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GO/AO Data Update – May 20, 2010
The plan is to start with pitchers who took the mound last Friday night and update the rest of the weekend totals throughout the day. No special order to the pitchers listed, just throwing them up based on where their name falls on my spreadsheet. GO/AO data has now been updated to include all starts (when applicable) through May 20, 2010.
Missouri JR RHP Nick Tepesch: 54%
Louisville JR RHP Thomas Royse: 53%
Mississippi JR LHP Drew Pomeranz: 47%
Florida Gulf Coast JR LHP Chris Sale: 61%
LSU JR RHP Anthony Ranaudo: 37%
Georgia Tech JR RHP Deck McGuire: 49%
Notre Dame JR RHP Brian Dupra: 61%
Vanderbilt SO RHP Sonny Gray: 70% (!)
UCLA SO RHP Gerrit Cole: 53%
Stanford SO LHP Brett Mooneyham: 61%
TCU FR LHP Matt Purke: 63%
Kentucky FR LHP Taylor Rogers: 56%
TCU SO RHP Kyle Winkler: 54%
2010 Draft-Eligible Pitching: Groundout Percentage
The week ahead is wide open, so let me know if there’s anything you’d like to see. I’m currently working on a couple of high school position rankings, more college stuff (mostly position lists by conference), an updated big board, and a brand spanking new mock draft. With so much half-finished content staring me in the face, I’m happy to put something on hold to do something new and exciting as a change of pace, so if there is anything new and exciting you want to see, please let me know and I’ll make it happen.
Because I hate posts that don’t have much to do with baseball, how about a little content? The title says it all, except for the brief and wondrous snippets of 2011 draft-eligible players included (both 2011s would be second on their lists, by the way). The data I have doesn’t include every pitcher in college baseball, but rather a sampling of some of the biggest names…I’m only one man, after all. Like last time, if you have a player you are curious about, let me know.
Highest Percentage of Groundball Outs
1) North Carolina JR RHP Matt Harvey
2) Texas Tech JR RHP Chad Bettis
3) Florida Gulf Coast JR LHP Chris Sale
HM) 2011 draft-eligible Texas SO RHP Taylor Jungmann
Lowest Percentage of Groundball Outs
1) San Diego SR RHP AJ Griffin
2) San Diego JR RHP Kyle Blair
3) LSU JR RHP Austin Ross
HM) Cal State Fullerton SO RHP Tyler Pill
2010 College Baseball Week Four – SEC Edition
Running out of steam/time on these, but figured the SEC is too big of a deal to skip out on. We’re already at Week 5 of the college baseball season, but let’s take one last look at Week 4 before this information gets any more out of date and useless.
Florida
Friday: SS Nolan Fontana (Florida): 2-4
Friday: FR 1B Austin Maddox (Florida): 2-4, 2B, 2 R
Friday: FR C Mike Zunino (Florida): 3-3, HR, 3B, 2 RBI, R
Friday: SO LHP Alex Panteliodis (Florida): 7 IP 5 H 0 ER 1 BB 5 K
Saturday: SR CF Matt den Dekker (Florida): 2-5, 3B, BB, RBI, 3 R, 2 K
Saturday: SO 1B Preston Tucker (Florida): 3-6, 2B, 5 RBI, 2 R
Saturday: FR DH Austin Maddox (Florida): 4-6, 2 R, K
Saturday: FR SS Nolan Fontana (Florida): 0-1, 3 BB, SB, 2 R
Saturday: SR OF Jonathan Pigott (Florida): 1-2, BB, SB, 2 RBI, R, K
Sunday: JR 2B Josh Adams (Florida): 2-2, 2B, 2 BB, SB
Sunday: SO LHRP Nick Maronde (Florida): 1.1 IP 1 H 2 ER 4 BB 1 K
Sunday: SO RHP Tommy Toledo (Florida): 3 IP 5 H 4 ER 2 BB 3 K
Sunday: FR LHP Steven Rodriguez (Florida): 4 IP 4 H 0 ER 2 BB 2 K
Fontana, den Dekker, Tucker, Maddox, Adams, Zunino, Tyler Thompson, Bryson Smith, and Kamm Washington. How’s that for a college starting nine? I may be wildly overrating the latest crop of amateur draft talent (something I’m wont to do), but that’s a core of position players that I wouldn’t mind having as favorite team’s minor league system’s hitting talent base. Could be six starting caliber players in that group.
Louisiana State
Friday: SR 1B Blake Dean (LSU): 3-5, HR, RBI, R
Friday: SO RHP Joey Bourgeois (LSU): 1.2 IP 5 H 6 ER 3 BB 0 K
Saturday: SR 1B Blake Dean (LSU): 3-3, HR, 2B, BB, 4 RBI, R
Saturday: SO OF Mikie Mahtook (LSU): 3-4, SB, R
Saturday: JR RHP Austin Ross (LSU): 6.1 IP 5 H 2 ER 3 BB 6 K
Saturday: SO RHP Matty Ott (LSU): 1.1 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 4 K
Will Blake Dean hit enough to be an everyday first baseman professionally? Does Matty Ott have the stuff to get an honest crack at a big league closer job someday? Can Mikie Mahtook put it all together to head into his draft year as a potential top-ten guy, as perhaps his talent suggests? Can somebody else answer these questions for me because I honestly have no idea how to end this thought?
Auburn
Friday: SO SS Casey McElroy (Auburn): 3-3, BB, 2 RBI, R
Saturday: JR 1B Hunter Morris (Auburn): 2-4, HR, BB, 3 RBI, 2 R
Saturday: JR LHP Cole Nelson (Auburn): 2.1 IP 4 H 6 ER 4 BB 3 K
Hunter Morris has put up good numbers so far, but he’s done it while hacking away at anything and everything remotely in the strike zone. That’s cool when you are hitting over .400 and slugging over .600, but becomes a problem when the inevitable decline in batting average comes.
Mississippi
Friday: JR LHP Drew Pomeranz (Mississippi): 6.1 IP 3 H 1 ER 3 BB 12 K
Friday: FR RHP Brett Huber (Mississippi): 4.1 IP 1 H 0 ER 2 BB 5 K
Saturday: SR 3B Zach Miller (Mississippi): 1-2, 2B, 2 BB, 2 R, K
Saturday: SO C Taylor Hightower (Mississippi): 3-4, R
Saturday: SR RHP Aaron Barrett (Mississippi): 6.2 IP 6 H 3 ER 4 BB 9 K
Sunday: JR OF Matt Smith (Mississippi): 3-5, 2B, 3 RBI, R
Sunday: SO C Taylor Hightower (Mississippi): 3-4, RBI, 2 R, K
Sunday: SO RHRP David Goforth (Mississippi): 2.1 IP 1 H 0 ER 1 BB 1 K
Pomeranz had what is quickly becoming known as a Pomeranzian start for him. Quickly known to me, at least. Huber, Barrett, and Goforth all have mid-90s fastballs and breaking balls that, at worst, flash plus. Huber probably has the most advanced breaking ball of the group, a true plus slider. Hightower is a solid 2011 backstop to watch for his defense alone; if he keeps hitting like this, watch out.
Arkansas
Friday: SO 3B Zack Cox (Arkansas): 3-6, 3 RBI, 2 R
Friday: SO C James McCann (Arkansas): 2-4, HR, BB, 4 RBI, 2 R
Friday: SR RHP Mike Bolsinger (Arkansas): 5.1 IP 8 H 5 ER 2 BB 4 K
Saturday: SO 3B Zack Cox (Arkansas): 2-4, BB, R
Saturday: JR 1B Andy Wilkins (Arkansas): 1-3, HR, 2 BB, 2 RBI, R, K
Saturday: SO LHP Drew Smyly (Arkansas): 7 IP 4 H 0 ER 2 BB 11 K
Saturday: FR RHP DJ Baxendale (Arkansas): 2 IP 2 H 0 ER 0 BB 3 K
Sunday: JR RHP Brett Eibner (Arkansas): 3.2 IP 6 H 0 ER 0 BB 2 K
Seems to be a larger than normal number of sinker-slider pitchers in this year’s college class, although I may be misremembering the talent breakdown in previous years. Anyway, Bolsinger throws a high-80s fastball (muscled up to 93 when necessary) and an above-average, occasionally plus slider. He could slip into the back end of the top ten rounds as a solid senior sign.
Alabama
Friday: SO OF Tyler Dugas (Alabama): 3-4, 2 2B, RBI, R
Friday: SR 1B Clay Jones (Alabama): 2-3, 3B, 2 BB, RBI, 2 R
Friday: JR 2B Ross Wilson (Alabama) and JR SS Josh Rutledge (Alabama) combined to go 3-10, HR, 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R
Friday: SO LHP Adam Morgan (Alabama): 6 IP 6 H 3 ER 6 BB 2 K
Friday: SO RHP Tyler White (Alabama): 2.2 IP 2 H 0 ER 1 BB 2 K (5 GO/0 AO)
Saturday: JR RHP Jimmy Nelson (Alabama): 6 IP 4 H 0 ER 4 BB 7 K
Saturday: JR 2B Ross Wilson (Alabama): 3-6, 2 HR, 2 BB, 7 RBI, 3 R in doubleheader
Saturday: FR LHP Taylor Wolfe (Alabama): 6 IP 5 H 1 ER 1 BB 6 K
Sunday: SO OF Tyler Dugas (Alabama): 2-3, BB, R
Sunday: JR SS Josh Rutledge (Alabama): 2-3, SB BB, R
Juniors Wilson and Rutledge get all the love, but Tyler Dugas and Clay Jones are two other Alabama hitters worth remembering. Dugas has an excellent idea of the strike zone and good speed, and Jones aptly combines above-average present power, good plate discipline, and solid defense. White is a draft-eligible sophomore with a good sinking low-90s fastball and an above-average big league curveball. Nelson’s stuff grades out as similar to Mike Bolsinger (listed above), but a notch better in almost all areas.
Vanderbilt
Friday: SO RHP Sonny Gray (Vanderbilt): 8 IP 6 H 3 ER 3 BB 5 K
Friday: SR SS Brian Harris (Vanderbilt): 3-4, 3B, 4 RBI, R
Friday: SO OF Aaron Westlake (Vanderbilt): 3-3, HR, 2B, BB, 4 RBI, 2 R
Saturday: JR RHP Taylor Hill (Vanderbilt): 6.1 IP 6 H 3 ER 2 BB 7 K
Saturday: SR RHP Drew Hayes (Vanderbilt): 1.2 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 3 K
Saturday: FR OF Connor Harrell (Vanderbilt): 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI, R
Saturday: SO 3B Jason Esposito (Vanderbilt): 2-4, HR, RBI, 2 R
Sunday: SO RHP Jack Armstrong (Vanderbilt): 6.2 IP 4 H 1 ER 3 BB 4 K
Drew Hayes may have the best fastball velocity out of any college senior. That’s just off the top of my head, so it’s somewhere between probable and extremely likely that I’m forgetting someone. Connor Harrell is a five-tool talent already tapping into his immense potential.
Kentucky
Friday: SR 2B Gunner Glad (Kentucky): 2-2, HR, 2 BB, RBI, 3 R
Friday: SR CF Keenan Wiley (Kentucky): 1-1, HR, 2 BB, 3 SB, 3 RBI, 2 R
Friday: JR LHP Logan Darnell (Kentucky): 8 IP 5 H 1 ER 2 BB 6 K
Saturday: FR LHP Taylor Rogers (Kentucky): 7 IP 4 H 0 ER 2 BB 8 K
Saturday: SO OF Chad Wright (Kentucky): 3-5, SB, 3 RBI, 2 R
Saturday: SO OF Cory Farris (Kentucky): 2-4, HR, 2B, BB, 3 RBI, R
Sunday: SO OF Chad Wright (Kentucky): 4-4, SB, RBI, R
Sunday: SO OF Cory Farris (Kentucky): 1-2, HR, 2 BB, 3 RBI, R
Sunday: SO RHP Alex Meyer (Kentucky): 5 IP 4 H 1 ER 4 BB 4 K
Glad and Wiley are a solid set of redshirt seniors, a subsection of prospect that doesn’t normally produce any kind of worthwhile talent. I’m not saying either Glad or Wiley will be taken in the top half of the draft, but they are better than the average fifth year college player. Beyond those two, I really do love this Kentucky team from a prospect standpoint, especially the pitching staff. They are almost as loaded as the basketball team. Alex Meyer = John Wall (young star with impact pro potential); Logan Darnell = Patrick Patterson (glue guy capable of filling many key roles on a winning team); Taylor Rogers = Eric Bledsoe (above-average performance as freshman with above-average skills); James Paxton = DeMarcus Cousins (not a great fit, but I love watching both guys play and would love to see either on my favorite pro team at this time next year).
