In
the weeks leading up to the draft, Perfect Game will be providing a
detailed overview of each state in the U.S., including the District
of Columbia, as well as Canada and Puerto Rico. These overviews will
list the state's strengths, weaknesses and the players with the best
tools, as well as providing scouting reports on all Group 1 and 2
players as ranked in Perfect Game's state-by-state scouting lists.
West Virginia State-by-State List
2011 West Virginia Overview
West
Virginia Overview:
Despite
Limited On-Field Success, Marshall Makes Impact in Draft
Marshall
University went 20-31 overall in 2011, and by going 7-17 in
conference play was the only team to miss the Conference USA
post-season tournament. Despite that, the Thundering Herd had the
unusually high total of eight players drafted a year ago.
That
scenario may well repeat itself this year. Marshall went 17-37
overall and missed the C-USA tournament again with a 5-19 conference
mark. And yet, for all its limited on-field success, it could impact
the 2012 draft in much the same way as a year ago.
It
doesn’t hurt that three of the eight Marshall players drafted in
2011 chose not to sign, returned to school and should be re-drafted,
with one of the three, red-shirt junior righthander Joe Church,
expected to be the only player from the state drafted in the first 10
rounds. Church lasted until the 40th round a year ago as he was still on the mend from Tommy John surgery,
but a year later, with a fastball in the mid-90s, could shoot up
draft boards. Senior lefthander Mike Mason, a 23rd-rounder
in 2011, and junior outfielder Isaac Ballou, a 36th-rounder,
could also improve their draft worth.
West
Virginia University (23-32, 9-18) had marginally more success in the
Big East Conference again this spring than Marshall had in Conference
USA, and yet it won’t impact the draft anywhere near to the degree
that the Thundering Herd will. WVU’s 2012 season was perceived as a
greater disappointment on another scale as it led to the dismissal of
coach Greg Van Zant.
It’s
a rarity that the West Virginia high-school ranks produce a
premium-round draft pick, especially a position player, but Nitro
High catcher Korey Dunbar is easily the best prep talent in the state
and could conceivably factor into the first 6-8 rounds. He is a
former battery-mate of ex-Nitro righthander J.R. Bradley, a
second-rounder in 2010, and has evolved into probably the best
pitching prospect in the state himself this spring, even though
scouts continue to evaluate him only as an offensive-oriented
catcher. He would become the first prep position player from the
state selected in the first 10 rounds since 1995.
West
Virginia in a nutshell:
STRENGTH:
Draftable Marshall talent.
WEAKNESS:
High-school depth.
OVERALL
RATING
(1-to-5 scale): 3.
BEST
COLLEGE TEAM:
West Virginia.
BEST
JUNIOR-COLLEGE TEAM:
Potomac State.
BEST
HIGH SCHOOL TEAM:
Nitro HS.
BEST
OUT-OF-STATE PROSPECT, West Virginia Connection:
Gavin Patton, lhp, Georgia Tech (Attended high school in South
Charleston).
Top
2013 Prospect:
Aaron Blair, rhp, Marshall University.
Top
2014
Prospect:
Bobby Boyd, of, West Virginia University.
HIGHEST
DRAFT PICKS
Draft
History:
Chris Enochs, rhp, West Virginia University (1977, Athletics/1st round, 11th pick).
2006
Draft: David
Carpenter, c, West Virginia University (Cardinals/12th round).
2007
Draft: Adam
White, of, West Virginia University (Indians/9th round).
2008
Draft: Tyler
Kuhn, ss, West Virginia University (White Sox/15th round).
2009
Draft: Tobias
Streich, c, West Virginia University (Twins/5th round).
2010
Draft: J.R.
Bradley, rhp, Nitro HS (Diamondbacks/2nd round).
2011
Draft: Greg
Williams, lhp, Marshall University (Rangers/12th round).
2011
DRAFT OVERVIEW
College
Players Drafted/Signed:
9/6.
Junior
College Players Drafted/Signed:
0/0.
High
School Players Drafted/Signed:
0/0.
TOP
PROSPECTS, GROUPS ONE and TWO
GROUP ONE (Projected
ELITE-Round Draft / Rounds 1-3)
None
GROUP TWO (Projected
HIGH-Round Draft / Rounds 4-10)
1. KOREY DUNBAR, c,
Nitro HS
Even though he began
high school at 135 pounds, Dunbar has been a key contributor as a
catcher since his freshman year for a Nitro High team that has won
two of the last three West Virginia 3-A state titles, and is in line
to capture another this season. Now a powerful 6-foot-1 and 215
pounds, Dunbar has become an offensive force behind the plate for
Nitro by hitting .462-9-34 deep into the state playoffs. But he has
also evolved into a major factor on the mound, initially as a closer
but more recently as a starter, in going 4-2, 0.53 with eight saves
and 86 strikeouts in 53 innings. Though Dunbar has opened some eyes
this spring as a pitcher, his value at the next level is clearly as a
catcher. He has superior offensive skills with power to all fields,
and his impressive work on the mound has only emphasized his raw arm
strength, not to mention his athleticism and versatility. He has soft
hands and a quick release, and pop times that are a steady 1.9-2.0
seconds.
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