Top Midwest High School Prospects for the 2007 draft (alphabetically)

Here’s what our scouts had to say about some of the top Midwest players eligible for the 2007 draft. All of the members of MidwestBaseballMagazine.com’s scouting/coaches advisory board are Midwest-based scouts for Major League Baseball teams evaluating pro and amateur talent and top area high school coaches.

Seth Blair, rhp R-R, 6-2, 190 Rock Falls (Ill.) HS
Committed: Arizona State
Blair is a highly competitive kid who shows good poise and makeup on the mound. Won’t back down to adversity or tight situations. Isn’t afraid to make mistakes. Fastball sits at around 89-93, occasionally touching mid-90s with excellent sinking action. Slurvy breaking ball is above average, ranging from 78-80 mph, while his splitter can hit 82-83 but needs polish. Changeup is improving and comes in at 76-78, with good fastball arm action.

Casey Crosby, lhp R-L, 6-5, 200 Kaneland HS, Maple Park, Ill.
Committed: Illinois
One of the top players in Illinois, Crosby is mature beyond his years. Crosby’s mother, Denise, is the editor-in-chief of mid-sized newspaper in northwestern Illinois and his writing aptitude has paralleled his growth on the mound. His fastball sits from 89-91 with good movement, touching 94. Good speed differential. Mid-70s slider and 80-82 change-up. Free-and-easy motion, not a lot of extra movement…Runs well—6.8 in the 60-yard dash….Athletic family; older brother Kelly was drafted by the Yankees, Pat was a linebacker at Western Illinois…Needs work on secondary off-speed and breaking pitches.

Derek Dietrich, 3b L-R, 6-1, 190 Saint Ignatius HS, Cleveland
Committed: Georgia Tech
Dietrich has some very good tools to be a pro prospect and is also a very good right-handed pitcher. His fastball sits around 93-94 mph…very good arm strength and has a pretty good slider; limited success with the change-up. Some might like him better as a right-handed pitcher than a third baseman. He has some strength to the hands and a pretty good hitting approach. Has power to all fields and can handle the wood bat pretty well. Not really a good runner, though. He has enough arm to play third base, but the glove is a little suspect right now. Range is limited, he but should improve with instruction. Should be a pretty high draft pick come June.
    
John Flanagan, lhp L-L, 6-5, 200 West HS, Belleville, Ill.
Impressed scouts at the Area Code Games and Perfect Game Aflac Showcase, in which fellow Midwesterners Jon Gilmore and DJ LeMahieu participated. Flanagan shows a nice fluid delivery, easily sitting in the high-80s and touching 92 with his darting fastball, thus most scouts feel there is more velocity there. Curveball is decent, as is his change-up, though the change could use a little more polish. Throws all three for strikes. Good makeup, poised. Seemingly immune to pressure situations. Accomplished bowler.

Jon Gilmore, RHP/3B/SS R/R, 6-3, 190 City HS, Iowa City, Iowa
Committed: Wichita State
Perhaps the best high school player in the Midwest, Gilmore is an extremely gifted athlete. Quarterback on football team. Already tall for a shortstop, his average foot speed will push him to third, but possesses excellent arm strength and solid glove. Can make all the routine plays. Lightning-quick bat speed, solid contact hitter. Does not swing and miss much. Displays good doubles power that already shows signs developing into home runs. Build similar to Angels prospect Brandon Wood. Good student—3.5 GPA.



Phil Isaksson, LHP
L/L, 6-3, 170
Eau Claire North (Wis.) High School
Committed: Undecided
The senior lefty has posted a 17-2 career record going into this spring’s season. Isaksson was named third-team all-state last spring and selected to play on Team Wisconsin. He picked up a win while pitching for the Huskies his sophomore season, and would love to get back to Appleton this spring. Isaksson possesses an average fastball that sits in low-80s but his lanky body has potential to pick up more velocity. Above-average curve has good late break. Working on improving change-up.Had ankle surgery in 2005 off-season.

Dan Killian, c R-L, 6-3, 180 Vicksburg HS, Remus, Mich.
Committed: Kentucky
Killian has a plus-plus arm right now. There are not a lot of big-leaguers right now that have as good as arm as Killian. His home-to-second throws timed at 1.90 or better. He has consistent pop at the plate and can run, too. Has some quickness to the hands with the bat but not a lot of power right now. Still growing. He is going to get a lot of attention this spring. He has been to some showcases, and there is a buzz when the scouting directors see him work out. Unfortunately, Killian currently plays against some of the worst competition in the country. The high school baseball in northern Michigan is not that good. In fact, it is poor.

