College draft eligible player updates

[colbyjack]

It's that time of year. With college baseball officially underway (although there was one series last weekend already), it's time to follow some of the notable draft eligible players that may be a candidate to be selected with our first-round pick (or just listing some personal faves). Usually I'll wait until Monday to update the hitters, but I'm too excited to wait http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . Similar to last year, instead of starting a new thread for each player, all updates can be found within this one thread. Once it starts getting too long, we'll start a new one. I will also update one post for all of the weekend's activity.

 

Updates for the weekend of 1/28-1/30

 

Troy Tulowitzki-SS-Long Beach State

Tulowitzki along with fellow college SS Tyler Greene offer 2 very good all-around players at the top of the draft. Tulo has been compared to former Dirtbag and current A's SS Bobby Crosby. Great overall athleticism, a strong arm and exciting offensive potential. His size has some question whether or not he'll move to 3B, but his defensive play is considered a plus at the position. He started with a big night vs. ASU in Tempe last night:

 

3 for 4, 1 2B, 2 BB, 3 R, 1 SB

 

Tulo went 0-5 on Saturday, and then bounced back with a 4-5 game on Sunday. Overall for the weekend he batted .500 (7 for 14) with a couple of walks, two doubles and 5 runs scored.

 

Travis Buck-OF-Arizona State

Buck is a smooth hitting corner OF prospect with solid all-around tools. He doesn't have any one tool that jumps out at you, but he makes good contact and draws a lot of walks. If he can increase his power potential this year he could jump up many draft boards. He's already in my top 10.

 

2 for 4, 1 R, BB

 

Buck went 2 for 4 again on Saturday, with a BB, and 1 for 4 on Sunday, with a double. He opens the season batting .417 (5 for 12).

 

Cesar Ramos-LHP-Long Beach State

Ramos defines "crafty lefty." He carves up hitters changing speeds and hitting his spots. His fastball works well in the upper 80s, and he has a very good slider. He's probably not in contention to become a top 10 pick since he doesn't have an overpowering fastball (fellow Big West lefty Ricky Romero does), but he is still an interesting name to follow this spring. He had a so-so game against a very powerful ASU offense in his 2005 debut:

 

6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 4 K, 1 BB

 

Long Beach State and Arizona State play today and tomorrow as well, with online audio available off of Long Beach's baseball homepage:

 

www.longbeachstate.com/bbo/bbc/

 

John Mayberry-1B-Stanford

Mayberry was a first-round pick by the Mariners in 2002. He's the son of former big-leaguer John Mayberry best known for his days with the Royals. Very athletic at 6'5", 230, Mayberry could also play a corner OF spot. Given his size, he will have his fair share of K's with a long swing, but that also gives him extremely exciting power potential.

 

He started the season on Saturday against Fresno State, going 2 for 3 with 3 RBIs and 2 BBs.

[colbyjack]

Updates for games 2/4/05-2/6/05

 

I'm only going to profile 2 pitchers for last weekend's action. Troy Tulowitzki is going to miss a few weeks with an injured wrist, and otherwise it's a little early to update the hitters week after week. The pitcher are another story, although there are only 2 notable pitching performances from the weekend when it comes to potential first-rounders.

 

Ricky Romero-LHP-Cal State Fullerton

Cal State Fullerton started it's season against the mighty Stanford Cardinal, a lineup packed with sluggers such as Jed Lowrie (who is off to a very strong start) and John Mayberry Jr. Romero pitched well against the high-powered Cardinal lineup in his season debut:

 

6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 7 K, 3 BB

 

Cesar Ramos-LHP-Long Beach State

I brought up Ramos last weekend vs. ASU. Last weekend the Dirtbags faced St. Mary's, with Ramos taking the ball on Friday night:

 

6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 K, 1 BB

 

More and more teams seasons are starting their seasons, with USC playing tonight (Tuesday), while Luke Hochevar & the Tennessee Volunteers kick off their season in the Minute Maid College Classic this weekend, playing Texas A&M on Friday, Baylor on Saturday and Okalahoma State on Sunday.

[colbyjack]

Updates for games for the week of 2/7/05 - 2/13/05

 

Luke Hochevar-RHP-Tennessee

Hochevar faced Texas A&M Friday night, and his defense behind him certainly didn't help him, as the Volunteers committed 6 errors, leading to 4 unearned runs while Hochevar was on the mound, picking up the loss. Here's his line:

 

5 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 6 K, 2 BB

 

Mike Pelfrey-RHP-Wichita State

Pelfrey kicked his season off against Northwestern State:

 

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

 

Mark McCormick-RHP-Baylor

Baylor downed Houston, although McCormick didn't pitch very well:

 

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

 

Cesar Ramos

Ramos faced Jeff Clement and USC. While he shut down Clement, USC sophomore RHP Ian Kennedy pitched better:

 

5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 K, 2 BB

 

I don't mean to jinx it, but Cal State Fullerton LHP Ricky Romero has a no-hitter through 6 IP. Check out the broadcast here if you're interested:

 

www.titansports.org/audio/ontheair.html

 

I don't believe in jinxes, but Romero's no-hitter was broken up after 7 solid innings of work. His own teammates didn't help him after long offensive innings during both the 6th and 7th innings that certainly didn't allow Romero to step back in quickly and pick up where he left off. He still allowed only 1 hit, although he did walk a few, and left with his shutout intact.

