Gopher Baseball recruits for next year

In another thread, there was a question asked about baseball recruits for next year, while it's a little odd to start this while we are still playing, here's the best I could come up with, info and first hand reports are not as easy as Football and Basketball. I used alot of info and quotes from this press release from Gopher sports http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=204843224

Bobby Juan and Kyle Crocker are the two I've heard the most about and the guys they think can be special players and potential pro's, plus the shortstop Handel is a potential 3-4 year starter and top of the order hitter. The two pitchers are lefties who throw in the 86-88 range and time will tell where they fit in.

The Minnesota baseball team has signed Kyle Crocker, Michael Handel, Robert Juan, Donald Snelten and Thomas Windle to letters of intent according to Head Coach John Anderson. All five players will eligible to compete during the 2011 season. "We knew that based on our current team with two seniors and 13 juniors that this would be a small class," said Anderson. "I think overall we wanted to add some quality left-handed hitting and pitching and that is exactly what we did. Bobby (Juan) and Kyle (Crocker) are high quality lefthanded hitters who could end up in the middle of the lineup. They are also very talented multi-sport athletes who really wanted to come to the University of Minnesota. Michael (Handel) was recruited by schools around the country. He is a very good shortstop, who is an excellent athlete and can play anywhere. I think the two lefthanded pitchers are both great athletes who will have an impact on the program. In Snelten's case especially, working with Todd Oakes was a big draw. This class has a lot of athleticism, and really met our needs as a program. This is a group of highly talented kids who can be the core of our team down the road."

*Edit* Looks like you can also add Eden Prairie catcher to the list as a spring signee. They haven't put out a release for any spring signees so he was the only one I could find.

Eden Prairie senior catcher Matt Halloran will follow in the footsteps of his father Mike and play baseball at the University of Minnesota. Mike Halloran, now EP baseball coach, was an all-conference catcher for the Gophers during his playing days.


Bobby Juan, 6-1, 200 OF, Bats left handed, LaCrosse, Wisconsin

Minnesota Assistant Head Coach (Recruiting Coordinator) Rob Fornasiere on Bobby Juan: "Bobby is a very strong hitter with excellent power and bat speed. He is also a three-sport star at Central starring as a quarterback, along with playing basketball in addition to being a four-year starter in baseball. Bobby projects as a rightfielder or third baseman in college. He has a very strong arm and good speed. This is a top flight recruit who may be one of the best senior athletes in Wisconsin."

Video of Juan at baseball Factory tryout
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eONXD6us30

Video of Juan signing and talking about Minnesota
http://video.wkbt.com/watch.php?id=9937

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL STANDOUT NAMED GATORADE® WISCONSIN BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

In its 25th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, today announced Bobby Juan of Central High School as its 2009-10 Gatorade Wisconsin Baseball Player of the Year. Juan is the first Gatorade Wisconsin Baseball Player of the Year to be chosen from Central High School.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Juan as Wisconsin’s best high school baseball player. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior utilityman and right-handed pitcher led the Red Raiders to a 20-4 record entering the Division 1 regional tournament, scheduled to begin June 1. At the time of his selection, Juan owned a .556 batting average with 13 home runs and 33 RBIs along with a 1.320 slugging percentage. On the mound, he boasted a 6-1 record with one save, a 1.30 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 32.2 innings. A four-time Team MVP and a three-time First Team All-Conference selection, Juan was recently named the 2010 La Crosse Area Sports Commission High School Male Athlete of the Year.

“Bobby Juan is the best pure hitter there is in Wisconsin,” said Baseball America Executive Editor Jim Callis. “He’s been putting up some really good numbers up there and he has a very good chance to get drafted.”

Juan has signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball on scholarship at the University of Minnesota this fall.

Here's an interview with Juan
http://www.wissports.net/sports/baseball/blog/message.aspx?f=143&id=1127590

Kyle Crocker, Brainard

Crocker is a 6-1, 180 pound infielder who will graduate from Brainerd High School where he is a three-sport standout. As a sophomore Crocker started at second base for the Warriors. He hit a team-high .419 with 22 runs, 15 RBIs, two doubles, a triple and just four strikeouts in 62 at bats. He also was 8-for-9 in stolen base attempts.

