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.

Share this story:

Al-Farouq Aminu is in legal trouble

Al-Farouq Aminu, one of the top players in the class of 2008 and the gem of Wake Forest’s incoming recruiting class, was arrested this weekend in Georgia for assault and trespassing.

The assault charge for Aminu, along with two teammates at Norcross High, stems from an incident in which the three allegedly shot an Atlanta woman with a BB gun from inside a vehicle, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

Wake Forest coach Dino Gaudio released a statement saying: “We are in the process of gathering all of the information on this incident and it would not be fair to make any statement or judgment until we collect all of the facts.”

Aminu, named Georgia's Mr. Basketball by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has been ranked as high as the 19^th best player in the nation by TAKKLE.com and Sports Illustrated.

More updates as events unfold.

- Meanwhile, back on the court, Lance Stephenson led Coney Island Lincoln High to an 88-67 victory over Holy Cross in the New York State championships this weekend in Glens Falls, N.Y. Stephenson finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds and was named Federation MVP. Holy Cross forward Sylven Landesberg finished his career with a 31 point performance in the loss. The Virginia signee was named the New York’s Mr. Basketball after the contest.

Share this story:

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!

Share this story:

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.

Share this story:

Devin Ebanks future at Indiana: Up in the air

According to published reports, highly-touted senior shooting guard Devin Ebanks had a provision in his letter of intent that would allow him to decommit from Indiana in the event that now-former head coach Kelvin Sampson were fired or resigned. With Sampson now out of Bloomington, Ebanks may decide to take his talents elsewhere.

"I did have something in place that allows me to be released if Coach Sampson wasn't there," Ebanks told Fox Sports’ Jeff Goodman. "I'm going to use that to explore other options and I still want to wait and see who Indiana hires full-time, but I am going to talk things over with my mother and my coaches and go from there."

IU Interim coach Dan Dakich is not considered to be a serious candidate for the full-time gig, so the first priority for the next head man in Bloomington will be convincing Ebanks to honor his commitment and also reassuring the other recruits Sampson landed to make a go of it at IU. Stay tuned on this one.

- Playoff time around the country is always bittersweet as players throughout the nation will play their last games for their high school squads. USC-bound forward Demar DeRozen, the number 6 ranked player in the country according to TAKKLE.com/Sports Illustrated, scored 25 points in his last game for Compton High, as the Tarbabes fell to Santa Margherita High School in the CIF quarterfinals. Santa Margherita got 27 points from forward Klay Thompson, who will see DeRozan next year in the Pac-10, as Thompson will play in Pullman for Washington State next year.

- In other playoff news, McDonald’s All-American Kemba Walker and Rice High of Manhattan topped St. Raymond’s of the Bronx 78-59 in Saturday's New York Archdiocesan title match. Next up for both teams: the full city Catholic League playoffs.

Share this story:

Signing Day - Takkle updates: DeAngelo Tyson

DeAngelo Tyson, Statesboro High School's all-everything defensive tackle, Heralded Statesboro High defensive lineman will make his verbal commitment to Georgia official today.

- Savannah Morning News

By the numbers:
They don't agree often on specific numbers, but various recruiting Web sites rank Statesboro High School senior defensive tackle DeAngelo Tyson among the nation's elite football players.

Takkle.com (presented by Sports Illustrated): 9th overall.

Video Posted from DeAngelo's Gallery on Takkle.com

Share this story:

Chester High's Nasir Robinson, Quick as a Panther

Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon likes his players quick, tough, and confident and Chester, Pa., guard/forward Nasir Robinson fits that mold perfectly.

At this past weekend’s Lehigh Valley Showcase in Allentown, Pa., Robinson and the Clippers topped Harrisburg (Pa.) 74-68 in a contest in which the senior guard proved yet again that you don’t have to be the game’s high scorer to be the best player on the court. Robinson stats (13 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists) exemplify the completeness of his game. His shot needs a little work, but he’s a relentless worker and a fearless leader.

Robinson made headlines a couple of years ago when he became one of the rare prep stars to jump from a private school powerhouse (American Christian Academy of Aston, Pa. – home of top schoolboy prospect Tyreke Evans) to Chester High, a public school that launched the career of Jameer Nelson and others. Evans and Robinson were and remain friends, but Robinson felt the need to forge his own identity.

"I wanted to come here and play in front of my hometown,” Robinson told the Delaware County Times. “I was nervous at first, but now I’m more comfortable and relaxed."

Chester is currently ranked 6th in the country by Sports Illustrated.

Share this story:

High School BBall on Display in NYC - Nike Super Six Tripleheader

Madison Square Garden is the site for this weekend’s annual Nike Super Six tripleheader, and the match-ups should have national ramifications. Four teams ranked in Sports Illustrated High School Basketball Top 25 rankings will be in action, including top-ranked St. Benedict’s Prep (Newark, N.J.) and its standout senior forward Samardo Samuels.


The Gray Bees will take on No 8. Rice High of Manhattan in the final game of the day. Rice, led by UConn-bound senior point guard Kemba Walker, rolled to tournament victories at the Bay Ball Classic in Delaware and Iolani Classic in Honolulu, but were lost last week to city rival and defending CHSAA champion Christ the King of Queens (yes, the King of Queens). St. Benedict’s is undefeated under Coach Danny Hurley and has played one of the toughest schedules in the country. Expect them to stay that way, as Rice will have hard time defending the Louisville-bound Samuels, who is the Number 3 player in the country according to TAKKLE.com/Sports Illustrated player rankings.


Also at Sunday’s Garden party, No. 4 St. Patrick’s of Elizabeth will face surprising St. Raymond’s of the Bronx. St. Pat’s is the defending New Jersey state champs, but St. Raymond’s has gotten off to a surprising 11-0 start behind guard Truck Bryant, and have skyrocketed from unranked to the 11 spot in this week’s rankings. The Ravens will put up a fight, but St. Pat’s and returning all-everything junior guard Dexter Strickland should be too much.


Patterson Catholic will face Mount Vernon in the other game of the day. St. Ray's and Rice are also set to match-up in a Saturday afternoon, regularly scheduled CHSAA game. (CHSAA - Catholic High Schools Athletic Association).

Video Posted from Samardo's Gallery on Takkle.com

Share this story:

The TAKKLE Squad Welcomes Brandon Lilly!

Check out this article from TAKKLE's Brandon Lilly, featuring Top-25 prospect Xavier Henry, on SI.com. Henry is currently ranked 21st on the Sports Illustrated TAKKLE Top 25 High School Basketball Player Rankings.

Check back here on Friday for Brandon's inaugural post on The Takkle Squad.

Video Posted from Xavier 's Gallery on Takkle.com

Share this story: