Former Central Region HS Pitchers Rated High for June Draft

The HS Pitcher to watch from the Central region is going to be Michael Taylor. I heard rumors of him hitting 95 at east Cobb and he has a solid three pitch arsenal with a very projectable body. He could go early

What school is Taylor at?

He attended Christchurch last year and has committed to Marshall.

Michael Taylor certainly has the look.

Its the 1st week of Oct. Somebody please remember to pull this thread back up in June.

You can see Taylor here.

http://www.playinschool.com/pa...national/taylor.html

Rich
www.playinschool.com

quote:

Originally posted by wahoo24:
The HS Pitcher to watch from the Central region is going to be Michael Taylor. I heard rumors of him hitting 95 at east Cobb and he has a solid three pitch arsenal with a very projectable body. He could go early

PG had Taylor at 89-94 but, surprisingly, they do not rank him in their Top 300 for the 2012 draft.

It is a bit of a stretch to call Christ Church "Central Region", but I would suspect he'll be further up the list when the time comes.

And, these things tend to work out over time, especially with your long/lanky types who can fill out well in college. I don't think Hauser made this list in fall 2008 (prior to June 2009 draft) but look where he is now.

Had the pleasure of watching Nathan Kirby (James River HS) throw a number of games this year at PG and Canes events and he's also on that list. Hope he is still looking forward to attending UVa. Solid arm for a lefty.

A couple things to consider. The list was compiled by Allan Simpson and David Rawnsley. It is not necessarily a PG list as much as it is their opinion at a very early stage. If we added more staff involving the list there would be some changes. Everyone doesn't share the same opinions. That said, I think Allan and David have proven they do a very good job over the years.

The list will change a lot long before we get to next June. In fact, it will change before the end of the month after the PG WWBA in Jupiter.

Michael Taylor is a pitcher that could really climb on the propect lists. We plan to follow him closely along with several others. IMO he should probably be ranked higher and might be in the future.

There are always several good prospects in Virginia. The 2012 class is very good, but probably not as loaded with high draft propects as some other years. Anyway, that's kind of how we see it at this time (right or wrong). Virginia is an outstanding baseball state and always has a ton of talent.

Regarding opinions... IMO, had he not been injured, Zak Wasilewski, might be #1 in Virginia and considered one of the top prospects in the country right now. That is based on projection after seeing him several times before the surgery. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he ends up as one of the top guys next year. Actually I kind of expect that to happen.

Midlo,

I can't remember for sure, but you might have been the first person that mentioned Hauser to me. He was at our National Showcase at the Metrodome in 2008. We actually had him ranked #1 in Virginia 2009 class. We also had him ranked the 18th best RHP in the country for that class.

Not sure if Allan and David had him on their draft list.

BTW, I do remember it was you telling me about a young underclassmen lefty you saw a few years back. He went #2 this year! Good going!

I can't remember things as well as I used to, but I still remember, most of the time, where I first heard about the top guys. I think its a protective thing, from past scouting days, so as to know whether or not to pay attention the next time someone has something to say about a player.

I did not know that Wasilewski had been injured/had surgery. From our personal family experience, my heart goes out to him. Was it TJ or something else? Sounds like you expect a full recovery, which is nice. I have family roots out there in the Tazewell area and they don't see many MLB prospects coming out of there -- not since Billy Wagner! -- so I'll hope he can create a bit of local pride.

I did recommend Hauser to you for PG National in spring 2008. Also suggested you move Hultzen up your rankings that spring given his then-sudden and marked increase in MPH. But in fairness, your reply as to Hultzen was that you'd already heard that from lots of folks!

However, if you want to put me on the payroll, I wouldn't say no.

Kirby was one of our founding Cardinals players, and we got him into PG Jr. National in 2010 and PG National this past June. We actually didn't get many innings out of him this summer due to things like his HS team's advancement to the final four, PG National, East Coast Pro, etc. We've seen him up to 92, but he usually sits around 88-89. Since swapping his knuckle curve for more of a hard slider his breaking ball option has been more consistent and more of a pro-type pitch.

It'll be interesting to see how Kirby's spring goes and how he shapes up come June. With Kit Scheetz, Tyler Carrico and Jack Roberts all on the same HS staff, he won't get over used, so he should be fresh every time out this spring and thus, I wouldn't rule out us seeing mid-90's. Having a commitment from UVA is a big deal, but so is being a lefty with that kind of stuff.

It's nice to have choices, isn't it?

quote:

Originally posted by Midlo Dad:
I did not know that Wasilewski had been injured/had surgery.

Zak had TJ last summer and is currently recovering from ACL surgery. His arm is fully healed arm strength is even better than before. He is a very hard worker.

He tore his ACL in his first game back with us this summer running out a groundball and making a turn. He will be back in time for spring.

He is an absolute freak.

If he comes back strong, he is going to be yet another example of why waiting to the summer of your Junior year can sometimes be a very big mistake.

I doubt if there is a scout in Virginia that isn't familiar with him and they will all be following him closely next spring. And that has nothing to do with his Junior year. It has everything to do with what he showed in national level competition before his junior year. That also led to him being successfully recruited by South Carolina.

Zak Wasilewski

We haven't seen him since 2010 when he played for the "Canes" in the WWBA Underclass Championship in Florida, also with the Canes at both the 17U and 16U WWBA Championships in Georgia, the PG National Games in San Diego, and the Junior National Showcase at Tropicana Field. All before he started his junior year. Before he was injured we had him ranked very high. We currently have moved him down for the time being due to the injury, but that can change in a hurry once he's playing again.

Midlo-I have heard rumors of a big time arm ending up at James River before baseball season to add another huge option to that staff, are you hearing the same?

I have not. But I don't know where they would find innings for anyone else. I mean, you only get 2 games in a typical week, and they have 4 ACC level guys already.

If you want to send me a PM with more specifics, I'll check into it. But the school year is already a month underway, so I would've thought everyone would be where they're going to be by now.

Wahoo, I heard that rumor too, but I heard it was a stud MIF (and pitcher), transferring from a private school. I don't think it happened. There is a speedy private school transfer and a home schooled pitcher transfer this year (both at the JV level).

I heard more about this rumor today. There does seem to be a well known private school player on the move, but as best I can tell, not to James River. Not sure where just yet.