2008 College Resource Thread

[colbyjack]

It's too bad last night's UGA-FSU game got rained out, as both Beckham and Posey had big days at the plate. After hitting a 2-run HR in the first, Beckham was hit by a pitch and walked twice. Posey followed up his single in the first with three more hits in the contest, including two home runs.

 

Their bats weren't nearly as noisy in game two.

 

Cole St. Clair was roughed up by Texas last night, earning the mid-week start vs. their in-state rivals. I'm guessing Head Coach Wayne Graham intended to hold St. Clair for this mid-week starter's appearance, hoping his versatile lefty could shut down a left-heavy lineup, but it will be interesting to see if St. Clair at some point returns to weekend starting duty or if he will continue to be used in such an interesting, expanded role. Here's his line: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 4 K, 1 BB.

 

Texas' Johnny Wholestaff effort gave up only one run.

[colbyjack]

Check your local listings as there are some pretty exciting matchups scheduled to take place early next week scattered on the Fox College Sports Network channels (Atlantic, Central and Pacific, channels 107-109 for TW Cable subscribers in the Milwaukee area).

 

Texas vs. Rice

This is a replay of a game held Saturday, March 1st, a contest between Texas RHP Kenn Kasparek and Rice LHP Cole St. Clair. Neither pitched particularly well, but there is plenty of talent between these two teams to make it worth watching.

 

Arizona vs. Arizona State

I'm pretty sure this game, scheduled for next Tuesday, 3/18, will be broadcast live on FCSP, with plenty of replays after the game to catch this exciting matchup. Both teams are loaded with talent. It's hard to project the pitching matchups since both Arizona and ASU have juggled their pitchers somewhat. Arizona has used Ryan Perry in a mid-week game last week, and ASU has used Josh Satow and Mike Leake in mid-week contests. Regardless of who the starters are, this game should be a lot of fun to watch.

 

Kentucky vs. Morehead St.

Not the greatest matchup, but Kentucky is off to an extremely hot start. Kentucky has a deep staff and has been using freshman LHP Michael Kaczmarek and Tyler Henry in mid-week games, and their lineup is loaded with exciting all-around players that can hit, hit for power and steal bases. Kentucky plays a very aggressive style of offense that I strongly recommend watching if you haven't seen them before (or even if you have). This game I believe will be live next Tuesday, 3/18.

 

Auburn vs. Florida

I believe this game will be on live on Sunday at noon. The projected pitchers could be sophomore RHP Scott Shuman of Auburn and freshman RHP Tommy Toledo of Florida, a pair of arms to keep an eye on for the '09 and '10 drafts respectively. Both teams have a few hitters to keep an eye on, including OF Mike Bianucci (profiled earlier in this thread) of Auburn and draft-eligible sophomore shortstop Cole Figueroa of Florida.

 

More and more college games seem to be added to the schedule as I check every few nights or so, which of course is a beautiful thing for nerds like me http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

[Madtown Bomber]

I will be in attendance for the ASU-Arizona game. It is going to be quite a good game. I am going to be heading to San Diego for the weekend and hopefully one of the two San Diego universities will be playing in town.

[fewgoodcards]

interesting comment from aaron fitt today in a chat at baseball america, when asked to rank brian matusz, aaron crow, and tanner scheppers here is what he had to say.

 

I love all three. I think Matusz is the safest - he just seems like a lock to be a big league starter with all his outstanding secondary stuff - but I think the other guys have higher ceilings. Matusz seems like a No. 2 or No. 3 starter at the big league level to me, whereas I could see one of the others being a true ace. But Matusz has the best combination of durable frame, decent upside and likelihood to reach that upside, so I'll stick with him first. This will probably come as a surprise, but I think I like Scheppers next, just because he's got less effort to his delivery and is just scratching the surface of his potential. Can't go wrong with any of the three, though.

 

just when i was starting to think that crow might be passing matusz fitt goes and calls him the 3rd best college pitcher. i guess that means i am going to have to find a new favorite for the cardinals at 13, i originally thought scheppers would be an option for the cardinals and the brewers in the first round, but he is really moving up the boards and is probably a top 10 pick at this point.

[GagneCY03]

Not sure I agree with placing Scheppers above Crow right now, though I do agree that Crow's delivery is pretty scary. If Scheppers is showing an average slider then I guess the case could be made. But I don't see inexperience as being an advantage when comparing two college juniors.