Mississippi State
Friday: SR 1B Connor Powers (Mississippi State): 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, K plus raw power; too many K’s; bat isn’t all that fast; limited to first, but very good there; 6-2, 228 pounds
Friday: SO LHP Nick Routt (Mississippi State): 1.1 IP 7 H 8 ER 2 BB 2 K plus CU
Saturday: SR 1B Connor Powers (Mississippi State): 2-4, 2B, K
Saturday: FR RHP/SS Chris Stratton (Mississippi State): 5.1 IP 5 H 3 ER 3 BB 6 K 92 peak FB; quality breaking ball; emerging CU
Sunday: SO RHP Devin Jones (Mississippi State): 4.1 IP 7 H 4 ER 2 BB 2 K low-90s FB, peaking at 93; 87-88 two-seamer with great sink; hard mid-80s SL could be plus pitch (82-84); CU is work in progress; 6-4, 180 pounds
Devin Jones is yet another quality sinker/slider guy with considerable upside. Powers is a college slugger that is better suited for his current role than he’ll ever be once he hits the pros.
Tennessee
Saturday: JR LHP Bryan Morgado (Tennessee): 7 IP 1 H 0 ER 3 BB 9 K
Sunday: SR RHP Stephen McCray (Tennessee): 4.1 IP 6 H 0 ER 1 BB 3 K 88-91, touched 93-94 with FB; SL, CB, CU; good command; good athlete; 6-3, 230 pounds
Did Tennessee really have that boring a weekend or was I just in a bad mood whenever I happened to look at their box scores?
Georgia
Friday: SO OF Peter Verdin (Georgia): 4-5, 2 HR, 2B, SB, 3 RBI, 4 R
Friday: SO RHP Michael Palazzone (Georgia): 5 IP 8 H 2 ER 0 BB 4 K
Saturday: SO OF Johnathan Taylor (Georgia): 1-3, 3 BB, RBI, 3 R
Saturday: FR 1B/OF Robert Shipman (Georgia): 2-2, 2 HR, 2 BB, 4 RBI, 2 R
Saturday: JR RHP Justin Grimm (Georgia): 2 IP 1 H 1 ER 2 BB 1 K
Saturday: SR LHP Alex McRee (Georgia): 2 IP 0 H 0 ER 1 BB 3 K
Sunday: SO OF Johnathan Taylor (Georgia): 1-1, 3 BB, RBI, R
Taylor may spell his name weirdly, but he’s a really interesting 2011 prospect all the same. He’s a leadoff hitter all the way (good patience, no power), but has enough in the way of speed (plus) and defense (crazy range in center) that he should have a career as a backup outfielder even if the bat doesn’t allow him to start. Grimm left his start early due to illness, by the way.
South Carolina
Saturday: SO OF Jackie Bradley (South Carolina): 3-6, BB, SB, RBI, R in doubleheader
Saturday: SR RHP Blake Cooper (South Carolina): 6 IP 2 H 2 ER 4 BB 6 K
Saturday: FR RHP Ethan Carter (South Carolina): 2 IP 2 H 1 ER 0 BB 0 K
Saturday: JR RHP Sam Dyson (South Carolina): 4 IP 7 H 6 ER 0 BB 4 K
Saturday: SR RHP Jay Brown (South Carolina): 4.1 IP 4 H 1 ER 0 BB 4 K
Sunday: SR C Kyle Enders (South Carolina): 3-5, BB, 4 RBI strong defender
Sunday: FR LHP Tyler Webb (South Carolina): 5.2 IP 4 H 2 ER 1 BB 7 K
Bradley continues to impress, but Dyson’s dud is a tad worrisome. Late first round arm mixed with the consistency of a fifth rounder. Still not sure what to make of him.
2010 College Baseball Week Four – Big 12 Edition
Here we go again. This time, the Big 12 gets a shot. I’ll save you some time and just tell you this now – Taylor Jungmann is good. Hope that doesn’t ruin the surprise…
Texas
Friday: SO RHP Taylor Jungmann (Texas): 7.1 IP 5 H 1 ER 1 BB 17 K
Saturday: SO SS Brandon Loy (Texas): 3-4, 2 2B, 3 SB, 2 BB, 2 R, K
Saturday: JR RHP Cole Green (Texas): 7 IP 4 H 0 ER 1 BB 9 K
Saturday: JR RHP Brandon Workman (Texas): 6.2 IP 7 H 2 ER 2 BB 8 K
Sunday: FR OF Cohl Walla (Texas): 3-4, HR, SB, 5 RBI, R
Sunday: JR 1B Tant Shepherd (Texas): 3-6, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R
Sunday: FR LHP Hoby Milner (Texas): 4.1 IP 4 H 0 ER 3 BB 5 K
Clearly annoyed by all the early 2011 hype heaped upon Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rendon, Taylor Jungmann had his say on Friday night. Cole’s 15 strikeout night looks downright puny in comparison and all that Rendon fella ever does is walk. What a bunch of amateurs. I, for one, welcome our new Longhorn overlord.
Kansas
Friday: JR OF Casey Lytle (Kansas): 3-4, 2 2B, 2 BB, SB, 2 RBI, 3 R
Friday: JR RHP TJ Walz (Kansas): 6 IP 9 H 7 ER 1 BB 7 K
Friday: JR RHP Brett Bochy (Kansas): 2.1 IP 0 H 0 ER 1 BB 5 K
Saturday: JR OF Casey Lytle (Kansas): 2-4, BB, R, K
Sunday: JR RHP Brett Bochy (Kansas): 1.1 IP 0 H 0 ER 1 BB 0 K
I’ve mentioned Bochy before, but check out Bruce’s son’s season line so far: 9 IP 2 H 0 ER 3 BB 19 K. Those numbers are even better than a typical Jungmann/Cole start! It’s getting easier and easier to envision Bochy cracking the top ten rounds as a potential quick moving power reliever. Walz is an underrated arm who is talented enough to start professionally.
Oklahoma
Friday: SO 1B Cameron Seitzer (Oklahoma): 3-3, 2B, HBP, 5 RBI, 2 R
Friday: SO CF Chris Ellison (Oklahoma): 3-6, SB, RBI, 2 R
Saturday: SO 3B Garrett Buechele (Oklahoma): 3-5, 3 RBI, R
Saturday: SO 1B Cameron Seitzer (Oklahoma): 1-3, HR, BB, RBI, R, K
Saturday: JR RHP Bobby Shore (Oklahoma): 7 IP 6 H 1 ER 1 BB 5 K
Sunday: SR RHP Jeremy Erben (Oklahoma): 4.1 IP 2 H 0 ER 1 BB 7 K
Cameron Seitzer is quickly becoming one of my favorite 2011 college bats; he’s the rare amateur prospect with a bat that could play at first base professionally. Buechele’s upside with the bat isn’t quite as high, but his ability to capably handle a more demanding defensive position earns him much needed brownie points.
Oklahoma State
Friday: SO 3B Mark Ginther (Oklahoma State): 3-4, 2B, RBI, R
Friday: SR LHP Tyler Lyons (Oklahoma State): 9 IP 10 H 3 ER 0 BB 8 K
Saturday: JR 2B Davis Duren (Oklahoma State): 4-7, 2 2B, 2 BB, 3 SB, 4 RBI, 5 R, 2 K in doubleheader
Saturday: JR SS Tom Belza (Oklahoma State): 3-7, 2 2B, 3 BB, HBP, 1 RBI, 5 R in doubleheader
Saturday: SR OF Dusty Harvard (Oklahoma State): 6-9, HR, SB, RBI, 3 R, K in doubleheader
Saturday: JR 1B Dean Green (Oklahoma State): 3-7, 2 2B, BB, 2 RBI, 2 R
Saturday: SO 3B Mark Ginther (Oklahoma State): 4-11, HR, 3B, 2B, 6 RBI, 3 R, 2 K
Saturday: JR LHP Thomas Keeling (Oklahoma State): 6 IP 4 H 0 ER 6 BB 10 K
Saturday: FR LHP Andrew Heaney (Oklahoma State): 7 IP 9 H 1 ER 3 BB 5 K
Sunday: FR C Dane Phillips (Oklahoma State): 4-4, 2 2B, SB, 2 RBI, 4 R
Sunday: JR 1B Dean Green (Oklahoma State): 3-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, K
Sunday: JR RHP Brad Propst (Oklahoma State): 9 IP 7 H 0 ER 1 BB 3 K
Big weekend for Cowboy prospects, right? Lyons, the biggest name of the bunch, certainly helped his cause with his stellar Friday night outing, but the best long-term names to follow did pretty well for themselves as well. 2011 prospect Mark Ginther keeps on hitting and 2012 prospect Andrew Heaney already possesses a fastball peaking at 92 MPH, plus changeup, good breaking ball, and advanced pitchability.
Missouri
Friday: JR C/3B Brett Nicholas (Missouri): 3-4, 2B, RBI
Friday: FR RHP/OF Eric Anderson (Missouri): 5 IP 10 H 6 ER 1 BB 6 K
Saturday: SR OF Aaron Senne (Missouri): 3-4, 2B, 2 R, K
Saturday: JR RHP Nick Tepesch (Missouri): 1 IP 2 H 1 ER 0 BB 0 K
Tepesch left his Saturday start early after getting nailed in the hip by a line drive in the first inning. As someone with a creaky hip myself, I can commiserate. Anderson is a really talented arm that could follow in the high round footsteps of the Tiger righthanders before him. Three good years would put him in a great position to take his low-90s fastball, plus changeup, and hard slider to the pros with Scherzer, Crow, Gibson, and, after the draft in June, Tepesch.
Baylor
Friday: FR 1B Max Muncy (Baylor): 3-4, HR, 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R
Friday: JR RHP Shawn Tolleson (Baylor): 5 IP 8 H 5 ER 2 BB 9 K
Saturday: SO 2B Joey Hainsfurther (Baylor): 4-5, 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R
Saturday: FR OF Logan Vick (Baylor): 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, SB, RBI, 2 R
Saturday: SO RHP Logan Verrett (Baylor): 6 IP 6 H 1 ER 3 BB 8 K
Saturday: JR RHP Craig Fritsch (Baylor): 3 IP 3 H 0 ER 1 BB 3 K
Sunday: SO 2B Joey Hainsfurther (Baylor): 3-3, HR, 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R
Sunday: FR OF Logan Vick (Baylor): 1-2, HR, 2 BB, SB, RBI, 2 R
Sunday: FR 1B Max Muncy (Baylor): 2-3, 2B, HBP, 2 RBI, R
Sunday: SR RHP Willie Kempf (Baylor): 5 IP 2 H 0 ER 5 BB 2 K
Muncy, Hainsfurther, and Vick are a big part of the core of Baylor’s next great offense. I’ve been especially impressed with Vick’s outstanding plate discipline at the top of the Bears lineup.
