2012 MLB Draft Prospects: Comparing Top Prospects to Major-League Doppelgangers

It's always the question when evaluating top prospects in any sport—who are they comparable to at the pro level? Which players have similar skill sets or are ability doppelgangers?

Somebody is always the next somebody, at least until they've done enough to stand on their own merits.

With the MLB draft less than a month away, let's take a look at three of the top prospects entering the draft and compare them to a player they'll project similarly to at the pro level.

Byron Buxton, OF (Appling County High School, Ga.): The Upton Brothers

The question is, which Upton brother will it be, B.J. or Justin?

Buxton is a true 5-star prospect. He sprays line drives, he has a high power ceiling, he's blazing fast, he has a strong arm and he is a true center fielder at the next level. He's obviously a project coming out of high school, but the belief on Buxton is that he has a true feel for the game.

My projection for Buxton is that he'll be a more consistent player than B.J. Upton someday, though not quite the elite player that Justin Upton has the potential to be. Still, eliciting comparisons to the Uptons is a nice place to start.

Mike Zunino, C (Florida): Matt Wieters 

Zunino may have a slightly limited upside, but that shouldn't be too much of a factor since he's proven to be an absolute stud during his three years at Florida.

I'd argue that Wieters had the better arm during his college years—he was also a closer for Georgia Tech—but Zunino has a bit more pop in his bat, at least as a home-run hitter.

Like Wieters, Zunino has the opportunity to be a complete player. He should be a high-RBI guy who hits for solid average, manages a pitching staff well and fields his position at a high level. Zunino could become a very similar player to Wieters, an upside I think most MLB teams will be quite happy with.

Mark Appel, P (Stanford): Zach Greinke

This is an absolute upside projection for Appel, as in a best-case scenario for the pitcher. But if you look at the repertoire of Appel, I think it projects favorably.

Both have slightly compact motions, and the ball appears to really jump or pop out of their rotations. Both feature plus fastballs, sliders and changeups, though Greinke has recently added a cutter to his stable of pitches, which has made him all the more effective.

Appel may have a bit more velocity on his fastball for now, but in the majors he'll probably settle into the 92-95 MPH range on his fastball.

I don't know if Appel will ever win a Cy Young. But I do think he has a similar style and repertoire to Mr. Greinke.

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets never give up in stoppage time.