 

Former Brewer draftee Ronnie Prettyman has 3 hits in tonight's game, including a 3-run HR.

 

Ricky Romero

Here's Romero's final line from Saturday night (several games on the west coast were rained out Friday evening, pusing back the Friday night starters to Saturday):

 

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

 

The hitters will be updated on Sunday evening/Monday morning.

[colbyjack]

Updates for games for the week of 2/14/05 - 2/20/05

 

Luke Hochevar-RHP-Tennessee

A good showing against Bethune-Cookman on Friday night:

 

7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 9 K, 0 BB

 

Mike Pelfrey-RHP-Wichita State

Against Southern Utah:

 

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

 

Ryan Mullins-LHP-Vanderbilt

Against VMI:

 

5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 9 K, 1 BB

 

Jason Neighborgall-RHP-Georgia Tech

Versus Iona:

 

6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 8 K, 2 BB

 

Mark McCormick-RHP-Baylor

A tough outing against Oral Roberts:

 

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

 

Ryan Braun-3B/IF-Miami

Braun is all about the offense, the 6 sacrifice flies so early in the season are just another indicator of his run producing ability. The 4 errors are obviously a negative indicator of his defensive prowess:

 

.471, 34 AB, 2 2B, 4 HR, 4 BB, 5 K, 2 HBP, 6 SF, 6 for 8 in SBA, 4 E's

 

Taylor Teagarden-C-Texas

His numbers on the year:

 

.361/.458/.583 in 36 ABs

 

Both Tyler Greene and Troy Tulowitzki are still out with minor injuries. Not much to report on Jeff Clement, although he did throw out two batters in today's game and had a towering sac fly in the first inning in today's rained out contest vs. Cal State Fullerton. That series was almost completely rained out, as Friday and Saturday night's contest called for a DH on Sunday, although they could only get 8 innings in game 1. Ian Kennedy out-dueled Ricky Romero in a game that will be completed at a later date. Romero pitched well despite a few innings in which he gave up a couple of huge doubles. Otherwise, he was hitting his spots with both his fastball and curveball, registering 92-93 on the gun with his heater according to the announcers.

 

Texas swept Stanford over the weekend, with a dramatic victory on Sunday. With the game tied 4-4 in the bottom of the 9th inning, Drew Stubbs hit a in-the-park HR on the first pitch he saw to win the game for the Longhorns & secure the sweep. While this doesn't necessarily pertain to the 2005 draft, Stubbs is one of, if not the biggest name to remember for 2006.

 

Jed Lowrie, the 2B of Stanford, continued his hot hitting by slugging his 7th HR of the season today. Overall, both he and Stanford 1B John Mayberry Jr. are hitting .354, while Mayberry has added 3 HRs of his own. Lowrie could be the 2005 version of Marshall MacDougal given his college power despite the questions that loom about his ability to hit with wood.

[CarolinaTommy]

Thanks a lot for posting all of this stuff this college season again, Patrick.

 

I am no expert, and I have seen Lowrie play only a couple of times, but I would chalk his poor offensive summer up to an abberation, more than a concern. I think he has excellent bat control and has a real tendency to put the good part of the bat on the ball. I will sign up for the Jed Lowrie can hit with the wooden bat club. I have to say that I'm not really worried about him at all. I think some of his detractors though are a lack of flare and only average speed. Whenever I watched Lowrie run, he could never kick it into the next gear, which would be concerning if you're into speed considering his body size, which is not very big.

 

Patrick already has hinted at it, but I can see Lowrie going in the 10-15 overall range, and I am not just saying that because he's off to a good start. Players similar to him have landed in that range (Aaron Hill, Chris Burke, Russ Adams, Khalil Greene, etc.). I would not hesitate to associate Lowrie with that cast of characters.

[colbyjack]

Updates for games for the week of 2/21-2/27

 

Mark Romanczuk-LHP-Stanford

Romanczuk isn't considered a top, top prospect, meaning top 10-15 picks overall, at least not at this point in time, but he shut down USC last night with a complete game shutout:

 

9 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 12 K, 2 BB

 

Jeff Clement went 0-3 with a BB and a K, and he made 2 errors. So far this season the left-handed slugger has had a slow start, and he has faced three of the most dominating lefties in the nation in Romanczuk, Ricky Romero and Cesar Ramos, all with poor results. It would be nice to see him have more success against these tough lefties, since that is one of the knocks on him (I guess as a catcher, facing a left-handed starter would give a team a good reason to sit him that day).

 

Speaking of Cesar Ramos, he tossed a very good game against San Diego State:

 

8 IP, 1 ER, 8 H, 10 K, 1 BB

 

Still no signs of Long Beach State SS Troy Tulowitzki.

 

Mike Pelfrey pitched Thursday vs. Hawaii-Hilo:

 

8 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), 6 K, 4 BB

 

Brian Bogusevic-LHP-Tulane

Entering the season, Bogusevic was thought more as a RF with his bat, but given his pitching performances so far this season scouts have to be thinking if his value might be greater on the mound. He pitched his second complete game shutout of the season against Pepperdine last night:

 

9 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 8 K, 2 BB

 

Jason Neighborgall-RHP-Georgia Tech

Neighborgall continues to pitch well, as he has harnessed his control considerably so far this season. He pitched last night vs. Rutgers:

 

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

 

Tyler Greene reappeared in the box score, going 1 for 4 with a run and an RBI.

