2007 draft offers plenty star power

The MLB draft is held annually on the first Tuesday of June. There are 50 rounds and teams have 2 minutes to make a selection via conference call. For the first time in MLB history, the draft will be televised–the first 5 rounds will be shown on ESPN.

Here are my top 5 college and high school eligible amateur players for the draft.

Top 5 college players:

1. David Price, LHP, 6-6 215 — Price is the number 1 prospect available for the 2007 draft. He has all the ingredients to one day front a big league rotation. He has a great pitchers frame and being a lefty only helps his cause. Price features 2 exceptional pitches in his fastball, which sits at 92-95 and touches 98, and his devastating mid-80s slider. His change-up may not be as good as his 2 best offerings, but it’s still a plus pitch which he throws with the same arm speed as his fastball. A big lefty throwing this hard usually means that his command is lacking, but that’s far from the truth with Price as he has very good command of his repertoire and with further refined mechanics it should only continue to improve.

2. Matt Wieters, C, 6-6 230, B/T: B/R — Wieters is a huge catcher that may have to move to 1B in the future. Even if he has to switch positions, he’ll still be a special offensive force. Wieters has great power to all fields and should hit 35+ homers in the majors. He has a great approach at the plate and his plate discipline is impressive, and he also easily makes consistent hard contact which all point to Wieters hitting .300+ in the majors. Wieters is very athletic for a catcher and features a very powerful arm which he uses to close games for his team. Even if he’s able to stick at catcher, he’s such a special player that some teams would rather move him to 1B and have him for much longer.

3. Andrew Brackman, RHP, 7-0 250 — Yes, you read that correctly: Brackman is 7 feet tall. As you can imagine Brackman pumps mid-to-high 90s fastballs from a huge, imposing stature. He also throws on a severe downhill plane, further complicating things for hitters. Brackman also shows a plus knee-buckling spike-curveball, a good, tight slider and an average change-up. While Brackman hasn’t pitched much throughout his college days, due to the fact that he was also on the basketball team, he shows good, natural feel for pitching. Inexperience and mechanics that need to constantly remain in check are two of Brackman’s biggest weaknesses but now that he’ll focus solely on baseball he should only improve upon them.

4. Joe Savery, LHP/1B, 6-3 215, B/T: L/L — Savery is a two-way player and a potential top-10 pick in the upcoming draft. While he’s a good hitter, his future lies on the mound. There he shows off his arm-strength which produces a low 90s fastball and a plus curve with sharp break, he also shows an improving change-up but it lacks consistency. Savery is a Rice pitcher and has already had hand and shoulder injuries and if he continues to get injured he could really slide.

5. J.P. Arencibia, C, 6-1 200, B/T: R/R — Arencibia is simply a great pure hitter. He employs a compact stroke with which he produces good power to all fields. He has a very good eye at the plate and makes hard contact with ease. He profiles to hit for both average and power, making him a valuable asset for a team. His defense is solid, but don’t expect any Gold Gloves in the big leagues from him. He features a strong arm, solid footwork and good catch-and-throw skills.

Top 5 high school players:

1. Rick Porcello, RHP, 6-5 200 — Porcello is a big, projectable righty with big stuff. He’s very polished and is an imposing figure on the mound. He throws in the mid-90s on a downhill plane and has good sinking action on his fastball, making it a very dominant offering. He throws a sharp slider in the low-80s and a curve that has good potential but needs more consistency. Due to the fact that Porcello has such a dominant fastball he hasn’t needed a change-up but it offers good potential with good fade.

2. Josh Vitters, 3B, 6-3 180, B/T: R/R — Vitters is the best pure hitter in this high school class. Not only is he a great pure hitter, he also has plus power. He has strong, quick wrists, and lets the ball travel deep in the hitting zone before committing. His approach at the plate is exceptional for a high school hitter and he also shows a keen eye at the plate. He’s a solid defender at 3B with solid footwork, good hands and a strong arm.

3. Matt Harvey, RHP, 6-4 190 — Harvey has a very smooth, repeatable delivery which allows him to throw strikes at will. He has great command of a fastball that sits in the low-to-mid 90s but his secondary pitches need work. He’ll snap of a nasty curve but needs a lot more consistency with it. Harvey hasn’t needed a change-up facing high school competition but will need to develop one as he climbs the minor-league ladder. He has a projectable frame and already has one of the most important building blocks for a pitching prospect: fastball command.

4. Michael Burgess, OF, 5-11 200, B/T: L/L — Burgess is your prototypical right fielder with mammoth power and a cannon for an arm. He boasts unparalleled bat speed, capable of catching up to any fastball. Burgess has some holes in his swing and they will be exposed as he moves up the minor-league ladder. He also needs to improve his jumps and routes in the outfield but that should come with experience.

5. Blake Beaven, RHP, 6-6 200 — Beaven is a tall, athletic right-handed pitcher who figures to go in the middle of the first round. His total package makes him a future top-of-the-order starter, provided he reaches his ceiling. He throws a plus fastball between 92-94 and has touched 97 in the past. His breaking ball, a slider, is a plus pitched when it’s on but he needs more consistency with it. He has shown good feel for his change-up but needs to disguise it better and gain more consistency with it.

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