UCLA SO RHP Gerrit Cole (2011) is obviously a sensational prospect, as most pitchers with three potential big league plus pitches tend to be. His recent outing against fellow top 2011 prospect Sonny Gray of Vanderbilt had scouts buzzing, but maybe not for the reasons that first come to mind. True, his performance against a quality Commodores’ lineup was impressive (5 IP 4 H 2 ER 2 BB 8 K), and his stuff (sitting FB at 92-95, explosive peak FB at 97-99; plus 81-87 SL, excellent 83-84 CU) was as good as advertised. The following, however, was what got those in attendance really talking:

Vanderbilt 1st - Harris hit by pitch (1-1). Esposito hit by pitch (3-2); Harris advanced to second. Westlake struck out swinging (1-2). Giobbi reached on a fielding error by 3b (1-1); Esposito advanced to second; Harris advanced to third, out at home ss unassisted. Casali hit by pitch (1-1); Giobbi advanced to second; Esposito advanced to third. Reynolds struck out swinging (1-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 3 LOB.

Harris, boof! Esposito, powie! Casali, vronk! Putting people on base is not a good thing for a pitcher to do, a simple fact that even Batman himself (ZGRUPPP! was always my favorite) couldn’t argue with. And I promise this isn’t a random thought brought on by a sudden irrational burst of machismo or anything like that. No, it’s about the way Cole went about establishing the inner half of the plate in the early stages of a big game. That can be something that separates a really good pitching prospect from a special one. Cole is clearly a special prospect whether or not he goes out and plunks three batters in the top of the first like he did last Friday, but it’s a comfort to know that he’s fearless pitching around the plate.

Sorry to keep dragging this out, but real life has gotten in the way of any other writing getting done. In the meantime, here’s a list of some of the most interesting Sunday starters. Commentary to be added as the day chugs along…

Ball State JR RHP Kolbrin Vitek – 4 IP 5 H 4 ER 0 BB 2 K
Arkansas JR RHP Brett Eibner 3 IP 2 H 0 ER 0 BB 5 K
Florida State JR LHP John Gast – 6 IP 4 H 2 ER 0 BB 5 K
Georgia Tech JR RHRP Kevin Jacob – 1 IP 1 H 0 ER 0 BB 2 K
North Carolina JR RHP Colin Bates – 7 IP 6 H 3 ER 0 BB 5 K
NC State JR RHRP Russell Wilson – 2 IP 2 H 0 ER 0 BB 0 K
Kentucky JR LHP Logan Darnell – 6 IP 7 H 2 ER 2 BB 6 K
Oregon State JR RHP Greg Peavey – 5 IP 4 H 2 ER 3 BB 4 K
Mississippi JR RHP Trent Rothlin – 6 IP 2 H 1 ER 4 BB 2 K
Duquesne JR RHP Andrew Heck – 6 IP 5 H 1 ER 0 BB 3 K
Virginia Tech JR RHP Jesse Hahn – 7 IP 5 H 0 ER 0 BB 4 K
Oklahoma JR RHP Bobby Shore – 7 IP 5 H 1 ER 1 BB 5 K
UCLA SO Erik Goeddel – 2.2 IP 4 H 0 ER 0 BB 4 K
UNC Wilmington JR RHP Daniel Cropper – 7 IP 5 H 1 ER 0 BB 7 K

Arizona LHP SO Bryce Bandilla – 3 IP 4 H 0 ER 1 BB 5 K
Texas SO RHP Austin Dicharry – 6.2 IP 7 H 2 ER 1 BB 5 K
LSU SO RHP Joey Bourgeois – 6 IP 4 H 0 ER 0 BB 7 K
Cal State Fullerton SO RHP Tyler Pill – 7 IP 5 H 0 ER 1 BB 6 K
Georgia Tech SO LHP Jed Bradley – 6 IP 4 H 0 ER 1 BB 12 K
Florida SO RHRP Nick Maronde – 0.1 IP 2 H 3 ER 1 BB 0 K
Florida SO RHP Anthony DeSclafani – 4.1 IP 4 H 0 ER 0 BB 4
Clemson SO RHP Kevin Brady – 3.1 IP 3 H 1 ER 0 BB 1 K
Kentucky SO RHP Braden Kapteyn – 3 IP 2 H 0 ER 1 BB 3 K
Mississippi SO RHP David Goforth – 1 IP 1 H 0 ER 0 BB 1 K
Vanderbilt SO RHP Jack Armstrong – 5 IP 9 H 3 ER 3 BB 3 K

