Here is the second part in my series on 2010 draft prospects by position. Here are the middle infielders:

College Prospects

Christian Colon, Cal State Fullerton
A broken leg won’t keep Colon down, and I think he’ll come back quite effectively for the spring season. He doesn’t really have any plus-plus tools, but he’s a great all-around player and the best middle infield prospect available in the 2010 class. Projected draft slot: Early-first to mid-first round.

Rick Hague, Rice
Hague played third base for Team USA this summer, but he’s probably going to stick at shortstop in pro ball with some improvement. He’s a solid hitter with some work to do with his approach, but he’s got the natural talent to be an above-average hitter from the shortstop position. He might eventually have to move to third base, but he proved he’s an excellent fielder there this summer, so that’s not necessarily a horrible thing. Projected draft slot: Mid-first to early-second round.

Jedd Gyorko, West Virginia
I’ve gone back and forth on whether to list Gyorko as a second baseman or third baseman, and I think I’ve settled here…for now. He’s got a plus hit tool with some good raw power, and he could turn out to be one of the best hitters from this draft class. He has a college approach to hitting and will be picked on the bat alone. Projected draft position: Late-first to mid-second round.

Derek Dietrich, Georgia Tech
Dietrich is another guy that might be a third baseman, but his position for now is shortstop. He really struggled this summer on the Cape, and there’s a lot of doubt about both his bat and glove. He’s got an average hit tool with average raw power, but he strikes out a lot. He does run the count up, but he ends up striking out just too much. His glove isn’t that good, either, and in all likelihood he’s a third baseman. Projected draft position: Supplemental-first to late-second round.

Ross Wilson, Alabama
Wilson is a middle infielder that might fit at either second or short, though his position right now is second with the Crimson Tide alongside 2010 shortstop prospect Josh Rutledge. Wilson’s one of those all-around solid hitters that has improved year-to-year and should be a solid pro hitter, too. He’s got a good eye at the plate and a solid hit tool with decent power, so he should be an intriguing guy to watch in the spring. Projected draft position: Early-second to early-third round.

Prep Prospects

Manny Machado, Brito Private HS (FL)
Machado’s a big kid for a shortstop, but he’s athletic and shows flashes of being a good defender. He has a bat wrap, but he’s actually hit the ball really well, especially with Team USA, where he was the best hitter on the 18U team. Projected draft position: Mid-first to early-second round.

Yordy Cabrera, Lakeland HS (FL)
Florida always seems to be brimming with prep shortstops, and this year is no different. Some scouts prefer Cabrera to Machado, though Cabrera’s bigger and might be a long-term third baseman. He needs to work on his plate discipline and pitch recognition skills, as he might become the next Miguel Tejada in those areas at the plate without major work. Projected draft position: Late-first to mid-second round.

Justin O’Conner, Cowan HS (IN)
There aren’t a lot of Indiana prep prospects that go straight to the pros, especially this high up, but O’Conner’s the exception. Unlike Machado and Cabrera, there aren’t a lot of questions around O’Conner’s ability to stay at shortstop long-term, and he should be a solid hitter, too. Projected draft position: Late-first to late-second round.

Anthony Wolters, Rancho Buena Vista HS (CA)
Wolters is the only major prep prospect in this class that might turn out to be a second baseman in the long-term. He’s got a plus hit tool and is a heady player, and while he isn’t blessed with all the tools of the players listed above, he’s one of the better on-field performers in this class. Projected draft position: Early-second to early-third round.

Zach Alvord, South Forsyth HS (GA)
Alvord is a skilled player from Georgia that profiles as a decent shortstop or plus second baseman. He is a very skilled hitter with a plus hit tool and possible plus power, and much of his value is wrapped up in his bat. He has a great chance to rise a lot between now and June, but he needs to keep hitting to attract scouting attention, as he’s not an extremely good athlete. Projected draft position: Early-second to mid-third round.

Published May 13, 2009 10:25 pm – MOULTRIE —— The Colquitt County High football team completed the fifth of its 10 spring practice sessions on Wednesday and Packers coach Rush Propst said he is seeing progress. …[More..]


Hoover mayor says tough for Rush Propst to stay. Posted by Birmingham News staff October 30, 2007 5:02 PM. Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos said today he thinks it will be difficult for Hoover High head football coach Rush Propst to stay on as …[More..]

Community leaders in Hoover helped make former Hoover High head football coach Rush Propst the powerful man he was. Above, Propst speaks to one of his former teams as they are reflected in his sunglasses. …[More..]

Dunno what Nick Smith thought he was up to in Parliament yesterday.