[fewgoodcards]

i don't agree with it either, but scheppers is showing a better than average slider from what i have heard. i don't really think crow's delivery is that bad. the only problem i have with it is the little wrist flip thing he does.

[colbyjack]

I don't think Crow's delivery is that scary at all, and in fact the few times I have seen it I remember being impressed just how well his arm works. I think his biggest knock compared to Matusz and Scheppers is that he doesn't have the ideal pitcher's size, but yes, I could see all three of these guys go in the top 10.

 

Sorry I've been out of touch over the weekend, the flu bug making it's rounds got a hold of me late last week and has knocked me out. I got to see parts of last night's ASU-AZ game, and I also got to see a replay of the Texas-Rice game yesterday morning. I will comment more on the ASU-AZ game when I have a chance to watch the entire game, but here's a few comments from the other game:

 

Cole St. Clair

I've seen St. Clair a few times before, and he looked sharper, had more velocity and was more composed than he did in this game. That's not to say he looked horrible, but an inconsistent and tight strike zone by the ump visibly raised St. Clair's emotions on the mound (among others, the ump was barking at both benches early in this game). St. Clair did a good job getting ahead of batters with both his fastball and curveball, but then he got too fine, walked a few batters he started 0-2 with, even if he should have had a few extra punchouts due to the poor strike zone. He lasted three innings on a limited pitch count in his second outing of the year.

 

He still employs the huge leg kick, and there is a little herky-jerkiness to his delivery that creates a fair amount of deception. I don't think it hurts his mechanics at all or raises any future health concerns, but it does make him slow to the plate. He has a good pickoff move though, and he does use a slide-step occasionally if Rice suspects any baserunners to be on the move.

 

Last weekend he had a very sharp outing in extended relief, I believe 5+ innings, his best outing of the year so far. I'm not sure if Rice intends to put him back into a weekend starting role, because I'm still convinced he can thrive as a starter.

 

Bryan Price

Pitched the final four outs of the game, and wasn't as wild as I expected him to be. He has a really nice pitcher's frame, although with somewhat of a max-effort delivery, which is fine if he remains as a short reliever. He has a dominant fastball-slider combo that will give him early-round consideration when it comes to this June's draft. He's somewhat of an unknown sleeper to keep an eye on, as I think he could even slide into the sandwich round given how nasty his stuff looked on this day.

 

I'll be honest, given my cold I wasn't paying attention too much to the other players. Kenn Kasparek looked good to the first batter he faced, but then fell apart. The middle of the Longhorns lineup was fairly quiet on this day, although it's hard not to like Jordan Danks' size, power and speed combo (I'm a little concerned about his ability to hit for average down the road) and Kyle Russell's pure power potential (although his swing is incredibly long).

[GagneCY03]

Gordon Beckham is on an amazing tear. In his last 4 games he's hit 6 HR and is now sporting a line of .519/.578/1.127. He's homering once every 6 at bats. He's equaled his HR total from last year (13) in 38 less games.

 

Is he making a case to be the first college hitter selected?

[Cracked Bat Collector]

I don't know what to really look for too much in players when watching them but I went to 2 ASU games last weekend (vs. Troy and Arizona) and was impressed by Ike Davis. The game vs. Troy he had 2 absolute moonshot home runs that cleared the whole stadium both times and then showed some oppo hitting vs. Arizona when he doubled in the left center gap. Not that he'll be drafted for pitching but he looked pretty impressive on the mound closing the game out vs. Arizona as well on Tuesday.

[fewgoodcards]

ike davis has been an absolute monster this spring. he is having an even better season than brett wallace so far hitting .444/.500/.867 with 14 doubles, 8 homers, 29 runs, 35 RBIs, 12 walks, and only 10 strikeouts in 90 at bats. this draft is so stacked with college sluggers i have no idea where he will go, but he is definitely a good one.

[colbyjack]

Some more observations from the games played last week and through the weekend. I've seen quite a few of these players several times before over the past few years, particularly the Arizona State players.

 

Florida

 

Cole Figueroa: Pesky, good little player. Physically and stance-wise he reminds me a lot of Jon Jay, an OF in the Cardinals system that played for the Miami. Has a similar slap and dash style, although there is some pop in his bat (like Jay). It helps his stock that he's a middle infielder, and while he's playing SS now, he may slide back over to 2B at the pro level. Good tools across the board with good foot speed, quickness and a natural sense of playing the game, but no one tool really stands out and that could ultimately restrict what he's able to do. Draft-eligible sophomore that I can almost guarantee will return for his junior year.

