Top 10 pitching prospects for the MLB Draft
Monday, May 30, 2011
By: Kevin Askeland | MaxPreps.com
Photo by Dean Backes
Bubba Starling is regarded as the top non-pitching prospect in the upcoming MLB Draft.
While there are some exciting high school position players available in the Major League Baseball draft, pitchers appear to monopolize most of the draft positions expected to go to prep players during the early rounds.
As many as 10 prep pitchers could go among the top 35 picks on June 6 when the first-year player selection commences. Meanwhile, only about four to five position players have a real shot at going that high.
Outfield could be the deepest position, led by the top high school position player in the draft, Gardner-Edgerton's Bubba Starling. Add in athletic Josh Bell from Texas, speedy Charlie Tilson from Illinois and smooth-hitting Brandon Nimmo from Wyoming and you have a talented quartet of outfielders among the Top 10 position prospects.
Here's a look at the top 10 position players in the 2011 MLB draft:
Bubba Starling, Gardner-Edgerton (Gardner, Kan.), OF - Most mock drafts have Starling going as the first high school position player and the second overall high school player in the draft (behind Owasso's Dylan Bundy), however he appears slotted in the No. 5 or 6 slot, which could mean a spot with the nearby Kansas City Royals. Starling did not have a big senior year due to injury and his team's early elimination from the postseason, but he still ranks as one of the top all-around athletes in the country. That could lead to a dilemma for teams drafting Starling, because he has committed to play football at Nebraska next year as a quarterback prospect. Nevertheless, Starling is a five-tool type player who can
As many as 10 prep pitchers could go among the top 35 picks on June 6 when the first-year player selection commences. Meanwhile, only about four to five position players have a real shot at going that high.
Outfield could be the deepest position, led by the top high school position player in the draft, Gardner-Edgerton's Bubba Starling. Add in athletic Josh Bell from Texas, speedy Charlie Tilson from Illinois and smooth-hitting Brandon Nimmo from Wyoming and you have a talented quartet of outfielders among the Top 10 position prospects.
Here's a look at the top 10 position players in the 2011 MLB draft:
Bubba Starling, Gardner-Edgerton (Gardner, Kan.), OF - Most mock drafts have Starling going as the first high school position player and the second overall high school player in the draft (behind Owasso's Dylan Bundy), however he appears slotted in the No. 5 or 6 slot, which could mean a spot with the nearby Kansas City Royals. Starling did not have a big senior year due to injury and his team's early elimination from the postseason, but he still ranks as one of the top all-around athletes in the country. That could lead to a dilemma for teams drafting Starling, because he has committed to play football at Nebraska next year as a quarterback prospect. Nevertheless, Starling is a five-tool type player who can