Friday, February 6, 2015

Looking at the 2015 Draft: 23rd Best Prospect



Continuing our look at the 2015 MLB First Year Players Draft we take a look at the #23 ranked prospect expected to enter the draft. As always we will include the mini scouting report from MLB.com as we introduce the #23 prospect, James Kaprielian. Kaprielian is a RHP and a Junior at UCLA. 

Here is the write up from MLB.com:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 55 | Overall: 50

Kaprielian could have factored into the top two rounds of the 2012 Draft as a California high schooler, but he lasted until the Mariners took him in the 40th round because he was set on attending UCLA. He was one of the Bruins' top relievers on their 2013 College World Series championship team -- he didn't allow a hit in six postseason appearances -- then became their No. 1 starter and led the Pacific-12 Conference in strikeouts (108 in 106 innings) as a sophomore.
He didn't have the best stuff in a U.S. collegiate national team rotation that included Louisville's Kyle Funkhouser and Vanderbilt's Carson Fulmer last summer, but Kaprielian did have the best "pitchability" and is the safest bet to become a mid-rotation starter in the big leagues. He works with an 89-92 mph fastball as a starter, and he's effective at that velocity because he can locate it.

Kaprielian's best pitch is his changeup, and he also has a solid slider and a curveball to give batters a different look. With his command and strong frame, he's built to be a starter.

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23. James Kaprielian
24. Jake Lemoine
25. Beau Burrows
26. Richie Martin
27. Kyle Tucker
28. D.J. Stewart

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)