2016 State Draft Report: North Carolina

CROP RATING
	Solid, not spectacular
Rating compares this year’s group to what a state typically produces, not to other states

Most evaluators were in agreement that the overall talent in North Carolina was down this year, particularly at the college level. This year’s North Carolina draft class was divisive and littered with questions. Even the state’s top prospect, Wake Forest slugger Will Craig, had questions about his body and future position. Area scouts came into the spring following pitchers like Duke righthander Bailey Clark and prep lefthander Rian Haire with great interest, but both pitchers backed up.

In general, the high school talent pool seemed stronger than the collegiate talent pool, with righthander Bryse Wilson looking like an early round pick with power stuff, switch-hitting shortstop Logan Davidson popping up due to his accelerated physical development and first baseman Spencer Brickhouse turning heads with the best raw power in the state. Though not as strong at the top, the state continues to provide draft depth due to the sheer number of Division I college schools in the area.

NATIONAL TOP 500 PROSPECTS

BA 500 Scouting Reports

1. Will Craig, 3b/rhp, Wake Forest (National Rank: 45)
2. Bryse Wilson, rhp, Orange HS, Hillsborough, N.C. (National Rank: 93)
3. Zac Gallen, rhp, North Carolina (National Rank: 97)
4. Brad Debo, c, Orange HS, Hillsborough, N.C. (National Rank: 111)
5. Logan Davidson, ss, Providence HS, Charlotte (National Rank: 131)
6. Bailey Clark, rhp, Duke (National Rank: 132)
7. Rian Haire, lhp, South Caldwell HS, Hudson, N.C. (National Rank: 180)
8. Tyler Ramirez, of, North Carolina (National Rank: 211)
9. Trey Benton, rhp, West Columbus HS, Cerro Gordo, N.C. (National Rank: 213)
10. Spencer Brickhouse, 1b, Bunn (N.C.) HS (National Rank: 225)
11. Bryant Packard, 1b/3b, Conley HS, Greenville, N.C. (National Rank: 250)
12. Andrew Knizner, c, North Carolina State (National Rank: 257)
13. Ryan Williamson, lhp, North Carolina State (National Rank: 262)
14. A.J. Bogucki, rhp, North Carolina (National Rank: 263)
15. Chris Hall, rhp, Elon (National Rank: 268)
16. Preston Palmeiro, 1b, North Carolina State (National Rank: 292)
17. Andre Scrubb, rhp, High Point (National Rank: 299)
18. Jeremy Walker, rhp, Gardner-Webb (National Rank: 320)
19. Brian McAfee, rhp, Duke (National Rank: 355)
20. Cory Wilder, rhp, North Carolina State (National Rank: 363)
21. Zack Smith, c, Eastern Wayne HS, Goldsboro, N.C. (National Rank: 376)
22. Donnie Sellers, rhp, Wake Forest (National Rank: 428)
23. Jared Gesell, rhp, UNC Wilmington (National Rank: 444)
24. Garrett Brown, of, Western Carolina (National Rank: 468)
25. Adam Pate, of, North Carolina (National Rank: 482)

 

