A Way Too Early Look At The Big Board

Anytime you log onto ESPN.com over the next couple of months, or flip onto either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNEWS, you will see Mel Kiper Jr.’s big board, ranking prospects for the NFL Draft. I am no Mel Kiper Jr., so I won’t even try to do football. Instead, this is the MLB big board for the June draft. I’ll run this every so often leading up to the draft, but look for it to be updated weekly as we hit the home stretch.

1. Stephen Strasburg, RHP, San Diego St.

There’s not much to say about Strasburg that hasn’t already been said. After having one of the best Sophmore seasons in recent memory, the tall righty dominated in the Olympics, helping team USA win a bronze. There are some questions about Strasburg’s mechanics, but his pure stuff is off the charts. One thing to note is the hitch at the end of his delivery, where he abruptly stops his arm action, rather than allowing it to carry through naturally.

2. Alex White, RHP, University of North Carolina

White reminds me a lot of Derek Lowe. The Junior has a heavy sinker with pretty clean mechanics. As I always say, pitching is the most athletic event in baseball, and White is a great athlete, as he was recruited to play D-1 basketball. His secondary stuff has really come along, he features a hard slider that he can throw for strikes and also bury to put hitters away. He has been working on a splitter that will work like a change, but right now I would call it just fringe-average, although I obviously haven’t seen him pitch since June. For me, the gap between Strasburg and White is virtually non-existent.

3. Dustin Ackley, OF, University of North Carolina

There are some quesitons over whether or not Ackley will be an outfielder or not. He certainly has the footspeed to play centerfield, but he has been forced to play 1st base in his two seasons at North Carolina due to arm problems. Ackley is supposedly passed those, and if so he will be a very high draft pick. His bat is special, as he has the ability to hit for high average, get on base impressively, and hit for good power.

4. Tyler Matzek, LHP, Capistrano Valley HS (California)

Matzek shot up the board last year after having a very impressive showcase season. He has all the things you want in a prep pitcher: height, athleticism and left-handedness. He usually sits in the low 90s, but can get it up to 94-95 when he reaches back. Matzek works his breaking pitches well, with a pretty good slider, a curve that should be an above average pitch professionally, and an ever improving change. Matzek compares to last year’s #4 overall pick Brian Matusz.

5. Aaron Crow, RHP, Fort Worth Cats (American Association)

The second best pitcher from last year’s draft, Crow is the 2nd best this year as well. It will be a tougher road for him this year, but Crow still features his good fastball and above average change. There have been concerns with his mechanics and some people have said he would be better suited for the bullpen, but I don’t think I’ve read that lately, or from a reputable source.

6. Grant Green, SS, USC

Last summer’s Cape Cod League All Star Game MVP, Green is the best infield prospect out there. He reminds me a lot of Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies. He is a big guy for a shortstop, but his footwork has really improved over the course of his college career and he has gotten better and better defensively. He probably won’t ever be as good as Tulo with the glove, but his bat should be better.

7. Donovan Tate, OF, Cartersville HS (Georgia)

If you’re a college football fan, you’ve heard Tate’s name recently. His father is former NFL RB Lars Tate, and Tate was one of the top athletes in the country, ultimately signing on to play football at North Carolina. But I would be shocked if he ever plays a down for the Tar Heels. Tate can throw 95 MPH from the outfield (that’s without the help of the mound, people) and he can run in the low to mid 6 second range in the 60 yard dash, making him a true 80 runner. A lot of people will have Tate lower than this because of the high possibility of being him a bust, and yet others will  have him higher because of his high ceiling. He profiles as an Aaron Hicks type, and I would be both shocked and excited if the Twins somehow were able to pick him.

8. Matt Purke, LHP, Klein HS (Texas)

Purke can hit up to 93-94 with his fastball, and has a very clean, mechanically sound delivery. He has a very good slider which could potentially be his best pitch when he hits the pro ranks. He does lose his mechanics sometimes, and because he hasn’t completely dominated hitters the way Matzek has, Purke is the second high school pitcher on this list. The best comp for him would be Scott Kazmir.

9. Austin Maddox, C, Eagle’s View Academy (Florida)

When you watch Austin Maddox play, the first thing that jumps out at you is his power. He has hit multiple 400 foot shots with wood bats against some of the best high school competition in the country. Maddox is a great defender who has both a great arm (can throw 95 from the mound) and good receiving skills which scouts are already calling big league average. A couple scouts have compared him to Mike Piazza, but better defensively. The one knock on Maddox is that due to his size, he might not be able to stay at catcher.

10. Kyle Gibson, RHP, Missouri

Last year’s closer for the Tigers, Gibson now moves into a starting role. He has a great pitcher’s body: lean, with long arms and legs. His fastball is in the lower 90s, but he throws a heavy fastball with good late movement. His slider is very good against righties, but he can have some trouble with it against lefties. Gibson still has stuff to work on, as basically right now he can only throw his fastball and slider well, and rarely uses his changeup if at all. He needs to refine his mechanics, which I believe he will do, before he can truly be considered an elite prospect for the 2009 draft.

As we get closer to the 2009 Draft I’ll have more and more players added to the big board. For now I’ll leave you with a couple players to keep an eye on this Spring: USC catcher Robert Stock, who came to LA with tons of hype but hasn’t quite lived up to it, and Mychal Givens, a HS RHP/SS from Tampa who is a high tools guy, but might not have the performance to make it onto the big board.