Patrick Johnson, Adam Griffin, Daniel Peterson, Trevor Bauer, Bubba Starling

North Carolina’s Patrick Johnson: Johnson might not light up the radar gun like previous staff aces Matt Harvey and Alex White, but he’s a stud in his own right. The talented right-handed pitcher put together another fantastic start in a 7-1 triumph over Wake Forest. Johnson struck out nine and allowed just three hits in 5 2/3 shutout innings. Johnson improved to 3-0 with the victory. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=5352








2nd time seeing Adam Griffin in as many weeks, he was pin straight, max effort with fb at 90-94, doesn't fool hitters, breaking ball he changes his arm slot and speed of delivery which tips the hitters. He's going to be a good college pitcher and end up being drafted or "over drafted" by some ML club. http://xmlbscout.angelfire.com/







•Troy’s Daniel Peterson hit two homers in a doubleheader sweep over New Orleans as the Trojans upped their record to 12-3 on the year. If they continue at this pace, they will be able to compete with both FIU and FAU for a conference title in late May. http://www.collegebaseballdaily.com/2011/03/13/foleys-quick-hits-for-march-12th







Trevor Bauer is a 20 year old junior right handed pitcher out of North Hollywood, CA. According to his UCLA player profile,his favorite pro player is Tim Lincecum, and when trying to project Bauer Lincecum is the first player that comes to mind. The comparison isn't perfect, of course. Bauer (listed at 6'2', 185) is bigger than Lincecum, and while at first glance their delivery's look similar (for a great slo-mo video of Bauer in last year's Houston Classic click here) closer looks reveal some differences. Most prominently, Bauer doesn't recreate Lincecum's now-famous "dangle," where his pitching arm hangs loose straight down towards the ground. In addition, Bauer's stride isn't nearly as long as Lincecum's. The thing that gives me pause the most about Bauer's delivery, however, is his seeming inability to repeat it. As I watched, his landing foot seemed to land in a different place every time, and was dramatically different between the stretch and the windup. On the plus side, Bauer is famous for his incredible work ethic and work-out routine, and his delivery avoids the dreaded "inverted W" that has been fingered as the culprit to many arm injuries. http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2011/3/13/2048528/notes-on-trevor-bauer-3-12-vs-st-marys







If Starling realizes his potential, he'll be a five-tool center fielder. He has lots of strength and leverage in his 6-foot-5, 180-pound frame, not to mention above-average speed. Arm strength? He throws 93 mph off the mound, though his future is definitely as a position player. He's also one of the nation's top college quarterback recruits and has accepted a football scholarship from Nebraska, though he's expected to give up the gridiron when he's an early first-round pick in June. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/ask-ba/2011/2611416.html

Tyler Hanover, Logan Verrett, Eddie Gaedel, Gerritt Cole, Alex Meyer

LSU's Tyler Hanover brought home the go-ahead run in the eighth inning with a bases-loaded walk and closer Matty Ott fired a perfect ninth to preserve the Tigers' 7-6 victory over Cal State Fullerton. The Tigers (14-1) made several spectacular plays defensively, including a pair of diving catches by center fielder Mikie Mahtook, and took advantage of three Titans' errors to secure the win. Freshman starter Kevin Gausman went seven solid innings, allowing four earned runs on four hits and two walks. http://sebaseball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1199630  







Baylor’s Logan Verrett: The Bears and Verrett had a night to remember on the way to a 7-0 victory over Louisiana Tech. Verrett had a career performance against the Bulldogs, striking out 14 and allowing just one hit in a complete game shutout. Verrett is another solid prospect that continues to increase his stock. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=5352  






