If there’s anything better than a guy with tremendous raw power hitting in a home run derby with a metal bat, I haven’t seen it. Wilson didn’t have to do anything here except be himself. In front of a small crowd and perhaps not one scout, Wilson launched three balls in the first round, including two up in the trees. We’ve covered Wilson extensively from the summer to the spring, and as he ponders which direction his life and career will take, he redirected four more balls in the second round.

For out-of-towners and those with office cubicles at the New Busch Stadium, let me play tour guide. Birmingham High School (Los Angeles, not Alabama) is not a bandbox. It’s a solid 330 down the lines, 360 to the alleys, and 380 to center field. Rows of decades-old trees surround the outfield. Wilson killed a few branches. Wilson showed light-tower power and lasers. He hit a pair of smoked, rising line drives that soared over the 360-mark in left-center and might have dented some poor teacher’s classroom. The eyeball estimation: 380-400 feet. Give or take.

In the game, he went hitless in three at-bats, but who cares. Wilson’s smooth and effortless power can’t be missed. I’ve seen almost 50 at-bats over the year, and I think he’s getting better. He isn’t always perfect in games, and like a lot of young hitters, he doesn’t always apply BP to a game. But with age and experience, the frequency will rise. The last time I saw a guy hit bombs with metal was Griffey Jr. at Cal State Fullerton a few years back before the World Baseball Tournament.

While Wilson is the name known around the draft world, the other name that isn’t as well known but should be is Crenshaw center fielder Le’jon Baker, drafted in the 43^rd round by the Atlanta Braves. The Braves love high school players – always have and always will. As a scout, it galls me that a guy with Baker’s tools lasted until the 43^rd round. As a baseball person, it thrills me that the Braves took him. He is, by far, their kind of guy.

The first thing you would notice about Baker is the major league body on a high school kid. As I have often said, walk into a big league locker room and tell me how many position players don’t have hips that come up to your neck. It’s an athlete’s game and Baker has the genes. The knock most scouts have on Baker is the bat. The counterpoint is what Baker gave you in the home run contest – bat speed. Major. League. Bat. Speed.

Now, he needs at-bats. He needs to see good pitching. And he needs to learn consistency. But Baker’s hands work. He’s already got an idea of how to throw his hips. That’s why I think he’ll hit. It might not come right away because this is more about timing and coordination. This was my first look at Baker since the Academy workout in February. What I like is that he’s got the same swing. He hasn’t altered it. It’s a swing that should generate power. Among his other tools, Baker doesn’t throw very well yet, but I think his arm will grade slightly up in the future once he begins a regular throwing program. You don’t usually say that a young player’s arm can grade up, but you can’t uniformly say it won’t happen. Only in specific cases can you grade up on the arm in future years. This is one of those rare cares.

Baker’s speed has never been in question. He worked a walk to lead off the bottom of the ninth, stole second, took third on a fielder’s choice, and scored on a wild pitch. Speed is speed, and like power, you can’t give it and you can’t take it away. These are the money tools. Offensively, the same terms that apply to Wilson’s swing can be applied to Baker – smooth and explosive. Yes, my old pal Piper would like these guys.

Some day down the line, Baker might try to run on Chatsworth catcher Sean O’Connell. Drafted in the 15^th round by the Chicago White Sox, O’Connell physically profiles for the position. He’s 6-3, lean and lanky, and has much physical projection in front of him. His first tool is his arm and his defense. In a crisp infield, he put the mint on the pillow at 1.8 seconds. O’Connell is a catcher with a big arm, and in this look, he wasn’t afraid to play with it, throwing from his knees at a high 1.9. Offensively, O’Connell should continue to improve as he gets stronger and gets at-bats, but at this stage, he’s a good draft for the arm, body and defense.

Speaking of arm and athletic ability, Brando Tessar continues to intrigue me. Drafted in the 25^th round by the Toronto Blue Jays, who made it clear that they wanted high school players with athletic upside, he would profile for me as a position player. Tessar has the durable physicality of a middle infielder, and in my crystal ball, I see him at second base. I think he’d be a rock to try to knock over on a double play.

Shortstop Lonnie Kauppila wore his trademark elbow sleeve in red, matching the uniform and the Stanford commitment. Drafted in the 44^th round by the Oakland A’s, I’m going to just take a wild guess and say Kauppila will get to Stanford. He’ll be drafted again in three years, stronger, more experienced, and still slick defensively.

Just because a player isn’t drafted out of high school doesn’t mean he’s not a potential pro prospect. Trust me, I have seen some good players overlooked so some GM can draft some front office employee’s kid. And I have seen good players meet with bad scouting. And I can’t blame some players for saying, ‘Why would I sign for slot when slot is less than college?’

