Florida JUCOs stand out

Top 25 Junior College Team Rankings: May 5 | Top 200 Junior College Prospects

The past four days at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla., at the 2015 NJCAA DI Gulf District/FCSAA State Baseball Tournament have been hot and long, but well worth it to see some of the best Junior College players in the state of Florida. Most of the guys on my list fall anywhere between the second and 10th rounds for this years draft. One of the bigger names, Chipola’s Mac Marshall, unfortunately didn’t throw at all. I’m not here to speculate why, so let’s just focus on the guys who did play.


Chipola




Isiah Gilliam, OF– A 23-round pick of the Cubs last year and one of three Perfect Game All-Americans on the Chipola roster, Gilliam stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 215 pounds. The frame is strong throughout and he moves pretty well. Defensively, Gilliam showed much better in the field than my first look at him earlier in the season. Playing left field, he showed a good first step and initial read off the bat. He tracked the ball well and his routes were efficient. At the plate, the switch-hitter showed good pitch recognition skills and was very patient in the first game, but got more aggressive as the tournament went on. He started jumping on first pitch fastballs with mixed results. Possessing solid bat speed, Gilliam is able to get the barrel through the zone and make loud contact with power to all fields. He looks much more confident and comfortable batting from the left side, where his stance is more balanced and he loads much more efficiently. His swing from the left side is fast and on a good plane that generates a good amount of backspin. He finished the tournament 4-for-11 while walking three times and striking out twice.

Maurice Cooley, OF - Cooley certainly looks the part boasting a strong and athletic frame with room to get stronger. While he didn’t show his best offensively, there are still some tools to work with here, mainly his speed with the bat and with his feet. Cooley is an above average runner with a quick first step. At the plate, his timing was off throughout the tournament and managed only one hit in his three games while having difficulty making consistent contact. A 2013 PG All-American, Cooley's athleticism still stands out.

Gunnar McNeill, 1B - Chipola’s first baseman is a high energy guy that plays hard every game. McNeill ranges well to his right and made some pretty tough plays diving to both directions. While I was hoping to see more pop from his bat he did make his share of loud contact. The swing gets long at times and he also expanded the zone, but if he can get more disciplined in the box, there is potential there for less swing-and-miss and more hard-hit balls.