College Baseball Resource Thread 2007

[colbyjack]

We may be weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, but college baseball is just around the corner. I will use this thread all spring long to cover some of the more interesting developments while also pointing out the continued increased TV coverage we have witnessed the past couple of years.

 

Baseball America kicks off their solid college coverage with a sneak preview PDF that includes their preseason top 50 teams:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...review.pdf

 

Rice LHP/1B Joe Savery graces their homepage today:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/jsavery06428309jwa.jpg

 

Keep an eye on PG Crosschecker for their college launch in the next week or two, and my next Crack of the Bat column at Perfect Game intends to focus on eight teams I like for this spring.

[GagneCY03]

Vanderbilt better be in there, with David Price getting lots of love! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

Looking forward to another article, dude.

[colbyjack]

Here is my column at Perfect Game that I mentioned just above. I profile my preseason top-10 teams, which is a little different than most publications. We shall see how my powers of progostication stack up come June:

 

Perfect Game Crack of the Bat: Preseason top 10 college teams

 

Next week I'm going to release my preseason All-American team.

[DHonks]

Colby, any hope for my Santa Clara Broncos this year? Randy Winn and Steve Nash are getting old, and we need more professionals!

[colbyjack]

Sorry, I missed your post from before DHonks. No, I don't think there is much hope for Santa Clara this year.

 

PG Crosschecker has started their college preseason coverage, as they are running down the top 100 teams 25 teams per day. 26-50 should be released later today:

 

www.pgcrosschecker.com/co...teams.aspx

[colbyjack]

Baseball America's official college preseason coverage has started, today looking at what teams have been the most successful over the past 10 years and which programs are on the rise.

 

Since so many of their stories are for subscribers only, I am going to provide a link to their college baseball page instead of the individual stories.

 

BA notes that their coverage will be lasting two weeks, which is sure to include their preaseason top 25 teams, all-american teams, top 50 prospects by class, etc.

 

www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/

[colbyjack]

In my PG column this week I name a preseason college All-American team made up of former PG showcase participants:

 

www.perfectgame.org/crack...an%5Fteam/

 

PG Crosschecker's college coverage includes a ranking (with capsules) of their top 100 teams in the nation, as well as conference breakdowns:

 

PG Crosschecker top 100 teams

 

Baseball America today released their top 25 teams along with their respective team capsules. That info is for subscribers only.

 

They do have a couple of nice pictures available, one of Joe Savery pitching (he's shown hitting just above in this thread), and one of David Price pitching.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/jsavery07428309aw.jpg

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/dprice07428309.jpg

[colbyjack]

BA is reporting some pretty notable injuries to college prospects. Tennessee CF Julio Borbon fractured his ankle, but is expected to make a full recovery in 8-10 weeks (that's hard to believe, particularly for a player that relies on speed).

 

Cal State Fullerton RHP Wes Roemer broke the pinky on his pitching hand, but is expected to work through it somehow.

 

A few more notable players with injury and other concerns:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...63164.html

[colbyjack]

A nice picture of former Brewers draft pick Sean Morgan is up on BA's homepage today:

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/smorgan07428309aw.jpg

[colbyjack]

My Crack of the Bat column this week focues on 12 potential sleepers from the college ranks that may be looked at much differently come June:

 

www.perfectgame.org/crack...Fsleepers/

 

There are quite a few players mentioned that have ties to the Brewers.

[Blazer25]

Scouting lesson of the day for those of you interested in that sort of thing:

 

The picture of Savery pitching is a good example of a pitcher whose arm action has an upside down takeaway. (look at his hand position in the picture) Being upside down is usually considered a bad thing as it can put extra stress on the shoulder and elbow.

 

Price on the other had does not.

 

Great comparison pictures of mechanics Colby! (even though that was not your intent)

[colbyjack]

Thanks for the tip Blazer.

 

The defending CWS champion Oregon State Beavers opened their season last night in dramatic fashion, as four pitchers combined on a no-hitter over Hawaii-Hilo. Here's the story/box score:

 

www.osubeavers.com/ViewAr...LID=753425

[colbyjack]

UW Stevens Point RHP Jordan Zimmerman is profiled today in BA's continued college preseason coverage. Here's a link to the article, although it is subscriber based.

 

www.baseballamerica.com/o...63186.html

[templeUsox]

The early favorite for POY has to be Brian Matusz after his performance today.

