2014 Phillies Draft Preview More Round 2

Luis Ortiz, RHP - This is a weird case. Ortiz is a High School Pitcher, built kind of like a young (albeit shorter) CC Sabbathia. Scouting reports rave about all the hard work Ortiz has done to improve his physique. With all that improvement his stuff also took off and improved greatly. I nearly wrote a whole report on Ortiz 3 months ago, as Ortiz was a definite potential for the #7 pick. So why am I writing him up with the Round 2 guys? Injury. When healthy Ortiz throws a mid-to-upper- 90's Fastball with good downward plane that should make him a ground ball machine (he does need to improve his stamina/consistency as he does leave them up sometimes). He also has a Slider with late break. It's not Medeiros good, but it has potential to be a Plus or better pitch. He has good command for a High Schooler and potential for 2 above average pitches and an average Change-up. He could be a solid mid-rotation Starter. The problem is his injury this Spring, reportedly "Forearm strain" which sounds like one of those wonderfully vague terms hockey teams use on injury reports. Unfortunately that vagueness and the unusual nature  has raised red flags since any pitching arm issue can drastically change when teams are comfortable draftin gyou. Ortiz is back on the mound after missing the first several weeks of his season. , but with 5 weeks to the Draft, will he have enough time to allay injury concerns and work his stuff back to the level it was at last Summer (he's either still rusty or injured as his velocity and control are both below previous)? Ortiz really is a guy I would not be shocked to see picked Top 15 overall or middle of the Second.

Derek Fisher, OF -  Fisher is a frustrating draft prospect. His tools should make him a competitior for the Phillies to take a #7, but he's never been able to put them together. He has the speed to play Center, but scouts note he doesn't have the instincts to and frequently takes poor routes. He's a Left Field only prospect and that puts a ton of pressure on his bat. Now the bat has some of the best power potential in the draft and Fisher shows good bat control and patience. However, he still strikes out far too often and, in spite of a swing and skills that suggest he could hit for a good average and power he can't consistently do either. He reminds me, as a hitter, of Harold Martinez who had similar tools at the plate (though no where near the same patience), but has not been able to even remotely put them together. Fisher's not a bad gamble at pick 48 if the Phillies think they can make an adjustment to fix his hitting, but there's some solid risk here.

Derek Hill, OF - Hill's a 6'2" 190lb Center Fielder with an above-average arm. He has potential to be a plus Defender in Center, which takes some pressure off his bat. Currently he's a line drive, gap-to-gap hitter who can rack up Doubles. Power tends to develop late and I think Hill will end up with solid average power from the Right side. Hill is from Central/Northern Cal and is a fairly safe pick, due to his largely present Defensive skills at a premium position. Bats are always risky at the Prep level and like every Prep player not named Alex Jackson, Hill hasn't had as strong a Spring as is necessary to get picked in the top 20, but it's a deep enough draft that anywhere from 25-50 wouldn't suprise me for Hill. He's a legitimate 5-tool potential prospect, but you do have to dream a little on the bat.