David Bennett was doing splendidly, giving away bugger all in response to Labour’s best efforts to winkle out information about formalities surrounding the sacking of Ross Wilson as chair of the ACC, the appointment of John Judge, and Smith’s appearance in place of Judge at a select committee hearing.

As Alf noted the other day, Bennett is like a barnacle, bloody hard to dislodge. A barnacle, come to think of it, would be much more loquacious.

The Herald helps set the scene:

Labour alleged Dr Smith misled the House by saying on March 12 that he had appeared before the committee that same day because Mr Judge was not available.

Labour says Dr Smith had been told by the Labour Department on March 11 that he had not correctly sacked Mr Wilson. That meant Mr Wilson was still legally chairman and Mr Judge was not appointed.

Hence the Labour larrakins seem to think they are on to something big deal, when they try to establish who instructed whom to do what and when, although personally, Alf finds it all constitutionally tedious.

But to cut to the chase, at Question Time yesterday Trevor Mallard was again rebuffed by the steadfast Bennett – chairperson of the Transport and Industiral Relations Committee – as he tried to get answers.

Example:

4. Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour—Hutt South) to the Chairperson of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee: When he agreed with the Minister for ACC that the Minister appear before the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee for the financial review of ACC on 12 March, did he do so on the basis that he understood that John Judge was the chair of the ACC board and that the Minister was replacing him?

DAVID BENNETT (Chairperson of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee): I was aware that the board was in a state of being reconfigured, and it would have been presumed in the public arena at that time that Mr Judge was the chairman. But it was agreed that the Minister would attend that meeting, and that does not necessarily mean that the Minister was replacing Mr Judge.

Well done.

But then – so help me – Smith had a rush of blood and determined to protect his party colleague, who palpably did not need protecting.

Hon Trevor Mallard: Did Dr Nick Smith inform him before the meeting of 12 March that because of an error on Dr Smith’s part, Mr Wilson was the chair of the Accident Compensation Corporation board at the time of the meeting?

Hon Dr Nick Smith: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The member’s assertion is quite incorrect. It is contrary to Crown Law opinion—

Mr SPEAKER: I apologise for interrupting the honourable member, but that is not a point of order.

Hon Dr Nick Smith: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I think it is important that you know when a member’s question makes an assertion of fact that is incorrect. A member cannot ask a question of another member when something is—

Hon Clayton Cosgrove: It’s a debating point.

Hon Dr Nick Smith: No, it is not debatable. It is a matter of record. I made the announcement on the Monday, and the assertion made by the member is incorrect.

Hon Trevor Mallard: This is actually very important. We were told by the chief executive at an open session of the committee today that—

Mallard at that point was ordered to resume his seat.

The Speaker invited him to be careful when asking his question not to make assertions that are “unfair.”

But Nick – extraordinarily – wanted to spill his guts, or something.

Hon Trevor Mallard: Did Dr Smith inform the member before the meeting of 12 March that Mr Wilson was the chairman at the time of the meeting?

Hon Dr Nick Smith: I seek leave to make a personal explanation in respect of the assertion that has been made by the member asking the question.

There were more points of order, the Speaker put the request for leave to make a personal explanation, there was an objection. And that was that.

Alf was pissed off. He had been keen to hear what Smith was so desperate to tell us.

But then it was back to Mallard bowling his googlies to Bennett, and Bennett handling them magnificently.

Hon Trevor Mallard: Did Dr Smith inform the member before the meeting of 12 March that Mr Wilson was, in fact, the chairman at the time of the meeting, as the committee was told this morning by—

DAVID BENNETT: It was agreed that Dr Smith would attend the meeting. I think the Labour Party members would have got a lot of value out of his attendance at that meeting.

More appeals to the umpire.

Then the next ball.

Hon Trevor Mallard: Did Dr Smith inform the member before the meeting of 12 March that Mr Wilson was, in fact, the chairman at the time of that meeting, as the chief executive told the committee this morning?

DAVID BENNETT: In the public arena at that time, Mr Judge would have been expected to be the chairman, as has been noted. The Minister agreed to come to that meeting and he attended it. The transcript of today’s meeting will provide further details on the member’s question, I am sure.

End of the day’s play.

The bugger won’t be bowled, caught or stumped.

Dunno why he isn’t playing for the Black Caps.

The options the Government has are to raise levies, cut costs, cut cover or, most probably, a combination of the three.

It is hardly surprising that, as it embarks on that route, the Government has opted to replace Mr Wilson with former Ernst and Young chief executive John Judge. Labour’s denunciation of the appointment as political rings hollow, given Mr Wilson got the job after finishing as head of the CTU and after it had been kept open by Labour for nearly a year. It is understandable that the Government now has doubts thatMr Wilson is the right manto head the board as ACC changes direction.

