College Baseball 2006

[templeUsox]

The other shoe dropped today for Daniel Bard against Murryland. 5.1 IP, 9 ER, 6 K, 4 BB

[colbyjack]

For those that weren't aware, Bard got bumped up to the Friday starter this week, with Miller moving to Saturday and Robert Woodard getting knocked back to Sunday.

 

Here's BA's weekend preview:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...eview.html

 

And onto a few other pitching lines...

 

Alabama LHP Wade LeBlanc matched up against Georgia's RHP Brooks Brown today as conference play opened up almost everywhere. Both pitched well, but LeBlanc had a masterful game carving up the Bulldogs. A solo HR was the only run he allowed:

 

LeBlanc:

9 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 K, 0 BB

Brown:

6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 9 K, 2 BB

 

Cal's Brandon Morrow continues to deal. He walks a few too many, but he hardly allows any hits:

8.1 IP, 4 H< 1 ER, 10 K, 3 BB

 

Houston's Brad Lincoln probably shouldn't have been allowed to enter the 8th inning given his pitch count (one thing I don't like how Houston has handled their pitchers in recent years, most notably Brad Sullivan), but with a little better defense Lincoln likely would have notched another CG under his belt. Instead they're in extra innings with San Diego (Josh Butler to go Saturday night).

 

Lincoln:

8.1 IP, 11 H, 4 R (2 ER), 9 K, 1 BB

 

The Pac 10 had a mighty good pitching matchup to offer this evening as well, as USC's Ian Kennedy squared off against Oregon State's Dallas Buck. Buck keeps on pitching well, despite extremely ugly walk totals. Kennedy has not been sharp as of late, even though he didn't pitch poorly today:

 

Kennedy:

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

Buck:

7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 K, 6 BB

 

LBSU RHP Jared Hughes continues his up & down ways against Wichita State. Again, not a terrible line, but not great either:

7 IP, 8 H, 5 R (4 ER), 3 K, 1 BB

 

The fate of RHP Daniel Bard and LHP Andrew Miller has seemed to be linked ever since they decided to step onto UNC's campus. They have gone through similar ups & downs, arriving as UNC as highly-touted prep stars, having strong freshman years, starting strong as sophomores before slumping, dominating the Cape during the summer of '05 on their way to being named the 1-2 prospects in the league and now being roughed up for the first time in '06 at the hands of the Maryland Terrapins. templeUsox already provided Bard's line above, here's Miller's:

 

5IP, 9 H, 6 R (5 ER), 6 K, 1 BB

 

Josh Butler threw an absolute gem vs. Houston. His pitch count was in the 125 range, but he was painting the corners with a 92-93 mph fastball in the 9th inning to close out the game. Butler's fastball showed a lot of life tonight, and impressed the throng of scouts that were in attendance. I'm telling you, this guy's a legit first-rounder. Here's his line:

 

9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 9 K, 3 BB

 

David Huff bounced back yesterday after getting knocked around a little bit the past couple of weeks. Against San Diego St.:

 

8 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 5 K, 0 BB

 

I forgot to mention it before, but USC vs. Oregon State is this weekend's college TV game. Check it out at 3pm CST (among multiple replays during the week) on FCSP.

[CalNiner]

Thought I would give a little insight since I was at the LBSU/Wichita St. game. Absolutely none of the hits against Hughes were hard. 2 ground balls in the first inning just barely out of the reach of the shortstop and a least 3 jammed/ end of the bat dinkers. I don't think any of the hits off of Hughes traveled 150 feet. One should have been scored an error on the 3rd baseman- bad throw to first. It was just one of those nights. Hughes didn't show any negative emotion and just kept throwing strikes. I saw several 93's on radar guns and was told he was 89-94. Breaking ball was not good early but got better as the game progressed.

 

The line is not reflective of how Hughes' stuff looked. He just wasn't meant to win.

