Cameron Rupp
Rumors

Unfortunately for teams, scouts, players and fans of baseball's amateur draft, the College World Series does not conclude until after June 7th draft.  However, we will be treated to a number of fun match ups this weekend in the College World Series Regionals.  Here's a look at some fun match-ups and top players to watch, broken down by region.

Tempe Region

If the higher teams advance, #1 Arizona State will face #2 San Diego.  That means Arizona State will face either Sammy Solis or Kyle Blair from San Diego.  Seth Blair will throw for Arizona State, but likely in their opening game against Milwaukee

Fayetteville Region

Top seeded Arkansas sports a likely Top 10 pick, Zack Cox, a likely first day pick, Brett Eibner, and a likely second round pick, Andy Wilkins.  Those three will dominate the conversation in this region

Auburn Region

Jimmy Nelson from Auburn faces off against Todd Cunningham from Jacksonville State in the opening round game.  Both could be Day 2 picks.  Other Day 2 picks include Auburn second baseman Brian Fletcher and first baseman Hunter Morris.

Atlanta Region

Possible Top 5 pick Deck McGuire and possible Day 1 pick Derek Dietrich will pace the Georgia Tech yellow jackets while Josh Rutledge hopes to keep Alabama's title hopes alive.

Charlottesville Region

Virginia is one of the best teams in the country and is headed by draft prospect Jarrett Parker.  Mississippi has possibly the top college pitcher in the country in Drew Pomeranz, someone expected to go in the Top 5.  St. John's sports a possible Day 2 pick, Daniel Burawa.

Norman Region

UNC's Matt Harvey seems likely to go in the first round while California's Dixon Anderson figures to be in the mix on Day 2.

Columbia Region

Pitching prospect Sam Dyson leads the top seeded South Carolina Gamecocks.  Likely first round picks Austin Wates and Asher Wojciechowksi lead Virginia Tech and The Citadel, respectively.

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We recently reviewed some of the top catching prospects - high school or college - for the 2010 MLB Draft.  Jason Churchill of espn.com ranked the Top 10 collegiate catching prospects with some comments on the players.  Here's his list.

1) Bryce Harper, College of Southern Nevada

Not only the consensus #1 catcher, he's the consensus #1 player in the draft.  Churchill sums it up nicely: he "is having a huge season in a wood-bat Junior College conference at age 17. Repeat that line in your mind a few times -- let it settle in a bit. He should be a junior in high school and instead he's leading the conference in all three Triple Crown categories."

2) Yasmani Grandal, Miami

Has been on fire in the last month or so and is possibly making noise to make his way into the Top 10 of the draft.  Keith Law recently scouted him and wrote he "is a terror as a left-handed bat and is still an above-average defender, plus his arm remains plus and accurate, with a quick release."

3) Michael Kvasnicka, Minnesota

Churchill compares him to Tony Sanchez because of the possibility that he could make a pre-draft deal and potentially be drafted much higher than anticipated.  "He's the kind of kid you do flips over if you can get him after the first round," said one scouting coordinator.  "He will catch and it sure looks like there is enough bat there to support playing every day."

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As the 2010 baseball season continues to move towards June's draft, the draft stock of the numerous amateur prospects will constantly rise and fall with their play. 

This week, Keith Law from espn.com takes a look at who is rising up draft board and who is falling

Rising

Matt Harvey, UNC, RHP: The North Carolina product has improved his deliver which has resulted in high velocity in his fastball, up to 97 so far this season.  Although he continues to struggle with his command, he continues to induce almost 80% of balls put in play on the ground.  He seems likely to be a first round draft pick.

Stetson Allie, St. Edwards HS, RHP: Although some still contend that Allie's future is as a positional player, he's touched triple digits on the radar as a pitcher and that will be hard to pass up.  Even if his velocity dips to 92-95 with improved command, he'll be in the discussion as one of the top prep pitchers taken in the draft.

Perci Garner, Ball State, RHP: A former quarterback for Ball State, Garner switched to baseball full-time in 2009 and the results have been promising.  Though he is still very rough around the edges as a pitcher, he's already throwing 91-94 and has the strong, athletic build that one would expect from a former football player.