Dominion Post Editorial on ACC – March 13 , the quote deals with options the government has and Labour’s nonsensical claims about the removal of Ross Wilson.

Dunno if we can spare Nick Smith from his mission – pursued with a zeal bounding on the fanatical – to shake up the ACC, rid its board of Labourites and…well, who knows what else?

But if we can spare him, he would be just the bloke to despatch to the US to save the Philadelphia Orchestra.

The orchestra, we are reminded by the New York Times, lifted classical music to new heights of public awareness when Leopold Stokowski conducted it for the 1940 Disney film “Fantasia”. It has remained one of the world’s finest musical ensembles.

Alf – who loved “Fantasia” – is upset to learn the orchestra is now in big trouble.

The Fabulous Philadelphians, as the musicians have long been known, are being hit by leadership turmoil even as they suffer from the financial distress that has struck most orchestras during the recession.

The newspaper dossiers the grim consequences: the Philly has cancelled a prestigious European tour scheduled for this summer, delayed a project to stream concerts on the Internet, and its recording deal is to end with no clear extension or replacement certain.

Moreover, its new home, Verizon Hall in the Kimmel Center, has been dogged by criticism of its acoustics and faces yet another acoustical evaluation.

The orchestra has announced salary reductions and deep cuts in the administrative staff.

But here’s the thing that alerted Alf to the role that Nick Smith could play.

The Philadelphia Orchestra, which appears at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday evening, is functioning without a permanent board chairman, chief executive or music director.

There. Don’t call for Superman. Call for Our Nick.

Those who did not previously appreciate it would have learned yesterday he is a man with a prodigious capacity for hard slog and responsibility, and can step in at a select committee meeting to do the work of Minister, chairman, chief executive…

Bulldozer driver, too, if you need one, Alf fancies.

Certainly we must credit him with doing a splendid job of orchestrating the flow of news about the ACC to justify his interventions. This makes him an admirable candidate for the job of music director.

The Herald has a good account of Nick’s huge array of talents this morning:

A gatecrashing by ACC Minister Nick Smith yesterday quickly turned an otherwise routine meeting into another scene in the ongoing political imbroglio over the scheme.

Dr Smith turned up unannounced at a select committee hearing on ACC and then talked over its chief executive, leading to accusations of “bizarre behaviour”, “bullying” and “gagging” from Labour.

The transport and industrial relations select committee was meeting for ACC’s financial review and was to be addressed by its chief executive, Jan White, and new chairman John Judge, appointed only on Monday after Dr Smith sacked Ross Wilson.

Mr Judge could not make the meeting but instead of being replaced by another of the board’s members, Dr Smith decided to stand in, even though he was not minister during the 2007-08 year in question.

Smith has a remarkable flair for waving a big stick to bring loud playing down to pianissimo.

Actually, he would be keen to bring it right down to mute if it didn’t square with his score.

Dr Smith has already been accused of gagging the board…

Thus an audience wouldn’t hear a bloody thing if Nick decided it was unfit for human consumption (which could be handy with some of that modern discordant stuff).

Then there’s his mastery of orchestration.

…but he went further at yesterday’s meeting by interrupting Dr White as Labour MPs tried to question her about ACC’s financial position.

Its financial position is contentious. Dr Smith’s National Government says cost blow-outs mean cuts are required.

Labour says Dr Smith is manufacturing a crisis in order to bring about the changes.

He stood in on the committee so he could continue to “spin” his version of its financial position.

Does he play an instrument?

Playing his own trumpet comes to mind.

Labour’s attempted questioning of Dr White included whether ACC was insolvent, following Dr Smith’s public descriptions of it being “technically insolvent”.

Labour’s questioning also established that the main driver of ACC’s financial position was the global economic crisis rather than the increasing costs of claims.

Dr Smith frequently interrupted and stated his opinion.

Alf suspects he’s a dab hand with the fiddle, too.

He and the Government want the public to think big cuts are needed to ACC to bring ballooning liabilities and costs under control.

But Jonathan Eriksen, an actuary, has been saying the value of ACC’s assets dropped because liabilities had gone up and because actuaries discount future payments at an interest rate, and rates had been dropping.

Things would improve when the market improves.

Hence Labour accuses Smith and the Government of fabricating an ACC crisis.

Alf doubts Labour can be right about anything, and reckons Nick is right on the button, but:

Labour’s standpoint was backed yesterday by Herald economics editor Brian Fallow, who said National’s “shrill scaremongering” was irresponsible, and actuary Jonathan Eriksen, who called it complete nonsense.

