Wilson leads 2010 Draft Prospect Position Players at MLSB Showcase
By John Klima
February 14, 2010
Austin Wilson, Christian Yelich, Tony Wolters and Dominic Ficociello were among the 2010 draft prospects that helped themselves Saturday at the Major League Scouting Bureau’s Southern California Invitational Showcase at the Urban Youth Academy.
Right fielder Austin Wilson (Harvard-Westlake HS) didn’t have the best first round of BP and his game at-bats weren’t consistently the best he’s had, but he flashed the tools that should make him a first round pick and a potential cornerstone player. Defensively, Wilson showed raw arm strength when he airmailed a throw over home plate from right field. His arm accuracy is below average but should improve over time. Offensively, Wilson’s second BP round produced two line drive home runs to left field, each about 360-370 feet, including one that hit the left field scoreboard. In the game, Wilson showed his hands and strength in an at-bat against right-hander Tyler Shreve. Facing a 92-mile per hour fastball in on his hands, Wilson sped up his hands, got inside the pitch, and rifled it to the opposite field. That’s pure bat speed and hand strength.
Left-handed hitting Christian Yelich (Westlake HS) helped himself, showing progression and the first signs of physical projection we anticipated last summer. In BP, Yelich hit several hard line drives to left field and center field, balls hit substantially harder than he was hitting them last summer. He hit a ball out of the park to right field, hard, and on a line. Yelich will also have to learn to use the whole field as he advances, but he’s taking steps in the right developmental direction. In game, Yelich hit a hard triple to right-center field against Scott Frazier. Defensively, Yelich was a touch smoother around first base than he was over the summer and will be able to play the position in the coming years. He also ran several 4.5s from the left side and a 6.7 60, which is better running than you’d expect from a player in this mold.
Third baseman Dominic Ficociello (Fullerton Union HS), a switch-hitter whose natural side is right-handed, took his game at-bats left-handed. While hitting right-handed during BP, Ficociello showed that some of the physical projection is beginning to appear. I didn’t take a tape measure to him, but Ficociello might have the highest hips in Southern California, which means that he’s lanky, rangy, athletic, and just scratching the surface of his strength potential. Right-handed in BP, he hit a line drive against the left-field wall, a clean 330-foot bullet. His power will be in his line drives as his upper body continues to strengthen. Ficociello’s BP balls get tons of carry, which is a good sign. Left-handed, his hands still work, but as of now he is more of a line drive hitter who doesn’t lift the ball. In game, he hit a 91-mph Cody Buckel fastball for a ground ball single into right field. Defensively, he’ll need to work on his range to stay at third base in the coming years. His arm strength is playable now, but will improve as Ficociello, a former high school quarterback, gradually loses some of the football throwing action he still has and gets more extension.
Shortstop Tony Wolters (Rancho Buena Vista HS) has three tools that will grade above-average in his arm, fielding and hitting. Wolters had the best infield I’ve seen him take between the Area Codes and the Aflac game. Wolters showed fast hands and athletic actions between the transfer from glove to hand. He showed the ability to get rid of the ball and throw with velocity from various angles. Wolters went deep to his right to back hand one ball, and with his spikes sliding beneath him, stayed on his feet. He righted his body, set his feet, and threw a strike.
Offensively, the left-handed Wolters will need to learn to use left field more consistently as he ages, and he showed a sign of this adjustment with an opposite-field double in game. His hands already allow him to drive the ball to center and to right field. Wolters is best when he doesn’t try to lift the ball. He hits with more than enough authority to hit in the 60 scale when he doesn’t get himself into trouble by putting the ball in the air. Wolters also ran 4.3s consistently to first base and his 60-yard time was a touch over seven seconds.
Right fielder Mike Lorenzen (Fullerton HS) continues to develop as a potential right-field cornerstone type player with his power tools being power bat and power arm. His upper body appears to have filled out more since the summer and fall. With the bat, Lorenzen likes to shoot for the moon. While his body type is long and elongated and not stocky with a low center of gravity, Lorenzen’s aggressive power and upper-cut reminds me of Jeff Bagwell. He has the same swing for each pitch. In the game, he killed a hanging change-up from Kyle Richter, but pulled the trigger too soon and fouled it. His speed won’t be above-average but should improve in the next few years and raise him to at least an average major league runner. Lorenzen’s arm, for me, is stronger than Austin Wilson’s, but not by much. As long as we’re grading, the three best outfield arms in Southern California are Lorenzen, Wilson and Cory Hahn.
