High school players take longer to develop than collegiate prospects, but a few prep stars in the 2012 MLB draft have an upside that was just too good to pass up.
The teams that drafted these teenagers will be in for a several year wait until they see their investment pay off.
Still, the talent they just added to the organization will be very valuable in the future.
Here are the five best high school players taken in this year’s draft.
Byron Buxton, OF, Appling County HS (GA)—Minnesota Twins, Pick No. 2
Byron Buxton was projected to go No. 1 in many mock drafts because of his elite athleticism. He is one of the fastest players to enter the draft in recent years.
He has the most upsides of any player in the draft because of his physical gifts. He may be raw in some areas, but there simply wasn’t another field player with his talent in the draft.
The Twins got lucky that the Houston Astros did not take Buxton first, and Minnesota will be a much better ball club when Buxton is ready to play in the majors.
Carlos Correa, SS, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy—Houston Astros, Pick No. 1
The Astros made a surprising move by picking Carlos Correa first, as he was projected to go somewhere else in the top 10.
Still, he is an extremely talented player with a huge upside. A 6’4” and 190 pounds, he is unlikely to stay at shortstop. He’s just 17 years old and could still be growing, so he will be an ideal size for an outfielder.
He is a monster at the plate and he will be nightmare for pitchers once he learns the intricacies of the game in the minor leagues. Correa may not have quite as many upsides as Buxton, but he will still be a phenomenal player in a few years.
Albert Almora, OF, Mater Academy Charter (FL)—Chicago Cubs, Pick No. 6
The Cubs may need help now, but Almora is extremely talented. He will be a major contributor soon enough. He is one of the most major league-ready high school players in the draft.
He is an excellent hitting prospect who has a cerebral feel for the game. He has plenty of experience with high-level baseball, and he’s represented Team USA at more international tournaments than any prospect, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Almora may be ready more quickly than other prep prospects, but he still will spend a few seasons in the minors. When he’s ready for baseball’s biggest stage, the Cubs will be happy they took him with their top pick.
Max Fried, LHP, Harvard-Westlake HS (CA)—Pick No. 7, San Diego Padres
Max Fried is another prep prospect who is surprisingly polished for his age. The lefty has a great fastball and throws two other pitchers very well.
At 6’4”, he is an ideal size, and he gets his fastball up around the mid-90s. His changeup and curveball are downright nasty, and he will drive minor league hitter nuts.
His control is pretty far along already and after a few years in the Padres’ farm system, he will be able to terrorize major league hitters as well. Fried is a top-class prospect that will be making a lot of noise very soon.
Lucas Giolito, RHP, Harvard-Westlake HS (CA)—Washington Nationals, Pick No. 16
While other prep stars not mentioned were taken before Lucas Giolito, none of them have his upside.
Fried’s teammate missed most of this past season with an elbow injury, but he was clocked at 100 mph before he went down. He is also a massive prospect at 6’6” and 230 pounds.
Giolito is not as good of an all-around pitcher as Fried, but he still has great potential because of his incredible power. If he can learn even a little bit of craftiness in the minors, he will blow major league hitters away in a few years.
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