The Mack Draft Report - Dec. 7, 2010 - Eric Jaffe, Brian Johnson, Alfredo Rodriguez, Tina Gust, B.A. Vollmouth, Jed Bradley

The Mack Draft Report - Dec. 7, 2010

Cal: - http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/baseball/news?slug=kr-calcollegebaseball120610  - There have been programs in past years get the axe, but no elimination has received as much media coverage and attention for obvious reasons. No offense to Providence and other schools that have gone through this, but this is California, a major institution, a Pac-10 school, and a national name that we’re talking about. Sympathy for Esquer and the Golden Bears recently reached another level when sources divulged that star freshman Eric Jaffe likely would be transferring to UCLA during the Christmas break, and that star pitcher Justin Jones also would be transferring from the program. Jones has indicated he won’t transfer until after the spring, and only if the Golden Bears don’t reinstate the program. The Bears likely won’t be as lucky with Jaffe



Brian Johnson – 12-7-10 from: - http://www.collegebaseballdaily.com/2010/12/07/brian-johnson-florida-top-100-countdown  - He spent the summer of 2010 with the USA Collegiate National Team serving mostly in a pitching role. He ended up appearing in seven games (one start) while going 1-0 with a 0.63 ERA in 14.1 innings of work. He did get two official at-bats on the summer while accumulating one RBI without getting a hit. We have included one inning from his appearance against Chinese Taipei below where he pitched the final three innings in a USA extra inning victory. In extra innings for international baseball, the innings start with two runners on base and no outs thus being a very difficult position to be in.



Alfredo Rodriguez: - 12-7-10 from: - http://baseballdraftreport.com/  - The most highly regarded returning Terrapins prospect is JR SS Alfredo Rodriguez. Rodriguez is a really good defender who will definitely stick at short as a pro. He made strides with the bat last spring, but is still almost exclusively a singles hitter at this point. Needless to say, great defense or not, I’m not as high on him as I know some are



Tina Gust: - http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/business/?p=470  - Minor League Baseball announced this afternoon that Tina Gust will become the first female vice president in the national association's 109-year history following her promotion to vp of business development. Gust joined MILB in 1998 as an assistant in the organization's licensing department.



B.A. Vollmouth SS, Southern Miss - http://www.draftsite.com/article/2011-MLB-Draft-Preview-College-Hitters/43  - Vollmouth, like many of the top college hitters in this class, has plenty of power. When watching him, his bat does not look extremely fast, but it is because his swing is very smooth, balanced and easy. His 6’4" frame also allows him to build up plenty of leverage to produce towering shots. Around the plate Vollmouth has very good coverage and is extremely patient, which helped him lead Southern Miss in walks. Interestingly, B.A. wears only one batting glove at the plate on his left hand. As great as Vollmouth is with the bat, defensively his game is somewhat flawed. Playing shortstop, he committed 24 errors in part due to so-so range to go with sub-par speed. His arm is strong and accurate though and with the lack of athleticism many predict he will end up at third base. It will be his bat that takes him to the next level, and if he can continue to produce, Vollmouth should be one of the top hitters selected.



SP Jed Bradley - Georgia Tech - 6’4”, 220 L/L Bradley was leading the Cape in strikeouts before he decided to end his summer a few weeks before the end of the league. He was extremely impressive last summer following up a good, not great sophomore year at Georgia Tech in which he followed Deck McGuire in the weekend rotation. He has a tall, sturdy workhorse frame that allows him to maintain his velocity deep into games while also pitching long innings over the course of a full season. His fastball sits in the upper-80s to low-90s with the ability to reach a few ticks higher than that. His delivery is sound, he commands his fastball extremely well, and the ball explodes out of his hand. He also effectively mixes in a slider and a changeup, both of which he’s able to throw in just about any count. Bradley is one of the more polished pitchers available for next year’s draft and he will get the opportunity to continue to improve his draft status as the Yellow Jackets Friday starter next spring. - http://www.5tooltalk.com/topprospects.html