Most fans of baseball history are aware of the story of Eddie Gaedel, the only little person to appear in a major league game. At 3-foot-7, Gaedel was the subject of a publicity stunt by baseball's master of publicity stunts, Bill Veeck, who was then the owner of the sad-sack St. Louis Browns. Gaedel pinch-hit in the first inning of the back end of a doubleheader, drew a walk on four pitches -- the pitcher, Bob Cain, apparently laughing too hard to throw a strike -- and was removed for a pinch-runner. The next day, American League president Will Harridge voided Gaedel's contract, although by that point Veeck had already achieved his objective. http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog?name=mlb_draft&id=6215041&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fmlb%2fblog%3fname%3dmlb_draft%26id%3d6215041  






UCLA JR RHP Gerrit Cole (2011): 4-seam: really easy 92-96 four-seam FB, 97-99 FB peak; 98 on last pitch of opening day complete game; told by scout that he is unique in that he appears to hit 98 “whenever he wants” with FB; between velocity, movement, and improved command, the FB is a legit plus-plus pitch; speaking of command…relatively poor FB command through middle of sophomore season, but the improvement in this area has been nothing short of remarkable; holds velocity exceptionally well; 2-seam: 92-94 two-seam FB with above-average sink; Cutter: not personally 100% sold on the difference between the two-seam and the cutter (remember: I’m no professional, just a guy with a hobby), but enough smart people are labeling the pitch as a cut fastball at 87-91; Slider: plus 81-87 SL (more commonly and more effectively thrown harder at 86-88); was clocked harder still (consistently 87-89) on SL this past summer; Change: personal favorite offering is his excellent sinking extra firm 83-87 (!) CU with plus upside; pitch seems to get better with every outing; http://baseballdraftreport.com/  






Pitcher of the week: RHP Alex Meyer (UK) •Stats: 1-0, 9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 13 SO - •Honorable Mention: Mike Nastold (UofL), Justin Amlung (UofL), Matt Koch (UofL), Tanner Perkins (WKU), Brian Edelen (WKU), Jordan Cooper (UK), Taylor Rogers (UK), Corey Littrell (UK), Braden Kapteyn (UK), Jake Donze (Murray St.), Tyler Beers (Murray St.), Bryan Babin (Murray St.), Stephen Hefler (EKU), Chris Hord (EKU), Matt Fyffe (EKU), Matthew Robertson (Morehead St.) http://blugrassbaseball.com/  

Matt Purke, Seth Maness, Taylor Jungmann, Tommy Toledo, Ronnie Freeman

Matt Purke - Purke entered the game on a 60-70 pitch count, and I thought he would be done after five innings at 62 pitches. He came back in for the sixth, and struck out the first batter he faced, and issued the only walk on the day in the middle of two groundouts, finishing the day at 82 pitches. He had six punchouts on the day, allowing only that one walk and the one hit.

http://www.5tooltalk.com/2011-notes-3-7-11.html




East Carolina’s Seth Maness: Virginia coach Brian O’Connor raved about ECU’s pitching staff earlier this week, and it’s now easy to see why. ECU ace pitcher Seth Maness tossed a gem in a 2-0 win over Pepperdine. Maness, a senior right-hander, struck out 11 and allowed just two hits in a complete game shutout. He also only had to throw 101 pitches to get the job done.

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=5324  




Perhaps the only Friday starter throwing as well as Hultzen has been Texas' Taylor Jungmann. He drew Stanford, which continued its string of very tough matchups to start the 2011 season. Jungmann beat Mark Appel, 4-3, going 8 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on six hits, walking none and striking out nine. He's now 3-0 with a 1.01 ERA over 26 2/3 IP. He's allowed just 15 hits and one walk while striking out 27. -

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?
ymd=20110307&content_id=16850506&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&tcid=tw_article_16850506


RHP, Tommy Toledo for Florida showed a plus fb up to 97 on the jugs a bit of a slinger, he came in the middle of the game and competed well and showed a hard downer cb which he called a slider. For me a breaking pitch that goes down is a cb, one that goes side to side is a slider. He's a candidate to be a closer or setup man quickly. A bit stiff in his upper body but very good arm strength. For me a 8-12 round guy in 2011.