 

Ole Miss

 

Lance Lynn: Big body. Got better as game went on. Good FB command, good looking CB on this night, and the pitch in particular got better as the game progressed. Poor 2nd inning. Got too much of strike zone. Seemed to struggle more from stretch, but did K a couple of batters. Tends to elevate fastball. Despite big inning wasn't hit all that hard, and the times I have seen he has always been harder to hit despite not being completely overpowering. Interesting yet somewhat perplexing pitching prospect.

 

Cody Satterwhite: Rough first inning. Wasn't fooling anyone, some hard contact off both his FB and CB. FB tends to be really straight and has trouble commanding it. Might be better off just raring back and firing in a closer's role. CB isn't a nasty yacker, not a prototypical closer's second best pitch. Started to throw more strikes in the 2nd and 3rd but still got a lot of the plate. I've never been a huge fan of Satterwhite given his lack of command and consistency, but he'll get plenty of chances and has a nice foundation for him to improve upon in pro ball with great fastball velocity, a good, easy delivery and a great, projectable and sturdy athletic frame.

 

Arizona State

 

Ike Davis: Huge presence at 1B. Pitched an inning as well and showed a good FB. Future is as a hitter. Good bat speed and great extension at the plate. Is on a huge hot streak recently, and his power potential is finally starting to show itself. Laced a double to LCF to drive in a pair of runs. Easy swing.

 

Jason Kipnis: Good all around athlete. Smaller and scrappy. Good speed. Has some pop in his bat, gap power. Good tools across the board, but no single one is great. Similar to quite a few ASU OFs in recent years like Tim Smith, Andre Ethier and Travis Buck.

 

Marcel Champagnie: Strong arm. Plays a little wild and doesn't pick the ball as smoothly as you would like to see from a SS. Wiry strong body. Resembles Jimmy Rollins @ SS. Pretty good bat speed at the plate, has some pop.

 

Brett Wallace: Big & thick. Same patient eye. Easy power, the type of guy that is going to get the "professional hitter" label. Body is so soft, as I've brought up before, but it works for him, and he's playing 3B this year (he won't at the pro level).

 

Petey Paramore: Looks really good behind the plate. Good size, sturdy and strong. Extremely patient at the plate, dare I say too patient, as he lacks some aggressiveness letting some pretty good pitches to hit go by. Showed a pretty good throw to 2B to nail a runner. Seems very confident behind the plate, and has improved so much since he first came to ASU.

 

Josh Satow: Short lefty, good breaking stuff, good FB command. Some sink to his heater. Confident player with moxie. Ricardo Rincon lefty specialist down the road.

 

Reyes Dorado: Sturdily built RH reliever. Short-armed delivery and physical stature resembles Chad Cordero, and he has similar stuff with a sinking fastball and nasty, nasty slider. His stuff almost isn't fair, and I'm somewhat surprised I've never really heard of this guy before. Is a legit pro prospect as a set-up man or possibly even a closer.

 

Arizona

 

TJ Steele: Big, square shoulders, large uppercut to his swing. Ripped a 2-run double down left field line. Is going to have a really hard making the transition to pro ball with his swing, and if he isn't able to adjust it quickly he's not going to make it past A-ball.

 

Diallo Fon: Strong build, more muscular than I thought. Have solid tools across the board. Definite pro potential but may not have a true fit anywhere on the field. Hasn't made the most of opportunities, first at Vanderbilt, now at Arizona.

 

Dwight Childs: Skinny, slight build, tiny arms. Shows confidence behind the plate. Ripped a 2-run double in game vs. ASU, but I just don't see him having of an offensive impact at the pro level.

 

CJ Zielger: Huge guy. Strong & sturdy lower half. Great extension on swing but there looks to be a few holes in his swing. Patient eye.

 

Ryan Perry: First batter faced was Brett Wallace (walked him). FB tends to be straight, inconsistent breaking ball. Gets a fair amount of the plate and contact against him was fairly hard and deep to the OF. Good, smooth delivery and a nice, athletic build will give him plenty of opportunities in the eyes of scouts. Similar to Satterwhite in size and stuff.

 

Daniel Schlereth: Nasty, nasty stuff. Comes in to lefties with mid-90s heat, gets them fishing with very sharp breaking CB. Stuff neutralizes RH hitters almost as well, and should allow him to be effective short inning reliever. Could be tried as a starter, but could soar through minors as reliever. Could get big-league hitters out right now. Good command of stuff.