 

With Ricky Romero pitching today against UNLV, LHP Ryan Schreppel pitched last night. Schreppel is a sleeper name to watch, as he had a great freshman season followed by a disappointing sophomore campaign. He didn't pitch that great last night given the high walk total, but he is having a good season so far. Here's his line vs. UNLV last night:

 

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

 

Cesar Carrillo-RHP-Miami

Carrillo had a very good game last night vs. George Washington:

 

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

 

Miami 3B Ryan Braun also had a very good night, with two hits, 3 runs scored and 4 RBIs. Those 4 RBIs came on Braun's first collegiate grand slam. He also made an error to round out his evening.

 

Speaking of grand slams, ASU RF Travis Buck also slugged a grand salami last night vs. Baylor.

 

Loyola Marymount RHP Steve Kahn, Cal State Fullerton LHP Ricky Romero, Baylor RHP Mark McCormick, and Tennessee RHP Luke Hochevar all pitch on Saturday.

 

LHP Ricky Romero took the mound Saturday vs. UNLV. He gave up 4 ER in 8 IP, but he only allowed 6 H and 2 BB in that time, striking out 12.

 

Luke Hochevar had a great game today vs. UNC Wilmington, tossing a complete game shutout. His total line:

 

9 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 6 K, 0 BB

 

Steve Kahn tossed 6.2 innings vs. Utah, allowing 4 runs (3 ER) on 7 H and 3 BB while striking out 7.

 

Season statistics, as of 2/27/05:

Every few weeks or so, if not more frequently as we get closer to draft time, I will provide season stats for some of draft eligible prospects that factor heavily into the 5th overall pick. I'm not including guys like Jed Lowrie at this time of year, because despite his 7 HRs, as a 2B he just isn't a likely candidate to be taken by the Brewers.

 

Alex Gordon

.308/.471/.615 in 26 AB, 2 HR, 7:5 BB:K, 7 for 7 SBs, 1 E

Hit a big 3-run HR vs. Rice on Sunday.

 

Jeff Clement

.217/.379/.348 in 23 AB, 3 2B, 4:4 BB:K, 1 E

Went 2 for 3 with 2 doubles on Sunday.

 

Tyler Greene

.393/.500/.679 in 28 AB, 4 2B, 2 3B, 2 Es

 

Ryan Braun

.469/.475/.898 in 49 AB, 6 HR, 7 for 10 SBs, 6 Es

 

Cliff Pennington

.351/.479/.432 in 37 AB, 10 BB vs. 3 K, 1 E

 

Ryan Zimmerman

.400/.490/.500 in 45 AB, 4 2B, 6:1 BB:K ratio, 5 for 5 SBs, 1 E

 

Troy Tulowitzki

.526/.609/.632 in 19 AB, 2 2B (injured)

 

Luke Hochevar

2-1, 0.43 ERA, 3 games (all starts), 1 CG, 1 SHO, 21 IP, 9 H, 5 R (1 ER), 21 K, 4 BB, .127 BAA

 

Mike Pelfrey

2-0, 0.90 ERA, 3 games (all starts), 20 IP, 9 H, 4 R (2 ER), 18 K, 6 BB, .143 BAA

 

Ricky Romero

3-0, 2.57 ERA, 3 games (all starts), 21 IP, 10 H, 7 R (6 ER), 26 K, 9 BB, .141 BAA

[PeaveyFury]

Neighborgall continues to pitch well, as he has harnessed his control considerably so far this season.

 

Great to hear, as Neighborgall has always been a guy that I've liked, and I'd love to see him in the organization in June. He could be a great pick if his control sticks with him. I know its early, but any prediction for where he could go right now?

 

Thanks for the updates, Colby.

[colbyjack]

I know its early, but any prediction for where he could go right now?

 

No predictions, but he's definitely soaring back up the draft charts with his improved control. That's been the bugaboo with him all along, and really the only thing holding him back from being a top 5-10 pick overall given his stuff.

 

Too bad he's a Boras fella.

[colbyjack]

I've been giving Ricky Romero props all spring as one of the more exciting players to tune in for in all of the radio broadcasts. Cal State Fullerton is one of the few schools that offers free online audio webcasts, and Romero is a lock to be starting every Friday (or Saturday) game.

 

Anyway, I bring that up because he received some more props from BA's Will Kimmey today:

 

Q: Louie from Chico, CA asks: Who's the most underrated prospect in college baseball?

 

A: Will Kimmey: I absolutely love Ricky Romero at Fullerton. He throws three pitches for strikes and has the heart of a lion. Scouts have him as a fringe first-rounder now, but I don't see how he can't slide up into the top half of that round.

 

I have Romero as my #13 overall draft prospect at this point in time, and the way he is pitching, I probably wouldn't take Wade Townsend or any of the prep pitchers ahead of him. I've noted before that with Hochevar & Pelfrey being associated with Boras, it's not a big stretch to think that Romero might just be the first college pitcher selected.

 

And yes, he's left-handed http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

[colbyjack]

Romero & Hochevar keep on dealing against Oklahoma & Morehead State respectively, with almost identical lines. Pelfrey hits a bump in the road vs. Louisiana LaFayette.

 

Romero:

7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 13 K, 1 BB

 

Hochevar:

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

 

Pelfrey:

5 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 6 K, 2 BB

 

Onto the hitters. Clement hit his first two home runs of the season over the weekend, including a big, go-ahead 2-run HR vs. Nebraska yesterday.

