College Baseball Resource Thread 2007

[GagneCY03]

I was surprised Vandy's coach didnt let Price pitch all 12 innings. Decent line for him: 7.2 IP, 8 hits, 3 ER, 2 BB, 10 K's. But how impressive has Casey Weathers been this spring? 32 strikeouts and 7 walks in 20.2 IP. Looks like he's a solid first rounder.

[colbyjack]

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.

 

Don't be so sure. He has shored up his strike zone a little, but he still has holes in his swing, particularly the outside half of the plate, and can struggle to recognize breaking balls. He's doing a nice job this year, but really he should after such a bad season a year ago which followed a really good sophomore season. He's just outside my top 30 (I don't really rank past 30), which means he is a legitimate first-rounder, but don't forget that he is to be advised by Scott Boras.

 

It was harder keeping Kyle Russell out of the top 30. If he keeps it up he'll be there next time.

 

But how impressive has Casey Weathers been this spring? 32 strikeouts and 7 walks in 20.2 IP. Looks like he's a solid first rounder.

 

Weathers snuck into my top 30 in my latest ranking, as he's been throwing as hard as 99 with his FB and the upper 80s with his vastly improved slider. I think he could be the first true closer off the board, and could easily sneak into the top 10.

 

Results, weekend of 3/30/07:

 

David Price

7.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 10 K, 2 BB, 120 pitches vs. South Carolina

Another long outing for Price, although against the #1 team in the country.

 

Nick Schmidt

9 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 9 K, 2 BB, 116 pitches vs. Tennessee

Schmidt with a strong outing dueling fellow tall LHP James Adkins.

 

James Adkins

7.1 IP, 5 H, 6 R (1 ER), 7 K, 2 BB, 109 pitches vs. Arkansas

Adkins a tough luck loser, giving up only one earned run out of six.

 

Wes Roemer

9 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 9 K, 1 BB, 130 pitches vs. CS Northridge

A nice outing, but again at the expense of a lofty pitch count.

 

James Simmons

9 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 5 K, 0 BB, 101 pitches vs. UC Davis

101 pitches in a CG effort, that's nice to see. Simmons has a 54 to 7 K to BB ratio in 56.2 innings with a .179 BAA.

 

Jake Arrieta

4.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R (4 ER), 1 K, 4 BB vs. UC Santa Barbara

Another shaky outing for Arrieta, who may be pitching himself out of the first round altogether.

 

Ross Detwiler

6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 6 K, 4 BB vs. Illinois State

Detwiler gets hit around for a change, and he really needs to find a way to bring those BBs down.

 

Andrew Brackman

7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 7 K, 3 BB, 111 pitches vs. Boston College

A great start for Brackman, who had a string of 3-4 bad outings. Hopefully this gets him back on track.

 

Joe Savery

7 IP, 5 H, 3 R (0 ER), 7 K, 0 BB vs. Marshall

Savery's 2nd really good start in three weeks, although against a very weak Marshall team.

 

Sean Doolittle

6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R (0 ER), 0 K, 3 BB vs. VA Tech

Doolittle pitched well enough to win, but he hasn't been very sharp since ACC play began, on the mound or at the plate.

 

David Newmann

5.1 IP, 4 H, 6 R (4 ER), 5 K, 3 BB vs. Nebraska

Newmann continues to rack up both the Ks and the BBs.

 

Tony Watson

7 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 8 K, 0 BB (2 HR) vs. TX A&M

The first time Watson is profiled here, a nice effort in a tough Friday matchup vs. Newmann.

 

A nice picture of Nebraska's LHP Tony Watson, whose specialty is a changeup much like UCLA's David Huff from a year ago:

http://www.nmnathletics.com.edgesuite.net/pics29/520/CY/CYSLGVFBYHYAPGV.20070323231343.JPG

[fewgoodcards]

i got to watch the watson newmann duel over the internet last night as the texas A&M website had a free video feed. watson was a lot more dominant than that line shows. he had 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th and let a couple of guys reach then hung a change and it was hit a long way for a 3 run homer. he was ahead in the count all night and keeping people off balance, but he did hit 4 guys on the night. i have seen him a few times the last couple of years and while i think he has a nice easy delivery, solid fastball, and very good change, but his absolute lack of a breaking ball (or maybe willingness to throw it) turns me off. i think his slider has a chance to be an effective 3rd pitch as he threw a couple pretty good ones, but he seems happy to just keep firing fastballs and mix in a change every once in a while. that's a recipe for getting crushed in the high minors.

 

newmann got absolutely no help from the defense last night as the aggies committed 7 errors on the night. this is the 2nd time i have seen him this year and the story was the same, good stuff, not so good control. there was no radar gun, but it looked like newmann was throwing the harder of the two and his curveball is by far the best breaking ball. his change up is not nearly as good, in fact i can't even remember him throwing one. his delivery is also a little rougher than watson's.

