Alex Dickerson
Rumors

The 2011 draft class is considered a very deep draft class, especially when compared against the 2010 and 2009 classes.  Many of those players spend their summer playing in the prestigious Cape Cod League, despite the number of players who decided to play for Team USA instead. 

With the regular season over and playoffs beginning, Keith Law of espn.com ranked the Top 30 players in the Cape Cod League this summer.  Below is his Top 10 along with a position and his college team and Cape Cod club, but Keith also includes a little blurb about each player's season for all 30 players and why he ranks where he does.  

1) George Springer, OF, UConn/Wareham
2) Matt Barnes, RHP, UConn/Wareham
3) Brian Goodwin, OF, UNC/Harwich
4) Anthony Ranaudo, RHP, LSU/Brewster

5) Alex Dickerson, LF/1B, Indiana/Wareham
6) Levi Michael, SS, UNC/Harwich
7) Anthony Meo, RHP, Coastal Carolina/Bourne
8) Jed Bradley, LHP, Georgia Tech/Wareham

9) Jack Armstrong, RHP, Vanderbilt/Falmouth
10) Jason Esposito, 3B, Vanderbilt/Orleans

Most draft related news recently has centered around either the Cape Cod League and its recent All-Star game at Fenway Park or the signings (or lack thereof) of the 2010 class.  However, there's still plenty of information to pass along about next year's draft class, the Class of 2011.

We'll start off with some pieces about high school players eligible for the 2011 draft courtesy Conor Glassey of Baseball America.

• Lakeland Christian HS (FL) Left-handed pitcher Corey Stump threw well at the East Coast Pro Showcase in his hometown of Lakeland, FL.  There are also notes on some of the other top performers on the day.
• Lake City HS (SC) outfielder Shon Carson is fast.  Very fast.  Also, more news from the East Coast Pro Showcase
• Catholic HS (LA) pitcher Aaron Nola did not think he'd be at the East Coast Pro Showcase, but he made the best of his unlikely appearance.  Also included is a list of the top 60-yard dash times.

ESPN recently profiled some of the top players for the 2011 draft class. 

• UCLA pitcher Gerrit Cole passed up on over a $1M signing bonus as the 28th pick of the 2008 draft to improve his stock for 2011.  It worked. 
• The early favorite for the #1 pick of 2011 is Anthony Rendon. 

• Similar to Cole, TCU pitcher Matt Purke passed up #14 pick signing bonus money in 2009 to enter the 2011 draft.  Purke has plenty of top flight competition.
• Science Hill HS (TN) pitcher Daniel Norris is rated the top high school pitcher of the 2011 class.

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The footage is long overdue, but Baseball Rumor Mill has recorded some of our own footage of 2011 prospects and added it to YouTube.  The footage is primarily from a Orleans Firebirds vs. Wareham Gateman game on June 29th, 2010.  There were plenty of good players in the game (one ultimately won by Wareham, 3-0), but we got some good footage of likely top draft picks. 

From Wareham we were able to watch Indiana outfielder Alex Dickerson, UConn outfielder George Springer and Duke pitcher Eric Pfisterer among others.

Vanderbilt shortstop Jason Esposito is easily Orleans' best player and there's some good footage of his at bats. 

Perhaps the best footage, however, is from the next day when Orleans faced the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.  Jordan Pries from Stanford threw a no-hitter against the Firebirds and we got some footage of his eighth inning to share. 

Jordan Pries No-hitter

To follow Baseball Rumor Mill's videos on YouTube, visit the BaseballRumorMill channel.

To view all videos on Baseball Rumor Mill, visit the video pages.

We also shot plenty of stills including good shots like the one below of Dickerson.  To see all the photos from the game, visit the photo album.

Jason Churchill of espn.com has an update from the summer leagues with plenty of players who will be available in the 2010 MLB Draft.

New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)

• Adam Matthews of South Carolina impressed an area scout.
• Vanderbilt's best hitter, Aaron Westlake, will be playing for the Newport Gulls.
• Kansas RHP TJ Walz had 88Ks in 82.1IP this season and will be playing in the NECBL.
• Mitchell Beacom from UCLA will be playing for the Holyoke Blue Sox. "He's one of those, you know, projectable types," one AL club's West Coast area scout said. "Lots there to look for, and he's a lefty."
• If I were playing in the NECBL, I'd be really bummed if I got stuck in Holyoke, MA vs. Newport, RI.

Texas Collegiate Baseball League (TCBL)

• RHPs Willie Kempf from Baylor and Jeff Emens are prospects on scouts radars who will be playing in the TCBL this summer.

Cape Cod League

• SS Christian Colon from Cal State-Fullerton, 1B Andy Wilkins from Arkansas and RHP Anthony Ranaudo will be suiting up for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox and likely trailed by scouts all summer.
• Arkansas' Zack Cox, Texas RHP Chance Ruffin and Clemson LHP Chris Dwyer (taken by the Royals in the 4th round) will be playing for the Cotuit Kettleers.
• SS Derek Dietrich from Georgia Tech and OF Alex Dickerson from Indiana will be playing for the Wareham Gateman.
• Georgia Tech RHP Deck McGuire and Fresno State 2B Danny Muno will be on the Orleans Firebirds along wtih Max Stassi's older brother, LHP Brock Stassi from Nevada.
• Middle Tennessee State's Bryce Brentz and LSU OF Leon Landry will team up for the Harwich Mariners.
• The Bourne Braves might have the best team with Ole Miss LHP Drew Pomeranz, FSU OF Tyler Holt and Tennessee C Blake Forsythe.
• If Kentrail Davis does not sign with the Brewers soon, he'll be playing for the Falmouth Commodores.
• RHP Matt Harvey from UNC will be playing for the Chatham Anglers.