College Top 100 Draft Prospects Chat

Teddy Cahill: The calendar now reads 2016, which means the college baseball season is fast approaching. Today, we released our top 100 college prospects for this year’s draft, so let’s chat it up.

Esteban (West Palm Beach): Name 5 high upside players we should track this season.
Teddy Cahill: Well, the easy answer is the top five on the list: A.J. Puk, Alec Hansen, Corey Ray, Buddy Reed and Nick Senzel. Puk and Hansen are both high-upside pitchers that could really dominate this spring. Ray and Reed were dynamic for USA Baseball’s College National Team during the summer and Senzel was the Cape Cod League MVP. Outside of them, I’d say Mercer OF Kyle Lewis, Arizona 3b/RHP Bobby Dalbec and Georgia RHP Robert Tyler. Also Oregon LHP Matt Krook and Stanford RHP Cal Quantrill as they return from Tommy John surgery.

Adam (GA): Hi Teddy! Do you think Corey Ray would be a good fit for Atlanta in the draft, or do you think they'll continue to pursue high-upside pitching?
Teddy Cahill: This subject actually came up on the Baseball America podcast following the Andrelton Simmons trade. As I said then, the Braves farm system is loaded with pitching after all the trades they’ve made, and it’s only become richer in pitching since then. But at the top of this draft, the strength of both the high school and college class is pitching. And the Braves have only twice ever used a first round pick on a college position player (1978 and 1991). So if they were to take, say, Corey Ray, it would be a deviation from what we’ve come to expect from the Braves. That’s not to say it’s impossible, but I expect them to select a pitcher, or possibly a high school position player in June.

Ron (SC): Will Crowe is on the list but we have heard from those around the program that he is not pitching this year while recovering from TJ surgery. Is there any update on his recovery? Will he be drafted high even if he doesn't pitch? Would love to see him in 2017 rotation for gamecocks
Teddy Cahill: From everything I’ve heard, Wil Crowe is recovering well from surgery. We often think of Tommy John as a 12-month recovery, which would put Crowe in line to get back in action in late spring. But coach Chad Holbrook has said that he expects Crowe to miss the whole year, and it doesn’t make any sense for them to rush him back into action in the teeth of their schedule. Crowe ranks No. 45 on this list with all of that in mind. Scouts know they probably won’t see him in game action before the draft, though he could throw bullpens. Hard to know at this point if he’ll get drafted high enough to get him to sign, but there’s a chance he’s thrown his last pitch for South Carolina.

WBG (Philippines): Can Nick Senzel play 3B in the pros in the long run? Where do you think can he end up defensively?
Teddy Cahill: There is a very split camp on where Senzel settles defensively in the long run. While he primarily playd third base this summer in the Cape Cod League and will be back there this spring, he’s also seen time at second and first. Some scouts think he fits best in left field. How he handles third base this spring will be something to watch, but he has the tools to stay there. No matter where he ends up, however, his bat will be the main attraction.

Andrew Kramer (Leesburg, VA): Does Maryland's Nic Cieri have a chance to hit his way into a top 100 draft prospect?
Teddy Cahill: Cieri got some Top 100 consideration. But it’s not his bat that is the concern. There are questions about his chances to stay behind the plate. If he can assuage those concerns and hit like he did last year (.299/.373/.401), he’d see his stock rise.

Justin (Wildcat Country, AZ): What can be expected from Bobby Dalbeck? Can you give any comps or projections?
Teddy Cahill: I think Bobby Dalbec is one of the most fascinating players in this draft class. He had an All-American sophomore season as a two-way player for Arizona and then went out and hit 16 home runs this summer between the Cape and Team USA. He also struck out in 41 percent of his plate appearances on the Cape. He’s a better prospect as a hitter than as a pitcher, and he has massive righthanded power. He’ll go high in the draft, but the team that takes him is going to have to be comfortable with trading power for swing and miss, as I detailed in the story today that went with the top 100.

Greg (Cincy): Could Connor jones be a stealth 1/1 pick? Dude has track record, stuff, size and a high floor.
Teddy Cahill: I think it’s possible. There’s a lot to like about Connor Jones and he’s in a group of pitchers that I think can put themselves into that elite group with strong springs. In addition to Jones, I’d say Kyle Funkhouser, Robert Tyler, Matt Krook and Cal Quantrill all have that kind of potential if they can take a step forward and answer some of the questions about them.

VandyGuy (VandyLand): With his short stature and command/control questions, is it fair to say Jordan Sheffield's draft stock is one of the more volatile in this year's draft?
Teddy Cahill: Sheffield is definitely a wild card. His stuff is really electric. But he just doesn’t have much of a track record of throwing strikes at this point. He averaged about 6.5 walks per nine both at Vanderbilt last spring and on the Cape. And then you throw in his height and energetic delivery, and you have a lot of things working against him. But his stuff is going to get him drafted high and gives him a great chance to succeed in pro ball.

Jacob (Billings): What do you believe Buddy Reed's power ceiling to be? He's obviously fast and is a big dude, so maybe above average if he develops?
Teddy Cahill: I think that’s fair. He has five-tool potential, but he’s still raw in a lot of areas. His development this spring is going to be one of the most interesting things to watch.