http://xmlbscout.angelfire.com/  




Ronnie Freeman broke the Kennesaw State baseball all-time hit streak mark as he had a hit in his 42nd consecutive game, but the Owls lost a sixth-inning lead as No. 2-ranked Vanderbilt rallied for a, 9-5, victory at Hawkins Field on Wednesday evening. The big news of the night was Freeman and his fourth inning single to center field that broke the 12-year old record set by former KSU All-American and NCAA Division II Player of the Year, Jason Jones. The Owls sophomore, who had walked in the first inning and was hit by a pitch in the second, now has the 12th longest streak in NCAA history and the fifth longest streak in Division I history.

http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/03/10/ksus-freeman-extends-hitting-streak

E.J. Encinosa, Jose Fernandez, Garrett Buechele, Andrew Susac, Jason Van Skike

E.J. Encinosa - Encinosa is a big fella, listed at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds. There is a little softness to his stature, so he will have to watch his conditioning moving forward, but overall he is a pretty sturdy and durable looking righty. He has what I call a ‘lazy’ delivery, in that it doesn’t look like he puts as much effort into it as he could, landing rather upright while slinging the ball from a low, frisbee type three-quarters delivery. He doesn’t appear to be over-powering, but did a good job pounding the zone while throwing a decent curve, slider and change. He snapped off a few breaking balls in this game that looked significantly better than others, and a few of the changeups he threw really had nice fading action to them. http://www.5tooltalk.com/2011-notes-3-7-11.html



Jose Fernandez - The Alonso right-hander was initially ruled ineligible for the 2011 season because of a Florida High School Athletic Association rule that gives a player four consecutive calendar years of eligibility from the date he begins ninth grade. Fernandez began 9th grade in Cuba in 2006, but it was ruled in November that his lost year was due to his move from Cuba, and he is eligible for the 2011 season. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=5315  






Don't try telling Garrett Buechele that the new bats are depressing power numbers. Through three weeks, Oklahoma's junior third baseman has more home runs than No. 2 Vanderbilt, No. 5 Texas, No. 6 Cal State Fullerton, No. 11 Virginia and No. 13 UCLA combined. He has as many homers—five—as No. 9 Arizona State and No. 10 Clemson have each hit as a team. http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/college/?p=4176  






Catching is always in high demand, especially backstops from the college ranks who might move a little faster. Oregon State's Andrew Susac, a Draft-eligible sophomore, is off to the kind of start teams hoped to see. In a four-game series against Hartford, Susac went 7-for-13 with two homers, two doubles and eight RBIs. Overall, he hitting .441 (15-for-34) and slugging .853. -


http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110307&content_id=16850506&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&tcid=tw_article_16850506  






Indiana State’s Jason Van Skike tossed a no-hitter in Saturday’s 8-0 win over Central Arkansas. It’s the school’s 10th all-time no-hitter, but the first nine inning no-no for a Sycamore since 1943. Van Skike needed 143 pitches to complete the gem, which still had its share of base runners. Van Skike struck out five, but he walked eight batters and hit one more. http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/03/07/college-baseball-360-week-3-notebook  

Joe Flynn, Travis Shaw, Charles Tilson, Corey Knebel , John Stilson

Joe Flynn had one fine outing for Franklin Pierce on the 5th of March. He picked up his first win of the season by throwing 8 quality innings of baseball. He allowed just 1 run on 4 hits and he fanned 7 on the night. He didn't allow a walk during his start either. Joe will be returning to the Wareham Gatemen for his 2nd season this summer. http://www.collegesummerbaseball.net/2011/03/summer-league-related-stat-lines-from_1545.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter





Travis Shaw - Shaw’s home run to open the seventh was a towering bomb that carried well over the fence in left-centerfield. He put such as easy swing on a fastball that caught the outer half of the strike zone that it was easy to recognize his power potential. He has long legs and hits from a slightly open stance. He holds his hands low and overall shows a pretty good eye at the plate. He’s a left-handed hitter with a pronounced uppercut to his swing, and when the bat leaves his shoulder he doesn’t get cheated. At third base he made all of the plays he needed to showing a strong arm for the position. Russell Branyan comes to mind when watching Shaw play. http://www.5tooltalk.com/2011-notes-3-5-11.html  






