tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50085530920086869132024-03-13T10:53:54.383-04:00LongenhagenLongenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.comBlogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-27279837566939737412016-02-25T19:25:00.002-05:002016-02-25T19:26:58.588-05:00Week 2 College Baseball Prospects on TV or Streaming<div class="MsoNormal">
The following college baseball teams and their notable prospects can be seen on ESPN’s online family of networks this weekend. Check WatchESPN for times. Florida/Miami will have two games simulcast in Spanish on Saturday and Sunday, which is freaking dope.</div>
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 507px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 116pt;" width="155"></col><col span="3" style="width: 48pt;" width="64"></col><col style="width: 120pt;" width="160"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt; width: 116pt;" width="155"><b>Southern</b></td><td style="width: 48pt;" width="64"></td><td style="width: 48pt;" width="64"></td><td style="width: 48pt;" width="64"></td><td class="xl65" style="width: 120pt;" width="160"><b>Auburn</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Jose De La Torre, C</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Keegan Thompson,RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td>Anfernee Grier, OF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>Penn State</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>South Carolina</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Jim Haley, SS<br />
Willie Burger (Fr.) INF</td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>South Alabama</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>Georgia</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Kevin Hill, RHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Robert Tyler, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Cole Billingsley, OF</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Stephen Wrenn, OF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>Illinois-Chicago</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>Vanderbilt</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Mickey McDonald, 3B</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Jordan Sheffield, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Cody Bohanek, SS</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Hayden Stone, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Ben Bowden, LHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>John Kilichowski, LHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Will Toffey, CIF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Bryan Reynolds, OF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>Louisville</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>Ole Miss</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Corey Ray, OF</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>J.B. Woodman, OF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Kyle Funkhouser, RHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Errol Robinson, SS</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Zack Burdi, RHP<br />
Drew Harrington, LHP<br />
Blake Tiberi, 3B<br />
Nick Solak, INF</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Chad Smith, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td class="xl65"><br /></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>UMass Lowell</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>Mississippi St</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><br /></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Zach Houston, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><br /></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Dakota Hudson, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><br /></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><br /></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td class="xl65"><br /></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>Florida</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>Miami</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Logan Shore, RHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Bryan Garcia, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Dan Dunning, RHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Willie Abreu, 1B</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Shaun Anderson, RHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Jacob Heyward, OF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">A.J. Puk, LHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Zack Collins, C</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Scott Moss, LHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Danny Garcia, LHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Buddy Reed, OF </td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><br /></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Peter Alonso, CIF<br />
<br /></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td><br /></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>Stanford</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>Texas</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Tommy Edman, 2B</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Morgan Cooper, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Jackson Klein, OF</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Bret Boswell, MIF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Chris Viall, RHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Josh Sawyer, LHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Brett Hanewich, RHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Tres Barrera, C</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>Sacramento State</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>LSU</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Sam Long, LHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Jared Poche, LHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Gunnar Poleman, C</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Riley Smith, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><br /></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Jake Fraley, OF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Alex Lange ('17), RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>North Dakota</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>Alabama</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Zack Muckenhirn, LHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Kevin Hill, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><br /></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td><br /></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td><br /></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td><br /></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-80669423554813791122016-02-17T13:22:00.000-05:002016-02-17T13:46:33.364-05:00Week 1 College Baseball Prospects on TV or Streaming<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The following college baseball teams and their notable prospects can
be seen on ESPN’s online family of networks this weekend. Check WatchESPN for
times. UVA/Coastal and SHst/LA-Lafayette are only broadcast on Sunday,
according to the current schedule. </div>
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 507px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 116pt;" width="155"></col><col span="3" style="width: 48pt;" width="64"></col><col style="width: 120pt;" width="160"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt; width: 116pt;" width="155"><b>Central Michigan</b></td><td style="width: 48pt;" width="64"></td><td style="width: 48pt;" width="64"></td><td style="width: 48pt;" width="64"></td><td class="xl65" style="width: 120pt;" width="160"><b>Arkansas</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Nick Deeg, LHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Zach Jackson, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Zach McKinstry, MIF</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Logan Regnier, OF</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Sean Renzi, RHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>Albany</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>South Carolina</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Stephen Woods, RHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td><br /></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Ryan Stinar, RHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>Sacramento State</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>Auburn</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Sam Long, LHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>KeeganThompson,RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Gunnar Pollman, C</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Anfernee Grier, OF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>San Diego</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>Vanderbilt</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Troy Conyers, LHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Jordan Sheffield, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Bryson Brigman, SS</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Hayden Stone, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Ben Bowden, LHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>John Kilichowski, LHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Will Toffey, CIF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Bryan Reynolds, OF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>Florida International</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>Ole Miss</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">J.C. Escarra, C</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>J.B. Woodman, OF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Cody Crouse, RHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Errol Robinson, SS</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Chris Mourelle, RHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Chad Smith, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><br />
<b>Georgia Southern</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b><br />Georgia</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Robert Tyler, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Stephen Wrenn, OF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>Florida Atlantic</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>Mississippi St</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">C.J. Chatham, MIF</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Zach Houston, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Stephen Kerr, MIF</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Dakota Hudson, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Colyn O’Connell, RHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Christian Dicks, OF</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>UNLV</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>Texas</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Justin Jones, 2B</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Morgan Cooper, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">D.J. Myers, RHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Tres Barrera, C</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Josh Sawyer, LHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Bret Boswell, MIF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>Florida Gulf Coast</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>Florida</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Jake Noll, MIF</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Logan Shore, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Nick Rivera, CIF</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Dan Dunning, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Shaun Anderson, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>A.J. Puk, LHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Scott Moss, LHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Peter Alonso, CIF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Buddy Reed, OF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>Rutgers</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>Miami</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Tom Marcincyzk, OF</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Bryan Garcia, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Willie Abreu, 1B</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Jacob Heyward, OF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Zack Collins, C</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Danny Garcia, LHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>Hofstra</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65">Texas A&M</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Alec Eisenberg, RHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Ryan Hendrix, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Nick Banks, OF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>Maryland</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>Alabama</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Mike Shawaryn, RHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Nick Cieri, C</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>Cincinnati </b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>LSU</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Riley Smith, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Jared Poche, LHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Jake Fraley, OF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>Virginia</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>Coastal Carolina</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Daniel Pinero, INF</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Michael Paez, C</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Matt Thaiss, C</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Adam Hall, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Connor Jones, RHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>G.K. Young, C</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Alex Cunningham, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td class="xl65" height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><b>Sam Houston State</b></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td class="xl65"><b>LA-Lafayette</b></td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Bryce Johnson, OF</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Stefan Trosclair, CIF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;">Sam Odom, RHP</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Steve Sensley, OF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Ishmael Edwards, OF</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>David Bednar, RHP</td></tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"><td height="19" style="height: 14.4pt;"></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Reagan Bazar, RHP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-47798558019961133972015-12-18T14:18:00.002-05:002015-12-18T14:18:42.634-05:00Seek First To Understand: Why the Four Peaks Sale Feels like ShitI could give a shit about beer. I don't drink often and when I do I drink whiskey. The<a href="http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/tempe/2015/12/18/four-peaks-sold-anheuser-busch/77561614/" target="_blank"> news</a> that Anheuser-Busch purchased Tempe-based craft brewery, Four Peaks, is not concerning to me because I fear AB will turn the Kiltlifter into Clydesdale piss but rather because the Phoenix Metro Area has lost one of its very few homegrown cultural banners to a cringe-worthy conglomerate.<br />
<br />
The Valley is a cultural wasteland, full of strip malls, isolationist libertarians, dust, young transplants from the northeast looking for work, cacti, young transplants from California looking for affordable cost of living and, during the winter, rich people escaping the chill of Chicago. A large percentage of people here come when they need to and leave when they can. Like Las Vegas, Phoenix exists as an affront to nature, a place built here just because it could be and not one that's benefited from multiple generations of people coming here, setting roots, and building something layered and interesting because this was a place that made sense to live.<br />
<br />
Now look, I like it here. The baseball and food has been enough to keep me satisfied. But for people looking for an energetic, invigorating place to live, Phoenix is outpaced by plenty of other metropolises. People in search of the things Phoenix can provide can find more concentrated doses of those things west of the Mississippi if they want to in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio or Denver. Folks living west of the International Time Line looking to move to the United States have cultural lubricant in San Francisco, Seattle or Los Angeles. Phoenix has plenty of Mexican immigrants but the political climate here hasn't exactly allowed their culture to thrive and permeate into the local zeitgeist.<br />
<br />
So when something like Four Peaks, which was founded in 1996 and rests in a building from the late 1800s, begins here, grows here and thrives here it is good. Precious few things do.<br />
<br />
You know when you're making your bed and you go to put on the fitted sheet, you stretch it around the corner of you mattress and then move on to the other three only to find that your original corner has slipped off? That is what it was like to read this morning's news. Only the cultural backtracking that the deal signifies isn't as easily fixed. People who live here and want to continue to do so while, hopefully, something better grows around them just saw a beacon of light older than the Diamondbacks snuffed out with a few signatures.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-77568284581538468522015-11-20T17:12:00.003-05:002015-11-21T12:09:52.166-05:0040-man AdditionsThese are the 40-man additions that I've seen in the past year. If your team isn't on the list, then I didn't see any of your dudes. Sorry, but I'm not going to write on anyone I didn't personally see. Not for this exercise, anyway.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dbacks</b><br />
<u>Gabby Guerrero - </u> He's got power but the approach and body are major concerns and I can't put more than a future 4 on him because of them.<br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Braves</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Mallex Smith, OF</u> - Stocky, twitchy, fast fourth OF type.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Orioles</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Parker Bridwell, RHP</u> – Will bump the mid-90s in relief (he
did last AFL) but doesn’t have it when he starts. Has a 55 changeup, 40
curveball. Lots of effort here and likely a reliever</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Red Sox</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Marco Hernandez, SS</u> – Was just told by an ops guy this week that
he’s had a resurgence of sorts. No in-person looks but I’ll ask around and get
some info here if I can because he might be a guy again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Williams Jerez, LHP</u> – A 2011 2<sup>nd</sup> rounder as an
outfielder who converted to pitching in 2014. He’s had success and been up to
94 with an above average slider. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Pat Light, RHP</u> – After a disappointing start to his career
Light was up to 99 early this year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Cubs</b><br />
<u>Willson Contreras, C -</u> Contreras was a sexy target for sellers during the deadline but the Cubs wouldn't move him. He's got all the traits of a big time power hitter. Plus-plus bat speed, some natural loft, huge torque, the ability to move the bat around a bit...it's all very enticing. On top of that he has a chance to catch though he won't be great back there. This guy was Rule 5 eligible last year and nobody took a shot. Now he's a top 100 prospect for sure.<br />
<u>Jeimer Candelario, 3B?</u> - Candy can hit. I put a future 60 on the bat after seeing plenty of him this Fall and he's got 55 raw power that plays down in games because he's willing to swing at (and hit) pitches he can hit for singles instead of waiting for something he can really drive. It's a mild case of Vitters Disease. Defensively he's a butcher at third base but you hate to waste the arm across the diamond so maybe he ends up in an outfield corner where you just deal with a lack of range and hope the arm makes up for it somewhat. If the body goes backwards (it truly might, this is a squat, thick young man) then it's to first base he goes and he's a fringe regular. If he somehow becomes viable at 3B we're talking a 50/55 OFP with an chance to make an All Star team or two during his prime, but that outcome is pretty far right tail.<br />
<u>Pierce Johnson, RHP</u> - Johnson's got decent stuff; a low 90s, moving fastball, an above average breaking ball and average changeup projection. The delivery is more about hip swing than leg drive, and it's tough to repeat that, especially deep in games, and the control Johnson shows in the first inning isn't there in the fifth or later. I think he's a Vance Worley-esque backend starter.<br />
<u>Dan Vogelbach, 1B</u> - Yes, there's bat speed but there's a lot of effort, only 50 or 55 power and a bad approach. It's not for me.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>White Sox</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Brandon Brennan, RHP</u> – 92-93 this fall with armside run, slider
and change are both 40s. AA depth relief arm for me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>JB Wendelken, RHP</u> – Low 90s, average change. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Reds</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Stephen Johnson, RHP</u> – John was acquired in the Marlon Byrd
deal and was sitting in the upper-90s, touching 100, when I saw him early in
the spring. In Fall League the velo was down (94-95), the slider was fringe-y
and the delivery doesn’t allow for average command. He’s a middle-inning arm at
best unless the slider or command improve.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Indians</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Dylan Baker, RHP</u> – His stuff is great but he can’t stay healthy.