[CalNiner]

Colby,

 

You are absolutely correct about Butler. I have watched him since he was a junior in high school. He has always had geat life on his fastball and a hard slider. His competitive make up is off the charts. The difference today vs 3 years ago is his physical development. He has put on 20 lbs. and is in great shape. He will blow through the West Coast Conference.

[colbyjack]

There are going to be a few exciting matchups televised this weekend. Especially interesting to follow is the North Carolina-Georgia Tech series, as it looks like both Saturday's and Sunday's game will be aired live. Not only are UNC & GT ranked in the top 10, but Saturday you should be able to watch projected #1 overall pick Andrew Miller face the most lethal lineup in all of college baseball. Here's the lineup (all times CST):

 

Duke @ Florida State

Friday, 3/24, 11:30 pm, FCSA

Florida State is ranked #1 in 3 of the 4 major polls, Friday starter Bryan Henry is 6-0 with a 1.41 ERA

 

North Carolina @ Georgia Tech

Saturday, 3/25, 6:00 pm, FCSA

Sunday, 3/26, noon, FCSA

Miller as noted above should go Saturday, with Robert Woodard expected to start Sunday for UNC, this series is loaded with talent

 

Florida @ South Carolina

Sunday, 3/26, 12:30 pm

Florida has been covered before within this thread, USC has some good talent, even if that talent isn't draft-eligible for '06, SS Reese Havens and 1B Justin Smoak are of particular interest, and maybe Brookfield native Dan Luczak will pitch

 

Other intriguing matchups over the weekend...

 

Long Beach State @ Cal State Fullerton

A classic rivalry, and the entire series can be listened to online via LBSU's site. Jared Hughes to face Wes Roemer on Friday:

 

www.longbeachstate.com/gen/thisweek.html

 

Not a compelling matchup, but a chance to listen to one of the top prospects online for free, as Brad Lincoln and Houston play Marshall.

 

uhcougars.collegesports.c...media.html

 

Cal and Brandon Morrow square off against Washington and Tim Lincecum starting Friday. Audio available via the Huskies' site:

 

gohuskies.collegesports.c...05aaa.html

[brettac1]

How has Woodard been doing this year? He just kind of gives me the feeling that he's going to be good, maybe it's just my gut saying so, though.

[colbyjack]

Woodard did get bumped from his Friday starter status, and was put in the Sunday slot. He's 2-0 right now with a 3.06 ERA. Only 14 Ks in 32.1, IP, and that doesn't figure to go up in pro ball with a fastball that maxes out in the upper-80s (he maxed out at 86 mph at the Cape Cod League All-Star Game last summer). The command is still there, with only 7 BBs.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

Wow, has Kevin Goldstein's new BP coloumn been great so far.

 

Here's a blurb about Stanford's Greg Reynolds . . . .

 

Quote:

---

Stanford righthander Greg Reynolds has improved his draft stock with an impressive start of the season, and is firmly in the mix for many teams picking in the middle of the first round. .... "He's thrown well," said one scouting director. "He's been good and he's been good for a bigtime program . . . he's an easy first-rounder to me."

---

 

He also has gsome ood and more bad things to report on Wes Hodges.

[colbyjack]

EDR, do you know which column of his this came from? Another person pointed this out to me as well. I saw his column today, which starts incredibly similar to a feature I have written here (the player procurement story), but didn't see any mention of Reynolds or Hodges in his last 2-3 stories. I know it's a subscription-based site so I'm wondering if only a snippet of the story is viewable.

 

Anyway, if you could point me in the right direction or paraphrase what is said about Hodges I would appreciate it.

 

I'm not so sure I agree with their assessment of Reynolds. He did start out extremely well, but is still getting hit around too much for a guy with his arsenal. His size and stuff will continue to draw scouts attention, but again, for me there is just something missing with Reynolds.

[colbyjack]

Results for the games the weekend of 3/24/06:

 

I was pretty excited about the TV coverage this weekend, but so far, not so good. The Florida State/Duke game that was supposed to be on in the afternoon was replaced by girl's high school basketball. A Florida State game did come on eventually, around 8:00pm, but it was a re-broadcast of the FSU-Maryland game that was on last weekend. Hopefully today's game was taped and will be re-broadcasted at a later time.

 

I wanted to watch FSU today because their Friday ace, Bryan Henry, has been pitching extremely well so far this season, and is another name with helium to watch. He won again today against Duke to go 7-0 on the season for the #1 Seminoles. His line:

 

8.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 12 K, 0 BB

 

The second TV disappointment came when I saw that Andrew Miller started today's UNC/Georgia Tech ACC matchup. I was hoping to get a chance to see him pitch over the weekend to see how he has progressed since last year (and from his freshman year). He certainly was dealing today, shutting down arguably the most lethal lineup in the nation:

 

7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 13 K, 1 BB

 

Brandon Morrow of Cal and Tim Lincecum were supposed to face off today, but Lincecum didn't get the start (he did pitch an inning in today's game). I'm not sure if the Huskies were saving Lincecum so he didn't have to face Cal's best starter this weekend (which some coaches do, which I think is pretty weak). Here's Morrow's line (walking none is his most notable accomplishment):

 

7 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 8 K, 0 BB

 

While it wasn't against the toughest of opponents, Brad Lincoln continues to deal, tossing a 101-pitch CG shutout tonight. I was a little worried that he would be a little stiff after a very long, 4-run bottom of the 8th inning for the Cougars, but it didn't effect him at all, using 11 pitches to finish the 9th. His line:

 

9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 8 K, 2 BB (faced two batters over the minimum)

 

Lefty Wade LeBlanc also continues to deal, leading Alabama to a victory over SEC rival Ole Miss. His line:

 

7.2 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 7 K, 3 BB

 

Friday night offered a classic pitching matchup between two long-time rivals and baseball powerhouses. Jared Hughes took the mound for Long Beach State against Wes Roemer and Cal State Fullerton. While they are conference foes, this is a non-conference series.

 

Roemer is a sophomore, so I won't get too much into him, but he's a very good sinker-slider pitcher, not unlike Hughes, but not with Hughes' velocity. Most impressive about Roemer is that through 60.1 innings he has struck out 58 and has NOT allowed a walk with an ERA under 2.00. Watch his name next year.

 

Jared Hughes ran into trouble in the 1st inning and the 5 inning, but a solo HR was the only run he gave up (I believe in the 6th inning). He got out of a bases loaded jam in the 1st (a 22-pitch inning), had a 10 pitch 2nd inning, and retired each batter in the next three innings until the 5th inning, in which he got out of a jam with runners on 2nd and 3rd. Through those 5 innings he had thrown 73 pitches, and it didn't seem as though he'd last much longer. An 18 pitch 6th inning (91 total pitches through 6) seemed to re-affirm that, but then he followed with a 9-pitch 7th (100 pitches), a 11-pitch 8th (114 total innings), and finished his work through 9 innings in a 1-1 game. There were plenty of weakly hit ground balls in this one holding the mighty Cal State Fullerton Titans (a lineup that collectively is hitting over .300) to just 4 hits and one earned run. Hughes' final line:

 

9 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 2 BB

 

Joba Chamberlain returned to the mound for Nebraska today, pitching in game one of a DH vs. upstart Kansas. Another start, another fine outing, and here's to better, sustained health for Chamberlain the rest of this year, and it's hard not to root against the guy. Here's his line:

 

6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 6 K, 1 BB

 

Josh Butler of San Diego with another impressive outing today against UNLV. His line:

 

7 IP, 8 H, 3 R (2 ER), 5 K, 0 BB

 

UNC with a much uglier day on Saturday evening. RHP Daniel Bard had troubles commanding the strike zone, as he walked 6 in just 3.2 innings of work, and added a couple of wild pitches. I have seen Bard much better than today, but like Miller's performance yesterday, I really wanted to see how he did against a potent lineup after facing teams like George Mason, Seton Hall and George Washington. Not to mention, this was North Carolina's first trip out of the state of North Carolina, and only their second road series so far this year.

