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 Boldt | OF

Background
Born and raised about 50 miles outside of Minneapolis, Boldt stars for Red Wing High School and has an impressive track record at showcase events. He suffered a bone bruise in his right knee while running down a fly ball late last month, and although he has yet to get back onto the field, Boldt has resumed working out and an MRI showed no significant damage. He’s committed to Nebraska.

Scouting Report
A physical specimen listed at 6-foot-1 and 190 lbs., Boldt is a top notch athlete who shows potential above-average tools across the board but no elite carrying tool. He makes consistent hard contact from the left side because he waits well on pitches and can keep the barrel of the bat in the hitting zone for a long time. The swing is gearing for slashing line drives to all fields and not so much power, but he is strong enough to hit the ball out of the park. Boldt runs very well and is a true center fielder with a strong throwing arm. His work ethic and makeup draw rave reviews, and it’s evidenced in the work he did to learn to throw right-handed after tests found growth plate damage in his left shoulder during his Little League days. There are a few more videos at YouTube.

Miscellany
Keith Law (subs. req’d) and Baseball America (subs. req’d) ranked Boldt as the 13th and 22nd best prospect in the draft class in their latest rankings, respectively, but that was before the knee injury. His high school season didn’t start until last month either, so scouts have had a very limited look at him this spring. Cold weather guys always get the short-end of the scouting stick, but Boldt has been a regular on the showcase circuit and he won’t really sneak up on anyone. He fits the Yankees’ typical position player profile as a super-toolsy athlete at an up-the-middle position, so he certainly looks like someone the team could target with one of their early picks (26th, 32nd, 33rd) if the knee injury and lack of spring exposure cause him to fall.