2013 Draft Top 50 Prospects
Our Feb. 1 look at the top prospects for the June draft
| Staff Report |
| February 1, 2013 |
| 2013 TOP 50 DRAFT PROSPECTS | ||||
| RK. | PLAYER | POS | SCHOOL | |
| 1. | Mark Appel | RHP | Stanford | |
| The eighth overall pick from 2012 is back for his senior year and still shows a frontline arsenal. | ||||
| 2. | Sean Manaea | LHP | Indiana State | |
| Broke out in the Cape Cod League with his 94-96 mph fastball and developing slider. | ||||
| 3. | Austin Meadows | OF | Grayson HS, Loganville, Ga. | |
| Clemson recruit has polished lefthanded bat and shows five-tool potential. | ||||
| 4. | Clint Frazier | OF | Loganville (Ga.) HS | |
| Explosive athlete has an exciting power-speed combination, evidenced by his 24 home runs and 14 stolen bases as a junior. | ||||
| 5. | Ryne Stanek | RHP | Arkansas | |
| Third-round pick out of high school is now the second-best righthander in the class, thanks to his mid-90s fastball and plus slider. | ||||
| 6. | Colin Moran | 3B | North Carolina | |
| The nephew of B.J. Surhoff has a smooth lefthanded stroke and is the best pure hitter in the class. | ||||
| 7. | Jonathan Denney | C | Yukon (Okla.) HS | |
| Arkansas recruit has a burly build and the power to match—hit one of the few home runs at the Area Code Games this summer. | ||||
| 8. | Dominic Smith | 1B/OF | Serra HS, Gardena, Calif. | |
| Lacks ideal height (6-foot-1) for first base, but has one of the best all-around bats in the class; Southern California recruit. | ||||
| 9. | J.P. Crawford | SS | Lakewood (Calif.) HS | |
| Steadily improved his stock thanks to his slick glove and above-average feel for hitting. | ||||
| 10. | Jonathon Crawford | RHP | Florida | |
| No questioning his nasty stuff, including a mid-90s fastball and a filthy slider, but there are concerns about his delivery and arm action. | ||||
| 11. | Austin Wilson | OF | Stanford | |
| Big, physical athlete has prototypical right field tools, including above-average power and a cannon for an arm. | ||||
| 12. | Kris Bryant | 3B | San Diego | |
| Might profile better in right field or first base, but his ceiling is high wherever he winds up thanks to tremendous power potential. | ||||
| 13. | Trey Ball | OF/LHP | New Castle (Ind.) HS | |
| The top two-way talent in the draft has five-tool potential as an outfielder; more projection is needed on the mound. | ||||
| 14. | Reese McGuire | C | Kentwood HS, Covington, Wash. | |
| Scouts always covet lefthanded power from an up-the-middle player and McGuire is a natural behind the plate. | ||||
| 15. | Phillip Ervin | OF | Samford | |
| He's not very physical, but the quick-twitch athlete led the Cape Cod League in home runs with 11. | ||||
| 16. | Bobby Wahl | RHP | Mississippi | |
| Bulldogs ace shows a heavy 92-94 mph fastball, a power slider and flashes of a plus changeup. | ||||
| 17. | Stephen Gonsalves | LHP | Cathedral Catholic HS, San Diego | |
| Scouts love tall, lean, projectable lefthanders and Gonsalves fits the mold with his 88-92 mph fastball and above-average command. | ||||
| 18. | Kohl Stewart | RHP | St. Pius X HS, Houston | |
| Shows a low-to-mid 90s fastball and a power slider, but will be a tough sign away from his football (quarterback) commitment to Texas A&M. | ||||
| 19. | Oscar Mercado | SS | Gaither HS, Tampa | |
| Lanky shortstop and Florida State recruit shows the tools to stay at the position, but was inconsistent in game action this summer. | ||||
| 20. | D.J. Peterson | 3B | New Mexico | |
| Scouts question where he'll wind up defensively, but nobody questions his above-average power. | ||||
| 21. | Aaron Judge | OF | Fresno State | |
| Jaw-dropping raw power hasn't translated to games yet, but two of his six career home runs have come off Mark Appel. | ||||
| 22. | Marco Gonzales | LHP | Gonzaga | |
| Athletic two-way player shows more promise on the mound with his above-average feel and the draft's best changeup. | ||||
| 23. | Jordan Sheffield | RHP | Tullahoma (Tenn.) HS | |
| Vanderbilt recruit shot up draft boards after showing a 97 mph fastball at the last big event of the fall. | ||||
| 24. | Ryan Boldt | OF | Red Wing (Minn.) HS | |
| Speedy center fielder with a smooth lefthanded stroke could be the highest Minnesota prep drafted since Joe Mauer. | ||||
| 25. | Rob Kaminsky | LHP | St. Joseph Regional HS, Montvale, N.J. | |
| Undersized lefthander has a plus fastball, a wicked curveball and a tough demeanor on the mound. | ||||
