The annual Major League Baseball Draft is always a nervous time for college coaches, who must wait and see if they lose any of their recruits to the pros. Virginia baseball head coach Brian O’Connor saw four members of UVa’s 2014 Class get selected in the June Draft. Fortunately for the Hoos, only one – Western Branch (Chesapeake, VA) catcher Devon Fisher, who was drafted in the 20th round by the Boston Red Sox – signed a MLB contract.
RHP Derek Casey (22nd round, no. 675 overall, St. Louis Cardinals), 1B/P Pavin Smith (32nd round, no. 953 overall, Colorado Rockies) and RHP Tommy Doyle (35th round, no. 1,054 overall, Washington Nationals) were drafted as well; however, Casey and Smith stated their intentions to enroll at UVa, and it appears Doyle will don the orange and blue as well. All three are all listed in Virginia’s student directory.
Baseball America released its Top 500 Draft Prospects list, which includes both high school and college players, ahead of last month’s draft. Coming in at 193 overall was the 6’2”, 190-pound Casey, who received the following scouting report from MLB.com…
“Among a strong class of high school pitchers in Virginia, he has established himself as one of the best. Casey’s fastball typically sits in the low-90s and has touched 95 mph. His secondary stuff isn’t as well developed as his fastball. His curveball shows promise, while his changeup remains in its nascent stages. He throws strikes with all of his pitches and isn’t afraid to challenge hitters. Casey will need time and innings to develop, but he excites scouts with his athleticism and projectability.”
Casey’s high school resume includes a 27-0 record and two state championship titles. As a senior he went 10-0 with a 0.51 ERA, earning Richmond Times-Dispatch All-Metro Player of the Year honors. Cavalier 2014 ace Nathan Kirby captured the distinction in 2012.
Casey told the Times-Dispatch that “It’ll be good for me to go to school for three years and play for one of the best Division I baseball schools in the nation. They’re stacked to the top with pitching. I’m going to kick my foot into the door, work my butt off and see if I can get some innings this year. It’s all up to me. I just have to out-work people.”
Smith, a product of Palm Beach Gardens High School in Jupiter, Florida, was rated no. 108 in Baseball America’s list. Playing alongside Florida-bound catcher JJ Schwarz, Smith, a 6’2”, 195-pound lefty, hit .395 with seven homeruns in his senior season.
Smith is a two-way player and will continue to play both ways if he upholds his commitment to Virginia. But professional scouts are most interested in him as a hitter. He has a short swing and uses a mature approach at the plate, enabling him to make more contact than most power hitters. He has solid pop, thanks to his strength and leverage in his swing. Smith plays first base well and may be athletic enough to handle an outfield corner. He certainly has the arm for it, as his fastball reaches 90 mph on the mound. – MLB.com’s scouting report on Smith
An imposing figure on the mound, the 6’6” Doyle guided Flint Hill (Oakton, VA) to a MAC championship in 2014. On the season he allowed only one earned run in 51 innings, totaling 84 strikeouts in the process. Doyle also earned VIS Division 1 Co-Player of the Year honors as well as first-team all-state honors for his play as a senior. Baseball America rated him the no. 215 MLB prospect in the nation.
Casey, Smith and Doyle were drafted, but there certainly is more talent for the Hoos in this class, including OF/LHP Adam Haseley and Douglas Freeman (Richmond, VA) middle infielder Jack Gerstenmaier.
Charlie Cody, 5’11”, 185 pounds, 3B, Great Bridge (Chesapeake, VA)
Cody, who will be reunited in Charlottesville with former Great Bridge star Connor Jones, batted .446 with six homeruns and 32 RBIs his junior season. Cody earned first-team all-Tidewater honors for three straight seasons but did not make the list his senior year, when he missed significant action with a fracture in his left hand.
Baseball America, which rated him as the no. 29 MLB Draft prospect in the state of Virginia, describes Cody as a “heralded underclassman who didn’t hit as much as expected on the showcase circuit but has some strength to his swing, power potential and an average arm.”
