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Draft Notes: Purke, Bradley, Mets

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All of a sudden, the 2011 draft is just six weeks away. Here's the latest on some of the available prospects and one team's approach to the big event:

  • Led by projected 2011 first rounders Matt Barnes and George Springer, Connecticut baseball is on the rise, Jim Callis writes in the latest edition of Ask BA. Click here for MLBTR’s Q&A with Springer.
  • TCU left-hander Matt Purke, who has been shut down with shoulder soreness, may have to reestablish his value like Anthony Ranaudo did last summer, according to Callis. Click here for MLBTR's Q&A with Purke.
  • As Callis explains, South Carolina outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. may fall to the second half of the first round or the supplementary round. If Bradley falls, it will be because of his spring sruggles and tools, not simply because of his recent wrist injury.
  • The Mets are allowing themselves to be greedy with the 13th overall selection this year. Paul DePodesta, the Mets' VP of player development and amateur scouting, told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that the Mets don't intend to settle with their top pick. "We want tools, skills, guys who can run and hit for power and defend. We want to be greedy. We want it all. The reality is those guys come off the board awfully quickly."

Draft Notes: Bradley, Bauer, Wong, Springer

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We're 41 days away from the amateur draft! The Pirates, Mariners, Diamondbacks, Orioles, and Royals will lead off with the first five picks. Click here to see the entire draft order. Several of the links below require subscriptions, which we heartily recommend purchasing. Today's notes:

  • ESPN's Keith Law hears that South Carolina outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. has a torn ligament in his wrist and could miss the rest of the spring (Twitter link). Bradley was expected to be a first round pick before the injury.
  • Baseball America's John Manuel, Jim Callis, and Conor Glassey make picks for the first round – not projections, but their own preferences.
  • UCLA righty Trevor Bauer is a top five candidate, writes Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus, but there are concerns over his workload. Talking to ESPN's Jason A. Churchill, one assistant GM admitted he's worried about Bauer's pitch counts. He's averaged 124.5 pitches per start, according to Churchill.
  • In a draft heavy on pitching, Goldstein says second baseman Kolten Wong out of Hawaii "is now getting late first round consideration."
  • Connecticut outfielder George Springer has bounced back lately, perhaps enough to put him within the first ten picks, says Churchill. For more on Springer, check out Ben Nicholson-Smith's interview. Ben's other prospective draft pick interviews include Sonny Gray, Matt Purke, Danny Hultzen, and the elusive Gerrit Cole.
  • Current buzz from Churchill still has Rice's Anthony Rendon going to the Mariners at #2 overall.

Draft Prospect Q&A: George Springer

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As the 2011 Draft draws closer, MLBTR will be introducing you to a handful of the top eligible prospects with a series of Q&As. The series started with three of the top college pitchers in the nation and continues today with a college position player.

Teams looking for powerful outfielders with speed to spare will be intrigued by George Springer of the UConn Huskies. The 6'4" 21-year-old has improved his draft stock dramatically since the Twins selected him in the 48th round of the 2008 draft; Springer is now a projected first round pick.

Springer

In its college baseball preview, Baseball America described Springer as one of the nation's best power hitters, who's a superb defender and a "plus-plus" runner to boot. 

He hit 18 homers with 33 steals, 60 walks, 84 runs and a .491 on-base average last year, prompting ESPN.com's Keith Law to rate him second among eligible prospects last month. Law described Springer as "an athletic outfielder with an above-average arm who projects to hit and hit for power and just needs to refine his approach, especially with two strikes." 

Springer started slowly and some said to ESPN that he changed his mechanics. After collecting just three hits in his first six games (22 at bats), Springer appears to have rediscovered his stroke, as his numbers are on the rise.

He spoke with MLBTR after UConn's loss to Sacred Heart today. Here's what he had to say:

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