He threw five innings in A-ball this year so it’s hard to say how he looks, but
right before he blew out last fall he was up to 96 with a 55 slider and average
changeup.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Rockies</b><br />
<u>Raimel Tapia, OF - </u> I'm very skeptical of Tapia. Yes, there's feel for the bat head. Yes, he can run. Yes, his measurables indicate projection. But the approach turns me off. Not simply because of the oddities associated with it, I can live with different, but the fact that he does things that actively undermine his ability to hit. I can see why some think he's a future above average everyday player but I'm gonna take the under.<br />
<u>Carlos Estevez, RHP- </u>Mid to upper 90s fastball, slider that comes in anywhere from 45-55. If he can learn to locate that slider consistently then we're talking about a high-leverage arm. He's a big leaguer regardless, in my opinion.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Tigers</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Jairo Labourt, LHP</u> – Part of Detroit’s return for David
Price. 93-96, 55 slider, mature body, reliever delivery and command. He’s young
so there’s more hope for him than most with overwhelming bullpen traits. I
think he’s a setup guy. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Montreal Roberton, RHP</u> – 93-96 with an above average slider
and fringe average changeup. The control isn’t where you’d like a 25 year old
relief arm’s to be but he throws enough strikes to be a big leaguer as far as I’m
concerned. He was a great find in the 29<sup>th</sup> round out of Coahoma CC
in Mississippi, though Robertson did fall in part because he had TJ in college.<br />
<br />
<b>Royals</b><br />
<u>Bubba Starling, CF - </u> Starling can absolutely play CF and has a comfortably plus arm but the bat simply hasn't come. He's made some changes to the way he strides over the past year but his footwork is still harsh and clunky and the bat path is still inefficient. The fact that he's made adjustments to his footwork and not the hands (which really need the work) is kind of frustrating, but altering the way hands work during a swing is much harder to do. I think he's a big leaguer and the possibility that he somehow puts it all together will always exist (it always does with athletes of this caliber) but the clock is ticking.<br />
<u>Brett Eibner, OF - </u>Plus raw power, can play all three outfield positions. Lots of swing and miss though, as he doesn't move the bat around the zone very well. He could carve out a role as a platoon guy or be a bat-first 4th OF. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dodgers</b><br />
<u>Jharel Cotton, RHP - </u>I wrote about Cotton in my<a href="http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/14135761/dylan-bundy-shows-flashes-jurickson-profar-continues-impress-mlb" target="_blank"> ESPN AFL piece</a> from Sunday so I'll let you check that out for more extensive coverage. In short, I think Cotton is very good and has the stuff to be a third or fourth starter. 90-95, 60 change, 50 curveball and cutter.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Marlins</b><br />
<u>Austin Brice, RHP - </u> He's a reliever all the way but has been up to 97 with an above average slider. One of the higher-probability big league arms I saw this year. Think he's a middle relief arm.<br />
<u>Jake Esch, RHP</u>- 89-93 with run, average slider, 35 changeup. That's what I saw, but scouts were talking him up as Fall League progressed. He was a two way guy in college so patience is acceptable here and, honestly, the discrepancy between my notes and the public discourse here means I need to double back and get some second opinions from scouts.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Brewers</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Orlando Arcia, SS</u> – He deserves a much more extensive writeup
than I care to give him on a 40-man additions list. A truly impressive talent
who I think is an All Star talent.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Jacob Barnes, RHP</u> - 91-96
with varying sink (two seamer and four seamers mixed in there) with an above
average mid-80s slider and plenty of strikes. He’s a high-probability 7<sup>th</sup>
inning arm.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Damien Magnifico, RHP</u> – One of many Fall Leaguers to touch
100mph, Magnifico will also show you a 55 slider but he really struggles to
repeat his release. It impacts his control and slider quality. You hope he can
find some modicum of consistency because the arm is so good but we’ve seen guys
like this flame out more often than we see them succeed. If it clicks though,
look out.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Twins</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Taylor Rogers, LHP</u> – It’s simply not for me. Fringe stuff across
the board, though he fills up the zone. Depth arm who makes a spot start on
double headers and the like.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Adam Brett Walker II, OF</u> – I never got a chance to see his
fabled power because he never made solid contact in front of me. 30 future hit,
30 arm, a chance the body gets to the point where 1B is the only option left. I’m
out. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Mets</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Brandon Nimmo, OF</u> – Not corner-worthy power but he works counts
and hits and should be a good defender in a corner. Second division regular.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Phillies</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Roman Quinn, CF</u> – A 70 runner who might hit enough to play
every day in CF and be an average regular, though his injury history presents
more risk than is already associated with a profile like this. Sometimes bodies
like Quinn’s get to the big leagues and are simply physically overmatched. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Jimmy Cordero, RHP</u> – Purely an arm strength stash like many of
the other names on this list. Keep the arm, cross your fingers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Edubray Ramos, RHP</u> – 93-96 with a mid-80s slider that’s anywhere
from a 50 to a 60. Not athletic. I think he’s a middle-reliever.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Pirates</b><br />
<u>Josh Bell, 1B/OF - </u> Bell looked horrendous at first base during his early work there. It was so bad that I'm concerned it simply won't work and he'll just have to be an outfielder, which is just fine for every org that isn't the Pirates. Bell's much better hitting from the left side where I have a future 55 on the bat and 55 on the power. From the right he's a 40 bat with 40 power. So much of Bell's swing is derived from the upper body and hands as his lower half just isn't very coordinated.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Gift Ngoepe, 2B</u> – It’s pronounced en-WEE-pay. I love that he
might wear a big league uniform but he isn’t a prospect for me. Depth bat
without much going for him.<br />
<u>Tyler Glasnow, RHP</u>- I'll tell you right now that I'm the low man on Glasnow so if you're looking for me to tell you that he's got ace potential just move on now and save yourself the frustration. I think this guys is a reliever. I know the stuff is incredible. Mid to upper 90s with some natural cut, a future 70 breaking ball. I get it. I just don't think he's going to throw enough strikes and, at 6-8, have a hard time buying into it ever coming. If I'm wrong I'll eat a whole murder of crows.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Padres</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Jose Rondon, SS</u> – I’m a big fan of the glove and think he
hits enough to get on the field.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Giants</b><br />
<u>Clayton Blackburn, RHP</u> - His stuff was so bad during last year's AFL that I NP'd him. Reports are much better than that but it's what I saw.<br />
<u>Adalberto Mejia, LHP</u> - Mejia is ready to pitch in t he big leagues right now and I expect him to make an impact in the Giants rotation in 2016. He'll sit in the low 90s with an above average breaking ball and changeup and above average control. No true plus pitch, but he knows how to move all three of his pitches around to toy with hitters and get swings and misses anyway. I think he's a good fourth starter.<br />
<u>Kyle Crick, RHP - </u>The velo was down when I saw him but he's usually 92-96. The slider is still above average while the other pitches lag behind. It's a reliever's command and might be so bad that it strikes a fatal blow to his career.<br />
<u>Steve Okert, LHP</u> - Jeremy Affeldt reincarnate. And maybe better than that.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Cardinals</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Charlie Tilson, OF</u> – Plus runner, plus arm, doesn’t have
natural plate coverage and the swing gets slappy if he has to protect the outer
half. He tracks well and I think he’ll make a good amount of contact (55 hit) but
produce very little power (30). If I knew he could play a good CF then I’d say
he’s got a chance to be a second division regular but 4<sup>th</sup> outfielder
seems more likely as I believe the body will fill out and slow him down a bit.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Dean Kiekhefer, LHP </u>– Short armed delivery from a low slot.
Those two things don’t often go together. LOOGY at best. Fastball 85-89,
average breaking ball, change below. I don’t know what this delivery looks like
from the left-handed batter’s box and I haven’t seen enough guys who throw like
this to gauge how hitters deal with it based on observant experience either.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Aledmys Diaz, 2B</u> – Stocky, strong, contact-oriented bat
path. He was a late Fall League addition so I’m still combing over video and notes
but for now I think he’ll hit (50/55) and the body might be strong enough for
some of that contact to be authoritative because he’s just a physical dude so
average game power is possible. It’s 2B only for me so it’ll have to get there for
him to profile.\</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Mariners</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Patrick Kivlehan, OF/1B/3B</u> – I think he’s a AAA depth bat but there’s
definitely sneaky power here. I just doubt he gets to enough of it to profile
in a corner and righty-hitting bench OFs need to be passable in CF or be able
to play somewhere on the dirt if needed. Kivlehan has played 3B but never in
front of me so maybe he has a way up at the hot corner.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Boog Powell, OF</u> – Bench OF. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Rangers</b><br />
<u>Connor Sadzeck, RHP</u> - Another of the many Fall League arms who touched 100 and whose pure arm talent merits continuous looks and developmental resources just in case things click. Post-TJ Sadzeck was 96-101 with a 45 breaking ball and 40 change.<br />
<u>Nomar Mazara, 1B/RF</u> - Quite simply the best combination of power and hit in the minors. Middle of the order bat of the future.<br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Blue Jays</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Brady Dragmire, RHP</u> – 92-95, low 3/4s slot, fastball has
some sink when located down and to arm side. Average slider. Premium middle
relief arm who will be death to righties. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Nationals</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Chris Bostick, 2B/OF</u> – Everything is a 40 or 45 and that
package might be enough for an injury-induced cup of coffee here and there but
he’s a AAA depth guy for me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Spencer Kieboom, C</u> – He juuuust does enough to catch (had
him popping 2.00 and 2.06 this Fall) and has above average pull power though it
requires a high-effort, stiff swing to get to it. He’s got a backup’s profile
on paper but beauty is in the eye of the evaluator when it comes to backup catchers.
I’m a glove-first guy myself.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Nick Lee, LHP</u> – Low 90s, average changeup, below average
slider. Reports on his curveball are good but I didn’t see one in the Fall
League.</div>
Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-66788871914625978592015-09-20T13:07:00.000-04:002015-09-20T13:12:47.815-04:00Fantastic Leg Kicks and Where to Find Them<span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Thousands of hitters dig into a professional batter’s box every season and all of them, despite sharing a common goal, do their jobs in a way that is individually exclusive. The moments between when a hitter decides to swing and when he impacts the baseball – or doesn’t – are filled with countless, hitter-specific traits that comprise a baseball swing. Bat speed, load depth, load height, lever length, head movement, stride length, stride timing; the list of the bio-mechanical variables is comically long. These swings, and the constant adjustments hitters are making to them are the snowflakes of summer. They are wholly unique works of art, tirelessly crafted until some advance scout or opposing catcher sees a hole, exploits it, and forces the hitter to patch and rebuild.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A recent pervasive and effective swing adjustment which has aided some of the most notable leaps in performance among Major Leaguers is The Leg Kick. An increasingly popular style of hitting footwork, the leg kick (that’s what we’re calling it in this piece, anyway) occurs when the hitter lifts his front leg high off the ground and draws his knee up toward his body before taking a big, aggressive stride back toward the baseball during the swing. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This has a few functions. First, it allows the hitter to utilize their lower half in an athletic way by loading all their weight onto their back foot before that potential energy becomes kinetic and explodes back into the ball. Simpler, more conservative strides simply don’t add as much to a swing. It also, as some hitters have described, aids with a hitter’s timing as certain aspects of the swing get set earlier – often before the pitch is even thrown – which gives the hitter less to do later in the process. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some of the hitters who have integrated an aggressive leg kick into their swing have become monstrous offensive contributors of late. Most notable of these is Josh Donaldson whose early </span><a href="http://baseballsavant.com/popup/video.php?video_id=7765615" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">big league swing</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> featured a little toe tap before it evolved into the MVP caliber </span><a href="http://baseballsavant.com/popup/video.php?video_id=30386747" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">cut</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> we know today. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Then Athletics hitting coach Chili Davis -- who has played a role in a number of late-blooming hitters' careers -- had the following to say in a <a href="http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/just-a-bit-outside/story/josh-donaldson-oral-history-juice-in-his-hands-071614" target="_blank">Jon Morosi piece</a> on Donaldson's life: </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-761f79da-eb94-b081-818e-5a7c8aecec34"><span style="background-color: white; color: #26353c; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"His swing, when it’s under control, is a power swing. He generates a lot of power through his body. And when he’s making good contact, he can do damage to a team in a lot of ways. Now, that swing would be pretty hard to teach because of all the movement in it — the leg kick, the hands dropping and coming back up. But the key to that swing, and that approach, is being under control — being slow and early with the leg kick, not stompy or jumpy. Being under control with your mindset, not trying to force the issue. Get a pitch I can hit and square it up. And trust that, if I square it up and get through it, I’ve done all I can do and something good can happen."</span></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Note how often Davis mentions the need to be "under control" and stash that in the back of your mind because we're coming back to that later. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://a.fssta.com/content/dam/fsdigital/fscom/mlb/images/2014/07/15/071514-mlb-Josh-Donaldson-pi-mp.vresize.1200.675.high.96.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://a.fssta.com/content/dam/fsdigital/fscom/mlb/images/2014/07/15/071514-mlb-Josh-Donaldson-pi-mp.vresize.1200.675.high.96.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Donaldson, at his kick's pinnacle. From the Morosi piece.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's what Donaldson said about the change:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-761f79da-eb99-4401-d44c-1edfff783a01"><span style="background-color: white; color: #26353c; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> I’ve watched unlimited hours of Jose Bautista on film. What led me to leg kicking was him. I was always in between — doing a leg kick, toe tap, getting my foot down. When I saw that, I said, “I feel like I can do that every day.” So I’ve stuck to it.</span></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, Jose Bautista (</span><a href="http://baseballsavant.com/popup/video.php?video_id=2633435" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">old</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://baseballsavant.com/popup/video.php?video_id=473751483" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">new</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) is another of many hitters who have benefited from the change. Marlon Byrd (</span><a href="http://baseballsavant.com/popup/video.php?video_id=11139663" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">old</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://baseballsavant.com/popup/video.php?video_id=30121561" style="text-decoration: none;">new</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, <a href="http://crashburnalley.com/2013/11/19/and-you-may-ask-yourself-well-how-did-marlon-byrd-get-here/" target="_blank">in-depth</a>) Justin Turner (</span><a href="http://baseballsavant.com/popup/video.php?video_id=15279927" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">old</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://baseballsavant.com/popup/video.php?video_id=479970883" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">new</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) and the suddenly healthy and elite A.J. Pollock (</span><a href="http://baseballsavant.com/popup/video.php?video_id=21406695" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">old</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://baseballsavant.com/popup/video.php?video_id=482479583" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">new</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) have all made similar modifications that have coincided with dramatic statistical improvements.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1VJQcLKj0fHhd_oQbkO33xNM33ceRdJgQHpAXDwWE7NLCErE4qPFveFZeEpuMYVwxl2mMr4sSxwuWStIL61QO5eKXcjdY_9Fe9255bFb1CTQfbn2gPkBwZTgXFqweW14pSbcjBpXQdSZQ/s1600/turner.jpe" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1VJQcLKj0fHhd_oQbkO33xNM33ceRdJgQHpAXDwWE7NLCErE4qPFveFZeEpuMYVwxl2mMr4sSxwuWStIL61QO5eKXcjdY_9Fe9255bFb1CTQfbn2gPkBwZTgXFqweW14pSbcjBpXQdSZQ/s320/turner.jpe" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Justin Turner</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps the most successful implementation of the leg kick came more than 50 years ago when Yomiyuri Giants 1B Sadaharu Oh, after converting to hitting full time, adopted his famed “flamingo” leg kick. As outlined in his auto-biography, </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Zen Way of Baseball</span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Oh was craving something to aid with his timing and, with consultation from hitting coach Hiroshi Arakawa, developed the kick which helped turn Oh into one of the greatest hitters ever to walk the earth. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lest ye believe this sort of mechanical adjustment is some sort of magical slugging elixir that would benefit any hitter who might adopt it, the leg kick is a double-edged sword. Such a boisterous mechanical feature can be difficult to control and it can create issues with balance, posture and embarrassingly early weight transfers that result in the world’s ugliest swings. Oh also notes these concerns in his book and describes his own tireless practice sessions which included repeatedly swinging in front of a mirror. With a samurai sword. All to train himself to avoid the leg kick’s many potential pitfalls. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Cubs infielder Javier Baez has struggled to tame his own leg kick and is in the midst of mechanical adjustments to tone things down. Baez has some of the most electric bat speed scouts have ever seen from any hitter, let alone a middle-infielder, and elite raw power but his 2014 debut was mired by strikeouts. A .169/.227/.324 line and 41% strikeout rate won’t cut it, even at a 30 home run pace and evaluators league-wide were concerned that Baez’s problems went far beyond the usual struggles newly risen prospects often endure. </span></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QUjAGlaR2do/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QUjAGlaR2do?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Baez began his season rehabbing in the rookie-level Arizona League and was clearly trying to dilute things. I attended some of his rehab appearances and, as you can see in the video below, Baez has been working to either situationally or completely eradicate his big stride and try to find a happy medium between his natural power and his ability to tap into it. Early returns have been positive as Baez has a .798 OPS in 53 Major League plate appearances this year. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlMplzFlMf8ztZtvyT8ACJx-50YKhIlBptgtDLY77eVqQ-1avPFePgk1zNMOZTdetjb-v8FhdVRpd8JRns4Dg7RrHJqOOe8EwZ9aJzpqMiU5P5M4c4LtwwQcSOLlf4JysjUgIrtgc4rB1/s320/Joc+Pederson+GB+chart.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pederson's ground balls per BaseballSavant.com</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlMplzFlMf8ztZtvyT8ACJx-50YKhIlBptgtDLY77eVqQ-1avPFePgk1zNMOZTdetjb-v8FhdVRpd8JRns4Dg7RrHJqOOe8EwZ9aJzpqMiU5P5M4c4LtwwQcSOLlf4JysjUgIrtgc4rB1/s1600/Joc+Pederson+GB+chart.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Another young hitter who might benefit from by reexamining his own extreme stride is Dodgers CF Joc Pederson. His leg kick is so violent and aggressive that he often has difficulty maintaining his posture and will begin falling down the first base line mid-swing. This has resulted in lots of groundballs to the right side of the infield, enough that opponents are now shifting Pederson and suppressing his BABIP down to a career-standard .275 after it was hovering over .300 in April and May. </span></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">This corruption of Pederson’s posture has also made him vulnerable on the plate’s outer half and pitchers have taken notice. According to BaseballSavant.com, twenty-five percent of the pitches Pederson has seen this year have been down and away out of the strike zone where Pederson can’t do damage. It seems to be working. Pederson has seen his average exit velocities dip as the season has gone on. They’ve been below league average seven of the last nine weeks. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pd0RDV9T5JSQBBujXYUbZJqYvjOOkGFR6G-RhnCx7pbo8VTIHXEkGvhOZukTIflok7GfB_Hog0rJVAJh51yK8Gh-vWXn9MyZbECwAD0aDMZbGKrUbOU_Uu3Ydptqv28HDLmUkmRE_KW_/s1600/Pederson+Zone+Chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pd0RDV9T5JSQBBujXYUbZJqYvjOOkGFR6G-RhnCx7pbo8VTIHXEkGvhOZukTIflok7GfB_Hog0rJVAJh51yK8Gh-vWXn9MyZbECwAD0aDMZbGKrUbOU_Uu3Ydptqv28HDLmUkmRE_KW_/s200/Pederson+Zone+Chart.jpg" width="190" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2015 pitches to Joc Pederson, from catcher's perspective. (Via BaseballSavant.com)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-16d607f8-eb8c-9c1d-e44d-018a1ea41b9b"></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Yes, Pederson has had a tremendously productive rookie season as a three-true-outcomes hitter who plays an up the middle position. He’s been worth nearly 3 Wins Above Replacement. But he’s been trending in the wrong direction since July and is going to have react to the adjustments the league has made to him to repeat that level of value next year. Perhaps simplified footwork would be beneficial, though it’s difficult to imagine Pederson undergoing a mechanical overhaul in the middle of a pennant race. Dodger's Digest writer Chad Moriyama <a href="http://dodgersdigest.com/2015/03/24/joc-pedersons-off-season-adjustments-should-lead-to-more-contact/" target="_blank">posited</a> that Pederson actually<i> embellished</i> his leg kick coming into the season. As I saw last weekend when the Dodgers were in Arizona, it generates mixed results. </span></span></div>