[colbyjack]

Thanks a lot for the report on Watson vs. Newmann fewgoodcards. I saw that game was available to watch through CSTV, but I was unable to take the time to see it. I need to see if they archive those games at all.

 

As for Watson's lack of a breaking ball, if it helps win you over at all, the Brewers the past few years have had a one guy in particular succeed with a fastball/changeup arsenal: Chris Capuano. It always seems harder to find a lefty throw a good breaking ball, which is why a lefty that throws a good changeup always appeals to me.

[fewgoodcards]

Don't be so sure. He has shored up his strike zone a little, but he still has holes in his swing, particularly the outside half of the plate, and can struggle to recognize breaking balls. He's doing a nice job this year, but really he should after such a bad season a year ago which followed a really good sophomore season. He's just outside my top 30 (I don't really rank past 30), which means he is a legitimate first-rounder, but don't forget that he is to be advised by Scott Boras.

 

and corey brown doesn't have holes in his swing? now i know that brown is a toolsy outfielder and laporta is a short righthanded hitting first baseman, but the guy can flat out hit.

 

update: i don't think you can pitch to laporta right now. he went 3-4 today with 2 more homers and now has 8 homeruns in his last 5 games. unbelievable. that brings the season totals to 97 at bats, .433 average, 13 homers, 8 strikeouts.

 

colby, what do you think of pat burrell as a comparison for laporta?

 

matt mangini had a good day today going 3-8 and homering in both ends of a double header. he now has 8 homeruns on the season, already surpassing his total from last year of 7. i know oklahoma st. is a hitter's park, but it looks like his power is coming along.

[GagneCY03]

LaPorta's OPS is a shade under 1.500. Wow.

[colbyjack]

Yeah, Brown vs. LaPorta doesn't work. Two different players.

 

And I openly admit that I have aggressively placed Brown where I did. No one else has had Brown as a top-30 prospect, but when you combine his athleticism with his production so far, it's hard for me not to like the guy.

 

And I'm not convinced LaPorta is going to hit for a high average at the pro level, which truly makes him one dimensional.

 

Just so you know, last year he started at something like #4 overall on my top-30, so he has to work a little extra hard to make it up to me http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

 

colby, what do you think of pat burrell as a comparison for laporta?

 

Actually I've used the exact same comparison several times for a few years now.

[colbyjack]

Not a whole lot of baseball observations from this week. The poor weather in the area prevented me from traveling to Platteville yesterday (and today) to check out UW Stevens Point RHP Jordan Zimmerman. I missed him last summer as well, as I think I wasn't meant to see the guy pitch.

 

Anyway, a few thoughts from the college games this weekend:

 

Sean Doolittle

He's pressing right now. Still taking a ton of pitches, and still not swinging and missing, which is good, but he's hitting off of his front foot, which is taking away from his sweet natural swing. I've noted before that he'll probably never hit for much power, and while everything he is going through right now is correctable, he needs to shore up his mechanics and find his stroke over the next two months otherwise he could slip out of the first round altogether. He did hit a couple of RBI singles in Saturday's game, but again, he was swatting at the ball, not driving it, which is fine, but long-term he wouldn't be successful with that approach. He's a good enough hitter to find himself.

 

David Adams

Didn't show me much Saturday, but I saw enough from his bat the weekend (or two) before to support what I've seen of him while he was in high school.

 

Beau Seabury

Virginia's catcher, I believe a senior. Not a great bad, as he'll struggle to hit .250 as a professional, but he is fun to watch behind the plate. Very active, and he likes to show off his arm. I love watching catchers that are not only very good defensively, but the ones that know and take great pride in their defensive skills.

 

Roger Kieschnick

As far as I know there is no relation to former Brewers Toolbox Brooks Kieshnick. Roger is a big left-handed hitting power hitter (like Brooks) that is a better overall athlete and has a really fine arm in right field. This was actually the first time I had seen him play. He was overmatched in his first two ABs in which he really had a hard time identifying and catching up with offspeed pitches. He did finish with two hits, and laced a double to the RCF gap, and while I always warn about making impressions after one game, he needs to work to make sure he doesn't look so foolish against offspeed pitches to be a more refined overall hitter. He's sophomore and isn't draft-eligible until 2008.

 

Vanderbilt vs. South Carolina

Vanderbilt played South Carolina Saturday afternoon, and did a nice job beating them up, with the game finishing 12-1. That means the Commodores took the first two games of the series from the #1 ranked Gamecocks, as Vandy may find themselves ranked #1 come Monday morning.