 

Clement:

.235/.447/.500 in 34 AB, 2 HR, 3 2B, 10:6 BB:K, 1 error

 

Greene:

.375/.464/.688 in 48 AB, 5 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 7:10 BB:K, 7 for 7 in stolen bases, 2 errors

 

Braun:

.485/.494/.894 in 66 AB, 6 2B, 7 HR, 5:12 BB:K, 8 for 11 in stolen bases, 7 errors, 6 sac flies

 

Gordon:

.265/.468/.529 in 34 ABs, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 11:8 BB:K, 7 for 7 in stolen bases, 2 errors

 

Pennington:

.404/.500/.596 in 57 AB, 1 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 12:4 BB:K, 7 for 10 in stolen bases, 1 error

[SoCalBrewfan]

In the latest BA I saw that Cal catcher Garrett Bussiere hit a homer of Steve Kahn...who did not allow a single dinger in 2004. It's a moment that must have made Jack Z proud, or sad, or something....

[colbyjack]

Player updates for the week of 3/7-3/13

 

I brought up the Ricky Romero/Brian Bogusevic, #3 Cal State Fullerton/#1 Tulane matchup this evening. After 7 innings the Titans lead 8-1. As you can guess, Romero had the better performance of the two talented lefties. Both are out of the game at this time. (Cal State Fullerton keeps scoring runs in the 8th, as the game is now 10-1, and Tulane isn't out of the inning yet).

 

Ricky Romero

6.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 K, 2 BB

 

Brian Bogusevic

6 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 9 K, 1 BB

 

I also brought up the Mike Pelfrey/Chris Nicoll matchup. Neither one pitcher particularly well, but Pelfrey hasn't exactly looked stellar so far this year.

 

Mike Pelfrey

6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 K, 2 BB

 

Chris Nicoll

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

 

Luke Hochevar faced Radford today, and had a rough fifth inning. While he gave up 5 runs, all earned, the Volunteers rallied behind him in a large way, beating Radford 25-5.

 

Luke Hochevar

6 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 9 K, 1 BBs

 

Some of the more notable position prospects have had big weekends so far.

 

Alex Gordon went 6 for 6 today in a doubleheader, and he reached base in 8 out of 8 PAs with 2 BBs to go along with those 6 hits. He also scored 5 runs, drove in 4 runs, hit a double, a home run and stole 2 bases. Not a bad day...that performance followed up a measley one for three evening on Friday in which he hit a RBI double, scored a run and drew a walk.

 

Jeff Clement hit two HRs on Friday vs. Texas Tech. In the game he was 2 for 3 with 4 RBIs and a BB. He pushed his batting average on the season up to .300, and has 12 walks vs. 6 Ks on the young season.

 

Tyler Greene hit an inside the part grand slam on Friday night against Wake Forest. If you can think of a more exciting play in baseball, I'd like to hear about it. On the night he was 2 for 5 with 5 RBI. Greene went 1 for 6 on Saturday.

 

While not one of the top prospects for this June's draft, Georgia Tech OF/DH Jeremy Slayden continues to stay hot after missing most of last season. Today he drove in six runs with a HR (his 6th) and a double (his 5th), going 2 for 3 overall with a BB and a HBP. Georgia Tech has been a run scoring machine all season, and if you missed by Crack of the Bat column from 2 weeks ago, I covered some of the more intriguing players on the Yellow Jackets this year, including sophomore 3B Wes Hodges and freshman C/DH/RHP Matt Wieters (remember both of these guy's names, particularly Wieters', who I was high on last year coming out of HS).

 

PG Crack of the Bat-Georgia Tech Buzzing

 

More updates as the weekend action wraps up.

 

Season updates, 3/14/05

 

Alex Gordon

.370/.547/.674 in 46 AB, 3 2B, 3 HR, 16:8 BB:K, 9 for 9 SBs, 2 Es

 

Jeff Clement

.265/.446/.592 in 49 AB, 4 2B, 4 HR, 12:11 BB:K, 2 Es

 

Tyler Greene

.371/.470/.686 in 70 AB, 6 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 11:15 BB:K, 10 for 11 SBs, 7 Es

 

Luke Hochevar

4-1, 1.59 ERA, 5 games (all starts), 34 IP, 24 H, 43 K, 5 BB, 0 HR, .197 BAA

 

Mike Pelfrey

3-1, 2.25 ERA, 6 games (all starts), 36 IP, 27 H, 31 K, 12 BB, 2 HR, .221 BAA

 

Ricky Romero

5-0, 1.83 ERA, 5 games (all starts), 34.1 IP, 18 H, 43 K, 12 BB, 0 HR, .151 BAA

[colbyjack]

Player updates for the week of 3/14/05-3/20/05:

 

It's not even the weekend yet and Nebraska 3B Alex Gordon has had a huge week. The Cornhuskers played three mid-week games against Northern Colorado, with Gordon's hot bat continuing:

 

Tuesday:

3-4, 4 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR, 1 2B, 1 BB, HBP, 1 SB

 

Wednesday:

2-5, 1 R, 2 2B, 1 K

 

Thursday:

3-4, 3 R, 3 RBI, 1 HR, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K

 

His line on the year, just 3 games after the most recent update I provided:

.424/.575/.881 in 59 ABs, 27 R, 19 RBI, 7 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 18:10 BB:K, 3 HBP, 10-10 SB, 3 Es

