2013 Draft Top 50 Prospects (Aug. 2012)
| Staff Report |
| August 3, 2012 |
Scouts typically downplay the strength of a draft class, and the 2013 crop is no exception.
This year's college pitching group looks solid, especially after righthander Mark Appel (the eighth-overall pick in the 2012 draft) decided to return for his senior year at Stanford and the emergence of Indiana State lefthander Sean Manaea in the Cape Cod League this summer.
The college hitters, on the other hand, are generally underwhelming collection. Several top players either have questions about where they fit defensively, how much power they really have or how well their tools translate when it counts.
The high school crop looks solid—especially when it comes to lefthanders and catchers—though it's not as strong, overall, as last year's group. This year's class doesn't look to have talents comparable to Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton or Lucas Giolito.
"I think we're starting to feel the hit of clubs signing so many high school kids the past few years," one scout said. "Maybe we're going to have one more down year and then maybe 2014 and 2015 will be pretty good."
Here is an early snapshot at the top 50 players for the 2013 draft class.
| Rank | Player | Pos. | School |
| 1 | Mark Appel | rhp | Stanford |
| Reportedly turned down $3.8 million from the Pirates to return to Stanford | |||
| 2 | Ryne Stanek | rhp | Arkansas |
| A third-round pick out of high school, Stanek has a fastball in the mid-90s and a sharp curveball | |||
| 3 | Sean Manaea | lhp | Indiana State |
| Secondary stuff needs work, but took the Cape Cod League by storm with his fastball that gets up to 96 mph | |||
| 4 | Austin Meadows | of | Grayson HS, Loganville, Ga. |
| Impressive overall package—Meadows has size, speed and lefthanded power | |||
| 5 | Colin Moran | 3b | North Carolina |
| B.J. Surhoff's nephew is the best pure hitter in this year's class, but needs to improve defensively | |||
| 6 | Kris Bryant | 3b | San Diego |
| Has light-tower raw power, but swings and misses a lot and may wind up at first base | |||
| 7 | Jonathon Crawford | rhp | Florida |
| After a no-hitter in regionals, no denying nasty stuff, but has some funk to his delivery | |||
| 8 | Clint Frazier | of | Loganville (Ga.) HS |
| Not overly physical at 6 feet and 190 pounds, but has big tools, including speed, arm strength and power | |||
| 9 | Trey Ball | lhp/of | New Castle (Ind.) HS |
| Has size, strength and athleticism as the draft's best two-way talent | |||
| 10 | Reese McGuire | c | Kentwood HS, Covington, Wash. |
| Intrigues with a coveted mix of catch-and-throw skills along with lefthanded power | |||
| 11 | Bobby Wahl | rhp | Mississippi |
| Physical righthander throws a heavy fastball and shows a good feel for his secondary offerings | |||
| 12 | Aaron Judge | of | Fresno State |
| 6-foot-7 outfielder has explosive strength, but only six home runs over first two years with the Bulldogs | |||
| 13 | Austin Wilson | of | Stanford |
| Loaded with tools, but hasn't quite lived up to expectations: .297/.371/.460 over first two years | |||
| 14 | Trevor Williams | rhp | Arizona State |
| Doesn't miss as many bats as scouts would expect with his low-mid 90s fastball and four-pitch mix | |||
| 15 | Oscar Mercado | ss | Gaither HS, Tampa |
| Slick-fielder stands out in a class thin on shortstops, also shows some line-drive potential with the bat | |||
| 16 | Justin Williams | of | Terrebonne HS, Houma, La. |
| Physical specimen has light-tower power from the left side of the plate, but has some rawness to his overall game | |||
| 17 | Karsten Whitson | rhp | Florida |
| After stellar freshman campaign, 2010 first-rounder battled injuries and inconsistency in 2012 | |||
| 18 | Kohl Stewart | rhp | St. Pius X HS, Houston |
| One of the top quarterback recruits has a mid-90s fastball and is committed to Texas A&M for both sports | |||
| 19 | Rowdy Tellez | 1b | Elk Grove HS, Sacramento |
| Stands out for his size (6-foot-4 and 230 pounds) and his 450-foot home runs | |||
| 20 | Michael Lorenzen | of | Cal State Fullerton |
| Shows good range in center field (with one of the draft's best arms) and gap power at the plate | |||
| 21 | Stephen Gonsalves | lhp | Cathedral Catholic HS, San Diego |
| Secondary stuff needs work, but scouts will be patient with a 6-foot-5, 205-pound lefty with an 89-91 mph fastball | |||
| 22 | Rob Kaminsky | lhp | St. Joseph Regional HS, Montvale, N.J. |
| Has a muscular 6 foot build with a fastball that touches 93 and a sharp curveball | |||
