MLB Draft: 10 Players Who Could Help Their Draft Stock in Tourney Season

Conference tournaments are already underway, and it's only a matter of weeks until teams head back to Omaha for the second-most exciting tournament in college sports: the College World Series.

For some players, such as Texas' Taylor Jungmann and UCLA's Gerrit Cole, it's a chance to return to the site of their epic performances from years past, while others, such as Vanderbilt's Sonny Gray and Rice's Anthony Rendon, it's another shot at righting the wrongs from the past two seasons.

For many players, however, it's a great opportunity to show Major League teams and scouts what they're made of, and how effective they can be on college baseball's biggest stage.

For these 10 guys, strong performances could mean cementing their draft spot, adding millions to their bonuses, or even securing the top overall pick in the draft.

Let's get into it. 

Gerrit Cole, RHP, UCLA

To say that the UCLA right-hander has had an underwhelming year would be an understatement.

I think that many expected him to have the type of year that Matt Purke had last year, or even one of the caliber that would rival teammate Trevor Bauer's.

Instead, Cole flustered to a 5-7 record, with an ERA over 3.00. He still flashed the same talent that will make him a top-two pick in the draft, but he could do wonders for his status by having a strong showing against some of the best teams in the country.

Cole was brilliant last year in the CWS, shutting down TCU and leading the Bruins to the championship series where they eventually lost to South Carolina.

If the Bruins could somehow make a run in the Pac-10, with Cole leading the charge, tossing scoreless innings by the truckload, I think it would turn some heads and give the Pirates, who pick first overall, something to consider.

Brad Miller, SS, Clemson

It's hard to believe that Brad Miller hasn't gotten more attention for his sterling play this season.

He got some well-deserved kudos this past week by being named the ACC Player of the Year and looks like a strong candidate for Player of the Year honors nationally.

He's hitting .421 on the season, which ranks in the top five in the country. He leads the Tigers in base hits, despite missing about two weeks with a broken finger, and ranks second with 44 RBI. He also has rapped 11 doubles and three triples. He's swiped 21 bases in 25 tries, also good for tops on the squad.

Miller was a 39th-round pick coming out of high school, in part due to his commitment to Clemson, and while he has done nothing but rake at the college level, he still profiles as a mid-round pick on the basis of his defensive liabilities (31 errors last season), and his somewhat funky stance.

Make no mistake, though, Miller can hit and has hit, despite all the concerns about his stance and swing, and a strong showing for Clemson in the ACC tournament and the CWS could improve his stock greatly.

It's already clear that he's not going to have the range to stick at short as a pro, so a slide over to second base will be in the works, but with his bat, he'll still be a offensive-minded player.

Grayson Garvin, LHP, Vanderbilt

Garvin benefited from slotting in behind Sonny Gray in Vanderbilt's weekend rotation and rode that momentum all the way to SEC Pitcher of the Year honors, swiping the award from Gray, Florida's Hudson Randall and Kentucky's Alex Meyer, all of whom entered the season with much more clout.

That's not to say that Garvin didn't deserve the award. After all, the lefty went 11-1 on the season with a 2.32 ERA in 14 starts. He posted a 79:19 K:BB ratio in 89.1 innings and a remarkable 9-0 record in-conference. 

Garvin checked in as the No. 16 left-hander on Baseball America's most recent position rankings, which can be found here, and their projection currently marks him as a third- or fourth-round talent. 

And that's after his amazing run through the SEC.

It doesn't help that Garvin in no way compares to Gray, his counterpart in the Commodore's rotation, in the eyes of scouts. Whereas Gray can dial up his fastballs into the mid-to-high 90s, Garvin is lucky to hit 93 or 94 mph. He sits more comfortably in the upper 80s and low 90s, but thrives thanks to his outstanding command.

He has a little projection left in his 6'6", 220-pound frame, which means a team could squeeze maybe a few more MPH out of him, but even then his off-speed stuff pales in comparison to Gray, including a curveball that has been described as "slurvy" and not a pitch with above-average potential.

As good as Garvin has been, he could boost his stock even further with a great showing in the CWS. 

Levi Michael, SS, North Carolina

Like Dustin Ackley before him, Levi Michael has done a little bit of everything for the Tar Heels in his three-year career. He's played every infield position except for first base and has spent some time shagging balls in the outfield.

Still, with a strong showing at shortstop, his newest position, in the CWS he could improve his stock to the point that he could be looking at a top-15 selection.

Michael has all the skills to stick at short, although some doubt his range. He has a rocket arm and is light on his feet and he's only made seven errors this year, which is incredibly impressive considering this has been the first season he has spent significant time at short.

Luckily there are no questions about Michael's bat.

He hit .311 this season with four home runs and 46 RBI and notched 13 more walks (45) than strikeouts (32). This year marks the second straight that he's had more walks than Ks. He's shown great speed on the basepaths as well, swiping 14 bags in 15 tries, giving him 39 for his career at UNC.

UNC has a very solid team this season and could be a sleeper in the CWS, giving Michael that much more of an opportunity to shine.

Kyle Winkler, RHP, TCU

TCU hasn't had the year many expected, but they still managed to go 40-15 and 20-3 in the Mountain West Conference.

And while they haven't had Matt Purke for the majority of the season, one of the guys who has really picked up his game is Kyle Winkler. 

One year after breaking out with 12 wins and 92 strikeouts in 116.2 innings, Winkler sharpened his command, posting 98 strikeouts in a team-leading 90 innings, cutting his walks by nearly two-thirds, from 36 to 13. Batters are only hitting .201 against him and his ERA is a minuscule 1.40.

He also paces the Horned Frogs with eight victories, two of which have come in complete-game fashion.

