Angels Draft Kaleb Cowart in the First Round

I mean I have no knowledge of anyone outside of Bryce Harper.. So I am speaking outta my butt, but I don’t like the pick. Uh uh

For what it is worth he was ranked as the #14 by K Law.

I think the Angels front office likes his versatility.

A week ago I read an article at Perfect Game, perhaps the foremost prospect rating service in the country, discussing the merits of various high school infielders. Here’s a quote from the article concerning Cowart:

“Kaleb Cowart is as good as any infielder in the country, but is likely to be selected early as a RHP. PG President, Jerry Ford, has stated that he thinks Cowart is the best shortstop in the country. ‘I know he is a potential early pick pitcher and that he has played 3B most of the time. At the PG National last year we asked him to take infeld as a shortstop. Not sure how close people were watching, but to me there was no one with better actions, hands, and especially arm. Of course that arm looks awfully good on the mound, and I’m sure everyone nows that.’”

from the PG website:

18. LOS ANGELES ANGELS
KALEB COWART, 3b-rhp, Cook County HS, Adel, Ga.
SCOUTING PROFILE (3/1):In a 2010 draft class that is loaded with two-way prospects, Cowart’s balance of skills and tools enables him to stand out as both a third baseman and righthanded pitcher. He could conceivably be a first-round pick at either position, depending on where a team has a preference for him. In that regard, he’s much like Ethan Martin, his predecessor at third base with the East Cobb Astros summer program. Martin was a first-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008 as a righthanded pitcher, although he entered the spring of his senior year more highly-regarded as a hitter. A switch-hitter, Cowart has good power potential from both sides, along with similar approaches and bat speed. He has a chance to be a significant run producer. As a junior at Cook County High, he hit .535-16-47, while stealing 27 bases. On the mound, he was equally impressive as he posted a 0.85 ERA and struck out 107 in 74 innings. His all-around game has been so impressive throughout high school that he has earned area player-of-the-year honors three times. Cowart’s tools are well-rounded. He is an outstanding defensive player at third with Gold Glove-type tools, especially his arm strength. His speed has been steady at 6.7/6.8 for much of the last year. On the mound, Cowart has explosive late life on a fastball that reached 95 mph at the Aflac All-American Game, and is usually in the 90-92 mph range. His mid-70s curveball gets tight spin and hard, biting action, and his changeup is a good pitch for a relatively inexperienced pitcher. Cowart has pitched mostly in relief during the summer and fall, and has carried himself as primarily a position player first, much as Martin did. It will be interesting to see how scouts read his two-way status this spring.—DAVID RAWNSLEY
UPDATE (5/15): Scouts began to think that they had Cowart pegged as a pitcher early in the spring before an offensive tear split the scouting community once more. He led his team to the state quarter-finals with an impressive no-hitter on the mound in the first round, improving his record to 6-0, 0.35, and he complemented that by hitting .653-9-48. Cowart has made it clear that he prefers to continue his career as a position player, and while a number of scouts find that acceptable, he could lose some value with the teams that see pitching as the more promising future for him.—ANDY SEILER
 
http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=4846

Note: at the same link you’ll also find capsule reports concercing Bedrosian and Clake.