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Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-17542940560133678232015-08-17T13:16:00.000-04:002015-08-17T13:16:09.591-04:00Strobelight Honeys Rebrand<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-22979770218519206292015-03-16T17:28:00.004-04:002015-03-16T17:28:46.820-04:00The Pitching DoctorRod Fridley clamored to stay in the sun on what, for Phoenix, was a brisk, early December Saturday morning, his advanced age no doubt intensifying his earthly discomfort. The sun seemed to rise skyward more slowly than usual, casting long shadows across a humble, browning high school baseball field at the north end of the city. Baseball fields are usually built facing the northeast so that, as most games begin in the evening, the sun is at a place in the westward sky where it can do the least amount of damage to spectators and players. At just before 8am, however, if you want to head down the third base line and look at hitting and pitching mechanics as a scout like Rod Fridley is apt to do, your retinas are right in its crosshairs. It matters not for Fridley whose eyelids sag down from his brow after decades of squinting into the glare, providing him with a sort of natural, Darwinian ocular shade. Forehead wrinkled beneath a cap he bought while the Clinton administration was in office, Fridley wears a permanent frown, the corners of his mouth having succumbed to gravity over time. This is the face of a baseball lifer, someone the game has chewed up and spit out times over. Once near the top of the industry, Fridley now struggles to make ends meet.<br />
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A native Virginian, Rod Fridley has been around baseball for four decades now. Along that road, which has become unquestionably rocky, he’s been a player, coach, scout and executive. His resume reads like baseball’s version of the Abraham to Jesus lineage passage of the Bible. The most successful stretch of that journey came with the Chicago White Sox in the late 1980s. “I was first brought on as an area scout,” said Fridley in a bourbony drawl that sounds as though it aged a bit farther south of the Mason Dixon line than Virginia, “and on my own had to cover all of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.”<br />
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It’s not unusual for a scout’s area of coverage to be that vast despite how daunting it may seem to those unfamiliar with the job. Eventually, Fridley’s area grew and changed to incorporate the talent-rich Southeast. This included Georgia where Fridley would pluck future All-Star Mike Cameron out of, as Fridley puts it, “that awful football factory in LaGrange” in the late rounds of the 1991 MLB Draft. It was another feather in the cap of a successful talent evaluation regime in Chicago led by then Scouting Director Al Goldis. Jack McDowell, Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura, Ray Durham, Alex Fernandez, Mike Cameron. All stars, all drafted while Goldis and/or his staff (including Fridley) were doing the picking. “I think, years later, Baseball America called our 1990 draft the Draft of the Decade,” Fridley remembers, “We got an awful lot of big leaguers out of that draft. Six if I remember correctly.”<br />
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More than 20 years later on this particular Saturday morning, Fridley isn’t at Roadrunner Park in North Phoenix to look at any significant young player, no prospects of note who might be part of some historic draft class. He’s simply here to stay sharp just in case someone comes calling for work. That hasn’t happened in some time now. Fridley has spent a good deal of what little money he has scampering about at various baseball networking havens like the Winter Meetings in San Diego or at Fall League games from Surprise to Mesa as he tries to remind executives with hiring power that he exists. “I’m just tryin’ to scratch together enough to get out there,” Fridley said without specifying where “there” is, though it’s likely wherever Social Security and his pension will take him and no farther.<br />
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Fridley is regarded by those who know him (this qualifier is important) as one of, if not the best, scouts they’ve ever come across. The adjectives thrown around by Rod’s peers are comically hyperbolic, especially for men who are paid to be abject realists and fawn over players whose skills can be deemed “average” as it pertains to the Majors. One of those peers is Dave Perkin, a scout and author who has known Fridley since 2007. “Rod is the best scout I’ve ever come across. He’s the most knowledgeable, the most thorough. He’s the best in the business at breaking down pitching mechanics,” says Perkin, “I would stop him and ask what he was seeing. Arm action, hip and shoulder separation…Rod has a checklist of things he’s looking for and he breaks down every one of them.”<br />
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While effusive praise is common from those who do know Fridley, it’s strangely difficult to find people who recognize his name. Baseball’s scouting community is a narrow social group made up exclusively of men. This social structure is put together like Russian nesting dolls. Scouts develop relationships with high school and college players, those players turn pro and some become scouts and the cycle repeats. In essence, scouts know the guys they’ve scouted, the scouts they’ve scouted with and the elder statesmen who scouted them as amateurs. This results in a remarkable amount of social rapport among men who are, professionally, at odds with one another in one of the most competitive industries on Earth. Everyone knows each other in the scout section of your local college game. They eat together, drink (heavily) together, discuss where they’re staying, how many travel points they’ve accrued on their credit cards, what a pain in the ass it is to log their expenses in the team’s new system, etc. Not Rod Fridley. He sits in solace with remarkable posture and is rarely approached by anyone while he scouts.<br />
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Despite the success of their amateur talent acquisition during Fridley’s tenure, White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf mutually parted ways (though not on good terms) with General Manager Larry Himes, Goldis and the rest of the staff after the 1990 season. Goldis caught on with Milwaukee in ’91 and left less than a year later after a spat with the team over the extent of his duties. All this left Fridley in limbo as well. Himes, who had become the general manager of the Chicago Cubs, brought Goldis to the North Side, Fridley in tow. After a disastrous 1994 season, Himes was fired and Goldis was canned a year later. Fridley was left floating again before he latched on as an area scout with Cleveland until he was part of a classically bro-ish in-office altercation that could not be properly fact checked for publication. He was let go and has struggled to get both feet back in the game ever since.<br />
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The grotesqueness of that unverifiable incident isn’t enough to blacklist anyone for twenty years, especially when that person is purportedly at the top of his field. Much more marginal talents have been coddled through their improprieties, some quite severe. Baseball is, almost to a fault, an unwavering meritocracy. If a team thinks you can help them win they are going to hire you. After spending months talking to and observing Fridley, his issues run a bit deeper than one intense verbal altercation with another scout. Fridley has some communication issues. His circuitous way of storytelling is endearing but inefficient and often confusing. Forty years of knowledge and experience forces itself out of his mouth like Coke from a shaken bottle and it often results in a verbal stream of consciousness that leaves the listener weary or, as Fridley calls it, “with a tin ear.”<br />
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In a line of work where communication skills are just as important as one’s ability to identify talent, executives don’t want to sift through metric tons of verbal and written rubble to extract a few nuggets of gold. Even if Fridley is an excellent scout he may not be able to delineate his observations in a way that is useful to someone willing to pay him. That could be impeding his ability to find work.<br />
Another issue plaguing Fridley is his unabashed disdain for nearly everyone he’s come across during his years in the game. Plenty of scouts, coaches and analysts that have gone on to achieve resounding success can’t escape Fridley’s ire, and he’s not afraid to say so, even to people he’s only just met. He describes many of them as “perfectly nice guys,” or “nice enough” before adding an omnipresent “but” as he begins to rip their baseball acumen to shreds. The term “Pitching Doctor” is a particular favorite pejorative label Fridley likes to apply to coaches he thinks are ruining pitchers by altering their mechanics in inefficient or harmful ways. He often discusses past colleagues the way an old man might talk about the way his young neighbors take care of their lawns. The only men Fridley seems to have professional respect for are his former bosses, Al Goldis and Larry Himes. This is an issue in, again, an industry as socially inclusive as professional baseball.<br />
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“I’ve lost my sponsors,” Fridley says of Himes and Goldis, the latter having been inducted into the Scouts Hall of Fame in 2009, both gone from the game. “I think that and some of it is a bit of age discrimination. Lotta the guys doing things now are young guys from Ivy League schools who have never set foot within a mile of a baseball field. I don’t have that background, but they certainly don’t have mine.”<br />
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Dave Perkin seemed to agree, adding “There’s an increasing rate of numbers guys doing baseball jobs and it’s shutting out guys like Rod who have probably forgotten more about baseball than these guys will ever know.”<br />
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The statistics vs. scout strawman narrative has existed for over a decade now. The truth is most teams use a heavy dose of both evaluation methods and the ones who don’t have a balance lean heavily on scouting and eschew stats, not the inverse. The idea that old timey baseball men are an endangered species is a misnomer. Perkins continued, “Money is likely another factor. He’s going to cost more with his experience and tenure than someone young will. Control is a big thing in baseball. People are hired to do what you want them to do. It’s full of acolyte sycophants.”<br />
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Whatever the reasons for Fridley’s extreme difficulty finding employment, his struggle is ongoing and gut wrenching to watch despite his petulance. “It is my life and my love, a little bit,” he said. It was ironically as clear and concise as a statement can be, ringing true with immaculate affection. Rod Fridley continues to clamor for the sun.<br />
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Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-51510036293422812942015-03-12T13:31:00.004-04:002015-03-12T13:31:36.480-04:00Hypothetical Northeast Scouting ScheduleFor the last few years I’ve graced readers with my tentative amateur scouting schedule at the onset of every spring. Despite my notable absence from the area, I see no reason to deprive you of what my hypothetical schedule would look like if I were still living in Eastern Pennsylvania. If you’re looking for a reason to see more baseball this spring (including in March when there isn’t any other way to get it) or to expand your horizons as an observer by watching baseball in a strange and interesting environment, this list is a nice guide for you to follow. In the past I’ve sorted these by conference and school, but since I don’t care to mess around with tables right now, I’d rather just do it in long form, chronologically.<br />
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MARCH<br />
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March 13th-15th<br />
There’s a nice little six-team pool (<b>Villanova, LaSalle, St. Joseph’s, Niagara, Wagner, Northeastern</b>) playing in good ole Philly this weekend. It’s an efficient look at a number of teams who typically have a mid to late round guy or two. The most notable of which in this instance are <b>Nova RHP Max Almonte, Wagner RHP Noah Long, LaSalle RHP Joe Ravert and Northeastern SS Mike Foster. </b><br />
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Underclassmen (2016 draft and beyond)<br />
<b>Northeastern</b><br />
RHP Dustin Hunt, 2B Max Burt<br />
<b>St. Joe’s</b><br />
RHP Ryan Kelly, OF Nick Fuhrmann, RHP Dominic Cuoci, RHP Justin Aungst<br />
<b>Villanova</b><br />
LHP Hunter Schryver<br />
<b>Wagner</b><br />
RHP Danny Marsh, SS Phil Dickinson, OF Anthony Godino<br />
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March 18th<br />
Make a mid-week stop at<b> Penn State</b> (for baseball and ice cream, of course) where the Nittany Lions take on a damn fine <b>Canisius</b> club that boasts <b>OF Brett Siddall, 3B Connor Panas</b> and flamethrowing righty <b>Devon Stewart</b> (though he likely won’t throw that day).<br />
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March 20-22<br />
If you’re into heavy-hitting weekend trips then head down to Charlottesville to see <b>Florida State</b> take on <b>Virginia</b>. Potential top 10 pick, <b>UVA LHP Nathan Kirby</b> headlines a host of Cavaliers who are worth a long, hard look. Included in that list is <b>LHP Brandon Waddell, RHP Josh Sborz, SS Daniel Pinero</b> (a very interesting prospect), <b>2B John la Prise</b> and sophomore righty <b>Connor Jones</b> who might be a first round pick next year. You’ll also get Florida State outfielder <b>DJ Stewart</b> who might go in the back half of the first round this year.<br />
Underclassmen:<br />
<b>Virginia</b><br />
RHP Connor Jones, LHP/OF Pavin Smith, LHP/OF Adam Haseley, RHP Derek Casey<br />
<b>Florida State</b><br />
OF Ben DeLuzio, RHP Cobi Johnson, SS Taylor Walls<br />
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If you’d rather take a shorter drive to see some lesser known guys, <b>Fordham at Seton Hall</b> might be the way to go. <b>Seton Hall SS DJ Ruhlman, 1B Sal Annunziata </b>and<b> Fordham RHPs Brett Kennedy </b>and<b> Joe Serrapica</b> are draft eligible players to watch. Be sure to peek at sophomore Rams <b>SS Luke Stampfl. </b><br />
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March 28-29<br />
<b>Lehigh</b> has a four game (2 DHs) home series against <b>Army</b> which will give you looks at Black Knight <b>RHP Alex Robinett</b> and Lehigh’s trio of interesting guys in <b>RHPs Kevin Long</b> and<b> Brandon Kulp</b> and <b>CF Justin Pacchioli</b>, a Nazareth HS product who posts 70 run times.<br />
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March 29th<br />
If you had a good look at the Mountain Hawks and Black Knights on Saturday you can take the turnpike south to <b>Penn</b> on Sunday and see them take on <b>Dartmouth</b>. Check the schedules to see if Dartmouth<b> RHP Duncan Robinson</b> pitched the day before. He’s who you’re going to see.<br />
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APRIL<br />
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April 3<br />
<b>Bryant</b> takes on <b>Saint Joe’s</b> in Philly at 11am and then <b>Villanova</b> at SJU’s field right afterward. If <b>Bryant RHP Kyle Wilcox</b> throws in game 1 and you get good looks at <b>OFs Adam Zaronzy</b>,<b> Matt Albanese</b> (2016 eligible) and<b> James Karinchak</b> (’17) then zip on down to College Park to see <b>Nebraska</b> and <b>Maryland</b> at 7pm. More on that series in a bit.<br />
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April 4th<br />
<b>Louisville</b> comes to <b>UVA </b>for a Saturday-Monday set so take advantage of that to get a rare look at <b>Nathan Kirby</b> on a Saturday. His opponent that day will likely be <b>Louisville ace Kyle Funkhouser</b>, who is also a potential top 10 pick. Be on the lookout for sophomore reliever <b>Zack Burdi</b> as well.<br />
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April 5th<br />
<b>Nebraska</b> takes on <b>Maryland</b> in College Park all weekend and while the Huskers only have Super Sophomore <b>Ryan Boldt</b>, Maryland has a slew of mid-level prospects for this year’s draft. <b>LHPs Alex Robinson </b>and<b> Jake Drossner</b> , <b>2B Brandon Lowe, RHP Kevin Mooney</b> and, a personal favorite of mine, <b>3B Jose Cuas</b> are all going to get drafted. Sophomore Terp righty <b>Mike Shawaryn</b> should be on your radar as well. Double dipping on the 3rd is a good idea if you’re going to cover as much as possible.<br />
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April 11-12<br />
<b>Columbia</b> stops at <b>Princeton</b>. Check the schedules to see what day Princeton’s <b>Cameron Mingo</b> and Columbia’s <b>George Thanopolus</b> will be starting.<br />
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April 15th<br />
<b>Coppin State</b> makes a mid-week stop at <b>Lehigh</b> which is a bit of a lottery ticket as it’s unlikely, but not impossible at this point, that either <b>LHP Anderson Burgess or RHP Yahya Muhammad</b> will pitch. Those are the two arms to watch for 2015. Beyond that, however, Coppin State has interesting sophomore outfielders in <b>Jack Craft</b> and<b> Barrett Arnold</b> as well as soph SS <b>Bryant Miranda</b>. You’re basically guaranteed to see those guys. Sounds like a nice excuse to take a half day to me.<br />
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April 17th<br />
Head down to Newark, DE where the <b>Delaware</b> will take on the <b>College of Charleston</b> at 3pm. Hopefully <b>RHP Chad Martin</b> will be throwing for the Blue Hens and <b>RHP Taylor Clarke</b> for the Cougars. Get a good look at them and CofC<b> 3B Carl Wise</b>. All three are on the draft radar for this year so bear down on them and leave the long list of interesting underclassmen in this game for next year because you’re leaving this game early to get to….<br />
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<b>Cal State Fullerton</b> at <b>Maryland</b> in College Park at 7pm. It’s rare for a powerhouse west coast school to venture this far east at all, let alone at this point in the season. Stick around for Friday and Saturday’s games to see <b>RHPs Justin Garza, Tommy Eshelman</b> and just about everybody else on Fullerton’s roster because they’ve always got guys.<br />
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April 19th<br />
Head back up to Philly for<b> Xavier </b>at <b>Villanova</b> and/or <b>VCU</b> at <b>Saint Joe’</b>s. Depending on how rotations shake out you might see <b>Matt Blanchard</b> throw for VCU or either of <b>Adam Hall or Jake Bodner</b> pitch for Xavier. You can also check in on Musketeer SS <b>Andre Jernigan</b>.<br />
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April 24-26th<br />
Back to State College for <b>Illinois LHP Tyler Jay</b> and more ice cream.<br />
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MAY<br />
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May 8th-10th<br />
Back down to Charlottesville to see <b>all of UVA</b>’s kids one more time as they play Duke and potential 1-1 selection <b>RHP Mike Matuella</b>. It’ll be one of if not the last look at Matuella pre-draft so it’s a biggie. Assuming he’s still healthy at that point.<br />
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That's just college stuff. Do what you can to see Stroudsburg High School righty Mike Nikorak, a potential top 10 selection who will obviously be playing all over Eastern PA all spring.<br />
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If anyone has questions, I'll answer all of them in the comments.<br />
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Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-3781177530082236952015-03-04T15:07:00.000-05:002015-03-04T15:07:04.513-05:00Longenhagen's February College Scouting NotesFebruary has passed and so too has the feverish sprint of college baseball here in Arizona. While the rest of the country remains numb and depressing, the Valley of the Sun has been teeming with activity. During February’s twenty-eight days, seventeen Division 1 programs with draft-worthy players (not counting Grand Canyon and Arizona State) ventured to the Phoenix Metro area for tournaments and the like. It made for a whirlwind month of scouting. Below are reports on 2015 draft eligible players I felt were worth discussing in descending order of their Future Value grades. A Pref List, if you will. I’ve excluded most players from schools who will be back down my way again this spring (like Oregon State, New Mexico and UNLV) for obvious reasons as well as notable underclassmen who aren’t draft eligible this year, like Ryan Boldt and KJ Harrison. I’ll write them up in a separate post.<br />
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<strong>Riley Ferrell, RHP, TCU</strong><br />
We say this about college relievers every year, but Ferrell has a chance to be the first 2015 draftee to each the Majors and could do so in 2015 given the right situation. The 6-foot-1, 200 pound (listed) closer was pumping in fastballs in the 92-96mph range against Arizona State. The slider sat 84-86mph with a terrific amount of two plane movement. It’s an above average offering right now but will flash plus often enough that saying it “flashes” is underselling it a bit. It should solidify there at maturity and might even play a bit above plus if Ferrell can really improve the way he sequences and locates it.
