Aman Reaka has provided us with his top 50 college players for the upcoming 2008 MLB draft that will take place on Thursday. He has Pedro Alvarez as the top player in his rankings with Gordon Beckham in the second slot. Aaron Crow, Buster Posey, and Brian Matusz round out the Top 5.
1. Pedro Alvarez, 3B, Vanderbilt: He was the top rated player at the beginning of the season and I don’t think his injury will hurt his future whatsoever. He is an elite talent.
2. Gordon Beckham, SS, Georgia: Very likely the player of the year. Steals, Power and Plate Discipline. Shortstops that can hit are tough to find.
3. Aaron Crow, RHP, Missouri: Great pitcher, Amazing slider. Ready to get outs in MLB right now.
4. Buster Posey, C, Florida St.: Excellent hitter, Will stay behind the plate, Future All-Star capabilities. Catchers that can hit like this are very rare.
5. Brian Matusz, LHP, San Diego: Great command, Big, hard-throwing lefty.
6. Justin Smoak, 1B, South Carolina: Best college bat, Power, Discipline, Switch-hitter, Good glove. Berkman/Texeira-esque. Could prove to be the best in this draft.
7. Yonder Alonso, 1B, Miami: Great bat, Huge power and Plate discipline.
8. Brett Wallace, 1B, Arizona St.: Great bat, Patience and Power. Defensive questions. Move to 1B likely.
9. Ike Davis, OF, Arizona St.: Good bat. Doubles power projects to future HR’s.
10, Shooter Hunt, RHP, Tulane: Very solid pitcher. Too many walks.
11. Jason Castro, C, Stanford: Almost Major League ready, Solid all-around.
12. Christian Friedrich, LHP, E. Kentucky: Lefty with 3 pitches, A few too many walks.
13. Jemile Weeks, 2B, Miami: Very talented. Hits for avg., steals, but not quite an impact type bat.
14. Reese Havens, SS, South Carolina: Great bat, Plate discipline. Move to 3B in his future?
15. Josh Fields, RHP, Georgia: Hard throwing closer. Good potential, Some command issues.
16. Conor Gillaspie, 3B, Wichita St.: Gritty and Excellent hitter. Can stay at 3B despite rough year on defense.
17. Andrew Cashner, RHP, TCU: Very good closer. Nasty stuff, Hard thrower.
18. David Cooper, 1B, California: Power bat that translates to the next level.
19. Ryan Perry, RHP, Arizona: Can hit 98mph, Good stuff, Not a great track record.
20. Tyson Ross, RHP, California: can hit 95mph, Odd delivery. Command may be an issue.
21. Allan Dykstra, 1B, Wake Forest
22. Dennis Raben, OF, Miami
23. Tanner Scheppers, RHP, Fresno St. (moves to #12 if healthy)
24. Zach Stewart, RHP, Texas Tech
25. Chris Carpenter, RHP, Kent St.
26. Roger Kieschnick, OF, Texas Tech
27. Zach Putnam, RHP, Michigan
28. James Darnell, 3B, South Carolina
29. Jordy Mercer, SS/RHP, Oklahoma St.
30. Bryan Price, RHP, Rice
31. Brett Hunter, RHP, Pepperdine
32. Ryan Flaherty, SS/3B, Vanderbilt
33. Stephen Fife, RHP, Utah
34. Shane Peterson, 1B/OF, Long Beach St.
35. Tim Murphy, LHP, UCLA
36. Daniel Schlereth, LHP, Arizona
37. Aaron Weatherford, RHP, Mississippi St.
38. Josh Lindblom, RHP, Purdue
39. Logan Forsythe, 3B, Arkansas
40. Aaron Shafer, RHP, Wichita St.
41. Lance Lynn, RHP, Mississippi
42. Cody Satterwhite, RHP, Mississippi
43. Blake Tekotte, OF, Miami
44. Jordan Danks, OF, Texas
45. Eric Thames, OF, Pepperdine
46. Carlos Gutierrez, RHP, Miami
47. David Adams, 2B, Virginia
48. Scott Bittle, RHP, Mississippi
49. Scott Green, RHP, Kentucky
50. Petey Paramore, C, Arizona St.
I think Smoak is the best hitter and fielder in this class so he is the leading man on my list.
In my opinion, Petey Paramore should be higher. His offensive ability is pretty obvious, but his defensive and game management skills make him a VERY promising catcher.