2008 College Resource Thread

[fewgoodcards]

wow, i know the competition isn't great, but tim murphy is looking great on national tv. he struck out the first 6 batters he faced, and he has sat 88-92 with the fastball and he is dropping a nasty hook. he also hasn't walked anyone yet, and as you would expect from a former position player he is fielding his position very well.

 

colby, how far would you put him behind christian friedrich? from what i have seen, they both look pretty similar. i would say friedrich's curve is a little better, and he can top out a little higher with the fastball, but they are close.

[TooLiveBrew]

Murphy is built like a bull. He's been overpowering guys all night long. He managed to hit 89 with his cutter in the 9th, and was throwing it consistently in the 86-89 mph range. He just hung a curve to a RH batter with two outs, up two... singled to LF - but he pretty much has been stellar.

 

His cutter, when on as it is now, can neutralize RH batters. Big 11-5 cb just struck out the last man. Shutout for Murphy... on national tv. His cb looks like it's best thrown to his LH side of the plate. The one he hung that got slapped into LF was one he aimed at his RH side of the plate. When he uses it on LH batters, they probably have to be looking for it to hit it. The cb he threw at the end was to a RH batter, but he threw to the outer half for a swing-&-miss.

[GagneCY03]

Ryan Perry got hammered today: 2.2 IP, 7 Hits (including 2 doubles, a triple and a HR), 5 ER, 0 BB and only 1 strikeout. Wonder what his stuff was like...

[colbyjack]

colby, how far would you put him behind christian friedrich? from what i have seen, they both look pretty similar. i would say friedrich's curve is a little better, and he can top out a little higher with the fastball, but they are close.

 

I caught the last three innings of the game last night, and plan to watch the first six this evening, but I was very impressed with Murphy's curveball. You kind of had to be, he threw is about half of the time, and used it more to set up his fastball than the other way around.

 

And I do have a problem with that. MLB is a fastball league and if you can't establish your fastball hitters will eventually either lay off on your curve or tee off on it.

 

That said, I've always liked Murphy, and his pitch sequence can easily be altered at the pro level as Bethune Cookman could hardly touch his curveball, so why not throw it 50% of the time? I caught one of his games last year on TV and he threw a lot more fastballs and more changeups as well. The changeup is key because it's the one pitch that is the most lethal to RH batters. He's a pretty athletic guy with a build similar to Chris Capuano, but he has an odd delivery in which there is a almost a slight pause, and he drops his arm down as part of his windup similar to Jacob Thompson of Virginia.

 

He's very similar to Friedrich in stuff. Both throw with similar velocity, with 88-92 fastballs (Murphy's FB should go up a tick or two as it warms up more -- it was reportedly a cool night in Compton), both throw that knee buckling slow curveball and both have a pretty good changeup. The difference is in their build. Murphy is more well proportioned from top to bottom, as it's not hard imaging that he can swing the bat a little. Friedrich is leaner and longer, with long legs and a high waist, somewhat like Ross Detwiler, although no where near that lean, and that projectability likely gives him the edge. Like Murphy, the times I have seen Friedrich he too throws way too many curveballs.

 

Murphy reminds me more of another UCLA lefty, David Huff, whose signature pitch was a very nice changeup, and a player I really wanted to see the Brewers take in the first round in 2006.

 

As for Ryan Perry, when I saw him pitch in the Cape Cod League all-star game his stuff definitely was humming, however his fastball was about as straight as they come, and he has really struggled to command his secondary offerings in the past. All of those things among others lead scouts to believe he'll be a starter at the next level where he doesn't have to worry about pacing himself or about setting up hitters knowing he'll see them again. But, Arizona needs him more in their rotation given their already strong 'pen with Schlereth and Stoffel.

[GagneCY03]

My one criticism of Murphy would be he didn't throw nearly enough changeups. Even though he was dominating with his curve, I still would have liked to see him mix in a third pitch.

[TooLiveBrew]

OSU-UGA rubber match won 5-4 by OSU ... on a WP in the 8th. But a win's still a win. To recap the marvelous attendance... Fri. night saw an OSU attendance record (~ 7,500), Sat. saw a Pac-10 attendance record established (10,710), and Sun. re-established both OSU's & the Pac-10's attendance record - 11,166. Well done, Beavers fans!

