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2010 College Baseball Week Three Preview

5 Mar 2010 5:09 AM / 5 Comments on 2010 College Baseball Week Three Preview

Wright State @ Virginia – Wright State goes into their weekend matchup against college baseball’s best team with a pretty solid nucleus of pro prospects. Included in that bunch are SR OF Casey McGrew (2010), JR RHP Max Friedman (2010), SR 3B Quentin Cate (2010), SO OF/1B Tristan Moore (2011), and FR LHP Cody Kopilchack (2012). All but Moore — the best prospect of the group, for what it’s worth — have struggled in the early going.

Georgia @ Florida State – The Seminoles try to keep the momentum going after an impressive effort against the defending National League champion Phillies on Wednesday. Florida State lost that game 13-6, but not before jumping out to a 5-0 lead based on the strength of the lineup battering Phillippe Aumont. Justin Grimm on Friday, John Gast on Saturday, and Michael Palazzone on Sunday will keep the series lively.

Middle Tennessee State @ Jacksonville State – Or Bryce Brentz @ Todd Cunningham, if you prefer.

Ball State v Pittsburgh – Two of my favorite non-first round college infield prospects go head to head as Kolbrin Vitek and the boys take on Joe Leonard’s Panthers. The last three times I’ve typed Joe Leonard’s name, I typed Leo Jeonard by accident. Pretty sure that means my brain is broken. This time I got it right the first time, I’m proud to share.

Arizona State v Oregon State – An abundance of offensive talent (Marrero, Ruettiger, Maggi, Calhoun, MacPhee, Torrez [x2], Newman, Barnes, Wilson, Maggi) squaring off against one of the deepest pitching staffs (Peavey, Waldron, Gaviglio, Sitton, Nygren, Robles, Rhoderick) in the country.

Florida @ Miami – Can the winner of this series lay claim to best team in the state? Depends on Florida State’s weekend, I suppose. From a prospect standpoint, I’d rank them Florida, Miami, and Florida State, but Florida State may have the best on-field college team of the threesome. Go figure. Apologies to South Florida (a fine college squad with lots of underrated pro talent) and, of course, Chris Sale.

Houston College Classic – Can the winner of this tournament (namely the Texas Christian v Texas Tech, Rice v Texas, and Texas Christian v Rice games) within a tournament (6-team quasi-round robin that also includes Houston and Missouri) lay claim to best team in the state? I wish I could be there in person to find out. 9 games in 3 days for just $30? That’s some serious value. Then again, I just bought this on sale for only $45:

Now that’s value! It’s alright to be jealous of my exciting, luxurious lifestyle.

Other series of note include Rutgers @ Georgia Tech, South Carolina @ Clemson, Michigan @ North Carolina, Arkansas @ California, Cal State Fullerton @ Arizona, Mississippi @ Tulane, Kentucky @ San Diego, Alabama @ College of Charleston, Florida Gulf Coast @ Wichita State, Washington @ Long Beach State, and Oregon @ Fresno State.

2011 MLB Draft Prospect: UCLA RHSP Gerrit Cole – Proceed With Caution

4 Mar 2010 4:55 AM / 2 Comments on 2011 MLB Draft Prospect: UCLA RHSP Gerrit Cole – Proceed With Caution

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.

Sunday Night Notes – 2010 College Baseball Week Two

3 Mar 2010 5:22 AM / 2 Comments on Sunday Night Notes – 2010 College Baseball Week Two

Three posts in one day? A new record, I think. The first two can be found by scrolling below, or, if you are lazy like me, by clicking on the links humbly provided right below. See, you barely have to even scan your eyeballs downward. Can’t beat that kind of convenience. After you finish reading those, check out some random thoughts from college baseball’s Sunday schedule. You know, if you want. No pressure. I mean, it’s a free country, right? Unless you are reading this overseas somewhere, like maybe North Korea. Though I suppose if you are in North Korea then it’s extremely doubtful you can even access this site what with all the restrictions and censorship and whatnot. If you are somehow reading this in a totalitarian state, then you really have no choice but to continue reading. Your government wants you, nay!, needs you to keep going. So keep going!

Saturday Night Pitchers (2/27/10)

Saturday Night Hitters (2/27/10)

Sunday Night Notes (2/28/10)

In a year where we’ve already seen some big two-sport college stars (Gerhart, Jones, Cooper) drop America’s game for something called the “NFL,” JR OF Kyle Parker (Clemson) has emerged as a potential early round pick by pounding the ball all over the field through the early part of the schedule. His two home run day Sunday is encouraging.

Anthony Rendon (Rice) walked twice on Sunday, bringing his season total up to a whopping 13 bases on balls total. He’s only getting on base a disappointing 61% (give or take) of the time so far. Bust.

JR RHP Cole Green (Texas) put up a beauty of a line in relief of Austin Dicharry: 5 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 6 K

The Poulk brothers — Drew and Dallas — of North Carolina State were at it again with 3 hits each against Coastal Carolina.

OF Rico Noel (Coastal Carolina) is making the best of his best tool so far. Two more steals brings his season total up to 10.

JR RHP Greg Peavey (Oregon State) went the distance in a complete game shutout of Tennessee. His final line: 9 IP 3 H 0 ER 1 BB 9 K

Random Sunday Observation #1: A disproportionate number of pitchers came in out of relief and shut down a previously hard hitting opposing lineup for multiple innings at a stretch. Take the example of Cole Green above as a tiny piece of evidence of this. Roster restrictions make having a quality arm capable of soaking up crucial mid- to late-game innings more of a necessity than a luxury at big time programs these days. It’s one of the cooler quirks of college baseball, I think. It’s also a pretty darn efficient utilization of resources if you ask me.

San Diego’s M&M&M starting outfield hit 1-2-3 in the lineup on Sunday, reaching base 9 out of 14 plate appearances. Not a bad day at the office for Kevin Muno, Matt Moynihan, and James Meador.

San Diego’s JR RHP Kyle Blair was what you might call “effectively wild” on Sunday: 6.1 IP 3 H 3 ER 6 BB 11 K

Virginia Tech’s JR OF Austin Wates keeps on hitting (4-6, 2 3B, 2B, 2 R, 2 K) and JR SS Tim Smalling (3-6, HR, 2B, 6 RBI, R)

Random Sunday Observation #2: Going through the college box scores is a great way of getting a feel for where the cream of the crop is talent-wise. This one is a little out there, but is it possible Connecticut has the best 1-4 in college baseball? Pierre LePage, Nick Ahmed, George Springer, and Mike Olt make up a pretty darn impressive pro prospect quartet.

My love of Ball State JR Kolbrin Vitek continues to grow with every afternoon he hits like this (2-4, HR, BB, SB, RBI, 2 R) and pitches like this (5 IP 5 H 1 ER 1 BB 3 K)

I loved two big, raw collegiate arms going into last year so much I thought they’d both be first rounders in 2009. Those arms belonged to the bodies of Sam Dyson and Mike Nesseth. Dyson has pitched well in the early going and my strong positive feelings remain, but Mike Nesseth, well, what can I really say about Nebraska’s Mike Nesseth? It seems like he goes backwards every time he takes the hill. His Sunday line wasn’t a complete meltdown or anything, but if he’s going to be looked at as a reliever only (and I think he has to be at this point), he needs to start dominating out of the pen right quick. His most recent line: 1 IP 2 H 2 ER 0 BB 1 K

Can California SO RHP Dixon Anderson sneak his way into the first round? He’s a little bit like this year’s version of where Sam Dyson/Mike Nesseth were last year, from a development standpoint if nothing else. Performances like this will help his stock: 7 IP 5 H 0 ER 3 BB 7 K (12 GO/1 AO)

SO OFs Trey Watkins (LSU) and Jason Coats (TCU) had 5 hits apiece in their respective doubleheaders

Another SO OF, Johnny Ruettiger, had a nice 2-hit day Sunday, but the speedy outfielder somehow had not one of Arizona State’s 9 stolen bases.

Christian Colon and Gary Brown (Cal State Fullerton) combined to go 5-9 in the first game of their doubleheader and 1-7 in the next

Matt Purke (TCU) got hit around a bit: 2.1 IP 5 H 4 ER 2 BB 2 K

FR OF Brian Goodwin (North Carolina) with a 3-hit day against Maine

Saturday Night Hitters – 2010 College Baseball Week Two

3 Mar 2010 5:03 AM / 1 Comment on Saturday Night Hitters – 2010 College Baseball Week Two

Florida State SO 2B Sherman Johnson (2011): 3-4, HR, 2B, BB, SB, 6 RBI, 2 R; 1-1, HR, 2 BB, 3 RBI, 2 R

  • love the bat; could move to SS; great strike zone judgment; has some of every tool but power; 5-9, 160 pounds

Florida State JR CF Tyler Holt (2010): 1-2, 2B, 3 BB, 2 R; 3-4, HR, 2B, RBI, R

  • fantastic approach; above-average runner; great base runner; good defender; big hit tool

Virginia SO 3B Steven Proscia (2011): 3-4, HR, HBP, 3 RBI, 4 R

Virginia JR CF Jarrett Parker (2010): 3-4, 2B, RBI, 3 R

Virginia SR SS Tyler Cannon (2010): 3-4, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 3 R

Virginia JR C/1B OF Kenny Swab (2010): 4-6, 2 R

Virginia SO INF/C Keith Werman (2011): 4-4, 2 RBI, R

Coastal Carolina JR CF Rico Noel (2010): 2-3, 2B, BB, 2 SB, HBP, 2 RBI, 2 R; 2-3, 2 BB, 2 R

  • above-average speed, but plus runner; plus defense; 6-10th round talent

Coastal Carolina SR C Jose Iglesias (2010): 2-3, 2B, BB, RBI, R; 4-5, 2 2B, 4 RBI, R

Georgia Tech SO 3B Matt Skole (2011): 3-4, HR, RBI, 2 R, K

Georgia Tech JR 3B Derek Dietrich (2010): 1-3, HR, HBP, 3 RBI, 2 R

Georgia Tech JR OF Jeff Rowland (2010): 2-4, HR, 3B, BB, 2 RBI, 2 R

JR 2B/SS Chris Wychock (2010): 2-4, 2B, K; 2-4, BB, R, K

  • average runner; solid bat; 2B or 3B professionally; 6-0, 180 pounds

SO 2B Zack MacPhee (2011): 2-5, BB, SB, RBI, 2 R; 2-5, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 K

  • patient approach; good defender

Stanford JR 2B Colin Walsh (2010): 3-3, 2B, BB

  • Walsh reminds me a little bit of present day Luis Castillo, also known as Luis Castillo after losing his wheels. He’s got a pretty swing that has scouts projecting more power in his future than he has shown thus far. Hopefully that little bit of pop begins to show up in 2010 because another year of slugging .376 won’t cut it. He has an outstanding glove at second that may actually be good enough to work at shortstop, giving hope that he can be a utility infielder in the mold of Marco Scutaro someday. If even just a little bit more power shows up this year, he could find himself off the board within the first 7 or 8 rounds this June.