Kansas State
Friday: JR LHP Thomas Rooke (Kansas State): 2 IP 2 H 0 ER 0 BB 4 K
Saturday: JR SS Carter Jurica (Kansas State): 5-9, HR, 2B, 2 BB, SB, 4 RBI, 3 R in doubleheader
Saturday: SO CF Nick Martini (Kansas State): 4-8, BB, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 K in doubleheader
Saturday: SO LHP Kyle Hunter (Kansas State): 8 IP 3 H 0 ER 3 BB 4 K
Sunday: SR 3B Adam Muenster (Kansas State): 3-3, 2B, BB, 3 RBI, R
Sunday: SO RHP Justin Lindsey (Kansas State): 7 IP 5 H 0 ER 2 BB 5 K
In a weak college shortstop class, Carter Jurica should see his stock soar this spring. He has always had the right tools to succeed (plus speed, enough pop, good athlete), but has put everything together in a big way so far this season. Martini is another well-rounded player who squares up and hits balls as consistently hard as any other player in the conference. Lindsey is 2010 draft-eligible that gets by with a strong sinker/slider combination.
Texas Tech
Saturday: JR RHP Bobby Doran (Texas Tech): 5 IP 7 H 5 ER 1 BB 6 K
Sunday: JR RHP Chad Bettis (Texas Tech): 7 IP 7 H 2 ER 2 BB 10 K
Bettis’ groundout percentage dipped all the way to 76% after this week’s outing. Weak. I admire the Red Raiders for getting their best arms the most innings, but it may be time to get Doran back in the bullpen in some kind of stretched out swingman role for the rest of the season.
Texas A&M
Saturday: SO RHP Ross Stripling (Texas A&M): 5 IP 7 H 6 ER 2 BB 3 K
Saturday: FR RHP Michael Wacha (Texas A&M): 3 IP 3 H 0 ER 0 BB 3 K
Saturday: JR 2B Andrew Collazo (Texas A&M): 4-5, SB, RBI
Sunday: SR OF Brodie Greene (Texas A&M): 2-3, 2 HR, BB, 4 RBI, 2 R
Sunday: SO RHP John Stilson (Texas A&M): 3 IP 2 H 1 ER 1 BB 4 K
Sunday: JR RHP/OF Nick Fleece (Texas A&M): 2.1 IP 4 H 3 ER 0 BB 3 K
Collazo gets a mention here because he was a key member of last year’s ridiculous Howard College team that went 63-1. He’s also a plus defender at second with just enough offensive value to get himself drafted late, contingent on his 2010 performance. Stilson and Fleece both have late-inning reliever stuff. Their fastballs peak at 97 and 96, respectively. Wacha is another high profile arm with a big fastball and crazy 2010 production so far. He’s definitely a 2012 name to remember.
Nebraska
Saturday: SR OF Adam Bailey (Nebraska): 5-8, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R in doubleheader
Saturday: SR OF DJ Belfonte (Nebraska): 4-5, HR 2 BB, SB, 3 RBI, 3 R
Saturday: JR RHP Michael Mariot (Nebraska): 9 IP 1 H 0 ER 2 BB 4 K
Sunday: SR OF Adam Bailey (Nebraska): 2-5, 2B, BB, 2 RBI, 3 R
Sunday: FR LHP Thomas Lemke (Nebraska): 6 IP 1 H 1 ER 1 BB 4 K
Sunday: JR RHP Mike Nesseth (Nebraska): 1 IP 1 H 0 ER 0 BB 1 K
Adam Bailey has the arm and raw tools with the bat to play right field professionally, but he’ll have to maintain the gains he has made in plate discipline if he wants to reach his ceiling. Mariot is a short righty with a good enough three pitch-mix to go within rounds 10-20 if he keeps it up.
2010 College Baseball Week Four – ACC Edition
Another day, another conference. Let’s take a journey up and down the coast to see who did what in the ACC this past weekend…
Virginia
Friday: JR OF Dan Grovatt (Virginia): 4-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, K
Friday: SO LHP Danny Hultzen (Virginia): 6 IP 2 H 0 ER 0 BB 6 K
Friday: JR RHP Tyler Wilson (Virginia): 2 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 4 K
Friday: JR RHP Kevin Arico (Virginia): 1 IP 1 H 0 ER 0 BB 1 K
Saturday: SR SS Tyler Cannon (Virginia): 2-4, 2 BB, RBI, R, K
Saturday: JR RHP Robert Morey (Virginia): 5 IP 7 H 3 ER 3 BB 6 K
Sunday: JR OF Dan Grovatt (Virginia): 3-5, HR, R, 2 RBI
Sunday: JR RHP Cody Winiarski (Virginia): 3.2 IP 7 H 4 ER 1 BB 3 K
Sunday: JR RHP Tyler Wilson (Virginia): 2 IP 1 H 2 ER 1 BB 1 K
The season is still impossibly young, but Cody Winiarski has been one of my bigger prospect disappointments. Big things were expected out of the junior college transfer with a low-90s fastball and power slider, but his performances thus far can charitably be called inconsistent. Virginia’ s staff is so deep that he may actually be another bad start or two from getting leapfrogged in the rotation. Speaking of Virginia pitching, it’ll be very interesting to see where Danny Hultzen, the Cavaliers’ ace who is no danger of being leapfrogged anytime soon, fits alongside some of the other big name college pitchers in the 2011 Draft. Comparisons with former Virginia LHP/1B Sean Doolittle are inevitable, but, having seen both players in person, I’d take Hultzen on the mound over Doolittle at the plate.
Florida State
Friday: SO LHP Sean Gilmartin (Florida State): 6 IP 11 H 4 ER 3 BB 6 K
Saturday: FR 2B Justin Gonzalez (Florida State): 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI
Saturday: JR LHP John Gast (Florida State): 4 IP 5 H 2 ER 2 BB 5 K
Saturday: SO LHP Brian Busch (Florida State): 3 IP 4 H 1 ER 0 BB 2 K
Sunday: FR 1B Jayce Boyd (Florida State): 3-4, 3B, R, RBI
Sunday: JR OF/RHP Mike McGee (Florida State): 3-4, HR 2 RBI, 2 R and 1.2 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 2 K
Sunday: JR RHP Geoff Parker (Florida State): 5.2 IP 7 H 6 ER 3 BB 6 K 94-95 peak FB
I mentioned Northwestern’s SO 1B/RHP Paul Snieder as one of my favorite two-way players in the nation in yesterday’s post, so it’s only right that I spotlight another standout Swiss Army knife. Mike McGee currently has an OPS approaching 1.100 and an ERA (through 7.2 IP) at 0.00. His mature beyond his years approach at the plate make him a better hitting prospect in my mind, but he could get docked by some scouts as a tweener outfielder without a singular standout tool. I get all that, but still believe that he’s the kind of player who has the right blend of talent and temperament to succeed as a minor leaguer.
Wake Forest
Friday: SO RHP Michael Dimock (Wake Forest): 6.1 IP 11 H 5 ER 0 BB 4 K
Saturday: SO 1B/LHP Austin Stadler (Wake Forest): 3-5, R, K
Saturday: JR CF Steven Brooks (Wake Forest): 4-5, 2B, SB, RBI, K
Sunday: SO 1B/LHP Austin Stadler (Wake Forest): 5.2 IP 4 H 2 ER 4 BB 6 K
Stadler is another two-way player who I like better at the plate than on the mound. His stuff grades out as average even by college lefty standards, although there is certainly room for growth with his mid- to upper-80s fastball if he ever gets the chance to solely concentrate on his pitching. Though just a sophomore, Stadler faces a time crunch to start performing because his lack of foot speed confines him to first base defensively. His best tool is his power, but he’ll have to start showing it off in-game if he wants to be taken seriously as a prospect.
Georgia Tech
Friday: JR RHP Deck McGuire (Georgia Tech): 9 IP 3 H 1 ER 2 BB 8 K
Saturday: JR 2B Thomas Nichols (Georgia Tech): 1-2, 3 BB, 2 RBI, R
Saturday: SO 3B Matt Skole (Georgia Tech): 3-4, HR, 2B, 2 BB, 3 RBI, 4 R
Saturday: SR 1B Tony Plagman (Georgia Tech): 3-5, 2B, BB, SB, 3 R
Saturday: JR RHP Brandon Cumpton (Georgia Tech): 4 IP 10 H 5 ER 0 BB 3 K
Sunday: SR 1B Tony Plagman (Georgia Tech): 1-1, HR, 2 BB, 3 RBI, R
Sunday: FR RHP Buck Farmer (Georgia Tech): 4 IP 2 H 0 ER 0 BB 3 K
Sunday: SO LHP Jed Bradley (Georgia Tech): 5 IP 6 H 4 ER 2 BB 3 K
McGuire ups his gem to start ration to an even 4:4 so far on the season with his complete game on Friday. Anthony Ranaudo left the door open and Deck McGuire has waltzed right through. If he’s not the top college righthanded pitcher on the board, who is? The only competition I see for him right now (and this can all change in a week, mind you) also pitches in the conference; he’ll get his turn further down the page. Meanwhile, Matt Skole continues to hit his way into 2011 first day pick consideration, Tony Plagman begins to make noise as a decent college first base alternative in a very weak year for the position, and Thomas Nichols comes out of nowhere (sort of) to emerge as a legit 2010 draft middle infield draft candidate.
North Carolina
Friday: JR OF Ben Bunting (North Carolina): 3-5, 2B, BB, HBP, 4 R
Friday: FR OF Brian Goodwin (North Carolina): 4-4, HR, 2B, 2 BB, 4 RBI, 4 R
Friday: JR RHP Matt Harvey (North Carolina): 5 IP 7 H 3 ER 4 BB 3 K
Saturday: JR OF Ben Bunting (North Carolina): 2-4, BB, HBP, 3 R, K
Saturday: FR 2B Tommy Coyle (North Carolina): 3-5, 2 2B, SB, HBP, 2 RBI, R
Saturday: SO 3B Levi Michael (North Carolina): 3-5, 2B, BB, SB, 2 RBI, 2 R, K
Saturday: FR LHP RC Orlan (North Carolina): 2.2 IP 2 H 0 ER 0 BB 2 K
Saturday: JR RHP Patrick Johnson (North Carolina): 3.2 IP 6 H 6 ER 2 BB 3 K
Sunday: JR RHP Colin Bates (North Carolina): 6.2 IP 7 H 2 ER 1 BB 3 K
You can’t see me right now, but I’m literally sitting here with my mouth open, hands on my head, and a stupider than usual look on my face. I would have bet good money I don’t have that Brian Goodwin, outstanding prospect that he clearly was and is, would struggle his first few weeks as he transitioned to playing big-time collegiate baseball. His .345/.458/.638 line so far is stunning, not just for his excellent power production (sooner than I thought), but also for his unreal early season pitch selectivity (12 BB to 8 K).
Duke
Friday: SO OF Will Piwnica-Worms (Duke): 4-6, 2B, 2 RBI, R, K
Saturday: JR SS Jake Lemmerman (Duke): 3-6, HR, 2B, 4 RBI, 3 R, K
Saturday: SO OF Will Piwnica-Worms (Duke): 3-4, HR, 3B, BB, 3 RBI, 3 R
Saturday: SO LHP Eric Pfisterer (Duke): 4.1 IP 7 H 4 ER 1 BB 4 K
Saturday: SR LHP Chris Manno (Duke): 1.2 IP 3 H 0 ER 3 BB 1 K
Saturday: FR RHP Marcus Stroman (Duke): 3 IP 6 H 5 ER 1 BB 3 K
Sunday: JR RHP Dennis O’Grady (Duke): 6 IP 7 H 3 ER 0 BB 4 K
Sunday: SO RHP Ben Grisz (Duke): 3 IP 1 H 0 ER 1 BB 2 K
I still need to finalize some of my college positional rankings, but I’m starting to think Jake Lemmerman may sneak up higher on the SS list than I ever thought possible heading into the year. My early reports on him, both from firsthand observation and through the grapevine, all indicated that his future was as an all-defense/above-average speed/minimal offense type of player. Then somebody casually mentioned they liked his bat more than most, citing untapped power potential in his 6-2, 185 pound frame. It’s early yet, but so far that little birdie has proved prophetic. Lemmerman is a quality player who will solidify his spot in the first ten rounds if he keeps up his current level of performance.