 

Mike Colla: Arizona Starting pitcher. Has decent velocity and good repertoire, but I've never been overly impressed by Colla in the few times that I've seen him. Doesn't have great FB command and breaking pitch is inconsistent.

 

I watched more of Buster Posey over the weekend as well, as he had a huge game on Sunday vs. Virginia Tech has Florida State came back from a huge deficit to sweep the Hokies. Posey continues his usual ways by lacing line drives all over the park while neutralizing the opposing running game. He's a mid-first-rounder for sure, and he could go in the top 10.

 

And yes, Gordon Beckham continues to play like a man among boys. As of right now, I can't really imagine any college hitter not named Alvarez going ahead of him, and with Alvarez' injury and Boras affiliation, you never know...

[TooLiveBrew]

I watched more of Buster Posey over the weekend as well, as he had a huge game on Sunday vs. Virginia Tech has Florida State came back from a huge deficit to sweep the Hokies. Posey continues his usual ways by lacing line drives all over the park while neutralizing the opposing running game. He's a mid-first-rounder for sure, and he could go in the top 10.

 

Would a valuable use of one of the supplemental picks be to trade up to ensure getting Posey?

[colbyjack]

There's no trading of draft picks in baseball.

[Ripper72]

Hi Colby, longtime lurker here with a question. I thought at one point in time there was talk of allowing teams to trade their draft picks. Am I mistaken, or has that gone by the wayside? Thanks Colby!

[TooLiveBrew]

There's no trading of draft picks in baseball

 

Dangit... I'm pretty sure (now) that you've told me this before. Sorry!

 

http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/embarassed.gif

 

Ok, so for 'question you've probably already answered #2', do teams end up swapping actual draftees? Or is that forbidden too? Hmmm... I seem to recall that you can't trade a guy until he's been with your org. for a year... Anyway, I just want the Crew to get Posey. Though I suppose if he sustains his impressive play, he'll wind up top-10 and make this moot anyway.

[colbyjack]

Hi Colby, longtime lurker here with a question. I thought at one point in time there was talk of allowing teams to trade their draft picks. Am I mistaken, or has that gone by the wayside? Thanks Colby!

 

Welcome aboard Ripper. Yes, there was talk not too long ago that included a bunch of changes to the draft that never took place. They did make some changes that were implemented last year (mainly, the universal signing date) that signficantly changed how teams approached the draft, and effectively ended the DFE process.

 

The problem is that not enough people care about the draft or how it works to make big enough changes to get it where some people feel it would be "right." From the free agent compensation process to the worldwide draft (which would be a nightmare to try and implement), these ideas often get forgotten quickly, and we were pretty lucky to see the changes we did a year ago (meaning don't expect any more radical changes anytime soon).

 

Ok, so for 'question you've probably already answered #2', do teams end up swapping actual draftees? Or is that forbidden too? Hmmm... I seem to recall that you can't trade a guy until he's been with your org. for a year... Anyway, I just want the Crew to get Posey. Though I suppose if he sustains his impressive play, he'll wind up top-10 and make this moot anyway.

 

No, teams cannot swap draftees, and you're right, you can't trade a drafted player until they've been signed and in the system for a year (technically you can wait six months to include them as a player to be named later, but that just doesn't happen very often).

 

If Posey goes before the Brewers pick that just means another talented player moves one spot further down. I don't think it's set in stone that Posey goes before #16, since his ceiling is somewhat limited, but a catcher with both offensive and defensive promise is more than likely going to get drafted earlier than when originally projected than later.

[colbyjack]

We've talked at great length about Georgia SS Gordon Beckham, a player that I feel is now a legitimate candidate to be among the top 3-10 picks in the draft, but I just wanted to point out that his teammate Joshua Fields has also continued his hot start, a bounce-back year after he struggled a little bit a year ago after a dominant sophomore year. In that regard, his career path may be very similar to that of Matt LaPorta, who was named the SEC player of the year his sophomore and senior years which sandwiched a disappointing junior campaign. Like LaPorta, Fields is to be represented by Scott Boras, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him taken higher than where people expect and sign quickly for slot money in the $1.5-2M range.

