2/14/14

A Quick Look - C - Max Pentacost - Kennesaw State



        Max Pentacost

7-17-13 - Max Pentecost (Kennesaw St.) - Catcher, Bourne Braves - .370 BA, 12 R, 18 RBI, 5 HR, 2 SB -      The toughest position in baseball to find elite talent at is catcher. But the Cape League has been lucky to have great young talent at catcher the past few years, and Pentecost may be the next in line. He is on fire. This past week, he batted a stunning .636, which vaulted him into second place in the batting race. He also drove in six runs, including two homers, and is tied for third in RBIs and tied for first in homers. Pentecost has flown under the radar up until this point, thanks mainly to the Braves’ poor performance. But if his individual numbers continue at this rate, the team’s numbers will seem less relevant. Pentecost has been steadily improving, and a repeat performance this coming week could go a long way in his MVP chances. http://capecodbaseball.org/news/league/index.html?article_id=1565 

8-7-13 - Cape Cod Times CCBL ‏@CapeLeagueCCT  - Over in Bourne, catcher Max Pentecost (Kennesaw State) named CCBL Pat Sorrenti MVP.

8-7-13 - greg schaum ‏@Greg_Schaum  - Max Pentecost is a very good receiver, great arm, very fast, excellent drag bunter (rare to see these days) and has power to give.

8-7-13 - Bourne Braves ‏@BourneBraves  -  Pentecost finished the regular season with a .338 average, 6 home runs, and 29 RBIs. He was top 5 in the @Official_CCBL in all 3 categories.

8-21-13 - Until now, it had been a couple of years since Kennesaw State catcher Max Pentecost experienced life in the limelight. Pentecost was quite the hot commodity coming out of high school in Georgia. He was ranked No. 203 nationally as a high school senior, and attended KSU despite heavy overtures from the Texas Rangers as a seventh-round pick in the Major League Baseball draft. Though some at the time felt Pentecost should’ve signed and skipped his collegiate career, it’s becoming more clear he made the right decision. Following a good college spring season as a sophomore, Pentecost traveled to the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League this summer, where he put together a performance that had scouts buzzing, making major strides in all aspects of the game, particularly from an offensive standpoint. For that reason and more, Pentecost, one of the nation’s fastest-rising 2014 MLB draft prospects, is the Perfect Game College Summer Player of the Year. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=8911 

9-4-13 – Mack’s Mock Draft v1.0 – 30 – C Max Pentacost – Kennesaw State – Players earn their summer stripes in different ways and Pentacost earned his at the Cape Cod Games. He dominated offensively and was also named the Perfect Game College Summer Player of the Year. You can’t do better than that.

10-6-13 – Kendall Rogers/PG – College Prospects -  10. Max Pentecost, c, Kennesaw State (Drafted: 2011, Rangers -- 7th round) - Pentecost was drafted relatively high out of high school, and should parlay his going to college into better draft stock and more money. Pentecost was the Perfect Game Summer Player of the Year, showcasing his skills at a high level at the Cape Cod League over the summer. Pentecost is a solid defensive catcher with a good arm and athletic actions. He also has much improved offensive skills with a consistent ability to square up secondary offerings. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=9081

10-14-13 – Top ’14 College Hitters - 3. Max Pentecost / C / Kennesaw State — Pentecost may not be a household name right now, but has drastically improved his draft stock with a very strong summer. Pentecost has average power from the right side (with potential for more) and shows good patience and pitch recognition. He isn’t a lock to stick behind the plate, but if a team believes he can catch due to his athleticism and arm strength he could be a top 15 candidate. http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2013/10/top-14-for-14-college-hitters/

10-15-13 – Baseball America - 28. Max Pentecost, c, Kennesaw State: Athletic for the position if he can stick there, and coming off a boffo summer when he won Cape Cod League MVP. http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/2014-draft-top-50-october-2013-carlos-rodon/

