2014 MLB DRAFT: FIRST ROUND ANALYSIS — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

31. INDIANS
Pick: Justus Sheffield, lhp, Tullahoma (Tenn.) HS
Pick value: $1,733,000
Area Scout: Chuck Bartlett
Pick analysis: The Indians diverted from their typical pitcher preference for college arms at the top of the draft. Sheffield is the first prep arm the organization has drafted in the first round since 2001, when they selected Dan Denham (17th) and Alan Horne (27th), failing to sign the latter.
Scouting report: A year after a banner crop of high school pitchers in Tennessee, Sheffield is the consensus top arm, with a considerable gap between him and the second-best prep pitcher in the state. He has been a known entity since he was an underclassman because of his older brother Jordan, a righthander who had Tommy John surgery in the spring of his senior year but otherwise might have been a top-two-round pick in the 2013 draft. Jordan ended up going in the 13th round to the Red Sox and headed to Vanderbilt. The Sheffield brothers starred in the Breakthrough Series, televised on the MLB Network, when Justus was a rising junior, and he ran his fastball up to 93 mph the following spring at the National High School Invitational. While both Sheffields have similar stature, Justus has the benefit of being lefthanded, at a strong, compact 5-foot-10, 196 pounds, and young for his draft class. He offers athleticism, feel for pitching and a four-pitch mix. His fastball typically sits 90-92 mph, touching 94 with some run and sink, and his changeup shows the makings of an above-average offering, as does his curveball. Sheffield has pitchability and is a strike-thrower with the chance for at least average control, potentially better. He has also committed to Vanderbilt, but he’s expected to sign as his talent puts him in the mix for the top two rounds
Twitter: @Topsheff42