DRAFT 2008
Top 10 Rounds

Round 1 Supplemental (Picks 31-46)

MINNESOTA
Rank Player Pos. Class B-T HT WT College Hometown Prev. Drafted B’date
31 Shooter Hunt RHP Jr. R-R 6-3 205 Tulane Wyckoff, N.J. Rangers ’05 (34) 8/16/1986
SCOUTING REPORT (3/1): Hunt has been dominant in the early going for Tulane, raising his draft profile to a potential mid first-round pick. He has showcased three above-average pitches, notably a fastball with tailing and sinking action that has been a steady 92-94 mph. He’s also thrown a 12-to-6 curve at 77-79 and his changeup in the 83-85 range. He gets good rotation on his curve and maintains good arm speed on his change. All his offerings are more refined than in the past and he has worked with more savvy and confidence while showing a greater willingness to challenge hitters. He has a compact, loose, fluid, fast arm action with an aggressive approach to pitching. He repeats his delivery well. His stock for this year’s draft had wavered a bit as he got lost in the shuffle last summer on the Cape Cod League’s best pitching staff after topping the league in strikeouts a year earlier. He went just 2-2, 4.71 with 48 strikeouts in 36 innings for Falmouth, even though his stuff was pretty much the same as 2006. The biggest difference from the summer of 2006, when he went 3-0, 3.38 with 54 strikeouts in 40 innings, to last was the location of his pitches. He lost trust in his stuff and fell behind hitters continually as he nibbled too much to stay away from contact. Hunt has appeared to regain his sophomore mindset at Tulane, where he went 6-6, 2.62 with 104 strikeouts in 100 innings.—ALLAN SIMPSON
UPDATE (5/15): Hunt did everything necessary this spring to make himself a legitimate top-15 pick, possibly top 10, and even may benefit from a late-season injury to Fresno State’s Tanner Scheppers, who appeared to be one slot higher at the very top of the college-righthander preferred list. Hunt consistently showed two plus pitches, with low-90s fastball velocity and one of the best curveballs in college baseball. He rarely uses his changeup but the pitch shows promise. Hunt still suffers from bouts of wildness and issued more walks this spring (51 in 91 innings) than he’d allowed hits, but part of his walk total is simply because he’s so difficult for hitters to make contact off. He had 119 strikeouts during the regular season. There is no reason athletically or with his delivery he can’t cut down his walk totals and pro-pitching coaches will modify his approach with that in mind.—DAVID RAWNSLEY
 
MILWAUKEE
Rank Player Pos. Class B-T HT WT High School Hometown Commitment B’date
32 Jake Odorizzi RHP Sr. R-R 6-2 170 Highland Highland, Ill. Louisville 3/27/1990
SCOUTING REPORT (3/1): Odorizzi is one of the best two-way prospects in the country and could be one of the top “sleepers” this spring as many high-level scouts haven’t seen much of him yet, as either a shortstop or pitcher. Those that have seem to be split on where he projects out the best. In fact, one of the reasons Odorizzi committed to Louisville for college was that he was told he would be able to play both positions for the Cardinals. Odorizzi led all St. Louis area high school players last spring in both wins (11-0, 0.78) and in home runs (.439-13-42, 24 SB). He is also one of the top wide receivers in the area in football, although he missed much of last fall with a sprained knee ligament.—DAVID RAWNSLEY
UPDATE (5/15): Before Missouri righthander Tim Melville’s late resurgence, Odorizzi was regarded as the top high school prospect in the Midwest, and still could be a first-round pick. He was exceptionally consistent with his performance and raw stuff each time out this spring, which is unusual for a high school pitcher that much in the spotlight. Odorizzi worked at 91-94 mph with his live, running fastball every outing and to the sixth or seventh inning each game. He also touched some 95’s late in the spring, a sign that his arm certainly isn’t getting tired. Odorizzi’s 72-74 mph curveball is a solid second pitch, with hard spin and a big sweeping break. Scouts believe that learning a quality slider shouldn’t be a problem, and he occasionally throws one now. The same applies to his changeup, which he doesn’t need at present. Odorizzi’s athletic ability adds to the package, as he is a prospect-level shortstop, as well. Any national player-of-the-year discussion that strongly includes performance has to include Odorizzi. He was 12-0, 0.00 on the mound this spring, allowing only three unearned runs in 76 innings, and he led all St.Louis-area players in home runs (13) and runs scored, while hitting .449-13-38 with 26 stolen bases.—DR
 