Shortstop Derek Campbell (Mater Dei HS) continues to show progression. Listed at 5-11, 170, the right-handed hitting shortstop might end up in the 6-2 or 6-3 range. Offensively, Campbell has come a long way from 2009, when he was just lean and lanky. Now there’s increasing strength in his hands and forearms, shown by a 350-foot ball hit over the left field fence in BP. He has an easy stroke and sprays the ball from center field to left center. Defensively, Campbell has the most physical projection of any middle infielder in this showcase. His defensive hands, actions and footwork are already tools and his arm is strong enough to stay on the left side of the infield. His speed should improve as he ages, though he won’t likely be a top of the order type. He ran several 4.6s from the right side and hit one ball well to left field in game.
Third baseman Chad Lewis (Marina HS) looks like he has lost weight from the summer. Right-handed power has always been his tool, but he was better defensively in his infield, showing better flexibility in bending knees and getting down on grounders. He has enough arm to stay at third base. Offensively, he hit a ground ball up the middle for a base hit against Scott Frazier and ran several 4.5s from the right side, but didn’t separate himself from the pack offensively in the game.
Centerfielder Connor Hoffman (St. Augustine HS) helped himself with his speed. His 60-time was 6.6 and he was a 4.1 to first base from the left side late in the game. He has modest height, but has some physical projection. His arm strength is below average on the pro scale. He pressed in his first round of BP, but his second round yielded more hard contact line drives to center field.
Catcher Stefan Sabol (Aliso Niguel HS) didn’t hurt himself, showing a few 1.9 throws and more 2.0 throws to second base. Offensively, Sabol has continued to gain strength since the summer, and the positive sign is that it hasn’t come at the expense of his athleticism or flexibility. Sabol’s right-handed speed is also an asset, which he showed by running high 4.2s and 4.3s to first base. His power should continue to develop and has a chance to reach the 50 range on the MLB scale. In game, Sabol caught well, and showed better technical body control and balance behind the plate than he did last summer.
Catcher Jake Hernandez (Los Osos HS) might be the sleeper at the position. He threw several 1.9s during infield. Hernandez has a low center of gravity offensively, but there is some power projection here, which would give you a prospect whose best tools are arm, defense and power. He hit a ball about 400 feet to center field in BP and late in the game hit a triple to right-center field.
Catcher Aaron Jones (San Clemente HS) has a stocky body type, but showed strong hands and hit hard line drives to center and left-center field in BP. In game, Jones went back up the middle with a solid single against Gabriel Encinas. Defensively, Jones threw several 1.8 and 1.9 throws to second and was quiet and efficient behind the plate.
Angelo Gumbs (Torrance HS) flashed some of the BP power potential, getting a ball out to left-center field at 390-400 feet. Gumbs is strong and has the hands and forearms to hit for power, but in game he didn’t separate himself offensively. Gumbs ran a 6.6 60 and consistently went 4.3 to first base from the right side. His arm strength is still above average but may have leveled out. Gumbs is the one wild card of these players. He has the physical skills to be an offensively significant player, but hasn’t translated them into wood bat games yet.
Cory Hahn (Mater Dei HS) usually lets his hands do the talking, and in BP, he showed the ability to spray the ball to all fields. His outfield arm strength is a definite tool and will be a very solid 50 on the major league scale. Physically, Hahn might have added an inch over the summer and he’s starting to look more lean and lanky than a little guy. Like Gumbs, Hahn is another good hitter who hasn’t consistently translated potential into wood bat game performance just yet. I’m not ready to write off either player just yet.
Outfielder Le’Jon Baker (Crenshaw HS) has drawn plenty of looks because of his athletic ability and reputation as a standout football player. Baker, only 16 and a senior, has a great body but is behind in terms of baseball development. This doesn’t mean he isn’t talented enough to catch up, but it does mean that he’s not there yet. Baker’s BP produced soft contact, signs of inexperience and limited power. His second round was better, in which he gave two hard line drives to center field. But Baker lacks time with a wood bat and has inconsistent hands. He can run in a flat, but hasn’t learned to transfer his speed to baseball movements yet, which makes his times to first slower than they should be. All of these things don’t eliminate him as a prospect worth following, but do point out factors he must improve to compete for a pro contract.
Lonnie Kauppila (Burbank HS) is best when spraying the ball and using his speed and body type to his advantage, but the solid defensive infielder flexed his muscle with a home run to left field during BP.
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