Sampson may have impressed me more than any other player that I had the pleasure to watch during the summer of 2008. He, like Mychal Givens and Austin Maddox, is a talented two-way star who could go early in the draft as either a pitcher or as a hitter. My money is that he goes early, and at this point in time I would argue that he goes earlier than many currently project, as a right-handed pitcher. He has such an easy and electric arm in which he effortlessly produces low-to-mid-90s heat. His fastball sits in the 90-92 range, and as he warms up he starts to touch more 93s, 94s and 95s. Given the ease of his delivery and his athletic frame, it's easy to project him throwing in the upper-90s very soon, possibly as soon as next spring. He also throws a knockout curveball, which in the mid-70s, gives batters a very difficult pitch to hit regularly clocking 20 mph slower than his heater. He also throws a solid changeup. As a hitter he shows good bat speed and some power potential. He laces line drives to all parts of the field, and has enough speed to swipe his fair share of bases. Defensively his speed allows him to cover a lot of ground in centerfield, and his arm strength is also an asset. He's a five tool player across the board. Sampson is one player that I think more and more people are going to become familiar with between now and next June, as he continues to get better with the athletic talent to be a future star. He has committed to play for Florida State.
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