Josh Mason might the best right-handed high school arm that I have seen that was not drafted. Again, I ask the question – what are scouts looking for? This was my first look at Mason since the Area Codes. At the time, I saw him at 87-89 and said he had fastball life, some downhill plane, and physical projection. He was listed at 6-3 then. I think he’s taller. Playing college baseball at Stony Brook, Mason is going to have a chance to be a dude in that league. It makes me wonder if somebody is hiding him. Eye-balling Mason without the radar gun, I wouldn’t be shocked to have seen some 88-90s. His fastball control still needs to come up in the coming years, but I think he’s also pitching through a growth spurt, which almost always plays havoc with mechanics and release points. Mason still has physical projection, even if he is as tall as he gets. He will fill out, especially in his upper body, and his lower half has room to take on muscle. When you look in the crystal ball with this guy, you can see the physicality and arm speed. My hunch says, way down the road – closer.

Pitcher Tyler Abbott was drafted as a starter. In this look, the left-hander bound for UC Irvine effectively and aggressively pitched with his fastball. He threw an occasional straight change from the same release point and slot. He threw two different breaking balls – a softer roller off the fingers and the harder one with snap. As he physically matures, that pitch is going to become a go-to pitch at the advanced levels. He remained closed and compact in his delivery points.

Ryon Healy is a guy I haven’t seen hit with wood since the Fall. I saw a few metal at-bats in the spring. Healy hit a hard ground ball single through the left side with wood. I knew it because I heard the sound of the bat. Healy will go to Oregon and I will watch him, because one of these years, I think I’m going to get right-handed power. Another guy who was not drafted who I think is worth following is Banning’s Anthony Salas. I know the draft disagreed with me. Guess what? The draft isn’t always right.

In the scouting world, every quality player is on a follow list. It’s a good bet that most of these players are already on such lists, but it’s important to remember that things will change over the next eight months – no list, no matter this one or one by a team should be considered definitive at this time of year, but should instead be regarded as a road map.

Some players who are not on this list will be hot and others who were hot in summer and fall will lose some luster in spring. That’s why you won’t see rankings here, because Baseball Beginnings works like a major league team. We’re not ranking players right now. And when we do, we keep them in-house. The world is full of people who will rank players. A good scout NEVER tells.

Every single player on this list has been seen by our scouting staff IN PERSON, meaning we don’t take our information from secondary sources. It’s on us.

High School Pitchers (June 2010 draft prospects)

Jason Adam, RHP, 6-2, 225 (Blue Valley HS, Overland Park, KS)
Big body, FB 86-90, CB 72, has room for improvement

Stetson Allie, RHP, 6-4, 225 (St. Edwards HS, Olmsted Falls, OH)
Three-pitch workhorse, sound delivery, plus command: FB 92-94, CH 79, CB 77-80

Robbie Aviles, RHP, 6-4, 190 (Suffern HS, Suffern, NY)
FB 88-92, CB 75-76, CH 83; wiry and loose, needs to corral mechanics, has projection

Alex Balog, RHP, 6-4, 210 (Archbishop Mitty HS, Saratoga, CA)
FB 89-92, big body, closer type, raw, college best and follow from there.

Cameron Bedrosian, RHP, 6-0, 195 (East Coweta HS, Senoia, GA)
Stocky w/high hips, power frame, multiple weapons: FB 90-96, CB 75-76, SL 84-89

Jesse Biddle, LHP, 6-5, 225 (Germantown Friends HS, Philadelphia, PA)
FB 91-93, CB 73, CH 85: Power build, gets extension, live arm, FB run, projects.

Cody Buckel, RHP, 6-1, 170 (Royal HS, Simi Valley, CA)
FB 90-91, gets downhill despite height, aggressive, power lower half. Makes most of it.

Andrew Cole, RHP, 6-5, 190 (Oviedo HS, Winter Springs, FL)
Tons of projection; premium HS guy, FB 91-94, CB 76, SL 78-81, Split 84-86, CH 83

Jake Cole, RHP, 6-3, 220 (Sahuaro HS, Tucson, AZ)
Good balance and extension, easy life, room for projection. FB 88-90.

Dylan Covey, RHP, 6-2, 190 (Maranatha HS, Pasadena, CA)
Premium! FB 92-96, CB 81-86, CH 81-83, great frame, arm, power; all elements here.

Kaleb Cowart, RHP, 6-3, 190 (Cook County HS, Adel, GA)
Easy, loose gas, aptitude and pitch-ability. FB 90-93, CB 73, SL 87, Cutter 84, CH 75 

Cito Culver, RHP, 6-1, 167 (Irondequit HS, Rochester, NY)
Build is a concern, athleticism is not; raw and quirky actions; FB 90-91.