Mississippi FR RHP Brett Huber – 2 IP 1 H 1 ER 0 BB 3 K
South Carolina FR LHP Tyler Webb – 4.1 IP 5 H 0 ER 1 BB 6 K

Quick Saturday batting lines of note with more of my oh so very insightful commentary to come as the day rolls along…

LSU SR 1B Blake Dean 4-5, BB, 6 RBI, 2 R
LSU SO OF Mikie Mahtook 2-3, 3B, SB, 3 RBI, 2 R
LSU SR DH Matt Gaudet 3-5, 2 HR, BB, 4 RBI, 3 R

Dean may be making tremendous progressive defensively at first, but it is still his bat that will carry his pro prospects going forward. Four hit days like the kind he had on Saturday help.

Rice JR 3B Anthony Rendon 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, R, HBP
Rice SR C Diego Seastrunk 2-4

Rendon, Gerrit Cole, Sonny Gray, Taylor Jungmann, and Mikie Mahtook make up my very early preliminary 2011 college top five. First four are chalk, though there is plenty of room for variation in the order, but the fifth spot is wide open. Alex Meyer, Jack Armstrong, Zach Cone, Ryan Carpenter, and Brett Mooneyham should all be in the mix, but additional personal favorites such as John Stilson, Harold Martinez, Adam Smith, and Kyle Winkler all could surprise. I’ really not afraid to admit that my excitement level for the 2011 MLB Draft is sky high.

Stanford FR CF Jake Stewart 2-6, RBI, R
Stanford FR 3B Kenny Diekroeger 2-3, 2 R

I personally don’t wonder if Stewart and Diekroeger will be first rounders in 2012; instead, I’m looking forward to how high each can elevate their respective stocks while playing for a college program notorious for holding back more than a few talented hitters with the dreaded “Stanford Swing.”

Florida State 3B/1B FR Jayce Boyd 3-5, 2B, RBI, R
Florida State JR CF Tyler Holt 2-5, 2 R
Florida State SR SS Stephen Cardullo 1-1, HR, BB, 2 HBP, 3 RBI, 3 R

Pretty good days for Florida State’s best draft prospect in each of the respective draft years listed. Boyd has first round power, Holt is an easy top-three round guy at present, and Cardullo’s blend of steady defense, good enough speed, and advanced knowledge of the strike zone make him a solid late round senior sign sleeper candidate.

Arizona State SO OF Drew Maggi 3-5, 2B, 2 SB, BB, RBI, 2 R, K
Arizona State SO DH Zach Wilson 3-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, K
Arizona State SO 2B Zack MacPhee 4-4, HR, 2 3B, 5 RBI, 4 R
Arizona State SO 3B Riccio Torrez 4-5, 3B, 2B, HBP, 2 RBI, 4 R
Arizona State SO C Austin Barnes 4-5, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R

I literally didn’t even realize all five Arizona State players listed were sophomores until this very moment. Add in another talented sophomore, OF Johnny Ruettiger, and that makes two-thirds of the Sun Devil lineup second year players. Cool.

Georgia Tech SR 1B Tony Plagman 4-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 R
Georgia Tech JR CF Jeff Rowland 2-4, 2 3B, 3 RBI, R, K

TCU FR OF Josh Elander 4-5, SB, 2 RBI

Elander is loaded with tools, from plus power potential to a plus arm to above-average speed underway. He’s also freakishly strong, something a 150-pound relative weakling such as myself says with the utmost respect. Seeing such a tools-laden player hit the ground running as a freshmen is pretty darn exciting.

