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.

Jon Denney | C

Background
A star at Yukon High School in the suburbs of Oklahoma City, Denney created a ton of buzz and stood out during various showcase events last summer. He is committed to Arkansas.

Scouting Report
Listed at 6-foot-2 and 205 lbs, Denney has one of those rare pretty right-handed swings. He has a simple setup and a balanced swing through the zone, showing more than enough bat speed and strength to hit for both average and power. Denney is an aggressive hitter and will need to show more patience against better pitching. Behind the plate, he offers a strong and accurate arm but not much in terms of receiving and footwork. He’s a good but not great athlete, and Denney’s bat is good enough to carry him if he winds up moving to first base or left field. There are a bunch more video on YouTube.

Miscellany
Keith Law (subs. req’d) and Baseball America ranked Denney as the 22nd and 23rd best prospect in the draft in their latest rankings, so they’re in agreement that he’s a back-half of the first round guy right now. Denney had a chance to play his way into top-ten consideration before struggling in front of some serious heat during an event in Arizona in March. The Yankees have been connected to the backstop recently and he fits their profile to a tee as an offense-minded catcher. They hoard those guys.