DELAWARE/MARYLAND/WEST VIRGINIA/WASHINGTON DC 

2007 FOLLOW LIST  

OVERVIEW: The presence ofMaryland lefthander Brett Cecil, a possible late first-rounder, raises the bar a full grade to average overall, but this area is not expected to produce much else in the early rounds of the draft. Injury concerns, unfulfilled expectations and college commitments are expected to deplete the ranks.

Righthander Mitch Harris warrants being selected much higher than he’ll be drafted—if he’s drafted at all—as his commitment to the Naval Academy makes him one of the most unsignable players in the entire draft. Many of the top high school players in the area are also risky selections, as their talent in most cases won’t warrant being bought out of their college commitments.

STRENGTH: College pitchers.
WEAKNESS: High-school position players.
OVERALL RATING (1-to-5 scale): 3.

Best Out-of-State Prospect, Delaware/Maryland/West Virginia/Washington, D.C.: Enrique Garcia, rhp, U. of Miami (Attended junior college at Potomac State, W.Va., JC).
Top 2008 Prospect: L.J. Hoes, of, St. John’s College Prep, Washington, D.C.

Highest Pick, Draft History/Delaware: Derrick May, of, Newark HS (1986, Cubs/1^st round, 9^th pick). Highest Pick, Draft History/Maryland: Harold Baines, of, St. Michaels HS (1977, White Sox/1^st round, 1^st pick). Highest Pick, Draft History/West Virginia: Chris Enochs, rhp, West Virginia U. (1977, Athletics/1^st round, 11^th pick).

Highest Pick, 2006 Draft/Delaware: Todd Davison, ss, U. of Delaware (Orioles, 19^th round). Highest Pick, 2006 Draft/Maryland: Matt Sweeney, c, Magruder HS, Rockville (Angels, 8^th round). Highest Pick, 2006 Draft/West Virginia: David Carpenter, c, West Virginia U. (Cardinals, 12^th round).

Best College Team: Delaware .
Best Junior College Team: Potomac State (W.Va. ) JC.
Best High School Team: Calvert Hall HS, Baltimore.

TOP 15 PROSPECTS / By Allan Simpson

GROUPS (College, Junior College, High School)
      1   High-round draft (Rounds 1-3)
      2   Mid-round draft (Rounds 4-10)
      3   Late-round draft (Rounds 11-25)
      4   Chance draft / Player to follow

GROUP ONE
Rank  Player                                  Pos.       Yr     B-T      HT     WT     School                              Hometown                 Drafted/(Commit) B’date
     1.   Brett Cecil                           LHP      Jr.     R-L     6-3     225     U. of Maryland                 Dunkirk                        Never drafted   7-2-86
SCOUTING REPORT: Cecil saved a school record 13 games in 2006 at Maryland and went on to have a breakout summer in the Cape Cod League, saving 11 more and striking out 40 in 29 innings. His stuff was electric, as his fastball topped at 95 mph and his slider was a nasty mid-80s offering. When the big lefthander lost weight in the fall and toned up what had been a soft body, all the pieces fell into place for Cecil to become a first-round pick this year and a durable, front-line closer in the future. His stock continued to inch up early in the season as he showed excellent command of his pitches to both sides of the plate, and there was talk at the time he could be one of the first players from this draft to reach the big leagues. But his command began to waver and he lost some of the zip on his fastball, and his support as a possible mid first-rounder began to erode. In late April, when Maryland was blown out of the first two games of an ACC series, preventing Cecil from closing in a meaningful situation, it was decided to start him in the final game of the series. It was also an opportunity to showcase the two other pitches in his arsenal, a curve and a split-finger changeup, that he rarely used as a closer. He made only two starts on the season, while going 5-6, 3.32 with eight saves and 62 strikeouts in 62 innings, but suddenly scouts began to look at Cecil in a different light—as a potential No. 3 starter in a big league rotation capable of logging a heavy workload.