Miami
Friday: JR C Yasmani Grandal (Miami): 2-4, 2B
Friday: JR LHP Chris Hernandez (Miami): 6 IP 5 H 1 ER 2 BB 5 K
Saturday: SR RHP Jason Santana (Miami): 6 IP 5 H 1 ER 2 BB 8 K
Sunday: JR C Yasmani Grandal (Miami): 4-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R
Sunday: JR LHP Eric Erickson (Miami): 4 IP 3 H 3 ER 0 BB 4 K
Sunday: SO LHP Daniel Miranda (Miami): 3 IP 3 H 0 ER 0 BB 4 K
Grandal’s impressive weekend aside, something just doesn’t sit right with the combination of “Yasmani Grandal” and “first round” in my head. I know I shouldn’t put as much stock in little instinctual hunches like that, but I just can’t help myself sometimes. Or maybe I just like hiding behind the illusion of an unexplained hunch when I don’t really feel like explaining the rock solid logic behind the conclusion. Either way.
Boston College
Friday: JR LHP Pat Dean (Boston College): 8 IP 6 H 0 ER 1 BB 9 K in win over Miami
Saturday: JR OF Robbie Anston (Boston College): 2-3, 2B, BB, R
Saturday: JR RHP Kevin Moran (Boston College): 4 IP 7 H 6 ER 5 BB 2 K
Sunday: SO RHP Mike Dennhardt (Boston College): 5 IP 11 H 4 ER 2 BB 4 K
Anston is an underrated 2010 outfielder with good gap power and strong baseball instincts. I wish I had more confident reports about his defense in center because the ability to play above-average defense up the middle would really give his prospect stock the shot in the arm it needs. Moran and Dennhardt both have electric arms (Moran has hit 96 MPH with his fastball, Dennhardt sits 90-93), but each has been awful so far. If they turn it around, Boston College will have itself one of the finest weekend starting staffs in all of college baseball.
Virginia Tech
Friday: JR 1B Austin Wates (Virginia Tech): 2-4, 2B, K
Friday: SR C Anthony Sosnoskie (Virginia Tech): 0-4, K, 7/8 stealing bases off of him
Saturday: SR OF/C Steve Domecus (Virginia Tech): 3-5, HR, 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R good arm, decent defender, good athlete, power potential; strong hit tool
Saturday: SR C Anthony Sosnoskie (Virginia Tech): 3-5, 2B, 2 R
Saturday: JR RHP Jesse Hahn (Virginia Tech): 7.1 IP 2 H 0 ER 3 BB 9 K
Sunday: SO RHP Mathew Price (Virginia Tech): 8 IP 8 H 4 ER 2 BB 6 K
Nice to see Sosnoskie redeem himself on Saturday after a Friday night performance I’m sure he’d like to forget. Hahn is striking out just under a batter each inning and doing it while also getting 78% of his batted ball outs on the ground. That combination of strikeouts and groundballs could get Hahn in the running for first college righthander off the board. Watch your back, Deck.
Maryland
Friday: JR RHP Brett Harman (Maryland): 8 IP 7 H 0 ER 3 BB 5 K
Sunday: SO RHP Sander Beck (Maryland): 5 IP 5 H 2 ER 5 BB 4 K
Harman was excellent on Friday thanks to his upper-80s fastball and decent slider/changeup offspeed duo. Beck was as successful on Sunday, but has a slightly more talented arm. He is capable of dialing it up to 92 with his heater and his curve has the potential to be an above-average big league pitch in time.
North Carolina State
Saturday: SO 3B Andrew Ciencin (North Carolina State): 6-9, 2B, HBP, 2 RBI, 3 R, K in doubleheader
Saturday: JR C Chris Schaeffer (North Carolina State): 3-4, 2 HR, HBP, 4 RBI, R in doubleheader
Saturday: SR OF Kyle Wilson (North Carolina State): 5-8, 2 R, 2 SB, K in doubleheader plus athlete; versatile defender; can play center; above-average speed; questions about bat
Saturday: SO RHP Cory Mazzoni (North Carolina State): 3.1 IP 7 H 8 ER 3 BB 4 K 88-91 FB, touching 92; SL; CB; CU; 6-1, 170 pounds
Saturday: JR RHP Jake Buchanan (North Carolina State): 5.1 IP 5 H 4 ER 5 BB 3 K 87-90 FB; 74-77 near plus CB; nice 76-80 SL; very good 76-79 CU; impressive shown on Cape; 6-0, 205 pounds
Sunday: FR RHP Felix Roque (North Carolina State): 2.1 IP 4 H 1 ER 2 BB 2 K
Chris Schaeffer has been a revelation in the early going for the Wolfpack, hitting a robust .462/.588/.795 (8 BB/1 K) through 39 at bats. Combine that production with personal 2011 favorite Pratt Maynard (.389/.522/.593) and you’ve got yourself one heck of a catching tandem. Mazzoni and Buchanan are similar pitchers in that both get by without overpowering fastballs. Mazzoni’s is better velocity-wise (topping out at 92), but Buchanan has one of the most complete set of secondary pitches in all of college baseball. It’s possible that all three of his offspeed pitches (curve, slider, change) will grade out as average big league pitches or better before the close of the season.
Clemson
Saturday: FR 1B Richie Shaffer (Clemson): 5-10, 2B, 2 RBI, R, 3 K in doubleheader
Saturday: SO SS Brad Miller (Clemson): 3-7, HR, 3B, 3 BB, SB, 6 RBI, 3 R, 3 K in doubleheader
Saturday: SR OF Wilson Boyd (Clemson): 3-8, HR, 2 BB, 3 R, 5 RBI, K in doubleheader
Saturday: JR OF Kyle Parker (Clemson): 3-7, HR, 3 BB, SB, 2 RBI, 6 R, 2 K in doubleheader
Saturday: SO LHP/OF Will Lamb (Clemson): 4 IP 3 H 2 ER 3 BB 2 K
Saturday: FR RHP Dominic Leone (Clemson): 3 IP 2 H 0 ER 0 BB 6 K
Saturday: JR LHP Casey Harman (Clemson): 6 IP 5 H 2 ER 2 BB 3 K
Sunday: JR OF Jeff Schaus (Clemson): 1-3, 2 BB, 3 RBI
Sunday: SO RHP Scott Weismann (Clemson): 6 IP 4 H 3 ER 3 BB 5 K
Clemson boasts one of the deepest, most talented 1-9 lineups in all of college baseball. The way they can mix-and-match different outfielders in and out of the lineup is a thing of beauty. Jeff Schaus and Kyle Parker (who might just be my favorite college position player to watch these days) are as good a 1-2 punch of outfield talent that I can think of off the top of my head. Parker-Grovatt of Virginia are pretty good together. I’m sure there are others that’ll come to me in the next few days as we continue this tour around the conferences. Leone put his 93 MPH fastball to good use in striking out six of nine batters in his dominating relief outing on Saturday.
2010 College Baseball Week Four – Big Ten Edition
Yet another attempt at fighting the monotony that come with the college baseball weekend roundup posts. This week we’ll go through conference by conference to see who did what in the weekend that was. First up, the Big Ten. Midwestern baseball at its very best. All prospects were picked for some reason or another, so if the presence of a player confuses or excites you, please be so kind as to yell at me in the comments section.
Iowa
Friday: SO LHP Jarred Hippen (Iowa): 8.1 IP 5 H 1 ER 3 BB 8 K
Saturday: JR RHP Zach Kenyon (Iowa): 5.2 IP 6 H 3 ER 2 BB 6 K against Texas
Sunday: SR LHP Zach Robertson (Iowa): 3.1 IP 7 H 5 ER 1 BB 6 K
Hippen may have had the best start of the bunch, but Kenyon and Robertson are both better prospects. Robertson’s stuff falls in line with your typical college finesse lefty: mid- to upper-80s fastball, good changeup, solid curveball.
Michigan
Friday: FR CF Patrick Biondi (Michigan): 2-4, BB, 2 SB, RBI, 2 R, K
Friday: SO RHP Brandon Sinnery (Michigan): 4 IP 4 H 0 ER 2 BB 5 K out of bullpen
Friday: JR RHP Matt Miller (Michigan): 4.2 IP 9 H 2 ER 1 BB 4 K
Saturday: FR OF Patrick Biondi (Michigan): 4-10, 2 2B, BB, HBP, RBI, 4 R, K in a doubleheader
Saturday: FR SS Derek Dennis (Michigan): 3-8, 2 HR, 2B, 2 BB, 3 RBI, 3 R, 2 K in a doubleheader
Saturday: JR RHP Kolby Wood (Michigan): 4 IP 3 H 1 ER 0 BB 4 K
Sunday: FR OF Patrick Biondi (Michigan): 1-3, HBP
Sunday: SR RHP/OF Alan Oaks (Michigan): 6.1 IP 6 H 2 ER 1 BB 7 K
Biondi’s cumulative weekend line: 7-17, 2 2B, 2 BB, 2 SB, 2 HBP, 2 RBI, 6 R, 2 K. Not bad for anybody, let alone a freshman. Wood and Oaks both pitched well. We’ve talked about Oaks before (90-94 FB, but very raw on mound), so let’s delve a bit deeper into Wood. His best pitch is a nasty SL that flashes plus when he has it going; too often, however, it flattens out on him. He also throws a 88-93 fastball with late movement and a well above-average mid-80s splitter. The power stuff suits his 6-6, 210 pound frame well.
Illinois
Friday: JR OF Casey McMurray (Illinois): 2-5, HR, 2B, 2 BB, 6 RBI, 2 R in a doubleheader
Friday: SO RHP Will Strack (Illinois): 7.1 IP 4 H 0 ER 3 BB 5 K
Friday: JR RHP Lee Zerrusen (Illinois): 1 IP 4 H 2 ER 0 BB 1 K
Saturday: SO OF Willie Argo (Illinois): 2-3, SB, BB
Sunday: JR RHP Lee Zerrusen (Illinois): 7 IP 6 H 3 ER 1 BB 4 K
Lee Zerrusen was called upon to close out Friday night’s game and then start on Sunday. Such is life when pitching for a team without too many other arms with quality three-pitch mixes. Zerrusen throws a fastball that sits 91-93, a quality cutter, decent changeup, and tops it all off with above-average command and a pro body.
Minnesota
Friday: FR CF/2B Troy Larson (Minnesota): 3-5, 3B, 2 RBI, K, R
Friday: JR RHP Seth Rosin (Minnesota): 7.1 IP 4 H 1 ER 0 BB 12 K
Saturday: JR C Mike Kvasnicka (Minnesota): 2-3, 2B, 2 BB
Saturday: JR LHP Luke Rasmussen (Minnesota): 6 IP 5 H 2 ER 0 BB 4 K
Sunday: SO SS AJ Pettersen (Minnesota): 3-5, SB, RBI, R
Sunday: JR RHP Scott Matyas (Minnesota): 2.2 IP 1 H 0 ER 0 BB 5 K
Sunday: FR RHP TJ Oakes (Minnesota): 5.2 IP 5 H 2 ER 1 BB 4 K
I mentioned in the comments recently that Minnesota desperately needs a solid second starter to emerge after ace Seth Rosin. TJ Oakes may have heard me. The freshman righty features an upper-80s fastball (topping out at 91 currently) and a good low-80s slider, but offers plenty of room to grow on his 6-5, 215 pound frame. He’s one to watch as the season progresses. It’s also great to see Matyas back throwing strikes again and Kvasnicka continue to develop his defensive chops behind the plate.