This became the stuff of parliamentary questioning, when Nick stuck rigidly to his score.

Hon David Parker: Does the Minister agree with Brian Fallow that “it is downright irresponsible … to use terms like ‘insolvent’ and ‘going down the gurgler’ … because there are people who depend on [accident compensation] to keep body and soul together and will do for the rest of their days.”; if not, why not?

Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Accident compensation has a serious problem, because costs have been rising at a very fast rate. Although the discount rate may go up and down—and it did both over the term of the previous Government—the fact is that those liabilities grew by $16 billion under the term of the previous Government, and that is why this Government has to make changes to get costs under control.

How’s that for great conducting. He reached a shrill crescendo without even bothering to address the matter of whether his alarmist rhetoric was irresponsible.

But can we spare him from saving the ACC to save the Fabulous Philadelphians? Maybe not. We’ve got to have him sort out our Ministry for the Environment, next.

Alf is delighted to report he has already started. Don’t you just love that chorus of wailing from the Greenies?

Rob Hosking writes that the government seems oddly vague  over the sacking of Ross Wilson as chair of ACC.

They might seem vague but the reason is obvious: if you’re politically appointed you can be politically disappointed.

Either the horrific financial position ACC is in or Wilson’s political views, if not his allegiance, would be grounds for a job loss under a new administration and the combination makes the decision compelling.

It is also another argument for following the USA’s example where political appointees offer their resignations when the government changes.

Incoming ministers could choose to accept the offers or not. That would enable them to keep those who are performing well and let those who aren’t, or whose services are no longer wanted for whatever reason, to leave with their dignity intact rather than facing the indignity of being sacked.

Revenge will be sweet for Nick Smith, as he cuts a swathe through the ACC board room.

His political opponents would never let him forget he had taken stress leave a few years back; they used this to persistently needle him, when Labour was in Government.

So much so that mental health workers expressed disappointment at the behaviour of the poor man’s political tormenters.

Ongoing attacks about MP Nick Smith’s mental health – including Winston Peters calling him a “loony tune” and to “take your pills before you come down to the House” – have been criticised by mental health advocates, but Dr Smith’s opponents say he gets what he asks for.

The Mental Health Foundation says it is disappointed at the attacks over Dr Smith’s mental health in Parliament this week – attacks which have been an ongoing theme since he went on stress leave in 2004 after being deposed as newly appointed deputy leader of the National Party following Don Brash’s election as leader.

The Herald’s report dossiered several unkind remarks about our Nick.

Hansard records reveal references since 2005 include Annette King referring to Dr Smith as “cracked”, both Ms King and Trevor Mallard telling him to “take his pills”,

Phil Goff suggesting he take his “medication”, Clayton Cosgrove referring to him as “troppo” and Michael Cullen making references such as “long before Dr Smith needed his pills”, and “big, brave Dr Smith will take his pills”.

Dr Smith did not rise to Mr Peters’ bait in Parliament, but when the Herald approached him yesterday said the statements were “personally derogatory and untrue”.

Judi Clements, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said there had been good inroads into public acceptance of mental illness, and it was not helpful to see a politician constantly having an episode of mental illness thrown back in his face.

Smith is now gunning for people Labour appointed to the Accident Compensation Corporation board – something that Radio New Zealand (along with other news media) foreshadows will happen this week:

The Accident Compensation Corporation Minister Nick Smith is expected to remove the organisation’s board this week.

Dr Smith has indicated that he is unhappy with the eight-member board’s financial management, and says it is time for a fresh start.

He believes the board has allowed costs at ACC to get out of control, and last week refused to express confidence in chairman Ross Wilson.

Mr Wilson, a former president of the Council of Trade Unions, was appointed by the previous Labour-led government and is little more than half-way through his three-year term.

Only two or three board members are tipped to retain their positions

The financial stuff at ACC seems to be a shambles, sure enough (although Alf harbours a sneaking suspicion that the horror figures being bandied by the Government might frustrate a sober discussion of what’s going on and what should be done about it).

But after many years of being publicly taunted by Labourites, Smith can now show ‘em who’s in charge these days.

Labour’s ACC appointees accordingly will find what it’s like to lose your head.

What do you do when you don’t have a college team profile or a positional prospect ready to post? You’re about to find out! Who am I kidding, the title of the post is a dead give away. Time for an update on all the college action that’s gone down from Tuesday to Thursday. It’s an easy way to fill space and, really, isn’t that what the internet is all about? At it’s core, it always comes back to filling up space, one way or another. 

