College Baseball 2013

[Rocky55]

Weekend Roundups from PG:

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8048

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8050

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8053

This last one mentions Tribe 2011 24th Round Draftee Taylor Sparks, one of a trio of high upside California HSers drafted in consecutive rounds. Someone to watch. Plus, the gratuitous Skye Bolt reference. The 2nd one mentions 2012 26th Round Draftee Justin Garza.

College season now in full swing. Will try to keep updated on any nationally televised games. It's a bigger deal here in the Southeast so we get lots of local telecasts.

[homerawayfromhome]

Thanks for this, I had my head buried in books and didnt even realize college baseball started back.

I hated missing out on Sparks and Garza. Garza is now up to 96 mph with his FB and dicing up hitters.

Potential top 10 pk Mark Appel struggled a bit, but hit 97, could he hit triple digits as it / he warms up?

[Rocky55]

Second weekend.

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8077

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8078

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8079

Sparks & Garza mentioned again, along with one of my old faves, Buck Farmer of GTech. The Gators have been dropping like a Led Zepplin. Not just Whitson's injury, just all around crappy play.

Forgot to mention, '10 Tribe draftee Bobby Wahl is now 2-0 with a 0.79 ERA. He has 12 K's in 11.1 IP but also 9 Walks.

[Rocky55]

Weekend #3:

http://www.perfectgame.org/articles/Vie ... ticle=8108

http://www.perfectgame.org/articles/Vie ... ticle=8109

http://www.perfectgame.org/articles/Vie ... ticle=8113

http://www.perfectgame.org/articles/Vie ... ticle=8114

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGpyFBEG8XI

The last is a vid of Justin Garza. There was a mention of '10 Tribe draftee Ben Lively of UCF. Couple of monster pitching performances, notably one by Appel. If he does that consistently, he might go 1.1.

[Rocky55]

Weekend #4:

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8138

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8141

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8143

Don't know why N. Carolina would ride Kent Emmanuel so hard.Complete game/131pitches seems extreme this early in the season.

OB's boy Jonathan Gray gave up 5 singles with 6 k's in 7 IP(shutout) in the game vs UCLA that was linked in the Draft thread.

Anyone noticed Vandy's pitching? Ziomek & Beede pitching lights out. Think the Jays & Az are regretting not signing them?

[daingean]

Weekend #4:

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8138

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8141

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8143

Don't know why N. Carolina would ride Kent Emmanuel so hard.Complete game/131pitches seems extreme this early in the season.

OB's boy Jonathan Gray gave up 5 singles with 6 k's in 7 IP(shutout) in the game vs UCLA that was linked in the Draft thread.

Anyone noticed Vandy's pitching? Ziomek & Beede pitching lights out. Think the Jays & Az are regretting not signing them?

Not that I agree with letting Kent go 131 pitches but he only faced 3 batters all game with runners in scoring position and 2 of those were in the 9th where he struck out the last 2. Not all pitches are equal as if he was cruising then maybe 110 or so pitches were easy pitches.

I'm not a fan of the small pitch counts the Indians use when developing pitchers. Most starters in college and HS go further into games but pitch fewer games a week (like once a week). I would think the radical change in going every 5th day with shorter stints is like reprogramming the muscles which would make pitchers more susceptible to injuries because of the reprogramming. Plus if guys went further in the minors, they'd go further in games when the make it to the Show.

[Rocky55]

Meant to mention, re UCLA, Tribe '11 (25th round) draftee Kevin Kramer is kicking butt for the Bruins. Starting all 15 games he's hitting .333 with a .959 OPS.

[Rocky55]

Weekend #5:

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8163

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8167

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8168

Manaea looked good against Windle but he isn't throwing as hard as last year. He says he doesn't like pitching in cold weather. He's from Indiana . Justin Garza walked a guy and gave up a run, four hits & nine K's in 8IP. Another short former Tribe draftee, Dillon Peters, gave up a run on five hits with seven k"s in 8 1/3 IP. Jonathan Gray: CG shutout, five hits, no walks, 12 K's. Okay, it was against "Northwestern State" but still...My boy Skye Bolt continues to play like the Skye Bolt we've known about in GA for four years. He just does everything well.