Purdue
Friday: SO 2B Eric Charles (Purdue): 2-3, BB, R, SB
Friday: SR RHP Matt Bischoff (Purdue): 8 IP 5 H 0 ER 0 BB 11 K
Saturday: SO 2B Eric Charles (Purdue): 3-4, 2 RBI, R
Saturday: JR RHP Matt Morgan (Purdue): 4.2 IP 10 H 4 ER 2 BB 0 K
Sunday: SR LHP Matt Jansen (Purdue): 7 IP 3 H 1 ER 3 BB 10 K
Bischoff has to be, what, an eighth-year senior at this point? Feels like he’s been on the Purdue squad forever. Charles put together a nice weekend at the plate, a welcome sight for a draft-eligible player already getting high marks for his defensive work.
Northwestern
Friday: SO OF Quentin Williams (Northwestern): 1-4, 3 BB, SB, R, 2 RBI, K
Friday: SO 1B/RHP Paul Snieder (Northwestern): 2-5, 4 BB, HBP, SB, R, 3 RBI and 1.1 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 3 K
Friday: SO RHP Francis Brooke (Northwestern): 7.1 IP 11 H 4 ER 2 BB 2 K
Saturday: SO RHP Zach Morton (Northwestern): 5 IP 14 H 11 ER 2 BB 5 K
Saturday: SO 1B/RHP Paul Snieder (Northwestern): 2-5, 2B, 3 RBI and 2 IP 0 H 0 ER 1 BB 2 K
Snieder is one of my favorite college players because 1. it’s always fun to have legit pro prospects playing for schools like Northwestern, and 2. he’s a legit two-way talent who happened to excel in both areas over the weekend. It’s arguable where his pro future will go — slick fielding first baseman with power potential or mid-80s fastball with dangerous slider — but he’s a solid 2011 player to watch either way. As for the two sophomore hurlers on the list, Brooke is a non-prospect who keeps putting up winning results while Morton is an excellent athlete with a good three-pitch mix (upper-80s FB, 12-6 CB, CU) that should make him a draftable player in June 2011.
Ohio State
Saturday: JR RHP Dean Wolosiansky (Ohio State): 6.1 IP 11 H 8 ER 3 BB 3 K
Sunday: SR 2B Cory Kovanda (Ohio State): 3-3, BB, SB, 2 RBI, R
Sunday: FR RHP Brett McKinney (Ohio State): 6 IP 10 H 5 H 4 ER 2 BB 4 K low-90s FB with good life
Sunday: JR SS Tyler Engle (Ohio State): 3-4, 2B
Sunday: JR RHP Alex Wimmers (Ohio State): 8 IP 3 H 0 ER 5 BB 10 K against Tennessee
It wasn’t the prettiest effort of the season, but it’s hard to complain about 8 shutout innings against a traditional SEC power, right? Wimmers gets himself into trouble by being a nibbler, a problem that probably doesn’t worry me as much as it should at the next level. I’m admittedly a baseball outsider with playing experience that didn’t get too far past dabbling in high school, but I feel like Wimmers nibbling issue is something that can be knocked right out of his head by a good pro pitching coach. Wimmers’ possible Friday successor, freshman righthander Brett McKinney, used his plus fastball (sitting low-90s with good life) to get some success on Sunday. Oh yeah, one last thing about Ohio State before I forget: I love the person who is in charge of describing the weather on their box scores. Remember last week when it was “Blue skies, breezy & beautiful.” This week the weather on Friday was listed as “48 degrees. Eeerily quiet.” Love it. I’m really hoping there are weather forecasters in Columbus who check the radar and talk about warm fronts, cold fronts, and quiet fronts.
Indiana
Sunday: SO LHP Drew Leininger (Indiana): 9 IP 8 H 0 ER 0 BB 4 K
Leininger may not be much of a prospect, but who am I to ignore a complete game shutout? Plus, it’s nice to throw the Hoosiers a bone after the year the basketball team had. I suppose I could have done the same for Penn State, but, really, that team is such a disaster I don’t even know where to begin. Love the 15 walk effort by the pitching staff on Friday night, guys. Keep up the good work.
Sunday Night Review – 2010 College Baseball Week Three
Sorry for the late start on the Sunday update and the general lack of quality content around here. Chalk it up to real life getting in the way. Anyway, I like doing these Sunday updates more than the other weekend days. There are more opportunities for lesser names and underclassmen to show something. The current plan for the end of the week is to begin 2010 draft rankings (by position) and to respond to a couple of emails/comments that I’ve neglected for too long. Good? Good. Here’s just a quick sampling of what caught my eye on Sunday…
JR OF Leon Landry (LSU) is now hitting .415/.490/.634 through Sunday. Nice line, right? Get this – Landry actually has the worst numbers of any of LSU’s starting outfielders. Crazy. His Sunday numbers: 3-4, 2 3B, 2 RBI, R
Another team loaded with hitters up and down the lineup is Virginia. On Sunday, the Cavaliers got 4 hits from Phil Gosselin, 3 apiece from Kenny Swab and Stephen Bruno, and Keith Werman reached based all 3 times he came to the plate. In the second game of their doubleheader, Tyler Cannon led the way with 3 hits, but he was one of 7 players in the lineup with multiple hits. Virginia had 34 hits in all on Sunday. Crazy.
JR RHP Max Friedman (Wright State) did all he could to slow down Virginia’s offensive attack. His good sinking fastball (88-93 MPH) and good 1-2 secondary punch (good changeup, average slider) kept the Cavaliers’ bats at bay: 5 IP 8 H 3 ER 2 BB 1 K
SR LHP Neal Davis (Virginia) and JR RHP Kevin Arico (Virginia) combined for 3.2 innings pitched with 0 walks, 3 hits allowed, and 5 strikeouts. The pair hasn’t been scored upon in 11 combined relief innings so far.
SO RHP Michael Palazzone (Georgia) had a rough Sunday. The draft-eligible sophomore was pounded by Florida State: 1.1 IP 5 H 6 ER 2 BB 1 K. Teammate SO RHP Cecil Tanner, channeling a young Bobby Jenks (Georgia) had an even rougher go of it: 1 IP 1 H 6 ER 6 BB 0 K 3 WP
In that same game, 5 Seminoles had multiple bases on balls, including leadoff man JR OF Tyler Holt: 1-3, 2 BB, RBI, 2 R
SO RHP/C Jordan Swagerty (Arizona State), generally regarded a better pitching prospect than a hitter, had a nice day at the dish: 3-3, 2 2B, 2 R
SO RHP Mitchell Lambson (Arizona State) used his plus change effectively to put up the following numbers out of the bullpen: 2 IP 1 H 0 ER 0 BB 4 K
In a great year for freshmen shortstop, FR SS Nolan Fontana (Florida) has been the best: 3-4, 2 SB, 2 R. He’s now hitting .400/.486/.567 through 9 games, easily Florida’s best hitter in the early going.
JR C Yasmani Grandal (Miami), arguably the top college catching prospect, had a Sunday to forget: 0-4, K; 4 successful Florida base runners
Two players coming off of arm injuries squared off in Florida: Draft-eligible SO RHP Tommy Toledo of Florida (5 IP 3 H 1 ER 1 BB 4 K) got the best of Miami’s JR LHP Eric Erickson (3.1 IP 5 H 2 ER 0 BB 1 K)
3 hits each for JR 1B/OF Tant Shepherd and JR OF/1B Kevin Keyes of Texas
JR RHP Cole Green (2010) and JR RHP Chance Ruffin (Texas) both impressed. Green did this: 7.1 IP 8 H 5 ER 1 BB 4 K, while Ruffin did this in relief: 1.2 IP 2 H 0 ER 1 BB 3 K
SO C/3B Matt Skole (Georgia Tech): 2-3, HR, 2B, BB, 3 RBI, 2 R
SO LHP Jed Bradley (Georgia Tech) is emerging as an early round prospect for 2011, helping Georgia Tech build up a big league over St. John’s: 6 IP 4 H 0 ER 0 BB 9 K
…and then JR RHP Kevin Jacob (Georgia Tech) tried his best to blow it: 1 IP 2 H 4 ER 2 BB 1 K 2 WP
Big contributions from both young and old for TCU. FR OF Josh Elander (Texas Christian) went 2-3, 2B, SB, RBI, R, while SR C Bryan Holaday (Texas Christian) went 2-4, BB, RBI
JR SS Rick Hague (Rice) continues to struggle: 0-3, K; made his 6th error
JR RHRP Boogie Anagnostou (Rice) is a short righthander with a big (94 MPH peak) fastball: 7 IP 8 H 1 ER 2 BB 4 K
SO RHP Kyle Winkler (Texas Christian) has first round quality stuff, but just can’t seem to put it all together with some semblance of consistency: 6.1 IP 4 H 3 ER 5 BB 4
A pair of 2011 draft-eligible Louisville Cardinals looked sharp. SO RHP Derek Self (5 IP 4 H 0 ER 0 BB 5 K) got it started and SO RHP Tony Zych locked it down (3 IP 1 H 0 ER 1 BB 2 K).
JR RHP Colin Bates (North Carolina): 5.2 IP 6 H 1 ER 1 BB 4 K
SR SS Ryan Graepel (North Carolina): 3-4, 2 RBI, R; .385/.447/.538 through 11 games
JR OF Chris Epps (Clemson): 3-6, BB, 5 RBI, 2 R, 3 K
JR RHP Brett Eibner (Arkansas): 5 IP 4 H 1 ER 0 BB 5 K
JR OF Gary Brown (Cal State Fullerton) went 3-4, 2B, SB and is now hitting .478/.489/.826 (7/7 SB); JR SS Christian Colon went 1-4 and is currently at .225/.326/.325 (3/3 SB). Hmm.