Last spring, he again led the team in hitting (.451) with 25 runs, 15 RBIs, four doubles, three triples and three home runs. He was 11-for-16 in stolen bases. In addition, Crocker was the Warriors' top pitcher last season with an 8-2 record and 2.04 ERA. He had 37 strikeouts and walked just six in 48 innings. Opponents hit only .196 against him.

Minnesota Assistant Head Coach (Recruiting Coordinator) Rob Fornasiere on Kyle Crocker: "Kyle is a Very talented hitter with athletic versatility. He played shortstop in high school, but projects most likely as a second baseman or leftfielder. Kyle is a smooth and effortless athlete at Brainerd as he is top wide receiver and kick returner on his team as well as a 1,000-point scorer in basketball. He may be the best position player prospect in Minnesota in 2010."

From the Brainard Dispatch
Gary Borg played at Illinois, Jade O'Brien at Iowa State and Joey Tautges at the University of Evansville.

They are among a select group of Brainerd High School players who have gone on to play Division I baseball during Lowell Scearcy's tenure as the Warriors' head coach.

Senior Kyle Crocker will play at Minnesota next year. He returns for his final prep season as the leading hitter and pitcher for the Warriors, who open the season at home Thursday against Bemidji.

"We've had lots of kids play Division I ball but we haven't had very many play at the University of Minnesota," said Scearcy. "We're looking forward to following Kyle's career the next few years. We think if he continues to work he will just get better and better."

Last spring Crocker batted .451 with a team-high 25 runs and 37 hits. He added 15 RBIs, four doubles, three triples, and three home runs. He struck out just eight times and went 11-16 in stolen bases.

On the mound, Crocker was 8-2 with a 2.04 ERA in 48 innings. He struck out 37, walked just six and allowed 35 hits.

Michael Handel

Handel is a 6-1, 170 pound shortstop from Sun Prairie High School. As a junior, Handel was named Honorable-Mention All-State, First-Team All-District and All-Conference. He batted .397 last season for a team that went 18-9 and finished third in the Big Eight at 9-6. Handel was also named Second-Team All-Big Eight as a sophomore in 2008.

This past September, he also played in the Wrigley Field Classic which was an amateur tournament with some of the top prospects in the nation. Handel and his team, the Midwest Blazers, went 3-0-1 in the tournament

Minnesota Assistant Head Coach (Recruiting Coordinator) Rob Fornasiere on Michael Handel: "Michael is an athletic infielder with pure shortstop skills. He was a highly recruited infielder during the recruiting process. Michael is very athletic, and projects as a shortstop for the Gophers. He also has shown a strong bat, arm strength, strong glove habits and running speed. Michael played for an elite summer team called Midwest Reds out of Wisconsin. He also played for the same high school program that produced former Gophers Danny Thompson and Chris Guetzlaff."

Article on Handel from the Wisconsin State Journal taking about Minnesota and also about his dad taking a job at Minnesota working for Maturi.
http://dailyme.com/story/2010052600003916/wisconsin-state-journal-dennis-semrau-column-.html

Interview with Handel
http://www.wissports.net/sports/baseball/blog/message.aspx?f=143&id=1125112

Tom Windle

Windle is a 6-3, 190 pound left-handed pitcher from Osseo High School in Maple Grove, Minn. He went 3-1 and struck out 29 batters in 29 innings for Osseo's Legion team. Windle also played in the Siebert Fall League. He is also amulti-sport athlete who plays on Osseo's hockey team as well as baseball.

His identical twin brother Sam committed to play at North Dakota State the same day Tom signed his NLI to come to Minnesota. Windle is also a high school teammate of current Golden Gopher Kevin Kray.

Minnesota Assistant Head Coach (Recruiting Coordinator) Rob Fornasiere on Tom Windle: "Tom is a lanky left-handed pitcher with 84 to 88 mph velocity and a well-developed changeup. He played in the Siebert Fall League in 2009, and projects as a three-pitch strike thrower with potential to be a starting pitcher."

Brief article on the Windle brothers signing
http://www.mnsun.com/articles/2009/11/15/local_sports_update/527p119osseosign.txt

DJ Snelton

Snelten is a 6-5, 210 pound left-handed pitcher from Lake Community High School in Lake Villa, Ill. He was named All-Conference as a junior. In his junior season, Snelten went 5-3 with a 2.64 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 50 innings. Snelten's performance helped lead the Eagles to the NSC Prairie Division crown.

This past summer he pitched for the Kenosha Indians. In September, Snelten threw a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts against the Norwood Blues at Augustana College. Snelten's older brother, John, pitched a Valparaiso.