D.J. LeMahieu, 3b/ss R-R, 6-4, 185 Brother Rice HS, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Committed: Louisiana State
Probably will be Mr. Baseball in the state of Michigan this spring. LeMahieu has some extension to his swing. He plays shortstop right now, but probably is better suited for third base. Easily projects to have future power with his tall frame and his athleticism. Has a good arm, footwork and balance. Defense right now is just average in pro circles. If he goes to college, he might be a pretty high draft pick out of LSU in three years. Someone might step up and take him early this year, though.

Scott Moviel, rhp R-R, 6-10, 245 Lakewood (Ohio) HS
Committed: North Carolina State
Moviel is a very interesting young man. He will have a very good year this spring. He’s a very big kid who throws up to 93 mph, or so. Needs to work on his breaking ball and his change. Gave up on basketball to do just that. Secondary stuff is just fair right now. Should get a little better as the spring goes on. Both older brothers presently are in Seattle and Tampa Bay organizations.

Jarrod Parker, rhp R-R, 6-2, 175 Norwell (Ind.) HS, Norwell, Ind.
Committed: Georgia Tech
Parker is the top prospect in the area without a doubt. He’s a wiry framed kid with a very loose arm and very good "stuff".. Fastball sits consistently at 90-94 with a plus slider. Has a very good chance to be a top pick in the draft this spring. Parker has very good mound presence and wants the ball. Needs to work on the change-up but let scouts know he can throw it.

Nick Rice, LHP
L-L 6-6, 185
Kenosha (Wis.) Tremper HS
Committed: Southern Illinois
Rice is close to being the top prospect in the state and has signed a letter of intent to play for Southern Illinois. However, most experts believe Rice stands a legitimate shot at being selected in the MLB draft this summer. “He has command of three pitches and throws to types of fastballs, and has excellent mound presence,” said Tremper head coach John Matera. According to Perfect Game scouts: Rice topped out at 88 mph with excellent life and movement… secondary pitches are developing, but he has a very high ceiling.

Cody Scarpetta, rhp R-R, 6-2, 220 Rockford Guilford (Ill.) High School
Committed: Creighton
Scarpetta impressed scouts at last year’s WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., The Rockford native hit 92 mph during a two-hit complete game win, Scarpetta displayed good late-inning velocity, sitting at around 88-90 deep into the seventh inning. Can touch 93; best secondary pitch is a 77-mph sharp slider, which he throws consistently for strikes.

Ryan Sharpley, rhp R-R, 6-3, 185 Marshall (Mich.) HS
Committed: Notre Dame
Sharpley has a pretty good arm and throws an average fastball that sits around 89-91 mph with a decent slider. Questions have arisen concerning his high school workload and the coach’s usage of Sharpley. At one point last year, Sharpley threw 300 pitches in one week. By the end of the spring his arm was "hanging.” Fatigue made his velocity drop considerably. He has a scholarship to attend Notre Dame next fall. If he pitches as much this spring as he did last spring, he has no chance of getting drafted and some might consider him damaged goods when he pitches for the Irish next fall.

Jake Smolinski, 3b R-R, 6-0, 185 Boylan Catholic HS, Rockford, Ill.
Committed: Clemson
Athletic kid who impressed at the 2006 Area Code Games. Superior arm strength to either pitch or play third base. Good short, compact stroke; hits line drives with good doubles power. Also Boylan Catholic’s football team’s starting quarterback. Versatile athlete, though his future best lies at third base where his bat will play.  

David Stewart, of L-R, 6-6, 230 St. John Vianney HS, St. Louis
Committed: Nebraska A big, tall kid with prototypical size for corner outfield position, but he’s athletic for his size, not a plodder. Strong arm. Already exhibits near pole-to-pole power with good leverage at the plate and some loft in his swing. Good hands that adjust quickly to late movement in the strike zone. Two-year starter in basketball and also played volleyball.

Drew Storen, rhp B-R, 6-1, 170 Brownsburg (Ind.) HS
Committed: Stanford
Storen is the kind of kid that you want on the mound when the score is tied and the winning run is on third. He has a "bulldog" mentality on the mound. He throws a fastball with some heavy sink to it and throws strikes. Good slider/curveball with bite; at times it can be a swing-and-miss pitch. Signed to go to Stanford. It could be a tall order for organizations to step up and take this kid and buy him out of Stanford.

Brett Zawacki, rhp R-R, 6-0, 170 LaSalle-Peru Township HS, LaSalle, Ill.
Committed: Arizona State
Quickly shooting up the charts, Zawacki boasts a plus fastball that sits ranges anywhere 89-94 mph. Change-up is a work in progress, but his above-average curve has good break. At 6-0, he must stay on top of the ball and upright on the mound to maintain a good downward angle. Tore ACL during basketball season in 2005 but has rebounded with no visible lingering issues.