| 23 | Brett Morales | rhp | King HS, Tampa |
| Hasn't pitched as much as some, but has an effortless delivery and excellent feel for three pitches | |||
| 24 | Ryan Eades | rhp | Louisiana State |
| Well-proportioned righthander has power stuff, but teams may be bearish after high school labrum surgery | |||
| 25 | Andrew Mitchell | rhp | Texas Christian |
| Sturdy build with a power arsenal, but will have to limit free passes after walking 46 over 77 innings last year | |||
| 26 | Cavan Biggio | 3b | St. Thomas HS, Houston |
| Craig's son is a little more physical (6-foot-1, 180 pounds) and has intriguing power from the left side of the plate | |||
| 27 | Jeremy Martinez | c | Mater Dei HS, Santa Ana, Calif. |
| Shows good catch-and-throw skills along with righthanded power, but scouts are concerned with his soft body | |||
| 28 | Dustin Driver | rhp | Wenatchee (Wash.) HS |
| UCLA recruit has a fastball that's touched 94 and promising secondary pitches | |||
| 29 | Austin Kubitza | rhp | Rice |
| Has been excellent for two years for the Owls with his sinker-slider combo | |||
| 30 | A.J. Vanegas | rhp | Stanford |
| High-profile prospect has been sitting in the mid-90s this summer in the Cape Cod League | |||
| 31 | Dylan Covey | rhp | San Diego |
| 2010 first-rounder has been up-and-down since choosing college over the Brewers after surprise diabetes diagnosis | |||
| 32 | Andy McGuire | ss | Madison HS, Vienna, Va. |
| Texas recruit will likely have to move to third base, but he has shown one of the better bats on the showcase circuit this summer |
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| 33 | D.J. Peterson | 3b | New Mexico |
| Good feel for hitting and power (even without the altitude), but position will be a question mark | |||
| 34 | Konner Wade | rhp | Arizona |
| Six-foot-3 sinkerballer was third in the country last year in innings pitched (but still second on his own team) | |||
| 35 | Chris Okey | c | Eustis (Fla.) HS |
| Clemson recruit receives well and has a strong arm to go along with balanced, line-drive swing | |||
| 36 | Clinton Hollon | rhp | Woodford County HS, Versailles, Ky. |
| Undersized righthander, but can run his fastball up to 96 mph on occasion and mixes in a sharp breaking ball |
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| 37 | Josh Dezse | rhp | Ohio State |
| Has touched 100 mph, but Buckeyes' closer only has 56 college innings under his belt | |||
| 38 | Brian Ragira | 1b | Stanford |
| Moved from outfield to first base in college and will need to show more power as a right-right corner guy | |||
| 39 | John Simms | rhp | Rice |
| Has mostly pitched out of the bullpen for Rice, but could join Kubitza to form a formidable 1-2 punch in the rotation | |||
| 40 | Ryan Boldt | of | Red Wing (Minn.) HS |
| Nebraska recruit offers center field speed and a table-setting approach at the plate with a smooth, lefthanded swing | |||
| 41 | Jonathan Gray | rhp | Oklahoma |
| Already been drafted twice—13th round out of high school (Royals) and 10th round out of juco in 2011 (Yankees) | |||
| 42 | Ian Clarkin | lhp | Madison HS, San Diego |
| Yet another high school lefthander, this San Diego recruit has a fastball that touches 92 and a big curveball | |||
| 43 | Scott Frazier | rhp | Pepperdine |
| Has a fastball that can get into the mid-90s and a power slider, but command comes and goes | |||
| 44 | Dominic Smith | 1b | Serra HS, Gardena, Calif. |
| Six-foot-1, 200-pounder shows an ability to hit and hit for power; also intrigues as a 90-92 mph lefthander | |||
| 45 | Chris Oakley | rhp | St. Augustine Prep HS, Richland, N.J. |
| Six-foot-8 righthander shows good body control, 90-92 mph fastball and 75-77 mph curveball | |||
| 46 | Cord Sandberg | of | Manatee HS, Bradenton, Fla. |
| Another top quarterback recruit, Sandberg shows above-average speed and some thump in his lefthanded bat | |||
| 47 | Ben Wetzler | lhp | Oregon State |
| Sturdy southpaw has a bulldog demeanor on the mound to go along with his low-90s fastball and tight curveball | |||
| 48 | JaCoby Jones | 2b/of | Louisiana State |
| Hasn't hit well so far (.253/.308/.363 last year) but has the physicality and toolset to keep scouts coming back | |||
| 49 | Phillip Ervin | of | Samford |
| Not overly physical at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, but has above-average speed and surprising righthanded pop | |||
| 50 | Keegan Thompson | rhp | Cullman (Ala.) HS |
| Athletic righty shut down Cuba in gold medal game at 16 years old; flashes four pitches with 89-91 mph fastball | |||