A look at the top prep prospects for this summer's amateur MLB draft

The Major League Baseball amateur draft is still five weeks away, but many of the best high school seniors in the country are putting the finishing touches on their already impressive resumes.

Here's a rundown of the nation's top high school prospects and where they could land in the draft.

Tim Beckham, SS, Griffin High (Kennesaw, Ga.)

Considered by many to be the top high school player in the country, Beckham is a smooth athlete who has all the tools to be a big-time player at shortstop. He runs well, hits with some power, is already a top-notch fielder and has a smooth stroke that could turn him into a tremendous offensive player. His speed, his defense, and the position he plays has many Major League scouts salivating. Beckham has signed with Southern California, but don't expect him to make it to become a Trojan. He's a little raw, but he's too good to pass up.

Prediction: Top 5 pick

Eric Hosmer, 1B, American Heritage School (Cooper City, Fla.)

Hosmer is the best high school power hitter in the country. At 6-foot-4, the left-handed Hosmer has the potential to become a home run hitter at the next level. Although a little suspect with the glove, his potential for power is great enough to get him into the Top 10. However, he is represented by Scott Boras, who's clients tend to fall in the draft out of fear of rough negotiations.

Prediction: Top 10 pick

Gerritt Cole, RHP, Orange Lutheran High (Santa Ana, Calif.)

Cole has the best pure stuff of any high school pitcher. He can throw 95 mph, has a biting breaking ball that comes in the low 80s and is developing a change-up. He throws a heavy sinking fastball that will break a lot of bats at the next level. Cole's control is sometimes scattershot, but that should improve as his mechanics get better. An aggressive competitor with a three-quarters delivery, there is some question as to whether Cole's future lies as a front of the rotation starter or a back of the bullpen closer.

Prediction: Top 10 pick

Tim Melville, RHP, Holt High (Wentzville, Mo.)

Melville, who has signed with North Carolina, would also be a corner-infield prospect if he didn't throw a 95-mph fastball and a fantastic curve. A prototype starting pitcher with great size (6-5, 205 pounds), a big arm and a low-effort delivery, he pitches more than he throws. Although his stuff is a little weaker than Cole's, the smoothness of his delivery and his front-of-the-rotation potential may make him a safer pick.

Prediction: Top 10 pick

Kyle Skipworth, C, Patriot High (Riverside, Calif.)

Skipworth is a left-handed hitting catcher who is a better hitter than a catcher at this point. Most catchers at this stage of their development are good receivers who have to learn how to be good hitters. His defense is improving, but make no mistake, it is his smooth left-handed power swing that will keep Skipworth in the top half of the first round.

Prediction: Top 15 pick

Kyle Lobstein, LHP, Coconino High (Flagstaff, Ariz.)

Outside of the University of San Diego's Brian Matusz, Lobstein is the best left-handed pitching prospect in the 2008 draft. He has a low-90s fastball, with a solid change and good breaking ball, all of which he can throw consistently for strikes. At 6-3, 180, he already has a major league body. Although his ceiling may not be as high as Cole or Melville's, he is the most complete high school pitcher in the draft.

Prediction: Top 10 pick

Casey Kelly, SS, Sarasota (Fla.) High

Kelly's a quality pitcher, but his future at the next level probably lies in the infield, just like his father, Pat, who played eight years in the majors. Casey has a smooth swing and could develop into a top-notch power hitter. Some scouts say he will eventually shifted from shortstop to third base. Kelly also signed with the University of Tennessee as a quarterback. The lure of SEC football makes him the player most likely on this list to actually attend college and could lead to him falling on some draft boards.

Prediction: Top 20 pick

Anthony Gose, LHP, Bellflower High (Bellflower, Calif.)

With a good fastball and breaking ball, Gose also has potential as an outfielder, but he's extremely raw and could use a little more seasoning. Most likely a bullpen guy at the next level. He has signed with Arizona.

Prediction: Late first round pick

Aaron Hicks, OF, RHP, Wilson High (Long Beach, Calif.)

One of the more intriguing prospects in the draft, Hicks has good speed and above-average power potential, but he also has a 94 mph fastball and a good curveball. He lacks control and his offensive skills are extremely raw. He might end up at USC.

This article can also be found on Sports Illustrated.