Miami SR 2B Scott Lawson 3-3, 3B, SB, RBI, 3 R

Ball State JR 2B Kolbrin Vitek 4-5, 3B, RBI, 3 R

Virginia Tech JR 1B Austin Wates 3-5, RBI, K

Louisville JR OF Josh Richmond 3-6, SB, RBI, K

South Carolina FR 3B Christian Walker 4-5, HR, 2B, 5 RBI, 3 R

San Diego JR CF Kevin Muno 4-5, 2 RBI, 2 R, K
San Diego SR OF James Meador 4-5, 4 RBI, 2 R

They may not be Maris and Mantle, but San Diego’s version of the M&M Boys make up a big, productive chunk of the Toreros veteran lineup.

Florida SO 1B Preston Tucker 2-3, 2 BB, 2 R
Florida FR SS Nolan Fontana 0-1, 3 BB, 2 R

Texas A&M SR CF Brodie Greene 3-3, 2 3B, 2 SB, HBP, RBI, 3 R

Oklahoma SO SS Caleb Bushyhead 3-4, 2B, 3 RBI, R
Oklahoma SO SS Caleb Bushyhead 3-3, 2B, R

Easily the best Saturday of baseball ever recorded by a man with the last name of Bushyhead.

San Diego State JR CF Cory Vaughn 0-5, 4 K

Ouch.

Georgia SO CF Zach Cone 4-5, HR, 3B, 2B, RBI, 2 R

The beginning of potential turning into production right before our very eyes?

Tennessee JR CF Josh Liles 3-4, 2 RBI, R, K

Boston College JR CF Robbie Anston 4-5, 3 RBI, 3 R

Pittsburgh JR 3B Joe Leonard 3-4, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R

Leonard is a good athlete with a cannon for an arm, but not much more than occasional gap power at this point. If he continues to show progress in that area of his game, he could jump off draft boards as teams are always looking for quality college bats that aren’t restricted to first base or the corner outfield.

Auburn JR 1B Hunter Morris 3-6, SB, RBI, 2 R

At first I wanted to make a joke about the big guy stealing a bag, but turns out he’s now 7/9 stealing bases in his college career. Good for him.

Alabama JR 2B Ross Wilson 3-5, RBI, R

Middle Tennessee State OF Bryce Brentz 2-5, R, 2 K

Updated the Friday Night Hitters post below with a couple of random, semi-coherent ramblings about a few players of interest. Now to take a look at the most interesting pitching performances from Saturday…

“Big” Name 2010s

San Diego JR RHP Kyle Blair – 4 IP 4 H 1 ER 4 BB 8 K
Texas JR RHP Brandon Workman – 6 IP 9 H 3 ER 2 BB 7 K
San Diego JR LHP Sammy Solis – 5 IP 5 H 1 ER 2 BB 4 K
LSU JR RHP Austin Ross – 5 IP 3 H 0 ER 0 BB 5 K
South Carolina JR RHP Sam Dyson – 3.2 IP 0 H 0 ER 1 BB 6 K
California SO RHP Dixon Anderson – 7 IP 4 H 0 ER 0 BB 8 K
Missouri JR RHP Nick Tepesch – 5 IP 8 H 6 ER 2 BB 3 K

Hey! Nick Tepesch! Remember him? Once considered the next great first round arm to come out of Missouri, Tepesch’s path to draft stardom hasn’t gone smoothly. He can still sink and cut the fastball effectively, but the stalled progress of his curve and change are worrisome. I like that Dyson and Anderson are back-to-back on the list; Dyson’s prospect stock last year as a draft-eligible sophomore reminds me a lot of where Anderson, a player with a lot of helium, is currently at.