 

Yeah, it's Northern Colorado, but wow. As Bill noted in another thread, too bad we can't trade up for this guy. Bill provided a very good pic of Gordon within that thread, but here's another from Nebraska's site:

 

http://huskers.nmn.speedera.net/pics27/200/NJ/NJNXBCWIUEBMOBE.20050315222418.jpg

 

I just got done listening to an amazing pitching duel between Long Beach State LHP Cesar Ramos and Wichita State RHP Mike Pelfrey. Both went the distance, in a game that ended 1-0, with the Dirtbags coming out on top. The run Pelfrey gave up was unearned, while the two pitchers combined to allow only 7 hits, only one of those for extra-bases, one walk, and zero earned runs. The game started at 7pm, and was over by about 9:15pm local time.

 

Mike Pelfrey

9 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 11 K, 0 BB

 

Cesar Ramos

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

 

I followed up one great pitching performance with another, as Cal State Fullerton LHP Ricky Romero faced Arizona this evening, who received a strong outing from John Meloan (7.2 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 5 K, 4 BB). Unfortunately for talented (and entering todya's game, undefeated) pitcher Ricky Romero, the one run he allowed was one more than John Meloan allowed.

 

Ricky Romero

8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 8 K, 2 BB

 

Romero was sent out to begin the 9th inning, which marked the 2nd week in a row that CSF's head coach sent Romero out in an inning following a very long offensive inning for the Titans lineup. While Romero walked the leadoff man in the top of the 9th, Vinnie Pestano who relieved Romero got out of the inning without any further damage.

 

If you haven't hopped on the Ricky Romero bandwagon, feel free to do so. I'm steering a light ship here.

 

Oh yeah, I'm not making excuses, just pointing how lethal Arizona's lineup is...

 

They have 3 regulars entering today's game hitting over .400.

They have 3 other regulars entering today's game hitting over .350.

SS Jason Donald, arguably the best pro prospect on the team (only a sophomore), is hitting .256.

RF Jeff Van Houten entered the game with a 28-game hit streak, tied for the longest in school history. Romero ended that streak.

 

In other words, holding the Wild cats to one run is quite the feat. The Titans lineup didn't back him up Romero in this game, as they lose, 0-1.

 

A good night overall for the top college pitchers. Tennessee RHP Luke Hochevar had a no-hitter going into the 9th inning against Auburn in the team's SEC opener. He ended up tossing a complete game 1-hitter, as he also gave up a run in the final frame (on a sac fly).

 

Luke Hochevar

9 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 11 K, 4 BB

 

Baylor RHP Mark McCormick saved his best start of the season against #1 Texas last night. McCormick's stuff has never been in question, but his control and character has been. He pitched a dandy against the Longhorns, with the Bears taking the first two games of the series against the #1 team in the nation.

 

Mark McCormick

7.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R (0 ER), 10 K, 1 BB

 

The third game of the series is actually on TV right now (CSTV, channel 118 in Milwaukee for digital cable subscribers). I know there are some Taylor Teagarden fans out there, and you also get to take a peek at CF Drew Stubbs, who could be one of the top players selected in the 2006 draft.

 

Updates for the hitters as of 3/21/05. Fun to look back at last week's post to see how guys have progressed, particularly Gordon, who had a monster week.

 

Alex Gordon

.437/.574/.873 in 71 AB, 8 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 20:10 BB:K, 11-11 SBs, 2 Es

 

Jeff Clement

.308/.471/.600 in 65 AB, 7 2B, 4 HR, 15:12 BB:K, 2 Es

 

Tyler Greene

.353/.439/.612 in 85 AB, 6 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 11:17 BB:K, 10-11 SBs, 8 Es

 

Nice to see Clement bump his average up over .300 given my expressed concern about that. I will update the pitcher's season numbers next week.

 

A cool picture of Baylor's Mark McCormick on BA's homepage:

 

http://ftp.baseballamerica.com/images2005/mmccormick450330.jpg

[colbyjack]

Player updates for the week of 3/21/05-3/27/05

 

Since I was out of town over the weekend, I'll keep the updates brief. Georgia Tech is really surging with an unstoppable offense.

 

Luke Hochevar

Friday: 8 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 6 K, 2 BB

Season: 6-1, 1.76 ERA, 7 games (all starts), 2 CG, 51 IP, 32 H, 60 K, 11 BB, 1 HR, .180 BAA

 

Mike Pelfrey

Friday: 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 11 K, 1 BB

Season: 4-2, 1.73 ERA, 8 games (all starts), 52 IP, 36 H, 53 K, 13 BB, 2 HR, .203 BAA

 

Ricky Romero

Friday: 7.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 6 K, 1 BB

Season: 5-2, 1.98 ERA, 7 games (all starts), 50 IP, 32 H, 57 K, 15 BB, 0 HR, .183 BAA

 

Statistically, Hochevar, Pelfrey and Romero are all amazingly close.

 

Season updates on the top hitters:

 

Alex Gordon

.429/.579/.905 in 84 AB, 8 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 27:12 BB:K, 12 for 12 SBs, 3 Es

 

Jeff Clement

.342/.505/.658 in 73 AB, 8 2B, 5 HR, 18:13 BB:K, 3 Es

 

Tyler Greene

.343/.425/.581 in 105 AB, 6 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 13:24 BB:K, 11 for 12 SBs, 9 Es

 

Clement continues to hit the ball better, Gordon remains on fire, and Greene continues to hit pretty much at the same pace he has all spring. Greene is 7th on his own team in batting, a tribute to the Yellow Jackets offense so far this season. Greene's strikeout and errors totals are a little too high for my taste.

