MLB Draft 2012: Assessing Potential of Top 3 Available Pitchers

The MLB draft is just around the corner, with Mark Appel, Kevin Gausman and Kyle Zimmer topping the list as the the expected first three pitchers off the board, and each have the raw talent to become dominant pitchers at the big league level.

Without further introduction, here's a breakdown of the potential of each of the projected top three hurlers in this years draft class.

Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford:

We saw Andrew Luck earn the honor as this year's first pick in the NFL draft and all signs are pointing to fellow Stanford product Mark Appel becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2012 MLB draft. 

If you haven't seen Appel pitch, here's a video of his first two innings against UCLA from last month. The Cardinals' starting pitcher can already throw in the high 90s, hitting 97 on a few occasions in the UCLA game, and has the ability to stay in that range in the latter innings of games.

Bleacher Report correspondent Mark Reynolds scouted Appel against USC on May 29, reporting that the hurler was hitting as high as 96 mph on the stadium radar gun in the 9th inning. He already shows impressive mastery of his fastball, as well as a curve and changeup to mix things up.

If he is managed correctly in the minor leagues, Appel is a household name in the making.

Kevin Gausman, RHP, LSU:

Back in 2010, Gausman was a high-schooler in Colorado who could throw 95 mph; I'd hate to be one of the batters he faced. If you want a look at his stuff from back then, here's a scouting video from MLB.com.

Nowadays, Gausman is throwing for the LSU Tigers and clocking 99 mph on the gun with his fastball.

The Colorado-native has the arm strength to have batters whiff on his fastball at will while supporting his No. 1 pitch with the slider, curve and changeup to keep the opposition on their toes. Gausman isn't as polished as Appel is at this point, but he's darn close.

Kyle Zimmer, RHP, San Fransisco:

Zimmer may not have the most innings under his belt, with just 21 1/3 innings pitched through high school before joining the University of San Fransisco and added just 51 1/3 his Freshman year. 

Now a sophomore, Zimmer is primed to become one of the first three pitchers taken in this year's MLB draft. Like Gausman and Appel, Zimmer has a devastating fastball. However, he also boats an interesting repertoire, such as his knuckle-curveball, changeup and what he describes in this video as a "cutter/splitter" hybrid.  

Zimmer hurt his stock a bit, according to ESPN's Jason A. Churchill, when he looked "pedestrian" last Friday, but the USF hurler's coach doesn't agree.

Coach Gary Frank told the San Fransisco Chronicle:

"

If he lasts as long as the No. 3 pick, I'll be shocked.

"

We'll see how it all shakes out as far as number selection goes but, regardless, each of these three athletes could become the MLB's next Matt Moore or Jeremy Hellickson.