College Baseball Resource Thread 2007

[colbyjack]

This is an interesting story:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/b...lege/?p=61

 

South Carolina freshman Lonnie Chisenhall and Nick Fuller have been dismissed from the baseball team by Head Coach Ray Tanner for what is being reported as multiple cases of burglary and grand larceny. Wow. I'm sure more details will surface on this, but that is a shocker. These two guys are two of the more talented freshman in the entire nation.

 

Aside for the legal and character issues, it does spring to mind about what happens if they are draft-eligible because of this?

 

Here is the story BA got their info from:

 

www.wltx.com/news/story.a...ryid=47953

 

Quote:

---

Each former baseball player was charged with burglary and grand larceny. The two were charged with entering a dorm room during spring break.

 

Police say they took a flat-screen tv, a Playstation 3, and DVDS. The total property was valued at $2,000. Fuller was also charged in the theft of three desktop computers, valued at $4,500. Those computers were from the USC Academic Enrichment Center. Police say Fuller also took $3,100 in cash from the USC Baseball coaches' office.

 

Fuller was charged with a total of three counts of burglary and three counts of grand larceny. Grand larceny is defined as theft of a value of greater than $1,000, and less than $5,000. Both 18-year-old Chisenhall and 19-year-old Fuller appeared in bond court after 8 p.m. Monday night. Chisenhall's bond was set at $5,000 and Fuller's bond was set at $15,000.

---

 

Forget about the draft. Given how high character issues are for scouts, I doubt any team is going to want to give a chance to a convicted criminal.

[Past Member]

I have met coach Tanner, I believe he is a member of FCA, so this is no surprise for him to let two players like this go from his team.

[fewgoodcards]

Quote:

---

Forget about the draft. Given how high character issues are for scouts, I doubt any team is going to want to give a chance to a convicted criminal.

---

 

someone said on minorleagueball.com that clay buchholz did the same thing when he was in school. is this true? and if it is the red sox didn't seem to have a problem taking him in the first round.

[igor67]

You know you can rationalize a lot of really bumb behavior, but this I can't even begin to fathom a thought process that leads to stealing moderately valuable property.

[colbyjack]

someone said on minorleagueball.com that clay buchholz did the same thing when he was in school. is this true?

 

No clue, it clearly didn't hit the mainstream media as the Gamecocks situation did. Not saying that a story with more national clout would affect the scouting communities opinion any more, but I quesiton how severe Buchholz' offenses were if they didn't become common knowledge. Although he was a JC draftee, not a member of a perennial CWS participant.

 

I had the chance to catch up with some college baseball recordings from last weekend, most notably the Mississippi State vs. Florida contest. I've seen Florida so many times over the last two years, as they clearly have a pretty good TV deal in place. I didn't pay too much attention to the Florida players, as I've seen the draft-eligible ones several times before, and the next wave of talent including RHP Billy Bullock (who I watched for the third time) and SS/2B Cole Figueroa are only freshman. I will say that Figueroa continues to remind me of Delino DeSheilds.

 

Matt LaPorta of course is the most notable Gator. He continues to do a good job controlling the strike zone, although possibly at the expense of losing a little bit of his aggressiveness. A more patient approach is better than an overly aggressive one, and should help him find a happy medium. While he did strikeout in the game, on an outside breaking ball, he did show a much better job laying off the outside breaking balls, which is clearly his biggest weakness.

 

Mitch Moreland of MSU his a three-run home run in the first, batting cleanup for the Bulldogs. That hit with any less of a bat or any less of a wind would never have carried further than where the right-fielder would usually stand. Still, a HR is a HR, and it put MSU on the board in a big-time way early.

 

I'm not sure what to think of Moreland. He has a sturdy, stocky build, with sloped shoulders and decent proportions, and kind of reminded me of a smaller Travis Hafner given his wide-legged, open stance (which he closed significantly as the pitch arrived to the plate). He showed a lot of power at the Cape All-Star Game last summer, I believe winning the HR derby, but I'm not sure if I see that power in his swing.

 

I was more impressed with Moreland on the mound as he came on in the 9th to close the game out. He's not overpowering, but he throws a ton of strikes, and I'm guessing works in the mid-80s as a LHP. He throws a good curveball, not tight, but effective, that complements his fastball pretty well, especially since he throws that pitch for strikes as well. He came right after the Gator batters, and even if he doesn't have the velocity to be a prototypical closer, I could see him thriving as a short-inning specialist.