 

Fields' start is a lot like Casey Weathers a year ago, Vanderbilt's star closer that went 8th overall to the Rockies. Weathers had more decisions because he played on an all-around better team, but the two are very similar to size, stature and pure stuff. Fields was throwing 96 in the game against Oregon State early in the season with a dominant breaking pitch that is labeled a curveball but still has some slider action to it. If Weathers went 8th overall last year, right behind LaPorta, there's no reason Fields couldn't go in the same area. If he slides to the 16th pick, I also wouldn't be surprised to see him be the Brewers selection.

 

Here are his numbers, he hasn't given up a single run this year, while allowing only three hits and four walks in just over 10 innings of work:

 

0-0, 0.00 ERA, 11 games (all in relief), 5 saves, 10.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 24K, 4 BB, .086 BAA

 

The 24 Ks in 10.1 innings of work really stands out, as that means of the 31 outs he has recorded, 24 have been via the punchout. That's 77% of his outs, simply an incredible ratio, and while I doubt he continues to be that dominant over the course of the entire year, again, he has re-established himself as a definite first-round pick and one that likely won't see the bottom third of the first round.

[fewgoodcards]

way to jinx him colby. fields gave up a run last night (although it was unearned) and took the loss for georgia.

[colbyjack]

I noticed that Friday night as well. Oh well, he had to give up a run sometime, and his ERA is still at 0.00.

 

South Carolina third baseman James Darnell went off on Kentucky yesterday (Saturday) with a three home run performance. Kentucky starter Scott Green didn't last long (3 innings) in a 13-7 loss to the Gamecocks. Darnell is the odd man out in the Gamecocks lineup due to more notable presences such as Justin Smoak and Reese Havens, but Darnell arguably has the greatest power potential of the trio, and while he may not be a third baseman long-term, he could be a natural fit in RF given his power bat-power arm combo.

[colbyjack]

Some observations from the weekend:

 

Mike Minor-LHP-Vanderbilt

Only a sophomore, and not eligible until the 2009 draft, Minor is a command lefty, although not a finesse lefty because his fastball sits in the 89-91 range, which is where he was at for Saturday's game vs. Arkansas. His best pitch is a changeup, and he also throws a slider. He commands all three pitches so extraordinarily well that he's going to follow in Jeremy Sowers footsteps (another Vandy southpaw) by being draft early for his command more so than his stuff. Minor has a better pitcher's frame that Sowers does, built taller with long limbs and very good athletic proportions. There is some sink to his fastball, and he has a good pickoff move. He pitches like most lefties, working outside to RH batters again and again, testing the ump to see just how far outside he can get strikes called before busting RH batters in. I saw Minor in person last year during my Nashville trip as well as a few times on TV and online, and the more I see this guy, the more I like him.

 

Ryan Flaherty-SS-Vandy

Upright stance, LH hitter. Good, patient eye. Does everything well, but doesn't do anything great. Could be a SS for a team like the Blue Jays, A's, etc., but is going to be at his best probably at second base. He's a little Craig Counsell-esque, although he's built better than Counsell and has more power potential if he starts lofting the ball more consistently, with a line drive approach while taking a ton of pitches. He's a solid but not spectacular player that's a fairly safe bet to make the big-leagues and have a decent career, but his ceiling is limited.

 

Dominic de la Osa-RF-Vandy

Really struggling this year as compared to last year. Not sure if it's due to the absence of Pedro Alvarez, but Flaherty hasn't been struggling, as Flaherty's approach will allow him to succeed regardless of who is hitting in front of or behind him. de la Osa really struggles with breaking balls, but he has good bat speed. I saw him crush a FB a year ago for a towering HR a year ago in Nashville, and overall he put up great numbers, arguably better than Alvarez'. It's hard to get a read on him, as he looks like an infielder but plays the OF. He may just be a guy without a place on the field.

 

Lorgan Forsythe-3B-Arkansas

Similar to Flaherty in that he doesn't do anything great, but he's a fair bet to have a good career despite a limited ceiling. He's Jeff Cirillo-esque in his batting stance and overall potential, with a line drive approach and a patient eye. Has missed some time this year due to leg and groin injuries, but was one of the better hitters for Team USA a year ago. Shorter but well put together. Good plate coverage, and overall is a smart, heady player that is going to beat himself at the plate, in the field or on the basepaths.

