DRAFT NOTEBOOK
May 11, 2006
By David Rawnsley
Derrick Robinson of P.K. Younge HS (FL) has long been known as the fastest player in the 2006 draft. Robinson has also solidified his standing this spring as a potential top round pick by impressing scouts enough with his switch-hitting ability that they think he’ll be able to use his speed as more than just a side show.
A contender has arisen for both Robinson’s speed title and perhaps the distinction as the first true speed player to be drafted out of the high school ranks.
Lee Haydel of Riverside Academy (LA) has a sprinter’s build at 6-1, 170 lbs, with long arms and legs, a high waist and long, powerful strides. He’s a left handed hitter whose scouting report is remarkably similar to Robinson’s.
One veteran Louisiana scout summarized Haydel, “His arm is probably a 55/60 (on the 20-80 scale) and he can obviously go get it in the outfield. He’s 3.93 to 4.08 every time down to first base and I don’t know what he runs the 60 in but it has to be around a 6.3. He’s not going to drive the ball with the bat, but he has a good swing and can make solid contact. He's got plus, plus makeup as well.”
To say that Haydel has been busy this spring would be an understatement. He’s led Riverside Academy into the Louisiana State 2A baseball finals, which were to be held on Wednesday, May 10. Haydel has also been running track, where he has qualified for the state meet in the 100 and 200 while also registering top distances in the triple jump.
Another scout said, “Haydel might be one of those kids who is far better off in pro ball even though he might struggle with the bat at first. If he goes to LSU, where they need to win right now, he might have to red shirt one year, then maybe spend another year getting stronger. He could have 1000 at bats in pro ball by the time he gets 100 in college.”
Haydel looks like a potential 2nd-3rd round pick at this point.
Hot Prospects in New Jersey
Bishop Eustace HS (NJ) SS Billy Rowell has put himself in position to potentially become the first high school position player drafted. A 6-5, 200 lb left handed hitting shortstop, Rowell has tremendous bat speed and power potential. His athletic ability is such that scouts don’t automatically project him over to third base despite his size. The thought of a power hitting 6-5 left handed hitting shortstop is too exciting to jump to any conclusions about the future that aren’t obvious yet.
Rowell and three other New Jersey high school prospects have benefited from a unique arrangement that enables scouting directors and cross checkers to see them play under a controlled environment on Sundays, an environment where they will see strikes from competitive pitching (something Rowell definitely has not been seeing for his high school) and be available for workouts and one on one discussion. Sundays are typically slow days for finding premium games.
Rowell, OF Ryan Kalish, OF Tim Fedroff and C Mike Murray come to the Jack Cust School of Baseball each Sunday and bat 1-4 in what are essentially pick up games with other area high school players. The facility has a full indoor field, so weather conditions are not a factor, guaranteeing scouts will see what they’ve come to see.
The facility is run by Jack Cust Sr. If the Cust name is familiar, it’s not surprising. His son Jack Jr. was a first round draft pick in 1997 and has got Major League time with Arizona, Colorado and Baltimore and is currently tearing up AAA in the Padres organization. Two other Cust boys, Mike and Kevin, were also draft picks.
The gatherings aren't just Sunday's with Rowell. Kalish is getting attention in the top couple of rounds from many teams. Fedroff and Murray have top 5 round talent in some scout’s opinions but their scholarships to North Carolina and Wake Forest, respectively, might complicate things come draft day.
Draft Notes
-- The big matchup this coming weekend in the high school ranks will be Highland Park LHP Clayton Kershaw going up against Hillcrest’s OF Matt Sulentic in Texas playoff action. Kershaw, the country’s top left handed pitcher, is coming off a strained oblique muscle and teams with one of the top 15 picks will be wanting to see if he’s healthy. Sulentic has been perhaps the hottest hitter in the country all spring in terms of performance and has raised his stock into potential top 3 round territory.
-- Kershaw’s primary competition for top high school pitcher, fellow Texan Kyle Drabek, turned in a typical Drabek performance last Friday: Three innings in relief, 94-97 mph, not a pitch under 94, plus big league curveball.
-- Allan Simpson’s last Draft Watch column mentioned many draft eligible sophomores and how that demographic is difficult to judge. The University of Nebraska has an interesting situation with that; four of their top players are draft eligible sophomores. SS Ryan Wehrle and LHP Tony Watson are well known to scouts from the past. But OF’s Andy Gerch and Bryce Nimmo have just climbed strongly onto the radar, Gerch coming off an injury and the death of his father to regain playing time and Nimmo, a rare prospect from Wyoming, because of his speed and strong play in centerfield.
“It’s a strange situation,” an area scout said. “There’s sort of a hush over the whole program when it comes to those players. Not even my cross checkers seem to want to talk about it.”
Wehrle and Watson project as potential Top 5 round picks, so someone will have to start talking about it more openly soon.
-- The Florida State High School All-Star Game is scheduled for the May 25-27. As usual, the event will be held in Sebring, a small citrus industry town geographically centered in the middle of the state. For a combination of political intrigue in getting the right players on the rosters between the scouts and coaches and for the level of talent on display, there are few events in high school baseball that match this event.
-- Despite some team’s open disdain for the process, plus the shortening of the draft to 50 rounds, the Draft and Follow process is alive and well. If you weren’t sure of that, all you need to do is look at the San Jacinto North JC roster. San Jac, located on the near east side of Houston, boasts 18 players who are under control from the 2005 draft, plus a couple of other players who have been previously drafted, attended 4 year schools, then transferred to San Jac.
Ironically, perhaps the 2 top prospects on the team aren’t under control. Freshman RHP Casey Beck is San Jac’s closer and has been up to 95-96 mph with an 88 mph slider this spring. Sophomore SS Brandon Hicks is a rangy 6-2 defensive whiz who has signed to go to Texas A&M.
Roger Clemens and Andy Pettite are among the numerous San Jac alumni who have ended up in the Big Leagues. Rice coach Wayne Graham lead San Jac to multiple national championships in the 1980’s and 1990’s.