Lucas Giolito Update

- by Brendan Yee

Lucas Giolito, the top high school prospect according to many scouting services, may have been lost for the rest of the season. The UCLA commit sprained his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), the ligament that is associated with Tommy John surgery. Some interesting questions on Giolito would be 1) how far will he drop this draft? and 2) will he commit to UCLA and play college ball for a few years before being the top high school player taken? 

This shakes up the entire draft, with Byron Buxton potentially moving up to the top high school prospect taken in the draft, potentially being a top 3 pick, behind Stanford’s pitcher, Mark Appel, and Florida’s catcher, Mike Zunino.

More news to come when it becomes available.

(Source: Los Angeles Times)

Lord Byron

— by Brendan Yee

Quite possibly the best high school position player in the country, Byron Buxton of Appling County High School in Baxley, Georgia, has an extraordinary set of tools. At 6’2”, 175 lb, he has the size what scouts would call “projectable”, meaning he has the height and weight to add some size as he progresses through college or in professional baseball.  As a center fielder, he is able to cover a sizable chunk of ground with his speed and long strides. His speed from home to first has been timed at around 4.0 seconds. His arm is good enough that it will allow him to play right field, if the club that selects him chooses to do so. His swing looks good, having a straight inside path to the ball. He swings the bat with ease, with ball seeming to jump off his bat. There doesn’t seem to be a hole in his swing, very simple and compact.

Right off the bat, the player he projects to be like Austin Jackson or BJ Upton at his current size and tools. If he is able to add weight and his power tool continues to improve, it is not outside the realm of possibility to compare him to the other Upton brother, Justin. He is one of the most impressive prospects available in this year’s draft, from both college and high school. His tools are quite raw but there are teams out there who will take flyer and hope he projects to what all scouts hope to find, a true 5-tool player. He is currently committed to the University of Georgia to QB the football team, but a top 10 selection could sway his decision to baseball. Take a look at the video, his home run derby swings at Wrigley Field are pretty amazing

Watch the whole video, he’s quite an impressive player, potentially the top high school position player taken this draft.

Bishop Gorman Lefty Pop

— by Tony Ng

This is the opening post for the baseball prospects blog in which I am attempting to keep track and summarize my thoughts on players from the California region. 

Today, I’ll go a bit beyond the borders of California and cover a player from Bishop Gorman in Nevada, Joey Gallo.  Bishop Gorman has done it again in cultivating talent with Joey, who is a 6’5”, 220 pound senior that has been getting a lot of coverage because of his power stroke.  He pitches as well, and swings the bat lefty, but will most likely be drafted to become a hitter and play 1st base in pro-ball because his of power swing potential.

Chances are that I will not be able to see him play in person this year, but I have taken a look at some of his scouting clips via YouTube.  The first comparable player that came to mind was Richie Sexson.  Both are tall — and while big with plus power, they both have lanky arms thus giving them a long swing.  This is one of the biggest flaws that I see when I look at a player like Joey.  The question isn’t whether or not he will hit for power, but rather how often he can make contact against major league stuff and whether he will hit for average.  I’m actually quite surprised how highly he is projected to go in the draft (1st rounder, top 15) since he could probably use some time to develop in college.  Take a peek at the video below for a better look at Joey.

Gallo takes BP and launches a long one in the game at 1:50.