“Lesser” Name 2010s

Mississippi SR RHP Aaron Barrett – 6 IP 2 H 0 ER 1 BB 7 K
Georgia SR RHP Jeff Walters – 5.2 IP 6 H 3 ER 1 BB 7 K
Vanderbilt JR RHP Taylor Hill – 6.2 IP 6 H 0 ER 2 BB 9 K
Michigan JR RHP Matt Miller – 6 IP 6 H 2 ER 2 BB 3 K
Notre Dame JR RHP Brian Dupra – 4.1 IP 4 H 3 ER 1 BB 3 K
Pepperdine JR LHP Matt Bywater – 9 IP 4 H 0 ER 2 BB 10 K
Georgia Tech JR RHP Brandon Cumpton – 5 IP 7 H 2 ER 0 BB 2 K
Miami JR LHP Chris Hernandez – 4 IP 4 H 1 ER 2 BB 5 K
North Carolina JR RHP Patrick Johnson – 7 IP 5 H 1 ER 2 BB 7 K
Oregon State JR RHRP Kevin Rhoderick – 1.1 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 3 K

All names that should probably ring a bell if you’re a close follower of the college game, with one exception – Matt Bywater. I saw his impressive line on Saturday and immediately checked my notes to see what interesting tidbits I had ready to share about him. What I had was the following: “Pepperdine LHP Matt Bywater.” That’s all. And now you realize once again why the sterling content provided on this site has, is, and will forever be free.

“Big” Name 2011s

Stanford SO LHP Brett Mooneyham – 5.1 IP 2 H 3 ER 9 BB 7 K
TCU FR LHP Matt Purke – 5 IP 7 H 3 ER 1 BB 8 K
Clemson SO LHP Will Lamb – 2.1 IP 1 H 0 ER 0 BB 1 K
Louisville SO RHP Tony Zych – 0 IP 6 H 7 ER 1 BB 0 K
UCLA SO RHP Trevor Bauer – 8 IP 4 H 3 ER 2 BB 13 K

Mooneyham picked up right where he left off last year. Lots of strikeouts, very few hits allowed, and waaaaay too many walks. Did anybody else catch Bauer’s curveball on Saturday night? His solid fastball, plus curve, and Lincecum-style funky delivery make him a really fun contrast to more highly touted classmate Gerrit Cole.

“Lesser” Name 2011s

Texas A&M SO RHP John Stilson – 4 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 5 K
Alabama SO LHP Adam Morgan – 6 IP 3 H 3 ER 0 BB 11 K

I wish I was smarter than to get this worked up over four measly innings, but I’m very excited to see Stilson get off to a start like this. He’s got a special arm (fastball sitting low-90s, peaking 95) and is a fantastic athlete.

2012s

Duke FR RHP Marcus Stroman – 3 IP 3 H 0 ER 1 BB 3 K
Kentucky FR LHP Taylor Rogers – 7.2 IP 6 H 0 ER 1 BB 2 K
California FR LHP Justin Jones – 7 IP 7 H 0 ER 1 BB 9 K

Because I spent most of my weekend celebrating the start of meaningful baseball reviewing old scouting reports and communicating back-and-forth with baseball people way smarter than myself, content may be light for the next few days. As I sort through some of the updated information I’ve been lucky enough to receive, why not check out who did what in college baseball’s opening weekend? The post below this one has most of the big name Friday night starters listed, but I figured this would serve as a dumping ground for some of the late night Friday starters that I didn’t get to then, plus the Saturday/Sunday starters, and some of the most interesting hitting lines of the weekend. More and more players will be added as the day goes on, plus I’ll be sure to drop in and add some of my oh so sexy prose to what would otherwise be a complete onslaught of numbers.

Position Players – FRIDAY

Virginia JR OF Dan Grovatt 2-5, RBI, 2 R
Virginia SO 3B Steven Proscia 2-3, HR, 4 RBI, R
Virginia JR OF Jarrett Parker 2-3, 2B, RBI

Georgia Tech JR SS Derek Dietrich 1-2, 2B, 2 BB, R

North Carolina SO 3B Levi Michael 2-4, BB, RBI, R, K
North Carolina FR 2B Tommy Coyle 0-3, BB, R, K
North Carolina FR RF Brian Goodwin 0-4, RBI, K

• Totally throwing this out without too much thought, but am I crazy to think there are some similarities between Georgia Tech’s Dietrich and Carolina’s Michael?

