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| 2004 AFLAC ALL-AMERICAN GAME |
| Tuesday August 5, 2008 |
The Aflac All-American Game will be held at Los
Angeles’ Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 9. This is the sixth edition of
baseball’s premier high school All-American event and Perfect Game has been in
charge of selecting the players to be honored since the event’s inception.
The Perfect Game and Aflac All-American websites frequently make note of how
many Aflac All-Americans are drafted in the first round and where they are
drafted in total. The number of first rounders is amazing considering that the
players are chosen for the team 11-14 months in advance of becoming eligible
for the draft.
We thought we’d take it a step further and look at who were the top 10
prospects in present-day terms from each of the five previous Aflac
All-American teams.
The 2004 Aflac Game/2005 draft class stood out for their incredible outfield
talent. Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton has disappointed no one
since being the first pick in the 2005 draft and was in the majors in 2007,
when still a teenager.
The first four high school picks in 2005 were all outfielders, with Upton
followed by Cameron Maybin (Tigers, since traded to Marlins), Andrew McCutchen
(Pirates) and Jay Bruce (Reds). Colby Rasmus (Cardinals) was picked later in
the first round and John Drennan (Indians) early in the compensation round.
Austin Jackson (Yankees) slipped all the way to the eighth round due to
signability concerns (he could have gone to Georgia Tech to play basketball)
but had definite first-round ability.
The Marlins certainly appreciate the 2004 Aflac All-American class. Of the four
players who have reached the major leagues, three (Maybin while with Detroit;
RHP Chris Volstad and RHP Ryan Tucker) play for the Marlins. In all, the
Marlins had two first-round picks, three supplemental first-round selections
and two second-round choices in the 2005 draft.
The obvious oversight from the 2004 Aflac All-American team was Houston area
outfielder Jay Bruce. Bruce and Rasmus were two of the top players at the 2004
World Wood Bat Association fall championship in Jupiter, Fla., in the fall
after the Aflac team was selected (Rasmus was named MVP of that tournament), so
it was just a matter of timing as to when they were acknowledged among the
country’s top prospects
Here’s a quick look at the players from the 2004 Aflac All-American Game who
have performed best to date:
|
| Rank |
Player |
Pos. |
Drafted '05 (Round) |
2008 Level |
| 1 |
Justin Upton |
OF |
Diamondbacks (1) |
Majors |
| |
.242-11-38; No. 1 overall pick in 2005; still 20 years old, future
all-star. |
| 2 |
Chris Volstad |
RHP |
Marlins (1) |
Majors |
| |
2-1, 2.38; big 6-foot-8 righthander has had immediate success in
his major league debut. |
| 3 |
Ryan Tucker |
RHP |
Marlins (1) |
Majors |
| |
4-2, 1.38 in AA, 2-3, 8.39 in majors; likely to be converted to the
bullpen. |
| 4 |
Cameron Maybin |
OF |
Tigers (1) |
Double-A (Marlins) |
| |
.264-12-38, 17 SBs in AA; huge tools, Marlins will be patient with
him. |
| 5 |
Andrew McCutcheon |
OF |
Pirates (1) |
Triple-A |
| |
.276-9-40, 27 SBs, Pirates CF of the future and the future is soon. |
| 6 |
Jeremy Hellickson |
RHP |
Rays (4) |
Double-A |
| |
8-4, 2.67 between A/AA; 10/118 BB:SO ratio is incredible for a
power pitcher. |
| 7 |
Austin Jackson |
OF |
Yankees (8) |
Double-A |
| |
.289-9-57, 15 SB; huge athletic tools and Yankees unlikely to deal
him. |
| 8 |
Sean O’Sullivan |
RHP |
Angels (3) |
High A |
| |
13-4, 4.63; among minor league leaders in wins. |
| 9 |
P.J. Phillips |
SS |
Royals (2) |
High A |
| |
.270-8-47, 30 SB; Brandon’s little brother has big league tools,
too. |
| 10 |
*Buster Posey |
C |
Angels ’05 (50) |
Unsigned |
| |
.463-26-93 at Florida State; 2008 College Player of the Year. |
|
|
|
| High School National Rankings |
| |
| Class of 2009 |
| Top
10, Class of 2009 |
 |
| #1 - Matthew Purke |
| LHP |
| 6-3 170 |
| Spring, TX |
| Class of 2009 |
|
| Top
10, Class of 2009 |
 |
| #2 - Tyler Matzek |
| LHP |
| 6-3 185 |
| Mission Viejo, CA |
| Class of 2009 |
|
| Top
10, Class of 2009 |
 |
| #3 - Donavan Tate |
| OF |
| 6-3 200 |
| Cartersville, GA |
| Class of 2009 |
|
| Top
10, Class of 2009 |
 |
| #4 - Mychal Givens |
| SS/P |
| 6-2 185 |
| Tampa, FL |
| Class of 2009 |
|
| Top
10, Class of 2009 |
 |
| #5 - Jacob Turner |
| RHP |
| 6-4 205 |
| St. Charles, MO |
| Class of 2009 |
|
| Top
10, Class of 2009 |
 |
| #6 - Austin Maddox |
| C/P |
| 6-3 220 |
| Jacksonville, FL |
| Class of 2009 |
|
| Top
10, Class of 2009 |
 |
| #7 - Luke Bailey |
| C |
| 6-0 195 |
| LaGrange, GA |
| Class of 2009 |
|
| Top
10, Class of 2009 |
 |
| #8 - Chad Thompson |
| RHP |
| 6-8 215 |
| Trabuco Canyon, CA |
| Class of 2009 |
|
| Top
10, Class of 2009 |
 |
| #9 - Max Stassi |
| C |
| 5-10 187 |
| Yuba City, CA |
| Class of 2009 |
|
| Top
10, Class of 2009 |
 |
| #10 - Zach Wheeler |
| RHP |
| 6-4 180 |
| Dallas, GA |
| Class of 2009 |
|
|
|
| |
| The Latest 2009 Rankings Released |
| 6/29/2008 at 8:00pm |
| |
The 2008 Perfect Game National Showcase is over. The 2008
USA Tournament of Stars is over. Many of the 2008 Area Code Tryouts are over.
The 2008 Aflac All Americans have been selected. The big PG WWBA events are
about to start and the first PGCrosschecker 2009 draft eligible player rankings
have been updated.
The rankings include 700 high school players from the draft class of 2009. This
list will change many times before next June’s MLB Draft. Many of these players
will sign with top college programs this November. Some have already made
verbal commitments to national power programs. There will be many new names pop
up on the list over the year with the goal being to have as accurate a list as
possible by next June.
Being nearly a full year away from next June we understand that many
outstanding prospects are not yet on the pgcrosschecker list. If you feel
someone very deserving should be listed feel free to contact Perfect Game with
your suggestions: pgstaff@perfectgame.org
Read more ....
|
| HS Class of 2009: Top 700 Prospects Updated:
6/29/08 8:00pm |
Top 700 2009 High School Prospects  Updated:
6/29/08 8:00pm
|
| 2009 Prospects - State By State Updated:
6/29/08 8:00pm
|
| 2009 Prospects - State By State Rankings Updated:
6/29/08 8:00pm
|
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