Manny Machado & Ozny Guillen  in '06 after their last game in the FPBL

Yes, they were part of the first ever FPBL class 7 years ago and now will be part of the MLB's Draft this coming June 7th-9th.

If the name Manny Machado and Nick Castellanos ring a bell to you, it's because you've seen their pictures on the newspaper and probably on the FPS site as well. These phenomenal players are going to be drafted next week in the MLB Draft and drafted high I may add.  Manny Machado projected to go in the top 5-picks, played in the FPBL during '04-'06 season with then, the Hialeah Chiefs and Miami White Sox a team with a lot of talent and character. Machado always stood out, a tall & skinny kid who could play SS like no-one could, had all the tools at the tender age of 11. Manny's career blossom at the high school level where he was All Dade County  player for Miami Brito the past three years, but made a name for himself playing summer ball and was part of the USA National Team where his team won a Gold Medal.

The other MLB prospect is Archbishop McCarthyNick Castellanos,also projected to go in the top 20 picks of the draft. Nick played his ball in the FPBL during the '03'-05 season with the Miami Mudcats, he has evolved as one of nation's top HS  hitters, his tall frame 6-3, power to all fields and deceiving speed has Intrigue local scouts. Castellanos was recently named Player of the Year in the Miami Herald & Sun Sentinel, Nick was also part of the  USA National Team. These are just two players of what could be as many as 5-former FPBL players to be drafted on June 7th-9th


COMPILED by DAVID RAWNSLEY / ANDY SEILER / ALLAN SIMPSON
 
STATE OVERVIEW
Florida has been the nation’s second-best talent-producing state almost since the evolution of the draft in 1965, and even by its own lofty standard, this has been an outstanding spring for the Sunshine State—both in terms of potential premium draft picks and depth across the board.
 
One veteran Florida area scout remarked, as the schedule was winding down in mid-May: “I don’t think I’ve ever not seen everyone on my (follow) list before, but that’s what happened this spring. There were just too many good players to see without missing out on a couple of them.”
 
A best-case scenario for the June 7-9 draft could see as many as eight Floridians picked in the first round, including potentially the top college pitcher (Florida Gulf Coast LHP Chris Sale), the first high-school position player (Miami’s Brito Private High SS Manny Machado) and the first college catcher (Miami’s Yasmani Grandal). All are pegged to go in the top 6-7 picks.
 
Furthermore, PG Crosschecker has identified 61 players (20 college, 13 junior college, 28 high school) on the attached state follow list that are legitimate candidates to go in the top 10 rounds.
 
The top three college teams in Florida, both in terms of on-field success and producing talent for professional baseball, have historically been Florida, Florida State and Miami. And that continues to be the case as all three traditional powers are ranked among the top 20 nationally in the latest PG Crosschecker Top 50 college rankings. Each of the three should also positively impact the draft, particularly with Miami’s Grandal expected to go quickly.
 
But a significant change in the college landscape in Florida in the past few years has been the improvement in talent coming from some of the state’s mid-level four-year schools.
 
Florida Gulf Coast is in its first official year of eligibility at the Division I level, and yet in Sale could produce the state’s first college draft. Lynn, the defending D-II national champion, and long-time D-II power Florida Southern, are expected to have a player taken in the top three rounds, and in Florida Southern’s case could produce as many as four draft picks in the top 10 rounds.
 
The ascension of the young Florida Gulf Coast program (34-18, No. 34 in PG Top 50) into national prominence has obviously been helped by Sale’s dominant pitching (9-0, 2.00, 90 IP/128 SO), so its success was not entirely unanticipated. But a resurgent Florida Atlantic team (31-19, No. 49) has also given the state a boost nationally.
 
Two additional programs that have been somewhat dormant in recent years, Central Florida (31-21) and Florida International (30-20), are also in the midst of significant upswings under new head coaches Turtle Thomas (FIU) and Terry Rooney (UCF), both former Louisiana State assistants, and it’s just a matter of time before those schools make an impact on the national rankings.
 
The most talent-filled junior-college ranks in the country are in Florida, and two players in particular should be selected in the top two rounds (Chipola OF Levon Washington, and hard-throwing St. Petersburg RHP Austin Wood).
 
Manatee JC (or more accurately, the newly re-named State College of Florida) won the state junior-college title behind sophomore lefthander Alex Burgos (13-1, 1.42), a 5-foot-11 southpaw with exceptional polish and pitchability, plus a fastball that will bump 91 mph. After Washington and Wood, he heads the list of 8-10 JC players from the state that could be tabbed in the first 10 rounds.
 