Charles Tilson, of, New Trier HS, Winnetka, Ill. Much of the scouting community is behind the curve on Tilson, mainly because he traditionally played summer ball for his local high-school team and hasn’t ventured far from Chicago, with the notable exception of last summer’s Area Code Games. Area scouts are still trying to figure him out from conversations I’ve had with them, but when I saw him in Long Beach, Calif., playing against many of the best players in the country, he was a potential first-round pick for five straight days. He was that good every day. Tilson’s combination of tools, skills and performance will have scouts quickly comparing him to a younger Johnny Damon. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=5302  






Freshman righthander Corey Knebel has demonstrated similar poise in tight spots, making him an out-of-nowhere force in late-game situations. On Friday, he inherited a two-on, two-out jam from Jungmann in the ninth and escaped by getting Brian Ragira to ground out, ending the game. Knebel picked up another save Sunday, striking out three over the final two innings. He extracted Texas from a bases-loaded, no-out jame in the eighth by inducing a huge 3-6-1 double play—on which Garrido credited Knebel for showing the presence and athleticism to get to the first base bag in time. He struck out the next batter with a 91 mph fastball to strand a runner on third. http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/college/?p=4176  






The scouts weren't there just to see Rice. Texas A&M ace John Stilson got a no-decision as the Aggies lost to the University of Utah on Friday, but he was strong once again. The right-hander went six innings, allowing one run on six hits and two walks while striking out 10. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110307&content_id=16850506&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&tcid=tw_article_16850506  

Jason Zylstra, Kyle Hooper, Tyler Marlette, Dylan Maples, Jake Barrett

University of Alabama baseball pitcher Jason Zylstra, a junior right-hander, is at UAB Medical Center after being severely injured in a "freak" weightlifting accident Thursday evening, a source told TideSports.com. Officials at the University of Alabama would not comment due to student medical privacy concerns. A source said Zylstra was taking part in one of the team's group workouts. He was doing an exercise called the box step, with weights on his shoulder when he stepped down off the box and rolled his ankle. He fell on the floor with the weights still on his shoulder injuring his back. - http://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1196260





Kyle Hooper - Hooper is a tall, long-limbed righty, although he isn’t draft eligible until 2012. There appears to be a few pauses to his delivery which creates some deception, as it looks as though that delivery is somewhat of step-by-step process. He doesn’t overpower hitters (the broadcast had him in the mid to upper-80s, which), but there is some run and tail to his fastball. He did a nice job working down in the strike zone, and induced quite a few ground balls. His curveball is a nice pitch, a big slow bender that he can drop both in and out of the strike zone. http://www.5tooltalk.com/2011-notes-3-1-11.html





Tyler Marlette, c, Hagerty HS, Oviedo, Fla. I’ve seen Marlette play a ton, probably as much as any player in the country over the last 12 months. He has all the tools to be a big-league catcher, and just important he has the approach to the game to succeed, as well. The red head might even play too hard for his own good, at times. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=5302





(Dylan) Maples sat in the 91-93 mph range with his fastball and touched 95 twice. The pitch had some armside movement, but he had trouble hitting his spots with it, leading to a lot of deep counts. Maples was on a pitch count of 60-75 and the deep counts limited how long he could stay in the game. He threw his curveball for strikes between 78-80 mph, but the pitch was a little slurvy at times. Maples said he didn't feel like he had his best stuff and I can attest to that, as well. I've seen him at his best. He was dominant during his first outing at the Team USA 18U Trials this summer, with a fastball up to 96 mph and a tight, hammer curveball. He said that's the outing he tries to replicate each time he takes the mound. - http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=3137