Speaking of freshmen, I saw two games over the weekend. Rhett Wiseman of Vandy is going to be good. Impressive AB's as a LH batter against some good LHP's. Really strong bat and a decent OF. Didn't get picked until the 25th round in last year's Draft so he either fell through the cracks(doubtful) or the Vandy magic was at work.

First time I saw Tyler Beede pitch. Perfect pitcher's frame/size, throws downhill, located low, FB with boring action, good breaking ball, has all the makings of a strong MOR SP in MLB.

Austin Cousino, Kentucky Sophomore, is about Kipnis' size and plays like Kip too. He went 3-5 with a 2B, Hr, 4 RBI against the Gators. For a skinny guy to yank a ball that far out of the park was pretty impressive. He's listed 5'10" & 180, but he's got the wheels and instincts to stay in CF.

Jonathan Crawford sailed through 5IP & blew up in the 6th. It's like I remember from last year, when he loses it, it's gone.

[Rocky55]

Weekend #6:

http://www.perfectgame.org/articles/Vie ... ticle=8206

http://www.perfectgame.org/articles/Vie ... ticle=8207

http://www.perfectgame.org/articles/Vie ... ticle=8215

I saw Stanek pitch on Sat. The line looks good to read: 9 IP, 3 hits, 2 runs(0 earned), 1 BB 7 K. He's not throwing as hard as he was sitting @ 92 & touching 95. The slider didn't seem to have the depth from last year. He had this strange kind of thing with his elbow that is hard to describe, kind of like he was trying to throw a screwball or something. You'd have to see it but I didn't notice it last year. He still locates the slider really well & the FB still has some life but he doesn't seem as impressive to me. Don't know if he's been injured or what.

I know that Gray has passed him & from what I read/hear Chris Anderson of Jacksonville might have also. Anderson's a big kid with a good arm who throws downhill & can spin it. He's facing lesser competition but his stats are ridiculous: 47 IP, 31 hits, 8(!) walks, 60 K's. Five is probably too early to take him but he's someone to watch.

[Rocky55]

Sorry I'm late, weekend #7:

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8236

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8238

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8240

Anyone notice how much run support Gray gets from the Oklahoma offense? I was wondering where all of the offense is coming from; they have a 1B DH named Matt Oberste who is batting a mere .460 with 10 doubles, 8HR, with a 1.340 OPS. One of the few draft eligible, standout bats in college.

Next year's draft class should have some good pitching past Rodon in Tyler Beede and Aaron Nola of LSU. The Saturday roundup has a mention of former Tribe draftee Kevin Kramer, who had a nice game for UCLA.

Edit to add: Saw Mike Papi of Virginia play the other day, was really impressed. Early pick for one of the top college bats of the '14 Draft.

[Rocky55]

Weekend #8:

http://www.perfectgame.org/articles/Vie ... ticle=8262

http://www.perfectgame.org/articles/Vie ... ticle=8267

http://www.perfectgame.org/articles/Vie ... ticle=8243

Saw a good matchup of Dillons, Overton vs former Tribe draftee Peters. Ended up 1-0 Texas. Overton gave up the run on 5 hits. Peters gave up 2 hits but was helped out by stellar defense, including his own. Overton threw an 8 inning CG. Peters left after 7.2 IP, then gave way to the best pitcher on the field that day, Corey Knebel. Damn is he impressive. Threw 1.1 innings of perfect ball & looked like a man among boys. Had 2 K's. FB @ 95 with movement & a dynamite slider. Read somewhere that he started some last year but he's a dominant reliever & I'd bet he's a RP as a pro.

Skye Bolt has company. Alex Bregman, freshman SS at LSU, is kicking ass. Batting line: .439 BA/.478 OBP/.662 SLG/ 10 doubles, 6 triples, 3 HR.

[OhioBaseball]

Regarding the 2014 class, I'll throw Trea Turner of NC State in the mix for top prospects to go along with Rodon and Beade. He's a real interesting prospect that lacked power in high school, but is a very polished hitter. I think he's got sneaky upside.