 

6 IP, 2 H, ER, 13/1 K/BB, 1 HRA

[colbyjack]

Talking about an early favorite for POY after the first weekend of play seems a little funny to me. Your point is well taken though, Matusz had a fine performance yesterday vs. a solid ballclub (Cal Poly), and was a big part of the Toreros success from a year ago (and will continue to be moving forward).

 

Things got a little scary for USD after he left that game.

 

DRAFT JARED PRINCE

 

I'm guessing you mean for the Red Sox. Prince is an interesting prospect, as I'm sure you know since you're actively rooting for the guy to be selected. Draft-eligible sophomores are always more interesting since they typically are perceived to be tougher signs, and drop further than they should because they make it pretty clear that they do have added negotiating power since they can always return for their junior year of eligibility.

 

This year offers a very solid class of draft-eligible sophomores, including David Duncan of GT and both Brad Suttle and Kyle Russell from Texas. Many draft-eligible sophomores red-shirted along the way, but that isn't the case with any of the players mentioned within this post.

 

And I agree that Prince could be the best of this bunch, as he has an extraordinarily polished approach at the plate and a very good collection of tools. While he also pitches, his future lies as an everyday player.

[templeUsox]

Quote:

---

Talking about an early favorite for POY after the first weekend of play seems a little funny to me.

---

Sorry CJ. That part was supposed to be a joke.

 

On a totally different note, I recently subscribed to PGcrosschecker, and I don't know if you contributed or not to the JuCo preview, but it was a real treat to read. Everything on that site is very thought out and informative. But I was blown away by the JuCo coverage; mainly because it's very easy to gloss over that subject matter because of the general lack of interest. However losers like me who actually enjoy that stuff greatly appreciate it.

 

On Jared Prince, this is certainly extremely premature, but how about an early Jason Bay comp? He's got the northwest collegiate roots, the size and athleticism, the patience/power combo, and the general pasty look. Thoughts?

 

Edit: Sorry, I didn't even see your post about the PGCC JuCo content in the draft resource thread until now. Any thoughts on any Sox DFE's, particularly Brandon Belt?

[colbyjack]

No, I didn't contribute on the Juco coverage. That was all Allan Simpson and David Rawnsley. I don't have much to do with the rankings, as I'm more of a feature columnist.

 

Jason Bay is an interesting comparison for Jared Prince. You already noted that it is an extremely premature comparison, so that's good, as comparing amateur prospects to the best players in the game always comes with a disclaimer. If scouts believe Prince can be that kind of slugger than there is no way he'll fall to the Red Sox pick. But then again, no one thought Bay would be the type of hitter he became as somewhat of a late bloomer. They do profile in a similar fashion.

 

Entering last year's draft season, I felt Brandon Belt was a very similar prospect to Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw's stuff took off, and of course he became the 7th overall pick and one of the better LHP prospects in the game. Belt has that kind of potential, but he'll need to improve his fastball velocity and command to make a similar leap. He spurned his commitment to Texas to attend San Jacinto, so it's clear he would prefer to sign and get into professional ball.

 

Here's his Brewerfan.net player profile from a year ago:

 

www.brewerfan.net/ViewAma...;draftId=4

[colbyjack]

Baseball America's college baseball's coverage keeps getting better, particularly with their new college blog and their more detailed college weekend preview. This weekend there are some really good matchups out there to follow:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...63271.html

 

At the bottom of the link there is a Q&A with Jemile Weeks:

 

Quote:

---

In The Dugout: Jemile Weeks

 

No. 2 Miami enters the season with far higher expectations than it did a year ago, when the Hurricanes were unranked and proceeded to drop a home series to Winthrop in their first action of the year. That team ended up going to Omaha, and this year's team is expected to do the same. The Hurricanes begin their quest to return to the CWS with a home series against Mercer, and don't expect a repeat of last year's season-opening jitters. Sophomore second baseman Jemile Weeks said the Hurricanes are feeling comfident and excited, even though ace lefthander Scott Maine isn't expected to start this weekend due to a violation of team rules. Senior Manny Miguelez gets the nod in his place on Friday. In this week's "In The Dugout," Weeks talked about his exciting freshman year, expectations for 2007 and his relationship with older brother Rickie, the Milwaukee Brewers' starting second baseman.

 

Q: You obviously had a whirlwind freshman year, going to the College World Series and then starring for Team USA and winning a gold medal down in Cuba. Did you get any time to unwind in the offseason?

 

A: Not really. My season started off in February, and I went all the way through the month of August. By the time I got back, I got about three days off, then I was right back here in Miami. (During winter break) I took a step back and gave my body some time to rest so I'd be fresh to start the season.