 

One thing that has bugged me about Bard's stuff, and I've seen him pitch each of the past three year's now and last summer on the Cape, is that his fastball is very straight and his breaking ball is very slurvy. For him to be successful he needs to command his fastball extremely well, because good hitters can still hit the best fastballs a long, long way. I will say that I am continually impressed by how easy he throws the ball, and he still will get drafted high for his live arm alone. His final line:

 

3.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R (2 ER), 2 K, 6 BB

 

USC and UCLA idle this week, so no lines for Ian Kennedy or David Huff. Not sure why, but Max Scherzer didn't pitch again this weekend (he missed last weekend as well with a strained biceps).

[Southwest Brewer]

You guys know anything about this guy? Luke Hopkins?

 

Luke Hopkins 1B New Mexico State - Here's some of the awards he's won this year.....WAC Hitter of the Week and National Hitter of the Week as announced by the conference office Monday morning and by the NCBWA (National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association), Tuesday afternoon. The conference award is the third of the year for Luke, who was also named National Hitter of the Week from two different sources last week.

 

The guy just crushes it and takes a lot of walks. Every shot is hard line drive and quite a few have gone over the fence. There've been pro scouts there to watch him at the last couple series.

 

Stats - AVG. = .444, HR=12, RBI=53, SLG%=.889, BB=35, OBP=.572, fld%=.986

 

Is that a great stat line for college baseball? I know he's very good, but are there a number of firstbasemen with those numbers?

 

Anyway, fun to watch this guy bat and if you know anything about him, I'm interested. Was he drafted out of high school? I always hear in the stands that he's likely gone after this year.

http://cache.nmn.speedera.net/pics26/200/PM/PMESDGHMCMGXVKB.20060306192652.jpg

[CalNiner]

CJ,

 

The picture is actually of Andrew Liebel, not Hughes. A great game at Fullerton tonight/

[NDBrewerfan]

Any love for Jeff Manship at ND. He seems to be putting together a pretty quality year for a kid that looks to be finally over his TJ surgery. Is he considered draft eligible this year or next because of his injury?

[colbyjack]

The picture is actually of Andrew Liebel, not Hughes.

 

Thanks for the head's up. They look mighty similar. I've removed the picture posted above, not that I didn't want to give Liebel any love, it was just a little out of context.

 

Any love for Jeff Manship at ND. He seems to be putting together a pretty quality year for a kid that looks to be finally over his TJ surgery. Is he considered draft eligible this year or next because of his injury?

 

There's plenty of love for Manship, who was considered a first-rounder coming out of high school before he blew out his arm. Many feared this would happen early in his career, as he threw a very good curveball, but threw way too many of them. Now he's back healthy and the word is his curveball is as good as ever, and he has learned that he needs to throw his fastball more consistently. He is draft eligible, and he is listed as a junior despite missing his entire freshman season (2004) recovering from Tommy John surgery. Last I checked, Manship assumed the role as Notre Dame's Friday night starter.

 

Is that a great stat line for college baseball? I know he's very good, but are there a number of firstbasemen with those numbers?

 

Hopkins' numbers are very good, but they have to be taken in the right context. New Mexico State always seems to produce a hitter each year that puts up sick numbers. The ballpark is extremely hitter friendly, as is the entire WAC. It's like playing at El Paso in the Texas League in AA ball.

 

I don't mean to take anything away from the guy in saying that, but when the numbers don't match the national attention he has received you often wonder if scouts feel his game translates well at the next level.

[colbyjack]

I wanted to share some thoughts on some players I have been able to watch play recently. The Florida State-Duke game that I mentioned a few posts above was indeed broadcast, just not live like it was originally supposed to be, meaning I got a chance to see FSU ace Bryan Henry pitch.

