ASU No. 1-ranked baseball class could take draft hit – azcentral.com
Arizona State’s baseball class is loaded, enough to be ranked No. 1 nationally by Perfect Game.
But will it stand up after being raided by the major leagues in its annual draft starting Thursday?
Three ASU signees — infielders Gavin Lux (No. 53) and Bo Bichette (No. 54) and pitcher Reggie Lawson (No. 59) — are ranked in the Baseball America top 100 draft prospects, by talent not draft position ranking.
In its latest mock draft, Baseball America has Tampa Bay taking shortstop Lux from Kenosha, Wis., in the first round (13th overall), a slot position that pays more than $3 million in signing bonus. Wave goodbye to college if that happens even if Lux’s uncle Augie Schmidt won the Golden Spikes Award as the nation’s top amateur player when he was in college at New Orleans.
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Bichette, son of former major leaguer Dante Bichette, is Gatorade Player of the Year in Florida, hitting .574 with 13 home runs as a senior at Lakewood High School. Lux won the same award in Wisconsin, hitting .544.
Lawson is a 6-foot-4 right-hander from Adelanto, Calif., that ASU coach Tracy Smith said on signing day in November “has a chance to be one of the best to ever come out of Arizona State,” provided he makes it past the July 15 pro signing deadline.
Outfielder Hunter Bishop of San Carlos, Calif., is another ASU signee who could be drafted in the top five rounds. Even if the Sun Devils lose four or five recruits, they have enough quantity and quality in their 2016 class to move the needle going into Smith’s third season.
And they need the help since they are expected to lose three-fourths of their infield and catcher in the draft off an overachieving 36-23 team that tied for third in the Pac-12 and made the NCAA Tournament.
Juniors Colby Woodmansee (shortstop), David Greer (first base) and Brian Serven (catcher) are ranked among the top 275 draft prospects by Baseball America with pitcher Hever Bueno, out virtually all season due to injury, also in the top 500. Junior pitchers Seth Martinez (9-4, 2.75 ERA) and Eder Erives (6-2, 2.95, 10 saves) could return depending on where they are drafted, potentially a big boost for the 2017 staff. ASU loses four seniors — Jordan Aboites, Chris Beall, RJ Ybarra and Eric Melbostad.
Other notables in the ASU recruiting class include infielders Carter Aldrete and Chad McClanahan, catcher/pitcher Sam Ferri, pitchers Chaz Montoya and Jordan Roberts and pitcher/outfielder Spencer Van Scoyoc. Pitcher Jake Godfrey is a transfer from LSU. Football running back signee Tre Turner also plans to play baseball as an outfielder.
ASU’s returning players include infielders Andrew Snow and Jeremy McCuin, outfielders Gage Canning, Andrew Shaps, Tyler Williams and Ryan Lillard and pitchers Eli Lingos, Ryan Hingst and Zach Dixon.