Bubba Starling

[Stotle]

Maybe it's quotes like this one from a couple of weeks ago, when he signed at his HS:

Sounds like someone who is ready to be wooed.

The last time he was on a baseball field, he was being mentioned down at #10-#15, I think. As his stock rises, the slot money and presumably the overslot possibilities both get bigger. I think a bonus in excess of $4MM would be tough to turn down, and I imagine that Boras will be advising him that the same money might not be available in three years. And of course there is always the injury risk.

Kansas City Star, Feb. 11

Nah. That's a quote that fans latch onto, but the industry guys are going off of their home visits and interactions, I imagine. Any advisor worth a penny would be telling him to mention how tough it will be to sign him away from Nebraska, whenever it comes up. He has been considered signable for several months now, while Bradley has been closer to "Not really sure yet if he's open to skipping out on Oklahoma." Neither are in my region so I don't have first or second hand info on a home visit.

[weams]

Haha! Avery and Hudson split wide and Starling at QB. I have no clue how to defend that.

Glad he isn't committed to ND -- it would be depressing to lose him to baseball.

Kieron Pope used to be quite the bruising back before his leg shattered.

[Stotle]

Kieron Pope used to be quite the bruising back before his leg shattered.

Didn't know Pope as a prep, but have heard stories about his athleticism. Would have been fun to see him in high school.

[atlantaoriole]

I'm pulling for the O's to draft Bubba. After reading articles on him and seeing film on the football field and hearing about how freak of an athlete he is I can't help but think of Carl Crawford. And like Crawford I think he will turn down football at Nebraska to play professional baseball.

[Arthur_Bryant]

I'm pulling for the O's to draft Bubba. After reading articles on him and seeing film on the football field and hearing about how freak of an athlete he is I can't help but think of Carl Crawford. And like Crawford I think he will turn down football at Nebraska to play professional baseball.

Here are a couple of baseball videos from showcases last summer.

Under Armour Aug. 14 -- OF throws, pitching, BP. Showing off a pretty nice curve and what looks like a slider and a change.

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IiWsqj842c4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Tournament of Stars June 23-25 -- Check out 1:50, he legs out a triple on what looks like a low line drive, goes home to third in 11 secs. even taking a bad route around first base.

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bThk1mUVNxA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Sports Guy]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=3113

As the top-rated high school position player heading toward this year's draft, how does Bubba Starling rank and compare amongst these other toolsy prep outfielders from the past few drafts: Mike Trout, Donavan Tate and Aaron Hicks?

Joe LeCates

Easton, Md.

Great question, Joe. It's interesting that, of those three, Tate was the biggest deal in high school and he's had the toughest time as a pro so far. All of the players listed are obviously gifted athletes. Trout played three sports in high school, Tate was committed to North Carolina for baseball and football and Hicks was a promising golfer before he started playing baseball.

But none are quite on Starling's level. He's just a freak athlete. He's the best position player in this year's high school class and, while he's more raw as a pitcher, he can still throw 94 mph and would be highly-ranked even if he didn't have five-tool potential as a position player. He's the seventh-best high school quarterback in the nation, according to ESPNU's Top 150 of 2011, and he could play Division-I basketball too if he wanted. He's just the kind of kid that can do almost anything he wants athletically. Check out some of his YouTube football highlights, they're pretty incredible.

Starling may just stand out more to me because I've seen the most of him. He's the only player of that group that I've seen as an amateur and I've seen him the most of all four of those guys. So, to get a better perspective for you, I asked a scouting director to weigh in on the subject. The scout I spoke with said he didn't see a lot of Tate, but saw a lot of the other three. . .

"They're all toolsy, high-ceiling guys, but physically you were hoping that Hicks would gain a little more size and strength. Starling has a little more strength and Trout is kind of a combination of all of it. He has the size and the strength and the speed. I think Trout was probably the strongest and the closer product to what the finished product was going to be. Hicks was probably the furthest away as far as looking at some projection down the line and Starling's probably somewhere in the middle of that group—a little further ahead of Hicks, but man, I had a special place for Trout."

[Arthur_Bryant]

Jordan supposedly loves athletic guys. .

I wish he had thrown a little love in Mike Trout's direction.

[Stotle]

I wish he had thrown a little love in Mike Trout's direction.

I wonder why he shied away from New Jersey talent eating up Northeast competition?

[Arthur_Bryant]

I wonder why he shied away from New Jersey talent eating up Northeast competition?

Once burned, twice shy???