[Rocky55]

Weekend #9:

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8287

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8288

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8292

Saw two games of an interesting series between GTech & Virginia. Pitching was good with qualifiers namely Buck Farmer giving up only one run but ten hits. Scott Silverstein of Virginia looked really good against some good Tech hitters but I don't know if you'd consider a fith yr Senior with two shoulder operations a viable prospect. Tech guys Palka & Zane Evans stood out. Evans is a guy I could approve drafting. Good defensive catcher with a good arm & a talented hitter with good power. Inre Palka, IMO Palka=Mark Reynolds. Absolutely huge power but I have some concerns. I might be wrong as his OBP is in the high .400's but he seems like the kind of guy who's going to have more trouble the higher the level of pitching. Again, just an opinion but Evans seems like Zunino-lite. Don't know where he's rated but definitely worth a look at #79.

Virginia's going to be tough in the NCAA's because of a couple of good SP's & tons of nice relievers. The emergence of Mike Papi & the return of Derek Fisher hitting behnd some guys that can get on base is a winning formula.

Already said this in the draft thread but I saw Hunter Renfroe again & now consider him the #1 college bat. Actually, I should say "position player" because the potent bat goes sith fielding, arm, good speed & base-running. Don't be surprised when he's mentioned in the top five by draft day.

[OhioBaseball]

Austin Wilson is back with Stanford. It should be interesting to see how he does down the stretch b/c it may be the most important 5 weeks of his amateur career in terms of $$ on the line.

I'm holding out hope that the Indians can get Clint Frazier at #5. I brought it up last summer, but scouts are going to look at his body frame (he's smallish) and it'll turn some people off. On top of that, he's been in peak physical condition so not much physical projection to him, but I don't think it's an issue. These concerns could could give the Indians an opportunity to get a really nice place. As long as he's clean (he just seems so exceptionally strong for someone his age), he'd be a great take at #5.

I've seen talk about Kohl Stewart. I think he's got nice upside in that he's got a very good arm, is a good athlete and has a good arm action, but I think he's a reach at #5. For HS pitchers to go that high, they've really, really got to show you something. I don't think he stacks up with recent top HS arms. They are all bigger and physically project better (Archie Bradley, Lucas Giolito, Jameson Taillon) or had a lot better command (Dylan Bundy). Kohl Stewart doesn't have the size or projection of the top guys, nor does he have the command at this stage of the game. When considering that and the inherent high risk nature of HS arms, I'm not taking Stewart in the top 5 -- I'd maybe consider him around 8th to 10th and that'd mainly be a function of a lack of other attractive talent. In most drafts we seem to condition ourselves to believe there's that high upside, future ace kind of talent that is a prep arm and this year, the closest to that is Stewart (right now) but that's more of a function of a lack of top HS arms this year, in my opinion. Frankly, I haven't seen Trey Ball (HS LHP in Indiana) this spring, but he's got very appealing upside, too, though it takes a little more imagination with him. It's just not a good year for top HS pitching.

If I'm the Indians scouting director, I've given up hope on Jonathan Gray b/c the story is out on him and he's off the board very likely with the 1st pick. Appel will likely got shortly thereafter, but the guy I'm sweating out to hope he lasts until #5 is Clint Frazier (if he passes a PED test). Frazier is a baller and will move quickly through the minor leagues. I think he's a CF and pairing him with Lindor up the middle is very attractive.

[OhioBaseball]

Just following up on Kohl Stewart, I think he's a very fine HS prospect. His arm works very, very well, but I hate this football scholarship stuff. If Stewart signs to play baseball, all that should matter is how good of a BASEBALL prospect he is. Whatever team that eventually signs Stewart gets absolutely no value from Stewart's prowess as a QB (he doesn't even rate that exceptionally high on football recruiting lists for that matter), so any dollar spent above what Stewart is worth as a baseball player to lure him away from football is an inefficient use of capital, PERIOD. There's even more constraints on investing in the baseball draft today than there was a few years ago, so cutting Stewart a big check takes away from what teams are allowed to spend on other talents in a direct manner.

It's Stewart's prerogative to ask for more money b/c he's got this apparent leverage and I'm fine with his right to ask for more money b/c it's a free market, but I wouldn't put up with that if I were a GM/Scouting Director. If he wants an extra million than what I perceive him to be as a baseball prospect b/c of his football scholarship then I'm walking away from him. There's a lot of fish in the sea and I don't need to burn a million on hollow value.