Clemson SO 1B Will Lamb 4-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R
Clemson JR OF Kyle Parker 2-5, HR, 3 RBI, R, K

Duke JR C Gabriel Saade 0-4, 2 K

• Saade is an interesting guy for a couple of reasons, not the least of which being his recent experimentation behind the plate. More on Saade, written here a few weeks ago: He went into his junior year as a legitimate pro prospect, a versatile defender capable of playing anywhere up the middle (2B, SS, CF) coming off of two solid years playing every day in the ACC (.269/.354/.456 as a freshman, .286/.376/.483 as a sophomore). His junior year didn’t quite go according to plan, unless Saade’s plan was to hit .237/.339/.333. If that was the case, then his plan really couldn’t have gone any better. The big dip in numbers is concerning, especially the total disappearance of power, but there are some positives to glean from his 2009 performance. His K/BB ratio has dipped each season (2.26 to 1.96 to 1.33) and his stolen base numbers have remained consistently stellar (46/54 collegiately, including his stint in the Valley League). If he can bounce back to his pre-junior levels of production, something many scouts think he is capable of doing if he stops being so darn pull-happy, then he has a shot at being an interesting senior sign (round 15-25, maybe) for a team believing in his future as a steady fielding big league utility player.

Virginia Tech JR 1B Austin Wates 2-3, 3B, 2 BB, 2 RBI, R

Kentucky SO 3B Andy Burns 2-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Louisville SO OF Stewart Ijames 3-5, 2B, 3 RBI
Louisville JR 3B Phil Wunderlich 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R
Louisville SR 1B Andrew Clark 2-4, BB, 3 RBI, 2 R
Louisville SR 2B Adam Duball 3-5, 2B, RBI, 3 R
Louisville JR RF/CF Josh Richmond 2-4, BB, 4 R, 2 SB

• Louisville’s lineup may have not been facing top-level pitching this weekend, but they still like a potential offensive force in the Big East.

Arkansas SO 3B Zack Cox 2-4, 2B, BB, RBI, 2 R, K
Arkansas JR 1B Andy Wilkins 2-2, HR, 2 BB, 2 RBI, 2 R
Arkansas JR CF Brett Eibner 2-4, SB, RBI

Auburn JR 1B Hunter Morris 3-5, RBI, R

West Virginia JR SS Jedd Gyorko 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, R (2-3, HR, 1B, RBI GO off of Cody Wheeler)

• I’m starting to warm up to Gyorko the more I read and hear about him. The Youkilis comp is obviously a tad over the top when taken literally, but there are undeniable similarities between the two Big East superstars. Baseball talent evaluation has come a long way, however, when you consider Gyorko almost certainly won’t top Youkilis’ final college season (.405/.549/.714), but will still get picked significantly higher than the eighth round, Youkilis’ draft landing spot.

Vanderbilt JR 1B Curt Casali 2-4, BB, 2 R
Vanderbilt JR OF/1B/C Aaron Westlake 3-4, 2 2BRBI, R

• Casali and Westlake have each proven to be competent at first and in the outfield corners, but increased playing time behind the plate would do wonders to their respective prospect stock.

Cal State Fullerton JR CF Gary Brown 2-5, 2 SB, R
Cal State Fullerton JR SS Christian Colon 2-5, K

• The clash of the Titans ought to be one of the most interesting position player battles to watch this spring. Colon is the favorite, no doubt, but Brown’s superior tools could push him into the sandwich round, not too far behind where I think his college teammate could get taken.

Gonzaga SR CF Drew Heid 4-5, 3B, RBI, 2 R

Mississippi JR DH Miles Hamblin 0-4, BB, K

• Hamblin, one of the top junior college players of 2009, started off his career in big-time college baseball with a dud, but store his name away as a top-ten round caliber player if he hits as expected this spring.

