For Evansville and South Bend all attention is on the Heartland Series.
For the other ten teams in the Heartland Baseball League it's all about
free agency and the ammy draft. Today we will preview the top ten 1984
draft prospects.
1. SP Bruce McIntyre(MINN)
A two time Pitcher of the Year with the Golden Gophers, McIntyre posted a
very impressive college career winning 34 of his 79 starts while piling up
567 innings. His strikeout to walk ration is a very impressive 8/1 over
four seasons. He is considered a great leader with a high work ethic so
he should only get better while making those around him better.
2. SP Gerald Humphrey(PUR)
Humprhey posted a four year ERA of 2.00 for the Boilers while winning 31
of his 75 starts. He has a 4/1 strikeout to walk ratio in almost 500 innings
of work. He is a natural leader who performs well under pressure as he
did during his two no-hitters while in college.
3. OF Joe Sullivan
Finished his four year college career as the Big 12 leader in hits, total bases,
RBI, runs scored, and steals and could be a straight to the majors draft
pick. He's a very intelligent player who doesn't hit for great average but
drew 189 walks in 302 career games to make up for it.
4. OF Gustavo Flores(EVHS)
Flores had a very productive four years at Evansville High School driving
in 227 runs in 236 games. He has been accepted to Harvard so you know
he's smart but he also works hard at improving his game. He had 159
extra base hits to go with his 77 steals and .358 batting average and
should be the first high school player off the board.
5. SP Erwin Berbasa(OHST)
Berbasa knows where the plate is. He surrendered just 37 bases on balls
in 485 innings while at Ohio State pushing his strikeout to walk ratio to an
amazing 16/1. He actually gave up 10 more homers over his college career
than he did walks. If a team can get him to use his amazing control to
paint the corners then he could be end up being the best player in this draft.
6. OF Boyd Pearson(CANHS)
Pearson struck out just 56 times in 187 high school games while drawing 74
bases on balls and smacking 89 extra base hits. He really hit his stride as
a senior batting almost .400 while racking up 46 extra base hits including 29
doubles. He gets caught stealing way too often but the scouts say he's
smart enough to learn from professional coaches to improve all aspects
of his game.
7. SP Michael DeGroot(IU)
DeGroot may not have the flashy stats that the other college pitchers have
but he's a proven winner. He lowered his ERA by at least 1/3 of a run
every season while at Indiana and managed to finsih his career at .500
(20-20) for a school that finished 42 games under .500 during his career.
He's very intelligent and knows how to get his teammates up for every
game.
8. OF Bill Lamb(IOW)
Iowa always seems to have a position player drafted high and this year Lamb is
their guy. A two year starter he drove in 102 runs in just 143 games while
scoring 96. Injuries limited him to just 50 games his senior but he drove
in 45 runs and stole 21 bases in those games making him highly productive.
9. 1B Lucio Silva(ROCHS)
The 1983 HS Batter of the Year was hampered by a back injury his senior
season but still managed to hit over .400 with 31 extra base hits in 51
games. For his career he's a .433 hitter with 107 extra base hits but his
defense is a big enough liability that any team will have to think twice about
drafting him high.
10. 3B Tom Morris(JCHS)
This guy just produces. The 1984 HS Batter of the Year slugged 21 homers
and knocked in 75 runs in 60 games. He also drew 75 bases on balls rarley
getting anything good to hit. He finished his four year high school career
with 157 RBI, 154 runs scored, and 155 BB giving him a four year OB%
near .550. 37 errors at 3B make defense a real concern for him.