Keith Law of espn.com recently annoited Anthony Rendon the (very early) top ranked player of the 2011 draft class. Here's a quick look at some other top players for 2011 (in no particular order).
- Gerrit Cole: Tall righty whose fastball sits around 94-95 mph and tops out at 96. Also mixes in an above aberage low 80s slider and a 80 mph changeup. Smooth, effortless delivery. Aggresive with the strike zone.
- Taylor Jungmann: His fastball sits in the low-90s and can touch 95. He also shows the foundation for a knock-out slider and a plus-changeup. His mechanics need some work, as he can get a little out of rhythm at times making his delivery look like his arms and legs are all over the place, but that’s nothing a little refining and maturation at the next level can’t cure.
- Danny Hultzen: Very athletic lefty. Throws upper 80s will touch low 90s occasionally. Real nice breaking ball and can hit his spots. He's a legit pitcher with a deceptive motion. His curve was also an above-average second pitch. He spins a tight breaking pitch, and also mixes in a changeup and a split finger pitch as well.
- Jack Armstrong: He has many things going for him: big league lineage (his dad, Jack, was a Major League pitcher), athleticism (he's a legitimate college basketball prospect) and a tall and lean projectable frame. He's also shown two good offerings he can throw for strikes. He's got some life to the fastball, with some sink down in the zone.
Jack Armstrong could be a Top 10 draft pick in 2011
- Sonny Gray: Gray is a phenomenal athlete with tremendous pure stuff. He displays one of the easiest arm actions around, with a whip-like delivery that allows him to touch the mid-90s with ease, sitting in the low-90s deep into ballgames. He also throws a nasty slider that has touches the mid-80s on occasion, a pitch that is virtually unhittable when it is working as it well as it often does.
- Alex Meyer: A 6-foot-9, 220-pound right-hander who possesses electric stuff, including a high-velocity fastball and an excellent curveball, with his changeup and two-seam fastball developing.
