STARKVILLE — When Kyle Hann arrived on campus this week, the Mississippi State University baseball program secured one of the best middle infield prospects from Canada in years.
In July, MSU announced the signing infielder Kyle Hann, who was considered a top talent in Canada. But a contributor from the Canadian Baseball Network said last week in an email to The Dispatch that the Bulldogs may have made the best late signing in all of college baseball.
“Kyle is one of the best defensive middle infielders from Canada I have ever seen,” said Bob Elliott, a baseball columnist for the Toronto Sun and contributor to CBN, a scouting service. Elliott’s Internet site ranks Hann in the top five among Canadians eligible for the 2012 Major League Baseball draft.
“Depending upon which scout I asked, Kyle was amongst the top five high school position players in Canada,” Elliot said. “He’s also a unique player for two reasons. He’s a right-hander hitter. For some unknown reason, (Canada’s) best (amateur) players are all left-handed. The second thing is we do not produce middle infielders (because) you can pitch indoors and hit indoors, but it’s tough to get reps on ground balls.”
The other four players ranked with Hann in the top five were drafted in the top 30 rounds of the 2012 MLB draft. Two signed with their organization for $100,000 each.
Hann was rated consistently in his home country with third baseman Johnny Caputo, who was drafted in the 12th round by the Oakland
Athletics this June but declined to sign. He opted to honor his commitment to recent College World Series participant Stony Brook University.
Hann, a 5-foot-8, 180-pounder, has been the starting shortstop on the Canadian National Junior Team for the past two summers. He has more power bat than his frame would suggest.
“With the addition of Kyle, we’ve added a player that is considered one of the best hitters in his recruiting class in the entire country of Canada,” MSU coach John Cohen said in July. “He’s one of those talents that has the make-up we look for when we recruit talent to play in the best league in America.”
Last season, Hann batted .447 with nine doubles, four triples, and a home run in the Premier Baseball League of Ontario. He also had a .530 on-base percentage thanks to 18 walks in 100 at-bats. He struck out only eight times.
Hann signed to play baseball at Oklahoma State University, but he obtained his release from a National Letter of Intent after a coaching change this summer at the school.
“Kyle has been with the Canadian Junior team for two years, and amateur scouts love scouting that way,” Elliot said. “As one guy said, it’s a lot easier than going into Ohio for a high school game and there is a stud hitter and the opposing coach tells his pitcher, ‘Don’t throw him any strikes, don’t let him beat us.’ The traveling National Junior team is the reason why Canadian baseball has improved.”
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