 

Pedro Alvarez

This was my first chance to see sophomore sensation Pedro Alvarez this year. He's as good as advertised: Nice approach, great swing, great bat speed, quick hands, and he impressed me with his defense as well. He's going to be an impact hitter in the big leagues, although when watching the game I asked myself who I liked better, Alvarez or Alex Gordon at the same stage of their careers, and I still think I would take Gordon (which isn't an insult, as Gordon is a special player, I'm just throwing it out there). We have another year to follow Alvarez.

 

Mike Minor

We have two more years to follow freshman Mike Minor, who has served as Vanderbilt's mid-week starter up until this weekend. Man did he look great, and follows in a long line of impressive Vanderbilt LHPs (Jeremy Sowers, Ryan Mullins and of course, David Price). His game begins with the command of his fastball, which he slings out of his hand effortlessly. He's the type of guy you hear "it looks like he's playing catch out there." He also has a great slider that he can bend over for strikes or bury in the dirt for Ks. Then he pulled out his changeup that absolutely froze right-handed hitters on the outside corner. He's a very, very impressive young man, and should be one of the top 3-5 picks for the 2009 draft.

 

Not much else to mention. I covered Smoak in greater depth last weekend, as he didn't have a particularly strong showing in this game against Minor. He was batting right-handed most of the time and looked a little foolish on a few swings. While he's a left-handed throwing, switch-hitting first baseman, I'm beginning to think that he's a much better left-handed hitter, despite the fact that I saw him crush a two-run HR last weekend as a right-handed hitter. Lance Berkman and Chipper Jones have also been known to surprise people with their right-handed hitting power from time to time despite being largely known as much stronger hitters from the left side.

 

Vanderbilt OF (DHing in this game) Jonathan White is a good looking overall athlete. I wished I could have seen him play in the field, so I'm looking forward to watching him when I travel to Nashville later this month to catch the Vandy-Tennessee series (which will be loaded with prospects).

[colbyjack]

Lewis Clark College 3B Beau Mills is red-hot right now, and he's been hitting the ball well all spring. He is somewhat expected to hit well playing in the NAIA after transferring from Fresno State, but still, it's nice to see him living up to his talent. Here's his numbers on the year:

 

.464/.522/.875 in 112 AB, 13 2B, 11 HR, 8 BB, 10 K, 10 HBP, 5 Es

 

Recently I have talked about the fact that both Matt LaPorta and Corey Brown have some pretty significant holes in their swing, and likely will always put up big strikeout totals. While I've never seen Mills play, speaking to those that have it seems as though he is a much more refined overall hitter, with a line drive approach. He may not walk as much as LaPorta or Brown, but he also will probably hit for a higher average than both of those players. I have likened Mills to Jim Thome in the past, but as I warn with all player comparisons, they're similar, and comparing anyone to someone as productive as Thome is simply unfair.

 

And like Thome, Mills probably gets moved to first base, possibly a corner OF spot, possibly earlier in his career than Thome made the switch.

 

http://www.lcsc.edu/athletics/Baseball/2007/pressreleases/graphics/IMG_2654.JPG

[colbyjack]

BA is reporting that Daniel Moskos is moving into Clemson's weekend rotation starting this weekend in their series vs. Virginia Tech:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/b...lege/?p=72

 

If his velocity holds, he's definitely going to be a top 3-5 pick, and right now I'm thinking he could very well go second overall to the Royals.

 

They also have their midseason awards out, although for subscribers only. Here's a pick of Kyle Russell to share with all, who gets their nod for player of the year so far:

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/krussell07428309aw.jpg

 

David Price is their pitcher of the year so far, Dustin Ackley the freshman of the year, and Casey Weathers the senior of the year.

 

I don't think Ackley is a no-brainer as freshman of the year as they state. I think Vanderbilt's Mike Minor has been awesome so far, rewarded with his promotion to the team's weekend rotation last weekend. If he continues this success on Saturday's deep into the SEC schedule, he may be the one considered the no-brainer.

 

With the Easter weekend, many teams adjusted their weekend schedules to play Thursday through Saturday. There are a bunch of good matchups this weekend on TV, with CSTV getting into the mix with a much stronger televised lineup now with the winter sports out of the picture. I'm not going to bother providing the games, as you can check your own local lineups if you're interested enough to follow the games.

 

Here are the early returns:

 

Jake Arrieta

6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 4 K, 4 BB vs. Air Force

Just another ok, but not overly impressive outing by Arrieta.

 

David Newmann

5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 K, 1 BB vs. Texas Tech

Newmann's season started very well, but his starts have been looking more and more like this one in recent weeks.

 

Of the games to watch this weekend, Andrew Brackman faces a huge test when facing #1 (#2 by BA) Florida State. His performance could have a huge impact on where he is selected in the draft.

