Mack Draft Report - Blake Swihart , Terry Collins, Johnny Ruettiger, Shawon Dunston Jr, Jason Esposito, Danny Hultzen, and Jordan Smith

The Mack Draft Report - Dec. 9, 2010

Any discussion of backstops at the Area Code Games must start with Blake Swihart (Cleveland HS, Rio Rancho, N.M.). Swihart is a switch-hitter with the potential for a plus hit tool and above-average power thanks to his bat speed and strong wrists. Throughout the event, he sprayed line drives around the field, suffering through an uncommon number of "at 'em" balls that resulted in loud outs. He is generally short to contact and showed a high degree of pitch recognition by adapting to a variety of arms. Defensively, Swihart is a comfortable receiver that exhibits a solid feel for the craft, but where he really shines is in his catch-and-throw game. He has a nice release and excellent carry on his throws to second and third, which is made possible by his plus arm strength, good body control and athleticism. Though he wasn't tested much, he routinely recorded sub-1.9 pop times to second. Swihart is a good athlete who is also a solid defender in the outfield and at the infield corners. He should be on the short list of potential first round prep players and is likely to be the top catcher at any level entering the spring. - http://diamondscapescouting.com/articles_2010acg_wraps_part1_11162010.html  



Brian Costa

 Terry Collins: - CSB  - Terry Collins is the first Northwoods League manager to later become a manager at the Major League level. Collins, a former Duluth Huskies' field manager, was named the New York Mets' manager on November 23rd. The Michigan native is familiar with the Met organization as he spent the 2010 season as the Minor League field coordinator. The 61-year old joined the Duluth Huskies midway through the 2009 season after coaching the Chinese national team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. During his tenure with the Huskies he posted a 5-9 record, but his impact far exceeded the win/loss record. Collins passed on his experiences within professional baseball while also improving the Huskies' players

Johnny Ruettiger: - CBD   - Johnny’s sophomore season saw him play in 55 games (54 starts) as he hit .351 with four homers and 35 RBI. He was patient at the plate as he drew 30 walks while showing decent speed with 10 stolen bases. He spent the summer of 2010 in the Cape Cod Baseball League again with the Harbor Hawks. This past summer he ended up hitting .369 with five RBI in 27 games. His .369 batting average was tops in the league as he edged out Memphis outfielder Drew Martinez for the batting title. Ruettigger participated in the Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star game where he went 0-5

Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League Board - CSB -league.html - Has Inaugural Meeting - New Collegiate League Set To Kickoff in 2011 - The Board of Directors of the newly formed Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League had its initial meeting on the weekend of November 20 in Amsterdam, NY. All eight of the league’s members were represented at the meeting along with Brad Clement, Vice-President of Development at Perfect Game USA. The league, which basically contains some of the stronger franchises that defected from the New York Collegiate Baseball League, will begin play in 2011. At the meeting, bylaws were accepted, league wide goals and expansion plans were written, stadium projects laid out, and other general league practices discussed.

Shawon Dunston Jr. was one of more heavily recruited young baseball players in the high school class of 2011. The son of a former Major Leaguer, he is enjoying life growing up in the San Francisco Bay area of Northern California. And when it came to making the decision as to where he would attend college, he decided Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., was where he wanted to be. After making the decision, he couldn’t sign his national letter of intent for several days until he got the final OK from the Vanderbilt admissions office. Not just anyone is allowed to walk into Vanderbilt’s classrooms, not even the son of a former Major-Leaguer. But it all worked out in the end for the young outfielder. - http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=5131



http://diamondscapescouting.com/  - Via Twitter, Baseball America high school writer Nathan Rode reports that Farragut High School (Knoxville, Tenn.) will host Science Hill High School (Johnson City, Tenn.) on Saturday, April 30, 2011. The game is sure to attract a standing army of area scouts, regional crosscheckers and scouting directors, as it will feature three of the top high school players in the country, with Science Hill lefthander Daniel Norris expected to square off against Farragut lefthander Philip Pfeifer and catcher/third baseman Nicky Delmonico.

