[ayaghmour2]

In this post I'm going to cover a few of the lesser known draft eligible players in both High School and College:

College

C Jim Higginbotham (Chicago Poly Panthers): His best season was as a junior, hitting .286/.368/.571 (123 OPS+) with 13 homers and 40 RBI's in 193 trips to the plate. The lefty hitter has great patience at the plate and he's shown some power potential this year as well. He has his trouble with strikeouts, but he'll draw his share of walks. Catcher is a position that many teams struggle to find dependable players, so Higginbotham should have every chance to work his way onto a big league roster.

SP Adam Boyer (Whitney College Engineers): It was an excellent junior season for the righty Boyer, who went 5-3 with a 3.06 ERA (178 ERA+), 1.05 WHIP, and 70 strikeouts in 97 innings pitched. It was a good second act on his sophomore season where he was 7-6 with a 3.28 ERA (149 ERA+), 1.14 WHIP, and 77 strikeouts in 109.2 innings pitched. Boyer has five solid pitches, the best two a forkball and a mid to high 80s fastball. He doesn't overpower hitters, but he mixes his pitches up well to keep hitters guessing. He's also pretty developed as a college arm, and could be pitching in the majors soon if he keeps up his improvement.

RF Jack Starr (Brunswick Knights): A teammate of one of the top pitching prospects Sam Sullivan, Jack Starr slumped a little as a junior. His 14 homers and 39 RBI's were career best, but his .261/.367/.543 (129 OPS+) batting line wasn't near his excellent sophomore season. As a sophomore, he hit .322/.407/.579 (189 OPS+) with 12 homers and 33 RBI's in an excellent season. It looked like he was poised to dominate this year, but instead he dropped his career line to .283/.388/.537 (151 OPS+) to go with 34 homers, 104 RBI's, and 9 steals. Starr is a dependable defender in right with a nice arm as well, but his highlight tools are his eye and power.

3B Tommy Newman (Frankford State Owls): A very consistent hitter in his time at Frankford State, Newman hit 11 or 12 home runs each season with the Owls. He finished his career with a .294/.385/.550 (139 OPS+) batting line to go with 34 homers and 130 RBI's. He's an average defensive third basemen with excellent discipline at the plate. His power is decent, but it's not necessarily going to translate to the professional game. He looks to have the potential of an average big leaguer, but he'll have to stay consistent to make it.

High School

LF Gene Hubbard (Chicago HS Wildcats): Not too far from our home field is an interesting outfield prospect in left fielder Gene Hubbard. In three seasons of high school ball, he hit .318/.389/.429 (133 OPS+) with 6 homers, 6 steals, and 46 RBI's across 548 trips to the plate. He's a competent defender in left as well, which is likely his key to working up the organizational ladder. He doesn't really stand out as a hitter, with his best tool likely his eye, but his bat isn't going to be enough.

SP Danny Day (Chicago HS Wildcats): The Wildcats have the second best prep pitcher in southpaw Ray McCarthy, but the 6 foot Danny Day looked really good as a senior. It was the only year he played, but he was 3-1 with a 2.65 ERA (174 ERA+), 1.18 WHIP, and 34 strikeouts in 51 innings pitched. He has an interesting five pitch arsenal with a fastball, curve, slider, change, and forkball. The slider is the best, sitting in the low 80s, with his fastball in the 85-87 MPH range. He's a finesse pitcher who won't overpower, but with his lack of a track record I can see him going to college instead of a pro club. He'll be on our radar because he's a Chicago prospect, but if he's taken it'll be in the last couple of rounds.

LF Bob Robinson (Syracuse HS Stars): Even after a down year as a senior, Bob Robinson finished his high school career with a .337/.415/.477 (144 OPS+) line with 7 homers and 78 RBI's in 506 trips to the plate. The lefty isn't much of a defender, but he's a polished hitter with excellent bat speed and he consistently puts the bat on the ball. He's very raw, with a lot of room to grow, but he is an interesting project worth a late round lottery ticket.

3B Ray Stone (Berkeley Bears): A speedy third basemen, Ray Stone swiped 42 bases in three seasons atop the Bears lineup. He hit an impressive .313/.382/.471 (142 OPS+) with 16 homers and 72 RBI's as well, making him a very reliable top of the order hitter. He reminds me a lot of John Kincaid, great speed and defense with a lot of gap power to make up for not much home run power. He doesn't strike out too much either and he can draw his share of walks. He's got all the tools to start in the FABL, he just needs to be selected by the right organization.

If I have more time throughout the day I'll add to this post