5/6/10

DRAFT: - Rett Varner, Chevez Clarke, Joe DiRocco, Cole Green... and Peter Tago

Rett Varner:

4-30 from: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/4/30/1451211/casing-the-states-texas-part-four#storyjump  - RHP Varner entered the spring as one of the better collegiate arms available, though he was already 22 when the season started. He started out the spring as the Sunday starter on a team that was better-known for having Michael Choice, and he's since improved to the Saturday role. His natural stuff is solid and has some upside, as he carries a rather thin 6'4'' frame with him to the mound. His fastball is a slightly above-average fastball in the 91-93 range, and he complements it with a solid-average curveball and changeup, and he projects as a #3/4 starter in the long run. The big concern now is durability and questionable results against relatively weak college bats, and he needs to really work on commanding his pitches down in the zone. He gives up too many home runs for the competition he faces, and even though he will always work as a fly ball pitcher, he needs to be more consistent about missing down rather than up. If he firms up his command of his secondaries, he could be a helium prospect, but for now he's an early second day arm with some potential. Projected Draft Range: 4th-7th Round

Chevez Clarke:

5-1 from: - link  - Chevez Clarke, OF, Marietta High School, Marietta, Georgia - A classic tools outfielder, Clarke features plus speed and good power potential in his 6-1, 190 frame. Signed to Georgia Tech, he's highly-regarded defensively but is still rather raw with the bat. Three years of college ball would probably be good for his stick, but given the relative lack of hitting in this class he could go early enough to stay away from college. His defense is potentially outstanding once he gets more experience. I see him as a target for the bottom of the first round, attractive to teams like the Angels, Yankees, and Rays. The Phillies, picking at 27, also like this type of player.

Joe DiRocco:

5-4 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/05/03/big-east-baseball-honors-2/#more-25979  - Seton Hall righthanded pitcher Joe DiRocco and Louisville first baseman Andrew Clark are the winners of the BIG EAST’s weekly baseball honors for the week-ending May 2. DiRocco earned the victory in a 3-1 win at USF on April 30. The junior pitched eight innings and allowed only one run, which came in the first inning. The righthander struck out seven and threw four 1-2-3 innings while never facing more than five batters in one inning all game. This is DiRocco’s first Pitcher of the Week honor and the first weekly recognition for Seton Hall this season

Cole Green:

5-4 from: - http://web.goldenspikesaward.com/index.html?page=news_archive&article_id=68  - But over the last three weeks, no pitcher in college baseball has been better than Cole Green. The Longhorns' Saturday starter threw a one-hit shutout two weeks ago at Texas A&M, then allowed just four hits while blanking Oklahoma State last week. This week against Baylor, the junior right-hander carried another shutout into the ninth inning before allowing an unearned run, snapping a streak of 30 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings. He finished with five strikeouts, allowing one walk and six hits over 8 1/3 innings in a brilliant no-decision, as Texas went on to win 2-1 in 14 innings. In 78 innings, Green is 9-0 with 55 strikeouts and 19 walks.




Peter Tago:

5-5 from: - http://baseballbeginnings.com/2010/05/05/peter-tago-update  - As a minor league pro in the likely not-so-distant future, we’re going to see this guy start to pitch with his change-up and his slider a lot more. Those looks are going to be much cleaner looks than this one, because he’s going to be able to throw everything, and he’ll let loose whatever velocity he holds back in high school baseball. Over time, Tago will need to continue to develop some of the little things you can see him paying attention to right now, things such as pitching from the stretch and perfecting his slide step. In the second inning, Tago averaged 93 and hit 94 four times, including one sequence where he went 93, 94, 94, 93, 92 and 94. His final pitch of the inning was a hard 75 breaking ball. Tago’s true curveball is so sharp that some call it a slider, but Tago himself said he distinguishes between the two pitches and has preferred the curveball recently.

No comments: