Sonny Gray, Will Campbell, Taylor Jungmann, George Springer, Matt Purke

(Sonny) Gray's sub-6-foot stature will turn off some, but he has shown through the last two springs as a starter and the last two summer with Team USA that he can maintain velocity late into starts and late into the summer. The durability is certainly there for Gray to start as a pro, and his arm strength is right there with the top arms in the draft class. Two potential issues related to his height are pitch trajectory and extension, as he doesn't get downhill as well as other top arms and his lesser reach gives an extra fraction of a second for hitters to pick up the ball. The former is addressed by the quality of his offerings, with the life on the fastball making it difficult to square, even on a flatter plane. His curve changes the hitter's eye-level, and once the change-up is more regularly incorporated pro hitters will have trouble sitting any one pitch. He negates the ill effects of shorter reach by showing good explosive extension in his stride and pumping plus to plus-plus velocity. Gray has one of the top three two-pitch combos in the class, and has an argument for the top fastball/breaking ball pairing. His size may drop him on some boards, but if he makes it out of the top five overall he'll provide incredible value to a lucky team. Probability is high, considering his fallback is as a potentially elite closer with two plus-plus pitches and long track record of big stuff and good production. http://diamondscapescouting.com/scoutingreports_2011_grayso.html 




CAA BASEBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Will Campbell, Georgia State Sr., RHP, Hartford, S.D./Iowa Western CC/West Central Campbell threw a complete-game 5-hitter in Georgia State’s 7-2 victory at William & Mary last Thursday. The senior gave up just two runs over nine innings and struck out five. Campbell improved to 8-2 on the season and dropped his ERA to 2.85. http://www.caasports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=43044&SPID=3448&ATCLID=205151861&DB_OEM_ID=8500



Taylor Jungmann, RHP, Texas - Pros: Jungmann has performed under the spotlight all spring with a ridiculous 0.86 ERA in 104 2/3 innings. He has excellent command of a low-90s fastball and a slow, looping curve. He gets a nice downward plane on his pitches thanks to a 6-foot-6 frame. He should reach the big leagues in short order. Cons: Star-level upside is questionable based on his stuff, and he rarely throws his below-average changeup. He has not missed as many bats in college as one would expect from a top-flight starter. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=13935



George Springer does not get cheated at the plate. There is no wonder he K's as much as he does. There is no way his contact rate will improve without him cutting back on his swing. It makes me wonder if he just runs into pitches or if he has more bat control than that. If he can cut back on his swing and just make better pitch choices to unleash his bat speed on, he has a huge ceiling. If he just has to guess and hope he runs into one, he may not be much of a pro player with a ceiling of a 4A guy. That is what scouts get paid to figure out. I haven't seen him enough from the angles I need on video to give you a good answer. http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/



TCU head coach Jim Schlossnagle knew it was unlikely that his prized 2008-09 recruit, Matt Purke, would ever make it on campus. Purke was one of the top prospects available for the 2009 draft, with the potential to be selected among the top three to five overall picks. Signability concerns caused him to drop to the 14th pick and the Texas Rangers, who thought they had an agreement to sign the talented young lefty to a $6 million bonus. Major League Baseball, who was overseeing the organization's finances due to then owner Tom Hicks' financial difficulties, nixed the deal, thus sending Purke off to college. It didn't take Purke long to assume the Friday ace role for the Horned Frogs, who enjoyed the best year in the program's history. Purke was named to just about every All-America team imaginable, with several publications naming him the National Freshman of the Year. He went 16-0 with a 3.02 ERA and an impressive 142 to 34 strikeout to walk ratio over 116.1 innings of work. This year has been a different story however, as Purke missed time early with a blister problem and has been shut down since mid-April due to shoulder fatigue http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=5671