 

Q: Did you see Rickie at all over the offseason?

 

A: I spent a lot of time with him over the offseason; he was injured, didn?t get to be on the field, but we worked out. Usually when we meet up, it's usually a family type thing, going out as a family, enjoying each other. We don?t see each other too often. Every now and then, it's something to do with baseball.

 

Q: What kind of relationship do you have--is there a sibling rivalry?

 

A: Not any more. We used to when we were younger. I held my own actually. He had some years on me, but I was up there competing.

 

Q: OK, I'm going to put you on the spot. Out of the two of you, who's faster?

 

A: I would have to say, we'll give it a tie, but I feel like I may have the edge.

 

Q: Who's the better hitter?

 

A: Right now I'd have to say he is, he's more proven than me. He's got the power.

 

Q: Who's the better second baseman?

 

A: Ooh, I think I am.

 

Q: You surprised some people last year with your power production. Do you consider the longball an important part of your game, or is it more speed and disruption?

 

A: The speed, disruption, that's the main part of my game that I'm going to stick with for the rest of my careeer. Home runs are just extras.

 

Q: Your run to Omaha last year was pretty unexpected, but this year you won't be sneaking up on anyone. How does that change things?

 

A: I think that pressure is more on the outside world, because on the baseball field, we're not really focused on the rankings, we're focused on winning every game possible. We're very optimistic, we've got Dennis Raben, Yonder Alonso, Blake Tekotte--the core freshman guys coming back from last year. And I feel pretty good about our pitching staff. We have more depth this year, that's a positive thing to do what we have to do to win a national champions.

---

 

Jemile Weeks

http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/jweeks06428309lg.jpg

[GagneCY03]

Matusz follows up his season debut with an impressive outing vs No 4 Texas: 5.2 IP, 5 Hits, 1 ER, 4 BB, 8 K's. I really wish the Angels had signed him; would love to have him in my dynasty league...

[colbyjack]

Matusz is definitely reinforcing his position as one of the top college players available for the '08 draft.

 

Some notes from around college baseball this weekend:

 

Florida State swept Tennessee. RHP Bryan Henry picked up where he left off from a year ago, tossing 6 scoreless innings with 11 Ks. Michael Hyde followed Henry on Saturday with a gem of his own, tossing 6.1 scoreless innings with 10 Ks. Tennessee didn't do much right over the weekend, as they hit .215 as a team and posted a collective 9.75 ERA.

 

Cal State Fullerton swept Stanford, with Wes Roemer getting the win on Friday giving up 3 runs in 6 innings with his usual strike zone mastery (8 Ks, 1 BB).

 

San Diego continues to have Texas' number, taking their weekend series 2 games to 1. As noted above, Matusz looked good one again as the Toreros Friday ace.

 

Arizona State outfielder Matt Spencer had a huge weekend as ASU swept Southern Utah. Spencer drove in 13 runs over the 3-game series, adding 15 total bases in just 9 at-bats. Spencer transferred from UNC during the offseason after it seemed he wouldn't get much playing time for the Tar Heels, and was a very talented hitter coming out of high school. The Sun Devils hit .470 as a team and scored 61 runs. Another transfer, Friday ace Brian Flores, also got off to a good start, tossing five innings without giving up an earned run, while allowing just 2 hits and striking out 5.

 

Arizona swept Gonzaga. C.J. Ziegler was the main catalyst for the Wildcats, scoring 8 runs, swatting 4 doubles and walking 4 times over the weekend.

 

Long Beach State took 2 of 3 from the USC Trojans, with strong pitching throughout the weekend. The Dirtbags lost on Friday despite a very good pitching performance from sophomore RHP Vance Worley (6 K, 0 BB, 4 H, 1 ER over 6 IP). Transfer Manny McElroy pitched well on Saturday.

 

UCLA took 2 of 3 from Winthrop.

 

Cal took 2 of 3 from UC Irvine.

 

Miami had a tough weekend, losing 2 games to Mercer and had the third game cancelled due to bad weather.

 

Arkansas took 2 of 3 from Louisiana Tech. Nick Schmidt didn't look particularly sharp in Friday's contest despite giving up only one hit. He walked 5 batters and gave up 2 earned runs over 3 innings of work.

 

UNLV took 2 of 3 from Pepperdine. Pepperdine ace Barry Enright was sharp in Friday's win as he didn't give up an earned run in 7 innings of work.

[colbyjack]

If you live anywhere near Houston, get in your car and head for Minute Maid Park for a fine collection of college teams.