 

Ed Easley was the main reason I watched the game. I've like Easley quite a bit since high school, since I'm usually a fan of good hitting catchers with promising catching skills. I've had the chance to see Easley play during his first two years in college, and now as a junior it is clear that he has added significant muscle mass. While I'm impressed with his increased size, which should lead to more extra-base hits, it does look as though it has taken away some of his ranginess, as I always felt if catching didn't work for him he could move to third base or even second. Third base is still an option, but I doubt second base is.

 

He had a great game at the plate. He hit an RBI single straight back up the box on an inside breaking ball. He scored on Moreland's 3-run HR.

 

In the 2nd inning he ripped the 1st pitch he saw, a low fastball, to straight away CF for a 3-run HR of his own.

 

In the 4th he hit an IF single, chopping an outside fastball (that was probably ball four) deep to the hole at SS.

 

From there on he walked in the fifth and seventh innings, both on four pitches, and was intentionally walked in the ninth as Florida clearly wanted nothing to do with the guy. He went 3 for 3 with 3 walks and 4 RBI on the day (which BTW was Sunday's contest).

 

Easley still has work to do defensively. I always like watching catchers and how they react to how they throw the ball back to the pitcher. Maybe I've made this up, but it seems to be the better defensive catchers just have a little added cockiness to their throws, as they make it a point to show off their arms. You can definitely see this more in person, and it isn't as fair as me to make these assessments by watching a televised game. His arm seems average to me, and his release is a little long, From two stolen base attempts that I saw, he was really late on the first attempt, and while he threw out the second runner, the throw one-hopped to second base, and even on that one-hop it's not like the throw had a lot of carry to it.

 

He also didn't block the plate very well during a play in the 4th inning. He had only one foot on the 3B line, with the rest of his body shading to the 1B side in front of home plate. You're not going to prevent many runners from scoring by positioning yourself like that.

 

He did move well behind the plate, and seemed to handle his staff well.

 

Offensively he has really quick and strong hands, that should allow him to always hit for a relatively higher average as a catcher. With his increased strength, the power could come as well. He reminded me of Cole Gillespie physically, as he wasn't the biggest of guys, but he was well put together, and had pronounced sloped shoulder as his chin seemed to stand 2' above the top of his shoulder tips.

 

He reminded me a lot of Michael Barrett, more like Barrett of the Expos a few years ago when he was still a little leaner and rangier. Like Barrett he probably will never be a defensive stalwart, but he should have no problem hitting. Another name that popped to mind was Brian Harper, who played for the Brewers one year after a string of solid hitting seasons with the Twins (and Harper really had no throwing arm).

 

It will be interesting to see where Easley is taken in the draft. While he doesn't have Jeff Clement's power potential, nowhere close really, he is a similar prospect in that he's a catcher that can hit, and all it takes is one team that believes in his bat and accepts his defense for what it is to take him earlier than expected.

[fewgoodcards]

Julio Borbon made his first start of the year yesterday after several pinch hitting appearances and went 3-5 with a pair of doubles. Obviously the time off didn't hurt his bat. He's still not back in the field quite yet as he played DH in this game, but his ankle must be feeling well enough to run the bases.

[colbyjack]

There are some good college games on TV this weekend...

 

South Carolina at Mississippi State

All three games of this series will be televised on FCS.

 

Friday's game will be on FCSC at 6:30 PM

Saturday's game will be on FCSP at 3:00 PM.

Sunday's game will be on FCSP at 1:30 PM.

 

This is a great chance to see how South Carolina rebounds after losing two of their stud freshmen earlier this week, not to mention just being able to check out several promising draft-eligible prospects, including MSU's Ed Easley as profiled just above. South Carolina is highlighted by two stud sophomores, 1B Justin Smoak and SS Reese Havens.

 

Arizona State at USC

Friday, FCSP, 9:00 PM

 

Arizona State is loaded with offensive talent, while USC has a few interesting draft-eligible prospects of their own to follow in this game, no matter who starts.

 

Boston College at Florida State

Saturday, FCSA, 5:00 PM

Sunday, FCSA, Noon

 

Not the most loaded games as far as prospects are concerned, as BC's Terry Doyle is the Golden Eagles' Friday starter, but FSU does have some intriguing underclassmen to watch.