 

I'm out tomorrow morning for the Easter holiday, so no more updates until Sunday. Have a Happy Easter everyone!

 

EDIT (4/8/07): Onto more weekend results:

 

David Price

9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 10 K, 4 BB vs. Alabama

Another impressive complete game effort, another 120+ pitch (128 to be exact) game.

 

Ross Detwiler

7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 10 K, 4 BB vs. Bradley

Bradley now has a 60 to 21 K to BB ratio in 50.1 innings while allowing only 28 hits.

 

Andrew Brackman

7 IP, 7 H, 5 R (2 ER), 3 K, 3 BB vs. Florida State

A solid effort in a win against FSU, Brackman tossed 117 pitches in this one.

 

Joe Savery

6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 K, 2 BB vs. East Carolina

Savery continues to have good but not great performances. Cole St. Clair returned to action this weekend with mixed results.

 

Sean Doolittle

6 IP, 4 H, 1 R (0 ER), 2 K, 1 BB vs. Duke

Not overpowering, but effective as Virginia takes its fourth straight ACC series.

 

Tony Watson

9 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 12 K, 0 BB vs. Oklahoma State

A very impressive performance against a very loaded OK State offense.

 

James Simmons

8 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 10 K, 0 BB vs. UC Santa Barbara

It took Simmons only 95 pitches to get through 8 innings in this impressive performance, and now has a 64 to 7 K to BB ratio in 64.2 innings.

 

Nick Schmidt

7 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 9 K, 2 BB vs. Ole Miss

In a recurring theme with many of the top pitchers entering the spring, a good not great effort, although Schmidt only tossed 107 pitches in this one.

 

Daniel Moskos

4 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 4 K, 0 BB vs. Virginia Tech

A nice starting debut for Moskos, who definitely was on a strict pitch count as he loosens up his arm for starter duty.

 

Beau Mills

.460/.521/.914 in 139 AB, 15 2B, 16 HR, 64 RBI, 12:12 BB:K, 10 HBP

The one hitter profiled on this list, Mills had two doubles and five home runs on the week, and his 64 RBI is an extremely telling figure on just how big Mills has been all season long.

 

I hope to share some observations on players from over the weekend and a few late ones from the weekend before in the next couple of days.

[GagneCY03]

Kyle Russell has two homers today, tying the single season record for Texas with 20.

[pogokat]

This has probably already been talked about,...

 

I got to watch the Miami-Georgia tech game over the weekend and really enjoyed watching Matt Wieters. The Guy reminded me a whole lot of Dale Murphy---which leads me to ask: Is he going to stick behind the plate?

[colbyjack]

Wieters is a stud. I tried looking for the post(s) that discussed Wieters staying behind the plate, but I couldn't find it. I personally think he will stick behind the plate, although I haven't seen him play yet this year (I did DVR Saturday's game). I really like the way he moves behind the plate, and the only real issue with him sticking back there is his size and the perception that big catchers don't remain as catchers for very long. In previous discussions I remember two names distinctly brought up: Joe Mauer and Sandy Alomar, Jr.

[colbyjack]

Onto some observations from the weekend...

 

Corey Brown

I actually watched Ok St. last week from a game from a week ago Sunday. Brown's stance is a lot like Geoff Jenkins in that his front leg is positioned behind his back leg, yet it isn't an open stance, and he holds his bat high behind his left ear. He doesn't twirl his bat like Jenkins does, but that's just to give somewhat of a visual. His swing isn't as big as I thought it was, but he does have the propensity to swing and miss. He takes a ton of pitches, which leads to the high walk and strikeout totals. When he hit the ball it left his bat in a hurry. He actually reminded me of a former Oklahoma State outfielder: Jeromy Burnitz. Brown doesn't have much of an arm though, as his throws had a lot of air under them from the outfield. He has been slumping a little bit in the past couple of weeks, so I may have had a different opinion of him when he was streaking.

 

Matt Mangini

It was hard to get a read on Mangini because the bat hardly left his shoulder. I've seen him in the past, a couple of times last year at NC State, both when he was hot early in the season and cold later. He is hitting the ball pretty well right now, and he has a great frame. He walked a couple of times and hit a ball hard through the hole on the right side of the infield. While many believe the power will come, when I have seen him hit the ball they're usually hit low, meaning there isn't much loft to his swing. I didn't get a good read of him on defense.

 

Tyler Mach

I'm only throwing Mach in here because someone may ask about him down the road as he has put up a couple of huge seasons. He's a shorter, scrappy type of player with a swing built for an aluminum bat. Meaning, he knows how to get the bat on the ball for base hits, hits that probably wouldn't be hits with a wood bat. Nice player to take a flyer on, but he's not a big-leaguer, at least not an everyday player IMO.