[LookinUp]

If the top 3 goes Rendon, Cole, Starling, I'll be very disappointed. I want one of those three even if there are a couple of other guys who are obviously very deserving of the #4 pick.

[Arthur_Bryant]

If the top 3 goes Rendon, Cole, Starling, I'll be very disappointed. I want one of those three even if there are a couple of other guys who are obviously very deserving of the #4 pick.

There is a lot of ball yet to be played--stating the obvious. And it's hard to know whether one of the top three teams just absolutely swoons for Bubba, but to have him go that high would be a surprise when you consider that there could be one to three or more top shelf college pitchers in the mix after Cole.

Stotle made the point (and I buy it) that his tools have already made whatever impression he is going to make. Dominating Kansas HS competition for a couple of months isn't going to persuade anyone who is still on the fence about his prospects.

[PapaRick]

If the top 3 goes Rendon, Cole, Starling, I'll be very disappointed. I want one of those three even if there are a couple of other guys who are obviously very deserving of the #4 pick.

It is obviously very early, but this is where I sit today. I am not an astute talent evaluator like several other folks here, but as a fan reading the opinions of others here that I respect, I would very pleased with any one of these three as our first pick.

It would be pretty sweet to have Machado and then Starling arriving as 20 year olds in two successive seasons if they both approached their upsides. I certainly realize that there is a lot that could change between now and 2014 but a fan can dream.

[BIG R]

A very good friend of mine works within the high school baseball circuit, country wide, and is a pretty astute baseball guy. He has seen Starling a few different times including at the Under Armour showcase at Wrigley Field this past summer.

I asked him about Starling and he said he's an absolute freak! He has size, power and speed and an above avg. arm. Has a chance to play CF at the big league level. He said the O's should think very hard about taking this type of high ceiling, high risk kid.

I agreed with this type of thinking. After Rendon and Cole, who is the next impact player? I know there is a whole spring season to see but if no one really jumps up.....

The O's need STAR talent! They don't need another #3 or 4 starter. They need impact bats to put in the middle of the order, no matter whether the player is a high school or college guy. Since the O's are not spending internationally, this is the kind of move that is necessary to elevate the franchise.

Granted, the risk is much bigger but if your scouts really like him then jump in with both feet. Doesn't sound like McPhail. Hopefully Jordan does. Jordan has a lot to lose, I think, more so than earlier in his tenor. Due to the backlash of the Hobgood, Snyder and Rowell debacles in the top half of the first round, he must hit a home run with this pick. At the very least hit a double, which may result in a Sonny Gray or Matt Purke type selection.

Everyone thought Wieters was it and it isn't looking that great. You must take a chance here I believe. Matt Hobgood is not the high ceiling HS kid, Machado is and so is Starling.

Hopefully for the O's sake, they pick correctly here.

[mark_beckens]

A very good friend of mine works within the high school baseball circuit, country wide, and is a pretty astute baseball guy. He has seen Starling a few different times including at the Under Armour showcase at Wrigley Field this past summer.

I asked him about Starling and he said he's an absolute freak! He has size, power and speed and an above avg. arm. Has a chance to play CF at the big league level. He said the O's should think very hard about taking this type of high ceiling, high risk kid.

I agreed with this type of thinking. After Rendon and Cole, who is the next impact player? I know there is a whole spring season to see but if no one really jumps up.....

The O's need STAR talent! They don't need another #3 or 4 starter. They need impact bats to put in the middle of the order, no matter whether the player is a high school or college guy. Since the O's are not spending internationally, this is the kind of move that is necessary to elevate the franchise.

Granted, the risk is much bigger but if your scouts really like him then jump in with both feet. Doesn't sound like McPhail. Hopefully Jordan does. Jordan has a lot to lose, I think, more so than earlier in his tenor. Due to the backlash of the Hobgood, Snyder and Rowell debacles in the top half of the first round, he must hit a home run with this pick. At the very least hit a double, which may result in a Sonny Gray or Matt Purke type selection.

Everyone thought Wieters was it and it isn't looking that great. You must take a chance here I believe. Matt Hobgood is not the high ceiling HS kid, Machado is and so is Starling.

Hopefully for the O's sake, they pick correctly here.

I couldn't agree more. I want guys who are going to be above average to stars, even if the risk is greater then taking a college player, more developed but with a lower ceiling.

[ChaosLex]

Considering the amount of money we threw around this offseason, I think Starling might be a little too rich for our blood.

I think a mid-tier guy like Bundy (Bundy brothers, FTW!) is a real possibility here, IMO.