Of course, combing through box score after box score, compiling information, and then trying to think of the occasional witty remark to break up the string of numbers takes a lot longer than it should. Longer than it would probably take to finish up a college profile or a prospect list. Hmm. Consider this way more than just filler (ignore the tag!), but rather a labor of love. Alright, I need to wrap this up. They say if the intro is too long then people will tune out and click away. They also say that if the intro is too boring, people won’t even bother ever coming back. What if it’s too long and too boring? Let’s hope we never find out…

The highlight of the mid-week games was the marquee pitching matchup between two first round rigthanders. I love it when a big pitching matchup lives up to the hype, don’t you?

Mike Leake (Arizona State): 8 IP 1 H 0 ER 1 BB 10 K 11 GO 2 AO

Kyle Gibson (Missouri): 7 IP 5 H 2 ER 0 BB 8 K 9 GO 2 AO 2 LO

Gibson was very good, but Leake was even better. Both players have strong reputations as groundball pitchers and their numbers have backed it up. Gibson’s ground out, air out, and line out ratios through two starts: 15/5/3. Leake’s is even better: 19/3/1. I believe this is the only free resource on the internet that keeps track of such numbers, by the way. I mean, I’m not one to toot my own horn or anything, but it’s always bothered me that college stats were so poorly organized (trying to navigate some of these college box scores is a nightmare) and so well hidden from the public. College Splits is tremendous, but it’s gotten so good that their stats are darn near impossible to gain access to. Long story short, I’m just trying to do my part. Oh yeah, Gibson and Leake are good. Gibson was 5th on the Big Board and Leake was 11th. 

And now for something totally different. Bob Revesz is an interesting lefthanded starter for Louisville (draft-eligible sophomore, iffy fastball, plus slider) who has one of the finer “Personal” facts on a team website I’ve ever seen. Normally when I say interesting, I mean it as an intentionally vague “player with an actual big league future” general comment. While Revesz does fit the profile of an “interesting” prospect — he looks like a good bet to make it in pro ball as a left reliever, at worst — he also fits the profile as, well, an “interesting” character. According to the Louisville team website, Revesz “once drank a cube of Mountain Dew in one night.” Really.

After the jump, all of the most important Tuesday and Wednesday adventures in college prospectdom recapped for your reading pleasure.

Tuesday

Louisiana State has a lineup that can really, really hit. Off the top of my head, I’m not sure I like a single lineup in college baseball more…from a prospect standpoint, naturally. Anyway, the LSU bats were out in full force on Tuesday. Leon Landry, Ryan Schimpf, DJ LeMahieu, and Jared Mitchell all had multi-hit days on Wednesday for the Tigers. A good scouting day would be an LSU-San Diego State game – Strasburg against this lineup would be fun to watch. 

Dustin Ackley (North Carolina): 0-3, BB, K and 1-1, RBI, 3 R, 4 BB

Ackley’s Tuesday and Wednesday batting lines are both listed above. Notice the contrast? As always, we’re dealing with ridiculously small sample sizes so comparing one game to another doesn’t really show us anything relevant to a player’s prospect standing. So why do it? I don’t know. It’s fun?

Luke Anders (Texas A&M): 2-5, 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R, 2 K

Anders, the Aggie senior first baseman, continues to put up impressive power numbers. 

Zach Cone (Georgia): 3-5, 3B, RBI, 2 R, K

The freshman sensation continues to hit right out the shoot for the Bulldogs. The playing time Cone has received in the early going is a great indicator of future success. 

Josh Spence (Arizona State): 7 IP 6 H 0 ER 2 BB 13 K 4 GO 4 AO, 122 pitches

Spence is a junkballing junior college transfer (Central Arizona, represent!) who has put up huge numbers in his first two starts for the Sun Devils. His pitch counts have both been absurdly high in the early going, no small matter and well worth monitoring going forward. 

Austin Dicharry (Texas): 6 IP 2 H 0 ER 1 BB 5 K 8 GO 5 AO, 62 pitches

Another freshman sensation off to a fabulous start, Dicharry threw a very efficient six innings in his debut with the Longhorns.

Brandon Belt (Texas): 3-3, HR, 2B, RBI, 2 R, 2 BB

Kevin Keyes (Texas): 3-4, HR, 2B, RBI, R, BB, K, SB

Keyes’ legit five-tool ability has been on display early on. He continues to position himself as a potential premium pick come 2010. 

Jordan Henry (Mississippi): 1-3, 2 RBI, 4 R, 4 BB

The above line is Henry’s combined stats for two mid-week games. Henry has a lot of tools, so it’s good to see his overall game rounding into shape. Henry with better plate discipline = potential top five draft-eligible college outfielder. 