 

Scott Maine

Moving onto the Georgia Tech-Miami contest from last Saturday, left-handed senior Scott Maine started for the Hurricanes. I saw Maine several times last year, and while Maine had a better year in the W-L column a year ago, I have never seen him pitch better. He has a really nice delivery, with a slow windup and a quick delivery and follow-through as he throws from a low 3/4 delivery. He commanded his fastball extremely well, and there appeared to be a little "hop" to the pitch. When he had the hitters thinking fastball he would mix in his sweeping slider, and racked up seven strikeouts in six innings mostly with that pitch. He also fielded his position well. If Maine keeps it up, he's going to be taken in the top three rounds.

 

Yonder Alonso

Not much to say about Alonso that I haven't shared already. He's really getting pitched around, as he drew four walks in this game.

 

Ryan Jackson

Miami's freshman shortstop has the smoothest glove I have seen at the college level, which isn't surprising since he has the smoothest glove coming out of HS a year ago.

 

Danny Payne

GT's scrappy leadoff hitting CF that also pitches out of the bullpen. Payne puts up some big numbers, and was leading the nation in walks (he may still be, I haven't checked). I'm not sure about how his bat plays at the next level, but he does remind me a lot of Rich Becker, or possibly a destitute man's Lenny Dykstra. He struck out in his first two ABs on Maine sliders. He's a better prospect than Tyler Mach as detailed above, but I wouldn't take him in the top 5-10 rounds.

 

Eddie Burns

GT's starter, a tall and lanky redshirt sophomore that has recently been inserted into the Jackets rotation, Burns looked pretty good, and was a pleasant surprise. He commanded his FB extremely well, and also mixed in a very sharp curveball. For such a tall guy (6'8") his limbs weren't all over the place and had a sound delivery. I think this guy is a sleeper to keep an eye on for the upcoming draft, and I hope to see him again before the season is over. Burns has had a history of arm troubles, and has only pitched 1.1 innings before this year, so I'm guessing he's a pleasant surprise for anyone that has seen him pitch.

 

Matt Wieters

I finally got the chance to see Wieters this year, who I have seen quite a bit of in the past. He's the same player I remember him as, as big athlete with an imposing bat. Against the left-hander Maine, Wieters started the game batting right-handed, and used a nice, clean stroke while staying back on a fastball to hit a long single the opposite way to right-centerfield. He struck out in the third on a Maine slider, hit a sharp groundout to second base trying to advance a runner (a ball that almost snuck through) and turned on an inside fastball in the eighth inning as a left-handed batter for another long single. He has great bat speed and knows how to stay back on balls, letting his hands do the work. I just don't see this guy not being an impact bat at the MLB level.

 

Defensively he also continued to impress me. I love how he lets the ball come to him, and snatches up balls with his glove (you often see catchers lunge at balls or reach out for them...by letting the balls come to his glove he frames them better). He blocked a couple of balls in the dirt, and despite his size, he is such a great natural athlete that he moves so well from the crouch. While he didn't get a chance to show off his arm, I liked how he flicked the ball to third base on strikeouts. Seeing Wieters again reaffirmed my initial position that he and Price are prospects 1A and 1B for this year's draft.

 

J.P. Arencibia

From one catcher to the next, unfortunately Arencibia was playing first base in the Tennessee game I caught from last weekend vs. Kentucky. Arencibia looks like Vin Diesel. I'm serious, he's a big boy, with big, sloped shoulders and a strong base. That alone makes him a serious threat at the plate. He has very good bat speed, and surprising foot speed for a catcher of his size. He hit a two-run home run in the eighth to left-centerfield as he crushed a breaking ball. The hit actually went straight up into the air and just carried, as that ball may not have gone out with a wood bat, but it still gives you a good understanding of his power potential.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing him catch again, as I don't remember him being this big. i remember him being more rangy which made me hopeful about his chances to stick behind the plate. I shouldn't draw conclusions since I didn't see him catch, but again, I don't know if I can envision an athlete with his proportions sticking behind the plate.

 

Julio Borbon

Borbon has his legs split wide open in his straight up stance. He takes a bunch of pitches, and resembles Otis Nixon in appearance and in his stance. He slapped two balls into the ground, and on a day he went 0 for 6 I didn't see much power in his swing, nor did I get a chance to see his speed. Similar to Arencibia, he'll be a player that I watch closely the next time I get to see him play.

 

Andrew Albers

I'm adding comments on Albers only because the Brewers drafted him out of HS (Canada) a few years ago. He's a nice looking lefty, loose, long and lanky that will definitely draw some interest in the draft. He has a good fastball and very good deception from an odd delivery that is hard to explain. Albers is one of Kentucky's weekend starters.

