By Bryan Smith, Special to SI.com
 | Zack Cozart is the best among Team USA's bumper crop of shortstops. AP |
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6. Zack Cozart, SS, Mississippi, sophomore
The Team USA roster is consistent every summer in valuing athletes more than position. As a result, the 2006 club is flush with shortstops: Cozart, Brandon Crawford, Todd Frazier and Darwin Barney. Of the group, Cozart is the most natural at the position, and by 2007 he might be the best in the nation. Thanks to great lateral quickness and a big arm, Cozart should have no problem playing up the middle at the next level. His bat will need adjustments, however, as Cozart struggled with wood this summer. He'll never hit for power, but with more contact from his line-drive swing, Cozart's bat should be enough for teams to consider him in the first round.
7. Wes Roemer, RHP, Cal State Fullerton, sophomore
Perhaps baseball's largest statistical anomaly, Roemer walked seven batters in 155 innings this spring. His 20.7 K/BB rate was easily the best in the country, and Roemer's control is among the best in the nation, a status that didn't change even with six walks in 22.1 innings for Team USA. Roemer won't light up radar guns (his fastball is in the high 80s or low 90s), but his ability to rack up strikeouts is not what interests teams. Roemer's pitch has good sink; combine that with an average-to-solid slider, and his arsenal is enough to succeed in the pros. Roemer is another seven-walk spring away from the first round.
8. Julio Borbon, CF, Tennessee, sophomore
Borbon is a prototypical leadoff hitter. Speed? Check (he was the fastest player on the Volunteers and, combined with his spring, stole 26 bases in 34 attempts in 2006). Contact ability? Check (just 22 strikeouts in 318 at-bats in '06). Patience? It's getting there, as Borbon walked in nearly 15 percent of his plate appearances on the summer. Offering good defense in center, Borbon even shows flashes of power and projection, the difference between a fifth outfielder and a first-rounder.
9. Nick Schmidt, LHP, Arkansas, sophomore
When I saw Schmidt, late in the summer against Japan, he was showing signs of fatigue as he approached 200 innings for the year. A southpaw with better numbers than Price as a sophomore, Schmidt struck out 145 batters with Arkansas in the spring. However, against Japan his velocity was down (88-90 mph) and his slider had lost tilt, staying up in the zone too often. The signs are there that Schmidt can be a good pitcher -- he has good left-handed arm action and a pitcher's body (6-5, 220). However, he will have to show a revived version of his summer self next March for his draft stock to reach its potential.
10. Daniel Moskos, LHP, Clemson, sophomore
Undoubtedly, Moskos saw his stock rise more than any other pitcher this summer. A rare southpaw closer, Moskos offers two plus pitches and signs of a third in the bullpen. His best offering is a plus slider, labeled by one scout as a future "70" (on the 20-80 scouting scale), the team's best breaking pitch. Moskos precedes the slider with a fastball that touched 94 and sat in the low 90s throughout the summer. Moskos' downfall is a delivery that induces maximum effort, making the lefty an injury risk with little projection. However, as a reliever (rumors of a move to the rotation next spring don't bode well), Moskos isn't far from being able to succeed in a major league bullpen.
11. Todd Frazier, SS/RF, Rutgers, sophomore
"I hope Todd enjoys his last year up the middle," one scout joked upon encountering Frazier's huge frame. Listed at 6-4, Frazier is probably larger, and spent the summer playing right field for Team USA. He looked solid there, showing a good arm and an improving ability to track fly balls. At the plate Frazier's bat should play anywhere, as his quiet, powerful swing produces plenty of power. While Frazier showed a disciplined batting eye in the Big East this season, he walked only four times in 22 Team USA games. Frazier's stock is volatile -- no player on this list faces a more important 2007 college season.
The next five: Sean Doolittle, 1B/LHP (Virginia); Cole St. Clair, LHP (Rice); Brandon Crawford, SS (UCLA); Ross Detwiler, LHP (Missouri State); Nick Hill, LHP (Army)
Bryan Smith writes for Baseball Analysts. He can be reached here.
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