College baseball returned to action earlier this month.  Freshmen are getting acclimated to the college life and exactly what college baseball is all about.  As a former high school coach I often reach out to former players, especially the freshman, and ask them if they worked hard enough in high school to prepare them for the college game.  Quite often that answer is a resounding “Not even close.” 

Well now that college baseball is back in the swing of things with Fall practices, now is a good time to look at players from Indiana that have a legitimate shot at being drafted in the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft.

*This list does not include Justin O’Connor (1^st round selection in 2010) or Nolan Sanburn (2^nd Round selection in 2012.

College Juniors:

1.  Conrad Gregor, Vanderbilt, 1B (Carmel)

Gregor was known for being a proto typical first baseman with an easy swing from the left side, but had enough athleticism to be an outfielder (he ran a 6.75 sixty in high school).  Gregor has continued to impress as he is projected to go in the top five rounds in next year’s draft.

  Vanderbilt Head Baseball Coach Tim Corbin on Gregor: “He is a machine and I use that term respectfully. He may be the most complete student-athlete that I have ever coached. He's a great student, he won our Omaha Challenge, he led our team in hitting and he works tirelessly on his defense. He brings a daily focus that is hard to reach. There is a reason why he is really good and it's because of his every day investment. He will be an offensive catalyst for our team.”  (Courtesy of http://www.vucommodores.com)

Stats:  2011- .353,  11 2b, 3HR

                          All SEC Tournament Team

                          Second Team All-SEC and All-Freshman

              2012- .328, 20 2B, 3HR, 35RBI

                          Summer (Cape Cod) .329, 7 2B, 8HR 21 RBI, 38 BB

                          Cape Cod All Star (Starting 1b)

                          Finished 8^th in Batting average

2.    Jeffery Thompson, Louisville, RHP (Floyd Central)

Thompson was always known as a big, physical pitcher who was just was raw in high school. Thompson has made major steps in the right direction at Louisville. Thompson is in  the low to mid 90’s consistently and still possesses a devastating slider.  Thompson is also projected to go in the top five rounds.

Stats: 2011- 2-1, 2.75 ERA, 43 K’s, GS 5

                       Top Prospect and an All Star in the New England Collegiate Baseball League
           
            2012- 9-4, 4.0 ERA, 73 K’s, GS 15

                         2^nd Team All-Big East Honors

                         Summer: Pitched in the Cape Cod League for the Bourne Braves

3.    Sean Manaea, Indiana State, LHP (Andrean)

Manaea was an unknown to me (we did not run PBR Indiana during his high school career).       Manaea graduated from Andrean HS. He stands 6-foot-5 and was 91-96 mph in the Cape Cod league this past summer. He has been projected to go somewhere in the top 10 rounds, and even as high as in the 1^st round

 Stats:  2011- 5-5, 4.32 ERA, 82 K’s

             2012- 5-3, 3.34 ERA, 115 K’s, 105 IP (tied for 13^th in the country)

                          2^nd Team All-MVC

When you combine these three players with the 2013 high school stand outs in the state of Indiana, you begin to put together one of the more impressive drafts with Indiana ties. In the high school ranks you have All-American and Texas Commit, Trey Ball, who should be a high round selection. Wild cards in the state to be drafted include: Josh Rogers (committed to Louisville), Zac Ryan (committed to Georgia Tech), Alex Krupa (committed to Indiana), Nolan Rogers (committed to Vanderbilt), and another 15 arms that have touched 90. The 2013 draft could be one of the most exciting drafts for players with Indiana ties.