Texas JR RF Tant Shepherd (2010): 2-2, HR, 3 BB, 2 RBI, 2 R

Miami SR 2B Scott Lawson (2010): 0-0, 3 BB, RBI, 2 R

Miami JR C Yasmani Grandal (2010): 2-5, 5 RBI, R, BB, K

Miami SO 3B Harold Martinez (2011): 2-5, HR 3 RBI, R

Wright State SO OF/1B Tristan Moore (2011): 1-4, HR, 3 RBI, R, K

  • leadoff man profile; strong hit tool; above-average speed; very strong arm; RF professionally; questionable power potential; very raw but very talented; 6-2, 195 pounds

Clemson SO SS Brad Miller (2011): 2-3, 2 2B, RBI, 3 R plus speed; strong arm; very good defensive tools; power potential is there

Rice SO 3B Anthony Rendon (2011): 2-2, 2B, 2 BB, RBI, R

Louisville SO OF/LHP Stewart Ijames (2010): 4-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R

Arkansas SO 3B Zack Cox (2010): 2-4, HR BB, 4 RBI, 2 R

East Carolina JR OF Devin Harris (2010): 0-3, 3 K

  • 60 power, 65 arm, 60 speed; great athlete; 3-6th round talent

East Carolina JR CF Trent Whitehead (2010): 3-5, 2B, RBI, R, K

  • good pop; above-average speed; great range

Tennessee JR C Blake Forsythe (2010): 2-4, HR, BB, 4 RBI, 2 R, K JR

Tennessee 3B Matt Duffy (2010): 3-5, 3 RBI, R, K

Oklahoma SO 3B Garrett Buechele (2011): 3-4, 2B, R

Ohio State SR CF Michael Stephens (2010): 4-4, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R

  • good defender; plus power potential; heady player

Southern Mississippi SO SS BA Vollmuth (2011): 4-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R

  • above-average raw power; great swing; good athlete; plus arm; 3B professionally; plus arm; big performance on Cape; 6-3, 200 pounds

Bowling Green SO SS Jon Berti (2011): 3-5, SB, R

Duke SR OF Gabriel Saade (2010): 3-4, SB, 2 RBI

Boston College JR CF Robbie Anston (2010): 3-3, 2B, R

Kent State SO SS Jimmy Rider (2011): 5-6, 2B, SB, BB, 3 RBI, 2 R; 0-4, BB

Wake Forest JR CF Steven Brooks (2010): 1-4, HR, BB, 3 RBI, R; 1-2, 2B, 3 BB, R

Stetson SO 2B Robert Crews (2010): 4-5, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 4 R

Villanova SO OF Matt Szczur (2010): 3-5, 3B, RBI, R, K

Bethune-Cookman JR OF Matt Wright (2010): 3-4, BB, 3 SB, 2 RBI, 3 R

Missouri SR OF Aaron Senne (2010): 3-5, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

  • advanced idea of strike zone; 5-15th round talent

Auburn JR 1B Hunter Morris (2010): 3-5, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R, K

Pittsburgh JR 3B Joe Leonard (2010): 3-5, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, 2 K

  • good athlete; plus arm, 93 on mound; power is his biggest question mark; 2-3rd round talent; 6-5, 220 pounds

Pacific JR OF Nick Longmire (2010): 3-3, 2B, 2 BB, 2 R; 1-4, R

UNC Wilmington JR C Cody Stanley (2010): 2-4, BB, 3 RBI, R

  • impressive on Cape; good athlete; solid runner; quick arm; 4-6th round talent

SR OF Ryan Strausborger (2010): 2-5, 2B, SB, HBP, 2 RBI, 3 R, K; 0-2, 2 BB, 2 K

  • plus speed; good range in CF; decent arm; leadoff hitter profile, patient with pop; smart base runner; has played SS and 2B; 6-0, 180 pounds

Alabama JR SS Josh Rutledge (2010): 4-5, HBP, RBI, 5 R; 0-4

Wichita State SR 1B Clint McKeever (2010): 4-5, HR, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 2 R, K

Middle Tennessee State JR OF Bryce Brentz (2010): 2-5, 2B, RBI, 2 R, K

Ohio JR OF Gauntlett Eldemire (2010): 2-4, BB, 2 RBI, K

Saturday Night Pitchers – 2010 College Baseball Week Two

3 Mar 2010 3:38 AM / 1 Comment on Saturday Night Pitchers – 2010 College Baseball Week Two

William & Mary JR RHP Logan Billbruogh (2010): 5.1 IP 9 H 5 ER 2 BB 2 K

  • 89-90 FB; plus slider; projectable

Louisiana State JR RHP Austin Ross (2010): 5 IP 4 H 4 ER 1 BB 8 K

Louisiana State JR RHP Mitch Mormann (2010): 3 IP 3 H 1 ER 0 BB 3 K

Florida State SO LHP Sean Gilmartin (2011): 6 IP 5 H 0 ER 1 BB 7 K

  • 85-89 FB; sweeping 70-73 above-average CB; very good 74-76 CU; SL could be average pitch with time

Florida State JR LHP John Gast (2010): 5 IP 2 H 0 ER 2 BB 6 K

  • personal favorite with a big-time arm and plenty of untapped potential

Virginia JR RHP Robert Morey (2010): 7 IP 4 H 2 ER 2 BB 4 K

  • 88-92; quality SL

Virginia FR RHP Branden Kline (2012): 1 IP 1 H 0 ER 0 BB 2 K

  • 88-93 FB; 6-3, 190

SR LHP Daniel Bilbona (2010): 5.1 IP 8 H 6 ER 2 BB 2 K

  • plus CU; 86-88 FB; good cutter; plus command; 6-0, 170

JR LHP Cody Wheeler (2010): 7.2 IP 10 H 3 ER 1 BB 5 K

  • 87-92 FB; sharp 80-82 SL; good CU

JR RHP Brandon Cumpton (2010): 7 IP 1 H 0 ER 3 BB 4 K (14 GO/1 AO)

  • 91-93 FB; plus 74-77 CB with 11-5 break; decent 80-83 CU; good mechanics; 6-1, 190 pounds

Arizona State FR RHP Brady Rodgers (2012): 5 IP 5 H 0 ER 0 BB 7 K

Arizona State SO RP Mitchell Lambson (2011): 3 IP 3 H 1 ER 0 BB 3 K

  • outstanding CU

Stanford FR RHP Chris Jenkins (2012): 2 IP 0 H 0 ER 2 BB 3 K

Stanford SO LHP Scott Snodgress (2011): 3.2 IP 5 H 2 ER 4 BB 2 K

  • low- to mid- 90s FB, touches 96; potentially above-average CB and CU; 6-5, 210 pounds

Texas JR RHP Brandon Workman (2010): 5 IP 6 H 2 ER 2 BB 6 K

Texas JR RHP Chance Ruffin (2010): 3.2 IP 1 H 0 ER 0 BB 4 K

  • 87-89, breaking ball, CU; good control

Miami JR LHP Chris Hernandez (2010): 7 IP 3 H 1 ER 3 BB 9 K

  • plus cutter

North Carolina JR RHP Patrick Johnson (2010): 6 IP 9 H 1 ER 1 BB 5 K

  • 90-92 FB; good SL; CU

Maine FR RHP Jeffrey Gibbs (2012): 5.1 IP 3 H 2 ER 3 BB 7 K

  • down year or not, and make no mistake it’ll be a big down year in Chapel Hill, a win over North Carolina is still a feather in his cap

Nebraska JR RHP Michael Mariot (2010): 5 IP 5 H 3 ER 3 BB 5 K

  • 91-92 FB; very good CB; average at best CU; good FB command; 6-0, 175 pounds

Rice SO LHP Taylor Wall (2011): 7 IP 5 H 3 ER 0 BB 5 K

  • upper-80s FB; plus CU; average at best CB and SL; CB shows more potential; repeatable mechanics; 6-2, 180 pounds

Arkansas SO LHP Drew Smyly (2010): 4 IP 7 H 4 ER 1 BB 8 K

  • 90-92 FB with sink; has hit 94; 6-3, 190 pounds

East Carolina SO LHP Kevin Brandt (2011): 6.2 IP 5 H 2 ER 3 BB 6 K

  • high-80s FB; solid CU

South Carolina JR RHP Sam Dyson (2010): 4 IP 2 H 2 ER 1 BB 5 K

Tennessee SO LHP Steven Gruver (2010): 7 IP 3 H 0 ER 1 BB 9 K

  • 89-91 FB with more there; plus command; breaking ball and CU need work; 6-2, 205 pounds

