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. Please visit this page for all of the links to Perfect Game's 2013 Draft Preview content.
Alabama State-by-State List
Alabama
should produce a first-rounder (Samford outfielder Philip Ervin) and
its representative share of prospects for the 2013 draft, but overall
it has been a disappointing spring for the state as injuries and
unfulfilled promise have conspired to take the luster off an
otherwise promising draft class.
Roughly
half the prospects who were projected to go in the top 10-12 rounds
at the outset of the season have fallen out of that range—notably
University of Alabama catcher Wade Wass (injured) at the college
level and Central Alabama CC righthander Jamie Patterson at the
junior-college level. Moreover, all three high-school prospects with
aspirations of going in the top 2-3 rounds may slide precipitously,
as well, especially Cullman High right-hander Keegan Thompson, who
may warrant going early in the draft based on ability but is
considered a major signability risk.
STRENGTH:
Depth of college talent; two-way players
WEAKNESS:
Signable high-school talent
OVERALL
RATING
(1-to-5 scale): 3
BEST
COLLEGE TEAM:
South Alabama
BEST
JUNIOR-COLLEGE TEAM:
Faulkner State
BEST
HIGH SCHOOL TEAM:
Russell County, Seale
PROSPECT
ON THE RISE: Evan Smith, lhp, Mary G. Montgomery HS, Semmes. With
a fastball that topped in the high-80s last summer, Smith did not
rank among Alabama’s 10 best high-school prospects in the 2013
draft class entering his senior year, but the 6-foot-5 lefthander has
added 4-5 mph in velocity while almost every one of the state’s
top-ranked prep players has regressed to some degree—for any number
of reasons. If enough clubs are scared off by right-hander Keegan
Thompson’s stated desire to attend college at Auburn, Smith could
conceivably surface as the first pick from the state’s high-school
ranks.
WILD
CARD: Wade Wass, c, University of Alabama. Wass
was considered the premium college catching prospect in Alabama
coming into the season after hitting .425-23-67 a year ago at
Meridian (Miss.) CC and being taken in the 13th round of the 2012 draft by the Orioles. But injuries—a broken ankle
that sidelined him for 20 games, and a fractured hand incurred in his
first game back—conspired to ruin his 2013 season. Though his
season is over and he’s in the process of taking a red-shirt and
returning to Alabama as a junior in 2014, it’s not inconceivable
that a club will take a run at Wass with a pick after the 10th round, though Joseph Odom of Division III Huntingdon College and
Blake Austin of Auburn are two college catchers that probably will be
drafted before him.
BEST
OUT-OF-STATE PROSPECT, Alabama Connection:
Tim Anderson, ss/of, East Central (Miss.) CC (attended high school in
Tuscaloosa)
Top
2014 Prospect:
Spencer Turnbull, rhp, University of Alabama
Top
2015
Prospect:
Mikey White, ss, University of Alabama
HIGHEST
DRAFT PICKS
Draft
History:
Gregg Olson, rhp, Auburn University (1988, Orioles/1st round, 4th pick)
2008
Draft: Destin
Hood, of, St. Paul’s Episcopal HS, Mobile (Nationals/2nd round)
2009
Draft: Ben
Tootle, rhp, Jacksonville State University (Twins/3rd round)
2010
Draft: Todd
Cunningham, of, Jacksonville State University (Braves/2nd round)
2011
Draft: Adam
Morgan, lhp, University of Alabama (Phillies/3rd round)
2012
Draft: David
Dahl, of, Oak Mountain HS, Birmingham (Rockies/1st round, 10th pick
2012
DRAFT OVERVIEW
College
Players Drafted/Signed:
20/19
Junior
College Players Drafted/Signed:
1/0
High
School Players Drafted/Signed:
11/5
BEST
TOOLS
Best
Athlete: Coty
Blanchard, of, Jacksonville State University
Best
Hitter:
Jordan Patterson, 1b, University of South Alabama
Best
Power:
Danny Collins, of, Troy University
Best
Speed:
Philip Ervin, of, Samford University
Best
Defender:
Colin Bray, of, Faulkner State CC
Best
Velocity:
C.K. Irby, rhp, Samford University
Best
Breaking Stuff:
C.K. Irby, rhp, Samford University
Best
Pitchability: Keegan
Thompson, rhp, Cullman HS
TOP
PROSPECTS, GROUPS 1 and 2
GROUP 1 (rounds 1-3)
1. PHILIP ERVIN, of,
Samford University
The 5-foot-10, 195-pound
Ervin established himself as a first-rounder last summer in his first
15 games in the Cape Cod League, when he went deep eight times on his
way to earning league MVP honors. He has continued to sting the ball
at a steady clip this spring for Samford, hitting .364 with a
team-high 10 homers, even as he has been pitched around extensively
while not being afforded protection in the Bulldogs batting order
from the likes of Brandon Miller, who led the NCAA Division I ranks
in homers a year ago. Ervin’s play of late, though, has been
compromised to a degree after he rolled his ankle, which caused him
to miss several games and relegated him to a DH role in others.
Though
he isn’t overly physical in his sub 6-foot frame, Ervin generates
excellent bat speed with his lightning-quick hands and flashes raw
power to all fields. More than just a power threat, Ervin has a solid
all-around approach to hitting with good bat control and a patient
approach, and stays inside the ball well while emphasizing going the
other way. His speed and ability to run down balls in center field
are also significant assets, and he has been clocked up to 93 mph off
the mound in occasional stints as a pitcher. Click here for Ervin's detailed Draft Focus report.
This is PG 'DiamondKast' Level content.
You must be either an DiamondKast, Crosschecker Rankings & Scouting Reports, or Scout subscriber to read the rest.