Kevin (Louisville): Do you think Kyle Funkhouser will utilimately end up signing under slot because of his senior status? Is he a guy who a team can draft earlier than his talent package would slot him so they can spend more later?
Teddy Cahill: That’s almost impossible to answer this far out. No one has a firm number at this point. There are a lot of variables at play here. But the bottom line is if he goes out and performs and gets picked in the top half of the first round, he’s going to get paid.

JB (Manhattan): Which guys ranked outside the top 30 do you think have the best chance to move into the first round? Grier and G. Williams both stick out to me as guys who have the talent to climb with good performances.
Teddy Cahill: Garrett Williams could for sure. Anfrenee Grier maybe could, but the sheer number of college outfielders is going to make it tough for any of them to break through. There usually aren’t more than half a dozen of them taken in the first two rounds in any one year, so this year really looks like a bumper crop. So I’ll say righthanders Sam Tewes and Zack Brown could be two that make that kind of jump, as well as catchers Sean Murphy and Jake Rogers. Last year we saw Taylor Ward get popped in the first round for his defense, and if those two guys show enough with the bat, it’s not inconceivable someone does the same thing with them.

Todd (San Diego): Gimme the skinny on Eric Lauer. I think he can be a very consistently big leaguer.
Teddy Cahill: Kent State lefthander Eric Lauer is one of my favorite prospects in the class. His fastball is typically about average velocity, but he can reach back for a bit more and he’s got a good changeup and slider. His delivery looks incredibly easy and he just pounds the strike zone. He doesn’t have massive upside, but I’d agree that he looks like a consistent big leaguer.

Brian Kelley (Dekalb, Ill): Thoughts on Ryan Boldt? What does he need to bolt him into the top 10 picks?
Teddy Cahill: Nebraska outfielder RYan Boldt is a bit divisive, but I’m pretty high on him. He makes consistent contact and is a good defensive outfielder. The main question he has to answer is whether he can hit for power. He had an ISO of .064 last year at Nebraska. If he can tap into some of his power this spring, that would help him climb some draft boards.

Tom (Omaha): Who are the college shortstops who project to stay at that position down the road?
Teddy Cahill: After last year’s bumper crop of college shortstops, this year’s middle infield group is much weaker. Mississippi’s Errol Robinson is the best of the crop, and likely to stay at shortstop. Tulane’s Stephen Alemais is another good one. Some of the other top college shortstops this year have questions to answer about their ability to stay there as pros. It’s possible they’ll answer them, but this isn’t the year to be hunting for a college shortstop in the draft.

Chris (San clemente): If Quantrill doesn't pitch at all this year, do you still see him as a first rounder?
Teddy Cahill: Probably? It would depend why he didn’t pitch. If it’s because he needed a second surgery, that would obviously be a major problem. But if it was more a matter of his recovery just taking a little longer and him being cautious, it probably wouldn’t be as big a deal. That said, he is expected to get on the mound this spring.

Tom (Omaha): Who were some players who just missed the list?
Teddy Cahill: In no particular order, Kentucky second baseman JaVon Shelby, North Carolina State catcher Andrew Knizner, Western Michigan lefty Keegan Akin, Ball State catcher Jarrett Rindfleisch, Ohio outfielder Mitch Longo, Ohio State outfielder Troy Montgomery, Oregon lefthander Cole Irvin and Oklahoma State outfielder Ryan Sluder.

Jeff (San Jose, CA): Always need to ask - any potential super studs in college in the 2017 or 2018 drafts?
Teddy Cahill: There are some very good underclassmen pitchers this year. Missouri righthander Tanner Houck, Louisiana State righthander Alex Lange and North Carolina righthander J.B. Bukauskas all stand out. Vanderbilt outfielder Jeren Kendall, Florida catcher J.J. Schwarz and Louisville lefthander/first baseman Brendan McKay (last year’s Freshman of the Year) are all sophomores to watch. Among the freshmen, Vanderbilt righthander Donny Everett was the highest rated player on the BA500 to make it to school. You’ve also got unsigned second rounder pitchers at Florida (Brady Singer) and Georgia Tech (Jonathan Hughes). And Texas Christian righthander/first baseman Luken Baker, UCLA pitchers Justin Hooper and Kyle Molnar are all worthy of a mention, among so many more.

Esteban (West Palm Beach): Who are a couple of names on the back half that you wouldn't be surprised to see jump to the top half?
Teddy Cahill: We’ll finish with this one. If Vanderbilt righthander Hayden Stone comes back strong from Tommy John surgery he could make a move up the board. Georgia Tech outfielder Kel Johnson hit 10 home runs last year despite missing a lot of time due to injury. If he does that again someone is going to take a chance on his power. Ohio State outfielder Ronnie Dawson has an intriguing set of tools, as does Miami outfielder Willie Abreu. And, of course, there’s Pacific outfielder Gio Brusa who ranked much higher a year ago. If he can build off another strong summer on the Cape, he could move up. They’ll all definitely be a lot of fun to watch this spring.

Teddy Cahill: That’s it for today. Thank you all for your questions. I know I didn’t get to some, so if you want to leave them in the comments, I’ll try to come back and get to some more there. And before you know it, it will be college baseball season. We’ll have all out preview content coming before the season opens Feb. 19.