Scouting the Draft: Ranking the Outfielders

Just a couple of years ago, OF was the thinnest position in the Giants organization, by far. Right now, it might be the best stocked The possible conversion of Brandon Belt to OF makes it even more crowded. Still, John Barr has said the Giants will draft the best player available regardless of the position, so if there's an OF who is clearly the better player, there is always room for one more and you can always make trades down the road if you have to. BA separates the OF prospects into CF and Corner OF categories. The Giants have always shown a strong preference for taking the athletic CF types and then moving them to the corner when needed. That's not a bad strategy for a team playing in the NL West where the ballparks demand that OF's cover a lot of ground.

CENTERFIELDERS

First Round:

1. Bubba Starling, HS- A true 5 tool threat as he can hit 95 on the radar guns as a pitcher and has a football scholarship to Nebraska, no less, as a running QB. Some scouts wonder whether his bat will fully develop. Comp is Drew Stubbs of the Cincinnati Reds. Will be tough to sign and there is some risk, but almost a sure thing to be drafted in top 10.

2. George Springer, Connecticut- .361/.462/.644, 12 HR's, 31 SB's, 7 CS. Big guy with power who is athletic enough to stay in CF. Tends to get a long swing that can make him vulnerable on the inside corner. Probably top 10 pick, almost certainly top 15.

3. Mikie Mahtook, LSU- .383/.496/.709, 14 HR, 29 SB, 9 CS. If you are looking for a guy who produced in college, Mahtook is your man. At 6'1", 192 lbs, some scouts worry he could become too big to play CF and he might not have enough bat for a corner. Most mock drafts have him in the 15-25 range but he could fall to the Giants and they may not mind that he's not a true CF. Doubt he goes that low, especially if there is a first round run on position players as is rumored.

Supplemental Round:

4. Jackie Bradley, South Carolina- .259/.361/.468, 6 HR. Bradley was projected as a top 10 or even top 5 pick in pre-season rankings. He had some trouble adjusting to the BBCOR and then injured his left wrist in early May and underwent surgery. This is the type of player the Giants have gone for in rounds 2-5 in the recent past. Whether they would take him as early as #49 in the supplemental round, I don't know. The wrist injury involved ligaments and tendons. The Giants recent experience with Mark Derosa might make them shy away here.

5. Brandon Nimmo, HS- Nimmo is one of the more intriguing figures in the draft. He's from Wyoming, which doesn't have HS baseball, so there is limited game action for scouts to go on. He looks terrific in scouting videos I've seen. I've seen his name all the way from around #20 to the early supplemental rounds. This is purely a scouting pick so who knows?

6. Brian Goodwin, JC- This is a player I keep coming back to as possibly the BPA when the Giants pick. He's a 5 tool player, although none of the tools are really outstanding and he is probably more of a corner OF than CF. He does have a track record which is, again, good but not eye-popping. He hit .291/.409/.511 as a freshman at UNC, which is very good for a college freshman, especially at a major program. He then hit .281/.364/.360 in the Cape Code League which is generally a pretty extreme pitcher's league. He transferred from UNC to JC due for academic reasons and has put up good numbers there. John Klima posted a video on baseballbeginnings.com that looked mighty impressive. Optioned to Fresno posted another video that didn't look so hot as he was way off balance on a lot of his swings, especially off-speed stuff. Most mock drafts have him goint anywhere from #25 to the early supplemental Round. Strong possibility he's available at #29, probably not at #49. Do the Giants take him at #29 and look for pitching later? if they do go hitter, would you take Goodwin over, say, Kolton Wong? I'm very intrigued but not quite sold.

7. Kes Carter, Western Kentucky- .344/.430/.549, 7 HR, 8 SB, 1 CS. 6'2", 205 but with lots of athleticism. Left handed bat who sometimes struggles against LHP's.

8. Williams Jerez, HS- Immigrant from the Dominican Republic. Great frame at 6'4", 190 lbs. Some scouts question his age and bat. This would be purely a scouting pick.

Second Round:

9. Charlie Tilson, HS- Burst onto the scene at the Area Code showcase games where he hit the only HR and stole 7 bases in 3 games. Apparently the HR was a fluke and area scouts are not as high on him as the scouting directors and crosscheckers who saw him at the showcase event.

10. Zach Cone, Georgia- .284/.340/.389, 3 HR, 12 SB, 3 CS. Another guy who was ranked high in the first round in pre-season rankings after he hit .363 in sophomore season. His numbers and stock have taken a major hit this year. He was involved in an OF collision that left a teammate partially paralyzed which seemed to take a psychological toll understandably. Again, the Giants have a recent history of drafting guys like this who fall, so don't be surprised to see his name in Round 2 or 3 if he drops that far.

11. Johnny Eierman, HS- A HS shortstop who will almost certainly move to the OF. Has enough athleticism to play CF. His bat sounds like less than a sure thing.