NEW YORK-NL
Rank Player Pos. Class B-T HT WT College Hometown Prev. Drafted B’date
33 Brad Holt RHP Jr. R-R 6-4 195 UNC Wilmington Cary, N.C. Never drafted 10/13/1986
SCOUTING REPORT: There were modest expectations for Holt entering this season after he went 5-5, 5.90 with 32 walks and 53 strikeouts in 76 innings as a back-end of the rotation starter in 2007. He was plagued by high pitch counts because of command issues. Working with new Seahawks pitching coach Jason Howell and a plan to develop a more free delivery and not cut himself off with his stride, Holt evolved into a pitcher this season. He threw a lot more strikes while adding more velocity to his fastball. The pitch peaked at 97 mph, and ranged steadily from 92-96 with tailing action. It was a difference-maker in his posting a 10-1, 3.30 record (entering the Colonial Athletic Association tournament) as he routinely threw the pitch 85-90 percent of the time. His command of his fastball was significantly better and it led to him walking just 30 while striking out 92 in 85 innings. His best off-speed pitch is a split-finger changeup, but he rarely throws it or a below-average curveball. He still has plenty of room for improvement in developing his breaking ball and overall command, but improved concentration may be highest on his list of issues to address.—ALLAN SIMPSON
 
PHILADELPHIA
Rank Player Pos. Class B-T HT WT High School Hometown Commitment B’date
34 Zach Collier OF Sr. L-L 6-2 185 Chino Hills Chino Hills, Calif.   9/8/1990
SCOUTING REPORT (3/1): A 6-foot-2, 185-pound lefthanded-hitting outfielder, Collier came on quickly this spring—perhaps faster than any high school player in California. His best tool is his bat. He has a short, sweet, quick, line-drive stroke and squares the ball well. He should develop legit power in the future, but Collier projects out as average to above-average in all tool categories. He is a fringy-plus runner who has the arm and speed to make you believe he could play all three outfield spots. Scouts will be tempted to compare him to Detroit Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson for his overall package. Collier is a very young senior for draft purposes and won’t turn 18 years old until September. Only a fair student, he had not signed with a Division I college as of the early spring.—DAVID RAWNSLEY
UPDATE (5/15): Collier was the fastest riser in the California prep ranks all spring and was talked about as a potential first-rounder by the end of April. His bomb off Long Beach Wilson righthander Aaron Hicks (No. 3 above), one of four hits he had off Hicks that day with droves of scouts in attendance, sent his stock skyrocketing. A good comparison for Collier might be a young Garret Anderson, another SoCal high school outfielder who blossomed late in his senior year in 1990 and was selected in the fourth round on his way to a long career with the Los Angeles Angels.—DR
 
MILWAUKEE
Rank Player Pos. Class B-T HT WT College Hometown Prev. Drafted B’date
35 Evan Fredrickson LHP Jr. L-L 6-6 250 San Francisco Oak Hill, Va. Twins ’05 (27) 9/23/1986
SCOUTING REPORT (3/1): A huge lefthander with an above-average arm, Frederickson is capable of pumping his fastball at a steady 92-94 mph and complementing it with an above-average slider in the low to mid-80s with hard, late bite and depth through the strike zone. But Frederickson will go only as far as his control takes him and his inability to throw a ball over the plate consistently has been a significant issue to this point in his college career. He went just 1-3, 12.96 last summer in the Cal Ripken Sr. League with 16 walks (and also 16 strikeouts) in eight innings of work, a carryover from two undistinguished college seasons at Virginia Tech, where he was a collective 2-4, 5.48 with 78 walks and 68 strikeouts in 57 innings. His control issues have stemmed mainly from his tendency to open his front side early, causing his arm to be late through the slot. Frederickson elected to transfer cross country to San Francisco for his junior year—coincidentally, the same school as summer league teammate Brian Anderson.--ALLAN SIMPSON
UPDATE (5/15): Scouts say Fredrickson has better stuff and a better overall approach to pitching than Aaron Poreda, another huge lefthander who was drafted in the first round out of USF in 2007. Lack of consistency will keep Fredrickson from being drafted as high, though. His fastball touched 95 this spring but was a more consistent 89-93. His slider, more accurately described as a power hybrid slurve, was also a solid second pitch at times. He also mixed in an occasional cutter and changeup. It was initially though that Fredrickson would be used in one- or two-inning stints, but he moved almost immediately into the rotation and was dominant at times, striking out 107 in 75 innings. But he also walked 61 and was just 5-3, 4.54 overall.—AS
 
