Here's somewhat of an in-depth rundown of the players I think are likely draft risks this June. It's still a few weeks from predictions or extremely accurate round readings, but I think this should give you a picture of what to look for when the Draft begins. When it gets close, I've been able to be fairly accurate, but that's for another day. This class seems to be in the middle of the past two as far as Draft worries. There's not a first round pick in the group, compared to three last year, but several guys will likely be off the board by the fifth round - the time that Michael Reed was Ole Miss' highest drafted recruit in 2011. That year the Rebels got nine of 11 drafted players to campus. Development hasn't yielded a stud group, but it was a good class from a draft sense. Ole Miss needs something close here.
And always remember it just takes one team. I use this as an example because it's the best one I know: Jake Overbey was slotted around the 30th round by seemingly every team except for the Phillies who made it known they liked him around the 10th. Sure enough they took him in the 10th. Probably could have gotten him rounds later. Obviously he's now with Ole Miss, but you get the point.
Also, with all this, I'm repeating what I've been told. I obviously haven't seen all these prospects in person and have no way to know signability without talking to people, so whatever you read is what I'm being told by multiple people I trust.
OF JB Woodman - Edgewater, Fla.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder is rated the No. 77 overall prospect and No. 14 outfielder nationally by Perfect Game. At a June 2012 showcase, Woodman ran a 6.63 60-yard dash time and threw 91 MPH from the outfield. A big-time coup by Cliff Godwin out of the Sunshine State, Woodman chose Ole Miss over Florida. He's experienced some draft helium since signing with Ole Miss, but I've heard he was a lofty number as far as a signing bonus, and if he sticks to that, odds are OK he'll be a Rebel. If he agreed to sign for something in the mid-six figures, then he'd be gone, but the number is higher than that. He's the kind of talent that should be able to play immediately and hit to all fields with gap power. He hits from the left side. Really good student
INF Dalton Dulin - Memphis, Tenn.
The 5-foot-9, 165-pounder is rated No. 148 overall and No. 6 in the middle infield for the 2013 class by Perfect Game. In August 2012 he ran a personal combine-best 6.65 60-yard dash and has a top infield velocity of 77 MPH from June 2012. I've heard the arm has improved some, but he's certainly to profile as a second baseman at any level past high school due to that, though he has played the left side of the infield at MUS. He's a switch hitter and the ultimate energy guy. He goes full speed constantly and would likely be a dynamo at the college level. He can really hurt you from the left side, while the right side is more of a contact thing. Not super talented, but he works his tail off and gets everything out of hit. As for the Draft he's the biggest mystery to me. I don't see some high pick, but I haven't heard much about signability, and there is the thought he may take something smaller just to play baseball everyday.
LHP/1B Evan Anderson - Mcloud, Okla.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pounder is 164 nationally and the No. 21 pitcher by Perfect Game. He's touched into the low 90s from the left side and should sit high 80s to 90. He's currently working in three offspeed pitches with a pretty good loopy curve that may need to be tightened. He's a really good athlete who can easily dunk a basketball. His bat can also possibly play. There's true power potential from the left side, and while he won't be drafted for the bat, I wouldn't be surprised to see it show up in college at some point. As for the Draft, he has a big number like Woodman, and his family is very set on education and college development. Barring a surprise or just an outlandish offer, I think Anderson shows to school. Ole Miss has signed the top pitcher out of Oklahoma two years in a row. Obviously Ty Hensley didn't show up, but that's an uncommon pipeline.
RHP Cheyne Bickel - North Palm Beach, Fla.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound right-hander is No. 267 nationally and the No. 80 RHP nationally by Perfect Game. He sat into the 90s in a couple national events last summer, but his velocity has a tendency to noticeably fluctuate at times. Swing-and-miss curve is already pretty developed. He's been on the national scene for quite sometime and is pretty mature. My gut says he'll take a decent come this summer. No one has told me that directly, but it's the impression I get from people. I'll be a little surprised if he shows to campus. I think he was Ole Miss' first commit for this class.
SS Errol Robinson - Boyds, Md.
The 5-foot-11, 170-pounder is 212 nationally and the No. 27 shortstop by Perfect Game. He's somewhat lanky and narrow in the hips but should add some weight. He's a 6.75 runner in the 60 and was 84 across the infield in June 2012. Robinson's dad went to Southern Miss, and His mom went to Ole Miss. He has a sister who's a broadcast journalism major at Ole Miss now. Robinson profiles as someone who can stick at shortstop at the next level, so that's a key for pro clubs. He's somewhat of a late bloomer when it comes to baseball, and he improved a lot in the last year or so. He's got line drive pop that could develop into gap power. Does everything fairly well. Draft worry still somewhat in the air. A team could reach here because of the high ceiling, and I'm not terribly knowledgable about his signability at this point. Robinson is a major concern for Ole Miss because of his potential and also because him taking an offer wouldn't be crazy surprising.