Minnesota Assistant Head Coach (Recruiting Coordinator) Rob Fornasiere on DJ Snelten: "DJ is a solid left-handed pitching prospect with 86 to 90 mph velocity, a sharp curveball and a good changeup. He was recruited by several Big Ten and Missouri Valley schools. DJ has a big upside and will not turn 18 until May 2010."

hey johnny - do you know if the gophers recruited chris anderson out of centennial? jacksonville seems like a strange landing place for the state's top pitching prospect...

btw, baseball america thinks very highly of snelton - he's rated the #6 prospect in the state of illinois (including all college and high schoolers), likely with a grade of rounds 7-10 on him, which is high for a northern high schooler. here's what was written:

"D.J. Snelten stood 5-foot-8 as a freshman and owned a 78 mph fastball as a sophomore, but he has blossomed into a 6-foot-6, 210-pound lefthander who has peaked at 91 mph this spring. He's still a work in progress, usually working at 87-89 mph and spinning a curveball that lacks command. He's going to need time to develop because he doesn't repeat his delivery well, but a team that loves his upside could try to buy him out of a Minnesota scholarship."

Thanks for the report, Johnny. Always glad to hear about Gopher recruits. Here's hoping MLB lets everyone develop in college.

Any word if Jimmy Gjere will play baseball?

Gopher recruit Tom Windle named Star Tribune's Metro Player of the year

http://www.startribune.com/sports/preps/96342569.html?page=1&c=y

Tom Windle's left arm is taking him places. Windle, who starred as a 6-4 senior pitcher for Osseo this season, accepted a baseball scholarship to the University of Minnesota and got drafted by the Chicago White Sox. He was also selected the Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year.

With scouts frequenting his games this spring, Windle compiled a 6-1 record in eight starts, striking out 73 batters in 51 2/3 innings and posting a 0.95 ERA.

Love this quote

"I got to school and they said something on the announcements," Windle said. "And in every single class, kids who didn't know much about baseball were asking me, 'Are you going to be with the White Sox next year?' Kids who I'd never talked to before were walking up asking me to sign my name above my picture in the yearbook. My brother said I finally became popular on the last day of school."

Also on the first team,

MATT HALLORAN
Eden Prairie, senior, catcher
A solid defensive catcher, Halloran overcame a sluggish start at the plate to finish the year strong. The Gophers recruit hit three home runs and knocked in 27 runs for the 23-1 Eagles. Halloran will participate in the Lions All-Star Series.

Three juniors on the team but with baseball it's really hard to follow recruiting of underclassman unless they are national names like Hand and Loftus we're a couple years ago.
Dissappointing that one is listed as already a Nebraska commit, PAT KELLY, Red Wing, junior, SS
Consistency describes the play of the Wingers' standout shortstop. The .500 batter only went hitless in two games and only struck out twice this season. The Nebraska recruit hit five home runs and drove in 25 runs. the others are a Centennial pitcher and a Roseville SS but this staff usually does a great job of finding the top in state talent

I thought Halloran had signed. Don't know where to look to find that out.

His father and high school coach was a catcher for the Gophers in the 80's, and if I recall correctly was the B10 tourney MVP either his junior or senior season.

Thanks Johnny!

Got to watch Bobby Juan today when his Lacrosse legion team played in Winona. In his second at bat he hit a huge home run to right center and in his last at bat put another ball off the wall in the same spot. Big kid and seems to have some real good power. His Lacrosse team won the tournament easily as the team looks to be stacked.

Seems like the information I have heard about this kid is that he is the real deal. He seems to have lots of power. I hope Abrahamson next year is able to make a big impact. Sam Ryan is another guy with good power that has home run potential. We need guys to step up with Kvas gone for next year.

I think there is a big legion tournament being held in the Metro area July8 - July 12. I think it's called the Jim Hanus classic or tournament. I know there is a web site you can go to. Some of the Gopher recruits are in this tournament including Bobby. I think the championship game is in the Metrodome. I going to try to go out there and watch some of the recruits.

I'm from La Crosse and I can tell you that Bobby Juan (pronounced June) is going to be a very special player. He was voted the top player in Wisconsin.

I hope your right Gophermike. It seems like this kid is hitting a homer every game. I know that's not true but Bobby seems to have a lot of power. I think this kid has potetntial to be a really good player right out of the gate.