| By Jason A. Churchill |  | By 05-28-2011 |
I didn't update the Northwest Top 10 during draft weekly Thursday, mostly because I was planning on seeing a few of them this weekend and could use the fresh look.
So, here goes, with a bonus two.
1. Andrew Susac, C -- Oregon State
Susac is the top catcher in the class, college or prep, especially considering the unknown surrounding Cleveland HS (NM) star Blake Swihart and the signability concerns with UCLA commit Austin Hedges. It'd be a bit of a surprise if Susac lasted beyond the first round and a shocker if he got past the Chicago White Sox at No. 47.
1. Tyler Anderson, LHP -- Oregon
Anderson is a potential first-round pick but with a limited upside and is probably only firmly in that conversation due to signability -- he, like most, or nearly all college juniors that are drafted in round 1 will sign on the dotted line for the best offer made around slot.
3. Josh Osich, LHP -- Oregon State
Osich has had his ups and downs this season after having elbow surgery and missing all of 2010. He's a fourth-year junior and considered another very signable player that could sneak into the top 40. The Rangers, Braves, Blue Jays and Rays are linked to him pretty strongly.
4. Blake Snell, LHP -- Shorewood HS (Wash.)
Snell was a bit disappointing in April, sitting 85-88 for me twice after touching 92 last summer. He's tall and lean and projectable, so he remained on the radar. I saw him Friday and he was up to 90 with pitches 82, 84 and 85, and touched 92. He hit 94 last week, and has moved up the charts of late, regaining the crown of top prep prospect in the area. A full, final scouting report will up at ESPN soon.
5. Kevin Moriarty, RHP -- Shorewood HS (Wash.)
Moriarty had been the buzz but his ranking slides some because he's considered a very tough sign. He'll likely play at Gonzaga next year and hit the draft again in 2014.
6. Dylan Davis, RHP -- Redmond HS (Wash.)
Davis is likely headed to Oregon State after struggling with command most of the spring. He touched 96 on my gun, but didn't throw strikes much and his breaking ball was inconsistent. Could be a first-day pick in a couple of years.
7. Adam Conley, LHP -- Washington State
Conley's slider is at best a 40 on the 20-80 scouting scale but he's usually 90-94 and has hit 97 early in starts this spring. He'll go in the first five rounds because of the velocity, but he might be a reliever, limiting his upside.
8. Ryan Carpenter, LHP -- Gonzaga
Carpenter has better secondary stuff but has yet to find the tweak that unleashes more velocity. He lacks ideal command for a command-and-feel left-hander and a team that drafts him early on Day 2 will hope they can find that magic adjustment that gets the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Carpenter consistently into the low 90s with his fastball. As is, he typically sits 86-89 and with a fringe breaking ball and change.
9. Cole Wiper, RHP -- Newport HS (Wash.)
Wiper might be better off going to school and clubs don't seem to be on him in the first four or five rounds, so the money isn't likely to be good enough to get him to forego college, but he's signable if someone wants that.
10. Madison Boer, RHP -- Oregon
Could move quickly in a relief role with a fastball-splitter combo and especially if his 89-93 mph fastball ticks up. But there's enough reason to believe in him as a starter, including his 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame. He could fit in Seattle at No. 62.
11. Michael Conforto, 3B -- Redmond HS (Wash.)
Like teammate Davis, Conforto is committed to Oregon State and is believed to want more money than his talent suggests he's worth at this stage. For me he's a player without a position. He played shortstop a lot when I saw him and the bat wasn't special. If he settled in at third base and showed a better hit tool, he might be a second or third round pick in 2014.
12. Trevor Mistui, 1B -- Shorewood HS (Wash.)
Mitsui entered play Friday hitting .712/.859/1.653 with 13 homers and 36 intentional walks. He appeared pull happy as he singled three times in the semifinal, but apparently has been balanced and showed plate coverage this season. He's 6-foot-4 in 230 pounds and shows tremendous power from the right side. He's believed to want six figures, prompting talk that he should go to school. If he does, UW will get a power bat to go with Jake Lamb next year. Fun.
northwest-draft-prospects
Comments
The following 6 comment(s) for this article are shown below:
| 1. By: hayden.wieck on 05-28-2011 00:38:36 Mr. Churchill i know this question is a year out but where would you project Lamb to go roughly in next years draft assuming he progresses at an expected rate? Are top two rounds within question? |
| 2. By: Jason A. Churchill on 05-28-2011 03:24:04 That depends on the depth of next year's class, hayden. I would say probably not at this point, but I will see more of him next spring when it matters most. He's not as athletic as I'd hoped and his swing a bit lengthy. But we're a year out, so we'll see. |
| 3. By: maqman on 05-28-2011 11:31:36 Hi Jason, this is a bit off-topic but I'm wondering what you make of Rendon starting games a 2B. |
| 4. By: bcsimons on 05-28-2011 17:52:45 Hey Jason, just wonering what you think of the Josh Bell news. How far do you think he drops? Would he be worth taking a chance at 62, if he were to somehow drop that far? |
| 5. By: Lefty on 05-29-2011 08:28:50 I thought Kevin Moriarty of Shorewood was a Gonzaga commit. Has he switched? I've had the new experience of seeing all of the scouts at Shorewood games when Snell pitches. A question Jason, after a game when a fan asks one of these scouts about a player, i.e. how hard was Snell throwing, are their answers believable or is there some reason they would give out false gun readings. We've been hearing low 90's, up to 94, for the past month. Thanks. |
| 6. By: Jason A. Churchill on 05-29-2011 09:22:55 No, he's a Zaga guy. Got caught up in all the Oregon talk! Bcsimons, It would not prevent me from drafting him, same for Starling, if I believe they are worth the money. It may cost more to get them, but it absolutely would not deter me from drafting them. These players stand to lose significant dollars by going to school and coming out again in three years. If Bell is, say, the 16th pick and LA offers him $3.5 million, to get more than that in three years he'd have to do each of the following to even smell that number in 2014: 1. Perform very, very well at Texas 2. Not get hurt 3. Get drafted in the top 3 Much better off signing now, and it's not even close. |
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