OF Carlos Williams - Covington, Tenn.
If you wanted me to pick the least likely of the high school kids to show up, I'd go with Carlos Williams. He's 250 nationally by Perfect Game and the kind of prospect pro scouts drool over. There's potential with the bat, but he's a rocket running around the bases. He ran a 6.18 60-yard dash (Senquez Golson is a 6.38 by comparison) at the PG National Showcase last summer. That might be a Perfect Game record and it's easily the fastest in the country currently. He also showed an 83 MPH arm from the outfield that should improve. Possibly still a project a team is going to take a shot and see what happens. Reminds me somewhat of Ryan Bolden except there's more upside here potentially.
OF Braxton Lee - Pearl River CC
All-State and All-Region selection as a freshman at Pearl River, and he's intriguing due to his ability to be a high-average guy at the plate and run. Lot of variables in play as for him doing it, but Lee could steal 20-30 bases in the SEC potentially. I wouldn't think he'd skip Ole Miss for the minor leagues, but junior college players are unpredictable, and you can never be terribly sure. I don't mean that as a slight. I don't know him. Just throwing out the normal rule. He hit .397 as a sophomore with 36 stolen bases in 42 attempts. An immediate contender in Ole Miss' outfield. He can really play. He struck out 11 times in 146 at-bats. Not sure this means anything, but it's a bizarre stat: He hit .480 in PRCC's 36 wins and .182 in its 10 losses.
LHP Cody Reed - Northwest Miss. CC
And here's the unlikely JUCO player to get to campus. I'll just let ESPN's Keith Law tell you why:
"Analysis: I first mentioned Reed on Twitter a few weeks ago -- he's a 6-foot-4 lefty with a plus curveball and a delivery that works whose fastball gets up to 94 mph. He's committed to Ole Miss but should never get to campus.
Law has Reed No. 41 in his top 50 MLB Draft prospects, and while I think that's a little high for his actual draft position, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound lefty has the tools to be a big power lefty starter, but there's still some work to be done. I wouldn't be shocked to see second round and good bit of cash thrown at him. Odds are slim he'll see college. There's a lot of velocity from a big frame and a breaking ball that works. Ole Miss signed him when he was in the 80s with velocity, and then he blew up. It happens.
Those are the ones I'd be most worried about. As for other players that may can contribute quickly we'll see. Here are some quick hits on a couple other guys in the class.
RHP Ryan Leone - Shreveport, La.
I've liked Ryan a lot ever since I watched him pitch last summer at Swayze Field. He's 6-foot-1, 180 and ranked 342 by Perfect Game. Here's the report from that day at Swayze. He can tighten and loose his curve and there's good arm action on a changeup. He chose the Rebels over Alabama, Arkansas, Texas A&M, LSU and Stanford. The makings are there for a really good college career but haven't heard draft buzz. Leone can sit in the low 90s for a few innings. He also has an extra gear and throws harder with people on base.
3B Colby Bortles - Oviedo, Fla.
Here's your masher in the middle of the order. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Bortles has a long swing he may need to shorten up and level out some to play at the college level, but he has a lot of raw power and moves well enough laterally to play third base. Not going to burn up the bases, but that's secondary if he hits. Bortles' brother was/is the quarterback at Central Florida.
OF Peyton Attaway - Shreveport, La.
Don't know as much about him as I should but heard a lot of good things recently. He's 6-foot-3, 195 pounds and hits to all fields with the potential for pop. Runs well with contact at the plate. It's the kind of guys you need to win in today's college game. There can't be more than one or two players in the lineup with poor contact who rely on long balls.
A couple guys that intrigue me offensively are Brantley Bell, the infielder from Arizona, and Corey Baptist who plays first base from St. Petersburg, Fla. Bell, son of former Major Leaguer Jay Bell, has some interesting tools and could be one others missed on. He needs to get stronger and do more to hit to all fields, but there's a foundation there. Baptist is a little like Bortles at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and also has that long swing, but it's shortened some this season, and he's had a big year.
Also in the high school class are Southaven teammates Wyatt Short and Henri Lartigue. Short is a 5-foot-8, 160-pound left-handed pitcher that has some sneaky velocity and could surprise people after a few years in college. Lartigue has the tools to be a defensive catcher with more instruction. He's a switch hitter with a nice swing from the left. Right side is a little long and won't catch up to college arms at times. However, there are things to build on.