 

SP matchup: RHP Greg Peavey (OSU) v. LHP Nathan Moreau (UGA)

Peavey: 6 2/3, 7 H, 4 R (all ER), 3 HR, 0 BB/7 K, 85 PT --- FB sitting 88-91, very effct've CU at ~ 79-81, so-so CB/SLRV mixed in

Moreau: 5 1/3, 5 H, 2 R (both ER), 3 BB/4 K, 91 PT --- FB in 86-89 range, decent CU at ~ 77-79, mixed in so-so CB/SLRV

 

 

Georgia SS Gordon Beckham was the offensive star, with two mammoth HR in his first two at-bats. He's not a huge guy, so I wonder how well his power would translate to wooden bats, but he really socked the ball yesterday (3-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI). Teammate 1B Rich Poythress (a beast) had a game, too, knocking a 2B and the biggest HR (solo job) of the weekend out to LF/CF. He finished 2-4 with 1 run & 1 RBI.

 

For the Beavers, 2B Jason Ogata (a hometown Portland, OR boy) went 2-3 with one BB, a HR, 1 R, & 2 RBI. The bullpen trio of Blake Kreitzman (recorded final two outs of the 7th), Mark Grbavac (scoreless 8th), & Kevin Rhoderick (scoreless 9th & the save) were stellar, notching the final 8 outs - allowing merely one baserunner between the 3 of them (single by Beckham off Grbavac), stifling Georgia's offense.

 

All in all, Peavey was solid, but imo his line suggests he was a bit better than what I saw. Giving up 3 HR is really dangerous, but by not surrendering a lone BB, he overall did a great job of scattering his baserunners. It was worrisome that, not only did he surrender 3 HR, but each one was flat-out smoked. The Beavers did a nice job of answering Georgia & generating just enough offense to win the game (OSU worked 5 BBs, while UGA couldn't manage even one).

 

The Beavers were able to escape being haunted by their frustrating 1st inning - loaded the bases with 0 outs, only to see the bext batter ground into a 4-6-3 DP - in which they plated only 1 R. Up into the 8th inning, it looked like failing to capitalize on that early chance was going to doom OSU.

[colbyjack]

Georgia SS Gordon Beckham was the offensive star, with two mammoth HR in his first two at-bats. He's not a huge guy, so I wonder how well his power would translate to wooden bats, but he really socked the ball yesterday (3-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI).

 

Gordon was one of the best hitters on the Cape last summer, leading the league in both HRs (9) and RBI (35), so his power definitely translates to wood. He's a legitimate first-round talent that is off to a fast start this year (although I think I saw that he has only one more RBI than HR at this point in time).

 

Here's his Brewerfan.net scouting report:

 

http://www.brewerfan.net/ViewAmateurPlayerProfile.do?playerId=794&draftId=6

[fewgoodcards]

i don't know if the RBIs are really his fault, he is destroying the ball. he also has scored 11 runs in 6 games, and oh by the way only has 1 strikeout in 27 at bats compared to 3 homers. on the downside, he has only walked 1 time as well.

 

colby, i think you better get busy writing up that tanner scheppers profile b/c he should definitely be on your next top 30 update, and i think he is making a serious push for the top 10.

[TooLiveBrew]

Gordon was one of the best hitters on the Cape last summer, leading the league in both HRs (9) and RBI (35), so his power definitely translates to wood. He's a legitimate first-round talent that is off to a fast start this year (although I think I saw that he has only one more RBI than HR at this point in time).

 

Thanks for that, cj. The only thing I can say to your comment/concern over his RBI/HR ratio is that it's probably more a product of his teammates. I couldn't believe the lack of patience/OBP - as a team - that UGA displayed yesterday. There's really no way I can look at Beckham and not see a top-tier college talent (not that you were implying otherwise).

 

 

EDIT: Whoops - looks like fgc beat me to it!

[colbyjack]

I wasn't saying that Beckham's RBIs were a problem, just pointing out a statistical oddity. I think Beckham is a guy that really could go a lot higher than where he's expected to go (read his profile), especially in a signability scenario.

 

colby, i think you better get busy writing up that tanner scheppers profile b/c he should definitely be on your next top 30 update, and i think he is making a serious push for the top 10.

 

There are a couple of guys that are notably absent from the top 30, with Scheppers being the most obvious, however, didn't I pimp Scheppers to you? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[colbyjack]

My analysis from last Friday's Hunt vs. Hunter matchup is now up at PG Crosschecker:

 

http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/crackthebat/patrick_ebert/08_03_04_tulane_vs_pepperdine/

[TooLiveBrew]

Nice work, cj - a great read.