Unlike a lot of pure college bullpen guys, Ferrell throws a pleasantly surprising volume of strikes thanks to a delivery that sends every bit of his ample mass headed to the plate (he looked heavier than 200lbs to me). His overhand release allows him to get a good amount of plane on his pitches, something that will mitigate some of the flyball concerns scouts often have about short righties. There’s some effort here, enough that I’m convinced he can’t start, but Ferrell’s squat stature helps minimize the impact that pitch-to-pitch mechanical variation would have on his control if his limbs were longer. Despite the aggressive nature of some aspects of Ferrell’s mechanics, he maintains eye contact with his target at all times. In short, this is a reliever’s body and stamina with a backend starter’s control.<br />
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The whole package allows him to throw plenty of strikes and hopefully soon he’ll be able to throw them where he wants to. At the college level, Ferrell’s stuff is good enough that it’s going to work no matter where he’s locating. In pro ball that will change. He showed some feel for that sort of artistry when I saw him.
I have Ferrell pegged as a low closer, high setup type of reliever who has a chance to ascend quickly if the command comes together. That sort of prospect typically comes off the board in the back half of round 1.<br />
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<strong>Longenhagen’s Grades: Fastball: 65/70, Slider: 55/60, Control: 45/55, Command: 40/50, FV: 50 (Low closer, high setup)</strong>
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<strong>Alex Young, LHP, TCU</strong><br />
Ferrell’s teammate is another of about a half dozen Horned Frog arms that scouts have their eyes on. At 6-foot-2, 205lbs, Young has a generic, lean pitcher’s body. There are some stop and start elements to the delivery, some crunch in the shoulder but the arm is snappy and generates good spin on the baseball despite just average arm acceleration overall. This isn’t a dominant strike thrower but there’s enough athleticism and cleanliness in the mechanics to project for average control.
Stuff wise, Young sits 88-91mph with the fastball that comes in with good plane but little run. The secondaries are advanced with a currently fringe-average curveball in the 78-81mph range. It has effective 10-4 depth and projects to above average. Young also shows feel for how to spin a changeup anywhere from 80 to 85mph. It should become an average pitch but the arm isn’t loose and quick enough for me to project it as a truly impactful offering. Overall, the package isn’t sexy but that of a solid backend starter. He feels like a sandwich round guy right now.<br />
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<strong>Longenhagen’s Grades: Fastball: 50/55, Curveball: 45/55, Changeup: 40/50, Control/Command: 40/50, FV: 45 (5<sup>th</sup> Starter)</strong>
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<strong>Cam Gibson, OF, Michigan State</strong><br />
There’s a lot of awkwardness to Gibson’s game but he seems to make it work thank to the simplicity of his swing, strength in the wrists and good eye-hand coordination. That wrist strength is important as it’ll likely be the lone source of Gibson’s well below average power. Gibson loads his hands high and has a linear bat path that’s naturally going to produce a lot of slappy ground balls. It’s difficult to project any more than 40 future power for Gibson, even if he makes some adjustments and uses that special hand-eye coordination to improve the way he backspins the baseball. Despite the lack of power, I think Gibson will hit at an above average clip at peak.<br />
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Gibson can run, clocking in at 4.10 in a straight sprint through the bag on one trial and at 4.12 with the turn on a triple later that day. As a true plus runner, Gibson has the wheels to occupy center field but currently plays left. The team that ultimately drafts Gibson will likely give him a look in center after signing to take some of the pressure off the bat. There’s also the possibility that Gibson becomes a speedy, elite defender in left field a la Brett Gardner which could allow him to profile as an everyday guy despite lacking the raw power usually required to profile in an outfield corner. His arm strength is below average, so he’s limited to center or left.
The tools aren’t explosive enough for me to project Gibson as a no-doubt everyday player but there’s enough for me to think he’s more than a fourth outfielder. A lot of Gibson’s ultimate profile is going to depend on where he ends up defensively.<br />
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<strong>Longenhagen’s Grades: Hit: 40/55, Raw Power: 50/50, Game Power: 30/40, Run: 65/65, Defense: 40/50, Arm: 40/45, FV: 45</strong>
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<strong>Conor Costello, RHP/RF, Oklahoma State</strong><br />
Costello plays both ways and scouts seem to like things on the mound (where Costello is touching 92mph) a tad more. I, however, prefer the bat due in large part to Costello’s explosive hands. The swing is not without its maladies. Costello’s hands load late and he’s often late on even average velocity, he doesn’t track the baseball consistently and there’s just general violence in his swing that is going to lead to some striking out. As such I only have a future 45 grade on Costello’s bat. But the hand/bat speed is good and there’s above average raw power here that should grow to plus as Costello’s 6-foot-3 frame continues to fill out. The game power will play below that because of all the swinging and missing, but it’s in there. There’s always the possibility that limiting Costello’s scope of development to just offense will allow him to make some adjustments, clean things up, and improve the amount of contact he’s making.
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Defensively, Costello takes that 92mph fastball with him to right field where his glove should be average with reps in pro ball. It’s a pretty traditional right field profile. Organizations may view Costello’s two-way duties in different ways. Some may look upon the situation with favor, wondering what more they might be able to squeeze from Costello once they focus him full time on hitting (or pitching) and others might view scoff at drafting a college player with this much work left to do. I’d be willing to bet on the bat speed and power in the sandwich or early second round.<br />
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<strong>Longenhagen’s Grades: Hit: 35/45, Raw Power: 55/60, Game Power: 45/55, Speed: 40/35, Defense: 45/50, Arm: 60/65, FV: 45</strong>
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<strong>Gage Green, C/OF, Oklahoma State</strong><br />
Green would garner a better grade from me if I thought he could stick behind the plate. Unfortunately, Green had too many issues with receiving and blocking balls in the dirt for me to be optimistic about him back there. More than likely he’ll have to move to the outfield. There’s some pretty impressive bat to ball here, as Green tracks the baseball well, has quick wrists, strong forearms, and overall simplicity to his cut. He could be a future average or even above average hitter. But if Green does, as I expect, move out from behind the plate and to an outfield corner, his 40 power isn’t going to play. At 5-foot-10, 193 pounds, there’s not much room for Green to improve upon his 40 power by way of physical development.
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Positional versatility will be Green’s friend. If he can catch here and there, play some of all three outfield spots (I don’t think he has the wheels for CF but others do) and hit a little bit then he has a chance to be a bench guy.<br />
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<strong>Longenhagen’s Grades: Hit: 35/50, Raw Power: 45/45, Game Power: 40/40, Speed: 45/40, Defense: 40/50, Arm: 50/50, FV: 40</strong>
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<strong>Preston Morrison, RHP, TCU</strong><br />
Morrison is by far the most interesting player I’ve considered for this year’s class. He mowed down Arizona State to the tune of a complete game, three hit, one walk, eighty-seven pitch shutout but showed very little in the way of stuff. Before we get into the details of pitch type and quality, we need to discuss Morrison’s delivery. Morrison delivers the ball from a nearly sidearm slot after rotating hard and clearing his hips early. It looks like something your cousin might do during your Labor Day Wiffle Ball game. Morrison’s arm works just fine (more evidence that this slot is natural for Morrison: when he throws the ball around the infield he does so underhanded) and the hard rotation and wide open hips don’t negatively impact his spectacular command. He’s found something that works for him, it just happens to look odd.<br />
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Morrison’s fastball sputters in between 86 and 88mph (he touched 89 once for me) with a considerable amount of sink and run thanks to his arm slot. The movement and location of the pitch allows it to play up a bit above what the velo histogram suggests but it’s still just a 45 pitch. Morrison’s lack of velocity as well as his arm slot mean he has no margin for error with location, especially against lefties who will be able to pick up the baseball early out of his hand and mash.
The repertoire is deep, featuring a slider, curveball and changeup. The slide piece is the best of these, sitting mid to upper 70s with frisbee movement. It projects to average and should do some damage against righties. He alters the spin on the pitch a bit to produce a more vertically-oriented curveball in the low to mid 70s. It isn’t as explosive and difficult to track as Morrison’s slider but if it’s spotted right it can be effective. The changeup has the same sort of fade and run to it that the fastball does but Morrison slows his arm a bit when he throws it, making the pitch easier to identify out of his hand.<br />
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I’ve never put a plus control grade on an amateur pitcher before but based on what Morrison showed me I have no choice. He pounded the bottom half of the strike zone with remarkable efficiency, only two or three times missing up in the zone.
Morrison’s ultimate role is difficult to nail down. You hate to waste such impressive strike throwing ability in the bullpen but it’s hard to look at Morrison’s stuff and see him getting outs consistently against anyone other than right-handed hitters with platoon issues. I have him pegged as a swingman/emergency call up arm. Result-based box score scouts are going to love him. It’s possible, though unlikely, that he lives at hitters’ knees for the next decade and is a 200-inning mid-rotation unicorn. If that happens I’ll eat crow.<br />
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<strong>Longenhagen’s Grades: Fastball: 45/45, Curveball: 40/45, Changeup: 40/45, Slider: 45/50, Control: 60/65 Command: 55/60, FV: 35+</strong>
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<strong>Trey Cobb, RHP, Oklahoma State</strong><br />
Cobb is a draft eligible sophomore who went to Archie Bradley’s high school in Oklahoma and who will require much less discussion than Morrison. His fastball sat 89-91 and touched 92 when I saw him. At 6-foot-1, 190lbs, there’s a little room to add mass and some fastball velocity. The slider flashes above average in the 77-80mph range. If it gets there and stays there then Cobb can be a middle reliever.<br />
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<strong>Longenhagen’s Grades: Fastball: 50/55, Slider: 45/55, Changeup: 30/40, Control: 40/40, FV: 35+</strong>
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<strong>Toller Boardman, LHP, New Mexico</strong><br />
Boardman has a prototypical pitcher’s build at 6-foot-3, 215lbs and some feel for a changeup but a stiff delivery, long arm action and checkered injury history have scouts cautious. He was 86-90 for me with a below average changeup that flashed fringe average in the upper 70s. The breaking ball was anywhere from 74-79mph with varying shape and depth and I can’t decide if there were two separate pitches in there or if it’s one really inconsistent curveball.
Despite the rough delivery, Boardman throws strikes and should have average command. The changeup is the meal ticket here, but the breaking ball will have to find some modicum of consistency.<br />
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<strong>Longenhagen’s Grades: Fastball: 45/50, Curveball: 40/45, Changeup: 40/45+, Control: 45/50+, FV: 35</strong>
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<strong>Travis Eckert, RHP, Oregon State</strong><br />
Eckert, a JUCO transfer, has feel for all three of his pitches but doesn’t have big stuff. The fastball will creep into the low 90s at times with a bit of run and should be a future average pitch. The curveball is consistently below average and doesn’t offer much room for growth but it has some depth and Eckert will throw it for strikes. Eckert’s best weapon is his changeup, a pitch in the low 80s that he’ll throw to both lefties and righties in any count. I projected it as an average pitch.