Oregon State JR LHP Tanner Robles (2010): 3.2 IP 5 H 1 ER 2 BB 3 K

Oregon State SO RHP Sam Gaviglio (2011): 3 IP 3 H 0 ER 2 BB 3 K

  • 91 peak FB; above-average hard SL; developing CU that flashes plus; plus command; 6-1, 180 pounds

Oklahoma SR RHP Jeremy Erben (2010): 4 IP 1 H 0 ER 0 BB 7 K

Ohio State JR RHP Dean Wolosiansky (2010): 6 IP 7 H 2 ER 3 BB 3 K

  • 86-88 FB; solid SL; good command

Notre Dame JR RHP Brian Dupra (2010): 3.2 IP 8 H 6 ER 2 BB 1 K

  • 91-94 FB; 88-91 cutter; good 79-81 SL; 6-3, 205 pounds

Oakland SO RHP Kyle Teague (2011): 5 IP 5 H 6 ER 3 BB 4 K

  • 87-89 FB with good sink; decent breaking ball; CU needs a lot of work; clean delivery; 6-0, 170 pounds

Mississippi SR RHP Aaron Barrett (2010): 6 IP 2 H 1 ER 2 BB 7 K

  • 89-93 FB, peaking at 94; good CU; very good at times 82-85 SL; 6-4, 205 pounds

Southern Mississippi SR RHP Scott Copeland (2010): 7 IP 5 H 3 ER 1 BB 7 K

  • good sinker; groundball pitcher (10 GO/3 AO on Saturday); 6-4, 210

Texas A&M SO RHP John Stilson (2011): 4 IP 0 H 0 ER 3 BB 5 K

  • 97 peak FB; good athlete

Baylor SO RHP Logan Verrett (2011): 7 IP 11 H 4 ER 1 BB 7 K

  • 91-94, CU with fade, SL with potential; very good command; 6-2, 170

Kentucky FR LHP Taylor Rogers (2012): 6 IP 6 H 1 ER 2 BB 3 K

  • 88-92 FB; plus 78-80 CB; plus CU; lots of projection; lots of polish; 6-3, 170

Vanderbilt JR RHP Taylor Hill (2010): 6 IP 8 H 1 ER 2 BB 2 K

  • 88-93 FB with sink; 80-82 plus SL; very good 78-79 sinking CU; mechanics need smoothing out; 6-4, 225 pounds

Duke SO LHP Eric Pfisterer (2011): 5 IP 9 H 4 ER 1 BB 4 K

Virginia Tech JR RHP Jesse Hahn (2010): 7 IP 8 H 2 ER 1 BB 5 K

South Florida FR RHP Ray Delphey (2012): 6 IP 3 H 2 ER 3 BB 6 K

  • 90-93 FB; good SL; 5-10, 200

Michigan JR RHP Matt Miller (2010): 6 IP 7 H 2 ER 2 BB 5 K

  • low-90s FB, peak 94; good low-80s SL; command needs work; 6-6, 215 pounds

Kansas JR RHP TJ Walz (2010): 6 IP 7 H 2 ER 0 BB 7 K

  • 91-94 FB; CU; CB

Gonzaga SO LHP Ryan Carpenter (2011): 5.1 IP 6 H 7 ER 4 BB 5 K

  • heavy 92-94 FB, touching 95 with movement; above-average SL, dominant at times; inconsistent CU; 6-5, 215 pounds

Duquesne JR 3B/RHP Andrew Heck (2010): 5 IP 7 H 5 ER 0 BB 4 K

  • 88-89 sinking FB; good SL; great command of strike zone; 6-2, 205 pounds

Missouri JR RHP Nick Tepesch (2010): 5 IP 7 H 5 ER 1 BB 3 K

Long Beach State SO RHP Drew Gagnon (2011): 6 IP 4 H 1 ER 1 BB 3 K

  • upper-80s to low-90s FB, has hit 93-94; promising breaking ball; 6-2, 188 pounds

UC Santa Barbara JR LHP Mario Hollands (2010): 8 IP 2 H 0 ER 3 BB 4 K

Virginia Commonwealth FR RHP Blake Hauser (2012): 7 IP 3 H 1 ER 0 BB 4 K (14 GO/2 AO)

Virginia Commonwealth JR RHP/3B Joe Van Meter (2010): 2 IP 2 H 1 ER 4 BB 0 K

  • plus arm; 90-92 FB; 95-97 at one point in past; near-plus low-80s CB; 6-3, 200 pounds

Tulane SR LHP Matt Petiton (2010): 7 IP 3 H 1 ER 2 BB 7 K

Alabama JR RHP Jimmy Nelson (2010): 5 IP 1 H 1 ER 0 BB 6 K

  • 88-92; 80-82 above-average big league SL; CU; 6-6, 235 pounds

Wichita State SO RHP Jordan Cooper (2010): 6 IP 3 H 1 ER 0 BB 6 K

Friday Night Hitters – 2010 College Baseball Week Two

2 Mar 2010 5:26 AM / 1 Comment on Friday Night Hitters – 2010 College Baseball Week Two

Same drill as yesterday, but today we’ll take a closer look at some interesting hitting lines. Lines from Saturday are finished and should be published later in the day. As for Sunday’s lines…well, we’ll see.

These recaps take a silly amount of time to compile and, while I’m not normally one to complain about spending so much time reading/writing about baseball, I’m thinking it would be best for my own sanity to find a more streamlined approach to this subsection of the site. Of course, I’m a perfectionist who loathes the idea of publishing anything I’m not completely proud of, so it may take me a few days of racking my brain to figure out how I’ll do that exactly, but I’ll get there. It all comes down to this simple question: Is it worth it? In a vacuum, I’d say definitely, but the opportunity cost is considerable. Five hours spent putting one of these together can be spent doing other site related writing, you know? Something to think about, I suppose. As always, I’m open to any and all suggestions.

James Madison SR OF Matt Townsend (2010): 3-3, 2 BB, 2 RBI, 2 R

Coastal Carolina JR 3B Scott Woodward (2010): 2-2, 2 SB, 2 HBP, 2 RBI, 2 R

Coastal Carolina SO RF Daniel Bowman (2011): 1-2, 2B, 2 BB, 2 RBI, K

Tennessee JR 1B Cody Hawn (2010): 2-3, 2B

Oregon State FR 2B Tyler Smith (2012): 3-6, 2B, SB, 3 RBI, 3 R, K

  • very good glove; strong arm; above-average speed; gap power; 6-0, 175

Valparaiso SO RF Kyle Gaedele (2011): 2-4, HR, BB, SB, 4 RBI, 2 R

Mississippi SO 1B Matt Snyder (2011): 3-4, BB, 2 HR, 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R

  • mature approach; above-average raw power; below-average defender; below-average speed; 6-6, 195 pounds

Mississippi SO C Taylor Hightower (2011): 2-2, 2 BB, R

  • some pop; plus defender in all phases behind dish

San Diego SR RF James Meador (2010): 2-3, HR, BB, 3 SB, 2 RBI, R, K

  • good natural hitter; some pop; strong arm

Kentucky SO 3B Andy Burns (2011): 0-2, 3 BB, SB, R, K

Virginia JR 2B Phil Gosselin (2010): 2-3, HR, 2B, BB, RBI, 2 R, K

Virginia JR OF Dan Grovatt (2010): 2-4, SB, RBI, R

Virginia SO Steven Proscia (2011): 2-4, 3B, 2 RBI, R, 2 K

Virginia JR OF Jarrett Parker (2011): 2-4, SB, HBP, RBI, 2 R, K

North Carolina State JR LF Russell Wilson (2010): 1-2, HR, 3 RBI, R

Georgia Tech JR SS Derek Dietrich (2010): 2-4, R

Arizona State FR SS Deven Marrero (2012): 2-2, 3B, 2 RBI, R

  • advanced defender; plus arm; average power potential; average speed; 6-1, 174

Arizona State SO 2B Zack MacPhee (2011): 3-3, 3B, 2 BB, SB, 2 R

  • patient approach; good defender

Arizona State SO 3B Riccio Torrez (2011): 3-5, 2B, RBI, R

  • solid defender who can hang anywhere in infield; legit power potential

Stanford FR OF Jake Stewart (2012): 0-4, 2 K

Stanford FR 3B Kenny Diekroeger (2012): 0-3, 2 K

JR C Cameron Rupp (2010): 1-2, 2B, BB, HBP, RBI, R

  • plus raw power; plus arm; slow; 6-2, 235 pounds

Texas Christian SO LF Jason Coats (2011): 3-4, HR, 2B, HBP, 2 RBI, 2 R, K

  • plus athlete; very strong; special bat speed; decent speed; average arm; plus raw power; may not stick in CF; 6-2, 195 pounds

Miami SO RF Nate Melendres (2011): 1-2, 3B, 3 BB, RBI

  • serious tools, but very raw; potential plus defender in CF; hacker; great speed; plus arm; 5-11, 185 pounds

Miami SO 3B Harold Martinez (2011): 2-3, 2B, BB, RBI, 2 R

  • above-average to plus raw power; impressive defender

Miami JR C Yasmani Grandal (2010): 2-5, K

North Carolina JR 1B Dillon Hazlett (2010): 1-3, HR, BB, 4 RBI, R

  • plus speed; good defender; strong arm; quick bat; some pop; 6-1, 180; played both 1B/SS on Friday

Wright State SO OF/1B Tristan Moore (2011): 2-5, 2B, R

  • leadoff man profile; strong hit tool; above-average speed; very strong arm; RF professionally; questionable power potential; very raw but very talented; 6-2, 195 pounds