 

Just want to point out to you (if you aren't already aware) that the picture that's supposed to be of Eric Thames is, in fact, a duplicate of the pic of Shooter Hunt.

[fewgoodcards]

There are a couple of guys that are notably absent from the top 30, with Scheppers being the most obvious, however, didn't I pimp Scheppers to you? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

yep, i asked you who you thought the cardinals might consider and you mentioned his name. i hadn't heard of him before, but i checked him out after you mentioned him and got really intrigued. now with his amazing start he is right there at the top of my list for the 13th pick (with harold martinez), but i am getting the feeling he won't be around.

 

[GagneCY03]

fewgoodcards, I believe BaseballAmerica.com has a feature on Scheppers. If you have a subscription, you can check it out. Basically talks about his rise from topping out at 87 in high school to hitting the mid 90s now and what kind of adjustments he's made. He looks like he'd definitely be a good fit for St Louis.

 

My mistake. The front page article I was thinking of is about Colby Shreve, the top JuCo prospect in the nation. However, there is a nice writeup about Brian Matusz and Tanner Scheppers facing off this past weekend in the Draft section.

[fewgoodcards]

there was a feature on scheppers as well. i think they had it up a week or two ago. i think colby has it linked somewhere on here.

[colbyjack]

Thanks TLB, the picture of Thames has been fixed.

 

Here's a picture of Colby Shreve from Baseball America, a RHP from the CC of Southern Nevada that Gagne mentioned above. Shreve is now ranked the #1 juco prospect in the country, and could get some 1st round interest as a 6'5", 220 pound righty with improving stuff.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/cshreve08428309.jpg

 

Some other thoughts from the games played on TV from over the weekend:

 

Nick Buss-CF-USC

Buss was named the top prospect in the Alaskan summer league by BA, #2 by PGCC for his overall tool-set. Physically he resembles Shawn Green, with long, strong limbs and an interesting blend of speed and power potential. The power hasn't shown itself too much so far, although I believe he does have 2 HRs already this spring for USC. He led the Alaskan league in batting (.369), triples (5) and stolen bases (29), some pretty good totals for a summer league. I was really impressed by his batting eye, as he took a ton of pitches in Saturday night's game and drew a walk in his first two plate appearances. He also smoked a double, and showed his speed a few times despite being caught stealing in the game. He also made a highlight catch in CF, ranging deep to LCF while making an acrobatic catch. I was really impressed with his overall game, and he was one of my sleeper prospects entering the 2008 college season. You can see that story here:

 

http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/crackthebat/patrick%5Febert/08%5F01%5F21%5Fcoll%5Fbreakout%5Fplayers/

 

Brandon Crawford

Tim Murphy, UCLA's LHP, was already discussed above, and while Crawford didn't show too much at the plate, he did make a couple of nice plays on the field. There's no question IMO that Crawford is going to be able to stay at the SS position at a very high level for a very long time, as long as he makes the proper adjustments at the plate. Don't discount this young man's talent, as I hope to see more of him this spring.

 

I also didn't get a very good look at 3B Jermaine Curtis, who seemed to be pressing too much at the plate (but also showed some nice plays defensively at 3B, and I think he could be groomed as a 2B), and catcher Ryan Babineau did not play over the weekend. RF Gabe Cohen his a mammoth HR, and is a name to watch for the 2009 draft.

 

Buster Posey

Florida State always has a lot of games on TV, so we should get plenty of opportunities to see their star catcher this spring. He had a really nice game Saturday vs. Auburn, smoking a double on a letter-high fastball to deep RCF that would have been a HR if it weren't for the 30' high netting/fence at FSU's home ballpark. He then ripped a thigh high FB to deep LCF for a home run in the 5th, showing off his power potential in two consecutive ABs. He scored from second on a weakly hit single to left field in the third after his double, scoring two runs in a 4-3 contest that FSU won. He showed very good bat speed and plate coverage. He has a nice batting eye, handles the bat well, and isn't likely to strike out very much at the next level. Offensively he should be a better to average catcher with the ability to hit 10+ home runs and 30+ doubles on an annual basis.