At 6-foot-2, 190, Eckert has some room to fill out. That plus some tweaks in the way he uses his lower half might result in s little more zip on his fastball. Generally, Eckert is loose and fluid but doesn’t repeat his release point and struggles to throw strikes in spurts when he loses himself. Even with fringe stuff he might have a role for himself if he can find a way to command it consistently.<br />
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<strong>Longenhagen’s Grades: Fastball: 45/50, Curveball: 40/45, Changeup: 40/50, Control: 40/45, FV: 35</strong>
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<strong>Cam Vieaux, LHP, Michigan State</strong><br />
A big, somewhat projectable lefty with an upper 80s fastball is going to get looks and Vieaux fits that bill at 6’4”, 191lbs. He touched 90 for me but sat a few ticks below it with a 75-78mph curveball that will flash average when he really gets on top of it. If Vieaux adds some juice to the fastball and finds consistency with the curveball then there might be something here, but the arm is slow, the changeup isn’t going to fly and there isn’t great control here. He’s likely an org arm with a chance to be a LOOGY or mop-up if a slew of variables fall in his favor.<br />
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<strong>Longenhagen’s grades: Fastball: 40/45, Curveball: 40/50, Changeup: 30/40, Control: 40/45, FV: 35</strong>
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<strong>Blaise Salter, C/1B, Michigan State</strong><br />
A massive human being at 6-foot-5, 245lbs, Salter’s issues with mobility as a catcher should come as no surprise. Salter’s size also makes it difficult for him to get out of his crouch on throws down to second base and it has him popping between 2.10-2.14. That’s too much of a liability for teams to consider him as a catcher. There’s 60 raw power here, at least, but an arm bar and too little bat speed to compensate for it preventing Salter from actualizing it. He’s a future 40 hitter for me, likely not enough to play every day at 1B or DH.<br />
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<strong>Longenhagen’s Grades: Hit: 35/40, Raw Power: 60/60, Game Power: 50/55, Speed: 20/20, Defense: 30/40, Arm: 40/40, FV: 35</strong>
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<strong>Joshua Fredendall, RHP, Washington</strong><br />
After missing 2013 and 2014 with an arm injury, Fredendall is back on the mound and sitting 91-93mph with the fastball and flashing an average curve in the upper 70s and he at least maintains his arm speed on the changeup. His size (5-foot-11, 195lbs), high-effort delivery, injury history and poor control scream reliever. That’s a fairly long list of warts, presenting quite a bit of risk for a college signee.<br />
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<strong>Longenhagen’s Grades: Fastball: 55/55, Curveball: 40/50, Changeup: 40/45, Control: 30/35, FV: 30+</strong>
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<strong>Mylz Jones, SS/3B/2B/CF, Cal State Bakersfield</strong><br />
Jones has some tools and an athletic, projectable body but he’s sushi raw. He’s got more upside than eight of the other players on this list and will be a fascinating developmental project for whoever takes a chance on him. First let’s discuss what Jones can do. He’s a 70 runner who clocked in at 4.10 from home to first using long, majestic strides. Jones also has an above average arm that projects to plus as his 6-foot-1, 185lb frame fills out. But, Jones is a well below average hitter who has issues identifying breaking balls, long levers that exacerbate inconsistent bat speed, weak forearms and poor footwork at shortstop. There’s a lot here that needs cleaning up.<br />
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With that said, I am pessimistically intrigued. Give that speed a look in CF, hope the frame fills out and the added strength makes the bat speed more consistent and the power more potent. Even if Jones’ issues with making contact were to remain, you’d still have a plus run, plus arm, up the middle player with some pop. That’s quite a collection of developmental hurdles to clear and there are no guarantees Jones can conquer any of them, let alone all of them which is what he’d likely need to do to be relevant as a prospect. He’s a college signee who’ll probably have to spend two years at a complex.<br />
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<strong>Longenhagen’s Grades: Hit: 20/40, Raw Power: 40/45, Game Power: 30/40, Speed: 70/65, Defense: 30/45, Arm: 55/60, FV: 30+</strong>Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-88936416421176468352014-09-28T00:54:00.002-04:002014-09-28T00:54:44.543-04:00UCLA QB Brett Hundley Scouting Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I took advantage of my proximity to Arizona State's campus and enjoyed Thursday night's Sun Devil football game versus UCLA. I went primarily to see Bruins QB Brett Hundley who's got a shot to go in the first round of next year's NFL Draft. I wasn't the only one there to see Hundley. Two dozen NFL scouts were there, among them was 49ers GM Trent Baalke, Chargers GM Tommy Telesco, and Rams GM Les Snead. We left impressed.<br />
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Hundley stands 6'3" and weighs in at about 220lbs. It appears he's added weight to his frame since last year when I did some rudimentary film study of him in case he were to enter the draft. I had concerns about how thin and wiry he was and whether his body could stand up to an NFL beating. That was one of the things that caused Teddy Bridgewater to fall. While a potentially fragile build isn't a death sentence on its own (yeah, Bridgewater is skinny but he was the top QB on my board last year) it does factor into the evaluation and I was glad to see Hundley had added mass. He suffered a hyper-extended elbow a few weeks ago but<br />
it was more of a freak thing than damage caused by typical football contact. Hundley isn't built like Ben Roethlisberger or Cam Newton who are essentially human obelisks, but I feel better about his ability to stay healthy than I did last winter.<br />
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So the frame is there and so are the physical skills. Easy arm strength, touch when it makes sense, drive when he needs it. He can make all the throws and while the release isn't the quickest, it's not Byron Leftwich water wheel slow. There are times when Hundley's mechanics break down a bit, his arm action gets shorter, like a catcher's, and he one hops receivers. He does it when he rushes throws and it doesn't occur that often. Hundley's passing accuracy is also solid, if unexceptional. He struggles to throw across his body to his left, consistently throwing behind receivers on drag routes from the strong to weak side but this might be able to be corrected with improved footwork in these situations.<br />
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Speaking of footwork, Hundley's is mostly fine, if a little slow. He transfers his weight into his throws well and rarely throws flat footed. He doesn't have the in-pocket elusiveness of a Tony Romo or Mike Vick and is more the statuesque-type after he completes his drop back. His a long strider, so while he does have good straightline speed it takes him a while to get there. Like Donkey Kong in MarioKart. The athleticism comp here, for me, is Alex Smith.<br />
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What stood out to me was Hundley's willingness to stand in the pocket and go through his progressions. Many times Hundley's gaze would traverse one end of the field to the other before finding the most impressive of these was a play in which Hundley dropped back, went through his progressions, recognized the defense was zone, felt the pocket collapsing, climbed the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield (something he struggled with last year) and delivered a strike to a receiver who was just crossing into a hole in the zone. Hundley will have to do a better job of identifying who will be open based on his presnap reads because he can't hold the ball as long as he does at the NFL level, but the mental tools are clearly here for a good decision maker.<br />
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There are a few issues though they're not fatal. Hundley doesn't seem willing to make stick throws in man to man coverage. In the NFL, QBs have to make on-the-numbers throws vs tight man coverage all the time. Even if the receiver hasn't created much separation. Hundley isn't willing to throw the football into decent 1-on-1 coverage. He's going to have to learn to place the football in spots only his receiver has access to in these situations, because they're commonplace in the pros.<br />
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It's not flawless, but the package is great and I like Hundley more than I liked a good deal of recent early round QBs (I like him more than I liked Geno Smith, Johnny Manziel, EJ Manuel, Brandon Weeden, Ryan Tannehill) and have a strong first round grade on him right now while I acknowledge more film study will e required.<br />
<br />Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-38145397732724000362013-09-21T22:42:00.001-04:002013-09-21T22:42:30.801-04:00Chris Dwyer Scouting Report (Kansas City Royals)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I’ve never seen a no-hitter. Over the past six years I’ve
been to probably 500 baseball games in person and it’s never happened. On
Tuesday, I came as close as ever to finally seeing one as Royals left-handed
pitching prospect Chris Dwyer was perfect through 6 2/3 innings. He was
positively masterful and hurled one of the best games I’ve ever seen anyone
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Dwyer stands a solid 6’3” and is listed at a solid 210lbs.
While his weight is something of a question (he had a thyroid condition in 2012
that caused some pretty serious weight fluctuation) he looks solid and strong
now and while the thyroid condition might give me pause about his long-term
health, he showed no signs of the 83-86mph fastball he was pitching with while
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The delivery is nearly straight over the top and Dwyer
stands tall throughout while using his lower half adequately while sending
everything toward the plate. There’s some deception and all of Dwyer’s pitches
come out of his hand at the same release point. The fastball sat 87-90mph and
topped out at 92mph. The heater features nice run, especially for someone with
an arm angle as vertically oriented as Dwyer. Towards the very end of his
start, Dwyer lost a good amount of velocity. He was down to 85-87mph range in
the seventh when it became clear el perfecto wasn’t going to happen. He pitched
up in the zone a little too often for my taste with the fastball but through a
ton of strikes and can move everything in and out. I put a 50 n the fastball
and a 60 on his control of it with the command lagging a bit behind it. Oddly, Dwyer’s main bugaboo during his minor league career had been his poor control and command. Many thought it would be the death of any chances he had to start. On this night, however, he was almost surgical.</div>
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The changeup sat in the high 70s and had nice arm action and
some fade when Dwyer threw it right but it sailed on him at times. Overall it’s
an average pitch and it might have some projection, though Dwyer is already 25
years old. The curveball has been plus in the past and I can see why some
really like it, but for me it’s a 5. This is a near 12-6 offering with plenty
of depth but it’s a little loopy and slow for me, sitting in the 74-76mph
range. I’m not sure it’s going to get the swings and misses in the big leagues
that it’s getting right now. Dwyer relies heavily on it.</div>
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Overall we’re looking at three average pitches. If the
control/command I saw on Tuesday night were backed up by reports from the past
I’d have no problem labeling him a #4/5 starter. But the discrepancy between
what I saw and what Dwyer’s track record has been has my enthusiasm tempered at
least a little bit. I’ve got him pegged as a role 45 player, a #5 starter who isn’t
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Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-76634633942504500512013-09-19T08:46:00.002-04:002013-09-19T12:31:49.927-04:00Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts: A Comprehensive ReviewIf you’re not having fun within the system, it’s just a system. And that’s boring.
This is why I don’t hesitate to skirt tasks at work in favor of actual fun. This fun comes in many forms and if I were to write about all of them, it too would be insanely boring. Really the things we consider fun in the office are only interesting in the context of the office itself where the alternative is mind-numbing interaction with a computer. Alas, this one is interesting because it involves food, a common cultural thread that runs through every part of the world. More specifically, it involves junk food. And we young Americans love junk food. We are, after all, the kids who grew up eating cereals made of cookies, Reese’s, marshmallows and Oreos.
Fascinated by the colorful garbage that comes off of assembly lines in both ironic and legitimate ways, you can only imagine what it was like when I and a few co-workers of mine stumbled upon these:<br />
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We had to try them, of course, but that wasn’t enough for me. No, I needed something more. Intense records were kept and opinions were polled. Each taste tester graded several aspects of the pastry and submitted them for review. The categories included were:
Visual Appeal
Crust Taste
Filling Taste
Frosting Taste
Overall Taste
Sustainability (Can you see yourself eating several of them?)
Versatility (Can you think of other interesting culinary uses for the pastry in question?)
Grading was done on the 2-8 scale, a scientific scale in which 5 represents the average and each integer away from 5 represents a standard deviation away from the mean. In short, it looks like this:<br />
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8- This is Earth Shatteringly good and tasting it is like having sex<br />
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7- I’m going to buy these things next time I’m at the grocery store even if I need to push an old lady over to get to them<br />
<br />
6- These are delectable<br />
<br />
5- Average<br />
<br />
4- This is edible but I’m not gonna have another one<br />
<br />
3- I’m making the “Ewwwww Face” as I chew<br />
<br />
2- So bad you had to spit it out<br />
<br />
The results are in. Below are the grades for each category along with comments from some of the tasters. Their names have been removed to protect their anonymity.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Visual Appeal</u></b><br />
<br />
Average: 5.2<br />
<br />
High: 7<br />
<br />
Low: 4<br />
<br />
Comments-
“<i>It has sprinkles. They’re pretty. How can you not like the way it looks? What has sprinkles and tastes bad?”</i><br />
<br />
<b><u> Crust Taste</u></b><br />
<br />
Average: 4.6<br />
<br />
High: 5<br />
<br />
Low: 4<br />
<br />
<i>“It tastes like every other plain crust on everything else. It’s not bad but I feel like an opportunity was missed here.” </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“Crust was bland.” </i><br />
<br />
<b><u>Filling Taste</u></b><br />
<br />
Average: 4.4<br />
<br />
High: 5<br />
<br />
Low: 4<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“Pumpkin Flavor very limited.” </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“Too Sweet.” </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“Lacked the earthiness of actual pumpkin pie and was sweeter than I anticipated. Aromatics were one note: Nutmeg.” </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“I would have liked if there were more filling.”
</i><br />
<br />
<b><u>Frosting Taste </u></b><br />
<br />
Average: 5<br />
<br />
High: 6<br />
<br />
Low: 4<br />
<br />
<i>“It’s standard Pop-Tart frosting so it’s good. You need to eat it with the frosting side down to maximize frosting taste.” </i><br />
<br />
<b><u> Sustainability</u></b><br />
<br />
Average: 5<br />
<br />
High: 6<br />
<br />
Low: 4<br />
<br />
Versatility<br />
<br />
Average: 3.8<br />
<br />
High: 5<br />
<br />
Low: 2<br />
<br />
<i>“I’d like to try it after dipping it in coffee.” </i><br />
<br />
<b><u> Overall </u></b><br />
<br />
Average: 4.8<br />
<br />
High: 5<br />
<br />
Low: 4<br />
<br />
<i>“Underwhelming.” </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“Edible but not a top-tier Pop-Tart.” </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“Overall an average Pop-Tart but will not replace Belvita Breakfast Biscuits as go-to breakfast related snack.” </i><br />
<br />
We also asked our panel to decide if the pop tart would be better warm. Most responses were affirmative in this regard although one panelist stated that he/she would never think that warming the Pop-tart could make any of them better and claimed warm tarts to be, “Gross.”
We cannot, in good conscience, recommend Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts to anyone who is looking for an exceptional product. They are a middling, mediocre offering far beneath the standards set forth by the Kellogs forefathers.Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-65224918332410928632013-09-15T23:07:00.003-04:002013-09-15T23:07:41.073-04:00Joe Panik Scouting Report (San Francisco Giants)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.milb.com/images/2013/03/08/BSg9haM7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://www.milb.com/images/2013/03/08/BSg9haM7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Amateur talent in the northeastern part of the country is
tough to come by and even tougher to scout when you do come by it. One of the
first round one players I saw as a amateur was former St. John’s shortstop Joe
Panik who was selected 29<sup>th</sup> overall by the San Francisco Giants in
2011. A shortstop in college, Panik spent most of his time in 2013 at second
base.</div>
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<strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=panik-000joe&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Joe Panik</a></strong> has your commonplace middle infielder body. He’s a
relatively thin 6’1”, 190lbs with long limbs. He is not overly physical but
also isn’t so wiry that you’re concerned he’s going to have the bat knocked out
of his hands. There’s still some projection left here and I do think Panik will
put on some weight as he ages. How that weight will impact his game remains to
be seen. It’s possible it could allow him to hit for more power than he does
right now (which isn’t much) but it could also sap the already fringe range he
has at second base. </div>
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Let’s keep it right there and address the defense. Panik has
below average speed and his first step and reactions aren’t quick enough to
hide it in the field enough for him to play shortstop every day. Not for me,
anyway. The arm is average both on strength and accuracy. The hands and feel
for the position are just okay. I’ve seen Panik make some fine plays toward the
bag from both directions and I’ve also seen him make an adventure out of plays
that I regard as routine. He could probably play a passable short for some, but
my personal tastes prefer an above average defender at the position unless the
bat is exceptional. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Panik’s bat is not. The pure bat-to-ball skills are really
interesting. I put a future 55 on Panik’s hit tool. He’s short to the ball and
displays good eye-hand coordination. He sports a simple, toe-tap stride and
closes before he takes a nice, balanced swing. The bat speed is not good and,
as a result, Panik just doesn’t hit the baseball very hard all that often,
though he does show the ability to spray balls in every direction. I have a 35
on the power right now but I think that contact skills are good enough that he’ll
hit his share of doubles in the gaps. I project the power to a 4. </div>
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So what kind of value does a player like this possess? There’s
not enough glove to play shortstop (not that he’d play there for San Francisco
anyway with <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/crawfbr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Brandon Crawford</a></strong> there right now) and not bat to make you say, “Screw
it” and stick him there anyway. Is there enough of both for him to play
everyday at second base? We’ve seen players like this succeed there before.
<strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/scutama01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Marco Scutaro</a></strong> has had a nice career with a similar skill set (though his is a
true plus hit tool and might be more) as did <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/velarra01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Randy Velarde</a></strong> and <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/graffto01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Tony Graffanino</a></strong>.