Clemson JR RF Kyle Parker (2010): 3-3, BB, 2 R

  • plus raw power; plus arm strength, but lacks accuracy

Rice SO OF Jeremy Rathjen (2011): 3-4, HR, 4 RBI, R

  • above-average speed, power, and arm; too aggressive at plate; 6-5, 190 pounds

Rice SO 3B Anthony Rendon (2011): 1-2, 2 BB, 2 R

Rice JR SS Rick Hague (2010): 2-4, 2B, SB, RBI, R, K

Arkansas SO 3B Zack Cox (2010): 2-2, BB, HBP, RBI, 2 R

Arkansas 1B Andy Wilkins (2010): 1-3, HR, 2 BB, RBI, 2 R, K

Arkansas CF Brett Eibner (2010): 1-3, HR, 3 RBI, R

Boston College JR 3B Mickey Wiswall (2010): 2-3, 2 2B, 2 BB, 4 RBI, K

Virginia Tech JR OF Austin Wates (2010): 4-6, RBI, 2 R, K

  • gap power; good athlete; good speed; capable defender in CF; has played some 2B; good turn on Cape; 6-1, 174 pounds

Virginia Tech SR OF/C Steve Domecus (2010): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 BB, 3 RBI, 3 R, K

  • good arm, decent defender, good athlete, power potential; strong hit tool

Tulane JR 3B Rob Segedin (2010): 3-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, K 3 E

  • picture perfect swing; gap power; very mature hitting approach; decent defender; may be an outfielder as a pro; 6-3, 220 pounds

Georgia SO OF Peter Verdin (2011): 2-3, HR, 2B, SB, 2 RBI, R

  • plus athlete; toolsy; plus speed; plus arm; very good CF; power potential; has been tried at C; 6-0, 200 pounds

Wichita State JR OF Ryan Jones (2010): 3-5, 3B, 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R

Connecticut JR 3B Mike Olt (2010): 1-2, 3 BB, K

Northwestern SO 1B/RHP Paul Snieder (2011): 2-4, BB, R, 2 K…

  • also threw 2.2 shutout innings; very good power potential; good defender; mid-80s FB; sharp SL; 6-2, 220 pounds

Minnesota SO SS AJ Pettersen (2010): 2-3, 2B, BB, R

Villanova SO OF/C Matt Szczur (2010): 5-6, 2B, 4 R, K

  • good hit tool; good runner; strong arm; emerging power; easy top ten round player for me

West Virginia JR SS Jedd Gyorko (2010): 2-3, 2B, 2 BB, RBI, 2 R

UC Riverside SO C Rob Brantly (2010): 2-4, 2B, 2 R

Ball State JR 2B Kolbrin Vitek (2010): 3-5, HR, 2B, SB, RBI, 2 R, K

Santa Clara JR C/OF Tommy Medica (2010): 2-4, 2B, BB, 2 RBI, R, 2 K

Alabama JR 2B Ross Wilson (2010): 4-5, RBI, R, K

Ohio JR CF Gauntlett Eldemire (2010): 0-4, 3 K

Middle Tennessee State JR OF Bryce Brentz (2010): 2-4 2B BB, RBI, R, K

UT Arlington JR CF Michael Choice (2010): 0-3, 4 BB, 2 K

Friday Night Starters – 2010 College Baseball Week Two

1 Mar 2010 6:06 AM / 2 Comments on Friday Night Starters – 2010 College Baseball Week Two

I’m going to go through and organize this better later this afternoon, but I figure time sensitive material like this should go up as quickly as possible. That’s why you get a great big list of college pitchers to start your Monday morning. Potential first rounders are in bold. Quick notes were added for some players who aren’t as well known.

Mississippi LHP Drew Pomeranz: 7 IP 4 H 1 ER 0 BB 15 K

Mississippi FR LHP Jordan Cooper: 2 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 3 K

  • upper-80s FB, touching 90; 6-1, 185

Tennessee JR LHP Bryan Morgado (2010): 3.2 IP 5 H 8 ER 5 BB 8 K

Oregon State JR RHP Tyler Waldron (2010): 7.2 IP 5 H 1 ER 2 BB 2 K

Valparaiso JR RHP Bryce Shafer (2010): 5 IP 6 H 2 ER 6 BB 2 K

  • low-90s FB

Oklahoma JR RHP Zach Neal (2010): 6.1 IP 7 H 7 ER 2 BB 3 K

  • 87-90 sinking FB; plus control; 6-2, 205

Ohio State JR RHP Alex Wimmers (2010): 8 IP 5 H 1 ER 1 BB 6 K

South Florida JR RHP Randy Fontanez (2010): 6.2 IP 6 H 2 ER 2 BB 8 K

  • 88-91 sinking FB; quality CB and SL; working in a splitter

San Diego SO LHP Sammy Solis (2010): 6 IP 4 H 0 ER 2 BB 6 K

San Diego SR RHRP Matt Thompson (2010): 2 IP 2 H 0 ER 1 BB 4 K

Southern Mississippi JR RHP Todd McInnis (2010): 6.2 IP 8 H 3 ER 1 BB 10 K

  • 88-92 FB; very good 12-6 CB; hard SL; decent CU; slight frame, but solid arsenal

Vanderbilt SO RHP Sonny Gray (2011): 4.1 IP 7 H 5 ER 2 BB 6 K

UCLA SO RHP Gerrit Cole (2011): 5 IP 4 H 2 ER 2 BB 8 K

Texas A&M JR RHP Barret Loux (2010): 5 IP 6 H 1 ER 2 BB 6 K

  • 98 peak FB; sits low- to mid-90s with sinking FB; coming off of elbow injury

Bowling Green JR RHP Brennan Smith (2010): 3.2 IP 4 H 4 ER 5 BB 0 K

  • 94 peak FB; above-average splitter

Kentucky SO RHP Alex Meyer (2011): 5.2 IP 7 H 2 ER 1 BB 6 K

Rhode Island SR RHP Tim Boyce (2010): 5 IP 7 H 6 ER 2 BB 6 K

  • 88-92 FB; good slow CB; hard SL; darting CU; plus command; 6-2, 190 pounds

Virginia LHP Danny Hultzen (2011): 7 IP 2 H 0 ER 0 BB 12 K

North Carolina State SO RHP Cory Mazzoni (2011): 7 IP H 0 ER 2 BB 4 K

  • 88-90 FB, peaking at 91-92; SL; CB; CU; 6-1, 170 pounds

UC Irvine SR RHP Christian Bergman (2010): 6 IP 6 H 2 ER 2 BB 5 K

  • sinking 89-91 FB; above-average SL; CU; 6-1, 180 pounds

Georgia Tech JR RHP Deck McGuire (2010): 7 IP 7 H 2 ER 2 BB 6 K

Arizona State FR RHP Jake Barrett (2012): 1 IP 1 H 0 ER 1 BB 3 K

  • heavy 94 peak FB; high-70s above-average CB; solid command; great build; 6-4, 235

Arizona State JR RHP Seth Blair (2010): 5 IP 6 H 1 ER 2 BB 9 K

  • at his best features a low-90s FB with late life and serious sink; flashes plus CU; solid CB; SL needs polish; good arm action; 6-2, 190 pounds

Texas SO RHP Taylor Jungmann (2011): 7 IP 4 H 0 ER 4 BB 10 K

Stanford SO RHP Jordan Pries (2011): 5.1 IP 7 H 6 ER 4 BB 0 K

Stanford FR RHP Mark Appel (2012): 1.2 IP 0 H 0 ER 1 BB 0 K

  • 94 FB peak with good sink; power breaking ball; 6-5, 195

JR RHP Steven Maxwell (2010): 6.1 IP 2 H 1 ER 3 BB 2 K

  • Tommy John surgery survivor; 88-94 FB; above-average power 78-82 CB; problem with pitching up in zone too often

Cal State Fullerton JR RHP Daniel Renken (2010): 6 IP 6 H 3 ER 1 BB 5 K

  • plus command; quality CU

Miami JR LHP Eric Erickson (2010): 6 IP 4 H 3 ER 0 BB 9 K

  • coming back from Tommy John surgery

North Carolina JR RHP Matt Harvey (2010): 6.1 IP 3 H 1 ER 1 BB 9 K

Clemson JR LHP Casey Harman (2010): 5.2 IP 4 H 1 ER 3 BB 6 K

  • plus CU

Rice JR RHP Boogie Anagnostou (2010): 5.2 IP 3 H 2 ER 5 BB 1 K

  • 94 peak FB; normally pitches out of bullpen; 5-11, 200

Louisville JR RHP Thomas Royse (2010): 6 IP 2 H 0 ER 2 BB 9 K

  • 90-93 FB with plus life; plus FB command; rising up draft boards; 6-5

Michigan SR RHP/OF Alan Oaks (2010): 7 IP 5 H 2 ER 1 BB 7 K

  • FB sits low-90s, hitting 94; very raw pitching prospect; 6-3, 230 pounds

Arkansas SR RHP Mike Bolsinger (2010): 4 IP 4 H 1 ER 2 BB 3 K

  • sits 88-90, hits 92-93 with FB; good to plus low-80s SL; decent CU; could sneak into top-10 rounds; 6-2, 210 pounds