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The Takkle Top 100 have been launched!

Takkle has officialy launched the Takkle Top 100 in baseball, boys lacrosse, and girls lacrosse. These lists compile the top junior and senior athletes in high school and are following in the footsteps of the popular Takkle Top 100 football rankings as well as the Takkle Top 25 basketball rankings.


The TAKKLE Top 100 baseball rankings, powered by Baseball Factory are based on the opinions of Baseball Factory scouting and baseball operations personnel, in addition to information and opinions gathered through discussions with scouts and otherwise informed baseball people throughout the industry. The order of the rankings was determined through consideration of a combination of the players' present ability and future potential, along with their value as both college and professional prospects. Baseball Factory is the leader in player development and college placement nationwide. Since their inception in 1994, over 2,000 Baseball Factory players have been selected in the amateur draft, over 175 have made it to the big leagues and over 20,000 have gone on to play college baseball receiving $500 million in scholarships.



The Takkle Top 100 boys lacrosse rankings is compiled with the assistance of Jake Reed's Blue Chip Lacrosse Camp. Jake Reed has established a network of Division I coaches, scouts, high school and club coaches from around the country. This list reflects the top junior 09' and senior 08' lacrosse players rated not only by current ability and performance but also by their potential to perform at the college level. These factors are measured by personal observation at the Blue Chip Lacrosse Camp, other tournaments, showcases, and high school games.



The Takkle Top 100 girls lacrosse rankings powered by womenslacrosse.com is based on information compiled from their vast network of coaches and scouts. With decades of experience in lacrosse assessment and education, womenlacrosse.com has become the leader in the women's game by continually forging initiatives, including tournaments and clinics, that help drive the sport from grass roots to global. The Takkle Top 100 is designed to reflect the top female high school athletes in the junior (2009) and senior (2008) classes on a national scale. Athletes are rated using a series of factors including game statistics, current performance, ability, major lacrosse accolades, college potential, and level of competition in the individual's home state. These factors are measured against such intangibles as on the field leadership and game sense to more accurately determine the final ranking.

Keep tabs on the best junior and seniors across the U.S and vote whether you feel they are under or over-rated. Also you can throw some shout outs and tell us why you belong in the top 100 or why they dont belong! Keep checking back on the rankings for the latest updates!

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Does Lil' Romeo deserve a scholarship??

A lot has been made of Southern California’s decision to give a scholarship to 5-11 Beverly Hills High School guard Romeo Miller. Miller is better known as Lil’ Romeo, son of hip-hop impresario Percy Miller, who himself is better known as Master P. A recent story in the Wall Street Journal called USC coach Tim Floyd’s decision to award a scholarship to Romeo, saying that the reason why Floyd made the offer to Miller was in order to secure a commitment from highly-regarded swingman DeMar Derozan. Derozan is currently rated as the sixth best player in the country according to the TAKKLE.com/Sports Illustrated rankings. Miller and Derozan are friends and have been teammates on the summer circuit.

The names involved have made this into a controversial story, but the fact of the matter is these kinds of package deals happen all the time. Years ago, St. John’s signed marginal point guard prospect Tristan Smith hoping that this might persuade then top-rated power forward prospect Jason Fraser to play his college ball in Queens. Smith and Fraser were friends and teammates at Amityville (N.Y.) High back in 2002. The ploy didn’t work, as Fraser ended up signing with Villanova and Smith soon transferred from St. John’s. Similarly in 2000, in its efforts to land then highly-regarded guard DaJuan Wagner, Memphis coach John Calipari made his father Milt his director of basketball operations and signed Wagner’s best friend Arthur Barclay to a scholarship. Both Barclay and Wagner ended up at Memphis. And now, there is some speculation that top-rated junior guard Xavier Henry may make his decision as to where to go to school based in part on whether his brother C.J. decides to give up baseball and play college ball. If C.J. does quit baseball, Xavier’s star may be bright enough to garner him a scholarship as well. Kansas appears to be in the lead to land Xavier’s services.

