My Top Ten

[Greg Pappas]

As we get closer to the draft, I'll update my rankings, but as of now, I've settled on the following players as my personal Top Ten.

1 > Bryce Harper, C, College of Southern Nevada

2 > Jameson Taillon, RHP, The Woodlands H.S., (TX)

3 > Manny Machado, SS, Miami Brito H.S., (FL)

4 > Christian Colon, SS/2B, Cal State Fullerton

5 > Karsten Whitson, RHP, Chipley H.S., Chipley, (FL)

6 > Drew Pomeranz, LHP, Ole Miss

7 > Chris Sale, LHP, Florida Gulf Coast

8 > Zack Cox, 3B, Arkansas

9 > Kaleb Cowart, RHP/3B, Cook County H.S., (GA)

10 > Stetson Allie, RHP, St. Edwards (OH)

Who are your Top Ten?

[Arthur_Bryant]

Every year we seem to get at least two or three HS kids with potential both on the mound and in the field. This year it looks like Kaleb Cowart is at the forefront of that group.

Greg (and others) which way do you see him ending up? And which does he prefer?

It's interesting to see how organizations handle this. I think the Red Sox had to sell Casey Kelly on the idea that he could play both ways for a while. But I think that experiment ends next season, if not this year.

BTW I haven't followed all the mocks and preliminary lists, but I think that's the highest I've seen Cowart.

[RVAbird]

As we get closer to the draft, I'll update my rankings, but as of now, I've settled on the following players as my personal Top Ten.

1 > Bryce Harper, C, College of Southern Nevada

2 > Jameson Taillon, RHP, The Woodlands H.S., (TX)

3 > Manny Machado, SS, Miami Brito H.S., (FL)

4 > Christian Colon, SS/2B, Cal State Fullerton

5 > Kaleb Cowart, RHP/3B, Cook County H.S., (GA)

6 > Drew Pomeranz, LHP, Ole Miss

7 > Chris Sale, LHP, Florida Gulf Coast

8 > Zack Cox, 3B, Arkansas

9 > Karsten Whitson, RHP, Chipley H.S., Chipley, (FL)

10 > Stetson Allie, RHP, St. Edwards (OH)

Who are your Top Ten?

There's still plenty of time left, but right now I've got:

Bryce Harper

Jameson Taillon

Large separation

Zack Cox

Karsten Whitson

Manny Machado

Drew Pomeranz

Smaller separation

Christian Colon

AJ Cole

Nick Castellanos

Anthony Ranuado

Sale, Mcguire and Hahn would probably follow.

I haven't seen/read enough about Cowart to properly place him yet. How does he project on the mound and at the plate?

[Greg Pappas]

Every year we seem to get at least two or three HS kids with potential both on the mound and in the field. This year it looks like Kaleb Cowart is at the forefront of that group.

Greg (and others) which way do you see him ending up? And which does he prefer?

It's interesting to see how organizations handle this. I think the Red Sox had to sell Casey Kelly on the idea that he could play both ways for a while. But I think that experiment ends next season, if not this year.

BTW I haven't followed all the mocks and preliminary lists, but I think that's the highest I've seen Cowart.

There appears to be a split, but I feel his upside on the mound is just slightly ahead of the bat. Kelly is an excellent example, as Cowart wants to play every day, but could end up on the mound if the team taking him wants that.

This was not a mock, but rather a personal Top Ten... and you're right, Cowart hasn't been rated this high by any other sites, that I am aware of. Then again, it's still early enough that Cowart could tumble out of my final Ten by draft day.

[Greg Pappas]

There's still plenty of time left, but right now I've got:

Bryce Harper

Jameson Taillon

Large separation

Zack Cox

Karsten Whitson

Manny Machado

Drew Pomeranz

Smaller separation

Christian Colon

AJ Cole

Nick Castellanos

Anthony Ranuado

Sale, McGuire and Hahn would probably follow.

I haven't seen/read enough about Cowart to properly place him yet. How does he project on the mound and at the plate?

Very good list... I had Castellanos, Harvey and Ranaudo in the next five.

It's funny, but I thought about doing the separation thing that you did... as I believe it is a solid indicator of how you view these players as a group. Glad you did it, and I may do that at some point pre-draft.

Here's a good video of Cowart at MLB.com.

[Stotle]

Harper

Taillon

Whitson

Cox

McGuire

Cole

Sale

Pomeranz

Colon

Machado

[Stotle]

Every year we seem to get at least two or three HS kids with potential both on the mound and in the field. This year it looks like Kaleb Cowart is at the forefront of that group.

Greg (and others) which way do you see him ending up? And which does he prefer?

It's interesting to see how organizations handle this. I think the Red Sox had to sell Casey Kelly on the idea that he could play both ways for a while. But I think that experiment ends next season, if not this year.

BTW I haven't followed all the mocks and preliminary lists, but I think that's the highest I've seen Cowart.