 

Bryan Henry-RHP-FSU

 

Henry has posted impressive stats thus far in his career at FSU, all the more impressive considering he started his career as a third baseman. The best thing I liked when watching Henry is the way he commands the strike zone, particularly with his fastball. I do think he works up in the zone too often, something he won't get away with as much as a pro, but he is able to hit the corners when he needs to. In that regard, he is similar to Ian Kennedy in that he commands his fastball well enough (even if the pitch sits in the low-90s) to allow the rest of his arsenal to be that much better.

 

And Henry has a pretty good curveball. He actually threw two different ones, the first a bigger, slow breaker and the second a more sharp, harder downer that he used as a fishing pitch down in the dirt. He tends to work the outside part of the plate, which is the opposite of Kennedy. In this regard he pitches like a big-leaguers, as he starts outside and creeps in until he finds the strike zone and then he starts to stretch that strike zone every so slightly in the eye of the ump. Duke got a few questionable called third strikes, but it was a tribute to Henry commanding the zone.

 

He's very athletic and has a great pitching frame. His delivery is a little long arm, and at times he seemed to rush himself in which his follow through got a little sloppy. He needs work pitching out of the stretch, as he seems to be more arm and needs to incorporate his lower half more with runners on.

 

I think Henry could be a supplemental first rounder/2nd round pick similar to Billy Buckner of South Carolina a few years ago that was picked up by the Royals in the 2nd round. He's yet another college pitcher that adds to the impressive depth of this year's class.

 

I was also able to watch Shane Robinson for the third time this year. I profiled Robinson in greater detail in the player breakdown thread. I saw a poster on a different forum compare Robinson to a right-handed version of Brett Butler, which I think is as good of a comp. as you're going to find. Like Butler, Robinson is very small, and he doesn't have much of a frame to get bigger. However, he is very explosive, has a very quick bat, and you can see his intensity on the field. He's very proficient at stealing bases, and his power will surprise you if you're not careful. His size will cause him to fall a little bit, but I could see a team picking him up in the later third of the first round if they fall in love with his game from top to bottom.

 

Bryan Henry, photo courtesy of Brandon Goodman from FSU's site

http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/fsu/galleries/06_Baseball_Duke/nf4e2456-lg.jpg

[templeUsox]

CJ, I know he isn't draft-eligible, but I can't help but be impressed with Wes Roemer so far this year. In fact, I think you have to give him a legitimate shot as a POY candidate. His ability to freakishly control the K-zone (O BB's in 60.1 IP), yet not allow many hard hit balls (O HRA) is very impressive to me. Does he work on deception, or is his stuff that good? What are his draft prospects for next year? Another thing about him, he might have faced the best competition in the country (Stanford, UNLV, UC Irvine, UCLA, Rice, East Carolina, Arizona State, and Long Beach State). So, as if there was any doubt, his numbers aren't compiled against weak comp.

 

IRT to another soph. pitcher, what are your impressions of Cole St. Clair? I have become wary of Rice pitchers, but his K and hits against numbers are outstanding. One of the frustrating things about college baseball is the lack of readily available scouting reports. Does he work on deception similar to his teammate Eddie Degerman, or does he have an overpowering southpaw arsenal?

[colbyjack]

Take a peak above templeUsox, as I do mention Wes Roemer's success this season given his showdown with Jared Hughes on Friday.

 

He doesn't blow it by batters, but he does carve them up. The report from Friday was that his fastball was around 91 for most of the game, which isn't bad at all, but isn't exactly what scouts look for from an early first-round pick. However, Tim Stauffer didn't have that velocity either a few years ago, and after drawing Greg Maddux comparisons for his command and ability to change speeds, he went 4th overall. Roemer is that kind of pitcher.

 

And Fullerton never plays weak competition. Neither does Long Beach, as I personally feel the East Coast teams get too much credit while beating up on the Coastal Carolina's of the world while the best teams from the West are playing one another before conference play starts (again as noted above, while LBSU & Fullerton are conference foes, last weekend's series was actually a non-conference series).