 

Defensively he is really active behind the plate, as well as being very vocal. He was visibily barking at his middle infielders for not covering second base on a potential pickoff play, and committed a throwing error in the game when his middle infielders were late to getting to the second base bag. Had the shortstop, Tony Delmonico, been there as he should have been, Posey would have nailed the baserunner, as the throw was on the first base side of the second base bag about a foot off the ground -- a perfect throw. He frames pitches well, blocked a couple of tough balls, and I like the way he flips the ball back to the pitcher. He clearly likes to show off his arm, and shows a natural confidence behind the plate to go along with natural leadership abilities.

 

And he came on to close the game in the 9th to earn his second save of the year, with a quick 1-2-3 inning. He threw mostly fastballs, and while his pro stock is behind the plate, his two-way ability is one of the many reasons I love the college game. He's a legit first-rounder, and if he's there for the Brewers pick I would not be surprised at all to see him be the team's selection.

 

Since I mentioned Tony Delmonico I figured I would expand on him as well. He transferred to FSU after spending two years at Tennessee playing for his father, Rod, who I believe now is part of the FSU coaching staff. He is an interesting middle IF prospect that I saw in person last spring when I traveled to Nashville to see Tennessee take on Vanderbilt. He has a contact bat and a knack for the big hit. He's fluid defensively, although he may be better suited at 2B. He's another legit pro prospect, although his ceiling is somewhat limited.

 

Mike Bianucci

Bianucci was a draft-eligible sophomore a year ago that returned to Auburn. He resembles Xavier Nady quite a bit in physical appearance and in his batting stance, and if he enjoys success at the pro level is likely will be in a similar fashion to Nady. He has very good bat speed and power potential with a patient eye yet an aggressive approach. His speed is limited and he's probably a LF/1B/DH at the next level. He ripped a high, inside FB in the 6th for a long single, and walked in the 8th.

 

Hunter Morris

Morris was the highest unsigned high school player from a year ago, as the Red Sox of all teams were unable to sign him. He's a freshman playing 1B now, and physically reminds me of Eric Munson given his big, hulking frame. His stance is a lot like Prince Fielder's, if that helps paint a picture of how he looked in the batter's box. He has a good eye and tremendous power potential, just missing on a HR in the 4th by hitting a towering popup, but connecting on a 3-run job in the 8th, of which he flicked his wrists on a high, inside FB. That effortless power reminded me a lot of watching Matt LaPorta in college, and by naming guys like Munson, Fielder and LaPorta, that should give you an idea of what kind of power this young man has. Similar to Munson and LaPorta, Morris played 3B and the OF in high school, and it was speculated that he could play behind the plate if a team was willing to be patient with his progression there. His bat is good enough to just leave him at 1B, and he should be one of the top college prospects available for the 2010 draft.

 

Here's a conversation I had with Morris last spring:

 

http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/2007/columnists/patrickebert/weeklycolumn/player_spotlight2.aspx

 

Kevin Patterson

Patterson is a similar prospect to Morris, in that he's a big, hulking left-handed slugger. He showed off really nice bat speed and likely will swap with Morris between the 1B and DH positions the next 2-3 years. He too was part of a talented prep pool from the state of Alabama a year ago, and should form a lethal middle of the order with Morris the next few years.

 

I didn't get a very good luke at OF/RHP Luke Greinke, Zach's younger brother, who came on in the 3rd or 4th. He ripped a double down the 3B line in the 8th with two outs, which helped set up Morris' 3-run bomb. Shortstop Matt Hall, who transferred from Arizona State, also is another interesting draft-eligible prospect, and while he showed a very nice arm and good range defensively, his swing looked rather long and I think he's going to have some troubles adjusting to a wood bat and pro ball in general, but we shall see.

 

I hope to watch Saturday's Oregon State-Georgia matchup and share my thoughts on Gordon Beckham in the next few days. I noticed last night that next Tuesday's Florida State-Georgia matchup will also be on TV, giving everyone another opportunity to check out both Beckham and Posey. Other than that, I don't believe there are any other college games scheduled to be on TV this weekend.

[TooLiveBrew]

Am I the only one that thinks Shreve looks straight out of the 1930s? That's a great picture.