In summary there are a few elite arms that could help immediately and that's where you can't be killed by the Draft. From a position player standpoint it has the potential to be a strong class that's much needed since there there were only five position players who showed this season as freshmen. Christian Helsel, Holt Perdzock and Cameron Dishon have played roles thus far.
This post was edited on 5/3 7:40 AM by Chase Parham
And always remember it just takes one team. I use this as an example because it's the best one I know: Jake Overbey was slotted around the 30th round by seemingly every team except for the Phillies who made it known they liked him around the 10th. Sure enough they took him in the 10th. Probably could have gotten him rounds later. Obviously he's now with Ole Miss, but you get the point.
Also, with all this, I'm repeating what I've been told. I obviously haven't seen all these prospects in person and have no way to know signability without talking to people, so whatever you read is what I'm being told by multiple people I trust.
OF JB Woodman - Edgewater, Fla.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder is rated the No. 77 overall prospect and No. 14 outfielder nationally by Perfect Game. At a June 2012 showcase, Woodman ran a 6.63 60-yard dash time and threw 91 MPH from the outfield. A big-time coup by Cliff Godwin out of the Sunshine State, Woodman chose Ole Miss over Florida. He's experienced some draft helium since signing with Ole Miss, but I've heard he was a lofty number as far as a signing bonus, and if he sticks to that, odds are OK he'll be a Rebel. If he agreed to sign for something in the mid-six figures, then he'd be gone, but the number is higher than that. He's the kind of talent that should be able to play immediately and hit to all fields with gap power. He hits from the left side. Really good student
INF Dalton Dulin - Memphis, Tenn.
The 5-foot-9, 165-pounder is rated No. 148 overall and No. 6 in the middle infield for the 2013 class by Perfect Game. In August 2012 he ran a personal combine-best 6.65 60-yard dash and has a top infield velocity of 77 MPH from June 2012. I've heard the arm has improved some, but he's certainly to profile as a second baseman at any level past high school due to that, though he has played the left side of the infield at MUS. He's a switch hitter and the ultimate energy guy. He goes full speed constantly and would likely be a dynamo at the college level. He can really hurt you from the left side, while the right side is more of a contact thing. Not super talented, but he works his tail off and gets everything out of hit. As for the Draft he's the biggest mystery to me. I don't see some high pick, but I haven't heard much about signability, and there is the thought he may take something smaller just to play baseball everyday.
LHP/1B Evan Anderson - Mcloud, Okla.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pounder is 164 nationally and the No. 21 pitcher by Perfect Game. He's touched into the low 90s from the left side and should sit high 80s to 90. He's currently working in three offspeed pitches with a pretty good loopy curve that may need to be tightened. He's a really good athlete who can easily dunk a basketball. His bat can also possibly play. There's true power potential from the left side, and while he won't be drafted for the bat, I wouldn't be surprised to see it show up in college at some point. As for the Draft, he has a big number like Woodman, and his family is very set on education and college development. Barring a surprise or just an outlandish offer, I think Anderson shows to school. Ole Miss has signed the top pitcher out of Oklahoma two years in a row. Obviously Ty Hensley didn't show up, but that's an uncommon pipeline.
RHP Cheyne Bickel - North Palm Beach, Fla.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound right-hander is No. 267 nationally and the No. 80 RHP nationally by Perfect Game. He sat into the 90s in a couple national events last summer, but his velocity has a tendency to noticeably fluctuate at times. Swing-and-miss curve is already pretty developed. He's been on the national scene for quite sometime and is pretty mature. My gut says he'll take a decent come this summer. No one has told me that directly, but it's the impression I get from people. I'll be a little surprised if he shows to campus. I think he was Ole Miss' first commit for this class.
SS Errol Robinson - Boyds, Md.
The 5-foot-11, 170-pounder is 212 nationally and the No. 27 shortstop by Perfect Game. He's somewhat lanky and narrow in the hips but should add some weight. He's a 6.75 runner in the 60 and was 84 across the infield in June 2012. Robinson's dad went to Southern Miss, and His mom went to Ole Miss. He has a sister who's a broadcast journalism major at Ole Miss now. Robinson profiles as someone who can stick at shortstop at the next level, so that's a key for pro clubs. He's somewhat of a late bloomer when it comes to baseball, and he improved a lot in the last year or so. He's got line drive pop that could develop into gap power. Does everything fairly well. Draft worry still somewhat in the air. A team could reach here because of the high ceiling, and I'm not terribly knowledgable about his signability at this point. Robinson is a major concern for Ole Miss because of his potential and also because him taking an offer wouldn't be crazy surprising.
OF Carlos Williams - Covington, Tenn.