One thing those guys have/had that Panik doesn’t right now is some positional
versatility. Panik has worked at 2B and SS but I’d like to see him log some
practice time in other places. The way the Giants have groomed him thus far
suggests that they think he can be an everyday secondbaseman. The lack of pop
would relegate him to second-division status for me if that’s the case. You
could certainly do worse. Panik did not have a good year in 2013 and it's not out of the realm of possibility that he's sent back to Double-A to begin 2014. </div>
Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-36070184461936821842013-09-12T10:33:00.002-04:002013-09-15T23:19:22.857-04:00Drew Hutchison Scouting Report (Toronto Blue Jays)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/sports/photos/2012/06/15/hutchison-drew_940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/sports/photos/2012/06/15/hutchison-drew_940.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I ran into an oddly high number of rehabbing starting pitchers this season. The most unique of these was Blue Jays right-hander, <strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hutchdr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com">Drew Hutchison</a></strong>. Hutchison had barely pitched above A-ball before making his Major League debut in 2012. After logging about 60 innings with the Jays (and seeing his fastball velo tick up inexplicably) Huchison suffered an arm injury and needed <strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/johnto01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com">Tommy John</a></strong> surgery. I saw four of the thirty-five innings he threw this year in rehabilitation on that injury.<br />
<br />
At 6’2” and 195lbs, Hutchison is of average height and build. He’s thin, angular and proportional with strength in his thighs. There’s some room for him to add weight and maintain his current delivery but he looks comfortable with where he’s at right now. Hutchison’s delivery is slow and casual until he begins to accelerate his arm when everything speeds up in a mildly violent manner. He cuts himself off a bit in the process but for the most part everything heads for home plate. It’s not an easy-does-it delivery that’s going to summon visions of ballet dancers or make you think of a warm cup of tea on a cool autumn morning, but it also isn’t so bad that I think he’s going to break again.<br />
<br />
The fastball sat 87-92mph for me with a little bit of movement. Hutch commanded it well on the horizontal axis but really struggled to keep the ball down a lot of the time. By my count, he yielded 12 outs in the air as opposed to just one on the ground. I put a 55 on his control and a 45 on his command. How those two develop as his rehab continues will have a big impact on his success. He can’t live up in the zone with a 55 fastball in the big leagues.<br />
<br />
Hutchison’s slider was his best pitch. A true grade-6 weapon, slidey’s velo ranged anywhere from 82-87mph with serious horizontal whip. He worked it back toot to left-handed hitters and away from righties. I’d like to see him pitch backwards with it. He only threw four full innings in the start I saw so perhaps he’d be more likely to do so if he saw the lineup turn over a third or fourth time. The changeup is a fringe-average pitch with good arm speed but lacking in movement. The changeup grip was easy for me to see as the ball left his hand but whether or not the hitter can also make that distinction from field level, I don’t know.<br />
<br />
I put a 50 on Hutch as an overall grade and I think he’s a fourth or fifth starter at the big league level. My main concern is how often that fastball was left up in the zone and whacked into the outfield somewhere. If he can correct that then I think he can attain the grade I’ve assigned him above. If not, I wonder if a move to the bullpen would allow the velocity to tick up a bit more and thus provide him with more margin for error on those pitches he leaves up. In that case I think he could be an interesting 7th or 8th inning reliever when you throw in that nasty slider.
Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-17191147414178227222013-08-08T01:03:00.002-04:002013-08-08T01:03:14.290-04:00Felipe Rivero Scouting Report (Tampa Bay Rays)<a href="http://www.milb.com/assets/images/9/9/4/45996994/cuts/480_Rivero_Cliff_Welch_MiLB_2iaaceqg_m5kfvv19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://www.milb.com/assets/images/9/9/4/45996994/cuts/480_Rivero_Cliff_Welch_MiLB_2iaaceqg_m5kfvv19.jpg" width="320" /></a>
Rays pitcher Felipe Rivero had the most impressive arm of any that I saw during my trip to Florida. The 21 year-old, Venezuelan lefty presents scouts with an interesting conundrum. He has flashes impressive stuff but comes with a few concerning warts.<br />
<br />
Rivero’s size has been an issue for scouts since he signed in 2008. Listed at 5’10” and 150lbs, Rivero looks every bit of that and might even be a hair taller. He certainly pitches taller, staying very upright through his release and firing from a nearly true 3/4s arm slot. He pitches far enough downhill that I’m not worried about him being homer-prone because of his height and a flat fastball. Rivero has certainly put on weight, mostly in the right places, as his thighs and ass are thick and strong. He makes good use of the lower half in his delivery. Rivero’s arm works pretty well, It’s not the most gorgeous, athletic delivery I’ve ever seen but I’m not squirming when he throws, either. The control and command aren’t great (control is fringy right now, command is a little worse) but aren’t so bad that you banish him to the bullpen solely because of it (though, if the ‘pen is his ultimate destination, it will be a contributing factor). There’s essentially no physical projection remaining here.
<br />
<br />
As far as pure stuff is concerned, Rivero is packing. His fastball sat 91-94mph in his first inning of work with late tail, a true plus offering that showed even better at times. Rivero lost velo, however, as his outing wore on. He was showing mostly 87-90mph as early as the third inning and struggled to amp things up above 91mph when he wanted it later. There are several potential causes for this drop, obviously. Again, if this is something Rivero experiences habitually, it’s something that could contribute to a move to the bullpen.<br />
<br />
Quality secondary stuff is a rarity in Hi-A ball so it was a treat to see not one, but two potential weapons in Rivero’s curveball and changeup. The curve will spin in the 76-78mph range with impressive vertical depth. The pitch is consistently average and will show plus more than a few times. Like the fastball, Rivero’s breaking ball was less and less enthralling as his start progressed. It was never bad, it was simply less dangerous. The changeup is behind Rivero’s other two pitches but it isn’t bad. A tad firm at times (mostly 83-86mph), it featured quite a bit of arm-side run and arm speed to match the heater, showing a tad better than average in a few instances while settling in as a grade 45 pitch overall. Rivero clearly has a feel for it and it’s not unreasonable to think it might be a swing and miss weapon one day.<br />
<br />
Overall we’re looking at what I think will be three useful big league pitches one day and a control/command profile that should improve enough to play out of the rotation. The one concern I have is the stamina. As long as that isn’t an ongoing issue for Rivero I think the Rays have a stellar #4 starter here with room for a bit more if the player development staff works an unforeseen miracle or two. I expect Tampa to continue barbecuing this young man like they have with virtually all of their pitching prospects over the last half decade.<br />
<br />
The Grades: Present/Future<br />
<br />
Fastball: 55/60<br />
<br />
Curveball: 55/60<br />
<br />
Changeup: 45/55<br />
<br />
Control: 40/45<br />
<br />
Command: 35/45<br />
<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/43HHJQ-yark" width="480"></iframe>Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-70381460850612631212013-07-01T11:33:00.001-04:002013-07-01T14:32:19.151-04:00Michael Pineda Scouting Report (With notes on Slade Heathcott and Tyler Austin)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img height="315" id="il_fi" src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1382634!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/pineda26s-1-web.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="320" /></div>
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As the Yankee-loving universe is probably aware, <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pinedmi01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Michael Pineda</a></strong> is working his way back from injury on a lengthy rehab stint in the minor leagues. I made the lengthy journey to my least favorite minor league ballpark to see Pineda as well as a few other Yankee prospects. </div>
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Michael Pineda is every bit of the 6’7” and 260lbs at which he is listed (Curiously, he is listed at 260 on Baseball Reference’s MLB page and just 255 on Bref’s MiLB page). He is thick and physical, though not overly athletic and can have trouble repeating his delivery at times. This can, of course, result in spells where the control and command disappear. This was not the case last week when I saw Pineda, who threw 54 of his 79 pitches for strikes. His start on Sunday was poor, however, as he threw just 35 of 70 pitches for strikes. Strike throwing issues are a common occurrence in pitchers of extreme height. The Yankees struggled to remedy this very issue with <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/betande01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Dellin Betances</a></strong> (6’8”), who has been relegated to middle/long relief in Triple-A where the results have been much better (Betances allowed just 3 runs and walked 6 while striking out 23 in 18.1 June innings). Pineda’s issues with mechanical repetition are not as horrifyingly bad as Betances’ have been, and I certainly don’t expect them to be bad enough that Pineda has to move to the bullpen, but when you consider how difficult it’s been for Yankees pitchers to iron out control issues over the last half decade or so, it’s worth noting.</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Pineda’s stuff is good, albeit incomplete, as it was while he was busy racking up a solid 170 innings during his rookie year in Seattle. His average Fastball velocity during his inaugural 2011 campaign was 94.7mph. Last Tuesday, Pineda’s fastball ranged from 90-95mph and sat 92-93mph. It’s heavy and difficult to elevate thanks to Pineda’s size, but I’m sure the Yankees are hoping to see his velocity return to pre-injury levels. The fastball will have natural cut on it at times. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Pineda’s slider looked fantastic. He gained better feel for it as his start went on, throwing a few for strikes early in counts but mostly using it as a swing and miss pitch in the dirt. His slider displayed a wide variance of velocity. He threw a few as low as 81mph, several at 85mph and even touched 87mph once (on what was the best individual slider I’ve ever seen in person). Mostly he was 83-84mph with it, featuring significant late vertical movement. It’s a consistent plus pitch that will flash better, and a true weapon.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The changeup is another story. Firm, at 88-89mph, it doesn’t move much and is more or less just an offering Pineda can use to change speeds and keep hitters off his fastball. He doesn’t use it much and I don’t expect him to when he returns to the Major Leagues.</div>
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<strong>Grades:</strong></div>
<strong><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</strong><strong>Fastball: 65 (will show some natural cut)</strong><strong><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</strong><strong>Slider: 65 (flashes plus-plus)</strong><strong><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</strong><strong>Changeup: 40 </strong><strong><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</strong><strong>Control: 45 (was great on Tuesday, was not on Sunday)</strong><strong><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</strong><strong>Command: 40</strong><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Overall, he still looks like a fine #3 starter, especially if the control he displayed in his first start at Double-A becomes the norm for him.</div>
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Other Yankee prospects of note:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=heathc001zac&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Slade Heathcott</a></strong> (CF) – Physical and muscular, Heathcott put on the most impressive BP of anyone I saw at last year’s Arizona Fall League last year. He’s a tremendous athlete with plus-plus running and throwing tools and projects to stay in CF despite his thick build. He has the arm and offensive profile to play in RF if, for some reason, he does slow down one day. His swing is handsy, he doesn’t incorporate his lower half very much, but he’s strong enough and has a quick enough bat that balls still explode off the wood when he makes solid contact. Heathcott’s issues come from how he plays the game. His approach is over-aggressive, he’s often erratic and putting himself into situations where he could get hurt (and he often does). The ceiling here is quite high, All Star type stuff. Whether or not he gets there will depend on all sorts of secondary still that take time to develop (and frankly, to scout). I want to see more, but I like what I see very much.</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<strong>Grades:</strong></div>
<strong><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</strong><strong>Hit: 45 (approach issues and handsy swing need some tweeking)</strong><strong><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</strong><strong>Power: 50 (could tap into more if he incorporates the lower half into the swing better)</strong><strong><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</strong><strong>Glove: 60</strong><strong><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</strong><strong>Arm: 65</strong><strong><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</strong><strong>Run: 70</strong><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
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<strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=austin001chr&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Tyler Austin</a></strong> (Corner OF) – A body built for a corner outfield spot, Austin has tremendous bat to ball ability but lacks the power you look for in a left or right fielder. There’s enough pop there that I still think he could put up numbers befitting an average Major League outfielder (especially in Yankee Stadium), especially when you factor in his advanced approach at the plate. The defense is just okay, nothing notable there, good or bad. Austin’s approach is such a big part of his game and will play such a huge roll in his future that, like Heathcott, I want to see more to get a better feel.</div>
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<strong>Grades:</strong></div>
<strong><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</strong><strong>Hit: 60 </strong><strong><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</strong><strong>Power: 45 (could play up to due home park environment and thanks to his approach which will get him into favorable counts)</strong><strong><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</strong><strong>Glove: 45</strong><strong><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</strong><strong>Arm: 50</strong><strong><div style="text-align: left;">
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</strong><strong>Run: 40</strong><br />Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-59016510937897400442013-06-27T10:36:00.002-04:002013-06-27T10:36:20.124-04:00Anthony Ranaudo Scouting Report (Boston Red Sox)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img height="400" id="il_fi" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPraF9dzUh51k18fLQHIi_Bwu105XnnuCWV4S4-_jedeQLiBJDiLnA5Ho1ks8yD5pPRzzZJjJlKbtsBirbBQdXQ9vCobnNzG4tz-wjaMZSWXhbpuMzOD959kZ72f-keLvLrXoYwsYv3PM/s400/Anthony+Ranaudo+(KO).jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="400" /></div>
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“I need something in the foreground to give it some scale”<br />
<br />
That line from Jaws is all I could think about when I first laid in-person eyes on <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=ranaud001ant&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Anthony Ranaudo</a></strong> who is a monstrous human being, one whose size is not done justice in photographs. At 6’7” and a listed 231lbs (which I think might be a tad light), Ranaudo is an imposing presence on the mound. His delivery is a bit odd, slow and meandering to start before everything speeds up toward the end. It looks odd and uncomfortable and may or may not have a little bit to do with the two arm injuries he’s had over the past few years and the problems he’s had with control in the past. One thing I positively love about Ranaudo’s delivery is his arm angle. It’s a nearly straight over the top offering that allows Ranaudo to take full advantage of his frame and create more downhill plane on his pitches than I’ve seen out of any other prospect this year. <br />
<br />
Combine that extreme plane with true plus velocity and you have one hell of a fastball. Ranaudo will sit 92-94mph with the heater and will touch 96mph. When a pitch that hard is descending from the heavens, it’s quite hard to do any damage to it. Ranaudo’s best secondary pitch is a 60 grade power curveball that sits in the low 80s and has true 12-6 movement. His command and use of the pitch is not yet refined. I’d like to see him pitch backwards with it, freeze hitters with it, bury it in the dirt for swings and misses. He just kinda throws it and sees what happens right now. That’ll work against Double-A hitters because the pitch is too explosive on its own to be trifled with at this stage. But it’s something for him to work on.<br />
<br />
Ranaudo threw an awful lots of curveballs the other night and more or less ignored the changeup, which is a below average offering at present. On the surface you’d think they’d have Ranaudo working on the change, which site in the 86-88mph range and features almost no movement. Ranaudo’s changeup grip is a hybrid straight change/circle-change type grip. I wonder if, given his arm angle and the size of his hands and fingers, if a splitter grip might be more effective. <br />
<br />
The raw material is there for a mid-rotation starter, maybe more if everything (an improved changeup, more sophisticated use of the curveball, good health) comes together. At the very worst (if the control goes backward for one reason or another or he continues to struggle with injuries and can’t handle a starter’s workload) I think he has the stuff to be a dominant late-inning reliever. I like him quite a bit and look forward to checking in with Ranaudo again soon to see if strides have been made. <br />
<br />
<strong>Grades:</strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong>
<strong>Fastball: 65 (tons of downhill plane)</strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong>
<strong>Curveball: 60 (needs to learn how to optimize its usage)</strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong>
<strong>Changeup: 40 (maybe try a split grip?)</strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong>