KANSAS CITY
Rank Player Pos. Class B-T HT WT High School Hometown Commitment B’date
36 Mike Montgomery LHP Sr. L-L 6-5 180 Hart Valencia, Calif. Cal State Fullerton 7/1/1989
SCOUTING REPORT (3/1): Montgomery is a tall, lean, well-proportioned southpaw who is one of the most projectable lefthanders in the country. He has room to carry a lot more weight. His best stuff is still ahead of him, as well, but he already throws in the upper 80s now, touching 91, with good life down in the zone with a hard, sharp curveball. His fastball should touch the low 90s consistently as he gains strength. He uses a changeup well against righthanded hitters and shows a good feel for pitching with all his pitches around the plate. He should develop three solid-average pitches with good coaching and maturity. Over the last two years, he won 11 games and saved four others while striking out 114 in 127 innings. Montgomery is also a top outsider shooter on the Hart High basketball team and led his team in scoring as a junior with 18.8 points per game and in rebounds.—DAVID RAWNSLEY
UPDATE (5/15): Montgomery pitched in the 90s more frequently as the spring progressed and may have surpassed Orange Lutheran righthander Gerrit Cole as the top pitching-only prospect in the California high school ranks. Montgomery is extremely projectable and athletic, and shows three quality pitches from an easy, effort less delivery. California high school hitters had little chance against him, this spring as Montgomery went 7-1, 1.22 with 85 K’s in 57 innings.—DR
 
SAN FRANCISCO
Rank Player Pos. Class B-T HT WT College Hometown Prev. Drafted B’date
37 Conor Gillaspie 3B Jr. L-R 6-1 200 Wichita State Omaha, Neb. Never drafted 7/18/1987
SCOUTING REPORT (3/1): Gillaspie had a solid sophomore season at Wichita State, hitting .325-6-53, but nothing to suggest he would have the breakout summer like he had in the Cape Cod League, where he topped the league in batting (.345), slugging (.673) and extra-base hits (21) on his way to earning league MVP honors. He showed a serious ability to square up balls, gave away few at-bats and took what pitchers gave him, pulling inside pitches and going the other way with pitches on the outer half of the plate. He drove numerous balls to the gaps with developing power. Almost overnight, he moved near the head of the class among the top college hitters in the 2008 class. He was steady defensively at third with good hands and arm strength, but scouts question his range, especially going to his left. Gillaspie has a tireless work ethic and unusually high expectations for himself. He is always taking extra hitting and looking for ways to improve his game, but he can be unusually hard on himself when he falters.—ALLAN SIMPSON
UPDATE (5/15): Gillaspie furthered his reputation as one of the top hitters in college baseball this spring, hitting .421-10-77 and throwing in eight triples, 16 steals and 36 walks for added measure. He was at his best as the season wore on and hit two home runs and drove in five in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship game. Scouts question how much over-the-fence power Gillaspie projects, but there seems to be no question that he has the bat speed and hitting skills to hit line drives at all levels. Gillaspie did struggle defensively at third base, making 16 errors and fielding less than .900. Scouts said that no one area was at fault, that he was inconsistent both throwing and catching the ball.—DAVID RAWNSLEY
 