Washington was an unsigned first-round pick (30^th overall) of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2009, and missed much of the early season with minor injuries. If teams judge him to be more signable this time, he could become a rare two-time first-rounder. There are few, if any, prospects in the country who have his type of game-changing speed combined with projectable hitting ability.
 
As strong as the college and junior-college ranks are, the talent and depth at the high-school level has been even more impressive.
 
In addition to Machado, fellow Miami-area third baseman Nick Castellanos (Bishop McCarthy High) has also seen his draft stock rise through the spring due to his power projection, and could join Machado among the first 15 picks. A third Florida prep infielder, Lakeland High’s Yordy Cabrera, could also earn a spot in the first round.
 
But the high-end prep talent hardly stops with position players as two top Florida righthanded pitchers, A.J. Cole (Oviedo High) and Karsten Whitson (Chipley High), are also targeted to go by the middle of the first round, different as their pitching styles are.
 
High-school talent in Florida is generally so heavily scouted through the spring that it’s rare for someone to pop up late in the spring, but that may have happened this spring. Both shortstop/outfielder Mason Williams (West Orange High) and outfielder Kyle Waldrop (Riverdale High) went from basically off-the-radar players in January to potential top 2-3 round picks in June, based mainly on a position change (Williams), and a combination of good health and a re-focus on baseball over football (Waldrop).
 
IN A NUTSHELL
STRENGTH: Depth of talent, especially lefthanded pitchers, athletes.
WEAKNESS: College righthanders.
OVERALL RATING (1-to-5 scale): 5.
 
BEST COLLEGE TEAM: Florida.
BEST JUNIOR COLLEGE TEAM: State College of Florida/Manatee.
BEST HIGH SCHOOL TEAM: Tampa Jesuit.
 
PROSPECT ON THE RISE: Mason Williams, ss/of, West Orange HS. Switch to shortstop from center field has moved him from future college player (South Carolina) to current top-2 round pick.
PROSPECT ON THE DECLINE: Eric Arce, c/1b, Lakeland HS. Legal troubles this spring and lack of defensive position have combined to hamper draft status.
WILD CARD: LeVon Washington, of, Chipola JC. Tampa Bay’s 2009 unsigned first-round choice still has first-round talent, but not signing last year plus continued injuries make him an uncertain repeat pick at that level.
 
BEST OUT-OF-STATE PROSPECT, Florida Connection: Kyle Parker, of-1b, Clemson University (Attended high school in Jacksonville).
TOP 2011 PROSPECT: Francisco Lindor, ss, Montverde Academy, Clermont.
TOP 2012 PROSPECT: Addison Russell, ss, Pace HS.
 
HIGHEST DRAFT PICKS
Highest Pick, Draft History: Chipper Jones, ss, The Bolles School, Jacksonville (1990, Braves/1^st round, 1^st pick); Alex Rodriguez, ss, Westminster Christian HS, Miami (1993, Mariners/1^st round, 1^st pick); Paul Wilson, rhp, Florida State U. (1994, Mets/1^st round, 1^st pick); Pat Burrell, 1b, U. of Miami (Phillies, 1998/1^st round, 1^st pick).
Highest Pick, 2006 Draft: Chris Marrero, 3b, Monsignor Pace HS, Hialeah (Nationals/1^st round, 15^th pick).
Highest Pick, 2007 Draft: Matt LaPorta, 1b, U. of Florida (Brewers/1^st round, 7^th pick).
Highest Pick, 2008 Draft: Eric Hosmer, 1b, American Heritage HS, Plantation (Royals/1^st round, 3^rd pick).
Highest Pick, 2009 Draft: Bobby Borchering, 3b, Bishop Verot HS, Ft. Myers (Diamondbacks/1^st round, 16^th pick)
 
BEST TOOLS
Best Hitter: Yasmani Grandal, c, University of Miami.
Best Power: Nick Castellanos, 3b, Bishop McCarthy HS, Davie.
Best Speed: Mason Williams, ss-of, West Orange HS, Winter Garden.
Best Defender: Manny Machado, ss, Brito Private HS, Miami.
Best Velocity: A.J. Cole, rhp, Oviedo HS.
Best Breaking Stuff: Karsten Whitson, rhp, Chipley HS.
 
TOP PROSPECTS
Full scouting reports available on players ranked on national Top 250 list (click on National Top 300)
 
GROUP ONE(Projected ELITE-Round Draft / Rounds 1-3)
1. MANNY MACHADO, ss, Brito Private HS, Hialeah                                          National Top 250 (Rank 4)
Top middle-infield prospect in draft; superior hitter with plus hit and power tools, solid fielder, plus arm