Boston College JR LHP Pat Dean (2010): 7 IP 11 H 5 ER 1 BB 4 K

  • plus FB command; CB; plus control; another player rising up boards

Florida Gulf Coast JR LHP Chris Sale (2010): 5 IP 3 H 0 ER 2 BB 6 K

Lipscomb SR RHP Josh Smith (2010): 6 IP 7 H 3 ER 5 BB 7 K

  • high-80s FB, touches 92; SL, CB, CU; 6-3, 210 pounds

Tulane JR RHP Conrad Flynn (2010): 8 IP 3 H 0 ER 0 BB 8 K

Georgia JR RHP Justin Grimm (2010): 5.2 IP 2 H 0 ER 4 BB 7 K

Wichita State JR RHP Tim Kelley (2010): 5.1 IP 7 H 2 ER 2 BB 4 K

Connecticut JR LHP Elliot Glynn (2010): 5 IP 5 H 1 ER 1 BB 5 K

  • upper-80s FB with good movement; solid SL

Notre Dame JR RHP Cole Johnson (2010): 4 IP 9 H 4 ER 4 BB 4 K

  • 88-92 FB; good SL

Iowa SO LHP Jarred Hippen (2011): 8.2 IP 6 H 3 ER 1 BB 8 K

Minnesota JR RHP Seth Rosin (2010): 4 IP 8 H 4 ER 0 BB 3 K

West Virginia JR RHP Jarryd Summers (2010): 5 IP 6 H 5 ER 2 BB 1 K

  • 92 peak FB

Missouri FR RHP/OF Eric Anderson (2012): 5 IP 4 H 0 ER 0 BB 5 K

  • 90-92; hard SL; easy mechanics; great athlete; 6-4, 210

Nebraska SO RHP Sean Yost (2010): 6 IP 7 H 3 ER 0 BB 5 K

  • 95 peak FB; quick riser; 6-7, 190 pounds

Oklahoma State SR LHP Tyler Lyons (2010): 7 IP 5 H 0 ER 1 BB 7 K

  • 88-90 FB; plus command

Kansas JR RHP Brett Bochy (2010): 2 IP 1 H 0 ER 0 BB 2 K

  • 94 peak FB

Washington State JR RHP Chad Arnold (2010): 6 IP 7 H 3 ER 1 BB 6 K

  • 88-91 FB; plus 80-81 SL; iffy CB; CU; command needs work; 6-4, 205 pounds

Texas Tech JR RHP Bobby Doran (2010): 7 IP 10 H 3 ER 2 BB 7 K (11 GO/0 AO)

  • 93-94 peak FB in relief; plus SL; solid CU; command needs work, very inconsistent; clean mechanics; 6-6, 225 pounds)\

Winthrop JR RHP Matteo D’Angelo (2010): 7.1 IP 7 H 1 ER 0 BB 7 K

  • great command; born in Italy

Long Beach State JR RHP Jake Thompson (2010): 5 IP 11 H 6 ER 2 BB 6 K

Arizona FR RHP Kurt Heyer (2012): 5.2 IP 11 H 4 ER 0 BB 7 K

Pepperdine SO RHP Cole Cook (2010): 7 IP 5 H 2 ER 3 BB 2 K

Cal Poly JR LHP Matt Leonard (2010): 6.1 IP 9 H 5 ER 1 BB 1 K

  • 88-90 FB; plus CU with great arm action; CB; improved control; 6-0, 185 pounds

San Francisco SR RHP Doug Murray (2010): 8 IP 9 H 0 ER 0 BB 6 K

  • according to his bio Murray “would like to be the Nesquick Bunny for a day so he could drink chocolate milk all day”

Loyola Marymount SO RHP Martin Viramontes (2010): 5 IP 9 H 5 ER 1 BB 4 K

  • 96 peak FB; sits 90-94; power CB that flashes plus; flashes plus CU; high risk/high reward; 6-4, 210

UC Riverside SO RHP Matt Andriese (2011): 7.1 IP 9 H 5 ER 0 BB 6 K

  • sinking 88-93 FB; quality SL; SF; great command; 6-2, 185 pounds

Old Dominion JR LHP Kyle Hald (2010): 6.2 IP 9 H 2 ER 1 BB 11 K

  • 85-88 FB; plus-plus SFCU; sharp SL; CB; great fielder, great pickoff move; nice mechanics; 5-11, 175 pounds

Ball State SO RHP Perci Garner (2010): 3.1 IP 2 H 1 ER 1 BB 6 K

  • easy 96 peak FB; sits 92-94; good mid-80s SL; raw throwing motion; SF has promise; another high risk/high reward type; 6-2, 225 pounds

Alabama SO LHP Adam Morgan (2011): 5 IP 7 H 1 ER 1 BB 6 K

  • 88-90 FB; plus breaking ball; plus command

California SO RHP Erik Johnson (2011): 6 IP 4 H 0 ER 2 BB 10 K

  • 90-93 FB; CB; CU needs work; command comes and goes; 6-3, 220 pounds

Missouri State Aaron Meade 6 IP 1 H 0 ER 6 BB 8 K

Oregon SR RHP Justin LaTempa 6 IP 6 H 2 ER 2 BB 6 K

  • sits 92-94 FB, touched 95-96; developing CU; flashes plus SL; shoulder injury shelved him in 2009

Gonzaga JR RHP Cody Martin (2010): 6.2 IP 3 H 2 ER 2 BB 13 K

UT Arlington SR RHP Jason Mitchell (2010): 9 IP 1 H 0 ER 1 BB 18 K (134 pitches)

  • Wow…

2010 College Baseball’s Second Weekend Kicks Off

26 Feb 2010 5:42 AM / Leave a comment

61 pages. 18,962 words. That’s the current status of my “College Draft Notes” Word document that I’m soon ready to unleash to the general public. I only really mention it because last night, at around the 18,000 word mark, Word stopped working for a moment to send me a notice saying the automatic spell check feature had to be disabled due to the excessive length of the document. Needless to say, that was a first for me and, for some reason, I really got a kick out of it. Anyway…

Sonny Gray v Gerrit Cole on tap tonight. That’s pretty damn exciting. I remember liking Gray over Cole when they were high schoolers, but the development of Cole’s secondary stuff has been nothing short of amazing. As outstanding as the 2011 draft class is shaping up to be, I’d still bet good money that the real debate at the top will come down to Rendon v Cole. Battle lines will be drawn, prospect ideologies will be tested, brother will oppose brother…all because of the soon to be raging Rendon v Cole debate. Anyway, again…

Some of the best of the best college baseball has to offer in the second weekend of the season. Some of the biggies are abundently clear like Vanderbilt @ UCLA, Stanford @ Texas, and Texas Christian @ Cal State Fullerton, but some upset specials could be on the forecast in series such as Maine @ North Carolina, Wright State @ Clemson, Elon @ Rice, and Texas State @ Baylor. Other intriguing matchups (mainly listed for prospect watching reasons) include Louisville v Michigan, South Carolina @ East Carolina, James Madison @ Coastal Carolina, Tennessee @ Oregon State, Oklahoma v Valparaiso, South Florida v Ohio State, San Diego State @ San Diego, Boston College @ Auburn, St. John’s v Minnesota, Notre Dame v Illinois, Kent State @ Wake Forest, Ohio @ Middle Tennessee State, and Oregon @ Hawaii.

College Baseball’s Opening Weekend 2010 – Sunday Starters

25 Feb 2010 5:15 AM / 1 Comment on College Baseball’s Opening Weekend 2010 – Sunday Starters

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

College Baseball’s Opening Weekend 2010 – Saturday’s Hitters

24 Feb 2010 4:39 AM / Leave a comment

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

College Baseball Opening Weekend 2010 – Saturday Starters

23 Feb 2010 5:07 AM / 1 Comment on College Baseball Opening Weekend 2010 – Saturday Starters

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

College Baseball 2010 Opening Weekend – Friday Night’s Hitters

22 Feb 2010 5:27 AM / Leave a comment

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.

College Baseball Opening Night 2010 – Friday Starters

20 Feb 2010 6:52 AM / 1 Comment on College Baseball Opening Night 2010 – Friday Starters

“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.

College Team Profiles: Wichita State Shockers

28 Jan 2010 4:17 AM / 1 Comment on College Team Profiles: Wichita State Shockers

One of the most popular (fine, the only) question I’ve been emailed since starting this site up goes a little something like this: I’m going to see ____ University/College/State play this weekend and I was wondering if there was anybody with a professional future that would be worth watching. The College Team Profiles are designed to preemptively answer any and all questions about the prospects from a particular college team…or maybe just open up a whole new debate full of new, even more confusing questions. We’ll see. The next three draft classes for one particular school are featured, with the players ranked in order (from greatest to least greatest) within each class.

As always, whether you agree, disagree, or think I’m a dope who should leave this sort of stuff to the experts (thanks, Mom)…let’s hear it via email (you can use either robozga at gmail dot com or thebaseballdraftreport at gmail dot com) or in the comments section.


2010

FR 3B/1B Johnny Coy (2010) has taken a long, strange trip to get to this point, but the eventual payoff could very well make it all worth it. Coy’s story began as a two-sport high school star, regarded by many as a better basketball prospect than baseball. After getting drafted by the Phillies in the 7th round, protracted and sometimes testy (allegedly) negotiations between player and team led to the two sides opting to go their separate ways. Coy’s older brother was reportedly heavily involved with negotiations, strongly pushing his bro to either a) get every last penny from the Phillies as possible (making him a greedy villain to many) or b) go to school and get a quality education. Coy wound up enrolling at Arizona State, but never made it to baseball season. He left the Sun Devils to move closer to home after his father suffered a stroke in late 2008. That led him to Wichita State. As a Shocker, Coy can now focus on honing his considerable baseball skills. All of his raw tools grade out as average or better – 55 speed, 60 arm, 65-70 raw power, average hit tool, and, perhaps most controversially, above-average upside with the glove at third. I remember not believing for a second that he’d ever stick at third after seeing video of him in high school, but all of the noise regarding his defensive progress coming out of Wichita has been positive. I’m a big believer in the big (6-8, 210 pound) righthanded freshman. As mentioned, Coy was a 7th round pick by the Phillies back in 2008. A good spring will get him three or four rounds higher than that, I think. All the typical signability concerns apply (Coy has three more seasons of eligibility left after this one), but the timing seems right for Coy to jump to pro ball, especially if his raw tools come together as quick as I believe.