Florida JR 2B Josh Adams 3-3, 2 HR, BB, 4 RBI, 2 R
Florida FR DH Austin Maddox 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, R

• Maddox’s first start showed off what he does best as a prospect – hit the baseball very, very far. He’s also only the third best defensive catcher on the Florida roster, a testament to the awesome catching depth of the Gators and Maddox’s biggest weakness as a prospect.

Michigan FR SS Derek Dennis 2-4, 2B, BB, R, K
Michigan SO DH/C Coley Crank 4-6, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 3 R

• Not a bad debut for Dennis, a potential 2012 first rounder in what is shaping up to be an excellent class of shortstops.

Arizona State SO 2B Zack MacPhee 3-4, 3B, 2B, BB, SB, 2 RBI, R

Miami JR C Yasmani Grandal 0-1, 3 BB, HBP, 3 R, K
Miami SO 3B Harold Martinez 2-4, 2 HR, BB, 4 RBI, 2 R, K

Oregon State JR 3B Stefen Romero 3-5, HR, 2B, 4 RBI, 3 R, K

UCLA JR OF Brett Krill 3-5, R

Texas A&M SR CF Brodie Greene 3-4, BB, 4 RBI, 2 R, K

• The senior just keeps on rolling along. I hope he maintains this pace (well, maybe not this pace…he’d break records if he kept this up) and gets himself drafted in the upper 25 rounds as a solid organizational senior sign with the potential to someday have some value playing all over the diamond. What can I say? I’m a sucker for versatile college seniors from big-time college baseball programs. Interesting to note the former middle infielder is now playing centerfield.

Tennessee JR CF Josh Liles 3-5, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R

Tennessee JR 2B/SS Khayyan Norfolk 4-5, SB, RBI, 2 R

Washington JR 1B Troy Scott 2-4, 2B, R, 2 K

Villanova JR OF Matt Szczur 4-6, 2B, SB, 4 RBI, 2 R

• I kept Szczur off the top Big East outfielder list a few weeks ago, but only because I was still considering him as a potential catcher first and foremost. I may have to go back and add him to the list of players to watch because 1) word out of Villanova is that he has looked good enough in the outfield that the team thinks he can be a real asset in a corner professionally, and 2) he’s a damn fine hitter that ranks up there with almost any Big East outfielder in upside.

Pittsburgh JR 3B Joe Leonard 2-6, HR, 2B, 6 RBI, 3 R, 2 K

NC State SO C/1B Pratt Maynard 3-6, HR, 2 BB, 6 RBI, 3 R
NC State FR OF Tarran Senay 4-6, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 4 R, 2 K

• A pair of underclassmen that I’m unreasonably high on at this point. I think Maynard will shoot up draft boards this spring and wind up in the mix for first college catcher taken in 2011. Heck of a first game for the toolsy Senay, a player with massive raw power.

“Big” Name 2010s

Georgia Tech JR RHSP Deck McGuire – 7 IP 5 H 0 ER 0 BB 10 K
Florida Gulf Coast JR LHSP Chris Sale – 2 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 2 K
LSU JR RHSP Anthony Ranaudo – 5 IP 1 H 0 ER 2 BB 6 K
North Carolina JR RHSP Matt Harvey – 5.2 IP 5 H 3 ER 2 BB 3 K
Ohio State JR RHSP Alex Wimmers – 6 IP 1 H 0 ER 1 BB 9 K
Georgia Tech JR RHRP Kevin Jacob – 1 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 3 K
Mississippi JR LHSP Drew Pomeranz – 4 IP 4 H 1 ER 2 BB 7 K
Georgia JR RHSP Justin Grimm – 5 IP 4 H 2 ER 3 BB 6 K
Tennessee JR LHSP Bryan Morgado – 5 IP 4 H 3 ER 2 BB 6 K
Baylor JR RHSP Shawn Tolleson – 6 IP 5 H 3 ER 3 BB 11 K

Not really a bad line out of the entire Opening Night starter bunch, I’d say. Pomeranz’s command was shaky, Ranaudo’s stuff wasn’t as sharp as it could have been, and Harvey was all over the place with his control, but, all in all, a darn fine night for college baseball’s aces.