11-27-13 – Big League Futures Top 25 Poll –   21 Max Pentecost    C Kennesaw State http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/2013/11/26/mlb-draft-top-25-prospects-poll/

B/R – 11-21-13 - 14. San Francisco Giants: Max Pentecost, C, Kennesaw State - Max Pentecost’s draft stock took off this summer when he was named MVP of the Cape Cod League after hitting .346/.424/.538 with six home runs. A 6’1”, 190-pound right-handed hitter with lightning-quick wrists, Pentecost has a compact but powerful swing that yields consistent hard contact, and he’s likely to feature at least average power at maturity. Defensively, his athleticism is apparent behind the plate, while his specific skill sets are more of a work in progress. Pentecost also stands out for his average speed, so it’s conceivable that he could handle a position change if need be.  http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1860341-2014-mlb-mock-draft-early-first-round-projections-for-all-30-teams/page/10

12-9-13 – Pine Tar Press  -  Pentecost-150x1505- C Max Pentecost Kennesaw State 3/10/93- Rangers missed out on a good one here when they failed to sign the 7th rounder out of high school. He nearly missed winning the Triple Crown on the Cape last summer and after watching him play 4 times he is very easy to dream on. He is, without a doubt, my favorite hitting prospect in this draft. I read a lot of report on him and no one mentions his speed or baseball IQ. He really reminds me of Craig Biggio and I know he is a guy that could be a terrific catcher or patrol CF with his speed. (Which I definitely do not think is just average as several have put in their reports) The ball just jumps off his bat and if you respect his power and play back he will lay down a perfect drag bunt on you. He is simply a ball player and I would have no problem taking him with a top 10 pick. (Mets @ 10) http://pinetarpress.com/early-look-2014-mlb-draft/

1-3-14 – TTF Baseball - 11. Toronto Blue Jays — Max Pentecost, C, Kennesaw State - The Blue Jays receive this pick for failing to come to terms with their 2013 first round pick, Phil Bickford. Maybe the highest riser in the draft so far, Pentecost is perhaps the best catching prospect in a class weak on them. Even if he doesn’t stick behind the plate, his offensive potential and athleticism make him first-round material. The 6’-1” right-hander was the MVP of the Cape Cod League after hitting .346 over 35 games with six home runs, 29 RBI and five stolen bases. He also drew 16 walks to 22 strikeouts, showing off a solid approach at the plate. Many believe the power will continue to develop. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-2/40753#ppGUqI6CbWFvzsPf.99

2-5-14 - Max Pentecost, C, Kennesaw State - If scouts believe Pentecost can stick behind the plate, he has an outside chance to go this high with a strong junior season. His offensive potential alone makes him a first round pick. He picked up MVP honors at the Cape Cod League after hitting .346 over 35 games with six home runs, 29 RBI and five stolen bases. He also drew 16 walks to 22 strikeouts, showing off a solid approach at the plate. The 6’-2”, 195 pound right-hander is a very good athlete who has been clocked at 6.8 in the 60. Over 57 games as a sophomore, he hit .302/.374/.410 with 14 doubles, three home runs and drew 22 walks to 27 strikeouts. More of a line-drive hitter right now, many believe more power is going to come. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-dark-horse-candidates-chicago-cubs-first-pick/41075#UeYBipV5rOuYd7xE.99

2-10-14 - Number 10 on our countdown is Kennesaw State junior catcher Max Pentecost. The Winder, Georgia native attended Winder-Barrow High School. He batted .295 with three home runs, eight doubles and 16 runs during an abbreviated senior campaign which led to him being drafted in the 7th round of the MLB Draft. He headed to Kennesaw State where he played in 56 games with 52 starts while accumulating a batting average of .277 with 16 doubles (tied for 2nd on team) and three triples, 23 runs and 23 RBI. He spent the summer of 2012 with the Holyoke Blue Sox of the NECBL where he appeared in 37 games hitting .303 with a 424 slugging percentage including 3 homers and 24 runs scored. http://ht.ly/2DJ3KA

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