Diamond Prospects: November 2011

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Max Fried Draft Profile

Name: Max Fried

Position: Left-Handed Pitcher

Year: Senior

School: Harvard-Westlake HS (CA)

Bats/Throws: Left/Left

Height/Weight: 6'4"/ 170

D.O.B.: 01/18/1994

College Commitment: UCLA

Fried

Scouting Report: Max Fried impressed scouts with his combination of stuff and pitchability at the Perfect Game All-American Classic and is now considered the best prep lefty in the 2012 draft. A fantastic athlete, Fried's best pitch is his dynamic curveball that high school hitters have no shot at hitting. He throws it in the mid-70's with a sharp break on it that drops off the table. Couple that with a plus fastball that Fried can run up to 94 and he has the potential to be a top-of-the-rotation starter. Opponents of Harvard-Westlake High School are going to be in trouble this year as they will be facing arguably the best righty and lefty prep pitchers in the nation in Lucas Giolito and now Fried after he transferred from Montclair Prep. Both are committed to UCLA and they both will probably never pitch for the Bruins as they should be locks for the first round.

Future Grades:

Fastball	65
Curveball	70
Change-up	55
Command/Control	60
Delivery	60
Overall	65

Stats:

Year	Team	W	L	S	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	BB	SO	WHIP	SO/9
2009	HS	4	4	1	3.60			48.2	43	47	60	1.88	11.2
2010	HS	10	3	1	1.81			73.1	47	51	76	1.34	9.38
2011	HS	7	3	1	1.31			69.2	44	38	100	1.19	13.01
2012	HS

Video:

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Around The Horn: November 9, 2011

MLB Bonus Baby reviews the Colorado Rockies 2011 Draft, including personal favorite Trevor Story.

Baseball America unveils their top 10 prospects for the 2012 Washington Nationals, no shocker at #1.

Today is the first day that players can sign National Letters of Intent, and Perfect Game has all of the signings.

College Baseball Daily continues its countdown of the Top 100 college players with Clemson right-hander Scott Firth.

Fangraphs' Jim Breen wrote an interesting article on why hard slotting would be bad for baseball.

Kevin Gausman Draft Profile

Name: Kevin Gausman

Position: Right-Handed Pitcher

Year: Sophomore

School: Louisiana State

Bats/Throws: Left/Right

Gausman

Height/Weight: 6'4"/ 185

D.O.B.: 01/06/1991

Scouting Report: Gausman was one of the best prep prospects just two years ago, but he dropped to the 6th round of the 2010 draft and decided to go to LSU. He became the most reliable starter on the staff in his Freshman year and is now a potential Top-10 pick as a draft-eligible Sophomore. With a great K/BB ratio, Gausman shows great command of a mid-90's fastball that runs in on righties. Shaky secondary pitches are one reason Gausman dropped coming out of high school and he has worked hard to improve those pitches. His efforts are paying off as he now possesses a plus curveball and a developing change that projects as above-average. With LSU's talented roster ready to once again make a run at Omaha, a dominant year from Gausman should put him in the Top-5 on draft day.