2011 Draft Eligibles: Goldpanners of Fairbanks

Cabral, Meaux and Newman lead a class of likely Goldpanner draft picks.

Ryan Cabral could be a nice pick-up for a pro team
in the 2011 MLB draft.

The Goldpanners have an interesting list of draft eligible players this year. I think that 2010 was a stronger year in the top-prospect department than 2009; however, most of the more recent season's big name Goldpanners seem to be juniors. The result is a lot of players who will probably get drafted in 2011, and definitely beyond, but it's difficult for me to find an upper tier of players who I can predict will be drafted in, say, the first ten rounds or so in the upcoming spring. Regardless, I'll go out on a limb and suggest a few possibilities:

Ryan Cabral: Cabral is one guy who not only stood out to me, but as a senior won't be pushed down to the middle of the pack due to a lack of signability. Cabral moved from the pen to the starting rotation when he came up to Alaska and really took advantage of his lively fastball with pro-caliber velocity to pick apart the ABL's batters. He went 5-0 with a 2.47 ERA overall, and was the Panners' workhorse as he pitched consistently well over a team-best 54.2 IP. His efforts landed him a first-team All-ABL selection.

Jesse Meaux: Meaux was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 44th round as a junior last year. Obviously he made what should turn out to be a smart choice and went back to school instead of signing, as I imagine that re-entering the draft as a senior will only increase his draft stock. The rightie Meaux is a bit of a soft thrower, but he's got great control and does a good job of locating his pitches. His hard work paid off this last spring as he moved from the mid-week starter job into the weekend mix.

2010 Draft Eligibles: Fairbanks Goldpanners

Justin Schafer is one of the more intriquing
draft prospects for the Panners this year.
Photo courtesy of Goldpanners.com

As we continue our countdown to the 2010 MLB amateur draft, today we're going to have a look at the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks, and their draft-eligible alumni. The Panners have a good haul of draft-eligible players in this year's draft class, most of them from their 2008 & 2009 squads. Before we see the whole list, let's take a look at some interesting players.

Justin Schafer (2009) is a guy who I believe has a shot -- not a lock, but a possibility -- of cracking the first ten rounds. Schafer is a junior shortstop out of UC Davis. He's got a solid glove, not a ton of power potential but he can get on base and shows good speed. I picture him as a leadoff or 2-hole type hitter, though if he wants to fill that role he'll need to learn to take a few more walks (but patience is something that can be taught in the minors). He hit .314 and swiped 6 bases on 7 attempts in 2009 for the Panners.

Derek Wilson (2009-10R) is a Scottsdale CC redshirt sophomore; he's eligible to be drafted as a JuCo player but where he'll be picked is kind of hard to pin down since he has college eligibility left. Anyway, he's from right down the road in North Pole and picked up a couple at-bats for the Panners in 2009. He's probably more of a late-round pickup for any team this year, but he'll be looked at by scouts in the ABL this season and should see his draft stock rise next year. The locals will be pulling for him, in any event, along with fellow Fairbanks-area products and 2009 teammates Zach Peek and Nigel Morton.

Matt Newman (2008) was ranked #99 on the College Baseball Blog's Top 100. The Arizona State outfielder is a Junior, so he might not be tearing up anybody's draft board, but keep an eye on him. I reckon any of the top 100 college players is definitely draft material, so be careful not to overlook him. Newman was one of the best-hitting Panners in 2008, posting a .339 AVG and a .906 OPS, and hit a pair out of the park to boot. He struck out nine times, but walked 11, which is also good to see.