HOUSTON
Rank Player Pos. Class B-T HT WT High School Hometown Commitment B’date
38 Jordan Lyles RHP Sr. R-R 6-4 205 Hartsville Hartsville, S.C. South Carolina 10/16/1990
SCOUTING REPORT: Lyles’ prowess as a three-sport star in the South Carolina high school ranks has long been documented, but he never really earned his due as a top baseball prospect until this spring. Though he quit playing basketball over the winter a week into the season to concentrate his efforts on baseball, school protocol prevented him from joining the Hartsville High baseball team until the basketball season was complete. Though he was late getting started, he made an immediate impression as a pitcher and quickly surged to the top of the South Carolina prep prospect list. A fastball that was in the 85-87 mph range as a junior had suddenly jumped to 88-90, touching 91. He threw all his pitches, including a curve and changeup, for strikes and scouts marveled at his smooth, easy delivery. He still got hit around as he is not overpowering yet, but there is plenty of room in his lean, athletic frame to add considerable more velocity down the road. His coach, former Atlanta Braves first-round pick Jacob Shumate, was instrumental in his rapid development as a pitcher and was careful not to overuse him this spring. Lyles was all-state in three sports, including football, though he didn’t play until his senior year. He still led state wide receivers in yardage and touchdowns. Lyles decided to cast his lot with baseball, however, and signed with South Carolina in the spring signing period. That decision could become academic, though, as interest from big league clubs has skyrocketed.—ALLAN SIMPSON
 
ST. LOUIS
Rank Player Pos. Class B-T HT WT College Hometown Prev. Drafted B’date
39 Lance Lynn RHP Jr. R-R 6-5 260 Mississippi Brownsburg, Ind. Mariners ’05 (6) 5/12/1987
SCOUTING REPORT (3/1): Like fellow starters Brian Matusz and Jacob Thompson, Lynn left Team USA prematurely last summer. He departed after going 2-1, 1.80 with nine walks and 26 strikeouts in 25 innings in four starts, citing fatigue and a nagging groin injury. His groin still wasn’t quite 100 percent in early October but Lynn’s biggest challenge since he returned to school for his junior year was to get his extra large frame into better shape to ease the strain on his delivery and fully maximize his considerable potential. He has weighed upwards of 270 pounds at times at Ole Miss but got his weight down to his desired pitching weight of 255 by the start of the 2008 season. Lynn wasn’t in peak condition as a sophomore, yet was the Rebels’ Friday night starter and went 8-5, 2.85 with 146 strikeouts and 44 walks in 123 innings while limiting hitters to a .209 average. He has a loose, easy arm action with a four-pitch repertoire, notably a 91-93 mph fastball with explosive life that he can get by with throwing up in the zone. He has often dominated with that pitch alone—much as he did for eight no-hit innings last spring against No. 1 Vanderbilt—because he commands it so well. But he has made significant strides with an 84-86 mph slider that lacked command in the past. He also has a loopy, erratic curve with deception that he can throw for strikes and an acceptable changeup. His makeup is also a positive as he has a bulldog mentality, poise and excellent mound presence. Scouts say that if Lynn can keep his weight in check, polish his breaking stuff and perform to at least his 2007 standard, he could push his way into the top half of the first round.—ALLAN SIMPSON
UPDATE (5/15): Lynn took the ball every Friday night this spring for Ole Miss, but wasn’t as consistently dominant in that role as he was as a freshman and sophomore. His fastball velocity was down, to 88-91 at times, although he more commonly worked at 89-92 mph, touching 93. He never really showed scouts a steady diet of 93s and 94s they were expecting to see. His slider continued to develop and he was able to dump in his curveball consistently for strikes, but the lack of a dominant fastball led to 6-3, 4.46 record with 25 walks and 91 strikeouts in 77 innings. Lynn’s career track record will weigh in his favor of still going early in the draft, probably in the sandwich round, as will the fact that he’s the only definite starter among the other three Mississippi college arms under consideration in the top three rounds.—AS
 