SO RHP Jordan Cooper (2011) is coming off a fantastic freshman season and should once again thrive as Wichita State’s Saturday starter. His hard work on campus has helped him further develop his pro body and clean up his loose, easy, and repeatable throwing mechanics. He has a low-90s fastball, decent slider, an emerging changeup, and a curve still in its infancy. There isn’t a standout pitch in his arsenal just yet, but the ability to throw four (though closer to three and a half) pitches for strikes make him appealing as a potential back of the rotation starter. Another big year in 2010 ought to get him consideration as a top-five round pick, but, again, I’m not sure his limited upside will quite warrant such a lofty draft pick.

JR 1B Preston Springer (2010) is a big-time breakout candidate heading into 2010. In a year bereft of interesting college bats, Springer is a certifiable sleeper, a junior college transfer with a pro frame, above-average lefthanded power, and impressive plate discipline. He’ll play first base this spring for the Shockers, but he has defensive experience all over the diamond.  If his defense is even passable at third (something scouts may need to find out through pre-game infield practice, talking to former coaches, referencing old reports, or good old fashioned guesswork), then we’ve got ourselves a prospect worth getting excited about. I know his arm strength will play at the position, but his hands, range, and footwork are all question marks at this point. I’m out on an island putting Springer this high up on the list, but I believe in his bat.

SR OF Ryan Jones (2010) heads into the 2010 season with much to prove after a disappointing junior season knocked him all the way down to the 39th round of the 2009 MLB Draft. Jones’s season wasn’t terrible by any stretch, but it is fair to point out that he didn’t make the substantial gains from sophomore to junior year that many had hoped to see. He’s back for his senior year and primed for a season that could shoot him into the first fifteen rounds of the draft. Jones is an outstanding corner outfielder (typically playing right), athletic enough to get by when needed in center. He fits the mold as one of those smartly aggressive hitters, a player happy to spit on pitches he knows he can’t handle while not being bashful with his cuts on balls in his wheelhouse. This approach got him in trouble last year as he began to rapidly expand his idea of what pitch types and locations he could handle, but coaches close to him believe they have themselves a more patient, more mature, and, hopefully, more dangerous hitter now that he has another year of at bats under his belt. I like him as yet another tweener, a player who maybe shouldn’t play center regularly but who also doesn’t have the power bat needed to play a corner every day; tweeners have value when used properly, but the limited big league ceiling of guys with fourth outfielder upside tends to give many scouting staffs’ pause. Betting on college seniors to go early in the draft and then eventually reach the big leagues isn’t the smartest thing to do, but Jones has enough untapped upside to at least consider him as one of the select few within the group who has a shot to do both.

SR RHP Cobey Guy (2010) has some serious sleeper potential. His low-90s fastball and above-average slider give him the two strong pitch base that any good reliever needs. Guy’s swing-and-miss stuff has worked at every level (starting at Arkansas Fort Smith, relieving in limited innings last year at Wichita State), striking out 196 batters in just 154 innings pitched. If he can quickly lay claim to a key spot in the Wichita pen, then the exposure could help scouts take notice of his raw stuff and get him picked late this June.

JR RHP/OF Mitch Caster (2010) is a two-way prospect coming off a season where he did very little of note (.231/.308/.265 in 117 at bats, only 5.1 innings pitched) either way, but his scouting reports have remained positive all the same. He is a far better prospect as a pitcher than as a hitter due in large part to a fastball peaking at 92 MPH and a slider that flashes plus when on. He’s also a fine athlete capable of consistently repeating his loose and easy delivery. Like so many other prospects profiled thus far, Caster has the makings of two above-average or better pitches and thus has to be taken at least somewhat seriously as a potential middle relief piece going forward. Unlike a lot of those prospects, however, Caster gets a little extra credit for the potential for untapped pitching ability because of his time spent moonlighting in the outfield for the Shockers.

JR RHP Tim Kelley (2010), the ace of the Shockers staff, typically sits in the high-80s with an average changeup. He has a well earned reputation as a strike thrower with plus command.  Kelley is a bit of enigma, a guy with the size scouts want (6-6, 215), but not the velocity. He looks like he should throw harder, but so far the guns haven’t exactly been lit up when he takes the bump. That’s not to say he still can’t be a pro prospect, but it does put a pretty tight cap on his upside. Armed with a below-average velocity fastball and no real plus breaking ball, Kelley might have to hope a professional conversion to middle relief will unlock enough of a bump in his stuff to keep food on his table. Check out the comparison between Kelley and Saturday starter Jordan Cooper’s 2009 numbers. They are some bizarrely close statistics:

Player                 ERA   W-L   APP  GS  CG SHO/CBO SV    IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO  2B  3B  HR   AB B/Avg   WP HBP  BK  SFA SHA

11 Cooper, Jordan...  2.78   8-6    15  13   3   0/3    0  97.0  87  35  30  20  91   9   1   7  351  .248    6  15   0    2  10
36 Kelley, Tim......  2.86   5-4    14  14   3   1/0    0  94.1  83  40  30  22 102  20   0   8  356  .233   11  10   0    3   5

If we arbitrarily lump WPs and HBPs together as something called “uncontrollable pitches,” they are even more similar. Weird. Keep in mind Kelley is a year ahead of Cooper from an experience standpoint. Also keep in mind that Kelley redshirted his first season as a Shocker, so he actually is two calendar years older than Cooper.

SO RHP Remington Johnson (2010) was arguably the Shockers most dominant reliever last year, striking out 33 batters in only 21.1 innings pitched. He enters 2010 as a prime candidate to get saves out of the Wichita State bullpen. He is draft-eligible after redshirting in 2008, but probably won’t get a serious look from scouts until 2011 or 2012 due to his lack of overwhelming size (6-0, 198), stuff, and a non-stuffy old white guy first name.

SR 1B/RHP Clint McKeever (2010) has one of the best stories in all of college baseball, going from a walk-on cut from his dream school (Oklahoma State), to transferring to Wichita State, to then hitting an extra inning grand slam to beat – who else? – the OK State Cowboys. Seriously, how cool is that? McKeever’s bat makes him a darn fine college ballplayer, but it’ll probably his arm that gets him a shot in pro ball. With a fastball that touches the low-90s and a pretty good slider, McKeever has an outside shot to make it as a reliever down the line. As a huge fan of former big league two-way guy Brooks Kieschnick, I’d like nothing more than to see a player with legitimate talent both ways get a chance professionally. McKeever may not have the ability to do it — his fastball velocity has remained more or less stagnant since high school and his hitting, while impressive for a college player, won’t play as a big league starting position player – but it’ll happen somewhere, someday.

SO RHP Grant Muncrief (2010) will reportedly be ready for the start of the season after having Tommy John surgery this past April. The ten month recovery is one of the fastest that I can remember, so please excuse me if I’m not entirely sold on the idea that he’ll be game-ready from the get-go. The draft-eligible sophomore has generated some good buzz from the coaching staff, but it’s really hard to get a read on his long-term potential due to the injury. I’d guess he is a player we’ll be talking about again next year after an up-and-down sophomore year convinces him to stick around Wichita for at least another season.

JR RHP Justin Kemp (2010) made one of the best catches of the…wait, wrong sport…and wrong Justin Kemp. Sorry. The baseball playing Kemp isn’t likely to achieve the same level of athletic success as his namesake. The lightly recruited righthander is coming off a year of low-leverage relief innings for the Shockers, striking out 16 batters in 25.2 innings pitched.

SR RHP Tyler Fleming (2010) will be 24 years old by the time of the draft. What’s with Wichita State and all of these old guys? I know a lot are due to medical redshirts, but some of the ages on this club make it seem like a AAA roster. Fleming shouldn’t be a prospect, but he was drafted by the Rangers twice (20th round in 2006, 39th round in 2007) out of junior college, so you never know. If totally recovered from shoulder surgery, you’ll be able to find him pitching out of the back of the Shockers bullpen and moonlighting as the team’s backup infielder in 2010.

SR OF Travis Bennett (2010) comes to Wichita State from Northern Iowa (RIP) with the reputation of a player with a solid-average hit tool and an iron glove. He’s currently angling for some time in the outfield for the Shockers, but I’ve got a hunch he’ll settle in as the team’s primary DH once the season gets rolling. Without any real positional value, he’s not a pro prospect.

SR 2B Will Baez (2010) has a father named Wilson and a sister named Wilcania. Will’s full first name is Wilsisky. How about that? His first year playing major college ball went well enough for the Shockers (.275/.425/.368), but it is hard to project a player with only 12 extra base hits in 182 at bats as a pro prospect, especially for a middle infielder coming off a year of shaky defense at second base.  I do appreciate the additional 52 times on base (42 BBs, 10 HBPs) and the guts it takes a converted catcher to give it a go at second, but without any power he won’t get drafted.

SR LHP Logan Hoch (2010) currently is on the mend after shoulder surgery sidelined him in 2009. He’s a good college lefthanded reliever (52 K’s in 45.1 IP during his last healthy year, 2008) with limited upside professionally. As a redshirt senior he’ll be 23 years old by draft day. Old college lefty relievers have to be outstanding to get a look professionally, something Hoch is not.