 

Cliff Springston-LHP-Arkansas

Slow, deliberate delivery. Slower arm speed. Sat in the 88-89 range and touched 90 a few times. His curveball is a nice looking pitch and is a good complement to his FB in the mid-70s with a good break. He doesn't have the command of Minor, missing down and in the dirt a lot (which is a good place to miss), although few have Minor's overall command. Low-three-quarters delivery similar to Chris Capuano's and a good pickoff move as well. Doesn't have Cappy's arm speed however. He was a pleasant surprise on this day, and could be a top 10-15 round pick.

 

Aaron Murphee-1B-Arkansas

Went into the weekend tied with Gordon Beckham for the most home runs in the nation (13). A big, hulking young man with very good proportions and strong upper legs, giving him a very good base. A very good athlete for his size. Is a senior, and is putting up the best numbers of his career by far, so it's hard to get a read if he's playing a bit above himself so far this year. He has obvious power potential and good enough bat speed. A rare RH hitting, LH hitting 1B/OF.

 

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

 

Austin Wood-LHP-Texas

Wood is more of a crafty lefty as oppposed to Mike Minor, with a deceptive, low-three-quarters delivery, decent command of his fastball and a sweeping breaking pitch. He hits his spots fairly well, and overall pitched very well on this day. Wood is a little more well known than Springston of Arkansas, but I like Springston's pro potential better.

 

Thad Weber-RHP-Nebraska

Weber pitched a great game for the Huskers, giving up only two hits, one of which was to the first batter in the game. He has a good, slow breaking ball and commands his fastball well (I'm guessing in the 86-88 range), but really doesn't have a repertoire that's going to allow him to succeed at a high level at the next level. He should carve up the lower levels, as he's doing now.

 

Brandon Belt-1B-Texas

LH hitter that uses a crouched stance. Belt is putting up big numbers this year, but the two times I've seen him I haven't had as good of a look as I'd like to. Hits more to contact and drives the balls to the gaps than he tries to hit for power. For a guy that was a better pitching prospect coming out of HS, it's hard to really know what to think about this young man.

 

Jordan Danks-CF-Texas

Another hard player to get a true read on. At times I really like Danks for his size, athleticism, power potential and speed, but I really really question whether he's ever going to hit for a high enough average. The same questions lingered around Drew Stubbs a couple of years ago coming out of college.

 

Kyle Russell-RF-Texas

Russell is really pressing at the plate after having a huge year a season ago. He has been dropped down in the Longhorns order, and is having difficulty with his incredibly huge, long uppercut swing as well as his pitch recognition. He has a tall and angular frame and is skinnier than what you would expect from a guy that hit 28 dingers a year ago. His swing is going to have to be toned down for him to enjoy success as a pro, but his upside is similar to Adam Dunn's.

 

Preston Clark-C-Texas

Clark is going to have to be a stud defensively because I think he's going to have a hard time hitting with a wood bat as a pro. He doesn't have much bat speed, or foot speed for that matter, but he does do a good job behind the plate framing pitches, blocking balls and throwing out runners. Texas has some recent history graduating catchers to the next level, but again, I don't see Clark hitting all that much.

[colbyjack]

One more observation from the weekend games (I noticed there are even more games this week on TV, particularly tomorrow night):

 

Jorge Reyes

Oregon State hosted Washington over the weekend, with the Sunday game being televised nationally. I missed Reyes earlier this year, although I saw him a few times in the CWS a year ago. I continue to be impressed with his fastball, both the command and the velocity (there wasn't a radar gun reading displayed, but you could tell he was bringing it). He lasted only 4.2 innings, and walked more guys than he should have, but I still liked how he threw off of his fastball. His approach is one that usually leads to success at the pro level, and his heater also has a little dip to it. He's a sinker-slider type of pitcher, with a slider that looked absolutely nasty at times. He started off the season rather slow, but looked good to me in this contest. He's only a sophomore, so he's not draft-eligible until 2009.

 

I thought I'd share some numbers of the big three college pitchers for comparison sake:

 

Brian Matusz: 5-1, 1.81 ERA, 7 games (6 starts), 2 CG, 44.2 IP, 33 H, 63 K, 12 BB

Aaron Crow: 6-0, 0.84 ERA, 6 games (6 starts), 2 CG, 43 IP, 28 H, 60 K, 11 BB

Tanner Scheppers: 4-2, 2.22 ERA, 7 games (all starts), 0 CG, 44.2 IP, 37 H, 64 K, 15 BB

 

It's interesting how their peripheral numbers are all so close to one another. Crow is putting up player of the year type numbers given his record and miniscule ERA, and according to reports all three are throwing very hard this spring.

