2010 Draft Prospect: Drew Cisco

Drew Cisco is a RHP who attends Wando HS in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.  He is the topic of a quick post tonight because he is eligible for the 2010 draft, and is someone I will be keeping an eye on in the months leading up to said draft.

If you follow draft prospects, then you are already aware of the guys at the top of the draft rankings.  Ultra-hyped JUCO C-Bryce Harper, HS RHP-Jameson Taillon, LSU RHP-Anthony Ranaudo, HS RHP-A.J. Cole, and HS RHP-Karsten Whitson head the list and it is easy enough to find information and projections on most of these guys.  Drew Cisco, however, is a little different.  He’s generally ranked between 51-100 on the draft prospect lists.  One site, PNR Scouting, has him listed at #67 in their top 300.

So why am I writing about Drew Cisco?  He’s the grandson of former major league RHP and pitching coach Galen Cisco.  I am a big believer in drafting players with major league bloodlines.  Drew gets bonus points along these lines since his grandfather pitched 22.1 innings for the Kansas City Royals in 1969.  Cisco fared well at the September, Perfect Game USA Wrigley Field Classic and then went on to dominate at the World Wood Bat Association World Championship.  It was at the latter event where he threw 7.0 shutout innings allowing 4 hits and 0 walks while striking out 8.  According to Baseball America, Cisco’s “pre-release mechanics are of professional quality.”

The Under Armour All-America Baseball Site has this on his profile:

"Cisco has a simple and smooth delivery, allowing him to pound the strike zone with an effective three-pitch mix. His fastball ranges from 88-92 mph with occasional cut and run, which he uses to set up an above-average curveball and promising changeup."

I also found this article written about him back in March of 2008.

He’s got the bloodlines, he’s got three pitches, and based on current rankings* he could be an option for the Royals in the 2nd or 3rd round.  Cisco has committed to the University of Georgia, but signability shouldn’t be a problem.  If it is, the Royals have shown a willingness to go above slot.

*Rankings which will change significantly by the time June rolls around.

(Wally Fish is the lead blogger for Kings of Kauffman and FanSided’s MLB Director.  Subscribe to his RSS feed and add him on Twitter to follow him daily.)