Winkler has good heat (90-95 mph) and a solid breaking ball in a mid 80s slider. His fastball has plenty of sink on it, making him a good bet to be a very ground-ball oriented pitcher in the pro ranks. His changeup has made plenty of progress this season, but still ranks as a distant third in his repertoire. 

Right now Winkler projects as a compensation round pick, but with a strong performance in the regionals he could find himself looking at a late first-round selection.

Andrew Susac, C, Oregon State

Susac appeared to be well on his way to a career-best season when he was felled with a broken bone in his hand.

The injury sidelined him for close to 20 games, robbing scouts and MLB teams of the chance to see what he was capable of in a full season with the new bats.

Offensively, Susac had put up pedestrian numbers for OSU, but this season it looked like the light came on. He flashed great raw power in BP and started to carry it over into games (five HR in 32 contests). He showed the ability to be both a run-producer and a catalyst in a very underrated Beaver lineup.

And on defense, Susac continued to show the above-average skills that made him such a hot target in the 2009 draft, when the Phillies spent a 16th-round pick on him. He's thrown out 33.3 percent of runners attempting to steal.

The way that Susac can really help his stock in the CWS is by, No. 1, showing he's completely healthy. He's been okay at the plate since his return, but a strong performance, with maybe a couple of home runs could aid him greatly. No. 2, he needs to get back behind the plate, just to show everyone that the injury won't be a long-term issue.

If he can do both of those things, he might jump back into top-10 consideration, where he was at the time of his injury.

Anthony Meo, RHP, Coastal Carolina

I was just adding Meo's slide when the headline broke across Baseball America's site: "Coastal's Anthony Meo Throws No-Hitter." The story can be found here on their website.

In Coastal Carolina's first Big South conference tournament game, Meo held Radford hitless, getting nine strikeouts and needing only 106 pitches.

Meo had some helium after a stellar regular season that saw him post an 8-3 record, a 2.42 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 93 innings. His velocity has looked good all season long, sitting in the low-to-mid 90s, while occasionally scraping the 96-97 mph range. That alone is enough to warrant first-round talk, but Meo also complements his fastball with a slider that has improved so much over the course of the season that it now looks like a potential above-average pitch.

Coming off of a no-hitter and with Coastal a virtual lock to end up in the tournament regardless of their showing in the Big South, Meo will have even more opportunity to show off and possibly earn a spot in the top-20 picks. 

Preston Tucker, 1B, Florida

Tucker was largely forgotten on a roster that included six starters that hit over .300, each of whom hit 10 or more doubles and drove in 27 or more runs.

Still, he's the veteran leader of this team, and a strong showing in the CWS, in addition to the impressive year he's had so far, could land him somewhere in the compensation round.

For the year, Tucker is hitting .326 with 17 doubles, 10 home runs and 52 RBI, the latter two numbers rank second on the squad. That he's been so good at the plate hasn't been a surprise. After all, he hit .364 with 15 homers and 85 RBI as a freshman, and .331 with 11 and 49 as a sophomore. He has always shown a great approach at the plate, drawing 14 more walks for his career at UF than strikeouts.

In the field, Tucker has made some significant progress this year. Playing first base, he has made only one error in 57 games, good for a .993 fielding percentage, which just so happens to rank as the best on the team.

The Gators will be a very high seed in the NCAA tournament and will have a huge target on their back. They could use a strong performance from Tucker, who could improve his own draft stock with an impressive showing.

Erik Johnson, RHP, California

It's been one heck of a ride for the Cal baseball program this season. The school announced that the team would be disbanded, in an effort to save the school some money, and even after a fundraising drive that brought back three other teams, baseball was still on the outside looking in.

After a tough fight, and tons of support and monetary contributions from alumni, the school finally reinstated the baseball program.

Through all of the turmoil, the Golden Bears ace, Erik Johnson, has been the glue that has held the team together.

His stellar season has been largely forgotten by most due to all the other great stories from the year.

His .186 average against is one of the top numbers in the country, while his 6-2 record does no justice to the kind of campaign he's had. His 1.94 ERA helps. It's astounding to think that in 83.2 innings, Johnson has only given up 52 hits!

He's also added a team-leading 80 strikeouts.

Johnson isn't a more talked about draft prospect because of his mechanical issues, which have seen him suffer through bouts of wildness (37 walks in 83.2 IP). He began his college career as a reliever, which tinkered with his mechanics a bit, and now that he's back in a starting role, he's struggled to go deep into games.

He does, however, feature pretty good velocity, topping out at about 95-96 mph. He complements his fastball with a very good slider. He also throws a curveball and a changeup, the latter of which has made solid strides throughout the course of the season.

Johnson is pegged as a second- or third-round talent by Baseball America, but with a few great starts at the CWS he could lock down a second-round spot.

Kevin Brady, RHP, Clemson

As an Orioles fan, not being able to sign Brady to a deal back in 2008 makes me feel a bit sick.

Had he remained healthy this season, he could have been in discussions as a second- or third-round pick. Unfortunately for Brady, he suffered a forearm injury in his third start and missed most of the season. He returned to the mound last weekend and looked sharp, especially for someone who hasn't pitched since March.

He pitched out of the bullpen in the Tigers series against Florida State, and that could be his role in the NCAA tournament, as he tries to regain his stamina and work his way back into starting shape.

Before the injury, Brady was throwing in the low-to-mid 90s and a devastating cutter that is un-hittable when he has command over the pitch.

For the season, Brady has a stunning 28:1 K:BB ratio in 20 innings, spanning three starts and three relief outings. His ERA currently sits at 1.80 and he's 2-0.

One note that might hurt Brady's draft stock, even if he has a stellar tournament is his draft-eligible sophomore status that in the past has forced teams to pay a bit more out of pocket in order to ink players like Brady.