Jake Barrett did not factor in the decision in the Sun Devils upset at the hands of Cal State Bakersfield last night, but he did pitch very well. Jake, a sophomore from Arizona State did not allow an earned run on three hits in his six innings of work. He didn't walk a batter and he fanned six on the night as well. Jake now has a 3.46 era in 13 inning of work. Jake had a 1.35 era for the Brewster Whitecaps in 2010, and he should be returning for his 2nd stint on the Cape this coming summer - http://www.collegesummerbaseball.net/2011/03/summer-league-related-stat-lines-from_04.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter  

Andrew Chafin, Taylor Sparks, Nathan Kilcrease, Trevor Bauer

Andrew Chafin - Chafin, like Adam Conley last week, was a pitcher I was very interested in seeing. The two have some similarities beyond their left-handedness, in that they both have excelled in past years as closers. Chafin is a redshirt sophomore this year since he missed all of the 2010 season due to an arm injury that required Tommy John surgery. He was dominant during his freshman year, posting eight saves and a 1.26 ERA. - http://www.5tooltalk.com/2011-notes-3-5-11.html  







Taylor Sparks, 3b, St. John Bosco HS, Bellflower, Calif. To use the duck analogy without mentioning it in an Aflac context, “if it runs like a player, hits like a player, throws like a player and looks like a player, then it’s a player.” I think Sparks gets overlooked more than he should because he doesn’t have a huge present tool, but he has five tools that are all in that 50 to 55 range (i.e., major-league average) on the pro scouting scale. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=5302





Alabama’s Nathan Kilcrease: The Crimson Tide has struggled immensely this season, but finally rose to the occasion this weekend. The Tide pitched better in the series opener against Northwestern State, and did again on Saturday with starting pitcher Nathan Kilcrease helping the team earn a 4-2 win. Kilcrease struck out 10 and allowed no earned runs and just five hits in seven innings. - http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=5326





Also really hard to top what UCLA JR RHP Trevor Bauer did on Saturday. Lines like Bauer’s (10 IP 4 H 1 ER 5 BB 17 K) just don’t come around every weekend. According to the numbers whizzes at College Splits, Bauer’s Game Score of 92 topped Van Skike’s of 84. According to me, 10 innings and 17 strikeouts are both eye-popping numbers. http://baseballdraftreport.com/  

Jayce Boyd, Travis Harrison, Julius Gains, Marquis Riley, Xavier Macklin, Kyle McMyne

Jayce Boyd - I also caught a mid-week game between Florida State and Jacksonville that allowed me to watch a pair of potential 2012 first-round picks in FSU’s Jayce Boyd and Jacksonville’s Adam Brett Walker. I caught Boyd several times last year, and he looks pretty much the same this year. He has a great approach at the plate with a level, line-drive swing. He reminds me a little of a young Edgar Martinez, prior to Martinez bulking up, with long, wiry strong limbs. Most of his power is gap-to-gap, but there is some good extension and bat speed to his swing that will lead to his fair share of homers. He would serve himself well if he could continue to play third base or even a corner outfield spot. He drilled a hanging curveball to left-centerfield in this contest for a double, something he seems to do every time I watch him play. He is somewhat of a ‘tweener since he doesn’t have the ideal power potential for first and may not have the lateral movement necessary for third. http://www.5tooltalk.com/2011-notes-2-26-11.html  







Travis Harrison, 1B, Tustin (Calif.) HS - Skinny: Harrison does not run, throw or field particularly well, so the power potential in his bat must carry him. Given his shortcomings, Harrison's defensive home figures to be first base. In the offseason, Harrison has shortened his stride at the plate and refined his hitting mechanics. Still, something just seems to be missing. Prior to swinging, Harrison needs to achieve more "separation" (more space between his arms and body) and would benefit from cocking his wrists, which would allow him to generate more bat speed. Committed to: USC http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/highschool/02/21/top.prospects.mlb.showcase/index.html#ixzz1 FAb22OhT  