 

Defensively he is really active behind the plate, as well as being very vocal. He was visibily barking at his middle infielders for not covering second base on a potential pickoff play, and committed a throwing error in the game when his middle infielders were late to getting to the second base bag. Had the shortstop, Tony Delmonico, been there as he should have been, Posey would have nailed the baserunner, as the throw was on the first base side of the second base bag about a foot off the ground -- a perfect throw. He frames pitches well, blocked a couple of tough balls, and I like the way he flips the ball back to the pitcher. He clearly likes to show off his arm, and shows a natural confidence behind the plate to go along with natural leadership abilities.

 

And he came on to close the game in the 9th to earn his second save of the year, with a quick 1-2-3 inning. He threw mostly fastballs, and while his pro stock is behind the plate, his two-way ability is one of the many reasons I love the college game. He's a legit first-rounder, and if he's there for the Brewers pick I would not be surprised at all to see him be the team's selection.

 

Ok, I'm in love. Let's draft this guy already.

 

 

I hope to watch Saturday's Oregon State-Georgia matchup and share my thoughts on Gordon Beckham in the next few days. I noticed last night that next Tuesday's Florida State-Georgia matchup will also be on TV, giving everyone another opportunity to check out both Beckham and Posey. Other than that, I don't believe there are any other college games scheduled to be on TV this weekend.

 

cj, fwiw, the game that ended up being televised on FSN was the Sunday game. And honestly, if you want to watch Beckham at his best, that's the game to catch. As for the FSU-UGA matchup, I just wish I could check it out - I did happen to catch the highlight of Posey's HR to left-center (is LC the standardized abbreviation for that?)... looked like a tremendous shot.

[colbyjack]

cj, fwiw, the game that ended up being televised on FSN was the Sunday game. And honestly, if you want to watch Beckham at his best, that's the game to catch.

 

Even better, thanks for the head's up.

 

And yes, I typically abbreviate left-center as LC (or LCF for left-centerfield). I'm not sure if that is standard or not.

[TooLiveBrew]

Yea, it was initially announced as I posted earlier in the thread (that Sat. was to be on FSN NW), but changed for who-knows-why.

 

As for LC/LCF, that's the way it should be. If that isn't the standard, the standard needs to be updated imo.

[colbyjack]

I finally caught the Georgia-Oregon State game that has been mentioned a few times already. I know TLB noted that Gordon Beckham put on a show in Sunday's contest, but I didn't realize his glove was on display as much as it was. In addition to being a pretty good game to watch, I highly recommend anyone that has access to FCSP to check this game out.

 

Gordon Beckham

By far the star of the day. I checked some of my notes from when I watched him play in the Cape all-star game in addition to watching some video of him taking BP. The bat speed is clearly there, and he has legit power despite being a smaller player. By smaller I just mean shorter, as he's sub-6', but he's put together really well.

 

Anyway, I name I wrote next to Beckham's name from last summer was Ryan Braun, and I reminded myself of why I did that this evening because physically they're nothing alike. With his bat speed he also has a knack for keeping the big part of the bat in the strike zone for a long time, giving him that extra power from a smaller frame and seemingly effortless swing. He also carries an obvious swagger about the way he does things, and his confidence borderlines cockiness.

 

His first HR came on a belt-high FB that he turned on so quickly and yanked to left. The second was on a hanging thigh-high slider that he crushed to deep CF (a ball that just kept carrying). His third hit was on an outside slider that he pulled up the middle for a single.

 

The defensive plays were equally impressive. The first came when he ranged deep up the middle to his left, picked a ball I thought would easily make CF, and in one motion scooped it to the second baseman to begin a 6-4-3 double play.

 

The second play wasn't as impressive but it still showed off his defensive prowess. On a slow dribbler to SS he charged the ball, picked it and quickly made the throw to first to get a speedy Oregon State runner (Joey Wong IIRC), showing both his quickness and his arm strength, and well as his transfer.

 

The third was the best. On a weak little chopper to the second base side, Beckham charged hard (with the second baseman playing deep and towerds the 2B bag), barehanded the ball on the 2B side and in one motion threw out the runner. No question, Gordon Beckham is an incredibly exciting player to watch, and only reinforces my thought that he's a huge sleeper to go in the top 10 come June.

 

Joshua Fields

Georgia's closer came in to get the final out of the 8th inning one batter too late. He hit 96 on his first pitch (at least according to the announcer), and took 4 pitches IIRC to get the K and get the Bulldogs off the field. I had read earlier this winter that he had scrapped his slider in favor of a curveball, which is a nice pitch that drops off the table, but he definitely slows down his arm, tipping that pitch. I'm not sure if it matters given how lightning quick is arm is with his fastball, as batters may not have a chance to react anyway. His fastball is on the flat side, but again, when it's humming that fast it's hard to catch up with. Plus, he looks like a closer.