[colbyjack]

Here's BA's weekend preview:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...63559.html

 

Some interesting notes include David Price's performance from last week vs. Ole Miss:

 

Quote:

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rice has thrown three straight complete games, including last week's 10-inning, 14-strikeout, 130-plus-pitch masterpiece against Mississippi...

 

...Price has the more dominant stuff of the two, and Corbin said he was even stronger in the 10th inning (throwing his fastball in the 95-96 mph range) last week than in the first (91-92). Price still relies heavily on his pair of above-average pitches, his four-seam fastball and his slider, but he also mixes in a changeup, a two-seamer and a slurve.

---

 

The story compares Price to Nick Schmidt, as Vandy squares off vs. Arkansas starting today. No details on Schmidt's stuff, although I have heard reports that he is pitching in the 87-90 mph range. Price working 95-96 in the 10th is extremely impressive.

 

Also, given the conversation surrounding Arrieta on a different thread in this forum, I thought I would share this:

 

Quote:

---

Arrieta, a preseason All-American, has come on his last two starts, beginning with an 11-strikeout, four-hit performance in eight shutout innings against Air Force last week. He wasn't quite as sharp in last night's win against Brigham Young, allowing four earned runs on five hits and five walks over six innings of work, but he did strike out 10. One scout who saw him allow six runs over throw 4 2/3 innings in a loss to Rice two weeks ago had this to say about him:

 

"He took the loss because I think he left the game with two guys on, and a reliever came on and gave it up. He was getting his fastball up in the zone, still touching 93, but I don?t want to say 94. He looked OK. Didn?t look like he was destined to be a first-rounder, but I wouldn't be surprised if he goes in the back half. He's got to be more consistent as the year goes on. He's got a slurve he throws, not an average pitch, but he throws it for strikes, it works. It'd be nice to see it crisper, but it works for him. He's got a good-looking delivery, a durable pro body, and he's put on good weight in his lower half since last year. Keep an eye on him, but nobody's overly excited right now."

---

 

This pretty much goes along what I've heard and guessed about Arrieta this spring. Good stuff, shaky secondary stuff and command. As of right now, he's not worth the seventh overall pick IMO, as he's probably more of of a fit for the 20th-30th overall selections.

[fewgoodcards]

some of us cardinals fans think arrieta is going to be the cards' pick at 18 b/c of their preference for college righties. i am hoping they pass and take a bat, but it wouldn't surprise me at all.

[PrimetimeHater]

Isn't the fact that they're letting Price pitch into the 10th inning pretty scary for major league teams? I have read on some SEC forums that Price has been hitting the 130 pitch counts a few times in this season. It seems like the coaches are abusing his arm just a bit.

[fewgoodcards]

corey brown continues to tear the cover off the ball for oklahoma st. tonight he went 3-5, hit his 11th homer of the year, scored 4 times, drove in 3, drew a walk, and perhaps the best part he didn't strike out. colby, i know he strikes out a ton, but he is showing some of the best power in the country and is a pretty athletic outfielder. how high do you think he could go?

[GagneCY03]

The Price/Schmidt matchup wasnt quite the pitcher's duel I'd imagined it would be. Both pitchers gave up 5 runs on 6 hits with 4 walks and 8 strikeouts. Schmidt went 7 with 3 earned, while Price went 6 with 4 earned. Currently tied 7-7 in the 8th with Vandy closer Casey Weathers in to pitch.

[colbyjack]

Isn't the fact that they're letting Price pitch into the 10th inning pretty scary for major league teams?

 

I'm sure the big-league teams aren't a big fan of seeing those pitch counts go that high, as I'm not a big fan of seeing it either. Price in particular has thrown quite a few innings ever since his freshman year, logging quite a bit of innings during the summer in between as well. However, I think whomever takes him know that the negotiations alone will prevent him from pitching at all this summer after his college season is over. If for some crazy reason he did sign early enough, I think any team would be wise to simply shut him down until instrux in the fall.

 

colby, i know he strikes out a ton, but he is showing some of the best power in the country and is a pretty athletic outfielder. how high do you think he could go?

 

I think I was the only person that had Brown ranked in the top 30 prior to the scouting season, so obviously I feel he has the talent to be drafted in the first round. I think those strikeouts are pretty telling of some holes in his swing, and he did struggle on the Cape last summer swinging the wood bat. His athleticism is a huge plus, as is his power potential, but I think a team would have to be pretty confident they can find a way for Brown to do a better job controlling his swing and understanding what he can and can't hit.