SO OF Kevin Hall (2010) writes a weekly column about life as a college ballplayer that is probably worth checking out on a regular basis. I mean, sure, he’s no Michael Schwimer, but Hall’s blog is off to a pretty solid start. I like his future as a writer a little more than as a prospect, despite the fact that Hall has a lot of the skills needed to be a solid college leadoff hitter; in fact, he hits a lot of the right notes (good speed and good range in center) in that respect. Unfortunately, there are centerfields with leadoff hitter profiles with far better tools out there.

SR OF Bret Bascue (2010) turned 23 this past December. He hasn’t shown much in his college career – little to no power, poor plate discipline, and average at best outfield defense. He’ll battle for time in Wichita State’s crowded outfield this spring, but he isn’t a pro prospect.

SR C Cody Lassley (2010) doesn’t have what it takes to be considered a pro prospect. To his credit, he has made significant improvements since signing with Wichita State, enough so to now be able to call himself a decent college catcher. Plus, he has somebody writing about him on the internet. That’s kind of cool, right?

JR UT Ryan Engrav (2010) should help Wichita State with his ability to play multiple positions, but his bat isn’t strong enough to make him a pro prospect. He should settle in as the Shockers’ primary rightfielder to start the season.

SR INF Taylor Gilmore (2010) will be the Shockers four-corners (1B/3B/LF/RF) utility guy in 2010. He doesn’t have a pro future.

2011

SO SS Tyler Grimes (2011) has spent the offseason working on a pretty nifty trick. He’s learning how to switch hit. That’s a far more impressive feat that whatever the heck I did between my freshman and sophomore years of college. That reminds me of a funny story…[story edited in order to maintain appearance that, yes, this is a family friendly website]…and that was the summer we learned a valuable lesson about Jon Favreau, organic peaches, nasty sunburns, and the power of love. Anyway, Grimes is coming off a darn fine freshman campaign. College numbers don’t tell the whole story, but a quick comparison between the freshman year numbers of the Wichita State shortstop and the consensus top college shortstops of 2009 and 2010 is interesting. Last season Grimes hit .294/.399/.467. In his freshman year, Grant Green, the top college shortstop off the board in 2009, hit .316/.388/.491. In Christian Colon’s first season, he hit .329/.406/.444. This ignores park factors, competition, and a slew of other important things to consider, but the raw rate stats are all pretty similar. Again, college numbers don’t tell the whole story. Grimes’s tools don’t match up with either Green’s or Colon’s, but he does appear to be a legitimate pro prospect in his own right. Grimes’s plus defense (good hands, great range, plus arm) will get him looks regardless of his development with the bat.

2012

FR 3B Nate Goro (2012) has a quick bat, a little bit of pop (he’s no power hitter, but he did break Ryan Howard’s Missouri state high school homerun record), and exciting instinctual actions in the field. He received rave reviews on his defense throughout the fall, pulling himself into a tight battle with Johnny Coy for the starting job at the hot corner. It’s hard to project him for more than 10-15 homerun upside as a professional, but a lot of that will depend on how he fills out in school. If the bat catches up to the glove, he is a top five round player by 2012. If he’s seen as more of a defensive whiz than a complete starting caliber player, downgrade him another five rounds or so. Either way, he has three seasons to improve. I like his chances.

FR 2B Walker Davidson (2012) injured his knee in the fall, so the amount of playing time he’ll get this spring is up in the air. He has received praise from the coaching staff for his defense, but the bat currently lags behind. He’s currently the leading candidate to replace Will Baez as the Shockers starting second baseman in 2011.

College Team Profiles: Virginia Cavaliers

26 Jan 2010 4:25 AM / 8 Comments on College Team Profiles: Virginia Cavaliers

One of the most popular (fine, the only) question I’ve been emailed since starting this site up goes a little something like this: I’m going to see ____ University/College/State play this weekend and I was wondering if there was anybody with a professional future that would be worth watching. The College Team Profiles are designed to preemptively answer any and all questions about the prospects from a particular college team…or maybe just open up a whole new debate full of new, even more confusing questions. We’ll see. The next three draft classes for one particular school are featured, with the players ranked in order (from greatest to least greatest) within each class. As always, whether you agree, disagree, or think I’m a dope who should leave this sort of stuff to the experts (thanks, Mom)…let’s hear it via email (you can use either robozga at gmail dot com or thebaseballdraftreport at gmail dot com) or in the comments section.

2010

JR OF Jarrett Parker (2010) is one of the best of the many 2010 toolsy lottery ticket kind of players. I haven’t been doing this draft thing for that long, so it is hard for me to compare talent levels from class to class, but it seems that this year has a high number of mid-round high upside, high flameout potential players. I also haven’t been doing this writing thing long, as you can see from the mess that was that last sentence. Anyway, as mentioned, Parker is one of the very best of the so-called (by me) “lottery ticket” group, so he isn’t necessarily included in the mid-round subsection. In fact, many see him as a candidate to go in the first round. It’s easy to see why.  His mix of tools and big-time sophomore numbers would make him a top-three round guy right now. Continued incremental improvements in his game his junior year will push his draft stock even higher. I’ll make a scary cross-race comparison here and claim Parker has a similar skill set as Lastings Milledge. He has plus power potential, an above-average arm, good speed, and the defensive chops to be a well above-average corner outfielder or a steady stopgap in center. Like Milledge, he struggles against breaking balls to the point that it’s hard not to see him as a 100+ strikeout big league hitter at this point. However, and I try my best to sandwich the bad news in between good news when I can, two big assets in Parker’s favor are his big league ready frame (6-4, 210 after packing on serious muscle), and the seemingly ever-increasing athleticism and agility (honed by practicing yoga) that should help him withstand the rigors of the professional grind.  Additionally, Parker improved his walk rate from his freshman year to his sophomore year, and continued the positive trend during his otherwise disappointing campaign on the Cape this summer. I like that.

JR OF Dan Grovatt (2010) has a very patient approach at the plate, power to the gaps, average speed, and a good enough arm to play right field professionally. Sounds good, right? It should because Grovatt is a top five round caliber talent. My only worry is that his more good than great toolset makes him too similar a prospect to former Florida State standout Jack Rye. Rye was one of my all-time favorite college players and a guy I touted as a draft sleeper, but his pro numbers, especially his power indicators, haven’t exactly set the world on fire so far. The comparison is probably unfair – one player’s struggles don’t really have anything to do with another’s future – but, having seen both play, the similarity between the two seemed worth pointing out. However, the two aren’t clones of one another, either. Grovatt is the better athlete and defensive player, and he has more upside with the bat, especially in the power department. Those are all pretty important points in Grovatt’s favor. It’ll take more time and research to see where exactly Grovatt stacks up when compared to fellow 2010 college outfielders, but I have the feeling that he’ll grade out higher here than in most spots. His well-rounded game and extensive big-time college experience make him a good bet to hit the ground running professionally. I’d peg his upside as that of a solid everyday corner outfielder (defense included) with a still valuable floor as a good fourth outfielder.

JR RHP Robert Morey (2010) will, if nothing else, always have a big win over Stephen Strasburg in the opener of the 2009 Irvine Regional. Fortunately for him, however, he won’t have to limit himself to that one particular game when someday regaling his grandkids about his playing days. A low-90s fastball, above-average slider, and an emerging straight changeup, plus his status as the Saturday starter for a championship caliber college team, should get him into the top ten rounds this June as a future back of the rotation starter.

JR RHP Tyler Wilson (2010) will probably be the Cavalier most directly impacted by Cody Winiarski’s arrival on campus. The opportunity to slide into the vacant weekend starting spot would have done wonders for Wilson’s 2010 draft stock. Even without the starting gig, he’ll get noticed as Virginia’s primary reliever, the bullpen ace relied upon to pitch multiple innings at a time whenever called upon. His plus command, good athleticism, and easy, repeatable arm action help him thrive in the role. Additionally, Wilson’s solid three-pitch mix (fastball sitting 90-92 and topping out at 94, good sinking high-70s change, average slider) gives credence to the idea he has value either in the bullpen or as a starter. I like him a lot, and believe he’ll be a top-ten round guy in June.

JR RHP Kevin Arico (2010) had himself a breakout season as Virginia’s closer in 2009. His bread and butter is a plus low-80s slider that he has no problem throwing over and over and over again. The first time I saw Arico pitch I walked away pretty impressed with myself for finally finding a player that I could compare to Kiko Calero. After seeing him throw a few more times since then, I think I’m now ready to upgrade the comp a smidge to now qualify Arico for a Chad Qualls type of ceiling. There is little to no chance his final draft standing rivals Qualls’s (you’d think last names ending with the letter s would annoy me, but, brother let me tell you, nothing is worse than a name ending in z), but he could still find himself as a top 12-15 round pick who could be a quick mover for the team that takes the plunge. There should be some concern about a player so reliant on one specific skill, but Arico’s results against high level competition should help assuage most clubs’ worry.

JR INF/OF Phil Gosselin (2010) heads into the 2010 season as the man without a position. The 2009 First-Team All-ACC second baseman has been working out in leftfield almost exclusively this fall, but has also apparently been told to be ready to fill in just about anywhere (3B, 2B, maybe SS, in that order) as needed this spring. It’s rare that a college supersub would be a legit draft prospect, but Gosselin is just that. He is a slightly below-average infielder with an average arm (2B being his most likely pro landing spot if a team prefers him in the infield), who will almost certainly be first tried in the outfield as a pro. I’m not sure if that is the best way to maximize Gosselin’s pro value. He doesn’t have the glove/range for center, and doesn’t have the bat for a corner. If he isn’t a starting caliber outfielder, why not at least give him a shot in the infield? If he can bump his defense up to at least average in the infield, then you’ve got yourself a player who can help you stretch the limits of your 25-man roster, especially in the NL.