If you wanted me to pick the least likely of the high school kids to show up, I'd go with Carlos Williams. He's 250 nationally by Perfect Game and the kind of prospect pro scouts drool over. There's potential with the bat, but he's a rocket running around the bases. He ran a 6.18 60-yard dash (Senquez Golson is a 6.38 by comparison) at the PG National Showcase last summer. That might be a Perfect Game record and it's easily the fastest in the country currently. He also showed an 83 MPH arm from the outfield that should improve. Possibly still a project a team is going to take a shot and see what happens. Reminds me somewhat of Ryan Bolden except there's more upside here potentially.
OF Braxton Lee - Pearl River CC
All-State and All-Region selection as a freshman at Pearl River, and he's intriguing due to his ability to be a high-average guy at the plate and run. Lot of variables in play as for him doing it, but Lee could steal 20-30 bases in the SEC potentially. I wouldn't think he'd skip Ole Miss for the minor leagues, but junior college players are unpredictable, and you can never be terribly sure. I don't mean that as a slight. I don't know him. Just throwing out the normal rule. He hit .397 as a sophomore with 36 stolen bases in 42 attempts. An immediate contender in Ole Miss' outfield. He can really play. He struck out 11 times in 146 at-bats. Not sure this means anything, but it's a bizarre stat: He hit .480 in PRCC's 36 wins and .182 in its 10 losses.
LHP Cody Reed - Northwest Miss. CC
And here's the unlikely JUCO player to get to campus. I'll just let ESPN's Keith Law tell you why:
"Analysis: I first mentioned Reed on Twitter a few weeks ago -- he's a 6-foot-4 lefty with a plus curveball and a delivery that works whose fastball gets up to 94 mph. He's committed to Ole Miss but should never get to campus.
Law has Reed No. 41 in his top 50 MLB Draft prospects, and while I think that's a little high for his actual draft position, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound lefty has the tools to be a big power lefty starter, but there's still some work to be done. I wouldn't be shocked to see second round and good bit of cash thrown at him. Odds are slim he'll see college. There's a lot of velocity from a big frame and a breaking ball that works. Ole Miss signed him when he was in the 80s with velocity, and then he blew up. It happens.
Those are the ones I'd be most worried about. As for other players that may can contribute quickly we'll see. Here are some quick hits on a couple other guys in the class.
RHP Ryan Leone - Shreveport, La.
I've liked Ryan a lot ever since I watched him pitch last summer at Swayze Field. He's 6-foot-1, 180 and ranked 342 by Perfect Game. Here's the report from that day at Swayze. He can tighten and loose his curve and there's good arm action on a changeup. He chose the Rebels over Alabama, Arkansas, Texas A&M, LSU and Stanford. The makings are there for a really good college career but haven't heard draft buzz. Leone can sit in the low 90s for a few innings. He also has an extra gear and throws harder with people on base.
3B Colby Bortles - Oviedo, Fla.
Here's your masher in the middle of the order. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Bortles has a long swing he may need to shorten up and level out some to play at the college level, but he has a lot of raw power and moves well enough laterally to play third base. Not going to burn up the bases, but that's secondary if he hits. Bortles' brother was/is the quarterback at Central Florida.
OF Peyton Attaway - Shreveport, La.
Don't know as much about him as I should but heard a lot of good things recently. He's 6-foot-3, 195 pounds and hits to all fields with the potential for pop. Runs well with contact at the plate. It's the kind of guys you need to win in today's college game. There can't be more than one or two players in the lineup with poor contact who rely on long balls.
A couple guys that intrigue me offensively are Brantley Bell, the infielder from Arizona, and Corey Baptist who plays first base from St. Petersburg, Fla. Bell, son of former Major Leaguer Jay Bell, has some interesting tools and could be one others missed on. He needs to get stronger and do more to hit to all fields, but there's a foundation there. Baptist is a little like Bortles at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and also has that long swing, but it's shortened some this season, and he's had a big year.
Also in the high school class are Southaven teammates Wyatt Short and Henri Lartigue. Short is a 5-foot-8, 160-pound left-handed pitcher that has some sneaky velocity and could surprise people after a few years in college. Lartigue has the tools to be a defensive catcher with more instruction. He's a switch hitter with a nice swing from the left. Right side is a little long and won't catch up to college arms at times. However, there are things to build on.
In summary there are a few elite arms that could help immediately and that's where you can't be killed by the Draft. From a position player standpoint it has the potential to be a strong class that's much needed since there there were only five position players who showed this season as freshmen. Christian Helsel, Holt Perdzock and Cameron Dishon have played roles thus far.
This post was edited on 5/3 7:40 AM by Chase Parham