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White the 2009 catching class was dominated by prep prospects, only one or two high school back stops are expected to be highly rated heading into the 2010 draft.  Instead a number of solid collegiate catching prospects will dominate the Day 1 draft picks.

Jason Churchill of espn.com gives a quick analysis of the catching prospects, in no particular order

Bryce Harper, College of Southern Nevada: He's crushing left-handed pitching in a wood bat league (.577/.645/1.038).  Any concerns about his hitting are gone.

Jake Hernandez, Los Osos HS: The only thing keeping him out of the first round is the plethora of high school pitching prospects which are likely to fill up the first round.  It isn't a knock against Hernandez, but more a compliment to the high school pitching prospects available.

Cameron Rupp, Texas: Although power is supposed to be Rupp's signature, he has only three home runs this season.

Micah Gibbs, LSU: A switch hitter, Gibbs is hitting .396 with 11 extra-base hits and a .461 OBP in 26 starts, batting over .400 versus right-handed pitching and is lauded for his work with the LSU pitching staff.

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Hitting is considered one of the weaknesses of the 2010 MLB draft and power hitters, in particular, are in short supply.  Some prognosticators predict that we'll see eight pitchers taken in the Top 10 picks with only Bryce Harper and Bryce Brentz joining that parade.

Nevertheless, hitters pose less risk to clubs when making draft picks, so we could see a few more names slip into the first day draft picks than expected.  Jason Churchill of espn.com recently polled a few talent evaluators to see what power bats they were looking at. 

First Base: Andy Wilkins, Arkansas; Christian Yelich, Westlake, HS; Hunter Morris, Auburn; Cody Hawn, Tennessee

Third Base: Zack Cox, Arkansas; Nick Castellanos, Archbishop McCarthy HS; Jedd Gyorko, West Virginia; Chad Lewis, Marina HS; Kris Bryant, Bonanza HS; Stetson Allie, St. Edward HS; Derek Dietrich, Georgia Tech; Ross Wilson, Alabama; Rick Hague, Rice

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Here's a review of on-field hitting performances by notable 2010 draft prospects for February 28th through March 5th.

Tyler Holt: The outfielder from Florida State walked twice, stole his second base and scored against Hofstra on 2/28.  Holt finally struck out on 3/2, three times, but also added two hits.

Cameron Rupp: Texas' first baseman had a single and a walk vs. Stanford on 2/28 to raise his numbers to .364/.533/.455.  Cameron finally hit his first home run of the season on Tuesday.

Micah Gibbs: The LSU catcher hit a double and three singles, walked, had a RBI and stole a base in Sunday's Game 1 win over William & Mary.  Went 0-fer in Game 2.

Micah Gibbs

Leon Landry: Gibbs' outfield teammate at LSU went 3-for-7 in the double header with five stolen bases on the day. 

Andy Wilkins: Arkansas' first baseman had two hits prompting a scout to say "I learned...this weekend [that] Wilkins can hit."  On Tuesday, Wilkins had two doubles in three at-bats, raising his batting average to .435.  On Friday, Wilkins went 2-for-4 with a homerun against Cal.

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Though the 2010 college baseball season has only just begun, the early performances of a few players will only help their draft stock. Here's a look at some of the top performers so far:

Jedd Gyorko: He's hitting .370/.485/.741 with six extra-base hits and a 6 to 1 BB/K ratio in his first seven games.  While he's glove at shortstop is not professional quality, some team will find a place for his bat in their organization.

Tyler Holt: Sports an impressive .545 OBP through his first seven games.  Though he struck out three times in his last game, it was the first time he had struck out all season.

Andy Wilkins: So far he has hit three home runs and three doubles while walking ten times and hitting .435.  "He can hit the fastball, that's for sure," said an area scout. "But I think anyone will tell you that he's got to prove himself in the SEC to make a move (up the draft boards)."

Andy Wilkins hopes his early season performance will move him up draft boards

Cameron Rupp: He has reached base in 17 of his 34 plate appearances for an impressive .500 OBP, but hit just his first home run the other day and has nine strikeouts already.

