PaulinMyrBch said:
I have scouted plenty of UVA games living here in Charlottesville. All 3 of their draft eligible studs are projected to possibly be available either as late first rounders or sandwich pick choices. Sweet swinging Mike Papi's stock, already high, might be going up even more because he is so hot right now. Derek Fischer, Nick Howard and Mike Papi could conceivably all be available when the Sox make each of their top 3 picks but maybe not. Fischer and Papi have been hampered by the cavernous dimensions of home Davenport field but Howard's stuff looks like it can't be hit anywhere. John Farrell's son is a UVA alumnus. He was here with his father, the guest speaker, at their winter baseball banquet. The elder Farrell's fondness for UVA players and their program was genuine. Recent draftee Reed Gragnani has been a revelation this year in A ball though he might need to move off 2B if he can make the majors with the Sox. Right now, Gragnani can't even crack the Red Sox top 40 prospects according to some but his BA and OBP are for real:
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=643334
He is a switch hitting 21st Century version of David Eckstein and, because he gets the most out of his limited talent, I won't be surprised to see him eventually being a useful major league player one day. Lefty swinging Fischer and Papi plus flame throwing Howard have greater more projectible tools but, like Gragnani, will get the most out their talents. Next year, Nathan Kirby (a 1 hit 8 inning shut out tournament win last night), Joe McCarthy and maybe a couple of others could likely get drafted even higher than these 3.
While it would be a stretch to draft all 3 if they are available, I won't be surprised if the Sox don't get at least one of them. UVA has become one of the top college programs and their coaching staff is second to none. They emphasize pitching, quality defense and fundamentals. If the Sox draft any more of these UVA studs, they will get players who know how to play the game correctly already.
