The College Baseball Blog recently had a chance to check out the Oklahoma Sooners and we have put our thoughts about the Draft possibilities of the top players on the squad.
SO Jamie Johnson 5’8, 185 OF
Johnson was drafted in the 50th round in 06 by Colorado. He is a small guy with a great bat. This year he is hitting .358 with 5 HR, 22 RBI, 8 Doubles, 25 Walks and 26 strikeouts. He also has a ton of speed and has stolen 18 bases. It appears he may have a little pop in his bat too. I will be anxious to see how his bat control is and to see his speed on the bases. I could see Johnson getting drafted (after next year) in the top 5 rounds if he can keep hitting for average, keep stealing a ton of bases and continue to progress with his power.
TAKE: J. Johnson went 4-16 with a HR, a triple, 3 runs scored, 3 RBI, 1 walk and 2 strikeouts. This kid has a great swing and great plate appearances. He definitely has some decent power and plenty more to develop. He is a little firecracker and I would call him a sleeper to have a great season next year and be drafted fairly high.
SR Mike Gosse 5’7, 160 OF/INF
Gosse is even smaller than Johnson and has really had a great year. I’m a bit surprised he hasn’t gotten more National. attention. He is batting .383 with 7 HR, 45 RBI, 21 Doubles, 16 Walks and only 11 strikeouts. This guy can rake and shows a lot of power potential as well. I’m very intrigued to see a guy with such a small frame that can put up these numbers. I don’t know why he wont be a sleeper draft pick for an MLB club, possibly as high as round 5.
TAKE: Gosse went 3-14 with 4 runs scored, 3 walks and a strikeout. Gosse take some very strong cuts when he swings the bat. I didn’t get to witness much power in this series but after seeing him swing, I can tell it is there. I think he could surprise some people in this draft if the scouts don’t drop him because of his size. I would guess round 6-9.
SR Aljay Davis 5’8, 185 2B
Davis is yet ANOTHER very small OU player that has a very strong bat. He was drafted in the 29th round in 05 by the White Sox. He is batting .367 with 2 HR, 35 RBI, 16 Walks and 22 strikeouts. He also has 12 steals so he does have good speed. I think he is a leadoff type guy and has a little pop. He could be a mid round pick possibly somewhere in the 20th.
TAKE: Davis tore it up in this series, going 8-16 with 2 doubles, 3 RBI, 3 runs scored and 4 strikeouts. He is a line drive hitter with some good pop. If he can stick at 2B, I would guess him to get drafted in the 15th-20th rounds.
FR Casey Johnson 5’10, 188 OF
Johnson is only a freshman but is already proving to be a great player. He has 103 at bats and has his average at .350 with 4 HR, 20 RBI, 6 Doubles, 10 Walks and 18 strikeouts. Johnson looks to be a very good hitting player with some pop to develop. He has struggled a bit more in the Big 12 season but I still am anxious to see him play. With 3 years left before being draft eligible, its too early to guess a placement.
TAKE: C. Johnson only had 2 at-bats in this series and went 1-2 with a base hit. It was hard for me to scout him in only 2 at bats. Looking at his stats, I think he could be a big-time player in the next few years.
JR J.T. Wise 6’2, 200 C/INF
Wise was drafted in the 45th in 07 by Oakland. Wise is a transfer from baseball powerhouse LSU. He is batting .310 with 7 HR, 46 RBI, 17 Doubles, 16 Walks and 41 strikeouts. Wise obviously strikes out too much but I think he has a lot of power that is untapped. If he can eventually turn some of those 17 doubles into homeruns then this kid could be a monster. I will be watching his swing very close this weekend. It will be interesting to see his draft slot and if he comes back next year.
(FUN FACT: He is the great nephew of Yankee great, Bobby Richardson)
TAKE: Wise went 3-12 with a HR, 4 RBI, 3 runs scored, 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. He definitely has some power to develop at the next level. His swing needs a little work as well as his strike zone judgment. He definitely will benefit in coming back for his senior year. If he is drafted this year, I would guess it to be in the later rounds.
SO Aaron Baker 6’3, 225 C/1B
Baker is a big boy and has a very high ceiling. He has kind of gone through a bit of a sophomore slump after really dominating as a freshman. He was drafted in the 37th in 06 by the Twins. He is batting .299 with 6 HR, 52 RBI, 10 Doubles, 23 Walks and 30 strikeouts. Baker knows how to draw the walk, needs to get his average back up and cut down on a few strikeouts, all while he continues to show flashes of his power. I would guess after a dominating Junior year, he will be one of the top First basemen in the nation and be selected in the top 3 rounds.
TAKE: Baker is a man-child. He went 4-11 with a HR, 4 RBI, 5 runs scored and 2 walks. He is a very intimidating batter and hits the ball a long ways. His bat looks a little bit slow going through the hitting zone but his power is ridiculous. My guess up above still stands for next season.