| 26. | Dillon Overton | LHP | Oklahoma | |
| Ranked eighth in the country in strikeouts in 2012 thanks to his 90-94 mph fastball and good secondary offerings. | ||||
| 27. | JaCoby Jones | 2B/OF | Louisiana State | |
| Outstanding athlete has plenty of tools—including above-average power and speed—but had just a .671 OPS last year. | ||||
| 28. | Ian Clarkin | LHP | Madison HS, San Diego | |
| San Diego recruit carves hitters up by pounding the strike zone with his 90-92 mph fastball and big-breaking curve. | ||||
| 29. | Colby Suggs | RHP | Arkansas | |
| Razorbacks closer has a big, sturdy build and a fastball that gets as high as 97 mph. | ||||
| 30. | Eric Jagielo | 3B | Notre Dame | |
| Jagielo finished second in the Cape Cod League with 13 home runs and has improved his defense at the hot corner. | ||||
| 31. | Travis Demeritte | 3B | Winder-Barrow HS, Winder, Ga. | |
| South Carolina recruit is an acrobatic defender at the hot corner and shows very quick hands at the plate. | ||||
| 32. | Ryan Eades | RHP | Louisiana State | |
| Has an ideal frame, a mid-90s fastball and a hard, downer curveball, but hasn't put up dominating numbers yet. | ||||
| 33. | Garrett Williams | LHP | Calvary Baptist HS, Shreveport, La. | |
| 2007 Little League World Series star now has a lively 89-91 mph fastball and flashes a hammer curveball. | ||||
| 34. | A.J. Puk | LHP/1B | Washington HS, Cedar Rapids, Iowa | |
| A high school pitcher from Iowa has never gone in the first round. Puk has a chance with his 88-92 mph fastball. | ||||
| 35. | Justin Williams | OF | Terrebonne HS, Houma, La. | |
| Physical specimen has light-tower power from the left side of the plate, but will need to cut down strikeouts. | ||||
| 36. | Rowdy Tellez | 1B | Elk Grove (Calif.) HS | |
| Massive lefthanded hitter is built like a tight end and shows solid feel for hitting and thunderous power. | ||||
| 37. | Cavan Biggio | 3B | St. Thomas HS, Houston | |
| Craig's son shows solid fundamentals and a sound hitting approach, but needs more arm strength to stay at third. | ||||
| 38. | Trevor Williams | RHP | Arizona State | |
| Williams has a workhorse build and has a 91-95 mph fastball, but needs to work on developing a true out pitch. | ||||
| 39. | Kevin Ziomek | LHP | Vanderbilt | |
| Ziomek has the size (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) and the stuff (three potential plus pitches) to be a quality mid-rotation starter. | ||||
| 40. | Michael Lorenzen | OF/RHP | Cal State Fullerton | |
| Lorenzen is a good athlete with a gap-to-gap approach, but scouts may be more intrigued by his 95-97 mph fastball. | ||||
| 41. | Tom Windle | LHP | Minnesota | |
| Will be an asset to the Golden Gophers' rotation with his 88-94 mph fastball, flashes of a plus slider and a promising changeup. | ||||
| 42. | Alex Balog | RHP | San Francisco | |
| Has imposing physicality (6-foot-6, 225 pounds), a heavy fastball that gets up to 96 and an explosive slider. | ||||
| 43. | Cord Sandberg | OF | Manatee HS, Bradenton, Fla. | |
| Premium athlete is committed to Mississippi State for quarterback; father played in Red Sox system from 1979-1981. | ||||
| 44. | Trey Masek | RHP | Texas Tech | |
| Will take his 92-94 mph fastball into the Red Raiders' Friday night job after splitting the last two years between the bullpen and rotation. | ||||
| 45. | Brett Morales | RHP | King HS, Tampa | |
| Florida recruit broke out this summer after he showed a 90-92 mph fastball, along with a very good curveball and changeup. | ||||
| 46. | Dustin Driver | RHP | Wenatchee (Wash.) HS | |
| UCLA recruit has a durable frame and a fastball that reached 94 mph this summer with downhill plane and a sharp curveball. | ||||
| 47. | Kent Emanuel | LHP | North Carolina | |
| Tall lefty can dominate with great angle, pinpoint control, plus change and willingness to pitch inside. | ||||
| 48. | Scott Frazier | RHP | Pepperdine | |
| Has imposing stuff, including a mid-90s fastball and a hard curveball, but only struck out 69 over 103 innings in 2012. | ||||
| 49. | Billy McKinney | OF | Plano (Texas) West HS | |
| Athletic corner outfielder has a great feel for hitting with his smooth lefthanded swing | ||||
| 50. | Karsten Whitson | RHP | Florida | |
| Whitson's stock has slipped after turning down more than $2 million out of high school, but he has frontline stuff when healthy. | ||||