OTHER PROSPECTS OF NOTE

2016 Draft Map

26. Parker Dunshee, rhp, Wake Forest
27. E.P. Reese, of, North Davidson HS, Lexington, N.C.
28. Dean Looney, of, Butler HS, Matthews, N.C.
29. Chance Shepard, c, North Carolina State
30. Nate Mondou, 2b, Wake Forest
31. Travis Watkins, c, East Carolina
32. Henry Ryan, rhp, Ardrey Kell HS, Charlotte
33. Taylor Hyssong, lhp, UNC Wilmington
34. Gavin Stupienski, c, UNC Wilmington
35. Chris Farish, rhp, Wake Forest
36. Clark Beeker, rhp, Davidson
37. Bryce Harman, 1b, East Carolina
38. Evan Kruczynski, lhp, East Carolina
39. Kellen Urbon, rhp, Duke
40. Shane Billings, of, Wingate
41. Casey Golden, of, UNC Wilmington
42. Tyler Smith, rhp, East Surry HS, Pilot Mountain, N.C.
43. Will Gilbert, lhp, North Carolina State
44. James Ziemba, lhp, Duke
45. Steven Linkous, of, UNC Wilmington
46. Andrew Vernon, rhp, N.C. Central
47. Phillip Sanderson, rhp, DH Conley HS, Greenville, N.C.
48. Nick Zammarelli, 3b, Elon
49. Zach Rice, lhp, North Carolina
50. Cory Wood, ss/of, Sanderson HS, Raleigh, N.C,
51. Will Wilson, 2b/3b, Kings Mountain (N.C.) HS
52. Evan Odum, rhp, Lumberton (N.C.) HS
53. Jake Holtzapple, 3b, Providence HS, Charlotte
54. Luke Gesell, rhp, HS Point (N.C.) Christian Academy
55. Jordan Cummings, rhp, Winston-Salem State
56. Cris Perez, c, Duke
57. Ryder Ryan, rhp, North Carolina
58. Austin Hutchison, rhp, Mount Olive

 

ADDITIONAL SCOUTING REPORTS

Parker Dunshee, rhp, Wake Forest – One of the steadiest Friday night aces in the ACC this spring with a reputation for winning big games, Dunshee doesn’t do it on raw stuff. He sits 88-90 mph with his fastball, touching 92 on a good day and throws a fringy 78-80 mph slider. But the righthander competes, locates, and his fastball sneaks up on hitters with some deception in his deilvery. Primarily a reliever his first two seasons at Wake Forest, Dunshee went 10-5, 3.20 this season in the weekend rotation.

E.P. Reese, of, North Davidson HS, Lexington, N.C. – Built like Rajai Davis, Reese packs a lot of strength and bat speed into his compact frame. There’s some projection with Reese, but it’s likely he ends up at North Carolina State.

Dean Looney, of, Butler HS, Matthews, N.C. – A large 6 feet, 200 pounds, Looney’s best tool is his lefthanded power. But the other areas of his game need refinement.

Chance Shepard, c, North Carolina State – Shepard hit home runs in a program-record six straight games early in the spring. He has power, but he has an all-or-nothing approach, striking out 82 times in 215 at-bats.

Nate Mondou, 2b, Wake Forest – Mondou had somewhat of a down spring after hitting 10 home runs the year before and serving as an offensive centerpiece along with teammate Will Craig. He’s a compact 5-foot-10 second baseman with a stocky build. He has some lefthanded pop, but the tools aren’t loud.

Travis Watkins, c, East Carolina – Watkins was a hero for the Pirates in the Charlottesville Regional, where he hit a three-run walk-off home run to beat Virginia. He doesn’t have a plus tool, and scouts are skeptical about the bat translating. But he’s a solid catch-and-throw catcher with plus makeup, and he’s a college performer.

Henry Ryan, rhp, Ardrey Kell HS, Charlotte – Ryan is a 6-foot-5 righthander, who was up to 94 mph in Jupiter, Fla., in the fall but was upper 80s this spring. He should end up at North Carolina.

Taylor Hyssong, lhp, UNC Wilmington – Hyssong can touch 95 mph from the left side, but his command is erratic, and he doesn’t have great feel for a breaking ball. A fastball-changeup pitcher, Hyssong will get a look due to his sheer arm strength.

Gavin Stupienski, c, UNC Wilmington – Stupienski is a lefthanded-hitting catcher with some pop who should get a look.

Chris Farish, rhp, Wake Forest – Someone might take a chance on Farish’s raw arm strength. The righthander has touched as high as 96 mph out of the Wake Forest bullpen, but his command is erratic at best. He walked 30 in 28 innings this spring.

Clark Beeker, rhp, Davidson – Finally healthy from his 2013 Tommy John surgery, Beeker was up to 93 mph this spring but sat mostly 89-90 with above-average command. The 6-foot-3 righthander has a quality changeup, an average slider and a curveball that he uses sparingly. He went 9-4, 2.55 this spring as Davidson’s ace, striking out 73 to 19 walks in 109 innings.

