick. The mock draft is free for all, you don’t need a subscription. The Cubs and Rockies are projected to take Stanford RHP Mark Appel and San Diego 3B Kris Bryant with the second and third overall picks, respectively.

With their three first rounders, Callis have the Yankees selecting Notre Dame 3B Eric Jagielo (26th), New Jersey HS LHP Rob Kaminsky (32nd), and Oklahoma HS C Jon Denney (33rd). They’ve been connected to all three players in recent weeks, and you can click the links for my write-ups on all three. Callis notes the Yankees are also interested in Mississippi JuCo LHP Cody Reed, Oklahoma JuCo RHP Teddy Stankiewicz, and North Carolina HS RHP Hunter Harvey.

Other Mock Drafts: Baseball America (v1.0, v2.0) Keith Law (v1.0, v2.0), and MLB.com (v1.0).

2013 Draft: Ryan Eades

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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.

Ryan Eades | RHP

Background
A Louisiana kid from the New Orleans suburb of Slidell, Eades’ late father Ned spend two years as a catcher in the Reds organization during the late-1960s. Ryan missed his junior year at Northshore High School and was limited to first base duties as a senior after having surgery to repair a partially torn labrum, leading him to pass on signing with the Rockies — they took him as a pitcher in the 19th round of the 2010 draft — and instead follow through on his commitment to LSU. He has a 3.55 ERA in three years on campus, but did put up a 2.69 ERA with a 75/27 K/BB in 93.2 innings this spring.

Scouting Report
Listed at 6-foot-3 and 198 lbs., Eades earns much higher grades for his skills than his college performance. He runs his four-seam fastball anywhere from 91-95 mph and will sit a touch below that with the two-seamer. On any given day his upper-70s downer curveball or low-80s changeup will look like his top secondary offering. The changeup is more refined and Eades seems to trust it more, throwing it in any count and to both righties and lefties. His delivery features a high leg kick and very good extension, meaning he releases the ball well out in front of his body like a taller pitcher. Eades throws strikes and draws rave reviews for his work ethic, which helped him come back from the labrum surgery. He’s been perfectly healthy since then, but did get fatigued and fade down the stretch in each of the last two seasons. There are some more videos on YouTube.

Miscellany
Keith Law (subs. req’d) and Baseball America ranked Eades as the 30th and 37th best prospect in the draft class, respectively. For what it’s worth, Law recently said said he gets the sense the Yankees are hoping a top college arm falls into their laps with one of their three first round picks (26th, 32nd, 33rd). Damon Oppenheimer & Co. love players who have had success in the Cape Cod League — Eades won the circuit’s Pitcher of the Year award in the summer of 2011 — and have preferred polish over raw stuff when it comes to college pitchers in recently years, basically since Andrew Brackman busted. Eades could be on their radar as a “safer” play if they shoot for the moon with the other two first rounders.

2013 Draft: Keith Law’s Mock Draft v2.0

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In his latest mock draft (subs. req’d), Keith Law has the Astros taking UNC 3B Colin Moran with the first overall pick in next Thursday’s draft. The idea is Houston would save some draft pool money and then spread it around on later picks. Stanford RHP Mark Appel falls to the Cubs with the second pick while former Yankees draft pick/Oklahoma RHP Jonathan Gray slides to the Indians at five in the projection.

Law has the Yankees selecting Texas HS OF Billy McKinney (26th), Notre Dame 3B Eric Jagielo (32nd), and Tennessee HS RHP Kyle Serrano (33rd) with their three first round picks. Click the links for my write-ups on McKinney and Jagielo. Serrano really blew up this spring, going from afterthought to likely first rounder thanks to mid-90s velocity and two strong offspeed pitches (curveball and changeup). Law hears the Yankees are also in on Stanford OF Austin Wilson, New Jersey HS Rob Kaminsky, JuCo LHP Cody Reed, California HS RHP Phil Bickford, and Kentucky HS LHP Hunter Green. As a long-time supporter of prep prospects, I’m glad to hear them connected to this lot of players.

Other Mock Drafts: Baseball America (v1.0, v2.0) Keith Law (v1.0), and MLB.com (v1.0).

2013 Draft: Aaron Judge

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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.

Aaron Judge | OF

Background
After turning down the Athletics as a 31st round pick out of a California high school in 2010, Judge went on to hit .345/.451/.529 with 18 homers and 36 steals in 169 games across three years for Fresno State. He put up a .369/.461/.655 line with 12 homers and 12 steals in 56 games this spring.

Scouting Report
First things first: Judge is a monster. He’s listed at 6-foot-7 and 255 lbs. on Fresno State’s site, meaning he’s taller than every outfielder in baseball history other than Frank Howard. For what it’s worth, only nine outfielders in history are listed at 6-foot-6 or taller, and four are active: Kyle Blanks, John Mayberry Jr., Giancarlo Stanton, and Corey Hart. He’s enormous, and with that enormous frame comes enormous power. Judge’s batting practice displays rival Stanton’s, though he doesn’t always carry the pop over into games because he sets his hands high and has a hard time getting under the ball to drive it in the air. He’s especially prone to pitches down in the zone. Judge works counts well and will swing-and-miss a bunch, which is to be expected for a power hitter with a strike zone that big. Despite his size, he’s a very good athlete and a quick runner capable of playing center field. He’s expected to shift to right in pro ball, where his strong arm will suit him well. Between the size, speed, and athleticism, Judge is definitely a physical freak. There are plenty more videos available on YouTube.

Miscellany
Keith Law (subs. req’d) and Baseball America ranked Judge as the 17th and 30th best prospect in the draft in their latest rankings, respectively. Right-handed power is hard to find and the Yankees love both up-the-middle athletes and physically huge players (especially pitchers), so Judge seems like someone who would be right up their alley. He offers defensive and base-running value as well, so he’s more than just a meathead masher. Whether the Yankees are willing to use/get a chance to use of their three first round picks (26th, 32nd, 33rd) on him remains to be seen.