Thompson has a good fastball that sits low-90's with movement, with the potential to pick up some velocity in the future. His breaking pitch is a slider that flashes plus and has lots of potential. Thompson's third pitch is a changeup that needs some work, but should develop in pro ball. Thompson is considered signable, and should be a nice boost to a farm system that loves power pitching.
Schotts has incredible speed to go along with great range at shortstop. He has an average arm, which might mean a move to second base or the outfield, but he will at least get a shot at shortstop in pro ball. He has a smooth swing that should allow him to hit for average at the next level. He also above-average power for a shortstop. Schotts is one of the more polished prep bats in the draft but could be a tough sign with a commitment to Oklahoma State.
Verhagen is a prototypical David Chadd pick; he's a huge guy (6'6", 225) with a fastball that sits around 95 either as a starter or a reliever. He has an odd delivery which will probably need to be fixed, and his breaking stuff is unimpressive and hard to distinguish. The odds are that Verhagen goes into a minor league bullpen at some point, but the fastball is a very nice pitch at this stage in the draft, and there's a shot (though small) that Verhagen stays in the rotation.
Lionlifer wrote:I'm liking Schotts, gotta love some speed, lets hope we can get him to sign on the dotted line. It'll be interesting to see how the new bonus structure plays into signing our draftees.
There are others from the Gators program higher in these rankings, including some potential top picks, but there is something to be said for being the Friday starter on one of the best college teams in the country. Randall has been effective throughout his career thanks to plus pitchability. He throws an average fastball, up to about 91 mph with some tail and sink, which plays up because of outstanding command. His changeup is the best of his other pitches, an above-average pitch that can be plus at times. He throws a curve and slider, both of which are fringe average offerings. But he throws all of them for strikes and really understands what to throw when. Randall's intangibles -- competitiveness and poise --- are off the charts and they allow him to succeed at such a high level without plus stuff. It's also what could allow him to move quickly through a system and help the back end of a rotation one day.
ajaX82 wrote:Lionlifer wrote:I'm liking Schotts, gotta love some speed, lets hope we can get him to sign on the dotted line. It'll be interesting to see how the new bonus structure plays into signing our draftees.
I like him too. And we love to overpay and the new structure really discourages that; it may be an issue for us. Good thing Thompson sounds so signable