Jared Clark (Cal State Fullerton): 2-2, 2B, RBI, R, BB

A senior sign candidate that reminds me a lot of another player further down the list…

Steven Proscia (Virginia): 2-3, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB

Proscia is a well thought of freshman at Virginia who is already getting consistent playing time at the hot corner. Much like Zach Cone from earlier, the mere fact that he is getting consistent at bats at a top baseball school is a strong indication that he is legit. 

Matt Presley (Arizona): 3-5, RBI, R, BB, K

Jason Stoffel (Arizona): 2 IP 1 H 0 ER 0 BB 4 K 1 GO 1 AO and 1.1 IP 1 H 0 ER 0 BB 4 K

3.1 IP with 8 K’s in Stoffel’s two saves this week. Out of ten potential outs, 8 have come via the strikeout. After a rocky start to the season, Stoffel has been rolling. Stoffel’s ability to go multiple innings is both a blessing and a curse to his prospect standing. The idea of using him in the role of “relief ace” rather than just a closer in the bigs is very appealing (though unlikely), so it’s great to see him stretched out and capable of getting it done at Arizona. However, the extra innings take a toll. If you are of the belief that a pitcher only has so many bullets in his arm, then it’s hard to see him “wasting” so many at the college level. 

Kentrail Davis (Tennessee): 1-3, R, 2 BB

Davis’s plate discipline has been a strong point to his game so far this season. Yes, I noted a player for getting two walks in one game. It’s the little things that make me happy, I guess. Also, I hate writing a name that ends with an “S” when I’m indicating possession. I never know what to do. Four years of college, all for nothing… 

Ross Wilson (Alabama): 4-5, 2 2B, RBI, 3 R

Kent Matthes (Alabama): 4-5, HR, 3B, 2B, 5 RBI, 4 R, SB (cycle) and 2-4, HR, 2B, RBI, 2 R, BB, K

Kent Matthes, where have you been all my life? 6-9, 5 extra base hits, 6 RBI, 6 R – not a bad two day stretch. Matthes is an intriguing senior sign type of player who actually has a little bit of upside to his game. No one tool stands out above the rest, but he is relatively solid across the board. Above-average power, good frame, decent baserunner. The one glaring weakness is his total lack of plate discipline, something he needs to improve on to merit top ten round consideration this June, but the tools are better than most college seniors. 

Miers Quigley (Alabama): 5 IP 7 H 3 ER 0 BB 8 K 4 GO 2 AO, 80 pitches

Quigley’s stock is already on the rise as one of the strongest lefthanded draft-eligible lefthanders out there. More games like this won’t hurt. 

Wednesday 

Michael Palazzone (Georgia): 1 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 3 K

Graham Stoneburner (Florida): 1 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 3 K

Identical lines for a couple of similarly talented righthanded hurlers. Stoneburner isn’t quite as good as Palazzone, but he is at least draft-eligible this year. Palazzone’s draft year isn’t until 2011. I can’t decide what last name I like better… 

Josh Adams (Florida): 3-4, 3B, RBI, 2 R, BB, K

Riley Cooper (Florida): 2-4, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

The Cooper bandwagon still has space available, but you’d better believe seats are filling up fast. Hop on!

Kyle Blair (San Diego): 2.1 IP 2 H 0 ER 1 BB 4 K

A much better outing for Blair than his first start of the season last Saturday. The line above was posted out of the bullpen, by the way. Hmm…

Gavin Brooks (UCLA): 1 IP 1 H 5 ER 2 BB 1 K 2 GO 0 AO 4 HBP, 44 pitches (only 18 for strikes)

Ay yi yi. Brooks actually survived the first inning without incident, but totally imploded in the second. His control, never a strong point, has totally vanished. Is that how you spell “ay yi yi”?

Grant Green (USC): 1-3, 2B, K (batting leadoff)

Green didn’t start the year hitting leadoff for the Trojans, right? I’m almost certain he was hitting in the middle of the lineup last weekend (third, I think), but I’m not 100% positive. If he has been shifted to the top spot, I wonder a) how permanent the move is, b) if it’ll jumpstart his game, and c) if moving a player around in a lineup can actually have any discernable impact on a player’s performance. 

By Alexander Lawrie

FORTH Road Bridge bosses are turning to a new high-tech option in trying to stop would-be Spidermen climbing the world-famous structure.

Officials are considering whether to install modern laser beam equipment in a bid to beat the idiots who put their lives at risk by scaling the bridge’s cables.

In a world first, the bridge could be guarded by infra-red beams which would trigger an alarm if anyone attempted to scale it.

