June 26, 2002

Anup Sinha
TeamOneBaseball.com

The purpose of the Tournament of Stars is essentially to serve as a tryout for the 18-and-under USA Junior National Team. There are eight all-star teams present representing the various classifications: AABC, NABF, RBI, Pony, Babe Ruth, Dixie, and two USA teams.

There were quite a few 2002 HS graduates and I posted their Top-10 a few days ago. But the 2003 group was even more talented if not as refined.

There will be a lot of first-rounders in this group, perhaps as many or more than any assembled group I see this summer. I?m sure I?ll see all of these players again over the next year, at our Team One events and elsewhere.

The rankings and evaluations are strictly my opinions based on live observation. The intent is to evaluate the players as pro prospects at this time. A lot can and will change over the next 11 1/2 months before the 2003 Draft, but it?s fun to start thinking of the top players amongst each other.

Top-10 2003 Draft Prospects at USA Baseball?s Tournament of Stars

1. Jeff Allison, RHP, Peabody (MA) HS 6-2, 195 R/R
I ranked Allison as the #3 Prospect at Perfect Game the weekend before. But after watching him pitch seven innings, I?m even more impressed. Allison has a power arm and uncanny command of his stuff for a high school kid. He threw 91-93 MPH consistently (two and four-seamer) and delivered a 78-82 MPH hammer. It was like watching Mark Prior minus a few MPH. He has a strong pitcher?s frame and easy arm-action. Allison has strong early-first round possibilities for 2003. The only thing I can see holding him back for scouts is that there?s nothing in particular that?s superlative (ie. being 6-10, being lefthanded, throwing 100 MPH) aside from command. He just has a very strong overall package.

2. Lastings Milledge, OF, No HS (FL) 6-0, 185 R/R
Milledge didn?t produce as much in the games as I?ve seen in the past, but the tools are unquestioned. His bat-speed is exceptional for a high school player and he has all the skills to become a gold glove-type MLB centerfielder. He?ll need to wait better on good breaking balls, but there aren?t many holes in his game that repetitions won?t patch. He doesn?t have the long, lanky build of the prototype high school outfielder, so he may be close to his max.

3. Delmon Young, OF, Camarillo (CA) HS 6-2, 210 R/R
I?ve watched Young play the last four years and he continues to improve. He may have been the most polished hitter in Joplin; he has major league bat-speed and raw power right now, plus the innate ability to make adjustments. An average runner, Young gets good jumps and has ?plus? lateral agility in the outfield. He also has a major league rightfielder?s arm. Young may be physically mature and there is at least some question about his projectability; then again, does he need to project?

4. Chris Lubanski, OF, Kennedy-Kenrick (WA) HS 6-3, 180 L/L
Lubanski ran a 6.42 and 6.51 60 yd and made some courageous jaunts around the bases. He?s a long-strider who swallows up ground. But what makes him much more than a track star is that he has a sweet lefthanded stroke. When his body matures, I can see him both getting faster (believe it or not) and hitting for power. Right now it?s loft power and not ?muscle? power. Lubanski?s arm is his weakest tool, but has improved considerably since the winter and might be playable for center field. David Krynzel is the closest same-age comparison I can make, and I think Lubanski?s swing is a lot more projectable. He?ll need to cover the outer half better, though, to make consistent contact.

5. James Houser, LHP, Sarasota (FL) HS 6-5, 190 L/L
Houser has a scary package for a lefty. He?s a long, lean 6-5, with a lot of arm-strength, a three-quarter slot, and a big, hard curveball. He threw 86-88 MPH in Joplin, which is a few MPH slower than what I?ve seen in the past. His curveball is a 78 MPH two-planer with impressive depth and MLB knockout potential. He?s as good a prospect as any high school lefty I?ve seen in the 2003 class so far. A polished change-up against righthanded hitters and perhaps more consistency with his delivery will be in order for improvements.

6. Craig Whitaker, RHP, Lufkin (TX) HS 6-4, 180 R/R
I?d never seen Craig Whitaker before this event, but he really showed me a lot. He?s a projectable and well-proportioned 6-4, 180, who can already throw 90-92 MPH for a few innings and will surely throw harder by maturity. Whitaker has fluid arm-action and a three-quarter slot which adds ?run? to his heater. His roundhouse curveball has big league knockout potential, but he?ll need to throw it harder than his current 72 MPH to miss big league bats in 5-6 years.

7. Charles Benoit, LHP/1B, Southlake Carroll (TX) HS 6-2, 235 L/L
The first thing I saw Benoit do was take five batting practice swings and I thought he had the most raw power in Joplin. That?s saying a lot, when Delmon Young, Lastings Milledge, and Jeff Francoeur are in the house. He didn?t bat at all in the games I watched, but he did pitch and showed a lively 88-90 MPH fastball and the makings of a big league curve. His pitchability was impressive as was his arm-action and delivery. Benoit has a thick build and wide hips and will have to be careful with his weight as he gets older. He might also need to slow down his delivery so he can get on top of his curveball with more consistency.

8. Chad Billingsley, RHP, Defiance (OH) HS 6-0, 195 R/R
Billingsley can show as good a stuff as anyone in Joplin, including Jeff Allison. He doesn?t have quite the same command, but he can make his 91-92 MPH heater move and he?s shown a live arm capable of throwing a number of different pitches. Billingsley?s arm-action and delivery are healthy and athletic. He?s nearing physical maturity and I?m not sure how far he?ll project physically beyond what he is now. I think scouts will be happy if he just develops consistency and carries his stuff into the later innings as he ages.

9. Philip Stringer, SS, Klein Oak (TX) HS 5-9, 175 R/R
Stringer is my early favorite as the top HS shortstop prospect in the nation. He is quick, athletic, and sure-handed on the infield which allows him to make a lot of plays. Despite a lack of height, he has strength in his forearms and can hit line-drives around the yard. Could he be a leadoff hitter in the making? He doesn?t have a prototype shortstop?s arm and that might incline some scouts to look at him at second or in the outfield. He may be close to physical maturity as well, leaving less upside to his final product.

10. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C, Royal Palm Beach (FL) HS 6-4, 195 S/R
Saltalamacchia is the foremost ?tools? catcher in the country (that I?ve seen) and he?s gradually refining. He has a well above-average major league arm right now and strong swings from both sides of the plate. He needs just a little bit of mechanical work to take advantage of his arm and agility as a catcher. At the plate, Saltalamacchia still has a ways to go with hitting good pro off-speed.