The 2012 amateur draft starts tonight, so I’m going to highlight some last-minute prospects individually rather than lump them together into larger posts.

Ty Buttrey | RHP

Background
Hailing from Providence High School in Charlotte, Buttrey was used quite heavily this spring and often pitched out of the bullpen between starts. He’s committed to Arkansas.

Scouting Report
Big and strong at 6-foot-5 and 205 lbs., Buttrey usually sits in the mid-90s with his heater but was more 90-92 this spring due to the workload. His top secondary offering is a knockout power curve in the upper-70s, plus he also throws a changeup that is better than what you’ll usually find in the prep ranks. Despite a big leg kick and a powerful delivery, his command is fine. Buttrey is considered to have strong makeup and has the reputation of being a very quick worker on the mound. A “get the ball and throw it” kinda guy. It’s worth mentioning that he’s already 19 and is one of the oldest high schooler players in this year’s draft.

Miscellany
Keith Law (#34), MLB.com (#35), Baseball America (#38) all have Buttrey in the mix for the end of the first round/early-sandwich round in their latest rankings. Baseball America also said he’s been on the Yankees’ first round radar — they pick 30th overall — in their last two mock drafts as part of that interesting group of late-first round prep right-handers. Buttrey’s workload this spring is a bit of a red flag but there’s really nothing you can do about that. If anything, that workload might benefit the Yankees because had his stuff played up to its usual standards this spring, he might have been in the mix for a top-ten pick.