 

Greg Peavey

I've seen Peavey in high school, as he was a Aflac All-American and pitched at quite a few prominent events and showcases. I don't like the cocked cap look, not to mention Oregon State's hideous jersey, but that's not really relevant http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

 

He's a pretty solid sinker-slider pitcher, with both pitches somewhat resembling one another making him that much more difficult to hit. I know TLB noted that he got hit around, giving up 4 ER and 3 HR, but 3 ER and 2 of those HRs were to Gordon Beckham, one of the best college players in the nation. And it was kind of funny, the HR to Rich Poythress actually followed the only time Peavey got Beckham out, and probably was a little too loose (he walked around the mound with a smile on his face) doing so.

 

I know there was some concern coming out of high school that his ceiling was limited and that he might have already reached that ceiling. However, he's going to become an even better pitcher with the college experience, and could enter the pro ranks with a similar resume as that of a former Beaver, Dallas Buck.

 

Peavey does whip his head noticeably as part of his delivery, which also is a little worrisome looking forward.

 

Kevin Rhoderick

Rhoderick is Oregon State's closer, and he has a similar sinker-slider repertoire, although his sinker is a few ticks harder, as is his slider. Remember this name, he's only a freshman and he could move on from the college game in a few years with some impressive numbers and overall save totals. There is some herky-jerkiness to his delivery.

 

Jason Ogata and Garrett Nash are a couple of Oregon State hitters to keep an eye on. Ogata has some interesting power potential in his bat while Nash is an absolute blazer. Brewers draft fans may remember the name Jordan Lennerton as a DFE candidate a few years ago. Nicknamed "Moose," Lennerton is a big 'ole fella with a wide and stout frame. I don't see too much pro potential for Lennerton unfortunately.

[colbyjack]

I'm not going to bother previewing the weekend series, as nothing is on TV until Tuesday's Georgia-Florida State matchup that I mentioned above. BA as always does an excellent job previewing the weekend series and other things to watch:

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/weekend-preview/2008/265725.html

[colbyjack]

Poor weather has postponed and canceled quite a few games across the country, and several other teams didn't have games scheduled for yesterday, so look for a lot more updates this evening and tomorrow.

 

Brian Matusz: 8 IP, 4 H, 1 R (0 ER), 12 K, 2 BB vs. Oklahoma State An impressive performance against a team that always has fielded an intimidating lineup. So after a rocky start of the season, Matusz has quickly turned his season around, has lowered his ERA to under 4.00 and has 29 strikeouts in 19.2 innings of work.

 

Shooter Hunt: 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 11 K, 3 BB (114 pitches)

Scott Gorgen: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 10 K, 2 BB (99 pitches) Tulane hosted UC Irvine, and after the Anteaters posted four consecutive shutouts dating back to last weekend, the Green Wave returned the favor, with Hunt facing his second nationally known Friday starter in consecutive weeks. Hunt still continues to walk a few more than he should, and also probably pitches more than he should, especially so early in the season. He really reminds me of Phillip Humber.

 

Preston Guilmet: 8 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 12 K, 0 BB vs. South Alabama Guilmet, like Matusz, got off to a rocky start, but pitched a gem yesterday.

 

Ryan Perry: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 7 K, 0 BB vs. Notre Dame Perry got bumped back a day after a rocky start to the season. David Coulon pitched extremely well on Saturday in his place against Texas A&M Corpus Christi, and Perry seemed to respond in his own way against a much tough opponent in ND.

 

Aaron Crow: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 9 K, 2 BB, 114 pitches vs. Indiana St. I believe Crow has pitched in the 110-115 pitch range in every outing so far this year. He continues to mow down batters.

 

Tanner Scheppers: 6 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 10 K, 2 BB, 110 pitches vs. Indiana 110 pitches in 6 IP likely shows that Scheppers was pitching deep into counts frequently.

 

Tim Murphy: 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 11 K, 3 BB, 109 pitches vs. St. Mary's Another good outing against a so-so opponent.

 

Christian Friedrich: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R (2 ER), 5 K, 0 BB vs. Central Michigan Friedrich has been a little mediocre to start this season.

