As reported by Jonathan Mayo in MLB.com’s Geeking the Draft blog, lat flier pick for the Reds JC Sulbaran seems to be lured away from college (Florida, where he had a strong commitment) for a well above slot bonus. The Reds drafted JC Sulbaran from the high school baseball factory American Heritage high School in the 30th round, which may now be looking like an absolute steal. Other teams were shying away because of his college commitment. I don’t think he would have gone much higher than round 15 but still. JC is no lightweight, he is currently pitching for Netherlands in the Beijing Olympics.
His senior year of high school he went 11-0/1.40, striking out 88 in 67 innings. Those stats might seem inflated, but the level of competition American Heritage played this season is pretty stout as they traveled to different states to take on nationally ranked teams. More recently he pitched in the recent Haarlem Baseball Tournament in the Netherlands this summer and in his one start he allowed one hit and one run while striking out 6 (walking 7 though) against a very tough Cuba team.
Currently there are no cards available for Sulbaran and he will likely sit until next season, but make sure you remember to keep his name at the top of your lists for prospects in the Reds organization. He might end up being the steal of the entire 2008 draft.
