So far they have released the first and second rounds:
11. TORONTO BLUE JAYS
DECK McGUIRE, rhp, Georgia Tech
SCOUTING PROFILE (3/1):McGuire has emerged as an elite prospect for the 2010 draft a little more quietly than some of his higher-profile peers, but could end up making a run at becoming the first college arm drafted when it’s all said and done. He positioned himself as a significant first-round candidate with an outstanding sophomore season at Georgia Tech, earning Atlantic Coast Conference pitcher-of-the-year honors for an 11-2, 3.50 campaign, with 118 strikeouts in 100 innings. He only enhanced his status with a fast start to the 2010 season, going 4-1, 1.17 with 49 strikeouts in his first 46 innings, and out-dueling the more acclaimed Matt Harvey, 2-1, in a key ACC showdown between Georgia Tech and North Carolina in late March. Even at 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, McGuire is one of the more polished pitchers in the country. He relies equally on raw stuff and advanced pitchability for his success. He has three quality big-league pitches, including a fastball that is consistently in the 89-92 mph range, and approaches the mid-90s on occasion. While his velocity isn't overpowering, especially for a pitcher his size, he gets good sinking and running action on his fastball. His high-70s breaking ball, a cross between a slider and curve, is one of the best around, and his changeup is above average. He gets high marks for his deceptive delivery, impressive command and excellent mound presence. For all the success McGuire has enjoyed at Georgia Tech, acclaim has been relatively slow in coming. Despite a celebrated baseball and football career at Virginia’s Deep Run High, where as a senior he went 10-1, 1.35 with 129 strikeouts, and also set school career records for homers and RBIs while hitting .479-5-31, McGuire went undrafted. Even as he went 8-1 as a freshman at Georgia Tech, he didn’t earn his due as he was used mainly in a mid-week role. Unlike most other top college arms, McGuire also never pitched during the summer for Team USA or in the high-profile Cape Cod League, further adding to his anonymity. But he firmly established his credentials in the summer of 2008, pitching for his hometown Peninsula team in the Coastal Plain League. He was a no-brainer choice as the league’s top prospect by going 8-0, 1.28 in 11 starts and allowing just 35 hits in 56 innings while striking out 65. He quickly assumed the Friday role the next spring at Georgia Tech, based on that performance, and hasn’t slowed down since.—ALLAN SIMPSON
UPDATE (5/15): McGuire has had a few rough outings late in the spring, but has held his draft value as his stuff has seen a slight late-season uptick. His velocity has bumped to a steady 92-94 early in games, settling at 90-93, up a bit from early in the year, and he has developed a distinction between his two breaking pitches, a mid- to upper-70s curveball and a hard, 83-86 mph slider that is now his best pitch. His numbers are still excellent (7-3, 2.91 with 99 strikeouts in 93 innings), and a strong May 14 outing against Miami confirmed that he is still one of the top college pitchers available in this class.—ANDY SEILER
34. TORONTO BLUE JAYS
AARON SANCHEZ, rhp, Barstow (Calif.) HS
SCOUTING PROFILE (3/1):Sanchez will be just 17 when the 2010 draft is conducted, so his capacity for improvement is greater than most players in this year’s pool. Appropriately, he has made a pronounced leap in his prospect standing since last fall, and should be one of the first high-school pitchers drafted in June. A long, slender 6-foot-3, 170-pound righthander from Southern California, Sanchez is one of the most projectable pitchers in the 2010 class. His raw stuff needs very little projection, however. Sanchez has a very athletically-balanced and controlled delivery that allows his loose arm to come through clean and fast. He is stronger in his lower half now, which gives him a good base to pitch from. Sanchez’ fastball sits between 90 and 92 mph, and gets good sinking life when he gets the ball down in the zone. The pitch will top out at 95 mph, and it’s easy to project him as a consistent mid-90s thrower in the future. Sanchez also throws a low- to mid-70s curve as his breaking ball and it shows the potential to be a plus pitch, with more refinement and consistency. He’ll also drop in an 80-mph changeup on occasion. Sanchez isn’t physically mature yet, especially in his upper body, and his overall stuff started to fall off late last season. It was apparent to scouts, though, that he was much stronger this spring, and his stuff held up late into pitch counts. Sanchez is an underrated athlete, and his .550-14-36 production as a hitter in 2009 actually overshadowed his 2.94 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 46 innings on the mound.—DAVID RAWNSLEY
