Under Armour All-American Game

Be sure to head to prospectwire.com to check out all my articles form the Under Armour All-American Game! It was a great two days, and there were some fantastic players in attendance!

Top Prospect Interview: Hawtin Buchanan

Interview with top prospect Hawtin Buchanan. Buchanan is a big RHP at 6'8, 240. He is committed to Ole Miss.



Sullivan: Congrats on committing to Mississippi. What made you choose this school and what other schools did you consider?


Buchanan: I committed to Ole Miss because it's a great baseball atmosphere and the coaches and facilities are among the best in the country. Other schools I considered were LSU, Mississippi State, and Southern Miss.






What are your goals going into your senior season?


My goals for my senior season would be to give my team a chance to win every time I take the mound and help us hopefully make a run at a state championship.




You are ranked in the top 100 in the nation. Describe how that feels, and do you feel extra pressure each time you take the mound because of it.


Its an honor to be ranked in the top 100, but I try not to let pressure from things like that affect my performance. I just go out and perform how I know I can.




What pitches do you throw? How fast?


I throw a fastball about 90-92 touching 93, a curveball in the low 70's and a changeup in the high 70's to low 80's.




Who is the best hitter you have ever faced?

The best hitter I've ever faced is probably Mason Robbins. He is also ranked in the top 100 in the nation and we play each other in high school ball



Last question, favorite player and favorite team?


Favorite team is probably the Tampa Bay Rays and my favorite players are David Price, Josh Johnson, and Justin Verlander

Top Prospect Interview: Spenser Linney

Interview with top prospect Spenser Linney. Linney recently committed to Stanford and will be playing in the Under Armour All-American Game at Wrigley Field.



Sullivan: Congrats on committing to Stanford. What drew you to this school and what other schools did you consider?

Linney: I had the honor of having a good number of great opportunities, and I was a bit biased towards playing in the Pac-10 since I have grown up on the west coast. In the end Stanford ended up just being the best overall fit for me, and the opportunity to play relatively close to home was also a great added bonus. I'm also really excited about the direction that the program is heading in. I think we're going to have a really tough team.





What are your goals for your senior season?

I want to continue working every day to improve my game and work with my teammates to better our team. We want to win an NCS championship, and I think we're all going to work to get there. I really want to start lifting and conditioning rigorously to put myself into an optimal physical condition for next season, summer, and beyond.





You were recently named to the Under Armour All-American Game. Describe how that feels and did you ever see yourself pitching on such a big stage?

It's a really big honor and I am really looking forward to the opportunity to play at Wrigley Field in that type of environment. It's going to be really fun getting to know everyone and then competing with and against them. I think that entire event is going to be a blast.





What pitches do you throw? How fast?

I throw a fastball, changeup, curveball. Over the course of the summer my fastball was between 88-91 MPH, and I touched 93 MPH a couple of times. My change is typically high 70s to low 80s, and my curve is usually low 70s.




Who is the best hitter you have ever faced?

Over the summer I've gotten to face some great competition between Connie Mack competition and the Area Code tryouts so far. Of the names that I can remember, Tyler Goeddel, another player from northern California jumps to mind. I also remember Mitch Delfino (currently playing at Cal) was also a great hitter when I faced him in high school.





Last question. Favorite player and favorite team.


My favorite two players are Cole Hamels and Barry Zito, and my favorite team is the Oakland A's. I've been an A's fan for a long time.

2011 MLB Mock Draft

Here is an extremely early look at the 2011 MLB Draft. It is still ten months away and a lot will change. Enjoy it for what it's worth!


1. Baltimore Orioles- Matthew Purke- LHP, TCU

2. Pittsburgh Pirates- Gerrit Cole- RHP, UCLA

3. Arizona Diamondbacks- Anthony Rendon- 3B, Rice University

4. Seattle Mariners- Daniel Norris- LHP, Science Hill HS

5. Houston Astros- Taylor Jungmann- RHP, Texas

6. Cleveland Indians- Dylan Bundy- RHP, Owasso HS

7. Washington Nationals- Sonny Gray- RHP, Vanderbilt

8. Kansas City Royals- Jackie Bradley- OF, South Carolina

9. Chicago Cubs- Travis Harrison- OF, Tustin HS

10. Milwaukee Brewers- Archie Bradley- RHP, Broken Arrow HS

11. Florida Marlins- Blake Swihart- C, Cleveland HS

12. New York Mets- Joshua Tobias- 2B, Southeast Guilford HS

13. Toronto Blue Jays- Trevor Bauer- RHP, UCLA

14. Oakland Athletics- Matt Barnes- RHP, Uconn

15. Los Angeles Angels- Micahel Kelly- RHP, West Boca HS

16. Colorado Rockies- Henry Owens- LHP, Edison HS

17. Detroit Tigers- George Springer- OF, Uconn

18. Philadelphia Phillies- Francisco Lindor- SS, Montverde HS

19. Minnesota Twins- Dillon Howard- RHP, Searcy HS

20. Los Angeles Dodgers- Bubba Starling- OF, Gardner-Edgerton HS

21. Chicago White Sox- Peter O'Brien- C, Bethune- Cookman

22. Cincinnati Reds- Brett Mooneyham- LHP. Stanford

23. St. Louis Cardinals- Ricky Oropesa- 1B, USC

24. Boston Red Sox- Dylan Davis- RHP, Redmond HS

25. San Francisco Giants- Danny Hultzen- LHP, Virginia

26. Atlanta Braves- Larry Greene- OF, Berrien County HS

27. Texas Rangers- Tony Zych- RHP, Louisville

28. San Diego Padres- Alex Dickerson- OF, Indiana

29. Tampa Bay Rays- Philip Evans- INF, LaCosta Canyon HS

30. New York Yankees- Dillon Maples- RHP, Pinecrest HS

Top Prospect Interview: Connor Castellano

Interview with top prospect Connor Castellano. Castellano is an infielder from Evangel Christian Academy in Louisiana.



Sullivan: Congrats on signing with Vanderbilt. What drew you to this school and what other schools were you considering?


Castellano: Vanderbilt is a special place. Besides the baseball and academics, Coach Corbin was the guy I wanted to play for. He reminded me of my high school coach Tim Hulett (ex MLB veteran). I had offers from Louisville, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Auburn, Wake Forest, Tulane, and ULL.





You are currently ranked in the top 100 in the nation. Describe how that feels, and do you feel like you have a target on your back when you step up to the plate because of it?


It is an honor to be ranked in the top 100. When you are in the top 100, you are there for a reason. There is no need to feel that way because you deserve to be there.




You were named to the Under Armour All-American Game. Did you ever imagine yourself playing on such a big stage such as Wrigley Field?


When I received an invite to this particular event, it was one of the happiest days of my life. Your whole life you work hard for moments like that. After the invitation, I really did believe in the phrase "Hard work pays off."





What is the transition like playing summer ball against the top players in the country, and then going back to high school pitching?


The transition is somewhat difficult because you can go from 95 mph to 75 mph. In Louisiana we face mid 80's most of the time, so it is not as difficult as some other states.




Who is the toughest pitcher you've ever faced?


Despite the fact that I got a hit off of him, Philip Pfeifer was tough. He throws hard from the left side with a late break curveball. Left handed hitters are usually not a fan of those pitchers.


Last question, favorite player and favorite team?


My dad is from Cleveland, Ohio. Ergo, I am a Cleveland Indian fan. I love the way Pete Rose played the game, and I enjoy watching Joe Mauer hit.