 

However, if he keeps hitting as he has he could easily go in the top 10. 20+ strikeouts already just isn't a good thing, as much as I like the guy.

[colbyjack]

Updates for the week of 3/23/07

 

David Price

6 IP, 6 H, 5 R (4 ER), 8 K, 4 BB vs. Arkansas

You have to wonder if last week's long outing had an effect on Price's effectiveness this week.

 

Nick Schmidt

7 IP, 6 H, 5 R (3 ER), 8 K, 4 BB vs. Vanderbilt

Schmidt is starting to stretch out his arm more and more, however his walks have been up this season.

 

***Casey Weathers took the loss for Vandy as Arkansas won Friday's game in extra innings.

 

Jake Arrieta

6 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 10 K, 5 BB vs. BYU

Arrieta tossed 110 pitches on Thursday. The Ks are nice, but again it doesn't seem as though he's pitching effectively.

 

Ross Detwiler

8 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 12 K, 3 BB vs. Northern Iowa

Another solid start for Detwiler, although not against a marquee opponent.

 

Wes Roemer

4.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R (1 ER), 5 K, 4 BB vs. Long Beach State

Roemer hasn't been particularly sharp lately, which leads me to wonder (again) if the long innings and high pitch counts are starting to catch up with him.

 

David Newmann

6.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 5 K, 3 BB vs. Oklahoma

Newmann continues to rack up the Ks (and walks) against good teams.

 

Andrew Brackman

4 IP, 9 H, 6 R (5 ER), 2 K, 3 BB vs. Wake Forest

Ugh, the starts keep getting uglier for Brackman as the competition increases.

 

Sean Doolittle

6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 7 K , 1 BB vs. Miami

Two earned runs on only two hits and one walk? Tough luck loser for Doolittle, who pitches well against a tough ACC opponent.

 

Joe Savery

3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 K, 1 BB vs. Southern Mississippi

I think Savery needs to take a break from these updates, as he hasn't done much on the mound to deserve this inclusion. At the plate however he went 2 for 4 with 2 runs, 2 walks and 4 RBI today.

[fewgoodcards]

colby, you really think corey brown could be a top 10 pick? even with all of the homers, i just don't see someone taking him that high.

[colbyjack]

Sure it's possible, if he maintains his current production and finishes the year with 25-30 HRs, especially given the perceived lack of impact college bats.

 

Of course there is a difference of what could happen and what is more likely to happen. Again, I'm the only person that had Brown in the first-round mix to open the season, so if he is taken in the first, it's more likely that he goes in the 20-30 range.

[fewgoodcards]

speaking of guys that could hit 25-30 homers, kyle russell went deep again today giving him 2 on the weekend and 15 on the year. what a power show he is putting on this year.

 

last year's homerun sensation kellen kulbacki knocked a pair of homers today and now has 7 on the year.

[fewgoodcards]

matt laporta had a monster game today going 4-4 with a double and 2 homeruns. he is now hitting .412 with 8 homers and only 8 strikeouts. that is an albert pujols-like HR/K rate. he has got to be hitting himself back into the first round this year.

 

zach cozart who has had a pretty down year also had a big game today going 5-5 with a homer, 4 runs scored, and 4 RBIs, and a steal. that should bump him up over .300. hopefully he can build on this and finish strong.

[GagneCY03]

I'm rooting hard for LaPorta to stay healthy and earn a first round selection. Looks like that ankle sprain isnt affecting his performance. But there's got to be a mistake on his stat line; it says he's been hit by pitch 14 times in 25 games. Can that be right?

[colbyjack]

LaPorta has always crowded the plate, as he's put up big HBP numbers in previous years. It also is important to note that the college game in general sees more players hit by pitch due to the nature of the game, as college pitchers try to crowd college hitters more given the metal bats (look at Wes Roemer's HBP numbers sometime, a guy that is usually praised for his control).

[colbyjack]

I have to catch up on some of my player observations from the past two weekends. There have some pretty good players on display on TV the past several weeks, with a few more good games this upcoming weekend. I'm going to try and keep my thoughts quick as like I said I have seen quite a few players that I jotted down notes for.