 

Rice, Arizona State, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Houston and Baylor will take part in the Houston College Classic, and no doubt this event will packed not only with fans, but scouts, crosscheckers, scouting directors and probably a few GMs as well.

 

Vanderbilt and Rice kick off the tourney at noon on Friday, and both teams are currently ranked in the top 10 (Rice is ranked #1). This game will mark the season debut for the preseason #1 draft eligible player in the nation, LHP David Price. Joe Savery was originally slated to be Rice's Sunday starter, so we'll see who goes for the Owls.

 

Arizona State vs. Texas A&M follows, which could offer a match between two former Brewers draft picks, Texas A&M LHP David Newmann and Arizona State OF Tim Smith. ASU is an offensive powerhouse, while Texas A&M could surprise some people this season.

 

Houston & Baylor finish up Friday's action. Neither team is loaded with '07 talent, but Baylor in particular is a team to watch in the future.

 

There should be some fun stats and other tidbits to report from this tournament.

[GagneCY03]

Really looking forward to Price's debut. Just wish it was televised.

[GagneCY03]

According to CSTV's website, the Rice/Vanderbilt game will the aired over the internet for free. The game starts at noon central time Friday.

[reillymcshane]

I don't see this anywhere, so forgive me if it's posted, but our friend Jeff Sackmann has introduced a new site:

 

www.collegesplits.com/

 

It's just started in beta with one team, but it'll work just like the great minorleaguesplits.com site with a sortable database of almost 10,000 players. Should be a primo resource this season.

 

Here's an article introducting it:

 

Hardball Times Article

[colbyjack]

That is absolutely awesome news. I think Jeff Sackmann is everyone's hero.

 

---------------------------------

 

BA's Aaron Fitt is in Houston covering the tournament I mentioned above. If you haven't seen it yet, BA has a new college blog where Fitt and John Manuel submit frequent entries to share their random thoughts. Fitt likely will add more about today's game given the much anticipated matchup between #1 Rice and #1 prospect David Price:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/blog/college/

 

Here's BA's weekend preview:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...63310.html

 

Plenty of good matchups to follow this weekend.

 

In today's game Price started off a little shaky, walking a couple of batters in the first two innings and giving up a couple of earned runs. I listened to most of the game, and the runs Price gave up could be chalked up to shaky defense, but no errors were recorded. He settled down nicely in the 3rd and started to mow batters down as a result. Based on the internet broadcast, it sounded as though he was catching the corners with his curve, a pretty nice sign so early in the season. No report on how hard he was throwing, but again, I have a feeling Aaron Fitt will enlighten us with those numbers in the BA blog.

 

Here's Price's final line:

 

5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 6 K, 3 BB

 

BTW, Joe Savery did not start today's game for Rice, instead electing to stick with his usual Sunday spot since he also plays first and hits cleanup for the Owls. Rice reliever Cole St. Clair is expected to miss a couple of weeks wtih some soreness in his pitching shoulder (more details in BA's college blog and weekend preview as linked above).

 

Andrew Brackman and NC State also began their season today against William & Mary. Here's his line on the day:

 

5 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 ER), 3 K, 1 BB

 

Matt Wieters and Georgia Tech begin their season tomorrow (Saturday) against Georgia Southern.

 

Last year's ACC Player of the Year, two-way standout Sean Doolittle took the mound today as Virginia kicked off their season vs. Elon. Here's his line:

 

5 IP, 4 H, 3 R (1 ER), 6 K, 1 BB

 

Here's the aforementioned BA blog entry on David Price:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/b...lege/?p=19

 

And BA also has one on Andrew Brackman, who they report was in the 92-95 range and repeated his delivery well:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/b...lege/?p=21

 

And one on the ASU/Texas A&M matchup, in which ASU OF Matt Spencer continues to stay red-hot:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/b...e/?p=20%22

 

BTW, here's Brewerfan.net's scouting profile on Spencer coming out of HS:

 

www.brewerfan.net/ViewAma...;draftId=2

 

And Alan Matthews was in SD to see Matusz, with a few notes on highly-touted USC freshman Robert Stock:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/b...lege/?p=23

 

And here's Matusz' Brewerfan.net scouting profile coming out of HS:

 

www.brewerfan.net/ViewAma...;draftId=3

 

Thanks to templeusox for his updates just below.

 

Joe Savery vs. Texas A&M (as detailed below):

 

4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 K, 2 BB

 

Jake Arrieta vs. Central Florida:

 

5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 3 BB