Round 2, Pick 52: Brad Hand | LHP, Chaska (HS) | SIGNED

[JJ]

[Hugg]

2008 Gatorade Minnesota High School Player of the Year

Chaska's Brad Hand is state's Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year | Chaska Herald

[!NICK!]

*avoids lame hand-related jokes*

[FishFanInPA]

Brad Hand is a 2008 LHP/1B with a 6'2'', 205 lb. frame from Chaska, MN who attends Chaska HS. Excellent strength, athletic presence. Skills have really come quickly. FB touched 93, quick arm action, CB showed sharpness at 76 mph. Top level 2-way prospect with plus power potential, bat speed, smooth low effort swing, pop to all fields. Could be a big surprise for next year's draft. Good student.

Perfect Game USA

Brad Hand, a 6-3 lefthanded pitcher from Chaska, recently was selected the Gatorade Minnesota Baseball Player of the Year. Hand has been a dominant force on the mound, going 5-1 with a 0.55 ERA. He also has stood out at the plate, hitting .344 with six home runs this season.

Chaska's Hand is tops in baseball

[Hugg]

Just in case people miss it in the Marlins thread, Baseball America:

BRAD HAND, LHP, Chaska (Minn.) HS Hand has created a bigger sensation among scouts than any Minnesota high school prospect since Joe Mauer. He won't go at the top of the draft like Mauer did, but Hand performed very well when two dozen scouts attended his fourth start of the spring. His fastball ranged from 88-93 mph with nice life, and both his curveball and changeup flashed plus potential. Hand is an athletic 6-foot-2, 205-pounder who also plays football and hockey, and in baseball he doubles as a first baseman with lefty power. The biggest issues with him are his mechanics and his signability. He has violence and a head whack in his delivery, and he lands on a stiff front leg. Hand has pitched himself into third-round consideration, but that the slot bonuses in that area of the draft (roughly $275,000 to $400,000) may not be enough to lure him away from an Arizona State scholarship. The Twins usually stay on top of their homestate prospects, and they could be tempted to take him with a sandwich or second-round choice.

[Juanky]

It's obviously a ways off, but maybe we can get a Micah Owings out of this kid. Regardless of the bat, though, I'd love to have a lefty with a nice spot in the rotation.

[JJ]

Arizona State's loss is the Florida Marlins gain. The Marlins selected Chaska lefthanded pitcher Brad Hand in the second round (No. 52 overall) of baseball's amateur draft on Thursday. The senior previously had committed to play for the Sun Devils but said he will now turn his attention to the National League East squad. "My family and I have been taking about this for a while," Hand said. "We knew what I would sign for. We were thinking if I went top three rounds." The Marlins played it safe before making the selection. They called the 6-3, 205-pound Hand immediately after the first round to make sure he would sign a pro contract instead of heading to Arizona State. "I told them that I would," Hand said. He watched and waited for the selection with family and friends around the computer at home. The celebration still was ongoing hours after the announcement. Hand, whose fastball reaches the low 90-mile-per-hour range, became the highest-drafted Minnesota high school player since the Twins selected Cretin-Derham Hall catcher Joe Mauer No. 1 overall in 2001. The Draft Central scouting report describes Hand: "A strong southpaw who's more of a thrower than a pitcher right now. He does have a pretty good heater and an excellent curve. His delivery will need some work, but there's plenty of room for improvement once he can find some repeatable mechanics. A southpaw with an arm like his is bound to get plenty of attention." Hand, 8-1 with two saves and a 0.58 ERA, will lead the Hawks into the state tournament next week for the first time since 1997. They will play the Section 7 champion Thursday at Midway Stadium. "This has been the perfect year in my mind," Hand said. "It's been a dream of mine since I was a little kid to play in the major leagues. I never thought I would be in this position. It just proves that if you work hard, your dreams come true."

Florida takes Chaska's Hand in second round

Hand will be signing

[JJ]

Profile

[markotsay7]

Will sign.

The Thunderhawks may need a helping hand to win a third. As in Brad Hand. The Chaska senior was named Gatorade Player of the Year in Minnesota and last week was selected in the second round of the major-league amateur draft by the Florida Marlins. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound left-hander, who is armed with a 93 mph fastball, posted an 8-1 record and 0.58 ERA this season. Hand told the Marlins before they drafted him that he will turn down a scholarship at Arizona State and sign a professional contract.

Duluth News Tribune

[Juanky]

Woo Woo!

[!NICK!]

Yay!

[Bucklin12]

Love this guy. Great News.

[Marlins#1]

Metro Player of the Year: Chaska star Hand enjoys dream season

Brad Hand has tried to pattern his pitching style after that of Johan Santana. His coach at Chaska, Troy Stein, said Hand might be the best prospect to come out of Minnesota since Joe Mauer. And if all goes as planned, Hand will begin his own professional career a week from today in Jupiter, Fla. Hand, the Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year, is enjoying a spring that dreams are made of, and it has a chance to get even better. The 6-3, 210-pound lefthander will be on the mound at 12:30 p.m. today when Chaska (18-8) faces Grand Rapids (24-2) in the quarterfinals of the Class 3A state baseball tournament at Midway Stadium. Regardless of how things play out, Hand, a second-round pick of the Florida Marlins in last week's amateur draft, hopes to be signed and on the field for the start of Rookie League play on June 19. "It's very exciting,'' Hand said. "Two years ago there's no way I would have thought I would be the 52nd pick in the draft.'' Hand's development from being a "thrower" to more of a pitcher is the reason behind his breakthrough season. He lived in the past on a fastball clocked in the low 90s, but he wasn't always sure where it was going. He has better command of the fastball now and also can rely on a hard curve. Hand has an 8-1 record this season and is coming off what was probably his best outing of the season. He pitched a two-hitter in Chaska's 3-0 victory over Eden Prairie last week that earned the Hawks a trip to the state tournament. "It was the fourth time he faced Eden Prairie this season,'' Stein said. "They have a good hitting lineup. The previous time Brad faced them they just sat on the fastball and they were able to catch up to it. "This last time he was getting them out with the curveball. It was the difference-maker. Brad has been very sharp the past four weeks. He has a good changeup, too, but he hasn't had to use it because his fastball and curve have been so good.'' Hand's every pitch, if not his every move, has been watched closely by major league scouts this spring. He admits to being nervous early on but said with the help of his coaches he has been able to "pitch to the game" rather than pitch for the scouts. "He went about his business very professionally,'' Stein said. "He's only 17, but he acted like he was 24. There usually were 30 scouts with radar guns at the games he pitched. They critiqued everything he did from the moment he got off the bus. "That puts a lot of pressure on a kid, but that's what the scouts wanted to do. They wanted to see how he would react to the pressure.'' Hand was nearly as impressive at the plate this season as he was on the mound. He hit a team-high eight home runs while batting third in the order. "He's been our best hitter since he was a sophomore,'' Stein said. Had he elected to attend Arizona State rather than turn pro, Hand likely would have continued to contribute at the plate. But he will be paid to pitch. "I like hitting, but pitching has always been my thing,'' Hand said. "I like being in charge.''

[Bucklin12]

I will reiterate... love this kid.

[Marlins#1]

http://www.twincities.com/ci_9606812

chaska pitcher Brad Hand is the 2008 Pioneer Press baseball player of the year Second-round pick already signing autographs and