[maisel4me]

I agree Colbyjack, that K/BB ratio from Greene really scares me, I would like to see a much better ratio from a high caliber hitter in college, ala Clement or Gordon. This coupled with the not-so-high power ceiling of Greene and I don't know that he would be my choice for the Brewers future 3-bagger. If Clement's D is okay and he can stay at catcher, I would be very happy with either he or if something wild happens on draft day, of course Gordon would be great.

 

p.s. I am not sure if you want replies in this thread or if you want to keep this clean for updates etc...

[colbyjack]

I wanted to add this picture of Long Beach State's Cesar Ramos, who tossed a 2-hit complete game against Cal State Fullerton & Ricky Romero last Friday night:

 

http://ftp.baseballamerica.com/images2005/cramos450.jpg

 

Ramos doesn't get as much buzz as Romero since he doesn't have the same kind of stuff, but he's a control pitcher similar to Jeremy Sowers from a year ago that carves up hitters with his control and by changing speeds.

 

maisel4me, feel free to post comments in these threads. I think as we get closer to the draft more & more people will participate.

 

Greene also has the added concern of being advised by Scott Boras. He was one of my favorites for the draft until I found out about that, since I feel he is one of the most complete players and also one of the safest picks (he can run, steal bases, hit for average, hit for power, he has proven to hit with wood, he has shown that he can play good defense, he has a strong arm, etc.).

 

I forgot to mention that Long Beach State SS Troy Tulowitzki returned to action this past weekend against Cal State Fullerton. BA's chat pointed out that he went 1-12 over the series, but hopefully he'll start to get back on track.

[colbyjack]

Player updates for the week of 3/28 - 4/3

 

USC catcher Jeff Clement continues his hot hitting with a 3 for 4 performance against Loyola Marymount the other night. He added a double, a HR and a BB to his night, and has bumped his line up to .364/.515/.714 in 77 AB. Remember that Clement and USC will face off against Washington on FCSP (Fox College Sports Pacific) this Saturday.

 

I watched Clement and USC face Washington today. I've seen video of Clement before during his stints with Team USA the past summers, but never in game action with USC, where I believe players can perform differently. He definitely has chiseled his body somewhat, which isn't to say he's a physical freak or anything like that, but he's built strong and compact. He had a few nice hustle plays, stretching a single into a double on a flare, and scoring from 2B on a shallow hit to RF. Behind the plate, he doesn't have the moxie that Taylor Teagarden does, but I didn't see anything today that would suggest he's not an everyday catcher. He went 2-4 on the day, with the double as mentioned, a walk and 2 RBIs. Yesterday he went 1 for 1 with 4 walks (yes, 4 walks), as the Washington team clearly was pitching around him. He definitely handles the strike zone well.

 

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I also watched 3B Ryan Zimmerman of Virginia today, at least before the game was postponed by rain. I am extremely impressed with Zimmerman's overall game, and I hope to see him again this spring to make sure I didn't just catch him at a high peak. The way he's hitting, and has hit, I don't think I did, but I always warn myself (and others) about making judgements with limited observations.

 

I have seen Zimmerman defensively, so I knew how smooth he was on the field. He confirmed that again today, as every ball hit to him seemed to be quickly absorbed. At the plate he showed very good discipline against UNC's Daniel Bard, one of the very top '06 prospects. Bard wasn't missing the strike zone much, but Zimmerman wasn't offering in his first AB. He worked Bard until he got a fastball down the pipe, that Zimmerman smoke to LF. In his next AB, Zimmerman drove the first pitch he saw from Bard (a fastball) to LCF for a 2-run HR. He has very good bat speed, and make very good contact in both ABs. He seems to be very disciplined at the plate, and did even budget on pitches outside of the strike zone. There is a definite sense of confidence in his game which isn't to be confused with cockiness.

 

On the day he went 3 for 4 with 2 runs, 3 RBI a HR and a 3B. On Friday (against UNC's LHP Andrew Miller, possibly the favorite to go #1 overall in next year's draft), Zimmerman went 5 for 6 with 3 runs, 1 RBI and 2 BBs. He is definitely surging right now, and in my mind erases any concerns about whether or not he's worthy of the #5 overall pick.

 

Which presses me to comment about the 2 concerns I had about him before seeing him today: His power and his relatively low walk totals. He definitely has a line drive swing, but since I got to see him hit a HR, you can tell the power is there. He just seems to be an incredibly good, pure hitter. As for the walks, it's not a matter of him being anxious, because he clearly showed plate discipline, but when offered a strike he is not going to let it go by. His ability to make contact will allow him not to strike out too much. He is probably the most impressive hitter I have seen this year (I haven't seen Gordon swing the bat yet this season).

 

I also was impressed with his size and presence.

 

I will be sure to update the hitting lines of Clement, Zimmerman and others when the weekend action is complete.