 

Sean Doolittle

Virginia visited UNC two weekends ago, a battle against two very good teams, both with their fair share of draft talent. Doolittle was probably the best draft-eligible player on display for this year, although I saw him hit, not pitch. I have seen Doolittle several times the past two years, and not much has changed for him at the plate. He employs a very quiet stance, he's very patient, takes a ton of pitches, and resembles Todd Helton. Like Todd Helton there are going to be some questions about him hitting for power coming out of college, as he keeps his lead leg planted firmly on the ground, which allows him to hit for very good contact and allows him to hit the ball to the gaps, but he's going to be more of a doubles hitter than a home run hitter with that approach. He did drive a couple of balls to deep CF, he doesn't swing and miss, and he remains very calm with two strikes. He also looked very good around the first base bag as he always does. A good hitter, but his upside is limited.

 

David Adams

Adams flanks Doolittle on the right-side of the Cavaliers infield. While Doolittle's offensive upside is somewhat limited, the sky is the limit for Adams, who is more of an aggressive hitter that looks to punish mistakes. While he has more of a pull approach, he did have drive to the opposite field. You can tell he has added a lot of mass and strength to his frame since HS, where many, including my PG boss and our very own Blazer25, felt he was one of the best hitters in the country. Very good bat speed and pitch recognition. He looks good at second base as well. He isn't draft eligible until next year.

 

Jacob Thompson

Another '08, and as of right now one of the top 10 '08s in the nation. Thompson is going to have to firm up his pitching mechanics to win me over, as he brings his arm straight down, and then straight over the top as part of his pitching delivery, which appears to put a tremendous amount of stress on his throwing shoulder. I have seen two other pitchers throw like this in the past few years: Tim Lincecum and Bradley Clark, an Aflac All-American in 2004 that has seemingly disappeared. Thompson is tall and lanky, with good stuff (I'm guessing he was in the low-90s all day with his fastball) and a very good curveball. He threw his curve very well for strikes, but he fell way too in love with the pitch, and is going to need to learn to pitch off of his fastball more. It may have just been that day, but his FB command was shaky, and the pitch was about as straight as they come. In his defense, his fastball did look at its best in the 7th inning, his last inning of the game I watched, and he struck out UNC's Chad Flack to end the frame.

 

Robert Woodard

I've seen and reported on Woodard before. Same old same old. He doesn't beat himself, he throws strikes, changes speeds and he fields his position well. His fastball can't top 86 mph, and that lack of velocity will cause him to get knocked around and then some in the upper levels of the minors, if not sooner.

 

Josh Horton

If I had to put money on one player from this year's draft that I was confident would play in the big-leagues for a good five to 10 years, my money would go on Horton. He's having a good year at the plate, and does everything well, but he doesn't stand out in any one area. I have compared Horton to Bill Spiers in the past, and I think that is how Horton profiles at the big-league level: Starter for a few years, utility man for his most productive years. He has a good swing from the left side with a little bit of pop and a very patient eye. A little bit of speed, a good arm, average range and he makes all of the players he can get to.

 

Drew Poulk

UNC's CF...keep an eye on this kid. A good looking athlete with nice range in CF and a very good arm. You can see his potential at the plate, although I think his swing is a little big at this point in time.

 

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

 

Onto the players from the next game, Arizona State vs. USC...

 

Arizona State's entire lineup resembles the Oakland A's: Big, lefty sluggers with their socks pulled up and euro-mullets that take a ton of pitches.

 

Brett Wallace

Only a sophomore, but I have loved this kid's swing since HS. Terrible body, very soft, but the more he hits the more people will look past his body. He hit a 2-run HR to straight away CF in the 2nd. Shows a very patient eye, and can surprise you by swapping a bag once in a while.

 

Tim Smith

Smith was a Brewers DFE candidate a year ago, but reportedly was looking for too much money. He is the next good all-around left-handed hitting OF prospect that should follow Andre Ethier and Travis Buck. He can hit, draw walks, hit for a little pop, swipe a few bags and play either corner spot in the OF. The question is how much power he'll hit for, as he doesn't have the wheels to play CF.

 

Ike Davis

Another '08 eligible player, and another former Aflac All-American (Wallace and Paramore also were Aflac AA's). Tall, strong big-league body. Very good power potential. Among the league leaders in doubles, with a smooth natural swing. Also pitched a year ago, but his future is as a hitter.