SO Spencer Selby 6’1, 200 INF
Selby has very good numbers for a sophomore that received zero looks from MLB teams. He is hitting .288 with 8 HR, 36 RBI, 9 Doubles, 12 Walks and 37 strikeouts. Selby strikes out too much and needs to walk a bit more, but he is young. He has some nice power in his bat. He is a kid I know nothing about, so I will be keeping an eye on him close to see if this is a fluke.
TAKE: Selby went 6-11 with a HR, 3 Doubles, 4 RBI, 4 runs scored, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. He does have a strikeout type swing but man can he hit the ball hard. If he can cut down the strikeouts, he too can be a great player by the time he is a junior.
SO Andrew Doyle 6’3, 210 RHP
He was drafted in the 39th in 06 by Washington. He has a good pitchers frame and appears to have good control. He has a 4.48 ERA in 80.1 innings, 57 strikeouts, only 34 Walks and has given up 85 hits. His stats would say he is hittable but also does a good job of staying out of trouble. I will see what he throws tonight.
TAKE: Doyle went 4 innings giving up 6 hits, 5 earned runs, 4 walks and 3 strikeouts. His fastball was about 90-92 with some decent movement but his other pitches were weak and very hittable. His command wasn’t that great either. I would guess Doyle to get a hold of a secondary pitch and be a good pitcher in the next 2 years but at his point he looks like a bullpen guy with some good movement on a fastball.
FR Ryan Duke 6’0, 160 RHP
Duke is having a crazy good year for a freshman. He will be the Sunday starter and at this point I’m not sure if I can make the Sunday game so I may not be able to scout Duke. I would guess he is a skinny kid that has good pitches or can throw some decent heat. He has a 3.28 ERA in 60.1 innings, 49 strikeouts, 24 Walks and 58 hits. It appears he must have some dominant stuff but goes through spurts where he is very hittable. We shall see.
TAKE: Duke pitched 3.1 innings and gave up 5 hits, 4 earned runs, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. I didn’t get to see Duke pitch but his stats say that he has good stuff with poor command. He will be a good one in a year or two.
SO Jeremy Erben 6’0 200 RHP
Erben was drafted in the 41st in 06 by the Reds. Erben is a power pitcher with a 5.84 ERA in 57 innings, 43 strikeouts, 31 Walks and 50 hits. He is tough to hit but also loses his command at times and gives up the big inning. He pitches Saturday and I will be curious to see what pitches he brings to the table.
TAKE: Erben pitched 3.2 innings, giving up 8 hits, 4 earned runs, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts. His fastball sits about 88-89 and was straight as an arrow. His curve was 78-79 mph and it was actually pretty decent. He did a good job of keeping the ball down and getting groundballs but some of his fastballs were just too hittable. I think he will turn out to be a good pitcher as well.
SR Ryan Mottern 6′, 195 RHP
Mottern was drafted in the 49th in 06 by Cleveland. Mottern has been dominating Big 12 play from the pen although his overall numbers show some weaknesses. He has a 4.94 ERA in 23.2 innings, 26 strikeouts, 10 Walks and 26 hits. We should see Mottern at least once this weekend. I think he has something to offer.
TAKE: Mottern technically pitched 0 innings and gave up 1 hit and 1 earned run. I didn’t get to see Mottern so I cant really project him.
SO Chase Anderson 6’1, 175 RHP
Anderson looks to be a skinny kid with some good stuff. He has a 5.36 ERA in 47 innings, 48 strikeouts, 26 Walks and 44 hits. He is a guy that hasn’t received much attention but I really like his numbers.
TAKE: Anderson pitched only 3 innings, giving up 6 hits, 7 earned runs, 3 walks and 6 strikeouts. He also pitched in a time that I wasn’t available to be at the game. But as his numbers dictate, he has good stuff but couldn’t avoid the big inning.
SR Jake McCarter 6’2, 205 RHP
McCarter has been drafted 4 times. In the 40th in 03 by the Reds, In the 28th in 04 by the Yankees, in the 39th in 05 by Washington and in the 45th in 06 by Boston. To be drafted that many times, you have to have something that really translates to the next level. He has a 6.60 ERA and has really struggled in the Big 12. He is usually the closer but doesn’t appear to be very dominant. He has 21 strikeouts in 32.2 innings with 8 walks and 38 hits. It looks like he attacks the strike zone and has had some very tough outings. I will be watching to see what is ailing him.
TAKE: McCarter pitched .2 innings while giving up 1 hit, 1 earned run, 1 walks and 0 strikeouts. McCarter was another pitcher that I didn’t get to see first hand.
FR Antwonie Hubbard 6’3. 210 RHP
Hubbard is a big boy and was drafted in the 12th in 06 by Tampa Bay. He chose college and appears to be very dominant but he hasn’t been playing much so I am guessing that he was injured. He has a 3.10 ERA in 20.1 innings with 25 strikeouts, 15 Walks and 15 hits. I will see what I can dig up on Hubbard.
JR Stephen Porlier 6’3, 210 RHP
Polier was drafted in the 21st last year and transferred from Tulane. I’m pretty sure he has undergone labrum surgery so I hope he can recover. He is a special pitcher with a lot of talent.