FR RHP Dylan Floro (Cal State Fullerton) got lit up: 1 IP 5 H 4 ER 0 BB 0 K
JR RHP Seth Maness (East Carolina): 7.1 IP 8 H 2 ER 0 BB 7 K
SO 1B Cameron Seitzer (Oklahoma): 3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R and is now hitting .419/.514/.935 through 11 games
SR OF Zach Hurley (Ohio State) did classmate SR 1B Ryan Dew (a mere 4-6, 4 RBI, 3 R) one better on Sunday by going 5-5, 2 2B, BB, 2 RBI, 3 R, although he was caught stealing twice
SO RHP Jack Armstrong (Vanderbilt): 4.2 IP 5 H 3 ER 1 BB 5 K
FR SS Kenny Diekroeger (Stanford): 2-4, 2 R
FR OF Jake Stewart (Stanford): 0-6
SO LHP Brett Mooneyham (Stanford): 0.1 IP 4 H 6 ER 3 BB 1 K
SO SS Joe Panik (St. John’s): 4-4, 3B, 2 2B, 3 R
FR RHP Kyle Hansen (St. John’s): 2.1 IP 2 H 2 ER 2 BB 3 K
FR SS/RHP Marcus Stroman (Duke): 4 IP 1 H 1 ER 3 BB 7 K
JR SS Nick DelGuidice (Florida Atlantic): 3-3, 2B, 4 RBI, R
JR RHP Kevin Moran (Boston College): 4.1 IP 6 H 7 ER 4 BB 1 K
SO RHP Mathew Price (Virginia Tech): 6 IP 6 H 0 ER 1 BB 5 K
SR 2B Dallas Poulk (NC State): 3-4, 2 2B, 2 BB, SB, 3 RBI, 5 R; now hitting .512/.596/.902
SR OF Drew Poulk (NC State): 3-6, 2 2B, 4 RBI, R; now hitting only .370/.444/.543
FR RHP Felix Roque (NC State): 2.2 IP 3 H 2 ER 3 BB 2 K
JR RHP Rob Catapano (Tennessee): 5 IP 1 H 0 ER 0 BB 3 K
SO RHP John Stilson (Texas A&M): 3.2 IP 1 H 0 ER 1 BB 4 K
SR 2B Raynor Campbell (Baylor): 3-4, 2 HR, BB, SB, 5 RBI, 2 R
FR LHP Josh Turley (Baylor): 4 IP 5 H 1 ER 0 BB 5 K
JR LHP Thomas Keeling (Oklahoma State): 6.1 IP 5 H 2 ER 1 BB 11 K
SO LHP John Lally (Loyola Marymount): 7 IP 2 H 0 ER 2 BB 5 K
JR OF Mike Kvasnicka (Minnesota): 0-1, 3 BB, 2 R
SO SS AJ Pettersen (Minnesota): 4-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R
SR 1B Connor Powers (Mississippi State): 2-3, 2 HR, 2 BB, 7 RBI, 2 R, K
In his Sunday doubleheader, JR OF Brandon Eckerle (Michigan State) went: 5-8, 3B, 2B, 2 SB, RBI, HBP, 3 R
JR SS Carter Jurica (Kansas State): 4-4, HR, 2B, SB, 4 RBI, R
SO SS/RHP Nick Ahmed (Connecticut): 2-4, HR, BB, 3 RBI, 3 R
SO RHP Andrew Kittredge (Washington): 7.2 IP 7 H 1 ER 0 BB 10 K
FR RHP Seth Cutler-Voltz (Virginia Commonwealth): 8 IP 3 H 1 ER 0 BB 10 K
JR 1B Hunter Morris (Auburn): 4-4, HR, 2 RBI, R
JR OF Brian Fletcher (Auburn): 2-4, K
JR LHP Cole Nelson (Auburn): 7 IP 7 H 2 ER 0 BB 8 K
JR OF Gauntlett Eldemire (Ohio): 2-4, HR, 2B, BB, 3 RBI, 2 R
In a doubleheader, SO 1B Ricky Oropesa (Southern California): 4-8, HR, 2 2B, BB, SB, 3 RBI, 4 R, K
JR OF Bryce Brentz (Middle Tennessee State): 2-5, R
JR OF Todd Cunningham (Jacksonville State): 2-4, 2 2B, R
Saturday Night Review – 2010 College Baseball Week Three
I’m finally at the point where I’m comfortable repeating the comp that I heard on SO OF Trey Watkins (LSU) not too long ago. Somebody told me in a position to know told me he thought Trey Watkins was the college version of Tyson Gillies. Interesting comparison, right? His Saturday line: 1-1, 3 BB, 2 R
SO RHP Joey Bourgeois (LSU) has looked excellent in the early going, giving LSU a real boost from the second starter spot: 7 IP 1 H 0 ER 2 BB 3 K
The early season success of JR LHP Matt Bywater (Pepperdine) continues. His fastball doesn’t blow you away with heat (high-80s on a good day), but it’s almost a plus pitch based wicked movement alone. His Saturday line: 6.1 IP 7 H 1 ER 4 BB 7 K
Every player in Virginia’s starting nine reached base safely on Saturday. Phil Gosselin, Dan Grovatt, Tyler Cannon, Steven Proscia, John Barr, and Kenny Swab all led the way for the Cavaliers, each reaching base at least 3 times against Dartmouth.
JR RHP Robert Morey (Virginia) has the stuff to start professionally, but hasn’t put up the strikeout numbers indicative of his better than average stuff so far this season: 6 IP 5 H 2 ER 1 BB 3 K
Florida State JR CF Tyler Holt (3-5, 3B, 2B, 3 RBI) and SR SS Stephen Cardullo (3-3, 2 BB, R) both contributed to yet another beatdown of Georgia.
JR LHP John Gast (Florida State) continues his climb into the top five rounds: 7 IP 7 H 1 ER 3 BB 2 K
Arizona State SO SS Drew Maggi (4-4, 3B, 2 2B, 2 BB, 2 RBI, 2 R) and SO 2B Zach MacPhee (2-2, 3B, RBI, R) keep on putting up huge numbers up the middle for the Sun Devils. MacPhee’s triple was his 7th of the season.
Florida had a big day with the bats on Saturday. The Gator offense was paced by SO 1B Preston Tucker (2-3, 2 2B, 2 BB, R), JR 3B Bryson Smith (2-4, HR, SB, 3 RBI, R), and, a player very quickly growing on me, FR SS Nolan Fontana (3-4, 3B, R).
FR CF Zeke DeVoss (Miami), a very raw talent with the bat but already a plus runner and defender, has begun to tap into his potential already: 3-4, 2B, BB, SB, R
Houston SO RHP Michael Goodnight (7 IP 2 H 0 ER 4 BB 9 K) outdueled Texas ace JR RHP Brandon Workman (8 IP 4 H 1 ER 1 BB 7 K), although Workman’s stuff and command were both reportedly very impressive. As for the game’s winning pitcher, well, it’s been mentioned before, but it really bears repeating: Goodnight would absolutely be the best name ever for a closer. That is, until Willie Wewin finally breaks out and reaches the bigs, of course.
JR RHP Brandon Cumpton (Georgia Tech) with another shaky start: 5 IP 7 H 4 ER 2 BB 2 K
FR RHP Luke Bard (Georgia Tech) struck out the side in his one inning of work and is now up to 8 strikeouts in his 6 shutout innings of relief so far.
JR 1B/RF Jaren Matthews (Rutgers): 2-3, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R
SO 3B/C Matt Skole (Georgia Tech): 3-4, 2 BB, 2 R
Missouri JR RHP Nick Tepesch (6.1 IP 6 H 2 ER 2 BB 5 K) matched up pretty evenly against Texas Christian FR LHP Matt Purke (5.1 IP 5 H 1 ER 2 BB 7 K) in their head-to-head battle.
SO RHP Kaleb Merck (Texas Christian) came on in relief of Purke and looked excellent: 2.2 IP 2 H 0 ER 0 BB 3 K. Merck is a short righthander with a big fastball, but questions about his pro future abound. I’m the last to dismiss a pitcher as unable to start because of stature alone, but Merck’s fastball jumped almost 4 MPH once moved to the bullpen. It would be a shame to “waste” his quality three-pitch mix (also including a 55 curve and 50 changeup) by forcing him into relief full-time, but the difference between a fastball peaking at 92 as a starter versus a fastball peaking up at 96-97 as a reliever is too much to ignore.
SR C Bryan Holaday (Texas Christian) should get drafted based on his strong defensive chops alone, but performances like this with the bat will help his cause: 2-3, 2B, 2 BB, R
I’ve been slow to buy into SO CF Jackie Bradley (South Carolina), but I’m warming up to him as he warms up this spring: 3-4, HR, BB, 4 RBI, 2 R
South Carolina JR RHP Sam Dyson (5.2 IP 5 H 4 ER 2 BB 7 K) got the best of Clemson SO LHP Will Lamb (5.1 IP 3 H 2 ER 4 BB 1 K)
SO 1B/3B Phil Wunderlich (Louisville) may not have a ton of projection left in his bat, but his present power ranks up there with any hitter in the college game: 3-5, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, R
JR LHP Dean Kiekhefer (Louisville) twirled a gem: 7 IP 6 H 2 ER 0 BB 4 K
FR OF Patrick Biondi (Michigan) has all of the tools pro teams look for in an up-the-middle prospect – outstanding range, strong and accurate throwing arm, and game changing speed. He can also handle the bat a little bit: 4-4, 3B, BB, 2 RBI, R
JR RHP Matt Miller (Michigan) has long been a favorite due to his heavy low-90s fastball, solid low-80s slider, and projectable 6-6, 215 pound frame. Unfortunately, North Carolina got the best of him, chasing him after 3 innings and 95 pitches: 3 IP 10 H 4 ER 2 BB 4 K
JR RHP Patrick Johnson (North Carolina) has been on the radar since stepping on campus thanks to his low-90s fastball and solid slider: 6 IP 6 H 1 ER 4 BB 2 K
JR LHP Cody Wheeler (Coastal Carolina) reminds me a little bit of a mirror image of the player listed above: 6.1 IP 7 H 3 ER 3 BB 4 K
I’m convinced that SR RHP Eric Pettis (UC Irvine) has a bionic arm: 8 IP 7 H 1 ER 1 BB 5 K
SO 3B Anthony Rendon (Rice) actually got a few pitches in the strike zone, apparently: 2-3, HR, RBI, R, HBP
Not to be outdone, SO 3B Zack Cox (Arkansas): 3-4, BB, 2 RBI, R
Fellow draft-eligible sophomore infielder Tim Carver (Arkansas) had a nice day out of the 8-hole: 2-4, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
I’d love to hear an updated report on the defense of JR 2B Brian Guinn (California): 2-3, 2 BB
SO RHP Dixon Anderson (California) with a clunker: 5 IP 8 H 9 ER 3 BB 2 K
SO LHP Drew Smyly (Arkansas) looked very sharp on Saturday. The draft-eligible sophomore used a good low-90s sinker to put up the following line: 5 IP 2 H 0 ER 5 BB 7 K
JR RHP Bobby Doran (Texas Tech) is another pitcher with the three-pitch mix good enough to start, but a fastball better equipped for relief work. If he can add another tick or two to his mid-90s fastball, he could be a potential relief ace professionally. For now he’s a starter and doing things like this: 7 IP 7 H 2 ER 0 BB 5 K
SO LHP Bryce Bandilla (Arizona) was steady: 5 IP 6 H 1 ER 0 BB 4 K
SO RHP Noe Ramirez (Cal State Fullerton) doesn’t have an exciting fastball (only tops out at 90 MPH, and even then it straightens out big time), but his great command of the pitch makes it play up. He also has a low-80s changeup, and an increasingly effective mid-70s curveball, although his command of each pitch needs work. His Saturday line was a beauty: 9 IP 5 H 1 ER 1 BB 9 K
JR CF Gary Brown (Cal State Fullerton) doesn’t stop: 3-5, 3B, 2 SB, RBI, R
JR LHP Tanner Robles (Oregon State) may not have the upside of injured teammate Josh Osich, but is plenty talented all the same: 7.2 IP 9 H 0 ER 0 BB 9 K
JR SS Jedd Gyorko (West Virginia) could probably get up out of bed in the middle of the night and put up the following: 3-5, RBI, 2 K
Rubber-armed JR RHP Zach Woods (East Carolina) bailed out East Carolina with perhaps the best performance of a non-prospect on Saturday: 7 IP 3 H 0 ER 1 BB 11 K
SO 3B Dean Espy (UCLA): 3-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, K
JR LHP Rob Rasmussen (2010) isn’t part of UCLA’s great sophomore class of arms, but he is a potential top three round 2010 talent. The short lefty is the opposite of so many college lefthanders, as Rasmussen already has the fastball, but needs a legitimate secondary offering to emerge before he can reach his full upside. His Saturday line: 5 IP 3 H 0 ER 4 BB 10 K
SR RHP Aaron Barrett (Mississippi) has taken firm hold of the Saturday starter’s spot behind Drew Pomeranz: 6.1 IP 6 H 1 ER 4 BB 7 K
SR RHP Preston Claiborne (Tulane) picked up Matt Petiton out of the Tulane pen: 3 IP 2 H 2 ER 0 BB 7 K
JR RHP Bobby Shore (Oklahoma) continues to strike out over a batter an inning: 6.2 IP 6 H 3 ER 1 BB 7 K
SR OF Zach Hurley (Ohio State), arguably the top position player on a team of solid but unspectacular hitting prospects, was but a single short of hitting for the cycle against St. Louis: 3-5, HR, 3B, 2B, BB, 4 RBI, 2 R. Funny enough, Hurley got that single in the second game of his doubleheader, also adding another double and a steal.