 

As for Cole St. Clair, I honestly don't know how hard he's throwing. There was a poster here that saw Rice earlier this season (Madtown Bomber I believe, are you out there?) that may have some thoughts to share on him. The numbers are pretty sick so far, as they were last year as well. Plus he's what, 6'4", 6'5", and left-handed? I'm pretty sure he got knocked around a little in his only start this year a few weeks ago, so I'm not sure if he's missing something to be a starter (maybe he's a one-pitch pitcher).

 

I'll ask around about St. Clair.

 

Speaking of '07 LHPs, and this will be a future Crack of the Bat column, keep an eye on three LHPs from the SEC, Nick Schmidt of Arkansas, David Price of Vanderbilt and James Adkins of Tennessee, to go along with Rice's Joe Savery (if he's taken as a pitcher instead of a hitter). Those guys along with two really good catchers, Tennessee's JP Arencibia and Georgia Tech's Matt Weiters, are going to make the '07 draft pretty special.

[templeUsox]

Quote:

---

Speaking of '07 LHPs, and this will be a future Crack of the Bat column, keep an eye on three LHPs from the SEC, Nick Schmidt of Arkansas, David Price of Vanderbilt and James Adkins of Tennessee, to go along with Rice's Joe Savery (if he's taken as a pitcher instead of a hitter). Those guys along with two really good catchers, Tennessee's JP Arencibia and Georgia Tech's Matt Weiters, are going to make the '07 draft pretty special.

---

Can I add Jersey native Sean Doolittle to that list of LHP's? He's had a very good year up to this point as well. I know for the first part of the year he was a mid-week pitcher. So that might mitigate some of his numbers. But he still has a good pedigree to attach to his resume.

 

As far as Price goes; well I'm just about convinced he is the best pitcher in the country. I know its a toss-up between Miller and him, but if you tracked Miller's sophomore numbers against Price's, its not even close. I would have to say he is far and away the #1 college pick in next year's draft as of today.

[colbyjack]

Thanks for adding Doolittle, he has to be considered as well. He is very similar to Savery in that it's not certain if he will be developed as a pitcher or a hitter.

 

And you're right, Price could very well be the best pitcher in the nation right now. Wherever he pitches this summer, he could be followed (and talked about at great lengths) from the summer through next spring like Mark Prior was from the summer of 2000 through 2001. Next year's draft crop should be very good to the Royals and Rockies.

[CalNiner]

I thought I would try to answer the question regarding Roemer's effectiveness since I have seen him since he was a junior in high school. Wes pitches off of his breaking ball which he throws at 3 different speeds from 3 different angles. His delivery is low 3/4 which gives him run and sink on a fastball which is sneeky quick at 87-91mph. He is a strike machine and very deceptive in his delivery, hiding the ball very well. While not tall or particularly physical, he is a good athlete, bulldog strong, and one of the most openly competitive pitchers in college baseball- fearless. He is not afraid to throw inside- he has hit 11 or 12 batters this year, and his breaking stuff is more effective because he will throw inside.

 

He gets a lot of hitters to chase his slider away as it is late, quick and has a big break to it.

 

As far as his draft staus for next year, most scouts I have heard think he profiles as a situational guy in the pros. He projects as a middle relief, set up man who can get an out when needed and get through a couple of innings in advance of a closer. He offers a different kind of look, deception and strikes. But he will not get pro batters to chase his slider as much and will need to throw his fastball more in the pro game.

 

All that being said, I would love to have him on my fantasy roster because he is tough as nails and will not give in to anybody.

[deeswan]

I heard an unsubstantiated rumor that Max Scherzer is injured and has missed a couple starts. Anybody know anything about this?

[PrimetimeHater]

I'd just like to take a second to point out that my alma mater is still #1 in the BA poll. w00t!

[colbyjack]

I noted above in the weekly notes that Scherzer missed one start due to a strained biceps. BA has reported that he missed last week's start due to shoulder tendonitis.

[natedogge7]

both price and savery were dodger draft picks in 2004http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/frown.gif

[GagneCY03]

I'm anxious to see how Andrew Miller does tomorrow vs Florida State. After absolutely shutting down Georgia Tech, I expect big things from him against the Seminoles.