ATLANTA
Rank Player Pos. Class B-T HT WT High School Hometown College Commit B’date
40 Brett DeVall LHP Sr. R-L 6-4 220 Niceville Niceville, Fla. Georgia 1/8/1990
SCOUTING REPORT (3/1): DeVall will likely gain comparisons to 2006 southpaw Brett Anderson, now with the Oakland A’s after being a surprise (i.e., later than expected) second-round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006. DeVall is big and strong at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds like Anderson, but more athletic. Like Anderson, he’s a polished pitcher with lots of time on big-game stages and pitches like a professional with an emphasis on getting outs rather than on velocity. DeVall can touch 92-93 mph at times but is more comfortable pitching at 87-88 mph with movement and location. Both his secondary pitches—a low-80s slider and upper-70s changeup—are potential plus pitches in both command and life. DeVall has rarely been hit even moderately hard at the high school level in the Florida Panhandle or during the summer with the East Cobb Astros program, and pitches with a confident aggressiveness. As a junior at Rutherford High prior to transferring to Niceville High for his senior year, he went 8-3, 0.70 with 98 strikeouts in 53 innings. He earned co-Most Valuable Pitcher honors at the World Wood Bat Association fall championship in Jupiter, Fla., while going 2-0, 0.00 with 17 strikeouts in 10 innings overall for East Cobb. Radar-gun scouts will pass him off as a college lefthander but scouts who have seen his body of work over the past two years will think differently.—DAVID RAWNSLEY
UPDATE (5/15): With the exception of his final game, a 3-0 loss to South Fork High in the Florida 5-A semi-finals, DeVall was solid this spring, with stuff and performance very consistent with what he’s shown in the past. That’s an integral part of DeVall’s package, he’s physically mature and mature as a pitcher in his approach to the game. He walked an uncustomary five batters in three innings against South Fork, after walking just 25 all season on his way to compiling a 13-2 record. He also struck out 152 on the season.—DR
 
CHICAGO-NL
Rank Player Pos. Class B-T HT WT College Hometown Prev. Drafted B’date
41 Ryan Flaherty SS Jr. L-R 6-3 208 Vanderbilt Portland, Me. Never drafted 7/27/1986
SCOUTING REPORT (3/1): Flaherty had an all-star sophomore season at Vanderbilt, hitting .381-4-57 while playing exclusively at shortstop. His summer wasn’t quite as productive as he hit .270-2-14 for Team USA while playing mainly at second base and a limited amount at third. Flaherty is most comfortable at shortstop as he moves better there and gets started quicker, but his future may be as a utility player as his range is a little short for shortstop and arm just playable from the hole. He had a difficult time adapting to second base initially, especially with his footwork, but gradually settled into the position. As the son of Southern Maine’s Hall of Fame coach Ed Flaherty, he has the savvy and instincts to adjust to almost any role on the field. He even played mostly first base as a freshman at Vanderbilt. Flaherty has a sound approach at the plate. He can work counts efficiently but lacks the bat speed to hit for power—especially with wood. He should hit for average against both left and righthanded pitching as he stays inside the ball well.—ALLAN SIMPSON
UPDATE (5/15): Flaherty solidified his position as a solid second-rounder by hitting .316-13-57 as Vanderbilt entered the SEC tournament. His home-run and RBI totals, not to mention 37 walks, led the team. Moreover, Flaherty committed just six errors at shortstop this season, adding further evidence to his case that he can handle shortstop on an everyday basis. Flaherty may not have fast-twitch muscles or the range of a prototype shortstop, but he positions himself well and has excellent instincts, makes all the routine plays and has the arm strength to make nearly every play.—AS
 
SAN DIEGO
Rank Player Pos. Class B-T HT WT High School Hometown Commitment B’date
42 Jaff Decker OF/LHP Sr. L-L 6-0 175 Sunrise Mountain Phoenix Arizona State 2/23/1990
SCOUTING REPORT (3/1): Make no mistake, the first name is “Jaff”, not Jeff. Pitchers better make no mistake, either, as the lefthanded-hitting Decker is one of the top pure hitters in the country. The following numbers should give notice to his consistency: .557-8.30 as a high school sophomore, .534-8-40 as a junior and .571-1-13 for the gold-medal winning U.S. youth national team at the 2006 Pan Am championship. Decker is also an 88-91 mph southpaw with pitching numbers similar to his hitting numbers. As a junior, he went 9-1, 0.67 with 111 strikeouts in 73 innings. Scouts will have to look twice at Decker’s build. Like most outstanding natural hitters, Decker doesn’t look the part at a barrel-chested 6-feet and 190 pounds, and it looks like he will grow thicker as he gets older. Decker committed at the last minute to Arizona State after it looked like UCLA was the front-runner for his services.—DAVID RAWNSLEY
UPDATE (5/15): Decker left little doubt this spring that hitting will be his primary assignment going forward. He enjoyed his third straight .500-plus season for Sunrise Mountain High, hitting .556-14-44 with 14 triples. He showed a lightning-quick bat with above-average power, and is very selective at the plate. Scouts compared Decker’s stocky build and advanced approach to hitting to Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Matt Stairs. His arm strength, instincts in the outfield and on the bases, and intense approach also draw high praise.—ALLAN SIMPSON
 