 

I've read a few places that have suggested Crow will be represented by Scott Boras. I haven't seen or heard this confirmed, so if anyone has a link or anything else to provide that supports this, I would appreciate this (in today's chat, someone mentioned that Danny Espinosa, SS of LBSU, is also going to be represented by Boras).

 

In that chat, it was also suggested that Christian Friedrich could be a top-10 pick. He gets a little overlooked by fans I think because he pitches for Eastern Kentucky, but he's been pretty unhittable so far this spring, despite too many walks:

 

2-1, 2.15 ERA, 6 games (all starts), 37.2 IP, 18 H, 54 K, 17 BB

 

Speaking of unhittable, Tulane's Shooter Hunt is about as hard to get a base hit off as there is out there:

 

5-0, 0.95 ERA, 6 games (all starts), 38 IP, 12 H, 52 K, 21 BB

 

Like Friedrich, Hunt walks too many batters, but it's hard to argue with his results so far.

 

I should also point out that Aaron Fitt guessed that Buster Posey would be a good fit for the Nationals with the 9th overall pick. He continues to swing a very hot bat, as he is now hitting .444/.548/.788 with a 22 to 7 BB to K ratio. His 7 homers so far this year match the toal from his freshman and sophomore years, and the errors have slowed as he's been at five for a few weeks now and he's throwing out 41% of opposing baserunners.

 

Gordon Beckham update: .454/.524/.963 in 108 AB, 8 2B, 1 3B, 15 HR, 104 total bases, 12:9 BB:K, 8 for 9 in SB attempts, 2 errors.

[fewgoodcards]

i saw in that chat that they called friedrich polished. why do people continue to call him polished when he walks so many hitters? if he is walking that many in the OVC, just wait until he gets to pro ball. he showed last year on the cape that he is a walk machine, and his walk rate has actually gotten worse every year he has been in college.

[colbyjack]

I agree that Friedrich's walk trend is somewhat alarming, but he is a polished pitcher despite the walks. Similar to my mention just above of Jorge Reyes, who showed very good command of his fastball despite walking a few batters more than what he should have (which also limited the length of his outing), Friedrich's overall arsenal is very polished, and as noted so many other places he has one of the best curveballs in the nation. My biggest problem with him, from the few outings I have seen of his, is that he falls a little too much in love with his curve, not unlike Tim Murphy. I think that can lead to the deeper counts and the higher walk, and strikeout, totals. When he learns to pitch to contact more, since he has always been incredibly tough to hit, the walks will go down.

 

But I think he will probably always walk more than what is considered average, or even acceptable. For an unfair comparison, Barry Zito has always enjoyed a lot of success despite walking more batters than he should, largely because he pitches around the zone and is very stubborn giving into opposing batters. I was a little surprised to see someone mention that they heard Friedrich could even be a candidate to go among the top 3-5 overall picks, because I don't think he's that good given the rest of the talent on the board, and it's hard to determine how much of his success has come pitching against what is considered inferior competition.

[colbyjack]

A few observations from a pair of games, one played this past Saturday (Virginia/Virginia Tech) and one played this evening (Rice/Texas).

 

Pat McAnaney-LHP-Virginia

McAnaney was drafted by the Pirates (I think) a year ago, and is a senior this year. He has put together a very good season, and overall he has had a nice college career. He definitely has improved his draft stock so far this year, and had one of his best starts Saturday vs. in-state rival Virginia Tech. He threw a complete game and struck out 13. He doesn't have overpowering stuff, but he commands his fastball, curveball and changeup well. He started the first inning throwing mostly fastballs, ending the inning by striking the final batter out with a very nice looking changeup. The second inning he was mostly curveballs, several of which were unhittable. He knows how to change speeds with all of his pitches, and his curveball command in particular was impressive given how he's able to drop it in for a called strike or how to bury it in the dirt for a swinging strike. Not a high ceiling guy at all, as I'm guessing he tops out around 88-89 and probably pitches more in the 85-87 range. He has somewhat of an odd delivery, landing rather upright despite employing a low 3/4 arm slot.

 

David Adams-2B-Virginia

Adams is a favorite around these parts, and I've profiled him plenty of times before. He's a natural hitter, and is put together like a big-leaguer physically. He muscled a fastball through the hole on the right side of the infield, drove an inside fastball deep to LF for a sac fly in the 2nd, and drove another fastball deep to RF in the 4th, just missing the warning track. He has great bat speed and a very good approach, and I wouldn't be surprised if people are talking 2-3 years from now wondering how the heck David Adams last to the sandwich or second round in this year's draft.

