4/4/10

DRAFT: - Brett Eibner, Drew Pomeranz, Deck McGuire, Shea Vucinich... and Chris Sale

Brett Eibner:


4-2 from: - http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=2050  - Brett Eibner, rhp/of, Arkansas - "I like him as a pitcher. You could certainly take him pretty high as a hitter too. He has a bit of a long swing. He has good power and he's a good athlete out in the field, but his arm doesn't play as well in the field as it does on the mound. But on the mound he does everything real easy. He looks like he's playing catch and it's 92-94 (mph). And for a guy who's playing both ways, you figure he's not getting as much time either way, you think he might be able to take off once he just focuses on one of the two. I know the whole situation with the Astros coming out of high school (he didn't sign as a fourth-round pick) is because he wanted to be a position player, and I haven't really sat down with him yet to figure out if his thinking has changed on that at this point, but I see him as a significantly better prospect as a pitcher than as a position player. His secondary stuff is good. He flashes a plus slider and the changeup is coming along. He didn't throw the changeup the first time I saw him in the game. The first couple outings were just three innings or so and he pretty much cruised on just the fastball and the slider. But he's shown feel for the changeup in the bullpen, and I know he's started to mix it in more as his outings are getting a little bit longer. Again, he's pretty much coming out of center field and doing what he's doing. You think both of those are going to get better as he focuses fully on pitching."

Drew Pomeranz

4-1 from: http://web.goldenspikesaward.com/index.html?page=news_archive&article_id=62  - Pomeranz pitches at 90-94 mph with his fastball, and as Bianco points out, "Not only is it a premium fastball with velocity, but it's not straight, and he can throw it in to right-handed hitters and left-handed hitters. It has a lot of life and really good command." His devastating knuckle-curveball has become even more of a power pitch than it was in the past, increasing in velocity from 76-78 mph a couple of years ago to 79-82 now. And his improved changeup gives him a third weapon to use against righties sitting on his fastball.

Deck McGuire:

4-3 from: - http://www.baseballrumormill.com: - A match up between two of the premiere pitchers in college baseball, Georgia Tech's Deck McGurie and UNC's Matt Harvey, lived up to pre-game expectations. Although both pitchers left with the game tied at 1-1, Georgia Tech ultimately prevailed, 2-1. Here are the pitching lines of the two first-round prospects: McGuire: 7.0IP, 110 pitches, 6H, 3BB, 1ER, 10K - Harvey: 7.0IP, 135 pitches, 3H, 6BB, 2R, 1ER, 11K - Although the WHIP and ERA for the game are the same for both pitchers and strikeouts is almost identical, scouts watching the game felt that McGuire was the sharper pitcher, something supported by his fewer walks and pitches.




Shea Vucinich -

4-1 from http://baseballdraftreport.com/  - Washington State JR SS Shea Vucinich - Height, Weight: 6-0, 183 - FR – .316/.357/.440 (8 BB/34 K; 2-5 SB) - SO – .230/.341/.377 (27 BB/41 K; 8-10 SB) - JR – .358/.460/.604 (6 BB/13 K; 3-4 SB) - Reports on Vucinich’s defense vary depending on the day, but most seem to agree his upside with the glove is significant. I’ve even heard some evaluators touting him as a potential plus defender up the middle. He also has shown good power potential throughout his career with the Cougars. That’s the good news. The less good news is centered around Vucinich’s aggressive approach at the plate. His free swinging ways help explain some of power output (swing hard at anything around the plate and sometimes the ball goes very far), but it’s also gotten him in trouble in the past. Something about his skill set had me really curious about locking down some worthwhile comps. Best two I came up with are former Padres starting SS/2B Damian Jackson (44th rounder) and current Red Sox minor leaguer Tug Hulett (14th rounder). It wouldn’t surprise me to see Vucinich split the difference between the two, both in eventual draft landing spot and pro career accomplishments.

Chris Sale:

4-4 from: http://www.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?topic_id=8080130&content_id=7243409 - Chris Sale – P - Florida Gulf Coast University, Jr. - Birthdate: 3/30/1989 -Height: 6'5" - Weight: 175 lbs. - Bats: Left - Throws: Left - Report Date(s): 3/19/10 - Game(s): Stetson - Scouting Report - Fastball: Sale throws his fastball up to 94, sitting comfortably at 90-92 mph. Fastball movement: It's got lots of sink, generating a ton of ground balls. Curve: It's got a sweepy slurve break, a potential wipeout pitch to left-handed hitters. It has some lateness to it. Changeup: It's a good pitch with a chance to be a plus offering. He uses it typically against right-handed hitters, and there's some action and life to it. Control: Sale is a strike-thrower who doesn't hurt himself with walks.

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