Yasmani Grandal

Grandal has been on the radar a long time. He was an Aflac All-American and potential high draft pick whose Miami commitment and fair senior year caused him to fall to the 27th round in 2007, when the Red Sox drafted him. A native of Cuba who moved to Miami at age 11, he started as a freshman in 2008 for the Hurricanes' 53-11 club that entered the College World Series as the No. 1 seed and produced three first-round picks. Grandal didn't hit .300 in either of his first two seasons, though, and struggled at the plate for Team USA last summer, hitting just .182. Grandal has traded his all-pull approach for more contact and an all-fields swing in 2010, and the results have been dramatic. He has dominated the Atlantic Coast Conference, where he was hitting nearly .500 in league games, and he ranked among the national leaders in on-base percentage (.545) and walks (43). A switch-hitter, Grandal has some length to his swing but has shortened up from the left side and has solid-average raw power. Defensively, he plays with energy and is slightly above-average as a receiver. His throwing arm is his biggest concern, as some scouts have seen more 2.1-second pop times (below-average) than would be expected of a top draft pick. Grandal doesn't defend like fellow South Florida product Tony Sanchez, who went No. 4 overall last year, and his offense is not on par with previous ACC catching products Matt Wieters and Buster Posey. He still figures to go in the top half of the first round and was rumored to be in play as high as No. 4 overall to the Royals.