Julius Gaines, ss, Luella HS, Locust Grove, Ga. I consider Gaines the best defensive player in the 2011 class and have no doubt that he will play shortstop in the major leagues for a long time. His bat will be the difference maker. I believe the hitting tools are there, and I was most encouraged by his swing at the end of last summer. It was a different swing mechanically than he had either in early June or just this last January. He figured things out swinging wood every day last summer, and should do so again even as he has a tendency to regress to a stiffer, contact-oriented approach the rest of the year. It’s just a matter of getting into a routine. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=5302  






Two players caught my eye on Saturday &; Sunday. One I've already commented on, infielder, Marquis Riley from near by Hillsborough NC where he attended Orange HS. Marquis is slightly over 5'9 and weighs a solid 190 with a smooth lefty swing that is flat and drives the ball where it's pitched. He's not a burner out of the box, but he is solid average as a runner with a playable arm for either the corner or second and he has enough tracking ability to play the Outfield if needed there. Marquis lined up a few mid to upper 80's fb from the Camels pitchers to all fields. In BP he has 8-10 type HR power. He loves the game and he comes to play and while he may not go in the first two rounds of the MLB Draft, he's definitely someone who will get some strong looks by area crosscheckers and scouting directors along the way, due in part to the emergence of RF, Xavier Macklin, a sturdy built, 6'0 190 right fielder, Right/Right with legit alley power to LF. X runs 4.3 straight away which is solid average to 1b and he has an average arm for RF. X has carry on his throws and he tracks the ball well enough to the gap. X hit a bomb to the RF alley that carried over the way day 1 and the second day hit the ball hard 4 times with two hits, one was a one hopper to the LF alley wall off a 88 mph fb. X stays in there on the breaking ball but will get out front a bit with his front side and his hands stay back. X is a potential 20 HR guy with 20 plus SBs in the making. Both kids have good presence on the diamond as well. For me right now if I couldn't go back to see Xavier play again, I'd say he's a 2nd maybe 3rd rounder, but that's just me! - http://xmlbscout.angelfire.com/  






Overall, though, that was all (Kyle) McMyne allowed and his stuff generally looked very good on the day. Over his six innings of work, he gave up six runs on six hits with four walks and six strikeouts. His fastball sat in the 93-95 mph range and he touched 96 several times. He threw a 12-6 curveball in the 75-78 mph range, a slider between 82-84 mph and mixed in a couple changeups. - http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=3129  

Shon Carson, Ricky Opressa, Christian Lopes, Sonny Gray, Mark Appel, Ethan Carter

Shon Carson, of, Lake City HS, Scranton, S.C. We frequently excuse players who don’t perform well at high-level baseball events if they are primarily football players. In most cases, they have the necessary raw tools, but not the high-level repetitions to compete. Carl Crawford was so athletic in high school that he was drafted and signed by Tampa Bay 12 years ago simply for showing up and showing desire, not for his present baseball skills. Carson isn’t in Crawford’s class athletically, but he was one or two at-bats away from earning MVP honors at Perfect Game’s World Wood Bat Association 17-and-under national championship last summer, and later scorched the East Coast Pro Showcase. Now, to pry him away from his football commitment to South Carolina . . . http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=5302  







Ricky Oropesa


I wasn’t paying too much attention to Oropesa or Rendon as profiled below, but it’s hard not to notice Oropesa’s frame. I’ve seen him plenty of times before, as his power potential is one of the best pure tools available for this year’s draft. His swing can still get plenty long, but he also shows the ability to shorten his stroke at times and can muscle even poorly hit balls further than most. I know some still list him as a 1B/3B, but his future is clearly at first base. He’s a good overall athlete with a strong arm, and plays first well, but doesn’t have the first-step quickness necessary to play the hot corner. http://www.5tooltalk.com/2011-notes-2-26-11.html 