ARIZONA
Rank Player Pos. Class B-T HT WT College Hometown Prev. Drafted B’date
43 Wade Miley LHP Jr. R-L 6-2 195 SE Louisiana Loranger, La. Devil Rays ’05 (20) 11/13/1986
SCOUTING REPORT (3/1): Miley, a 20th-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2005, pitched better last summer in the Cape Cod League than his 1-6 record as his 2.61 ERA will attest, but he was very inconsistent all season. He was the equal of almost any pitcher in the league when he threw all three of his pitches—an 88-91 mph fastball, a slurvy slider with late break, and a major league average changeup—for strikes, but that was a rare occurrence. More often than not, he was undone by his control as he led the league with 34 walks in 59 innings. His fastball velocity also varied within a game, and would often drop as low as 85-88 mph. It has continued to show a wide range this spring, from a low of 88 to a high of 94, but his slider and changeup have been more consistently above average. His curve is a below-average offering, but scouts say he doesn’t throw it often enough. Miley may have paid the price last summer for a heavy workload in the spring at Southeastern Louisiana, where he went 7-5, 3.86 with 40 walks and 77 strikeouts in 96 innings.—ALLAN SIMPSON
UPDATE (5/15): Miley was one of the busiest pitchers in college baseball this spring, going 7-3, 3.90 in 101 innings, with 119 strikeouts. He saw his draft stock gradually improve all spring as he was frequently in the 91-94 mph range, and maintained that velocity deep into pitch counts. Miley’s slider overmatched lefthanded hitters and his changeup will become a more frequent weapon for him in pro ball. Scouts are concerned about the mileage that Miley has put on his arm the past three years, but he’s a strong, mature athlete with good delivery mechanics and a clean injury history. He has the type of draft profile that will hold up as scouts get in their pre-draft meetings and start analyzing their draft lists in more detail.—DAVID RAWNSLEY
 
NEW YORK-AL
Rank Player Pos. Class B-T HT WT College Hometown Prev. Drafted B’date
44 Jeremy Bleich LHP Jr. L-L 6-2 185 Stanford Metairie, La. Never drafted 6/18/1987
SCOUTING REPORT (3/1): Bleich sandwiched his second straight impressive season in the Cape Cod League in 2007 around an ugly sophomore campaign at Stanford, where he went 2-8, 5.56 with just 60 strikeouts and 119 hits allowed in 99 innings. He was decidedly gun shy from the experience in his first two or three outings of the summer season for Wareham but eventually got his confidence back and went 4-2, 2.44 with 47 strikeouts in 44 innings. Just like the previous summer, when he went 1-1, 2.09, he had command of three average or better pitches. His fastball was 87-89 mph, touching 91, but his 75-77 mph curveball and changeup were more effective offerings. A crafty lefthander, he gets occasional late, sharp bite with good rotation on his breaking ball and good deception with fade and tail to the arm side with his changeup. He has pitching knowledge and polish beyond his years, but needs to work on putting away hitters with his stuff instead of nibbling with his fastball.—ALLAN SIMPSON
UPDATE (5/15): Bleich got off to an encouraging 2-2, 1.38 start this spring as the No. 1 starter for Stanford, but went to the sidelines after five starts with a strained tendon in his pitching elbow. He was checked out by some of the best elbow specialists in the country and they all agreed there was nothing major wrong with his elbow, but he still had not resumed pitching by mid-May. He had begun throwing again, however, and there was a strong likelihood he would be pitching again by the end of the month, particularly if Stanford advances to post-season play. His prospects for the draft remain in limbo and will hinge on whether he pitches again before the draft, and is pain-free.—AS
 