But as unseemly as this may appear, this is largely a victimless crime. Major college teams all have in the neighborhood of 13 scholarships to award each year and who receives them is solely at the discretion of the head coaches. If Tim Floyd feels that it is in the best interest of his program to sign a player like Miller, who is not likely to make much of an impact on the court while at USC, that his prerogative. The fact that Miller’s family would be able to afford to send Romeo to USC regardless of whether he was awarded a scholarship is immaterial. There is a lot of smoke here, and the smoke may smell pretty fishy, but there is no fire.

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Mason Plumlee announces he will be a Duke Blue Devil

Junior big man Mason Plumlee announced this week that he will be headed to Duke. The Class of 2009 power forward went to Durham for an unofficial visit almost two weeks ago and was greeted by the Cameron Crazies, who chanted his name.

“It was just pretty awesome,” Plumlee told the Asheville Citizen (Coach Mike Krzyzewski) told me to expect it, but I still wasn’t sure they would do it. It was a great feeling and one of the highlights of the trip. It was a really good visit.”

Plumlee, who attend the Christ School in Arden, N.C., is the first player to commit to the Blue Devils in the class of 2009. Other Duke targets include American Heritage (FL) guard Kenny Boynton and Washington (Va.) power forward Deshawn Painter. Plumlee, who is originally from Indiana, was accompanied by his parents when announcing the decision.

"Just getting to meet and talk with Coach (Mike Krzyzewski) was the biggest thing for myself and my family," Plumlee said. "The whole staff is great and I love the campus. I'm really looking forward to everything about Duke."

Plumlee’s older brother, Christ School (N.C.) senior forward Miles Plumlee, committed to Stanford in June.

- Campbell Hall (Ca.) senior Jrue Holiday was a beast in his squads playoff win over La Canada High. The UCLA-bound Holiday tallied 24 points, 12 rebounds and five assists for the Vikings.
"Honestly, it's games like the one tonight that separate Jrue from the rest of the top players in the country,'' Campbell Hall Coach Terry Kelly told the Los Angeles Times. "I've never been around a more unselfish player. He makes everyone around him better, always has.''

- Oklahoma-bound senior Willie Warren scored 25 points for Fort Worth’s North Crowley High as the Panthers topped El Paso Americas Tuesday night. The win by the Panthers (34-1) sets up a monster match-up with Duncanville (35-1) in the Texas state semifinals. Duncanville is the number 4 team in the country according SI.com

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Dominic Cheek - St. Anthony's on a Roll

St. Anthony’s of Jersey City is on a roll. Unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in the country by Sports Illustrated and USA Today, the Friars, who feature highly-touted junior Dominic Cheek, will be at the Brian Doherty Classic in Newark this weekend. The schedule says the opponent this weekend is Christian Brothers Academy of Lincroft, N.J., but the real opposition may be perfection. Just don’t say that to Friars coach Bob Hurley Sr.

"Somebody called me today and told me about the USA Today," Hurley told the Jersey Journal. "I don't look at the polls, though. It's a superstition that I don't look until the end of the year.

"I might mention something to them at practice about how amazing it is," Hurley continued. "We have some people hopping on the bandwagon, but as soon as there's some failure they're right back off it. We try to teach the kids that lesson of life."

Cheek is the star of the Friars, but what truly makes them dangerous is their depth in the back court. Five senior guards -- Mike Rosario (Rutgers), Giovanny Fontan (Fordham), Travon Woodall (Pittsburgh), Tyshawn Taylor (Marquette) and Alberto Estwick (Fordham) -- already are signed with a Division 1 college, as is senior forward A.J. Rogers, who is headed to St. Joseph's.

"I think the one thing that counterbalances the pursuit of a championship -- yes, that's something we all want badly -- is the fact that they've all gotten college scholarships,” Hurley told the Star-Ledger. “That helps them concentrate on the season. The one part that is really nerve-racking is over."

The Friars should roll this weekend, and perhaps into the state playoffs, where a possible match-up with St. Patrick’s of Elizabeth, last year’s state champions, could await.

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Links - January 2, 2008

• SI.com's Luke Winn's post about Arthur Ehrat, the inventor of the "Rebounder" rim

• Greenburgh Central Catholic (Pittsburgh, PA) player hits eight straight free throws, leads team to one-point victory

• Prep tournament called off after bench clearing brawl with 18-seconds left in game

• Newsday's Long Island High School Boys Basketball Top-10

• Al Horford tops list of NBA Freshman class

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