 

Mike Ojala-RHP-Rice

A sophomore, so I won't spend much time on Ojala, but I really liked the way he pitched, even if he gave up 3 ER in 3+ innings of work. He has very good fastball velocity and command and a pretty nice curveball. He caught a little more of the zone at times and got hit hard, and also didn't have the greatest D' behind him.

 

Brandon Workman-RHP-Texas

I think Workman was a 2nd rounder a year ago out of HS, and he had a nice start. He's a power pitcher with a sturdy build and a delivery that is a tad long for my liking, but that also creates a fair amount of deception. Hitters had a hard time timing Workman, and his fastball looked to be in the low-90s. He also had a very sharp curveball, although he seemed to run out of gas in the third. While Texas tends to ease in their youngsters, Workman has been playing a prominent role for the Longhorns, pitching out of the bullpen on weekends while making the occasional week-day start.

 

Rick Hague-SS-Rice

I've seen a couple of Rice games so far this year, and Hague has impressed me in each and every one. I don't hold it against the Brewers for not signing Hague, who was taken in the 40s round-wise. He's a very athletic player, somewhat aggressive at the plate, but he has good bat speed and can crush mistakes. He drove a RBI double to the RCF gap in the 3rd vs. Workman, and has a nice presence defensively. There were quite a few underclassmen in this game that impressed me. Third baseman Diego Seastrunk is another Rice sophomore that will help make Rice a team to contend with next year, again, with a good approach and very good bat speed, while Texas RHP Chance Ruffin, the son of former Brewer Bruce Ruffin, was throwing heat with a pretty sharp curve out of the Longhorns 'pen. Texas 1B Brandon Belt, who I have covered a couple of times in this thread, has a great approach at the plate, and despite his large built the crouched stance he employs helps him drive balls from gap-to-gap. Freshman LHP Matt Evers came in relief of Ojala and struck out something like 10 batters in 3+ innings. He showed a very aggressive approach, partciularly for a lefty, with a power fastball-curveball combo (one reading of his fastball was at 91), although he doesn't have the most picture-perfect body with a soft lower half. I look forward to seeing more of Evers in the years to come.

 

To condense a few other thoughts, the more prominent, draft-eligible Longhorns batters continue to disappoint. Jordan Danks has too big of a swing despite his impressive overall athletic presence, as does Kyle Russell, although Russell had a few nice looking ABs in this contest and I wouldn't be surprised to see him go on a tear to finish out the season. Russell does have pretty good speed and a very strong arm, making him much more than a one-dimensional player.

 

Aaron Luna-LF-Rice

I just have a feeling Luna is going to be one of those guys whose tools translate perfectly to professional baseball. He's somewhat of a man without a position in that his defense isn't good enough for second, his arm and speed aren't good enough for center, and his power is marginal for left field. However, he's probably going to hit. With a strong and stocky build, he has some speed and he's a tough, hard-nosed player with an overall good approach to the game. Luna needs a good agent, as apparently he's been waiting for some specialty contacts that help him see considerably better for 3-4 weeks now.

[colbyjack]

Aaron Crow continues to dominate this year, extending his scoreless inning streak to 42.2 while throwing his second complete game shutout in three weeks (last week he pitched 8 innings). Those shutouts have come against Big 12 competition, Baylor, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, three teams that all know how to put some runs on the board in a hurry. What is most impressive about this streak is that Crow has been very efficient, throwing 109 pitches in his CG effort vs. Baylor two weeks ago and 106 vs. Oklahoma State last night. Here's his line last night:

 

9 IP, 8 H, 0 R, 7 K, 0 BB

 

Here's his line for the season, as he and Georgia SS Gordon Beckham are the frontrunners for the Golden Spikes award:

 

7-0, 0.69 ERA, 7 games (all starts), 3 complete games, 52 IP, 36 H, 67 K, 11 BB

 

Crow entered the spring as a candidate to go first overall after carving up the Cape last summer, and he hasn't slowed down one bit. I have heard unconfirmed rumors that he may be advised by Scott Boras, which could cloud his signability, but this guy's value couldn't be higher with the confirmed reports of his velocity being right where is was last summer (93-95).