 

Jacob Thompson: 6.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 8 K, 2 BB vs. NC State The ACC opened up their conference slate this weekend, and Thompson has a nice performance against Wolfpack LHP Eric Surkamp.

 

Lance Lynn: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 K, 2 BB, 94 pitches vs. TCU

Cody Satterwhite: 3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 0 K, 1 BB, 51 pitches vs. TCU Ole Miss pitching mates with short outings this weekend. Neither has ever claimed control and command on their arsenals a strength, with Satterwhite's outing being particularly short, with zero strikeouts being the most alarming number here.

 

Scott Green: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R (0 ER), 9 K, 0 BB, 77 pitches vs. Purdue Green quietly been incredibly effective this spring, as he has a 28:0 strikeout to walk ratio over 18 innings this spring as the Wildcats ease him back slowly with pitch counts this season of 74, 83 and now 77.

 

Zach Putnam: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 6 K, 1 BB vs. East Carolina This is Putnam's second game back, and reportedly the wind was blowing out pretty hard in this one, so between that and Putnam's previous injury concerns I'll give Putnam a pass for another week or two. Cole St. Clair apparently has been placed back into Rice's bullpen, probably after closer Bryan Price has struggled a little to start the season and got into more trouble yesterday. St. Clair came in relief of Price, going 1.1 innings, allowing 1 hit and 1 BB allowing 0 R while striking out 1.

 

Brett Hunter is a notable no-show in the box scores. I'm sure we'll hear about that this week, while Tyson Ross is still sitting out. Zach Putnam did make an appearance a week ago, and I'm guessing we'll pitch again later today.

 

Buster Posey is now hitting .395/.500/.721 with 3 doubles, 3 HR and a 9:3 BB:K ratio in 43 at-bats.

 

Gordon Beckham is now hitting .543/.563/1.043 with 3 doubles, 1 triples, 6 HR and a 1:3 BB:K ratio in 46 at-bats. He is also 4 for 4 in stolen base attempts.

[colbyjack]

Tonight's Georgia-FSU game was postponed due to rain, as the rest of the contest will be scheduled as part of a doubleheader tomorrow with the game being resumed as it stood (Georgia up 8-2 in the bottom of the fourth). From what I saw of the game, Gordon Beckham once again quickly made the most of his opportunities, hitting a laser off of a hanging curveball over the left-field wall for a two-run shot in the first inning. Buster Posey continued to show how well he handles the stick by chopping an outside fastball to the right side of the infield that found the hole to the outfield with the second baseman covering second in a hit-and-run situation. These two guys really are impressing me so far this year, with Beckham being the more dynamic and Posey being the more established all-around player.

[TooLiveBrew]

I bet Beckham wishes the draft were tomorrow. I honestly started just laughing when I saw his line that you posted, cj. That's the definition of why 'small sample' rules.

[colbyjack]

That's the definition of why 'small sample' rules.

 

I always try to be careful using and posting stats, often pointing out that really stats at the amateur level don't mean too much. I include them to help paint a picture of what a player is capable of.

 

In Beckham's case, his numbers have been improving throughout his college career. He finished his freshman year around .280 with 12 dingers, last year above .300 with 13 dingers, had a very successful stint on the Cape hitting .280+ while leading the league in homers and RBI, and has carried that success into his junior year. His impressive stats are only impressive to me because they match his scouting report concerning his offensive potential and his bat speed in particular.

 

And in scouting there is somewhat of a small sample effect that takes place, and not so much in stats but as far as how often scouts get to see a certain player. One bad impression could lead to a scout leaving the field without a good picture of any given player's abilities. Of course no one should evaluate any player on one outing, or even a small handful of outings, and that's why scouts attend batting practice and watch players take the infield since that often will help given an idea of what that player is capable of. Jack Zduriencik told me when I interviewed him a few years ago that he doesn't look at stats much, but if he sees a guy he likes and noticed they're only hitting .200, he's going to look a little more closely to see why that is.

 

And the small sample factor in scouting doesn't apply much to the guys that are expected to go in the top few rounds, but it may have a huge difference on a sleeper of sorts that may not be on the national map but can improve their situation dramatically by making the most of what might be limited exposure, which is what makes showcase events such a huge benefit to these players.

 

I know you weren't looking for that explanation TLB, but your comment kind of stirred up that thought.