 

Antone DeJesus

DeJesus was a pleasant surprise. I've known about him, but have never really followed him, and this was my first chance to watch him play. I really like his baseball skills and his toolset. I know he was a Cape All-Star last summer, and he showed why on the day, going three for three with a walk and a HBP. He gets hit by a lot of pitches (13 on the year) but doesn't really crowd the plate. He does crouch over a little bit with a slightly open, wide legged stance. He makes very good contact, and swats balls to all parts of the field, kind of like Juan Pierre. The speed is there, although I don't know if it is game-changing speed. I was surprised to see that he has 26 strikeouts on the year when I checked his stats this morning, because I just can't see how he would rack up that many Ks given his short swing and approach. That's a big concern though for a player with his skill set, as he's never going to hit for much power, but he looked better than Borbon on this day.

[GagneCY03]

Welcome back CJ and thanks for the writeup. I like how Wieters catches the ball where it's pitched; that's important to me. Sounds like his future is behind the plate.

[fewgoodcards]

i think corey brown is officially out of his slump as he has hit 3 homers and a double in the last 2 days. on the season he is hitting .383/.503/.850 with 10 doubles, 5 triples, 14 homers, and 13 steals. he has struck out 35 times in 133 at bats, but the rest of his numbers are extremely good.

[colbyjack]

Here's BA's weekend preview. Not a whole lot of intriguing matchups standings wise. Their series of the week is Michigan vs. Ohio State, which obviously is more intriguing to the Midwest followers.

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...63709.html

 

Here's a picture of Michigan's Zach Putnam, an Aflac All-American a few summers ago and a player that I remember quite a few people around these parts expressing interest in.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/zputnam07428309.jpg

[colbyjack]

Clemson's Daniel Moskos has thrived so far since being put in the Tigers' rotation, serving as their Friday ace the past two weekends. Here's a nice picture of him from Clemson's site:

 

http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/clem/sports/m-basebl/auto_wider/931240.jpeg

 

He went 6 innings tonight, allowing 6 hits, 1 ER (a solo HR) and 1 BB while striking out 7. Here's his line the past two weeks as a starter (yes, yes, small sample, but a good small sample after being converted from the team's closer):

 

1.80 ERA, 10 IP, 12 H, 11 K, 1 BB, 141 pitches

 

Also in that span he has a 12 to 5 groundout to flyout ratio, always a good indicator of his effectiveness given his propensity to miss bats.

 

Of course I don't have reports of his stuff after being moved to the rotation, as I obviously wasn't there myself to make this report, but it's nice to see the Tigers easing him into the rotation, letting him toss 57 pitches last week and 84 pitches this week. If his stuff has held true, and I don't expect him to hit 97 now as often as he did as the team's closer, he is truly a top 3-5 pick, and as I've said before, don't be surprised if the Royals pluck him 2nd overall, where the selection would be 100% warranted.

 

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

 

Onto the other weekend action...

 

David Price

6 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 9 K, 2 BB, 109 pitches vs. Kentucky

Price gets knocked around a little bit in this one, although 6 hits and 2 BB in 6 IP isn't that bad. Casey Weathers tossed 4 scoreless/hitless/walkless innings.

 

Jake Arrieta

6.2 IP, 9 H, 6 R (5 ER), 3 K, 1 BB, 108 pitches vs. UNLV

These starts are becoming commonplace for Arrieta.

 

James Simmons

5 IP, 9 H, 7 R (4 ER), 7 K, 3 BB vs. Washington

Simmons gets roughed up in a non-conference matchup with the Huskies.

 

Wes Roemer

8 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 5 K, 2 BB, 120 pitches vs. UC Davis

Another week, another long game for Roemer. He's having a good year, but nowhere near the season he had as a sophomore.

 

Scott Maine

7 IP, 5 H, 3 R (1 ER), 7 K, 0 BB, 96 pitches vs. NC State

I'm adding Maine to the list as he had another strong game this week despite some shaky defense behind him. As I noted last week, I was really impressed with his command against Georgia Tech, and while I didn't see him with my own two eyes this week, I'm guessing he continues to cruise, and I also llike that his pitch counts are kept right around 100.

 

Ross Detwiler

7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 10 K, 4 BB vs. Dallas Baptist

Another strong outing for Detwiler, as his line today mimics what he's been doing all spring. Lots of Ks, more BBs than you would like to see.

 

Andrew Brackman

7 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 5 K, 3 BB vs. Miami

While Brackman allowed 5 runs in this game, the peripherals look good using 98 pitches over 7 innings against a tough Miami team.