[Rocky55]

Weekend #10:

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8312

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8315

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8325

Saw Kubitza again this Sat. 7IP & 10 K's & barely touched 90 with the FB. He can really spin it & can command it when he does. Very deceptive, hitters seem to have a hard time catching up to his "heat". Like this kid.

Aaron Nola is up to 7-0 with a 0.835 WHIP, with a line of 71 IP, 48 H, 12 BB, 82 K's. Really.

Remember Michael Roth, Tribe draft pic in '11? His slightly shorter clone, Nolan Belcher, is pitching for the Cocks this year. You watch him & wonder how he gets people out. South Carolina senior 1B, L.B. Dantzler, would be an interesting senior sign-type pick. Very good bat with good power. He's hit every game I've seen him.

There's a good write up on Jonathan Gray in that last link. Tribe will have to look elsewhere, he's gone before #5.

If anyone is interested, PG has a college chat @ 2pm Central every Monday. You don't have to have a sub to post a question & posting is usually enabled around noon Central. It's usually pretty boring because everyone asks about the same teams but Kendall Rogers knows his stuff & will answer anything.

[Rocky55]

Very late Week #11:

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8337

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8338

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8341

Sorry, very hectic week. I saw a couple of college games(Thank You DVR). Kentucky/Mississippi was the most interesting. Corey Littrel pitched for UK. He's a good sized lefty with a nice low 90's FB, a decent slider & a really good change. Sat around 91 with the FB most of the game & can really locate it. The change had RH batters waving. In this game I also got to see my new mancrush, Ole Miss catcher Stuart Turner. The offense was an RBI single. The defense was throwing out a runner at 2B, gobbling up bounced pitches from an array of inept Ole Miss pitchers, including one that hit 2 feet in front of the plate, which bounced sideways, with the runner going. He jumped on it & fired a seed to second, right on the bag, & missed throwing out the runner by a whisker. The kid should be named Molina. Here's a little something about Mr. Turner:

http://www.olemisssports.com/sports/m-b ... 13aab.html

Grant, I'm warning you, if we don't draft this kid...

[Rocky55]

Weekend # 12:

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8379

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8380

http://www.perfectgame.org/articles/Vie ... ticle=8382

Good pitching this weekend. Saw two Vandy games & with Ziomek & Beede they're going to be tough in the post-season. Ziomek sat around 91 bout located very well & everything was moving. Not my fave pro spec but who knows? Command can get a lot of mileage. Beede is the prototype. Should be easy MOR in MLB, my guess is a strong #2 starter. Justin Garza & Thomas Eshelman at Fullerton are another tough duo who could carry their team in the post season. Former Tribe draftee Garza is now 10-0. Another Tribe draftee, Taylor Sparks is leading UC Irvine's offense in most categories, unfortunately including K's.

Saw two really fun to watch relievers, closers Jonathan Holder of Miss State, & Colby Suggs of Arkansas. Suggs is a thick, strong 6' & 220 with hard FB & nice offspeed stuff. When you watch him you get the impression he could be stretched out to start, at least I did. Holder has the best college curveball I've ever seen, a 12-6 with at least a 2' break. He has 64 K's in 35.2 IP, with only 19 hits & 8 BB. He's 6'2', 229 sophomore who should be nice spec for '14.

Forgot to mention, former Tribe draftee Ben Lively of UCF(Go Knights) pitched a nice one Fri. against the FSU Criminoles.

His line: 6IP, 7 hits, 2 ER, 4 BB, 7 K's. Left the game down 2-0. Nice performance against a top ranked (#8) team.

[Rocky55]

Weekend #13:

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8414

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8417

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8425

Didn't see any games this weekend. Was attending the funeral of the founding Tribe fan in my family. Don't be surprised about a turn in the Tribe's luck from now on. The guy's pretty persuasive.

[homerawayfromhome]

Rocky,

Sorry for your loss.

While I don't believe in luck, I do believe in God. I hope he / she puts in a good word.

[Rocky55]

Rocky,

Sorry for your loss.