JR RHP Alex Wimmers (Ohio State) was unimpressive against St. Louis, although it seemed that any prospect performance would pale in comparison to the description of the weather from the box score. The weather was “Blue skies, breezy & beautiful.” That just sounds lovely, doesn’t it? His line: 5 IP 12 H 5 ER 3 BB 8 K
SO RHP/1B Braden Kapteyn (Kentucky) had a nice game on Saturday, but his biggest accomplishment was managing to only getting hit once. Monmouth used five pitchers in their loss against Kentucky. All five hit batters. Combined they hit 10 Wildcats. Ouch. Anyway, Kapteyn’s final line: 4-5, HBP, 3 RBI, 2 R
FR LHP Taylor Rogers (Kentucky), potential first round pick in 2012, got hit hard: 2.1 IP 10 H 10 ER 1 BB 1 K
JR RHP Matt Little (Kentucky) had the best relief outing of the weekend: 4 IP 2 H 0 ER 0 BB 9 K
JR RHP Jimmy Nelson (Alabama) continues his strong early season run: 6 IP 6 H 0 ER 0 BB 11 K
The Amazing Cody Brothers strike again! Doubleheader stats for both Tennessee JR 1B Cody Hawn (4-8, HR, 2 BB, 5 RBI, R, K) and his teammate FR 1B Cody Stubbs (5-7, 3 BB, RBI, 3 R)
JR SS Nick DelGuidice (Florida Atlantic) is a strong defender with a weak. Sounds like a second baseman professionally. He had a Saturday to remember: 4-4, 2 HR, 2B, 9 RBI, 3 R
JR RHP Jesse Hahn (Virginia Tech) justifies his early season draft ranking: 7 IP 2 H 0 ER 1 BB 9 K
SR 2B Dallas Poulk (North Carolina State) hasn’t stopped hitting from day one: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R
JR C/1B Curt Casali (Vanderbilt): 4-5, HR, SB, 2 RBI, 3 R
SO 3B Jason Esposito (Vanderbilt): 3-5, 2B, 3 SB, RBI, 2 R
JR RHP Taylor Hill (Vanderbilt): 7.1 IP 7 H 2 ER 0 BB 6 K
SR RHP Stephen McCray (Tennessee): 8 IP 1 H 0 ER 1 BB 7 K
SO LHP Eric Pfisterer (Duke): 6 IP 2 H 0 ER 2 BB 10 K
JR OF Steven Brooks (Wake Forest): 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, K
FR LHP Tim Cooney (Wake Forest): 7.2 IP 6 H 1 ER 0 BB 4 K
SO RHP Ben Tomchick (Old Dominion): 7.1 IP 8 H 2 ER 2 BB 9 K
FR LHP Joe Mantiply (Virginia Tech): 6 IP 3 H 0 ER 1 BB 8 K
JR RHP Jake Buchanan (North Carolina State): 6 IP 4 H 0 ER 0 BB 7 K
SO RHP Jordan Cooper (Wichita State): 8 IP 5 H 2 ER 1 BB 7 K
SO LHP Steven Gruver (Tennessee): 7 IP 6 H 1 ER 1 BB 6 K
JR RHP Zach Kenyon (Iowa): 4.2 IP 4 H 1 ER 2 BB 3 K
FR LHP Andrew Heaney (Oklahoma State): 2 IP 2 H 6 ER 3 BB 0 K
FR Dane Phillips, SO Mark Ginther, JR OF Luis Uribe, and JR 2B Davis Duren all had at least 3 hits for Oklahoma State.
SO RHP Francis Brooke (Northwestern) keeps up his crazy successful start to 2010 (0.44 ERA through 20.2 IP): 8 IP 3 H 0 ER 0 BB 6 K
SO RHP Logan Verrett (Baylor): 7 IP 5 H 0 ER 2 BB 11 K (117 pitches)
SO SS Adam Smith (Texas A&M): 0-5, K and now hitting .174/.208/.261 on the young season
SO 2B Kolten Wong (Hawaii): 3-3, 2B, 2 BB, RBI, 2 R
JR LHP Sam Spangler (Hawaii): 7 IP 7 H 1 ER 3 BB 3 K
SO RHP Scott McGough (Oregon): 6 IP 5 H 0 ER 2 BB 7 K
JR OF Bryce Brentz (Middle Tennessee State) 3-5, RBI, 2 R, K vs JR OF Todd Cunningham (Jacksonville State): 2-4, 2 RBI, R
The third entrant in the small school big name outfielder contest is JR OF Michael Choice (UT Arlington): 3-4, HR, 2B, BB, 2 RBI, R, K
SO LHP Michael Kickham (Missouri State): 7 IP 5 H 0 ER 2 BB 10 K
JR 1B Hunter Morris (Auburn): 4-5, HR, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, K
JR OF Brian Fletcher (Auburn): 2-3, HR, 2 HBP, SB, RBI, R
SO RHP Andrew Gagnon (Long Beach State): 9 IP 3 H 0 ER 2 BB 4 K
SO OF George Springer (Connecticut): 2-5, HR, 2B, 5 RBI, R, 2 K
JR RHP Cole Johnson (Notre Dame): 3.2 IP 10 H 8 ER 1 BB 1 K against Harvard
Friday Night Review – 2010 College Baseball Week Three
SO OF/1B Tristan Moore (2011) and Wright State singled Virginia to death in the Raiders’ huge upset win in Charlottesville. Moore’s final line (3-4, R, K) works well with the reports on his tools. His tools grade out as average or better in all phases except power potential. His plus arm, above-average speed, and leadoff hitter profile with the bat will keep him getting looks from pro teams.
Despite taking the loss, SO LHP Danny Hultzen (Virginia) was sharp: 7 IP 5 H 1 ER 0 BB 9 K
In relief of Hultzen, JR RHP Tyler Wilson (Virginia) pitched well: 2 IP 2 H 0 ER 1 BB 3 K
SO OF James Ramsey (Florida State) has modest speed, an average on a good day arm, and just seems to always be fighting himself while trying to play the outfield. In other words, his pro future will either be as a subpar fielding leftfielder or a first baseman. That means he’ll have to hit a ton to have a pro future. Days like Friday help: 2-2, 2 HR, 2 HBP, 4 RBI, 3 R
Also reaching base 4 times for the Seminoles was FR 1B Jayce Boyd: 3-3, BB, RBI, 2 R
Florida State SO LHP Sean Gilmartin (7 IP 6 H 0 ER 0 BB 9 K) got the best of Georgia JR RHP Justin Grimm (4 IP 11 H 7 ER 2 BB 7 K). Not a good outing for Grimm’s first round draft hopes, assuming he looked as out of sorts as his line would indicate. His peak stuff — a four-pitch mix featuring a sitting 92-93 with fastball that peaks at 96, potential plus upper-70s curve, good low- to mid-70s CU, and a mid-80s cutter — is up there with any college pitcher in his class, but his inconsistent mechanics and steady stream of nagging injuries have kept him from showing off that elite stuff as often as a team drafting high in the first round typically likes to see. I get the feeling Grimm could be this year’s Andy Oliver.
JR C Matt Colantonio (Brown) had a fabulous freshman year, but struggled badly in his sophomore year. His opening day (but not opening game…Brown beat Pepperdine earlier on Friday) performance against LSU was impressive both at the dish (3-5, BB, 2 K) and behind it (threw out Trey Watkins and Mikie Mahtook, the only two Tigers brave enough to run on him).
SR 1B Blake Dean (LSU) and JR OF Leon Landry (LSU) both reached base 4 times (2 hits, 2 walks apiece) in the win over Brown.
JR RHSP Austin Ross (LSU) disappointed in his Friday Night outing: 5.1 IP 7 H 5 ER 2 BB 6 K
Pretty unremarkable game from a prospect standpoint as Arizona State’s bats took care of Oregon State’s arms. JR RHP Tyler Waldron (Oregon State) wasn’t very sharp: 4.1 IP 7 H 4 ER 1 BB 1 K. Early reports are that FR RHP Jake Barrett (Arizona State) looked really good. That’s about all I’ve got on this one.
29 total strikeouts in the Florida-Miami game. Miami JR LHP Chris Hernandez (6 IP 8 H 3 ER 0 BB 8 K) and Florida SO LHP Alex Panteliodis (5.2 IP 2 H 1 ER 2 BB 8 K) both used their above-average offspeed offerings to baffle opposing batters. Florida’s bullpen ace and potential 2011 first round pick SO LHP Nick Maronde dropped the hammer with one of the most dominating pitching performances of the day: 3.1 IP 0 H 0 ER 2 BB 7 K
Hernandez, Panteliodis, and now Rice SO LHP Taylor Wall. All three are lefties known for above-average secondary stuff, but Wall, the best prospect of the group and a potential late first in 2011, features a plus changeup that may be the best singular pitch the threesome has to offer. His performance against Texas impressed: 7.1 IP 5 H 2 ER 3 BB 8 K
As good as Wall was, SO RHP Taylor Jungmann of Texas was just a little bit better. And I really mean just a little bit, as the two pitchers put up startlingly similar lines. Jungmann got one more out (pitching 7.2 innings), allowed one less hit and one less run, walked one better less, and, just to keep up the theme here, actually threw one more total pitch (115 to 114). To add on to the craziness, each pitcher threw exactly 65 strikes. Weird night. Anyway, Jungmann’s final line: 7.2 IP 4 H 1 ER 2 BB 8 K
With that brief hard throwing righthanded pitching prospect interlude out of the way, let’s get right back to more soft-tossing lefties. Yes, JR LHP Casey Harman (Clemson) is yet another college pitchability lefty. His line against South Carolina: 5 IP 8 H 3 ER 2 BB 5 K. Interesting 2011 SO RHP David Haselden (Clemson) got the win, however, with his outstanding long relief appearance: 4 IP 0 H 0 ER 1 BB 3 K
Another college pitchability lefty! SR LHP Daniel Bibona (UC Irvine) looked good in a victory over St. Mary’s: 7 IP 4 H 1 ER 3 BB 11 K. Others that fit the mold include: JR LHP Pat Dean (Boston College): 7 IP 4 H 2 ER 4 BB 4 K; SR LHPTyler Lyons (Oklahoma State): 7.2 IP 3 H 2 ER 3 BB 7 K; SR LHP David Rowse (Pacific), who beat up on an undermatched Seattle squad: 9 IP 6 H 1 ER 0 BB 7 K; SR LHP Chris Manno (Duke): 3 IP 1 H 0 ER 0 BB 5 K; SO LHPAdam Morgan (Alabama): 5 IP 6 H 1 ER 2 BB 6 K
JR LHP Kyle Hald (Old Dominion), the last college pitchability lefty we’ll mention today, impressed on Friday night with his steady mid-80s fastball, potential wipeout split-fingered changeup (called plus-plus by some), above-average slider, and solid curveball: 9 IP 5 H 0 ER 2 BB 11 K
Kevin Brandt, Mike Wright, Pat Somers, Zach Woods, and Seth Simmons all saw time on the mound for the Pirates on Friday. All are pro pitching prospects. That’s quality pitching depth. Brandt, a 2011 SO LHP who got the Friday night start, is yet another pitchability college lefthander with an upper-80s fastball and solid changeup. He put up the following line: 6 IP 5 H 1 ER 2 BB 8 K
JR RHP Deck McGuire (Georgia Tech) continues to quickly and efficiently mow down opposing hitters: 8 IP 6 H 0 ER 1 BB 9 K
I know many people in the business who take this stuff very seriously hate comps with a passion normally reserved for important things, like the political party that isn’t your own, waiting in long lines, and Ke$ha, but I happen to think they are a lot of fun and a great way to get a conversation going about a particular prospect. Take SR 1B Matt Curry of Texas Christian, for example. Curry has had a Matt Stairs comp follow him along for years now. Matt Curry may not be a player that would get a lot of notice, but that Stairs comp, even when brought up for the sole reason of dismissing it, has gotten him attention. Attention often begets increased research — well, at least I know it did for me. A college guy compared to Matt Stairs? I want to know more! — which would then reveal a really good college hitter with excellent power potential who just put up the following Friday night line: 3-4, HR, 2 2B, BB, 3 RBI, 3 R
JR RHP Steven Maxwell (Texas Christian) outdueled JR RHP Chad Bettis (Texas Tech). Maxwell’s solid final line: 6 IP 7 H 2 ER 2 BB 4 K. Bettis, on the other hand, was disappointingly hittable: 6 IP 11 H 7 ER 2 BB 9 K, although he upped his already ridiculous groundball rate is 91%. Not a typo. 91%.
