Patrick Schuster

[jjfanec]

Is Patrick Schuster much of a prospect for this upcoming draft? I know little to nothing about the baseball draft but this kid just threw 4 straight no-hitters (one was a five inning game) striking out 60 in that span. It says he throws in the 90's and is committed to Florida after this year but has not ruled out going pro.

[colbyjack]

My associate at Perfect Game, Anup Sinha, was at the game, and offered his thoughts in a blog at PG Crosschecker:

 

http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/articles/DisplayArticle.aspx?article=791

 

A nice overall scouting report, and as Sinha notes, he could be pushing himself into early round (2nd/3rd, with the sandwich round being a possibility) consideration.

[wallus]

Would you really want to draft a kid who is most likely being abused that badly?

[clancyphile]

With a sandwich... it is worth a roll of the dice, IMHO.

 

EDIT: As a lefty - well worth the risk of an early pick.

[TheCrew07]

Maybe in the 2nd or 3rd, no way I'm using a sandwich on someone who may be as unorthodox as the blog makes him sound.

[colbyjack]

I'm not sure I would write this guy off just because he has tossed some long games and because he has an unorthodox delivery. I'm fine with unorthodox deliveries as long as there is no unecessary stress on one's pitching arm. Remember the Mets dealt Scott Kazmir to the Rays for Victor Zambrano because there were some rumblings that the Mets weren't keen about Kazmir's delivery?

 

BaseballWebTV, another division of Perfect Game, has a nice little video synopsis up of Schuster showing video of his performance at last summer's National Showcase:

 

http://www.baseballwebtv.com/Video.aspx?videoID=26945

 

He actually throws the ball in a similar fashion to Texas LHP Matthew Purke, who I currently have as one of the top 3-5 overall prospects in the nation. Purke's delivery has drawn a few concerns of his own, but I've talked to a few people that don't think Purke's delivery is bad at all (conversely, remember when Mark Prior was universally praised not only for his stuff, but for his mechanics, with many speculating that he would never breakdown?).

 

And I would be concerned if he's throwing 120+ pitches/game, but given his reported polish, for all we know he's throwing right around 100 pitches in these no-hit efforts. Plus, some high school games, like in the minor leagues, are 7 inning contests.

[TheCrew07]

I wasn't necessarily writing him off, but I'd rather get dual threat pitching prospects with good frames and athleticism first, I really liked the Ordorizzi, Lintz, and Lasker picks last season, gimme guys that run it up there in the 90s and swing the stick.. Yo, Parra low round (Draft and Follow), Inman, Rogers(I know but I liked the pick anyway).? The Brewers have done a good job drafting those types of players, we just have to keep them healthy and progressing.

 

I'm not sure the Kazmir comparison is a good one, he's more over the top and his follow through was more on a vertical plane.? I recall the injury concerns about him but wouldn't you say his delivery is much closer to conventional?? Now if Schuster has the potential to add some velocity I might change my tune as he doesn't have any eye popping numbers at the plate so if it were me I'd look grab him later on in the draft than the sandwich round.? Delivery wise he sort of reminds me of a LH Inman the way he slings the ball up there except he doesn't lock out his elbow on the backside after it breaks the glove like Inman does.

 

Kazmir in HS

 

Inman Pitching Mechanics

[colbyjack]

I didn't mean to say that Schuster's and Kazmir's deliveries were similar, just that neither one's was considered ideal. I have never professed to be a pitching coach, but if the scouts are talking about him as a potential sandwich pick (keep in mind that Sinha is a former scout with both the Padres and Cardinals, and is tune with the FL scouting community more than anyone I know), that tells me that either the concerns about his delivery or minimal, or that they believe they can be corrected.

 

This line from my interview with Bruce Seid really says it all IMO:

 

You want to see athleticism, you want to see how the arm works and you want to see the delivery. If there is something in the delivery or arm action that we think we can change, and we know he has the athleticism, the arm strength and he shows the ability to spin a breaking ball or have a feel for that pitch, now he has the opportunity to get better as he gets older in a system that can properly make the most of his potential.

 

Inman is a good call, and like Inman, Schuster is enjoying success for his ability to pitch as much for his stuff. That's why I'm not going to assume he's compiling ugly pitch counts, because he could be cruising through lineups the way he commands the strike zone at such a young age. Plus, 88-92 with a good curveball is still pretty good for a LHP.

[TheCrew07]

Fair enough, I'm probably overly concerned about his mechanics, is he a good athlete? It's always tough to tell from a pitching video... Does he play multiple sports? That's generally the way the Brewers have been leaning with HS pitchers and none of the articles out there discuss anything other than his pitching.