 

Petey Paramore

ASU's catcher. Played a lot as a freshman. Among league leaders in walks with a very, very patient approach. Powerful switch-hitter, launced a 2-run HR in the 4th as a right-handed batter. Another '08.

 

Matt Spencer

Started the year hot. Transfer from UNC. Well-known talent coming out of HS but was considered a tough sign. Another big guy with a very patient approach. Upright, slightly open stance. Smoked a single up the middle in the 3rd inning. Power has cooled since hitting 4 HRs in I think the first week or two of the season, but he's still hitting over .400.

 

Josh Satow

ASU's Friday starter. A fiery little lefty that attacks hitters. FB has nice deception as well as very good dip and dive. I'm guessing it maxes out around 88, 89, sits in the mid-80s. Pretty good curve, more of a sweeping breaking ball, and a nice changeup as well. He's only 5'9" I think, 150 pounds sopping wet, but I would take a flier on his demeanor and stuff, as he could be an interesting specialist in the lines of Ricardo Rincon down the line.

 

Matt Cusick

USC's Captain and starting 2B. Nice approach with a very good eye and a bat made for contact. Some power potential, and some speed. Another classic good but not great all-around player. Very good defense.

 

Lucas Duda

USC's 1B, very nice size and a well-proportioned athlete. Duda was well known coming out of HS, and while he has hit well, the power hasn't progressed as many hoped. He has a nice approach and a very good left-handed swing. He stays back well, but again, he's going to have to hit for more power to garner early round interest. Hit well in the NWL last summer.

 

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

 

I caught all three games of the South Carolina vs. Mississippi State matchup from this past weekend, which gave me a great chance to zero in on sophomore slugger Justin Smoak of the Gamecocks.

 

Justin Smoak

His body and stance is very much like Arod's, in that he has a very mature, big-league looking body. His stance is also somewhat like Adam Dunn's, and while Smoak has Dunn's awesome power potential, Smoak should hit for a higher average and likely will never strike out at such alarming rates. He has a very balanced swing, from both sides of the plate, and had some great ABs even when he wasn't getting on base by fouling pitches off and working the opposing pitchers.

 

He showed his best swing on a RBI double to deep left-center field (as a left-handed hitter) in the first game. Just a classic stroke.

 

He yanked a 2-run HR in Sunday's contest, although this I thought had more to do with the metal bat than his swing. He added a few other good hits off of good ABs, hitting a flare single on an outside changeup, an RBI 1B to RF on a high FB and another RBI single to CF on a chest-high FB. Smoak, Pedro Alvarez and Yonder Alonso are going to make the '08 draft class for college pretty special on their own.

 

Reese Havens

Havens has the talent, but that talent hasn't converted into production on the field yet for the Gamecocks. He did have a great night on Friday, tallying five hits, three of which were doubles, and just when you thought he was turning his season around, he went back to solid but unspectacular the rest of the weekend. I do like his approach, as he is a patient hitter, he stays back on the ball and has a good-looking inside-out swing that clearly knows how to go with the pitches that are given him. That may be because he's hitting 8th now, so some pressure has been taken off of him. There is clearly some power in his frame and his left-handed swing, it's a matter of him finding it more consistently.

 

Trent Kline

I've liked Kline since HS, who was highly touted for his cannon for an arm. He began his career at UNC, but TJ surgery caused him to bounce around a little bit (he transferred to a JC before transferring to SC). He's very short, a left-handed hitter with an open stance. Physically he has sloped shoulders, and actually looks more like a sparkplug SS. He's got some pop in his bat, although I'm not sure how much arm strength he has left these days. I think he's an interesting catching project for the pros, as he should hit a little.

 

Wynn Pelzer

SC's closer dazzled on Sunday. There is no wasted movement to his delivery. Very, very smooth. I saw Pelzer two years ago at the DQ Classic and I remember being impressed with his arm. Now I am impressed with the way he pitches, and would be tempted to move him back to the starting rotation as a pro. Being a relatively shorter African American with his bill pulled very low, he definitely resembles Tom Gordon. He has very good late movement to his fastball, which sits in the low-90s and can tough the mid-90s. He threw two different kinds of breaking balls, a very sharp slider and a tight curveball. It also looked as though he pulled out his changeup in his 2+ innings of work. He is very hard to hit and has very consistent arm action no matter what pitch he is throwing. He struck out one of the nation's top hitters, Ed Easley, to end Sunday's contest.