Jack Gerstenmaier, SS/2B, Douglas Freeman (Richmond, VA)
Gerstenmaier, the no. 23 MLB Draft prospect in the state according to Baseball America and 2014 Conference 11 Player of the Year, hit .362 with 18 RBIs, 22 stolen bases and 26 runs his senior year.
Shortstop Jack Gerstenmaier is a heady middle infielder with a contact-oriented bat who will likely move to second base in the pros. – Baseball America
Adam Haseley, OF/LHP, 6’1”, 185 pounds, The First Academy (Windermere, FL)
Baseball America named Haseley a second-team All-American in 2014 as a Utility player. As a senior, Haseley hit .425 with five homeruns, five doubles, 18 RBIs and 35 runs. He had six wins to two losses his senior year, finishing with an ERA of 0.34 and 69 strikeouts in 41 innings of work.
In addition to being an All-American, Haseley earned a spot on Team USA’s 18-and-under squad.
Haseley showed in March that he is one of the best two-way talents in this year’s Draft class at the National High School Invitational Tournament. He threw a two-hit shutout and hit .417/.533/.583 in four games to help The First Academy win the championship. Haseley is a solid pitching prospect, unafraid to attack hitters with his fastball-slider combination. He has a loose, athletic build and fills up the strike zone. But as the season has gone on, it has become more likely Haseley will be drafted as an outfielder. He has a good feel for the barrel and led all hitters with a .484 batting average at the 18U World Cup last fall. His swing is more geared to hitting line drives, but scouts expect him to develop more power as he physically matures. Haseley is committed to Virginia and would continue playing both ways if he ends up on campus. – MLB.com
Christian Lowry, OF, Hickory (Chesapeake, VA)
Lowry, a centerfielder in high school, batted .413 with five home runs, 12 doubles, 14 stolen bases and 17 RBIs his senior season, guiding Hickory to the 5A State Championship crown. He earned first-team all-Tidewater honors his junior and senior seasons. As a junior, Lowry hit .460 and had a .600 on-base percentage.
For more on Lowry’s performance during his team’s state title run, click here.
Justin Novak, 5’9”, Middle Infielder/Catcher, Japan
In this article by Doug Doughty of the Roanoke Times, Coach O’Connor described Novak as “a really, really good fundamental player. That’s kind of what captivated us. The teaching over there is tremendous and I think a reflection is the influx of [Japanese] players in professional baseball.”
Read more on the 5’9” prospect in this article by the Petersburg Progress-Index.
Mark Ostbye, RHP, 6’3”, Haddonfield Memorial (N.J.)
According to this Philly.com report, Ostbye was “slowed by injuries to an ankle and his pitching arm” his junior season before he “put together a strong summer with his travel team, All-Star Baseball, and committed to Virginia in September (of 2013).”
As a senior, Ostbye went 5-3 with a 1.70 ERA. He tossed 60 strikeouts in 41 innings, including 14 strikeouts in the first round of playoffs in 2014. Solid at the plate as well, Ostbye batted .333 in his senior season.
Bennett Sousa, LHP, 6’3”, 185 pounds, The Benjamin School (North Palm Beach, FL)
Sousa was Baseball America’s no. 416 MLB Draft prospect in the nation and no. 60 in Florida.
Strong wiry build, fairly mature physically, older 2014. Long fast arm action, 3/4’s arm slot, some back side collapse in delivery, can improve lower half use and direction. Fastball to 92 mph, hard late tailing action when down in the zone, heavy pitch when located. Curveball flashes hard spin and downer bite, nice diving action on his change up with good arm speed. Flashes three quality pitches with life, inconsistency in mechanics prevents present command and consistency. Has a high ceiling if he can make adjustments. 7.13 runner with some power and leverage in his left handed swing. – Perfect Game scouting report from the summer of 2013
Read more on Sousa and the aforementioned Pavin Smith here.
Riley Wilson, LHP, Cosby (Midlothian, VA)
Wilson’s brother is former Cavalier standout pitcher Tyler Wilson, who is currently in the Baltimore Orioles organization. Riley earned second-team all-metro honors as a Utility player for his senior season performance.