Adam Duke, RHP, 6-2, 180 (Spanish Fork HS, Salem, UT)
Fast arm, stays closed, good frame, room for development: FB 89-91, CB 75.

Scott Frazier, RHP, 6-6, 205 (Upland HS, Upland, CA)
FB 89-91 with 87-88 SL, no true off-speed pitch; Great frame still putting all together.

Nicholas Frey, RHP, 6-4, 170 (The Woodlands HS, Woodlands, TX)
Great baseball athlete, also SS: rangy, loose and easy arm & body, FB 89-91 easy.

Nathan Foriest, LHP, 6-2, 190 (Harpeth HS, Kingston Springs, TX)
Lot to like: FB 91-93, SL 83-84, Avg. command, loose body, fast arm, athletic enough

Kevin Gausman, RHP, 6-4, 180 (Grandview High School, Centennial, CO)
Raw stuff in a big body, HS draft in a good round: FB 92-97, SL 94-89

Evan Hudson, RHP, 6-6, 240 (Bothell HS, Bothwell, WA)
Big body, FB 90-91, SL 85-87, has room for conditioning and improvement; follow.

Tyrell Jenkins, RHP, 6-4, 175 (Henderson HS, Henderson, TX)
Lanky, lose, live arm, lots of projection, great athletic. FB 88-91, CB 76, SL 81-84

Mason Justice, RHP, 6-4, 185 (Holland Hall HS, Tulsa OK)
Frame has projection, FB 89-91, occasional plus arm-speed, room for development

Nick Kingham, RHP, 6-5, 205 (Sierra Vista HS, Las Vegas, NV)
Good body, arm speed/action. FB 89-91. Follow.

Forrest Koumas, RHP, 5-11, 190 (Elgin HS, Lugoff, SC)
Little guy, max effort, produces some power, FB 88-91, SL 83-84, size is concern

Austin Kubitza, RHP, 6-5, 185 (Colleyville Heritage HS, Colleyville, TX)
Great frame, loose arm, a little raw, much projection: FB 88-92.

Zach Lee, RHP, 6-4, 190 (McKinney HS, McKinney, TX)
College pitcher now, FB 87-89, SL 80, good body, has projection, should follow.

Artie Lewicki, RHP, 6-3, 195 (St. Joseph HS, Wyckoff, NJ)
FB 89-90, good body, college best, should have some projection.

Josh Mason, RHP, 6-3, 180 (Crespi HS, Woodland Hills, CA)
FB 86-89, Division I college pitcher for certain

Albert Minnis, LHP, 6-0, 190 (Lawrence HS, Lawrence, KS)
Four-pitch LH starter, broad thighs and frame, FB 85-88, CH 74-76, best weapons

Brandon Moore, RHP, 6-2, 235 (Van Buren HS, Van Buren, ARK)
FB 86-91, CH 77, big body, should be Div. 1 pitcher out of HS, follow-up player

Griffin Murphy, LHP, 6-3, 200 (Redlands East Valley, Highland, CA)
Big body, arm slower on day I saw, FB 84-89, CB 75-76, has room for more.

Christian Pfaff, RHP. 6-4, 200 (RS Central HS, Rutherfordton, NC)
Live, raw arm lacks polish and control, FB 89-92: follow

Kyle Richter, LHP, 6-4, 200 (Santa Margarita HS, Orange County, CA)
Good frame, rushes some but creates power/deception, quality arm: FB 88-92, CH 72-74

Chris Roglen, RHP, 6-3, 200 (Rocky Mountain HS, Fort Collins, CO)
Has projection in arm and frame, FB 89-91 w/life, CB 71, SL 77, can be HS draft    

Robby Rowland, RHP, 6-6, 205 (Cloverdale HS, Cloverdale, CA)
Inexperienced, got the right body, 90-91 FB, projection. Interesting.

Aaron Sanchez, RHP, 6-3, 170 (Barstow HS, Barstow, CA)
Lanky frame yet to mature, FB 89-91, inconsistent in Fall 09. Oregon sign.

Jordan Shipers, LHP, 5-10, 160 (South Harrison HS, Bethany, MO)
Limited FB power, 87-89, better CH, CB improving. Spring follow, college best

Tyler Shreve, RHP, 6-4, 215 (Redlands East Valley, Redlands, CA)
FB 89-92 at Area Codes; ineffective at Aflac; would like to see again.