Third/Fourth Rounds:

12. Keenyn Walker, JC- No info.

13. Shawon Dunston, Jr., HS- Here's a name for you! The Giants have a strong track record of taking care of their own and Dad is certainly part of the Giants family. I have a hard time seeing the Giants pass on Junior if he is there in round 3. My concern is they may reach for him even earlier because of his pedigree. Fortunately, he sounds like a good enough player that a pick as high as the supplemental round probably wouldn't be a disaster.

14. Senquez Golson, HS- No info

15. Jo-El Bennett, HS- No info. I think I've read somewhere that some scouts are pretty high on him, though.

16. Bobby Crocker, Cal Poly- .339/.431/.497, 5 HR's, 9 SB, 3 CS. I'm partial to players from second tier conferences in California, and Crocker seems intriguing.

Fifth/Sixth Rounds:

17. Roman Quinn, HS- No info.

18. Zeke DeVoss, Miami- No info.

19. Drew Martinez, Memphis- .331/.413/.389, 20 SB, 5 CS. A guy I've been tracking all season. A hit and boogie player, AKA slap and dash, with no power to speak of.

20. Ronnie Richardson, Central Florida- No scouting report.

CORNER OUTFIELDERS

First Round:

1. Josh Bell,HS- A huge talent. A switch-hitter with power from both sides of the plate. Has reportedly sent a letter to the MLB Scouting Bureau stating he intends to go to college at Texas. There is some skepticism about this because Scott Boras is his advisor, but I'm pretty sure Boras advised Austin Wilson last year and he ended up at Stanford. I would think this drops him out of the first 5 rounds at least and possibly top 10, unless some team has some inside information that this is a bluff and is willing to pay the price.

2. Alex Dickerson, Indiana- .367/.440/.540, 9 HR. One of the best bats in the draft, but would be a defensive liability even in LF.

3. Dwight Smith, Jr., HS- Has a great bat, but may be a tweener in the field with not enough speed to play CF and not quite enough bat for a corner.

4. Granden Goetzman, HS- Tall angular athlete with Jayson Werth and Jay Buhner as comps. Strong power potential with athleticism.

Second Round:

5. Derek Fisher, HS- Some power potential and athleticism, but has been inconsistent at the plate.

6. Kyle Gaedele, Valpraiso- .312/.417/.511, 7 HR, 23 SB, 4 CS. If this name looks familiar, he is the great-nephew of Eddie Gaedel the 3'7" dude who got 1 AB as a publicity stunt for Bill Veeck. Don't worry, though. This kid is 6'3", 220 lbs. Has enough speed and athleticism for an outside chance at CF. Mixed opinions with projections as high as the supplemental first round and as low as the 4'th round.

7. Larry Greene, HS- 6'2", 235 lbs. One great tool, power! Comp is Russell Branyan. Probably more of an AL type draft pick.

8. Tyler Gibson, HS- Somewhat athletic, projectable body who hit 2 HR's in the World Wood Bat event.

Third/Fourth Rounds:

9. Dante Bichette, Jr., HS- Another kid with pedigree. A chlp off the old block as he is pretty much all bat. Showed prodigious power in the Las Vegas HR contest. Reminds me a lot of Tommy Joseph, so John Barr may see something he likes here.

10. Carl Thomore, HS- One mock draft had him going to the Giants in round 3 or 4. I tried looking him up and couldn't find much. Seems to have some power projection and may be more athletic than some other options in this range.

11. Gabriel Rosa, HS/college?, Puerto Rico- No information.

12. Billy Flamion, HS- Not much info. I seem to remember Klima's reviews were mixed.

13. Jacob Anderson, HS- No info.

14. Bryson Miles, Stephen F. Austin State- .411/.484/.581, 8 HR, 53 SB!, 15 CS. 6'0", 225 lbs. No scouting report but gotta love that stat line.

15. Jason Coats, TCU- .332/.410/534, 8 HR, 8 SB, 2 CS. Good college hitter! HIt .361 in 2010.

16. Aaron Brown, HS- No info.

Fifth/Sixth Rounds:

17. Michael Reed, HS- No info.

18. Preston Tucker, Florida- .308/.382/.504, 10 HR's. Pure college hitter. Hit .331 in 2010. Not sure about his D, but my impression is it would be a liability except at first base where he may not have enough power.

19. Nick Martini, Kansas State- .326/.446/.433, 24 SB, 4 CS. More of a speed guy which makes his listing as a corner OF problematic.

20. Ryan Garvey, HS- No info. Steve Garvey's kid. Slightly taller than the old man, but has the same solid stocky frame and a similar short, strong battng stroke.

21. Mason Robbins, HS- No info

22. Brandon Meredith, San Diego State- .272/.418/.471, 5 HR, 7 SB, 2 CS. I really like this guy as a 6'th or 7'th round pick. I love the size, power, plate discipline, and arm. The big questions are whether he will hit for enough average and whether he has the range for the OF. Reminds me some of Thomas Neal.