Christian Lopes, SS, Edison HS, Huntington Beach, Calif. - Skinny: A phenom as a freshman, Lopes has matured into a solid prospect, not a superlative one. His speed is average but Lopes is a slick defender, with fine fielding skills and a powerful arm. As a pro, he will probably be shifted to third or second base. Lopes may have more hitting talent than any player in the local HS class, but his progress at the plate has been hampered by constant tinkering with his stance, stride and swing. Committed to: USC http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/highschool/02/21/top.prospects.mlb.showcase/index.html#ixzz1FAb22OhT  





Friday’s game was a true pitcher’s duel, and both sophomore (Stanford’s) Mark Appel and (Vanderbilt) junior Sonny Gray brought some good stuff to the table. Personally, I thought Appel had better stuff, but I mean that as a compliment to Gray. Gray definitely didn’t have his A-plus stuff on a very cold Friday night, but he still managed to sneak his way to six strikeouts and give up just one run on three hits. To me, that’s the mark of a good pitcher – a guy who can silence a potent Stanford lineup when he is having control issues with his fastball and he frequently missed the strike zone with first pitches. Gray brought scouts out in droves to see his performance (there were probably 15 to 20 teams there), and even though his pitches weren’t great, his pitching was. http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/03/01/college-baseball-notes-on-vandy-stanford-fullerton-tcu  






Second week out, weekending 2/27/11, and got to see a righty I saw in HS in Virginia, RHP Ethan Carter from Louisburg College, sturdy 6'5 225 lbs and has a nice arm and some projection left but a lot of work to refine as well. FB is pin straight mostly, at 87-92, most fb are 89-90 but very easy to read, will get hitters chasing the high FB and breaking ball not explosive but adequate to get hitters out on occasion. Right now he would project to be a 21+ rounder for me and from the scuttle butt, he wants to go pro but also is weighing other D1 offers. Louisburg has a nice program and will have some fine D1 players, pro wise, Ethan is the only one that stood out for me. - http://xmlbscout.angelfire.com/  

Austin Wood, Jay Anderson, Hawtin Buchanan, Jordan Pries, Tyler Goeddel

Austin Wood - Wood started out shaky over the first few innings. He was his own worst enemy, struggling to consistently find the strike zone, walking a few batters early, and eventually he was forced to get a few ‘get me over’ fastballs that were very hittable. After the first few innings, he started to find sync with everything, from his delivery and release point to the command on his fastball. Once that occurred, he started to throw more curveballs, and the more he threw the better of a job he did dropping them into the strike zone. The announcers mentioned that he was up to 94 on the day, although I always take such reports with a grain of salt (although not surprising based on past reports). He did give up one big bomb to Rendon in the third after walking him in the first. In their next matchup, Wood froze Rendon on a changeup. After that he cruised to the seventh. http://www.5tooltalk.com/2011-notes-2-26-11.html  







Jay Anderson, OF, Bishop Amat HS, La Puente, Calif. - Skinny: Anderson ripped off a 6.57 60 to begin the day. He bobbled a ball in the glaring sun Saturday, but actually is a fine defensive outfielder. Anderson does not throw well, but he does have a quick left-handed bat, which permits him to turn on and drive inside pitches. Like Henry and Martin, this spring Anderson must convince scouts he can hit in order to be selected in a single-digit round. Committed to: None http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/highschool/02/21/top.prospects.mlb.showcase/index.html#ixzz1FAb22OhT  


Hawtin Buchanan, rhp, Biloxi (Miss.) HS. I see another Anthony Ranaudo (former LSU pitcher drafted in the supplemental first round in 2010) when I look at Buchanan, an Ole Miss recruit. The fact that Buchanan (even at 6-foot-7!) is a top-level quarterback who could play Division I football if he chose to, speaks to his overall athleticism, a very key ingredient in projecting any pitcher. Remember that Ranaudo, a New Jersey product selected in the 12th round, wasn’t a top draft guy out of high school. Patience is required when dealing with taller pitchers. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=5302  