JR RHP Thomas Royse (Louisville) is finally beginning to hear his name talked about more often on the national stage. Performances like this one against LeMoyne are the reason why: 7 IP 7 H 1 ER 1 BB 5 K
A couple of my favorite potential mid-round senior signs, 2B Adam Duvall and C Jeff Arnold of Louisville, had big days. Arnold’s line was most impressive: 3-3, HR, 2B, BB, 3 RBI, 2 R
Name to know = North Carolina JR 1B Dillon Hazlett. I first heard the poor man’s Dustin Ackley comps coming out of Chapel Hill a few months ago, but dismissed them as nothing more than a coaching staff excited about a junior college transfer ready to step in and help fill the gigantic hole left behind by Ackley’s departure. The comp, like most are, was built on convenience – both players are way too athletic to be college first basemen, run well, and have questionable power upsides. That’s what the comp was trying to express, I think. Nobody actually meant that Hazlett would step in and show off a hit tool quite like the one Ackley had shown. Ackley was a truly special college player and an elite professional prospect. In many years, a prospect with his skillset would go number one without a second thought. In fact, from a prospect standpoint only, I’d rank Ackley only behind David Price, Justin Upton, Delmon Young, and Joe Mauer when comparing him to number one overall draft picks of the decade. Long story slightly less long, Ackley was a unique hitting prospect. Hazlett, though impressive so far, has a long way to go to even enter Ackley’s prospect stratosphere. Then again, Ackley’s final junior year line was .417/.517/.763. SMALL SAMPLE SIZE ALERT, but Hazlett has put up a .467/.541/.700 line through 9 games. Just store the name way, way, way in the back of your mind.
Incidentally, I’ve spent significant stretches of my life in the heart of ACC country, so it’s an area of the country I have a decent number of reliable contacts in. One legit source told me the top three draft-eligible bats, based on the pure hit tool alone, in the conference were, in reverse order, 3. Tyler Holt (Florida State), 2. Dillon Hazlett (North Carolina), and 1. Austin Wates (Virginia Tech). Seems plausible to me.
SR RHP Alan Oaks (Michigan) lived up to his reputation as a pitcher with excellent stuff (peak fastball at 94), but so-so control: 7 IP 3 H 2 ER 6 BB 3 K
JR RHP Matt Harvey (North Carolina) is a first rounder without a doubt in my mind. If he falls to the Phillies, my favorite team, at pick 27 then I hope they’d jump all over him. His Friday night line: 8 IP 3 H 0 ER 3 BB 11 K
JR OF Rico Noel (Coastal Carolina) continues to reach base and steal bags: 2-2, HR, BB, SB, 2 RBI, 2 R
Some relatively big names had some relatively rough Friday nights. Included in this bunch are SR RHP Christian Bergman (UC Irvine), who got bombed by Saint Mary’s, FR LHP Justin Jones (California), hard hit by Arkansas, Nebraska’s SO 2011 draft-eligible LHP Sean Yost and JR RHP Michael Mariot, both tagged by UCLA, potential first rounder SO LHP Sammy Solis (San Diego) against Kentucky (4.1 IP 6 H 4 ER 1 BB 5 K), and JR RHP Jake Thompson(Long Beach State) against Washington.
SR RHP Mike Bolsinger (Arkansas) looked good yet again: 7 IP 6 H 1 ER 0 BB 6 K
SR 1B Jeff Cusick (UC-Irvine) smacked the ball around in Friday night doubleheader action: 5-7, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 3 R
SO RHP Kyle Barraclough (St. Mary’s) is an actual prospect for the 2011 MLB Draft. You wouldn’t know it based it on his Friday performance. I’m not trying to pile on, but this is definitely the early favorite for worst performance by a real prospect: 0.0 IP 6 H 9 ER 2 BB 0 K
3-6, HR, 3B, 2 RBI, 3 R for Gary Brown of Cal State Fullerton. The junior OF is now hitting .432/.447/.784 through 8 games, although he hasn’t walked in the early season. Still. Brown over Colon is starting to look a teeny bit less crazy by the day.
SO RHP Tyler Pill (Cal State Fullerton) was decent: 6 IP 6 H 4 ER 1 BB 8 K
Same thing could be said for JR LHP Mario Hollands (UC Santa Barbara): 5 IP 7 H 4 ER 3 BB 3 K
FR RHP Kurt Heyer (Arizona) continues to impress as a rare freshman starting on Friday night for a big-time program: 5.1 IP 8 H 2 ER 0 BB 6 K
UCLA got great production from their keystone combination in the Bruins’ doubleheader sweep of Nebraska. SO 2BTyler Rahmatulla went a total of 5-8, 2B, HBP, 2 RBI, 4 R, 2 K, SB while JR SS Niko Gallego combined for 3-6, HR, BB, SB, 3 RBI, 3 R
SO RHP Gerrit Cole (UCLA) and SO RHP Trevor Bauer (UCLA) were both awesome this weekend against Nebraska. How awesome? So glad you asked. Cole put up the following line: 7 IP 2 H 1 ER 0 BB 9 K; Bauer’s numbers looked more like this: 6.2 IP 6 H 1 ER 2 BB 10 K. Just like last week, however, I’m as excited about a little thing that occurred in Cole’s start than I am about the entirety of his performance. Well, that may actually be a stretch, but I was impressed by his fourth inning showing all the same:
Nebraska 4th – Bailey, A. homered to right center, RBI (1-2). Farst, T. struck out swinging (2-2). Asche, C. struck out swinging (1-2). Burleson, C. struck out looking (2-2). 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Nebraska homer. Strike out. Strike out. Strike out. One of the old school scouty worries about the most dominating amateur draft talents is the uncertain way they’ll respond to failure. The best high school players often get drafted after seasons of ERAs under 1.00 and batting averages well over .500. There’s little knowing how a player will react once those numbers begin to get ugly professionally. This is something I personally heard about Cole coming out of high school. I haven’t heard much of anything on the subject since he has enrolled at UCLA, but I’ll take this fourth inning as a sign of progress.
JR LHP Drew Pomeranz (Mississippi) had what can only be considered a disappointing start for him: 6 IP 6 H 1 ER 2 BB 6 K. Only one strikeout per inning? Weak. In all honestly, I don’t know what to make of Pomeranz as a prospect just yet. New information on him is needed because of all the existing reports seem to conflict in pretty meaningful ways.
SO RHP Sonny Gray (Vanderbilt) got back on track after his Cole-induced hiccup last week: 7 IP 5 H 1 ER 3 BB 10 K
SO RHP Jordan Pries (Stanford) was solid as the starting pitcher (5 IP 5 H 3 ER 2 BB 6 K) , but the real stars were the pair of potential first round 2012 round arms who came in after him. FR RHP Chris Jenkins (2 IP 2 H 1 ER 1 BB 4 K) and FR RHP Mark Appel (2 IP 1 H 0 ER 1 BB 5 K) both flashed their customary plus stuff.
JR LHP Logan Darnell (Kentucky) has a definite pro future, but many think his stuff will work better out of the bullpen than as a starter. More starts like this may start changing some minds: 9 IP 8 H 0 ER 1 BB 4 K
Two similar Big East tweener outfielders had big Friday nights – St. John’s JR OF Jimmy Parque (4-4, 3B, 2B, BB, 4 R) and Pittsburgh JR OF John Schultz (4-5, 2B, RBI, 2 R)
JR LHP Bryan Morgado (Tennessee) kept rolling along: 7 IP 5 H 2 ER 1 BB 6 K
JR 1B/RHP Ryan Rivers (Charlotte) has good power potential, shows versatility on defense (OF), and has a 93 MPH peak fastball. Plus, he did this on Friday: 3-5, HR, 2 2B, 8 RBI, 3 R, K
Quick hits on some lines of note…
JR OF Todd Cunningham (Jacksonville State) bested JR OF Bryce Brentz (Middle Tennessee State) in their head-to-head Friday night “battle.” Cunningham went 3-3, HR, 2B, 2 BB, RBI, 2 R while Brentz was only good for a 2-6, HR, RBI, R, 2 K night.
JR OF Russell Wilson (North Carolina State), the quarterback turned serious 2010 MLB draft candidate, did alright for himself on Friday: 2-3, 2B, RBI
JR LHP Chris Sale (Florida Gulf Coast) struck out a bunch of hitters because, well, that’s just what Chris Sale does: 6 IP 5 H 2 ER 1 BB 11 K
JR RHP TJ Walz (Kansas) is yet another part of the incredible baseball renaissance going on at Kansas: 8 IP 4 H 0 ER 2 BB 7 K
Hey, did you notice that JR SS Tim Smalling (Virginia Tech) is now hitting .500 on the nose after a 3-hit Friday night? Well, he was as of Saturday morning at least.
JR RHP Seth Rosin (Minnesota) is doing all he can to get into the top 5 rounds: 6 IP 2 H 1 ER 0 BB 8 K
JR OF Mike Kvasnicka (Minnesota) is doing all he can to join his teammate Rosin in those top 5 rounds: 2-2, HR, 2B, 2 BB, 3 RBI, R
Personal favorite SO RHP Martin Viramontes (Loyola Marymount) lights up the radar gun with regularity (easy mid-90s velocity), but teases scouts with a pair of secondary offerings (curveball and changeup) that flash plus on occasion. That first round peak stuff + fifth round (at best) ability to harness it = very questionable draft landing spot. Third round, maybe? I don’t know yet. On Friday, he did this: 6 IP 3 H 3 ER 4 BB 8 K
JR RHP Barret Loux (Texas A&M) looked awfully healthy on Friday night: 7 IP 1 H 0 ER 2 BB 12 K
JR 3B Mike Olt (Connecticut) flies under the radar a little bit, but I’m not sure there are too many college third basemen out there that can match his upside. He spent his Friday night doing this: 3-5, RBI, R, K
JR OF Ridge Carpenter (Cal State Northridge) has transitioned to big-time college ball nicely: 3-5, R
SR RHP Jason Sullivan (Western Carolina) really, really impressed on Friday against a crafty West Virginia lineup. His upper-80s sinking fastball and good slider were working all night long: 9 IP 3 H 0 ER 1 BB 8 K
JR RHP Jarryd Summers (West Virginia) did his best to match Sullivan’s performance, but came up on the losing end all the same: 8 IP 1 H 1 ER 1 BB 11 K
JR RHP Kevin Munson (James Madison) has the requisite two-pitch knockout punch (FB/SL) combination to go far as a professional reliever: 2.1 IP 2 H 0 ER 0 BB 4 K
JR OF Mark Micowski (Georgia State) had the game of a lifetime on Friday. The transfer from Vermont did this from the leadoff spot in Panthers 32-3 squeaker against NC Central: 7-8, HR, 3B, 3 2B, 7 RBI, 4 R
JR RHP Josh Mueller (Eastern Illinois) was very sharp on Friday night, hardly an unexpected occurrence for a pitcher with a nice three-pitch mix that includes a low-90s fastball, solid changeup, and better curveball: 5.1 IP 5 H 1 ER 0 BB 8 K
JR RHP Todd McInnis (Southern Mississippi) rode his good fastball (88-92 MPH) and near-plus curveball to another good night: 8 IP 4 H 0 ER 2 BB 7 K
FR RHP Bryan Crabb (San Diego State): 7 IP 1 H 0 ER 3 BB 7 K
SO LHP Tyler Anderson (Oregon): 8 IP 7 H 0 ER 0 BB 10 K
SO OF Creede Simpson (Auburn): 5-6, 3 RBI, 2 R, K
JR OF Brian Fletcher (Auburn) is a little bit like a poor man’s Jarrett Parker, I think. Similar strengths, weaknesses, and builds. He was good on Friday night: 4-5, BB, 4 RBI, 3 R
JR OF Gauntlett Eldemire (Ohio): 3-5, 3 RBI, R, K
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.
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
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
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
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
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…