 

Enrique Garcia

9 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 12 , 0 BB vs. NC State

Garcia opposed Brackman, and twirled a gem. Garcia started the year as the Hurricanes closer, and has flourished since being moved to the weekend rotation.

 

David Newmann

6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 7 K, 2 BB vs. Missouri

These were the types of games Newmann was having at the beginning of the year. He started the year as the team's Sunday's starter, and has been bumped back to the Sunday role after serving as the Aggies' Friday ace for over a month.

 

Joe Savery

4.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 K, 4 BB vs. Houston

I know he's rehabbing the arm and all being brought back slowly, but these starts have become far too familiar this season. Any team that drafts this guy in the top 15 picks, if not the entire first round, is taking a big chance on him, or they believe more in his bat, and he hasn't exactly been putting up big power numbers this year either.

 

Virginia's Sunday contest was rained out, so no Sean Doolittle on the mound htis weekend, another player who has been underwhelming over the last month or so.

[GagneCY03]

I'm interested in how hard he's throwing. His control has been impressive and getting those groundballs is always good. Given how many hits he's allowed, it seems like he's content to pitch to contact, which isnt necessarily a bad thing.

[PrimetimeHater]

At this moment in time, I am definitely rooting for Moskos to be the Brewers first round pick. I think Jack owes me for when he didn't pick Sowers. And in SEC news I have read on some Ole Miss boards that Andrew Clark, a talented freshman first baseman might be leaving the team for breaking some rules.

[heresrobin]

PrimetimeHater, if I'm not mistaken, the Brewers actually drafted Andrew Clark out of high school last year. Right? The only think I remember about that kid was that, according to quotes in a post-draft article, he was really upset, almost insulted, that he was not taken higher in last year's draft. I was a little turned off by him. Needless to say he was not thankful that the Brewers drafted him and had no intention of signing with them.

[colbyjack]

At this moment in time, I am definitely rooting for Moskos to be the Brewers first round pick. I think Jack owes me for when he didn't pick Sowers.

 

You and me both PTH, although I really don't think Moskos makes it to the 7th overall selection.

 

Thanks for the head's up on Clark. The Brewers did draft him last summer.

 

I also want to point out just how many college pitchers are having lackluster seasons this year. The lack of college righthanders has been discussed in great detail, but no one has really stood up and separated themselves from the pack. Arrieta has been mediocre and inconsistent, Roemer seemingly has regressed and Simmons is good although he seems to get roughed up by better teams. This is a good year to get a lefty though.

 

I also want to comment on Casey Weathers. I've brought up before that I would try using him as a starter upon drafting him. Last night's game wasn't the first time he has been stretched out for 3-4 innings this year, and each time he has been very effective in the process. He can dominate alone with his fastball, and he also has a wicked slider. He is relatively new to pitching, has a fresh arm, and given the way he has picked up pitching so quickly there's no reason to think he can't develop a changeup as well. I'm going to ask around and see what he was throwing in his fourth inning of work yesterday, as if he was in the upper-90s per usual that could be a very encouraging sign for the possibility of him being developed as a starter.

[colbyjack]

Some thoughts on players after watching an Arizona State - Stanford contest taped from last weekend. I'm not going to breakdown the Arizona State players since I already did so a couple of weeks ago.

 

Nolan Gallagher

Stanford's starter, who opened the season as the Cardinal Friday ace, but now starts Sundays. His size and stuff make him a potential first rounder, but he is really having a hard time commanding any of his pitches, and it seems as though his confidence is somewaht lost right now. He has a very nice delivery, with some deception to it. He pitches down in the zone, which is a good thing, but misses the strike zone too much to have success. Initially he walked way too many batters, although the Sun Devils couldn't get any solid contact at first. That changed in the second inning, and while Gallagher didn't get any help from his defense behind him, he lasted only two innings. Big upside, but the results just aren't there right now.

 

Brian Flores

ASU's starter, a transfer this season who had a huge JC career. He's like ASU's Friday starter, Josh Satow, in that he's a shorter lefty that pitches very aggressively and has decent stuff. Everything he threw was in or around the zone, but he did have the tendency to pitch up in the zone more than I would like to see. His stuff isn't good enough for him to succeed at the next level to live up in the zone. He threw a very good breaking ball, and while I have heard he has a very good changeup, I didn't see him throw any. His fastball is relatively straight. Balls not hit in the ground were hit pretty hard, although right at his defenders in this game, as he allowed only four base hits. He's a nice player, and will get every chance in the world to succeed as a lefty. Like Satow, he could be a future bullpen candidate in the mold of Ricardo Rincon.