 

Ed Easley

I added my thoughts on Easley a week ago, and while he didn't have as good of a series statistically, he still had some very, very good ABs despite not getting much to hit. When he makes contact the ball is hit very hard. He did hit a HR in Sunday's game in the 7th inning (which prompted the Gamecocks to bring in Pelzer) that was smoked to straight away CF. He hit a FB down the pipe that just carried and carried. Same thoughts on his defense from last week as well. I like his athleticism, although I'm a little concerned about his arm.

 

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

 

I finally got to catch up and watched Florida take on Auburn.

 

Matt LaPorta

I have seen LaPorta a ton the past few years. He definitely is dialed back in, and has done a great job adjusting his appraoch to tone down on his Ks while offering more productive ABs. He had a great weekend series, going 7 for 13 with 3 bombs, although he did strike out 3 times. I saw him hit one of his bombs in Saturday's game, in which he quickly turned on a low, inside FB and crushed it over Auburn's green monster.

 

Josh Donaldson

Auburn's catcher who is putting up big numbers this year. I haven't seen Donaldson before, and I liked what I saw. Nice movements behind the plate, although he seems to want to move too much like a third baseman, where he plays when he's not behind the dish. He has a very strong arm and he's not shy about showing it off. He also seems to frame pitches very well. He needs work on positioning himself and blocking balls in the dirt, but I saw no reason why he couldn't succeed behind the plate.

 

At the plate he had a very quiet approach and stance. No wasted movement, and a very quick bat. He didn't swing at anything outside of the strike zone, and ripped a single in the third to left field. He has a good eye and seems to know that opposing teams are pitching around him.

 

Mike Bianucci

A draft-eligible sophomore, Bianucci reminds me of Clemson's Tyler Colvin from a year ago. A good, not great athlete with solid tools across the board. Bianucci would help himself with better speed so he could play CF, or even a left-handed bat, but he does drive the ball very well as a right-handed hitter. His bat will have to carry him, so he's going to have to stay hot this spring.

[fewgoodcards]

another guy on that UNC team to watch is dustin ackley. he has been absolutely murdering the ball so far this year. a freshman hitting .495 through 101 at bats is unbelievable.

 

the comp i have made with horton in the past is adam kennedy. a guy that will hit .280 with about 10 homers and 25 doubles and play solid defense at 2nd. i think he will draw more walks than kennedy does, but maybe not steal 20 bases like adam did early in his career. do you think that is a valid comparison?

[colbyjack]

Onto this weekend. As I mentioned above, there are a few interesting games on TV to follow. Vanderbilt vs. South Carolina in particular is a great matchup regardless of the prospects involved.

 

Virginia vs. Virginia Tech

Saturday, Noon, FCSA

Another chance to watch Doolittle & Adams. I believe Thompson has been moved to the Friday's starter while Doolittle has assumed the Sunday role, but you never know.

 

Texas Tech vs. Kansas State

Saturday, 2 pm, FCSP

Sorry, I don't have much to offer for this one.

 

Vanderbilt vs. South Carolina

Saturday, 3 pm, FCSA

I saw Justin Smoak last weekend, now I get to see him square off against fellow slugger Pedro Alvarez. This game is loaded with reasons to watch.

 

Here's Baseball America's College weekend preview:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...63617.html

[colbyjack]

Ackley did look good, as a I made point to check out his ABs (I DVR'd the game) given how hot he has been this spring. Good swing, and he's among the leaders nationally in hits. He's not the biggest of guys, and his swing doesn't elicit much power potential, not to take away from his amazing collegiate start.

 

Kennedy is a fair enough comp for Horton as well.

[fewgoodcards]

how hot is matt laporta? 2 more homers tonight and 6 in the last 4 games. for the season he is hitting .419 with 11 bombs and only 8 strikeouts. colby, i know you just updated your top 30 and he wasn't in it, but i see no way he is not a first round pick come june.

 

in other deja vu news, kyle russell hit a homer today. give him 17 on the year in a grand total of 108 at bats also known as 1 homer every 6.35 at bats. i know he is only a draft eligible sophomore, but unless he completly falls apart down the stretch, he has to go pro. i don't see how there is any way he can put up these kind of numbers again.

 

after david price left the game tonight, vandy decided to let casey weathers pitch until the game was over and he did. he went 4.1 shutout innings on 2 hits, 2 walks, and striking out 7 to pick up the win over #1 south carolina.