Bryce Harman, 1b, East Carolina – Harman looks like a linebacker at 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, and he has tremendous power when he gets ahold of one, but he’s an inconsistent hitter and has a hard time repeating his swing mechanics due to his large frame. Harman had a down spring, struggled against lefthanded pitching and doesn’t have a true position, but there’s always some temptation with his size and raw power.

Evan Kruczynski, lhp, East Carolina – The numbers stand out for Kruczynski, as he went 7-1, 1.86 with 89 strikeouts to 22 walks in 111 innings as ECU’s Friday starter. His makeup and competitiveness are plus, but stuff-wise, he scrapes 90 mph on a good day, sitting in the upper 80s with an effective changeup and a serviceable slow curve. He gets it done with feel and command.

Kellen Urbon, rhp, Duke – Like fellow Duke righthander Brian McAfee, Urbon came to Duke as a graduate student after a standout career at Cornell. Urbon has fringy stuff, a fastball that sits 87-89 mph, but he has feel for pitching, good command and can spin the baseball. He’s a fifth starter or long reliever at best.

Shane Billings, of, Wingate – Billings is a plus runner with very good contact skills and hit .444/.502/.639 in 216 at-bats this spring.

Casey Golden, of, UNC Wilmington – A plus runner with an athletic, strong frame and some raw power, Golden has always possessed tools, but they just haven’t translated to in-game performance. Golden was slowed by hamstring issues early this spring.

Tyler Smith, rhp, East Surry HS, Pilot Mountain, N.C. – An East Carolina commit, Smith has been up to 92 mph but is a raw product and likely ends up at ECU.

Will Gilbert, lhp, North Carolina State – Though he doesn’t have overwhelming stuff, Gilbert has been the most important pitcher in the Wolfpack bullpen for a couple of springs now. He could get a look as a lefthanded reliever senior sign.

James Ziemba, lhp, Duke – Ziemba is a 6-foot-10 lefthander with a funky low arm slot. He touches 90 mph, but the slider is fringy.

Steven Linkous, of, UNC Wilmington – Linkous is a plus-plus runner and hit .374/.456/.492. He’s a singles hitter but can change a game with his speed.

Andrew Vernon, rhp, N.C. Central – Vernon drew some buzz in the fall after showing some velocity, but he didn’t perform this spring and looks more like a late-round pick.

Phillip Sanderson, rhp, DH Conley HS, Greenville, N.C. – A Louisville recruit, Sanderson sits 84-87 mph with a 79-91 mph changeup and a sharp three-quarter breaking ball in the upper 70s. He has a very lean, projectable frame and is probably best served by developing under the tutelage of Louisville pitching coach Roger Williams.

Zach Rice, lhp, North Carolina – Rice is a 6-foot-2 lefthander who sits in the low-90s with a swing-and-miss slider. Rice has arm strength and had a standout freshman year when he struck out 12.42 per nine, but his command is spotty, and he only threw 3 2/3 innings this spring as he was off the team halfway through the season.

Cory Wood, ss/of, Sanderson High, Raleigh, N.C, – Wood is a plus runner with contact skills but will likely need to refine the other elements of his game at Coastal Carolina.

Luke Gesell, rhp, High Point (N.C.) Christian Academy – Gesell is the younger brother of UNC Wilmington’s Jared Gesell. He sits in the uppers 80s but can touch the low 90s with a good 6-foot-4 pitcher’s frame.

Jordan Cummings, rhp, Winston-Salem State – Winston-Salem State’s closer, Cummings is righthander with a quick arm, sitting 87-91 mph with a short breaking ball. He struck out 48 to 18 walks in 33 innings this spring.

Ryder Ryan, rhp, North Carolina – No. 169 in the 2014 BA 500 coming out of high school, Ryan didn’t play much with the Tar Heels, and scouts didn’t get a look at him this spring as he was off the team halfway through the season.

Austin Hutchison, rhp, Mount Olive – Hutchison throws 88-91 mph with smooth actions on the mound and feel for a slider. He could continue to gain velocity as he fills out.