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Baseball America announced its pre-season collegiate All-America teams last week.  Below is a look at the third team.  We did a review of the first team on Tuesday and the second team yesterday.

C: Cameron Rupp, Texas
1B: Cody Hawn, Tennessee
2B: Chris Bisson, Kentucky
3B: Rob Segedin, Tulane
SS: BA Vollmuth, Southern Mississippi
OF: Ryan LaMarre, Michigan
OF: Leon Landry, LSU
OF: Austin Wates, Virginia Tech
DH: Jedd Gyorko, West Virginia
UT: Mike McGee, Florida State

            Leon Landry                               Jesse Hahn

SP: Jack Armstrong, Vanderbilt
SP: Kyle Blair, San Diego
SP: Jesse Hahn, Virginia Tech
SP: Brandon Workman, Texas
RP: Addison Reed, San Diego State

Keith Law of espn.com ranked the 30 best prospects from the Cape Cod League this summer. 1-15 can be found here and 16-30 can be found here. Keith ranked 2010 and 2011 eligible players, but we're only concerned with 2010, so we have conveniently summarized the 2010 prospects in one post.

1. Zack Cox - 3B, Arkansas: A good defensive thrid baseman who also swings a big bat. Age-eligible sophomore means demands could be high.
2. Austin Wates - OF, Virginia Tech: His defensive position is unclear, but he's a super athlete with good plate discipline.
3. Brandon Workman - RHP, Texas: Good fastball at 94-92 and an unhittable "sharp spike curveball".
4. Alex Wimmers - RHP, Ohio State: Arguably the best curveball on the Cape, Wimmers was also in the top five in D1 in Ks last year.
5. Leon Landry - OF, LSU: A superior athlete who is blazing fast and actually had a higher average with wood bats on the Cape than in college.
6. Rob Rasmussen - LHP, UCLA: An aggressive pitcher with above-average command, he throws four pitches including an above-average fastball and curveball.
7. Bryan Morgado - LHP, Tennessee: Despite a difficult spring, Morgado excelled this summer and displayed an above-average fastball and breaking ball.
8. Brett Eibner - RHP, Arkansas: Good command with a low-90s fastball and a "promising" cutter.
9. Cameron Rupp - C, Texas: Plays like a true power hitter with solid slugging numbers and good walks.
10. Dallas Gallant - RHP, Sam Houston State: His "stuff" has not yet translated into success on the field, but he has good speed on his fastball and a very good curveball.
11. Justin Grimm - RHP, Georgia: Has hit 97 on the gun, but struggles with any other pitch.
12. Mickey Wiswall - 3B, BC: Swing is long and he struggles with his discipline, but good power.
13. Chris Sale - LHP, Florida Gulf Coast: Good movement on his fastball, decent change up, below-average curveball
14. Seth Rosin - RHP, Minnesota: Big 6'6", 220 lb frame with good command of his fastball
15. Kevin Rhoderick - RHP, Oregon State: Mid-90s fastball and a good slider are enticing. His command isn't.
16. Hunter Morris - 1B, Auburn: A big power hitter, who doesn't bring much else to the plate (figurative or literally).
17. Jarrett Parker - OF, Virginia: His power/speed combination draw comparisons to Brett Jackson, but he needs to improve consistency.
18. Dan Tillman - RHP, Florida Southern: While ERA can be erratic at the college level, 0.00 is hard to ignore.
19. Jedd Gyorko - 2B/3B, West Virginia: Despite diminutive size, he has great bat speed which will lead to good contact rates.
20. Micah Gibbs - C, LSU: Switch-hitter, good power, patient.
21. Josh Rutledge - SS, Alabama: Offense is lacking, but he's a rock at shortstop.
22. Kevin Munson - RHP, James Madison: Hard thrower (96-92), but struggles with control. Already a full-time reliever.
23. Nick Tepesch - RHP, Missouri: Very live arm, but struggles with command. Throws four pitches, but only changeup is above-average right now.
24. Michael Olt - 3B, UConn: Has moved from SS to 3B already and may have to move to the OF eventually.
25. Todd Cunningham - OF, Jacksonville State: Led the Cape in batting average, but little power.