For all HS/College/Draft Fans

[Stotle]

I'll be releasing new positional rankings and a new Top 300 in April. If you have any strong feelings about players in this class and would like to provide input, please feel free to email me at nick.james@pnrscouting.com

Looking forward to continued discussion of the class and of the Orioles's strategy heading into June.

[alexei606]

Here's an interesting name who also has an Orioles connection:

And that's what we do," Jordano said. "We pound these principles every day, and it's great to see a guy like (junior third baseman) Joe Leonard, who's a top prospect, getting up to the plate and driving a ball to second base with a runner on third and two strikes. We want him to be our RBI guy, no doubt about it, but he like anybody else in the lineup knows it's not just him. If we're being productive with our at-bats, we'll score runs."

Leonard is the centerpiece of Pitt's lineup, a 6-foot-5, 220-pounder whose father John was a first-round pick by the Orioles in 1982. Leonard has good power potential but stands out most for his pure hitting ability. He enters this weekend's series at Rutgers hitting .443/.514/.680 with three homers and 37 RBIs in 97 at-bats. He has even recorded three saves off the mound, where he throws downhill with a 92-93 mph fastball, according to his coach. Jordano said Leonard has generated significant draft buzz among scouts.

"In my opinion he was the best player in this region out of high school, and we were very fortunate to land him," Jordano said. "He has pretty much played every inning of every game with the exception of a few since he arrived. He's a pro player, just the way he conducts himself on and off the field—he's never too high, never too low, always has a very serious approach to the game. He's just a dynamite player—great size, and he's got a plus arm. He's got power, but being as aggressive as we are with situational at-bats, I think at the next level they'll tweak his swing a bit to get him to lift the ball a bit more, but we have him pretty flat through the zone. All the scouts that I've talked to really like him. I've had 50 or 60 kids sign professionally throughout my career, and without question he has to be considered one of the top. He fits the mold; he's going to be great at the next level."

Here's what you wrote about him:

Pittsburgh two-way threat Joe Leonard has the opposite issue. His hands are soft and he has more than enough arm for third (part of what makes him effective off of the mound as well). Most believe his value as a pro will be as a position player, but he lacks the ideal range to profile at second base. If he’s to stick in a pro infield, he’ll need to show he has enough potential pop to provide adequate offensive value at the hot corner. Last year he showed very little in-game power, though he has the size and strength to project to above-average pop if his mechanics and pitch selection cooperate. This past summer he took a nice step forward, posting a slash line of .346/.390/.415, though the homeruns were still nowhere to be seen. A strong offensive spring could see Leonard force his way into early-round consideration. His frame is nice, but scouts will want to see some power show-up after 6pm before investing a great deal in the Panther. He'll be one of the more closely-followed talents in the Big East.

Do you think that he has demonstrated the pop needed to stay at third? And, where do you think he might be drafted? You did have him rated at #168 - any change?

I also am curious about another College 3B that BA talked about today:

Jake Overstreet, 3b, South Alabama

Overstreet, a 6-foot, 200-pound junior, has caught fire recently to help the Jaguars surge to 18-10. He went 10-for-15 with 12 RBIs in a three-game series at Middle Tennessee State last weekend, leading South Alabama to a big road series win against the Sun Belt Conference's preseason favorites. Overstreet smacked two homers in each game of Saturday's doubleheader and drove in seven in a 15-0 win in the series-clinching finale.

Overstreet continued his surge Tuesday against Southern Mississippi, going 3-for-5 with four RBIs. He delivered a game-winning solo homer in the bottom of the eighth to break a 13-13 tie.

"He really is on fire, and he's an outstanding player," USA coach Steve Kittrell said. "Jake's been a key leader for us, and he's the guy we want up in clutch situations. The homer (Tuesday) was huge, to take the lead for us with two out and none on in eighth."

On the season, Overstreet is hitting .395/.452/.640 with a nation-leading 48 RBIs in 114 at-bats. Kittrell said he'll be surprised if he doesn't have to call South Alabama alumnus Luis Gonzalez at the end of the season and tell him his USA single-season RBI record (80, set in 1988) has been broken.

In just 28 games, Overstreet has already surpassed his previous career high for homers in a season: six, in 54 games in 2008. Last year he hit just four homers in 55 games.

"He's worked hard in the weight room, and he's learned to use the whole field better," Kittrell said. "He's become a better hitter—he has power to right-center and left-center. Jake's a pure hitter, and he's driving in a ton of runs."

I didn't see him on your top 300 (unless I missed him). Any words about him, also, what is his defense and arm like?

[Stotle]

Here's an interesting name who also has an Orioles connection:

Here's what you wrote about him:

Do you think that he has demonstrated the pop needed to stay at third? And, where do you think he might be drafted? You did have him rated at #168 - any change?

I also am curious about another College 3B that BA talked about today:

I didn't see him on your top 300 (unless I missed him). Any words about him, also, what is his defense and arm like?

I'm seeing Leonard in person for two series between now and June -- haven't seen him live yet this year. Based on the stats, he will be moving up the list -- my guess is fringe Top 100, but I never know how it ends up when I start to line up everyone. The stats look very solid -- exactly what I was hoping to see. Also glad the focus has been on the field and not the mound so far. Also glad my thoughts pre-season seem to be echoed by the person you quoted. Always happy when I don't look like a COMPLETE idiot with what I write.

I'm not in on Overstreet at all. Thanks for the heads-up; I'll do my best to get a look at him. That's what makes Baseball America so great. They can do this full time and fly around to see many more people! Best college coverage by far.