The proposed security measures come just weeks after 22 year-old Ross Wilson was jailed for seven months for his drunken ascent which forced the closure of the bridge for over an hour.

The lout had clambered up the bridge’s thick cabling and managed to reach the top before being coaxed back down by alarmed bridge staff.

It is at least the third time in the last four years that someone had attempted to climb the 330ft bridge.

Officials from the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) have admitted it would be practically impossible to stop would-be climber – but the laser system would alert security staff much quicker to the possible dangers.

Barry Colford, chief engineer and bridgemaster, said: “We could install it at the end of the cable, and, if the beam was broken, it would send an alarm.

“We are looking at the cost, but such incidents take up considerable amount of staff time.

“Bridges throughout the world have this issue, but no-one else has introduced this technology.”

Unlike the popular Hollywood depiction of laser technology, the infrared security measures would be invisible to the human eye, and their path cannot be detected by using sprays or thermal imaging cameras.

A spokesperson for Geoquip, which supplies infrared security for prisons, said the beams could cover up to 500ft and would be positioned just ten inches apart – too narrow for someone to slip through unnoticed.

However, Neil Greig, the director of policy and research for the Institute of Advanced Motorists’ Motoring Trust, said: “Relying on technology might not be the best option because you would still have people climbing the cable, as some will be very determined.”

A FETA spokesperson admitted yesterday that the proposed infra-red security measures are just a number of options bridge bosses are discussing.

Ross Wilson was handed a seven month jail term at Dunfermline Sheriff Court last month after his drunken antics forced the closure of the bridge for over an hour.

The Edinburgh plumber avoided certain death after he scaled ice-covered cables and faced howling winds during his ascent.

A handy tip for those who have a hard time meeting self-imposed deadlines – making your schedule public makes it a heck of a lot easier to stick to. Remember this?

Monday: (2/16): All Freshman Prospect Team
Tuesday (2/17): All Sophomore Prospect Team
Wednesday (2/18): All Senior Prospect Team
Thursday (2/19): All Draft-Eligible Sophomore Prospect Team AND All Junior Prospect Team
Friday (2/20): College Opening Day Hip-Hop Pizza Party featuring the debut of The Baseball Draft Report 2009 College Prospect Big Board

No matter what happens this week, I’m sticking to this darned schedule. If today is Tuesday, that means it is All Sophomore Prospect Team Day! The players listed below are all, as far as I know, draft-eligible as of the 2010 season. There are no redshirt sophomores on the list — the 2009-eligible sophomores will get their own list — only players eligible for the 2010 draft. Something about this class really appeals to me, so I went a little overboard with some of the writeups. Enjoy the All Sophomore Prospect Team after the jump…

C – Yasmani Grandal (Miami)
1B – Hunter Morris (Auburn)
2B – Christian Colon (Cal State Fullerton)
3B – Victor Sanchez (San Diego)
SS – Derek Dietrich (Georgia Tech)
OF – Kevin Keyes (Texas)
OF – Brett Eibner (Arkansas)
OF – Matt Presley (Arizona)

Grandal is a nice prospect who is phenomenal defensively and a work in progress offensively. In fact, his skills behind the plate are so good, it’s no stretch to say his defense alone guarantees some semblance of a major league career even if the bat never wakes up. Curt Casali (Vanderbilt) was very impressive in limited duty with the Commodores last season. Casali also has the upside potential of a prep player from the northeast (Connecticut) who hasn’t had as much time as a player from a sunnier locale to hone his craft. Given regular at bats, Casali could really break out this season.

Morris arrived at Auburn as a player with serious raw power, but significant issues with other aspects of his game (defense, swing mechanics, and overall athleticism) hurt his prospect stock. His big freshman year (.351/.433/.597) put some of those concerns on the backburner for the time being – more proof that a big bat can take you a long, long way.

Colon is a shortstop by trade, but a dearth of quality second basemen made him flip across the diamond for the sake of this activity. Colon is a very steady ballplayer who profiles as at least a league average starting MLB middle infielder – we’re big fans of his combination of slightly above-average everything (speed, middle infielder pop, hands, range, plate discipline…the list goes on). Ross Wilson of Alabama and Josh Adams of Florida (currently playing 3B) are other second base prospects to watch. Colon has the best reputation of the three (highest draft pick out of high school), Adams has the best plate discipline and overall bat, and Wilson is the leader when it comes to power.