John Simms, RHP, 6-3, 190 (College Park HS, The Woodlands, TX)
Good arm speed, good body, closed delivery, lands good: FB 88-90, SL 79-81

DeAndre Smelter, RHP, 6-2, 205 (Tattnall Square Academy, Macon GA)
Stocky and strong body; could be top closer; FB 89-94, SL 82-84. Good HS draft.

Eric Stevens, RHP, 6-5, 215 (Don Bosco Prep HS, Pompton Lakes, NJ)
Good body and actions, lots of promise: FB 88-91, SL 73-76.

Colby Suggs, RHP, 6-0, 230 (Sulphur Springs HS, Sulphur Springs, TX)
Joe Blanton-body, FB 89-91, CB 77, CH 84, some pitch-ability

Peter Tago, RHP, 6-1, 160 (Dana Hills HS, Laguna Niguel, CA)
FB 92-94 from high slot, 90-92 from low slot; Power hips, fast arm.

Jameson Taillon, RHP, 6-7, 230 (The Woodlands HS, Woodlands, TX)
Premium guy: Size, FB 93-96, CB 83, CH 76. Long, lean and whippy.

Luke Taylor, RHP, 6-5, 190 (Woodinville HS, Woodinville, WA)
Long, lean and raw, FB 85-87, college now, has arm speed to indicate projection

Brando Tessar, RHP, 6-1, 185 (Chaminade HS, Simi Valley, CA)
FB 88-90, SL 86, college pitcher now, check on in future.

Trevor Teykl, RHP, 6-7, 215 (Kempner HS, Sugar Land, TX)
Frame projects, should develop more power, should follow: FB 87-88, SL 72-73

Taijuan Walker, RHP, 6-5, 200 (Yucaipa HS, Yucaipa, CA)
Great frame, power in arm and legs; FB 90-92, SL 81, CH 77; has projection.

Sam Wilson, LHP, 6-1, 195 (El Dorado HS, Albuquerque, NM)
Great 2-way college guy; like as bullpen arm after college, FB 85-87, life.

Karsten Whitson, RHP, 6-4, 190 (Chipley HS, Chipley, FL)
Fast arm but a little stiff; FB 91-94, CB 81, SL 81-84, CH 75-77, good HS draft/polish.

Jesus Valdez, RHP, 6-3, 185 (Hueneme HS, Oxnard, CA)
FB 89-92, great lower half, strong hips and thighs, hard FB action.

AJ Vanegas, RHP, 6-3, 200 (Redwood Christian HS, Alameda, CA)
Premium RH power arm, FB 90-94, SL 79-81, needs 3^rd pitch, great frame

Kevin Ziomek, LHP, 6-2, 180 (Amherst Regional HS, Amherst, MA)
Lanky, fast arm, uses back leg, HS draft or Fr. D.1 starter: FB 87-91, CH 72-74

Dominic Ficociello (Fullerton HS, Calif.) is a lanky switch-hitting third baseman with his best in front of him. Listed at 6-3, 170, Ficociello’s body has a long way to go before it physically matures, which bodes well for him when paired with his raw talents. In his first at-bat, Ficociello produced a base hit to the right side on a pitch he managed to get his hands inside of and then fight off. In his next at-bat, Ficociello hit a hard-contact single to left field.

He also has promise defensively, where he is very smooth with the glove and his athletic actions coming in for balls and ranging to his left. His arm strength is suitable for third base, though he’s not a howitzer yet. His soft hands will play well and his coordination defensively is evident.

Brewers starter Chase Johnson (Fallbrook HS, Calif.) got zero help from his defense and had to labor to pitch to 20 batters in less than three innings. He’s listed at 6-3, 185 and pitched at 86-89 with a loose and flexible body. He will be a fine get for a college pitching staff regardless of Saturday’s pitching line. Right-hander Josh Mason (Crespi HS, Woodland Hills, Calif.) pitched at 87-89 with life, plane and some physical projection. He can be a college weekend starter easily and might have some additional projection beyond that.

Washington’s Ryan Brett (Highline HS, Seattle, Wash.) keeps on hitting. He’s not going to hit for power, but the 5-8 hustler puts the ball in play with authority. He singled in the first inning and went from first to third with his best tool, speed, which is going to grade out at a 70 on a 20/80 scale. It’s hard not to like the way Brett keeps playing and Baseball Beginnings hates discounting all small guys, because some go all the way.

Drew Vettleson (Central Kitsap HS, Bremerton, Wash.) pitched three hitless innings and struck out two. He also added a hard-hit single. He’s also had a good tournament, shows some promise for power, and his arm plays well in the outfield corners. He could be a very successful two-way college player in the short-term future.

Josh Sale (Bishop Blanchete HS, Seattle) came up with one hard-hit ball for a single.