2010 MLB Draft Preview – Jameson Taillon Scouting Report

This is Part 3 in my series previewing the 2010 MLB draft from an Orioles perspective – The full series:

1. Series Introduction
2. Bryce Harper, C, CC of Southern Nevada
3. Jameson Taillon, RHP, The Woodlands HS (TX)
4. Drew Pomeranz, LHP, Ole Miss
5. Deck McGuire, RHP, Georgia Tech
6. Chris Sale, LHP, Florida Gulf Coast
7. Anthony Ranaudo, RHP, LSU
8. Q & A with Andy Seiler of MLB Bonus Baby
9. Examining the Orioles’ Options by Pat Hickey
10. Karsten Whitson, RHP, Chipley HS (FL)
11. Manny Machado, SS, Brito Private HS (FL)

Yesterday I looked at Bryce Harper, the likely #1 pick. Today I’ll take a look at Jameson Taillon — the top prep pitcher in this draft class.

Here are some scouting reports on Taillon from around the web:

• Baseball Beginnings
• MLB.com
• PnR Scouting

Here are some videos of Taillon from around the web:

• August 8, 2009
• August 30, 2009

John Sickels of Minor League Ball has a summary of Taillon:

“This draft is loaded with high school pitching, but just about everyone thinks Taillon is the best of the bunch. Listed at 6-6, 225 last fall, he’s up to 6-7, 230, but despite his size he’s quite athletic. Clocked as high as 98 MPH, he maintains steady mid-90 velocity. His mechanics are consistent considering his age and size, and he has a killer curveball. Committed to Rice, he won’t be a cheap sign. Assuming that the Nationals do as expected and pick Bryce Harper first overall, Taillon could go to the Pirates at two or the Orioles at three. If they pass, the Royals (willing to spend money on the draft and take risks) are unlikely to shy away.”

At the beginning of the season, Anthony Ranaudo was the guy I wanted the Orioles to take with the #3 pick. A few weeks later, Ranaudo went down with an injury (pain in his arm) and Deck McGuire assumed Ranaudo’s spot as the top college pitcher of the 2010 draft class.

Lately, McGuire has been getting hit hard and has had some command/control issues and most scouts now have Drew Pomeranz pegged in as the top college pitcher, for the moment.

I wouldn’t be upset if the Orioles drafted Taillon in the first round, but if Pomeranz is available, he’d be the better option. Pomeranz has less risk, comes with a cheaper price and will get to the majors quicker than Taillon. It’s important to remember that you don’t always have to get the best player available in the first round, mostly because of money. The Orioles passed over Tyler Matzek and Jacob Turner last season and selected Matt Hobgood. This allowed them to sign Michael Ohlman and Cameron Coffey in the later rounds of the draft.