 

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LHP Ricky Romero faced Chris Nichol and UC Irvine last night. Romero ran into some trouble in the 6th, and gave up 5 ER in just over 7 innings:

 

7.1 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 8 K, 0 BB

 

One concern I have with Romero is that he seems to fall victim to the big inning. If you look at his pitching line, giving up 9 hits and no walks in over 7 innings of work isn't really that bad, and definitely wouldn't automatically lead to 5 runs crossing the plate. When he's on, he's on, where hits and runs are hard to come by. But all of the sudden, he'll give up a quick 3 runs in an inning on a flare, a double, and another hit all in succession. I'm not sure if it's a matter of focus, if he doesn't pitch well out of the stretch or what, but the big, or even modest, inning has gotten to him a little bit this spring.

 

RHP Mike Pelfrey tossed a pretty good game against Evansville:

 

8.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 13 K, 1 BB

 

Pelfrey is starting to K a lot more batters in recent outings, and he's walking less too. Similar to Romero, 3 ER on only 5 H & 1 BB leads me to believe he too suffered from one big(ger) inning.

 

Tennesse was rained out both Friday and Saturday, so Hochevar hasn't taken the mound yet this weekend.

 

Luke Hochevar finally took the mound Sunday. The line looks good except for the walk totals. Since this game was played as a double-header, the 7 innings constituted a complete game, as Tennessee freshman LHP James Adkins (a name to watch for '07) also threw a CG in the 2nd game for the Volunteers.

 

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

 

College hitters update, 4/4/05

 

Alex Gordon

.417/.576/.865 in 96 AB, 8 2B, 1 3B, 11 HR, 29:14 BB:K, 15 for 15 SBs, 4 Es

 

Stay on target...

 

Jeff Clement

.378/.540/.720 in 82 AB, 10 2B, 6 HR, 24:14 BB:K, 3 Es

 

Sunday's USC/Washington game was rained out, and it will be played today. As detailed above, Clement continues to hit well, and his numbers are creeping up towards Gordon's.

 

Ryan Zimmerman

.420/.485/.652 in 112 ABs, 8 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 13:6 BB:K, 11 for 12 SBs, 4 Es

 

Zimmerman will be added to all weekly updates from now on.

 

Tyler Greene

.347/.426/.581 in 124 ABs, 7 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 14:28 BB:K, 13 for 14 SBs, 9 Es

 

Greene with a huge day on Sunday: 3 for 5 with 3 runs, 8 RBIs, with a grand slam counting for one of his hits and 4 of the ribbies.

[batman]

These updates are awesome, Patrick... you could do a paid newsletter and I bet you'd get a ton of people signing up.

 

Remember that Clement and USC will face off against Washington on FCSP (Fox College Sports Pacific) this Saturday.

 

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing USC/Clement. The Brewers have like eleven hundred former Trojans on the big league club so maybe Clement is destined to play in Milwaukee.

 

~Bill

[DHonks]

batman, were Jenkins, Cirillo, and Moeller (and anyone else) there at the same time?

[batman]

batman, were Jenkins, Cirillo, and Moeller (and anyone else) there at the same time?

 

I'm actually working on an article about this... I'm pretty sure we're setting several USC records this season. Cirillo was there from 1988-1991 and was a teammate of Bret Boone, John Cummings, Damon Buford, Mark Smith (of Brewers fame), and Mike Robertson. Aaron Boone played there from 1992-1994 and was a teammate of Bobby Hughes (of Brewers fame), Gabe Alvarez, Geoff Jenkins (who played from 1993-1995), Chad Moeller (who played from 1994-1996), and Jacques Jones. Jenkins played with Boone, Alvarez, Jones, Brian Cooper, Seth Etherton, Morgan Ensberg, and Moeller. Randy Flores was also there from 1994-1997 so he played with both Jenks' and Miller. Justin Lehr was also a Trojan and played there with Barry Zito and Jason Lane in 1999.

 

~Bill

[colbyjack]

Player updates for the week of 4/4-4/10

 

Rick vs. Cal State Northridge:

7 IP, 10 H, 1 ER, 7 K, 2 BB

 

Romero bounces back after losing 3 straight. He's usually close to unhittable, so the 10 hits in 7 IP stand out.

 

Luke Hochevar vs. Kentucky

7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 10 K, 1 BB

 

Hochevar keeps on dealing.

 

Mike Pelfrey vs. Illinois State

 

9 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 10 K, 4 BB

 

Pelfrey continues to dominate in recent starts.

 

Plenty of college games to check out on TV today and tomorrow. Check out the preview thread for more info.

 

Season updates, 4/10/05:

 

Luke Hochevar

8-1, 1.52 ERA, 9 games (all starts), 3 CG, 65 IP, 41 H, 75 K, 16 BB, 1 HR, .181 BAA

 

Hochevar has been consistent all year long. Not a whopping number of Ks, but the low hits allowed and walks totals are particularly impressive.

 

Mike Pelfrey

5-2, 1.68 ERA, 10 games (all starts), 2 CG, 69.2 IP, 42 H, 76 K, 18 BB, 2 HR, .179 BAA

 

As noted above, Pelfrey has been pitching better of late, not that he ever was pitching that poorly. His numbers are amazingly similar to Hochevar's.

 

Ricky Romero

6-3, 2.24 ERA, 9 games (all starts), 64.1 IP, 51 H, 72 K, 17 BB, 0 HR, .221 BAA

 

A few rocky outings in a row for Romero. Still good numbers, and he has yet to allow a HR.