Higher ceiling in the field but hit tool and swing are a concern. BIG power potential. Shortstop hands in future 3B body. Best infield arm in class outside of Stetson Allie (who will pitch as a pro but could go both ways at UNC).

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On the mound, he is a LOT less refined than the big arms in the class. That probably even includes Allie, who doesn't know where the ball is going 20% of the time. Slider can be a nice little pitch with very tough tilt, but it's a spinner a fair amount of time, still. Also, he's been more consistent out of the stretch for me. I think he fits well around where Ethan Martin went, 11-20 range. Risk he ends-up a bullpen arm, but he's a good enough athlete that he should be able to find consistency in three offerings. Just a question of how good those three can be over long starts/season. Never really been tested, even at showcases.

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I think he can be successful as a pitcher or a position player, he just needs to choose one and put the reps in. From people I talked to in Georgia, he isn't anywhere near as stuck on the "play every day" idea that CK was -- by that I mean they don't think he'd make that a demand of his drafting team, which Kelly did. I saw all but one of his games in Jupiter, and he was highly impressive. Too much risk for me to consider selecting him ahead of several much more refined HS arms (with better now stuff and still with projection), but he's definite 1st Rounder for me.

[Stotle]

1. Harper

2. Taillon

3. Machado

4. Pomeranz

5. Colon

6. Cole

7. Castellanos

8. Wilson

9. Whitson

0. Golden

Like the upside in your picks -- think it's clear to say you place a large emphasis on ceiling with HSers?

Where do you see someone like Zack Cox? Lack of power the big concern?

[Stotle]

Just watching the MLB video's and the writeups. So I'm going on very little plus what I can gather from guys like you and the others on here. When I watched the Cox video and read the writeup I had some concerns. The writeup questioned him staying at 3B and wasn't all that flattering about his defense at 2B. The swing reminded me a little of Ackley. Most would consider that a compliment but I don't like that style for future power. There's like little to no hip rotation in the swing. At least that's what I see. So yeah, I don't see the power down the road.

That's a pretty darn good analysis, RZ! Ultimately, I think pro instruction gets him to utilize that bat speed and produce some homeruns. Agree with your Ackley comp -- first thing I thought when I saw his shortened swing this year. I actually like his defense at 3B; not spectacular, but I think it will play at ML level. I think the ceiling is limited, but he's a safe college bat in a class that's lacking in that department.

Great thoughts; thanks for posting.

[SoBo]

Is the concern with colon that he won't be able to stick at ss? Because he seems like a logical pick to fill a major hole.

[Greg Pappas]

Is the concern with Colon that he won't be able to stick at SS? Because he seems like a logical pick to fill a major hole.

There is a concern that his limited range may influence a team to move him to second base, so there's that. Regardless, Colon -for me- profiles to be an above average middle infielder, and that has a lot of value.

[SoBo]

There is a concern that his limited range may influence a team to move him to second base, so there's that. Regardless, Colon -for me- profiles to be an above average middle infielder, and that has a lot of value.

Agreed. Saw some scouting reports that drew some comps to Jeter. Which seems like a bit of a reach. But it was siting his make up being a major plus. Taillon seems to be odds on bet for our pick. But I would not at all be upset with Colon.

[Greg Pappas]

I have decided to replicate RVAbird's efforts and do the tiered rankings...

Harper (then a slight drop off)

Taillon (then a slight drop off)

Machado (then an average drop off)

Colon

Whitson (then an average drop off)

Pomeranz

Sale

Cox (then a slight drop off)

Cowart

Allie

Sorry about the Cowart/Whitson swap in the OP, no idea how that happened. I like Cowart's potential, but I would take Whitson over him. However, Whitson did recently drop down to 16 in the latest BA rankings, which has me curious/concerned.

[Greg Pappas]

Agreed. Saw some scouting reports that drew some comps to Jeter. Which seems like a bit of a reach. But it was citing his make up being a major plus. Taillon seems to be odds on bet for our pick. But I would not at all be upset with Colon.

I would be disappointed at first, but that's because my own research and rankings do not find Colon in the top three. We should take whomever is the highest rated player on our board when we pick. I'm very excited to see who we get.

[RVAbird]

I have decided to replicate RVAbird's efforts and do the tiered rankings...

Harper (then a slight drop off)

Taillon (then a slight drop off)

Machado (then an average drop off)

Colon

Whitson (then an average drop off)

Pomeranz

Sale

Cox (then a slight drop off)

Cowart

Allie

Sorry about the Cowart/Whitson swap in the OP, no idea how that happened. I like Cowart's potential, but I would take Whitson over him. However, Whitson did recently drop down to 16 in the latest BA rankings, which has me curious/concerned.

Ok, I was wondering about that! Cowart's got a lot of tools and a lot of potential but I was curious how he had jumped so high on your list. Also, I know BA is down on Whitson, and there might be some cause for concern, but as of right now I consider him the second best prep arm on the board. Your list makes more sense now that you've clarified/corrected.