 

Michael Taylor

Remember Michael Taylor? One of the most exciting high school players entering the 2004 spring season, scouts started to sour on Taylor due to some big holes in his swing. Those holes are still very evident, and he doesn't have the greatest of swings either. He's having a solid junior campaign for the Cardinal, and is an incredible athlete standing at a chiseled 6'6", 260 pound frame. That size makes him look more like a tight end prospect, and unfortunately I think he would probably have more success in the NFL has his swing will keep him from sniffing MLB. He has a good arm in right field, and the tools overall are there.

 

Erik Davis

Davis pitched in the inaugural Aflac All-American Classic in 2003, and I was really impressed with his showing that year. Now he's in Stanford's bullpen, and while the stuff is still there the command is not. Both his fastball and curveball were all over the place, although he does find success being effectively wild. Him not being in the Cardinal weekend rotation at this point in his career is telling of his overall effectiveness in college.

 

Brett Wallace

Ok, I will profile one Sun Devil hitter, briefly. Wallace is going to hit at the big-league level. Terrible body, but a great, great swing and overall hitting mechanics. He stays back on the ball extremely well, is patient, and has few holes in his swing while driving balls to all parts of the field.

[colbyjack]

Since my last round of observations were from the weekend prior to this last one, I'm going to start a new post on my observations from this past weekend.

 

UCLA @ USC

 

Brandon Crawford

Crawford looks like a Stephen Drew clone, a perfect athlete for the shortstop position and a left-handed batter to boot. His athleticism and bat speed are evident, he runs the bases extremely well and he offers a nice presence at the plate. He's more aggressive as a hitter than Drew, but he does work the count which leads to high walk and strikeout totals. He smoked a Robert Stock fastball for an RBI single, then he hit a high fastball to the opposite field off Paul Koss in the ninth inning to drive in two runs to tie the game (Koss had Crawford in an 0-2 count, using his nasty curve to get ahead, before elevating that fastball). He scored the winning run from second base on an infield single (that was misplayed) by Cody Decker. Crawford will be talked about quite a bit between now and the 2008 draft, as he's only a sophomore, and is one of many talented sophomore hitters that should help make the '08 class special.

 

Cody Decker

Mentioned just above, Decker drove in the winning run off of Koss in the top of the ninth inning. He has a great approach at the plate and an impressive swing. He crushed a HR to left-centerfield earlier in the game, and on Sunday he hit a grand slam. He has a very quick bat. He's a shorter, stockier player, and while he came to UCLA as a catcher, he plays first base or left field now. He's short on tools but looks like his bat may carry him.

 

Brant Rustich

UCLA's closer, he only came in to face one batter in this game (Grant Green), who he got swinging on a loopy curveball down in the dirt. He's an intimidating presence on the mound, with a big, big body and his hat pulled down low a la Derrick Turnbow. While he has good stuff, a fastball that sits int he 91-94 range, his stuff isn't as good as Turnbow's, and his breaking ball needs to be tightened up quite a bit. Still, with his size, approach and pure stuff he should be taken in the top three rounds come June. Some team may try to use him as a starter, but I think he will be at his best as a short reliever.

 

Grant Green

Over to USC, Green is a freshman SS built tall and lanky. It's funny, I remember being impressed with Green's size watching him at the 2005 Aflac game, but next to college athletes he looks really skinny and needs to put on weight/strength. He had a good game, at least early in the contest, going 3-3 in his first three ABs with a single a double and a triple. He strikes out a lot, but that can be expected for a freshman. He'll be good, but there are definitely parts of his game that he needs to improve.

 

Robert Stock

Pitched 1.1 innings in this game. Gave up the RBI single to Crawford and then that was it. His fastball command was a little spotty to start off with, but then after Crawford he unleashed his hammer curveball and no one could touch him. He got Decker swinging on his curve. Didn't get to see Stock too much in this one, and like Green he's a freshman with a boatload of talent.

 

Paul Koss

USC's closer. Like Stock, Koss couldn't command his fastball as he entered the game. He walked the first batter he faced, and then decided to go to his curveball, which for the most part UCLA couldn't touch. As noted above, he got Crawford swingining on his curve to go ahead 0-2, but then elevated a fastball which burned him and he lost the lead, and eventually the game. Decker's RBI infield single came on a curveball down in the zone, a pitch that Decker was lucky to make contact with. There were two outs at that point, as there were with Crawford, so the pitch sequences were a little confusing and he also ran into a little bad luck. It seems to come down to confidence with Koss, who lost his confidence during his junior year and struggled, which came after a very strong sophomore year and he bounced back with a strong performance last summer on the Cape. I don't think Koss is a future closer, as he just doesn't seem to fit in that role. He could be used as a starter as a pro or he could be a valuable late inning reliever with closing experience.

[PrimetimeHater]

Clark has been dismissed from the Ole Miss Rebels baseball team.

 

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