<strong>Control: 45</strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong>
<strong>Command: 40</strong><br />
<br />
One Other Red Sox arm of note:<br />
<br />
<strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=celest001mig&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Miguel Celestino</a></strong> (RHP) – Acquired from Seattle along with <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=hallbi03,hallbi02,hallbi01&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Bill Hall</a></strong> in the <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kotchca01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Casey Kotchman</a></strong> trade, Celestino is tall, wiry and has 80 grade fastball velo but lacks control over his body and his delivery which results in 30 control/command. It’s really, really messy. He features a split in the low 90s and a short little slider/cutter thing in that’ll touch 93mph. You can’t teach someone to throw this hard, but Celestino’s got to iron some things out if he’s going to be a big leaguer. This is his first year pitching in full-time relief. <br />
<br />
Fine, one more guy I kinda like:<br />
<br />
<strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=ruiz--001pet&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Pete Ruiz</a></strong> (RHP) – Plus fastball, plus slider (81-83mph) which he uses in all sorts of fun ways (snuck in the back door several times vs Reading last week) and a curveball with velocity just barely beneath the slider. Control comes and goes, mostly goes. Double-A hitters don’t often see a guy who can spot the breaking ball where Ruiz was sticking it last night. It might not be as effective in the big leagues where more hitters can react to it and do something with it. He’s 25 years old at Double-A but he interests me.<br />
<br />Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-4036180175164911152012-09-16T11:51:00.004-04:002012-09-16T11:51:49.122-04:00Eric Previews an Eagles opponent: Baltimore RavensSince there's no more minor league baseball to go scout I figured I'd satisfy my craving for writing by previewing Eagles games and shit. It's not going to be beautifully written and I'm not going to try be a fortune teller week to week, I just want to present some matter-of-fact stuff (mostly via Football Outsiders) that you would wanna know while you watch the game. Let's talk about the Ravens.<br />
<br />
General Offensive stuff:<br />
<br />
Baltimore's offensive formula isn't hard to decipher. Hand the ball to Ray Rice, throw bombs and dump the ball off to Ray Rice when the deep routes aren't open. That's mostly it. It makes sense when you realize that Ray Rice is one of the league's most valuable players, Joe Flacco has the howitzer to chuck it down field and Torrey Smith is one of the NFL's fastest wideouts. The problems with this offense are that it often lacks rhythm and Flacco is statuesque so he needs the O-line to block well to give deep routes time to develop since he's not creating time for himself. The Ravens generally suck against standard nickel pakages and thrive against vanilla 3-3-5 nickel looks. The Eagles don't have the true nose guard to play a 3-3-5 so don't sweat that. <br />
<br />
The Ravens are one of the few NFL teams to still use a true fullback, Vonta Leach, and he plays a lot. Last year the Ravens ranked last in the NFL single back looks. It follows then that they ranked 30th in 3-wide receiver sets. You're gonna see a lot of 2RB 1TE 2 WR looks today. <br />
<br />
Individual Offensive stuff:<br />
<br />
Joe Flacco: Joe throw ball far. Flacco threw 78 passes last year that traveled 20+ yards (third in NFL) and drew 5 more pass interference penalties to go with it.<br />
<br />
Ray Rice: Rice rushed 290 times last year, about 240 of those coming with a fullback in front of him. of the 90 passes Rice caught in 2011, 60 of them were as checkdowns. He is the Ravens' bellcow. He's had 200+ carries and 60+ catches for 3 straight years. The only other gys to do that? Marshall Faulk, Priest Holmes, Roger Craig and Marcus Allen. He's a very special player.<br />
<br />
Anquan Boldin: Awesome career is starting to wind down.<br />
<br />
Torrey Smith: Look for Smith to be targeted off of play action. 22% of his targets last year were off play action, as were 3 of his 7 TDs.<br />
<br />
Offensive Line: Left tackle Michael Oher is freakishly talented but doesn't pick up blitzes well. No more Ben Grubbs at guard is a big loss for Baltimore. <br />
<br />
<br />
General Defensive Stuff:<br />
<br />
This was the best defense in the league last year. They've lost Terrell Suggs who, despite the presence of Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata and Ed Reed, is the best player on the squad. Suggs had 14 sacks and 2 INTs last season but also pressured the opposing QB 39 other times last year. Those pressures led to 3 INTs, 2 fumbles, an intentional grounding penalty and several holding penalties. He's a monster but he's not playing. The Ravens rush five guys almost 30% of the time, fifth most in football last year.<br />
<br />
Baltimore only got pressure on Andy Dalton 8 times last week. If they can get to Vick (after his 35 yard completion last week, Vick was 0-18 on passes under pressure) this game is going to be a disaster. Last week the Eagles had trouble with defensive backs blitzing and struggled to communicate on stunts. Danny Watkins sucks. No more Jason Peters. Evan Mathis is just okay. It could be a problem.<br />
<br />
Okay that seems pretty good. Go football.Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-63576089344402758882012-09-09T21:47:00.000-04:002012-09-14T20:21:27.918-04:00MLB Prospect Scouting Report: Trevor May (Phillies)<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Scouting
Phillies righty, Trevor May, this year has not been easy. A whiff inducing
howitzer one start, a frustrating, homer prone mess the next, May entered the
2012 season as the Phillies' consensus #1 prospect and leaves it having taken
an enigmatic step backwards. It's not an insurmountable retardation of the
Washingtonian's development, especially when you remind yourself that May only
realistically projected as a mid-rotation starter anyway. Of course, a full
page write-up and action shot in Baseball America's annual handbook will often
alter the layperson's perception of a player, no matter how uninspiring a
system for which he is the masthead. There was more hype surrounding May
this year than was warranted and, as such, his tumultuous season feels worse
than it actually was. It's time we take a step back, forget about May's
pre-season status as the top dog in the Philly system, and have a context-free
look at what there is to work with. That's what I've got for you here.<br />
<br />
Trevor May looks
mighty impressive in his uniform. A broad-shouldered 6'5", he has the frame
of an inning eating horse. There's no projection left, but as May has
filled out nicely. He's only listed at 215lbs but trust me, he's carrying
more than that and he carries it quite well. May 's athleticism isn't anything
to write home about. He doesn't always repeat his delivery well and his
command suffers as a result. He cuts himself off a bit before he gets to
his 3/4s delivery, an arm angle which stifles some of the downhill plane you'd
like to see s 6'5" pitcher get on the ball. Onto the stuff…<br />
<br />
May mostly pitches
with a low-90s fastball that will touch as high as 94mph. I did see him kiss
96mph several times in a start early this season but I didn't see that much
heat again all year. May will incorporate a two-seamer every now and then
( it usually hums in around 89mph) but it's not much of a weapon right
now. While previous reports indicate healthy armside run, from my vantage
point May's fastball looked straight. And
boy, does he leave it up in the zone a lot. Many of the whiffs May
induces come from high fastballs that big league hitters will either scoff at
or launch into orbit. It's been an issue of May's for a while now and it
hasn't been corrected or even improved. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">May’s
stable of secondary pitches is headlined by a good looking curveball. It’s usually sharp with good depth and breaks
late. He can bury it and throw it for
strikes and he adds and subtracts from it well.
It usually sits upper-70s but he’ll take some off and throw a big, loopy
curve in the low 70s once in a while. I can’t decide if I’m pleased he’s
learned this little trick or concerned because he thought he had to. There’s one HUGE problem with May’s
curveball. He throws it from a different
arm slot than his other pitches. He’s
3/4s for everything except the curve for which his arm becomes more vertically
oriented upon acceleration. As such, it’s
easy to pick up out of his hand. This
needs to be corrected yesterday. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">May’s
changeup is bad. In his Eastern League
Semifinal start last week he threw just one handsome changeup through 5.1
innings of work. He often leaves it up
in the zone, same as the fastball, and it rarely exhibits the fade/action you
look for en un buen cambio. May also
throws a slider/cutter type thing in the 82-86mph range. It’s short and unrefined but it exists. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So
what exactly do we have here? In short it’s a pitcher with an ideal build and above
average velocity with some fatal flaws in his secondary stuff and whose
control/command development has stagnated.
I wouldn’t be surprised if May began next season back at Reading, though
if I were in charge, I’d send him to Triple-A where more seasoned hitters won’t
let him get away with the stuff he still mostly gets away with against Eastern
League bats. Maybe adversity and failure
in front of minor league baseball’s biggest crowds will catalyze development. If he’s an abject failure next season, maybe
I start thinking about penning him.
Regardless, May’s ceiling is mostly the same (folks, I saw 96mph, a plus
curve and a plus change at various times this year. A mid-rotation starter is
in there somewhere) but the chances he gets there are now minute. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I
could go on forever about May because, most of the time, prospect failures are
far more interesting than their successes.
You’ll see a new name atop the Phillies organizational prospect rankings
next year but that doesn’t mean it’s time to give up on Trevor May. It’s just time to over hype somebody else. </span></div>
Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-53622367514721826492012-08-29T12:00:00.004-04:002012-09-14T20:21:00.594-04:00MLB Prospect Scouting Report: Tyler Cloyd (Phillies)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/c38.0.403.403/p403x403/394405_10151028140034081_1860838463_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/c38.0.403.403/p403x403/394405_10151028140034081_1860838463_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Tyler Cloyd is now set to make his first career big league start tonight so why don't you read this hastily written scouting report so you know what you're watching?<br />
<br />
Just named International League Pitcher of the Year, Cloyd has been fantastic for the IronPigs this year but the scouting reports are underwhelming in comparison. My thoughts are no different. I've got notes on Cloyd from two periods of his development (from some relief appearances he made in last year's Arizona Fall League and two starts with the 'Pigs this year, including one last week) and they're identical both in my subjective evaluation and all sorts of objective measures like his times home from the stretch (about 1.35 seconds). I'll make this short and sweet since I'm at work charting Justin Verlander, who diarrhea'd in the tub last night.<br />
<br />
Cloyd is a 6'3", 190lb righty with a comfy, athletic delivery which he repeats very well. His arm comes through a little late but his mechanics are otherwise effortlessly smooth. It's allowed him, for the most part, to consistently throw strikes. However, be forewarned that I've seen him have multiple batter lapses where he just can't find the zone and, contrary to how most pitchers respond to these swoons, Cloyd starts to work faster and faster until the catcher needs to come out just to calm him down. Most of his listed weight is located in his ass and thighs and he uses his lower half well to generate "velocity" which I have in Bennett Brauer quotes because there just isn't very much of it.<br />
<br />
Cloyd's fastball sits in the upper 80s (86-89mph, might touch 92 tonight with the adrenaline pumping) and is mostly straight, though it does exhibit some natural cut when he locates it to his glove side. He'll throw a two-seamer on occasion. It's not a good major league pitch and I expect it'll take a back seat to his best offering, a cutter, which he tosses in anywhere from 83-86mph. Cloyd's cutter moves quite a bit and he uses it as a multi-tasker even Alton Brown would be proud of. To left handed hitters, he'll back door it for strikes or run it in on hands to induce weak contact. He'll run it away from righties to garner swings and misses or throw it early in counts for called strikes. I'm comfortable putting a 50 on it despite the lack of velocity just because Cloyd has harnessed it so well.<br />
<br />
Cloyd's secondary stuff in underwhelming. His curve, which has 11-5 movement and sits in the mid 70s, will flash average but it's mostly a liability. He didn't work with his changeup enough for me to slap a grade on it. To me, that's telling. From the scout seats at Coca Cola Park it was easy to pick up release variation on the curveball but I have no idea what it looks like 60 feet away.<br />
<br />
Folks, we're looking at a back end starter/bullpen guy here. Someone who'll provide value for the big club by virtue of the fact that he's not awful and probably won't get hurt. Spot start him, get mop up innings out of him on his day to throw, send him down, call him up, long man....Cloyd's going to have a major league career as a swiss army knife as long as being jerked around doesn't negatively impact his performance. That's great, and guys like this are useful to have around on the cheap. But don't look at his Triple-A ERA and expect a savior. He's not one. He's just a reason to watch tonight's game.Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-33793336645409992802012-08-16T15:41:00.001-04:002012-09-14T20:19:13.451-04:00MLB Prospect Scouting Report: Adam Morgan (Phillies)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://philaphans.com/phillies/files/2012/07/Adam_Morgan-072512-marklomoglio-milb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://philaphans.com/phillies/files/2012/07/Adam_Morgan-072512-marklomoglio-milb.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam Morgan has made impressive strides</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s been a pretty upsetting year for Phillies fans on all
fronts. Not only has an aging Major League roster provided the fan
base with perhaps 2012’s most disappointing season in all of sports but a farm
system bereft of elite talent doesn’t inspire much optimism for the
future. A small ray of light, peering out through the morass of injuries,
IronPigs and subtle radio caller racism, was recently brought up to
Reading. This faint but legitimate
photon, poking his head out from an obscure corner of an all time dumpster fire,
is young lefthanded pitcher, Adam Morgan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Adam Morgan didn’t come into the season with much heat on him at
all. He wasn’t on Keith Law’s organizational top ten, he wasn’t on Kevin
Goldstein’s Future Shock top twenty and he barely made it on to Baseball
America’s top thirty, sneaking onto the Phillies’ list at number twenty nine,
seven spots behind his Crimson Tide rotation mate, Austin Hyatt. Something has
changed. No longer is Morgan, a third rounder from the 2011 draft, being
described as a “soft tossing, command and control guy.” He’s started missing bats,
more than one per inning, and forced his way up from Clearwater into a really
fun, prospect laden rotation at Double-A Reading. With the fan
base’s silver lining forty five minutes away from me, you know I made the drive
with my stopwatch and notebook.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What was cool about this scouting trip was the clean slate on
which I could conduct my analysis. I didn’t accidentally stumble upon any
opinions or reports on him because there just aren’t any yet, and I didn’t
actively seek any out before I saw him because I wanted to be surprised and
uncontaminated by anyone else’s ideas. I hopped in the car not knowing if Adam
Morgan was right handed, short, fat, black, handsome, blonde or cross eyed. It
made me all the more excited to see him and drink everything in. If you’re not into dry, vanilla, missionary
position type scouting reports then I’ll just tell you now that I like this kid
quite a bit and I think he’s going to be a useful big leaguer. Here are those
sentiments expressed in more detail….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The twenty two year old Morgan is not a jaw dropping physical
specimen. He’s in fine shape, but his 6’1” frame offers no positive
projection. What you see is what you’re going to get. If Morgan’s physique is going to change, it will
change horizontally. Let’s hope it doesn’t because sometimes guys who gain
weight have a hard time maintain the athleticism in their delivery, which right
now for Morgan is just fine. Morgan lands hard on a stiff front leg and there’s
a little bit of effort as he fires but nothing is so violent that I’m concerned
about repeatability or sustainable health. These sound mechanics help produce
above average control and average command of a slightly above average fastball
(I’ll put a 55 on it, 89-92mph) that plays up thanks to terrific movement. That movement, however, is inconsistent and
Morgan’s heater will get flat and straight at times. His somewhat diminutive stature prevents him
from getting natural downhill plane on his fastball which he left up in the
zone a handful of times on Tuesday. He got away with it because, hey, it’s
Double-A and Trenton’s lineup is pretty bad but that won’t fly in the big
leagues and Morgan will have to continue to hone in on the lower third of the
zone to avoid becoming homer prone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The fastball is complimented by a plus changeup (60 but flashed
better three or four times), a true swing and miss pitch which consistently
made Thunder hitters look both uncomfortable and ridiculous. It is clear this is where Morgan has made
strides this year as his changeup was previously just a footnote on his scouting
report. The pitch sits in the upper 70s with lots of fade and action and, most
importantly, Morgan maintains his fastball’s arm speed when he throws it. I see
this as a weapon that will miss some bats in the big leagues one day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Morgan has two breaking balls, a slider and a curve. The two can overlap a little but the hook
(30) will usually sit mid to upper 70s while the slider (45), which I like much
better, hangs out in the low 80s. Further
development of one of these pitches is crucial to Morgan’s future. He has an idea what to do with the slider, getting
a swing and miss or two at some back foot work against righties, but it needs
refining and I’d like to see him pitch backwards with it later in his starts to
get ahead of hitters with something new.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’d love to get another look at Morgan before the season’s out
to better grasp the nuances of his craft.
After one look, I think the Phillies have stumbled upon a nice backend
starter who has a chance to be a solid mid-rotation guy if he improves even
just one or two of his current deficiencies.
