By Nathan Rode
National Supervisor

For me, and many others, the Super 60 is an unofficial start of the spring season. It’ll be the first baseball I’ve seen since November and a stark reminder that the draft is in four months—far enough away for plenty to happen and change, but right around the corner at the same time. Dozens of scouts will pile into The Max this weekend, just outside of Chicago, to catch a glimpse of some of the best prospects in Prep Baseball Report’s coverage area and maybe decide whether or not to pursue a follow over the course of the next few months.

It’s important to remember that the event is on Feb. 1 and it’s indoors. Players are far from being in midseason form and only so much can be determined from a day or workouts as opposed to games. But the scouts wouldn’t show up if it wasn’t worth their time and the Super 60 is beneficial for them and the players. We highlighted some potential breakout players yesterday in The Hotlist. Today, here are just a few things I’m watching for this weekend, from a draft perspective.

+ I’ve written about RHP Noah Burkholder (Crown Point HS, IN) a few times and I think he’s poised for a breakout spring. He’s not exactly flying under the radar. Scouts are familiar with him. They just haven’t seen much of him since he missed a good chunk of 2014 with a nagging back injury. But he’s worked that out and looked pretty strong in a start in October. A good, healthy spring from Burkholder could vault him up some draft lists. Who wouldn’t want an athletic, 6-foot-6, 205-pound righty with a fastball that can reach the low 90s and good secondary stuff to match?