Sanchez’s freshmen year numbers are reminiscent of Evan Longoria’s…I’m not saying, I’m just saying. His solid defensive play has answered questions about his long-term position and his high school power potential quickly turned into collegiate power production, a great sign for a young player. I know we’ve talked a little too much about “approach” lately, but Sanchez’s really stands out. The third baseman from San Diego takes a professional mindset into every at bat and, as of this writing, is our number one college position player in the 2010 class.

Close readers of the comments section will recognize the name Derek Dietrich. The unsigned Houston Astros draftee  I’ve seen Dietrich play in person more than once (and I looooove to name drop!) and his potential is readily apparent. He’s already a superior hitter to former second round pick and Georgia Tech third baseman Wes Hodges and even though he doesn’t look like a shortstop he exhibits many of the skills (mainly soft hands) that should allow him to start his pro career there. Dietrich also has a really cool helicopter finish to his swing that really needs to be seen. The other big shortstop to watch also has a Houston-area connection. Rice shortstop Rick Hague is a close second to Dietrich among 2010 middle infielders and, taking a look strictly at the numbers, it’s easy to see why they are a clear one-two atop the rankings (all stats courtesy of The Baseball Cube):

Career Statistics

Josh Rutledge (Alabama) is third on our 2010 shortstop rankings, and, as you can see, is a different style of hitter than Dietrich and Hague.

Keyes and Eibner both had very promising freshmen campaigns. Another quick statistical comparison, if you’ll indulge me once more:

Career Statistics

What jumps out to me are the power numbers. Keyes had extra-base hits in 7 out of his 20 hits (35%). Eibner went for extra bases 20 times out of his 57 hits (also 35%). A quick look at top prospects shows that these ratios aren’t all that high for elite bats…though they are both better than Matt Wieters’ freshman year extra-base hit to total hit ratio, whatever that’s worth (not much). Keyes is a monster physically (6-4, 225), with huge raw power, and a fantastic throwing arm. Eibner is similarly talented – big raw power with a throwing arm befitting a part-time pitcher. However, Keyes’ raw tools blow away those of any other position player on the list, Eibner included. Will he be able to use those tools to build something pretty?

Presley is my big out of leftfield upside play out of all of the position players. Presley only got 10 at bats last season, but he was a prime recruit out of high school who, 10 at bats or not, hasn’t lost that lightning quick bat speed that made him such a wanted recruit in the first place. He’s one to watch closely in 2009.

One last note on these outfielders worth mentioning. Eibner is another unsigned Astros draft pick, by the way. He was taken one round after the failed Dietrich pick…

RHP – Matt Harvey (North Carolina)
RHP – Barrett Loux (Texas A&M)
RHP – Brandon Workman (Texas)

The pitching on this list is pretty sick, is it not? I count twelve (twelve!) potential first round arms coming out of the college ranks at this point. The usual caveats about both the nature of forecasting a draft over a year away and pitching prospects in general apply, but the 2010 class looks to have a very intriguing sampling of high upside pitching with a little bit of something for any scouting director’s taste.

Matt Harvey is the early frontrunner to be the top overall pick in 2010, so, yeah, he’s a good one. Harvey has great size (6-4, 200), a plus fastball (93-98 MPH), a well above-average curve (plus potential), and a plus change. Loux also has great size (6-5, 200) with a heavy heater that should generate both swings and misses and groundballs. Workman was an unsigned draft pick of the World Champion Phillies who has both a plus fastball and a plus curve, but still needs to work on fine tuning his mechanics.

Other first round caliber arms include Anthony Ranaudo (Louisiana State), Justin Grimm (Georgia), Kyle Blair (San Diego), Deck McGuire (Georgia Tech), Nick Tepesch (Missouri), and Evan Danieli (Notre Dame). It’s hard to pick favorites out of that group, but we’re especially big fans of Blair, Grimm, and McGuire at this point.

LHP – Chris Hernandez (Miami)
LHP – Drew Pomeranz (Mississippi)
LHP – Sammy Solis (San Diego)
LHP – Scott Alexander (Pepperdine)

Last statistical comparison of the day, I promise. Four potential first round college lefties:

Career Statistics

Hernandez’s numbers were far and away the best of the four, but he’ll have to overcome the stigma of being a pitchability guy without the ceiling of an ace dominating overmatched amateurs. Pomeranz has strikeout stuff (two plus pitches – fastball/breaking ball), but his control was a major issue his freshman season. Pomeranz was also prone to the longball, but it remains to be seen whether or not that is something tied to his scouting profile or just statistical noise. Solis will be replace Brian Matusz as San Diego’s stud lefthanded pitcher; it’s hard not to appreciate his very solid four-pitch mix. Scott Alexander is the wildcard of the bunch, a guy with electric stuff but no idea where it’s headed once it leaves his hand.