Stick a feather in the cap of the Phillies’ player development staff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-58113917788375828662012-07-06T09:27:00.002-04:002012-09-14T20:18:05.442-04:00MLB Showdown: Available for Trade<br />
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<a href="http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Rocco-Baldelli-2003-foil-MLB-Showdown-129-TD-/00/s/MTA0MFg3NjA=/$(KGrHqN,!oUE63(fpTjqBPB9brQ-)g~~60_35.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Rocco-Baldelli-2003-foil-MLB-Showdown-129-TD-/00/s/MTA0MFg3NjA=/$(KGrHqN,!oUE63(fpTjqBPB9brQ-)g~~60_35.JPG" /></a></div>
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Here's the list of the stuff I'm willing to part with to round out my collection. If you're looking for a list of what I need, you can find it <a href="http://longenhagen.blogspot.com/2012/01/mlb-showdown-needs.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. </div>
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2000 Base Set- Chuck Finley, Jay Bell, Luis Gonzalez, Randy
Johnson, Matt Wiliiams, Greg Maddux, Kevin Millwood, Barry Larkin, Larry
Walker, Dean Palmer, Luis Castillo, Carlos Beltran, Kevin Brown, Gary
Sheffield, Jeromy Burnitz, Brad Radke, Vlad Guerrero, Ricky Henderson, David
Cone, Bobby Abreu, Tony Gwynn, Trevor Hoffman, Ken Griffey, Alex Rodriguez,
Jose Canseco, Ivan Rodriguez, Jeff Zimmerman</div>
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2000 Pennant Run- Erubiel Durazo, Keith Foulke, Ken Griffey
Jr, Chuck Finley, Moises Alou, Roger Cedeno, Mark Quinn, Shawn Green, Mike
Hampton, Tim Hudson, Jim Edmonds, </div>
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2001 Base Set- Randy Johnson, Rafael Furcal, Frank Thomas,
Ken Griffey Jr, Barry Larkin, Roberto Alomar, Todd Helton, Jeff Bagwell, Kevin
Brown, Jason Giambi, Robb Nen, Edgar Martinez</div>
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2001 Pennant Run- Billy Wagner, Jimmy Rollins, Mike Hampton,
John Smoltz, Vernon Wells, Ben Petrick</div>
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2002 Base Set- CC Sabathia, Bobby Higginson, Roy Oswalt, Ben
Sheets, Mike Piazza, Mike Mussina, Mariano Rivera, Jason Giambi, Jeff Kent,
Edgar Martinez, Joe Kennedy, Carlos Delgado</div>
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2002 Trade Deadline- Marty Cordova, Roberto Alomar, Jeff
Cirillo, Charles Johnson, Ryan Klesko, Frank Thomas, Nomar Garciaparra, Kevin
Brown, Pedro Martinez, Victor Zambrano, Chan Ho Park, Kevin Appier</div>
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2002 Pennant Run- Roger Clemens SS</div>
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2003 Base Set- Garret Anderson, David Eckstein, Luis
Gonzalez, Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Junior Spivey, Rafael Furcal, Tom
Glavine, Andruw Jones, Gary Maddux, Nomar Garciaparra, Derek Lowe, Pedro Martinez,
Mark Prior, Sammy Sosa, Mark Buerhle, Paul Konerko, Magglio Ordonez, Austin
Kearns, Jim Thome, Larry Walker, Lance Berkman, Eric Gagne, Kaz Ishii, Paul
LoDuca, Torii Hunter, Vlad Guerrero, Jose Vidro, Mike Piazza, Mike Mussina,
Mariano Rivera, Alfonso Soriano, Miguel Tejada, Mike Williams, Trevor Hoffman,
Jeff Kent, Joel Pinero, Kaz Sasaki, Ichiro, Jim Edmonds, Albert Pujols, Scott
Rolen, Randy Winn, Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Eric Hinske</div>
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2003 Trade Deadline- Luis Vizcaino, Francisco Rodriguez, Tom
Glavine, Randy Winn, David Wells, Roy Oswalt, Ivan Rodriguez, Orlando
Hernandez, Chipper Jones, Kevin Millwood, Jeff Kent, Rocco Baldelli, Hideki
Matsui, Jim Thome, Jason Jennings, Derek Jeter, Scott Rolen, Mike Piazza,
Ichiro, Nomar Garciaparra, Kerry Wood</div>
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2003 Pennant Run- Shawn Chacon, Gil Meche, Carlos Delgado,
Gary Sheffield, Hoyt Wilhelm, Brooks Robinson, Robin Yount, Harmon Killebrew, </div>
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2004 Base Set- Garrett Anderson, Curt Schilling, Chipper
Jones, Javy Lopez, Gary Sheffield. Nomar Garciaparra, Bill Mueller, Mark Prior,
Sammy Sosa, Kerry Wood, Magglio Ordonez, Milton Bradley, Todd Helton, Ivan
Rodriguez, Dontrelle Willis, Richard Hidalgo, Billy Wagner, Carlos Beltran,
Kevin Brown, Eric Gagne, Scott Podsednik, Richie Sexon, Shannon Stewart,
Orlando Cabrera, Vlad Guerrero, Jose Reyes, Roger Clemens, Derek Jeter, Mike
Mussina, Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, Randy Wolf, Jason Kendall, Jason Schmidt,
Jamie Moyer, Edgar Renteria, Aubrey Huff, Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Vernon
Wells</div>
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2004 Trade Deadline- Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds, Curt
Schilling, Brian Giles, Kevin Brown, Bartolo Colon, Kaz Matsui, Esteban Loaiza,
Alex Rodriguez, Javy Lopez, Vlad Guerrero SS, Derek Jeter SS, Nomar Garciaparra
SS, Todd Helton SS, Greg Maddux SS, Roger Clemens SS, Richie Ashburn, Al
Kaline, Mike Schmidt</div>
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2004 Pennant Run- Albert Pujols ASG, Paul LoDuca ASG, Ronnie
Belliard ASG, Alfonso Soriano ASG, Sean Casey ASG, Lyle Overbay, Danny Graves,
Jim Thome ASG, Carl Crawford ASG, Mann Ramirez ASG, Whitey Ford, Eddie Mathews</div>
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2005 Base Set- JD Drew, Melvin Mora, Manny Ramirez, Adam
Dunn, Travis Hafner, Ivan Rodriguez, </div>
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Miguel Cabrera, Roger Clemens, Eric Gagne,
Jorge Posada, Alex Rodriguez, Eric Chavez, Mark Mulder, Eric Milton, Jim Thome,
Jason Kendall, Hank Blalock</div>
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2005 Trade Deadline- Carlos Lee, Randy Johnson, Carlos
Delgado, Sammy Sosa, Brad Wilkerson, Tim Hudson, Pedro Martinez, Adrian Beltre,
Hoyt Wilhelm, Yogi Berra, Robin Yount, Reggie Jackson, Harmon Killebrew</div>
Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-16955052028112728502012-06-03T21:37:00.000-04:002012-09-14T20:17:42.022-04:00MLB Draft Prospect Scouting Report: Joe DeCarlo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/espnhs/recruiting/baseball/players/190/145474.jpg&w=190&h=254" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/espnhs/recruiting/baseball/players/190/145474.jpg&w=190&h=254" /></a></div>
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The Northeast is perpetually understocked on amateur
baseball talent. It is the nature of the
meteorologically uncooperative beast.
There’s not much to see up here, a problem compounded this year by one
of the weaker draft classes the industry has seen in a while. All that made seeing Garnet Valley High
School shortstop, Joe DeCarlo, my top amateur scouting priority of the
Spring. A top 60 recruit on his way to
Georgia, I scouted DeCarlo twice and both times left underwhelmed. Don’t get me wrong, DeCarlo is a talented
young man and there’s plenty to like about him (and I’ll get into all that in a
minute), it just didn’t look to me like this was one of the top high schoolers
in the country. In fact, between what I
saw and the report from Baseball America’s Nathan Rode that DeCarlo was likely
to be selected somewhere between rounds six and ten, I had all but decided
against spending time writing this report.
Then today ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel reported that teams were considering
him in the sandwich round. I can’t
ignore that. Let’s talk Joe DeCarlo.</div>
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Listed at 6’1”, 205lbs, DeCarlo actually looked to be about
my height at 5’11” or so. He is very
physically mature for a high school kid, strong and muscular. It’s nice to look at a kid who’s already
physically mature and know what his body is going to look like as he ages since
it already looks like that. Conversely,
there’s little to no room for DeCarlo to grow and the simple fact that his
physical composition is unlikely to improve, that there’s no frame on which to
dream, hurts his stock. </div>
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Like most premium high school athletes, DeCarlo’s current
defensive residence lies at shortstop.
His hands are terrific and his arm is slightly above average, both
adequate for the position. However, his
instincts and feel for short are sub-par.
Combine that with the probability that age will impede upon his already fringy
range and DeCarlo profiles at third base where he should be just fine.</div>
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Whenever an amateur’s defensive profile pushes him to a
corner, you have to ask yourself if his bat will be strong enough to carry him
to the majors. DeCarlo’s bat is
interesting albeit unconvincing. It’s a
simple swing that doesn’t produce as much power as the body would
indicate. Failing to extend his hands
most of the time, DeCarlo took swings for scouts with a wooden bat after one of
the games I attended and failed to do little more than pepper his high school
field’s outfield with fliners. There are
issues with his base that can be iron out with good coaching. It’s not a stretch to think that the team
that selects DeCarlo will do some mechanical tweaking to see if the pop can be
unleashed. In games DeCarlo shows signs
of advanced pitch recognition for his age.
If embarrassed by a good breaking ball once, the adjustments were made
to prevent it from happening again. </div>
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For what it’s worth, he has a fantastic taste in neckties.</div>
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So there’s a lot to like about Joe DeCarlo but also plenty
to be skeptical about. In a weak draft
class, it’s not moronic to think a team that’s had a good look at him will make
an early move. As a Philly kid, I’ll certainly be rooting for him.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uR2IT4Vf-5Q?fs=1" width="480"></iframe>Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-4465637743085739202012-05-25T13:52:00.000-04:002012-09-14T20:16:28.630-04:00Domonic Brown: Supernova<br />
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<a href="http://www.mcall.com/media/photo/2010-06/140062540-29181644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://www.mcall.com/media/photo/2010-06/140062540-29181644.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I have to accept the
fact that I’m going to be wrong quite a bit in this business. The world of prospecting has a higher rate of
failure than any profession this side of meteorology and learning to deal with
my own misevaluations as well as the vitriol generated therefrom is a process
I’m becoming more familiar with as both the kids I scout and I age. I’m not alone. Go crack open any Baseball America Prospect
Handbook from the past half decade and see just how wrong everyone (the pundits
and the scouts which they use as a supplement to their own opinions) is all the
time. The 2008 BA Handbook has names
like Joba Chamberlain, Travis Snider, Franklin Morales and Brandon Wood
scattered about the entire sport’s top 15 prospects. From elite to extinct,
such is the fate of far too many talented young ballplayers. Prospects fail all the time. I’ve known this
since I started pursuing the art of scouting while I was in college and for the
most part, I’ve made peace with it. So why do I feel nauseous when I even
entertain the idea that it might be happening to Domonic Brown? Because he
might not just become a mistake, he might become<i> my </i>mistake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">If any outsider should
know what has gone wrong with Brown, it should be me. I was there, after all, for most of the
roller coaster ride that has been Brownie’s career during the past few
years. A lowly intern/usher for the
Phillies Triple-A affiliate during my college summers, I was the guy who would
show up early on work days to watch BP, bug the scouts sitting there in their
awful polo shirts and scribble in my notebook during games as I fumbled with my
stopwatch which I constantly dropped. I
was a terrible employee, but I was becoming a damn fine scout. I’ll never forget the humid afternoon Brown
came up from Double-A and proceeded to litter the parking lot beyond the Philly
Pretzel stand in right field with batting practice missiles. It didn’t take long to see that everything
was there. Above average speed, an above
average arm, advanced approach and pitch recognition for his age, average
present power with projection left in the body and dreams of above average
defense in an outfield corner as he grew into his lanky, 6’5” frame and became
more coordinated. Gracing magazine
covers and webpage headlines, Brown was on top of the prospect world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Between then and now,
something has gone horribly awry. Brown
hasn’t homered since August 2<sup>nd</sup> of last year. His swing, especially the lower half, is a mess. He’s constantly late on good velocity. His misadventures in the outfield are
excruciatingly awkward, and not the sort of “Hunter Pence/Larry David, I’m
weird but I don’t give a shit and I make it work” awkward, but more of a
“Michael Cera, self aware, it’s so bad I need to divert my eyes” awkward. He sports a sub-.300 OBP to this point and has
just 3 steals at a paltry 50% success rate.
People, possibly including the Phillies front office, are giving up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The causes of this tragic
collapse are difficult to nail down.
Scouts are perplexed. I asked
Baseball Prospectus writer, Kevin Goldstein, to comment on Brown: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I’m confused
too…everyone is.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The response’s
simplicity juxtaposes how complicated the problems probably are. I have my theories, of course. In my opinion this shit sandwich was spawned
from some combination of the tinkering Phillies instructors did with Brown’s
swing upon his first arrival to the majors, the long lasting effects of the broken
hamate bone Brown suffered last year, the constant jerking back and forth
between the majors and minors he has endured and whatever psychological trauma
has eradicated his confidence as a result of all that stuff I just mentioned. It’s a developmental cocktail mixed to induce
failure and Brownie has had to drink it.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The worst part is that
all of this is happening at a time when the Phillies big league roster has
begun to crumple into a mediocre, geriatric heap. It’d be nice to have an infusion of offense
and youth into the lineup, but without performing well in the Lehigh Valley,
there’s little justification to promote Brown and anoint him the savior. While I’m discouraged, there’s too much
talent there to lose all hope, and I’ll be monitoring Brown carefully (I watch
every single one of his at bats on MiLB.TV every day) waiting to drink from the
cup that still runneth over with ability.
For now, while he tries to work things out, he’ll be booed on a regular
basis by ignorant old men who know nothing beyond the fact that Brown was a top
prospect who isn’t panning out. It can’t
be easy and it can’t be fun. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As much as
I’d like to give Domonic Brown an elixir to solve his baseball problems, I’d
like to give him a manly hug and tell him that some of us realize this mostly
isn’t his fault and that we’re not giving up on him. After the vigor and conviction with which I
once touted Brown’s future stardom, I might need one too. </span> </div>
<br />Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008553092008686913.post-21806995223032245392012-04-20T00:54:00.002-04:002012-09-14T20:13:35.633-04:00MLB Draft Prospect Scouting Report: Matt Bowman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://blogs.princeton.edu/paw/assets_c/2012/04/baseball_12_BKS-thumb-300x166-16015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qda="true" src="http://blogs.princeton.edu/paw/assets_c/2012/04/baseball_12_BKS-thumb-300x166-16015.jpg" /></a></div>
Princeton two-way player Matt Bowman had a little bit of heat on him when I caught the Tigers double header against Harvard a little while ago. Scouts from Toronto, Cleveland and San Diego were in attendance and two-thirds of them left after Bowman pitched, neglecting to see him play shortstop, at least on this afternoon. It makes sense since it seems clear Bowman's best chance to make an impact at the professional level is on the mound rather than at short. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.destructoid.com/elephant/ul/111383-lincecum_header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="140" src="http://www.destructoid.com/elephant/ul/111383-lincecum_header.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At just 6'1", 175lb, Bowman will have the "short righty" stigma working against him in draft war rooms. He's quite skinny, skinny enough that he could put on weight without his stuff/tools going backwards and maybe even add a little velocity if he gets stronger in the right places (his legs). Bowman's diminutive stature means he needs to incorporate his entire body in his delivery to generate the velocity he'll need to compete in the pros. For the most part he does it, utilizing his lower half (It's clear when you watch Bowman's mechanics that he's doing his best Tim Lincecum impression) to launch himself off the mound . After watching video from 2011 you can tell Bowman has lengthened his stride and continuing that trend while adding muscle in his thighs and ass might yield a bit more heat. He has the athleticism to repeat a delivery of this type. The top half of Bowman's over-the-top delivery is fine. There's no extreme violence that would raise concerns about his ability to throw strikes or indicate a heightened risk of injury.<br />
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Bowman's stuff doesn't blow you away but it's nothing to scoff at. His fastball sits 88-89mph touching as high as 91mph. That's average velocity but the pitch plays down a bit due to how straight it is both vertically and horizontally. Bowman is already at a disadvantage due to his height. He's not going to get natural downhill plane on his fastball. At the next level he's going to have to find a way to make the heater wiggle or sink.<br />
<br />
Bowman features three secondary offerings; a changeup, curveball and slider. Of the three, he worked most often with a low-70s curve which suited him just fine against Ivy League hitters but likely won't garner swings and misses from professionals. It has decent depth but its break isn't sharp. The slider shows much more potential. It was inconsistent but flashed nasty, two-plane movement here and there. Scouts nearby mentioned their desire for him to use it more often. Bowman's most consistent offspeed pitch was his changeup which sat in the upper 70s. It showed promising fade and run but Bowman noticeably decelerates his arm.<br />
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Other ancillary stuff you might want to know about Bowman:<br />
<br />
He obviously fields his position well since, when he's not pitching, he's playing shortstop.<br />
<br />
He holds runners well. I timed him in the 1.25-1.35 second range from the stretch. He varies the height of his leg kick from the stretch as well, to screw with baserunners and the timing of the hitter. <br />
<br />
Bowman is a slightly below average runner, timed at 4.35 seconds from the right side from home to first. <br />
He is adequate at shortstop, not spectacular, and I'm bearish on his ability to hit at the next level.<br />
<br />
Other note: Bowman's teammate Sam Mulroy is a pretty interesting prospect in his own right. He's an above average runner who plays center field, third base and catches. It takes a few trips to properly scout a swiss army knife like Mulroy. I'd like to see him again if I can, but the drive may prevent me from doing so.<br />
<br />Longenhagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05884989601288267674noreply@blogger.com0