 

Alex Gordon

.398/.570/.788 in 113 AB, 9 2B, 1 3B, 11 HR, 38:16 BB:K, 15 for 16 SBs, 4 Es

 

I got to watch Gordon this weekend in two of the games vs. Texas. Gordon didn't get many pitches to hit, and drew 8 walks over the weekend. He seemed to get impatient at times, as his strike zone expanded anxious to hit the ball. Despite going 0 for 4 on Friday, he drew 4 walks in a 16-inning game. He got a couple of hits in Saturday's contest, and showed a nice, clean, fluid stroke. He has one of the best baseball bodies I have ever seen.

 

Ryan Zimmerman

.414/.476/.633 in 128 AB, 10 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 14:6 BB:K, 11 for 12 SBs, 5 Es

 

I got the chance to watch Zimmerman on Saturday, a game in which he went 2 for 4 with a double. He hit the double in his first at-bat on a pitch that was well outside the strike zone and high. He swung anyway, went with the pitch, and laced it down into the RF corner. He was swinging more at the first pitch, and seemed to be a little more impatient at the plate that what I saw from him last weekend. My excitement was tempered a little bit, but he still is a great hitter, and he just carries a certain level of confidence about him that I really enjoy. And defensively he just gobbles up anything that is hit his way. Today he went 3 for 3 with a walk, raising his average to .414.

 

Tyler Greene

.345/.428/.561 in 139 AB, 8 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 17:34 BB:K, 16 for 17 SBs, 9 Es

 

The strikeouts continue to pile up for Greene, and the extra-base totals aren't as good as you would like to see given those Ks. The errors are leveling out a little bit as he seems to be shoring up defensively as the season progresses.

 

Jeff Clement

.356/.511/.663 in 101 ABs, 10 2B, 7 HR, 27:18 BB:K, 3 Es

 

Clement's defense has been steady all season long. I had the opportunity to watch him play twice over the weekend, and I still see nothing wrong with him behind the plate. He's not a gold glove candidate, but he's not going to hurt a team back there either. He has a good eye at the plate, and he's not getting much to hit these days. He takes his walks, and despite being a power guy, he doesn't strikeout much. While I'm not sure if he's going to be a spectacular player, I think he could be quite steady, and prove to be a consistent run-producer at a position where run production is hard to come by.

[nikip43]

I watched the Nebraska and Texas game on Sunday in the rain. Specifically I had my eye on Gordon and Teagarden.

 

I would have to agree with colbyjack on the comment about the baseball body. The thing that struck me most about these two players were how different they appeared (especially Gordon) than the rest of their teamates. Both players looked very mature at the plate and stuck out as fluid athletes in the field.

 

Teagarden's defense wasn't Bengi Molina standout by any means but I didn't see the guy make a bad play behind the plate. He was blocking a lot of balls that were spiking up from the dirt and while they were bouncing hard off of him, by all means they were in control.

 

Gordon just seemed very fluid in the field. The guy has a big arm from third base watching him chuck a few across the diamond.

 

All in all it was too difficult to draw too much assessment from one game, especially on a rainy Sunday afternoon. However, it was really fun to watch a college ballgame played on ESPN.

 

(On a side note: A lot of these top hitters don't get a whole heck of a lot of pitches offered to them. They might not get intentionally walked like Bonds, but they are definatly pitched around even when runners are on or have the chance to advance home. I'm pretty sure without looking at my scorecard that Gordon walked in a bases loaded RBI Sunday)

[colbyjack]

Player updates for the week of 4/11-4/17

 

Luke Hochevar

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

 

Hochevar gets knocked around a little bit by one of the best teams in the SEC.

 

Ricky Romero

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

 

Romero uses 118 pitches (79 for strikes) to notch his first complete game of the year. With only 6 hits and 3 walks allowed, it would seem that Romero may have been the victim once again of a big inning.

 

Mike Pelfrey

7 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 9 K, 2 BB vs. Northern Iowa

 

This type of line has been common for Pelfrey all spring.

 

Jeff Clement

.355/.514/.673 in 107 AB, 10 2B, 8 HR, 30:21 BB:K, 3 Es

 

USC didn't play this weekend, only played 2 games on the week, but Clement added another bomb. The errors have been kept down as well.

 

Alex Gordon

.411/.575/.798 in 129 AB, 12 2B, 1 3B, 12 HR, 41:17 BB:K, 17 for 20 SBs, 5 Es

 

Gordon's patience is impressive, and he's burning teams by walking him by stealing bases.

 

Tyler Greene

.329/.410/.539 in 152 AB, 10 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 18:41 BB:K, 16 for 17 SBs, 9 Es

 

The errors have slowed, but so has Greene's bat. I had the chance to watch Georgia Tech today, and Greene, like Gordon, has one of the best baseball bodies out there.

 

Ryan Zimmerman

.430/.489/.662 in 151 ABs, 14 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 17:6 BB:K, 14 for 16 SBs, 6 Es

 

Zim' keeps on hitting.

[PeaveyFury]

Any additional updates on Neighborgall, Colby?

[colbyjack]

Jason Neighborgall

5-2, 5.55 ERA, 11 games (all starts), 48 IP, 40 H, 64 K, 42 BB, 12 wild pitches, 11 HBP

 

It's kind of sad to say that these numbers are an improvement over his success over the past couple of years. He still has no control, and reportedly still has the same confidence issues from before. Plus, he's advised by Scott Boras. I wouldn't touch this guy with a 10' pole, unless someone could convince me that they could "fix" him.