Jordan Pries looked very solid in both of his starts this week (Tuesday against Cal and Sunday vs. Vanderbilt) – add them up and you have two wins, 11.0 innings pitched, 4 hits, and 2 earned runs. He varied his stuff well, and he will definitely be a stalwart this season who the Cardinal can count on all year long. Pries’ fastball reaches into the low 90s at times, but the impressive stuff is his off-speed pitches. He has t a slider that looks the same as his fastball coming out of his hand, but dives hard across the plate and ends up for a lot of called strikes. http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/03/01/college-baseball-notes-on-vandy-stanford-fullerton-tcu  






(Tyler) Goeddel is already getting big scout and crosschecker heat (well over two dozen scouts on hand the other day to see him). One NL East club had three guys there. I think Blandino and Williams will certainly play pro ball out of college and then Reed, as a lefty, and Nelson, as a good hitting catcher, certainly will be in the mix. Saba is the most physically strong of the group and his bat certainly could give him a chance after his junior or senior year. Bishop is going to be one of the most scouted players in Northern CA in the spring of 2012 - http://www.prospectwire.com/pw/article.php?id=201  

Braden Kapteyn, Roberto Suppa, John Stilson, Desmond Henry, Taylor Jungmann

It was another gut-wrenching performance for Kentucky. The Wildcats appeared to have their game against Illinois-Chicago in control before reliever Braden Kapteyn entered the ninth inning and promptly allowed four runs to help the Flames grab a 10-8 road victory. With the setback, the Wildcats now have a disappointing 2-4 record against unimpressive opposition for the most part. It’s one of those years so far. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=5298





Roberto Suppa, rhp - "He's going to be a draft kid. He's a big, strong, horse of a kid. H signed with Cornell, so he'll probably be a tough sign. But he'll be 88-91 (mph) with real good, heavy sink and he's a big, strong-armed kid. So he's going to throw 90 plus consistently and he's certainly got a pro body at 6-foot-5 and over 200 pounds. He's certainly an interesting kid." - http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=3119





John Stilson - Seeing Stilson start was something I wanted to make sure I saw early this season after serving as a closer last year with impressive statistical results. His delivery isn’t quite as violent as I remember, and his fastball sits in the 90-94 range. His slider is still a nasty pitch, that explodes down and away from right-handed batters. He also took a lot off of his slider when getting his slow curve over for strikes, a pitch that had also had sharp downward break. Physically he is built like a middle infielder, with sloped shoulders and good athletic proportions. Not surprising, since he came to Texas A&M as a two-way talent. He has a competitive nature on the mound and is stuff is just as nasty in a starting role as it was in relief a year ago. http://www.5tooltalk.com/2011-notes-2-26-11.html





Desmond Henry, OF, Centennial HS, Compton, Calif. - Skinny: Shockingly fast, Henry raced to a 6.38 60-yard dash, easily the lowest timing of the day. Henry may be the fastest draft-eligible high school player in the nation. A superb fly chaser with a decent throwing arm, Henry has hitting ability but did not show it Saturday. Only 150-pounds, Henry will realize his hitting potential when he starts to try to hit 200-foot line drives instead of 500-foot fly balls. Committed to: None http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/highschool/02/21/top.prospects.mlb.showcase/index.html#ixzz1FAb22OhT  

Texas Longhorns ace Taylor Jungmann went the distance for his second consecutive complete-game shutout. He struck out nine and allowed just four hits. Jungmann has issued just one base on balls in two starts and sat 92-96 mph with his four-seamer. Among the concerns with Jungmann at the next level include his changeup and some delivery problems, including some upper body violence in his motion and the fact that he throws a bit across his body. Longhorns coach Augie Garrido has a reputation for working his pitchers hard, and the fact that Jungmann has already thrown two complete games will raise some eyebrows. However, the righty threw just 95 pitches in the opener and 110 on Friday, neither of which is an alarming number for a complete game. His workload will be closely monitored as the season progresses.- http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog?name=mlb_draft&id=6166900&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fmlb%2fblog%3fname%3dmlb_draft%26id%3d6166900