JR C/1B/OF Kenny Swab (2010) and his Cavalier teammate John Hicks (2011) – separated at birth? Swab figures to have the inside track on the primary backup catching job, but should also see time at first base, right field (to take advantage of his plus arm), and designated hitter. He’s got a live bat with above-average power potential, but it’ll take some serious lineup juggling from Brian O’Connor to get him the at bats he’ll need to boost his draft stock. As is, Swab is a potential 10-20th round player based on upside alone.

SR LHP Neal Davis (2010) goes into his senior season as Virginia’s top lefthanded relief pitcher, a player able to skillfully mix and match fastballs, sliders, and changeups to get hitters out. His most recent season was arguably his least successful – certainly his least dominating – so he heads into 2010 with plenty to prove. His big league frame (6-6, 210) and past success in a highly competitive conference (he struck out nearly a batter an inning [39 in 40] while only allowing 7 earned runs in 40 relief innings [1.58 ERA] in 2008) combined with intriguing stuff (sits in the high-80s to low-90s with the fastball and has an above-average mid-70s slider) make him another second half of the draft option for a team looking for a warm A-ball body on the cheap. I know I do this a lot, but I’d be remiss to write this much about Davis without mentioning the possibility that his stuff and frame would actually play well as a starting pitcher professionally.

JR RHP Cody Winiarski (2010) comes to Virginia via noted talent factory Madison Area Technical College. After doing a little bit of homework on him, I’ve found that he is a player with a whole lot of adamant supporters. Someone who saw him pitch on multiple occasions while at MATC raved about his potential plus changeup. Another admitted that while he had never actually seen Winiarski throw himself, he had heard very positive things from others about his command and general pitchability. Winiarski doesn’t have as much room for error as some pitchers with bigger fastballs, but the praise he has gotten from those who have seen him firsthand makes me a believer in his pro prospects. Assuming he holds down the last weekend starting job as expected, watch out for Winiarksi as a potential top-15 round arm this June.

SR INF Tyler Cannon (2010) reminds me of a better version of Missouri’s Greg Folgia, a player picked a round higher in 2009. Cannon is solid in all phases of the game, but lacks fluidity on defense at any position. Between his lack of a true defensive home and his steady, but unspectacular bat, Cannon has many believing his professional role will be that of a super-sub capable of playing literally every position on the diamond, including catcher. His college counting stats (through his first two seasons) match up with Eric Bruntlett’s in almost an eerie way, but the comparison falls apart when you look at each player’s rate stats. Anyway, I’d say that the Bruntlett comp may actually be a tad optimistic at this point. Cannon’s collegiate track record isn’t quite as strong as Bruntlett’s (though another big season like Cannon had last year would close the gap) and he lacks Bruntlett’s tremendous Civil War reenactor (that may be the single ugliest looking word in the English language) style beard, but I’d bet on enough marginal improvements as he progresses into his mid-20s to see him getting a chance as a AAAA utility guy good enough to position himself as a potential callup when injuries to the more talented players occur. His big junior year gives him something to build on heading into 2010, and the continued increase of talented infielders to the Cavalier program ought to give him more of an opportunity to show off the defensive versatility that will be his best shot at someday playing big league baseball.

SR C Franco Valdes (2010) plays exceptional defense behind the plate. He’s adept at blocking balls in the dirt, athletic enough to get out of his crouch to pounce on anything in front of him, and has a strong enough arm to keep potential base stealers honest. He also has one heck of a reputation when it comes to handling a pitching staff. However, and this is a biggie, his offense (career OBP = .301) leaves much to be desired. However, and this is may or may not be a biggie depending on how you feel about this sort of thing, he does have the benefit of draft pedigree (15th round pick of Detroit back in 2006) on his side. I never know how much stock to put into previous draft standing, especially when we’re talking about a college junior or senior who was drafted in a late round three or four years prior. So much can change in the span of three or four seasons, you know? Valdes certainly isn’t a 15th round caliber player anymore, mainly due to the stalled development of his offensive game, but the fact he was previously drafted makes me hesitant to claim he has no shot at all this time around. At best, he’s worth nothing more than a late late late round flier at this point.

JR OF John Barr (2010) is as nondescript a prospect as you’ll find. It’s nothing personal – in fact, I saw Barr play in high school, and I tend to form weird (non-creepy!) attachments to players I’ve seen early on – but nothing about his game stands out as being an average or better big league tool. His numbers dipped from his freshman year to his sophomore season, but he deserves the benefit of the doubt as he was recovering from shoulder surgery for much of 2009.

INF JR Corey Hunt (2010) has to be a big believer in the idea that timing is everything, if for not other reason than to help him ease his troubled head at night. In a different era of Virginia baseball it’s possible Hunt could have come in, gotten playing time early, established himself as a useful defense-first middle infielder with above-average on-base skills, and pushed his draft stock up enough by his senior season to be a worthwhile 20ish round or so pick. Instead, he has been behind some pretty good veteran infielders to start off his Cavalier career and he’ll be behind some really impressive youngsters to end his career. Without regular playing time he’ll be a very difficult player for scouts to assess come June. The lack of track record and standout tools make him a non-prospect at this point.

JR INF/OF Tyler Biddix (2010) has one of the most underrated names in all of college baseball. K’Nex, Lego, Megatendo, Fischertechnik, Biddix, Uberstix, Blockos…which ones are real building block toys and which ones are fake? Pretty sure the end table I bought from Ikea a few months ago was a Biddix. Damn, the Ikea joke was a better one than the K’Nex/Uberstix one, wasn’t it? Wish I would have thought of it first. Anyway, I have no doubt that the real Biddix (the person) is a better prospect than the flimsy table, but not by enough to make him a draftable prospect.

2011

SO INF/C Keith Werman (2011) did his best Pat Venditte impression while in high school, pitching a seven-inning complete game both lefthanded (3.1 innings) and righthanded (3.2 innings). That fun fact from the Virginia baseball website may have absolutely no bearing on Werman’s prospect stock, but it’s undeniably cool. What is relevant about his prospect stock is the fact he is a plus defender at second base who also has experience at shortstop and catcher dating back to his prep career. He can also handle the bat (.400/.481/.457 line in 70 at bats) enough to keep himself in the mix for a starting spot in 2010. Werman’s draft upside may be limited by his size (5-7, 150 – not saying judging him on size is fair, but it’s the reality), but the universal praise he earned last year as a sparkplug second leadoff hitter (the nice way of saying 9-hole hitter) for Virginia down the stretch should continue to get him noticed on the college level. The gap between Werman and Stephen Bruno is more perception than reality.

2012

FR SS Reed Gragnani (2012) is yet another talented young prospect expected to see significant time in a loaded Virginia infield. His game right now revolves largely around his well above-average speed, excellent athleticism, and impressive range up the middle, but he is no slouch with the bat either. Early comps include Brian Roberts (if he develops as is) and Ryan Zimmerman (if he bulks up and gains power). Gragnani’s brother, Robbie, grew four inches during his college tenure at Virginia Commonwealth, so that Ryan Zimmerman developmental path isn’t totally out of the question. That’s not to say that the only thing standing in the way between Gragnani and future big league All-Star status is a couple of inches and some muscle, but he’s a good player with high round talent all the same.

FR SS Stephen Bruno (2012) was one of the rarest of the rare coming out of high school – a prep player actually expected to stay at shortstop as a pro. We always hear about how pretty much every worthwhile big leaguer was the star shortstop/pitcher of his high school team, but it never registered how often these players were forced to move off the position after signing that first pro deal. I mean, Frank Thomas was a shortstop in high school* because, let’s be honest, that’s just where you put the best athlete at that level. I remember watching Billy Rowell play shortstop in high school. He positioned himself about 3 steps out on the outfield grass, basically admitting to all in attendance he had no range and instead relying exclusively on his rocket arm to gun people down at first. Rowell wasn’t a pro prospect as a shortstop, but he played shortstop on his high school team because, quite simply, if he didn’t, then who would? Bruno was a top ten round talent in 2009 who fell to the Yankees in the 26th round due to a very strong commitment to Virginia. He’ll stick at shortstop throughout his career due to his plus range, slightly above-average speed, and Speedy Gonzalez quick hands. He has flashed present power, launching a couple of 450 bombs his senior year of school, but lacks the overall strength to do it on a consistent basis. That last point may not seem like a huge deal for a middle infield prospect, but it does speak to the general concerns about Bruno’s future. Some players are projects based on the development of their tools, an area that Bruno grades out fairly well across the board (in addition to the aforementioned defensive skills, he has a 55 arm), but other players are projects based on their physical development. That’s where Bruno is at right now. He has worked his tail off to improve in each of the five tools (most notably speed and arm strength), but it’ll be the way is body fills out (keeping in mind he is 5-9, 165) that will make him into either a first round caliber guy or not.

***Frank Thomas may or may not have been a shortstop in high school. I actually have no idea. I just thought he was a good example for the point I was trying to make. Now I realize that making stuff up doesn’t help my argument at all, but it’s my site and I get to be as bad a writer and as big a liar as I want to be. Maybe Jim Thome would have been a better example; I bet he played shortstop in high school…

UPDATE: Found something! Go here, or just trust this excerpt: “In baseball, he was a 6-2, 175-pound shortstop. The Cincinnati Reds were interested but never drafted him. So Thome enrolled at Illinois Central College, where he played baseball and basketball. The Indians drafted him in the 13th round in 1989, one of the smartest selections they ever made.”

FR SS Chris Taylor (2012) might have hit himself into regular playing time after mashing the ball throughout the fall. One rumored starting infield for Virginia has Steven Proscia at first, Keith Werman at second, Tyler Cannon sliding back over to third, and Taylor getting regular time at short. Taylor has plus raw power and intriguing defensive tools, but comes to school with a bit less fanfare as fellow freshman infielders Gragnani and Bruno.

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