BOSTON
Rank Player Pos. Class B-T HT WT College Hometown Prev. Drafted B’date
45 Bryan Price RHP Jr. R-R 6-4 200 Rice Marble Falls, Texas Never drafted 11/13/1986
SCOUTING REPORT (3/1): Success has been hard to come by for Price in college, but it all came together for him in the Texas Collegiate League last July 29 when he struck out a league-record 18 batters in 7 2/3 innings—even as it came in a 2-1 loss. Over a two-start stretch, he fanned 31 in 13 innings to finish the season with 49 punchouts in just 29 innings. Overall, he went 1-2, 2.73. That record alone was a sharp improvement for the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Price, who had little go his way in his first two years at Rice and went 0-0, 7.84 in just 10 innings of work as a sophomore. While success has eluded Price, it’s not from lack of stuff. He has a quick, whip-like arm action. His fastball is a steady 90-95 mph with good run in on righthanded hitters but it flattens out when he gets it up. His 86-87 mph slider is a second power pitch with hard, late break when he gets on top of it. His curve also has the makings of being a plus pitch and his changeup is an average offering with sink. But he has had difficulty competing and throwing his pitches, especially his slider, consistently for strikes. He flies open at release and has a tendency to overthrow. He worked last fall at becoming more consistent with his delivery and keeping the ball down in the strike zone. It’s possible Price will be much better as a pro when he gets away from aluminum bats.—ALLAN SIMPSON
UPDATE (5/15): Price has started to fulfill the promise that his raw stuff hinted at in the past. Used in a long relief role at Rice this spring, Price consistently touched 94-95 mph and his mid-80s slider was a strikeout pitch. Many scouts profile Price as a starting pitcher as he has three quality pitches, a growing command of the strike zone and a lean and projectable frame. He was strong late in the season in front of growing crowds of scouting directors and could be picked by the bottom part of the first round. Price was 3-4, 3.38 with two saves and 48 K’s in 42 innings as Rice entered Conference USA play.—DAVID RAWNSLEY
 
SAN DIEGO
Rank Player Pos. Class B-T HT WT College Hometown Prev. Drafted B’date
46 Logan Forsythe 3B Jr. R-R 6-0 195 Arkansas Memphis, Tenn. Never drafted 1/14/1987
SCOUTING REPORT (3/1): Forsythe accepted an opportunity to play for Team USA last summer, knowing he would have little or no chance to unseat second-year player Pedro Alvarez as the team’s third baseman. Instead, he spent most of the season playing left field, a position he had never played before. Not only did he adapt well to his new surroundings, taking good routes on fly balls and throwing out a handful of base runners, he fit in easily among the elite players in the college game, hitting .309-1-16. He led the team by a wide margin in on-base average (.463), walking 22 times while striking out on only 14 occasions. An excellent competitor who draws praise for his makeup and leadership skills, Forsythe was as well prepared as any player on the team to both offensive and defensive situations. He also was an outstanding hitter in the clutch because he paid particularly close attention to how he and others were being pitched to. Forsythe showed limited raw power in his first two years at Arkansas, but can now do more with the bat than just drive balls to the gaps. He topped Arkansas in batting as a sophomore with a .347 average, while hitting nine homers and driving in 55 runs. He also stole a team-high 18 runs. Forsythe performed equally well last summer, even though he played hurt most of the season. He suffered a stress fracture in a bone in his foot and had surgery in November. While he performed admirably in left field and as a fill-in at second, third base is Forsythe’s best position. He has excellent feet and actions there, along with a strong and accurate arm.—ALLAN SIMPSON
UPDATE (5/15): Already slowed by his off-season foot surgery, Forsythe had early-spring hamstring problems, undoubtedly related to his foot injury and rehab. He missed two weeks of games and was slowed for another month. The injury hampered Forsythe’s swing more than anything else, as he was unable to rotate off his back foot to hit. Once he was healthy, his swing and power came back, as did the scouts. Forsythe is a professional hitter with a short, quick swing and excellent plate discipline. He walked 42 times in 49 games this spring while hitting .352-7-33. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Forsythe be one of the fastest movers in the 2008 draft class, especially if he signs quickly.—DAVID RAWNSLEY