While I don't believe in luck, I do believe in God. I hope he / she puts in a good word.

Thanks home. My Dad saw lots of historic Tribe games, including the debuts of Larry Doby & Satchel Paige. He was a big fan of Rosen, Keltner, Lemon, Score, & of course, Rocky. Huge fan of Mudcat Grant. Liked to say that he had met Sandy Alomar Sr. & Sandy Jr. He was sure we were going to win in '95. Was complaining to me earlier this year about Glavine's "expanded" strike zone & just like a number of Tribe fans wanted to see the Tribe win just one more WS.

[homerawayfromhome]

Rocky,

Sorry for your loss.

While I don't believe in luck, I do believe in God. I hope he / she puts in a good word.

Thanks home. My Dad saw lots of historic Tribe games, including the debuts of Larry Doby & Satchel Paige. He was a big fan of Rosen, Keltner, Lemon, Score, & of course, Rocky. Huge fan of Mudcat Grant. Liked to say that he had met Sandy Alomar Sr. & Sandy Jr. He was sure we were going to win in '95. Was complaining to me earlier this year about Glavine's "expanded" strike zone & just like a number of Tribe fans wanted to see the Tribe win just one more WS.

Thanks for sharing your memories.

[Rocky55]

North Carolina/FSU on ESPNU @ 6:30 PM. Don't know who's pitching but good chance to check out Moran & my boy Skye Bolt.

[Rocky55]

Weekend #14:


http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8447

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8451

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=8452

Saw Notre Dame play over the weekend. Jagielo hit a HR. Bad news, he's not a 3B. He might stick in LF although I didn't see him play it. His arm looks okay. Good news, the bat is nice. Really good contact for what seemed, IMO, to be a pretty violent swing. He can commit some violence on the ball too, as the HR I saw was a rocket. Pulled in his hands on an inside FB & just crushed it. OBP is exactly .500 as of today. PG made a Thome comp earlier in the year & I didn't see it but starting to agree. Was surprised to see Cavan Biggio's big brother play, forgot he went to ND.

Anyone else see the NC/FSU game? My boy Skye Bolt looked really good although the coach claimed he was only up to "90%". That 1st to 3rd action didn't look like any injured guy. Same great overall game he's always played, run hit & throw, although the cannon he unleashed to 3B was a bit off line. One more thing. Pass on Moran. Really. Pass.

Big QB recruit Jameis Winston pitched & played RF for the Criminoles. Raw talent, had trouble making contact on off speed stuff. On the mound he looked really good. Hit 95 a couple of times but sat much lower. Seemed to relax & throw better the longer he pitched. Spun some nice sliders too. I'd imagine that unless he bombs at footbal he won't be playing baseball past college but there's a lot of raw baseball talent there.

[OhioBaseball]

Hey Rocky,

Thanks a lot for these recaps. I missed the FSU/UNC game last night. I'd argue that Skye Bolt is my boy (!!), but I remember you mentioning him last year so you've got dibs. He's really a great prospect and I see some significant physical projection there. I'd be very supportive of taking him 3rd overall (if not higher) in this draft. Bolt just does so many things so well, and his agility is excellent.

This Winston guy from Florida State sounds really interesting. I'll try to catch a recap of this one -- thanks for the heads up.

My condolences to you and your family about your loss.

[Rocky55]

Hey Rocky,

Thanks a lot for these recaps. I missed the FSU/UNC game last night. I'd argue that Skye Bolt is my boy (!!), but I remember you mentioning him last year so you've got dibs. He's really a great prospect and I see some significant physical projection there. I'd be very supportive of taking him 3rd overall (if not higher) in this draft. Bolt just does so many things so well, and his agility is excellent.

This Winston guy from Florida State sounds really interesting. I'll try to catch a recap of this one -- thanks for the heads up.

My condolences to you and your family about your loss.

Thanks for the thought OB.

Lou Costello said to Bud Abbot in Buck Privates, referring to Uncle Sam: "He's my Uncle, he's your Uncle, he's everybody's Uncle in the Army."

That's Skye Bolt. He's my boy, he's your boy, he's everybody's boy. All you have to be is a baseball fan.