*** Sale only pitched two innings because he’s being saved for this upcoming Wednesday’s huge game at Miami. He was incredibly sharp in this one, hitting the mid-90s with regularity. Sale vs Miami is shaping up to be one of the most highly anticipated early season mid-week games in recent memory.

*** Baseball America had Harvey sitting 92-94, touching 96. Lack of control or not, that kind of velocity this early in the season is an excellent sign for Harvey, a pitcher with a history of inconsistent radar gun readings.

*** Best publicly available groundout ratios of the night belong to Harvey (10/1 ground out to air out ratio) and Wimmers (7/1). Use that information anyway you see fit.

“Lesser” Name 2010s

San Diego SR RHSP AJ Griffin – 6 IP 6 H 4 ER 0 BB 8 K
East Carolina JR RHSP Seth Maness – 5.2 IP 6 H 4 ER 1 BB 4 K
Notre Dame JR RHSP Cole Johnson – 5.1 IP 5 H 2 ER 0 BB 2 K
Virginia JR RHRP Tyler Wilson – 3 IP 2 H 0 ER 2 BB 4 K
Clemson JR LHSP Casey Harman – 5 IP 1 H 0 ER 1 BB 3 K
Louisville JR RHSP Thomas Royse – 5 IP 2 H 0 ER 0 BB 5 K
Arkansas SR RHSP Michael Bolsinger 5 IP 4 H 1 ER 1 BB 6 K
Florida JR RHSP Tommy Toledo – 3.1 IP 3 H 0 ER 2 BB 4 K (WP, 2 HBP)

*** Griffin had a bizarre 1/9 ground out to air out ratio. I’m almost positive Griffin was a significant groundball pitcher last year, so it’ll be interesting to see if this one start was an aberration or the start of a larger trend.

*** Johnson has a solid reputation and good stuff, but he still hasn’t been able to harness his natural talents to dominate at the college level. The solid line he put up on Friday is indicative of his college performance thus far. Steady results, uninspiring strikeout numbers.

*** Wilson is coming out of the bullpen because Virginia has a pitching staff that rivals that of some minor league teams, but his stuff is good enough to start professionally. He’s a top ten round player.

“Big” Name 2011s

Vanderbilt SO RHSP Sonny Gray 8 IP 3 H 0 ER 1 BB 8 K
UCLA SO RHSP Gerrit Cole – 6 IP 1 H 2 ER 0 BB 9 K
Texas SO RHSP Taylor Jungmann – 7 IP 7 H 1 ER 1 BB 8 K
Virginia SO LHSP Danny Hultzen – 6 IP 4 H 2 ER 3 BB 4 K
Kentucky SO RHSP Alex Meyer – 5 IP 4 H 2 ER 3 BB 8 K

Totals: 32 IP 19 H 7 ER 8 BB 37 K

Those five 2011 arms are something special. I’ve been toying with a 2011 Mock Draft for a couple of days and every time I do a rough sketch of the first ten to fifteen picks or so, all of the names above appear…but each time I do it, I come up with a new order. I think I like them in the order I have them above, but that’ll change, oh, about ten thousand times between now and next June.

The GO/AO numbers for the quintet: Jungmann – 9/1, Cole – 7/2, Hultzen – 9/3, Gray – 10/4, and Meyer – 2/4.

“Lesser” Name 2011s

Baylor SO RHSP Logan Verrett – 7 IP 9 H 6 ER 1 BB 5 K
Rice SO LHSP Taylor Wall – 3 IP 4 H 3 ER 2 BB 3 K

Verrett and Wall both struggled some in their debuts, but they are still both 2011s well keeping a close on eye, Verrett especially. He’s a pitcher that would be getting a lot more attention (talked about as a serious top of the first half round candidate) if he wasn’t part of such a loaded class. Timing is everything, I suppose.