Indiana: - http://www.collegebaseballdaily.com/  - The Indiana Baseball team won their second straight title in 2010. Not on the diamond, but in flag football intramurals, with head coach Tracy Smith quarterbacking the team. ”I am about teaching our kids there is value in winning. I don’t care what you are doing, it is better to win than lose.” Winning was common for Hoosiers in 2009 on the diamond, when they entered the Big Ten Tournament as the three seed and swept through it on their way to their first Big Ten Title under Tracy Smith since he took over the program in 2006. After an injury plagued 2010 that saw them squeak into the Big Ten Tournament, the Hoosiers look to come out swinging in 2011.

Maryland: - http://baseballdraftreport.com/  - Even for a guy like me who doesn’t quite know what’s up with college baseball, it’s plain to see the talent level at Maryland is on the rise. Former Vanderbilt assistant Erik Bakich has done an incredible job of recruiting since getting hired in 2009. Would you believe me if I told you there could be up to fifteen Terrapins taken in this June’s draft? That’s obviously a perfect world projection where no player gets hurt, stalls in his development, or just plain falls flat on his fast, but the downside (say, a half dozen?) is still a pretty impressive draft output for a school to produce. I’m happy for Maryland, yes, but I’m a little peeved at the timing. See, it wasn’t too long ago that I had all sorts of nice connections down in and around Washington DC. Now that the Maryland program has finally grown into something worth seeing, I’ve lost all but the most tenuous of holds on my one strong Beltway hookup. What a bummer. Timing is everything, I guess.

Jason Esposito SS, Vanderbilt - http://www.draftsite.com/article/2011-MLB-Draft-Preview-College-Hitters/43  - If ever there was a player in this class that just looked like a natural baseball player, it is Jason Esposito. At 6’1" and 198 lbs, he has an extremely athletic build to compliment his exceptionally fluid actions. At the plate Esposito’s swing is incredibly smooth, balanced and athletic. The lack of wasted movement and bat speed allow him to make consistent contact and produce very good power. In the field he is very quick and agile, with soft hands and more than enough arm strength. Esposito has everything he needs to move up draft boards, and with another productive season, he should hear his name early

SP Danny Hultzen – Virginia 6’3”, 200, L/L - Hultzen excelled immediately upon stepping onto Virginia’s campus, being named the ACC freshman of the year for both his effectiveness as both a pitcher and as a hitter as the Cavaliers marched towards Omaha. While he has a disciplined eye at the plate and a smooth lefty swing, his upside is greater on the mound. He followed up his successful freshman year with an even better year, being named the ACC’s pitcher of the year serving as the team’s Friday ace. In two years he is 20-2, and shows very good command of a polished four-pitch repertoire. He hits his spots and changes speeds very well, much like a finesse lefty, consistently sitting in the upper-80s to low-90s with the ability to touch 94 in the early innings. That mix makes him not only difficult to hit, but difficult to hit hard. His big, slow curveball, slider and change are above average to plus pitches, although there isn’t a huge break his slider, and all three make his fastball that much more effective. He is competitive and poised on the mound, and doesn’t seem to get rattled on the mound. Heavy workloads after both his freshman and sophomore years led to him not participating in summer ball the last two years. http://www.5tooltalk.com/topprospects.html  

Jordan Smith: - http://www.collegesummerbaseball.net/2010/12/top-performers-from-2010-jordan-smith.html  - My next top performer from the 2010 summer season is Jordan Smith of the Willmar Stingers. Jordan is a sophomore outfielder and a local product from Willmar, MN. He is 6-4/210 pounds and was a star at Willmar High School. He was simply outstanding as a Freshman last year. He hit .457/.829/.521 in 210 at-bats. He smacked 15 home runs, drove in 78 runners and stole 17 bases for the Huskies. He also had a .991 fielding percentage last year. He was named the NSIC Freshman of the Year, the 2010 Daktronics Honorable Mention All-American, and he was named the NSIC Gold Glove Winner.