UPDATE (5/15): Sanchez missed the last two weeks of the 2010 season after straining an oblique muscle, but it isn’t expected to hurt his draft stock as he was heavily cross-checked in the nine games he pitched. His record on the season was 7-0, 0.69, and in 50 innings he had 15 walks and 95 strikeouts.—DR
38. TORONTO BLUE JAYS
NOAH SYNDERGAARD, rhp, Legacy HS, Mansfield, Texas
SCOUTING PROFILE: Syndergaard is one of the fastest-rising prospects in this year’s draft class. Last fall, his fastball routinely topped in the high-80s. By early spring, it was in the low-90s. By his final few starts of the 2010 season, he was sitting consistently at 91-93 mph, and occasionally topping at 95-96. His velocity came easy in his loose, projectable 6-foot-5, 200-pound frame, and he maintained it deep into games. Suddenly, Syndergaard emerged as a prospect with mid-round aspirations who looked like a solid bet to fulfill his college commitment to Dallas Baptist, to one that could be a draft-day surprise selection in the top 50-75 picks. On the season for Legacy High, he went 7-3, 1.42 with 18 walks and 85 strikeouts in 59 innings. Besides his vastly-improved fastball, he also showed the makings of a solid curve and an average changeup.—ALLAN SIMPSON
41. TORONTO BLUE JAYS
ASHER WOJCHIECHOWSKI, rhp, The Citadel
SCOUTING PROFILE (3/1):Despite pitching for Team USA’s college national squad last summer, Wojchiechowski was generally not regarded as being among the elite arms for this year’s draft. He was viewed more as a third- or fourth-rounder. But that perception changed with a string of impressive outings to start the 2010 season, and he was soon being scouted as a potential first-round pick. Wojchiechowski’s first two years at The Citadel were both solid, yet unspectacular. As a sophomore, he went 3-3, 4.39, and followed up by going 2-1, 2.18 in five appearances for Team USA. The biggest area of concern heading into this year was his control as he walked 74 in his first 145 career innings. But he harnessed his stuff more consistently this year and quickly topped his 2009 win total. Through his first seven starts, he was 7-0, 2.62 with 16 walks and 68 strikeouts in 40 innings. From a prospect standpoint, Wojchiechowski has everything you look for in a power pitcher. He is physically imposing at 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, and his athletic ability and durability immediately stand out. His fastball sat in the 93-94 mph range early this season, topping out at 96, and he maintained his velocity deep into games. Wojchiechowski complements his fastball with a plus slider that is consistently in the low 80s with hard, late life. He rarely uses a curve or changeup, but both pitches can flash average life. The big improvement has come in Wojchiechowski’s command; he has shown the ability to work both sides of the plate with his fastball. He also shows surprisingly good command of his power slider, and has little problem tying up lefthanded hitters with the pitch. Wojchiechowski has a clean, easy arm action that he can repeat well.--JEFF SIMPSON
UPDATE (5/15): After a few uncharacteristic starts in which he was hit much harder than usual, Wojchiechowski rebounded to his old ways on May 14 with a complete-game two-hitter against UNC Greensboro, where he struck out 13 and walked just one. Befitting a true workhouse, Wojchiechowski has averaged more than seven innings per start and has been a big reason why The Citadel led the Southern Conference at 21-6 with one weekend to go. He has maintained his mid-90s fastball and plus slider throughout the season, and looks solidly positioned in the latter half of the first round as the season winds down. Wojchiechowski 9-2, 3.16 ERA through mid-May; in 94 innings, he had allowed just 77 hits and 27 walks, while striking out 119.—JS
61. TORONTO BLUE JAYS
GRIFFIN MURPHY, lhp, Redlands East Valley HS, Highland, Calif.
SCOUTING PROFILE (3/1):Murphy has been one of the most heavily-scouted high-school pitchers in southern California this spring, and has moved solidly into top-3 round consideration. The powerfully-built 6-foot-3, 200-pound lefthander bumped up his draft stock through improvement in two key areas. His fastball, thrown from a high three-quarters release point from a fairly fast-paced delivery, has consistently been 90-91 mph this year, up a couple of notches from 2009. He has been topping out at 93, while keeping the ball down in the strike zone. Just as important for a southpaw, Murphy’s mid-70s downer curve has really improved as he’s learned to get over the top of it and out front far more consistently than in the past. Murphy’s changeup is a solid third offering that should keep improving, and he does a good job throwing strikes with all his pitches. A University of San Diego signee, Murphy was 7-0, 0.76 with a save through the mid-point of the 2010 season. In 37 innings, he had walked 10 and struck out 54. While Murphy’s stock has taken a solid jump this spring, the player who had been identified as the best prospect on the Redlands East Valley roster, righthander/shortstop Tyler Shreve, has tumbled out of the picture. A University of Utah quarterback recruit, Shreve was dismissed from the baseball team early in the 2010 season.—DAVID RAWNSLEY
UPDATE (5/15): Unlike many high-school pitchers, Murphy has been extremely consistent all spring while posting an 11-1, 1.27 record in 71 innings with 103 strikeouts. His fastball has topped out at 92-93 mph early on, and settled into the 87-89 range with significantly improved pitchability. His curveball has been a reliable third pitch in the 75-77 mph range. Dependability, coupled with good health, often moves a high-school pitcher up draft boards in the weeks before the draft, and Murphy could end up climbing as high as the second round.—DR
69. TORONTO BLUE JAYS
KELLEN SWEENEY, 2b-of, Jefferson HS, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
SCOUTING PROFILE (3/1):Sweeney has matured into a solidly-built 6-foot-1, 190-pound athlete since his first appearance at a Perfect Game event while he was in the seventh grade. Even back then, the PG scouting staff felt that the left-handed hitting Sweeney had better pure hitting tools than his older brother Ryan, now an outfielder with the Oakland A’s, although he didn’t have his strength and overall athleticism. That opinion has been largely born out to this point as Sweeney has very quick hands and developing strength, along with a very-practiced batting eye. The combination makes him one of the top lefthanded hitters in the 2010 class. Sweeney’s ability to hit the ball hard to all fields, especially his power to left-center, stands out among his peers. His optimum defensive position is still up in the air. Sweeney underwent Tommy John surgery last August after an ill-fated trip to the mound during a high-school game, but was throwing and hitting against live pitching in February and playing outdoors in the Iowa Spring Wood Bat League in late March. Sweeney has played extensively at shortstop and also seen time in the outfield, but most scouts see him as an offensive-minded second baseman in the Chase Utley-mode in the future. Despite being from the upper Midwest, Sweeney is as experienced and polished as any of his Sun Belt peers, especially with a bat in his hands. Where Ryan once committed to attend college at San Diego State before being drafted in the second round by the Chicago White Sox, Kellen is a University of San Diego recruit.—DAVID RAWNSLEY
UPDATE (5/15): Sweeney’s performances late this spring have been steady if unspectacular, which is pretty much the type of player he projects to be at the professional level. One thing to note for future analysis. If Sweeney does become a regular at the major-league level, look for him to draw more than 100 walks per season.—DR
80. TORONTO BLUE JAYS
JUSTIN NICOLINO, lhp, University HS, Orlando, Fla.
SCOUTING PROFILE (3/1): Nicolino is one of the fastest risers on central Florida prospect lists this spring, and his ascent coincides with him finally starting to add some strength, and velocity, to his slender 6-foot-3, 160-pound frame. A year and a half ago, Nicolino was a skinny 6-1, 145-pound southpaw who threw in the low-80s. But he still managed to cut up hitters with his command and quality off-speed stuff. Now that Nicolino is pitching in the upper-80s, and touching the low-90s occasionally, scouts are starting to see his projection fulfilled and hoping that he can keep improving his velocity. Nicolino’s delivery and arm action need little improvement. He has an easy, well-paced delivery with a smooth left arm coming through. Both his upper-70s changeup and low- to mid-70s curve are quality off-speed pitches that Nicolino can consistently spot in the strike zone, even when behind in the count, a leftover quality from the days when he was a true crafty lefthander. Through his first 37 innings this spring, he was 3-2, 1.14 with eight walks and 61 strikeouts.—DAVID RAWNSLEY
UPDATE (5/15): Scouts had a perfect opportunity to line up Nicolino with two other very similar lefthanders at the Florida all-star games in Sebring in late May. Nicolino will no doubt be compared to Jimmy Hodgskin and Daniel Gibson, and it’s easy to imagine that whichever young southpaw throws the best will come off the draft board first in June. All three project as third- to fourth-round picks. Nicolino’s scholarship to Virginia could be a complicating factor, however.—DR
