Scouting Report - SS - Rob Gordon

 

Rob Gordon

 

SS      6-1      174     East Cobb Home School (GA)

 

280. Rob Gordon - SS

 

Bio:

Height: 6-1

Weight: 174 lbs

Hits/Throws: R-R

Hometown: Smyrna, GA

School: Ben Franklin Academy

 

60 grade glove at SS with some of best hands in the class and shows the ability to make strong, accurate throws from any arm angle. Bat has been trending up over the past year flashing as a plus tool with improved barrel control and gap power to all fields showing up consistently. Skinny 6<92>1<94> frame that will fill out as he matures with more power coming. 

 

PG -

 

Rob Gordon is a 2021 SS with a 6-1 174 lb. frame from Smyrna, GA who attends East Cobb Baseball Home School. Slender live bodied build with huge physical projection remaining. Very quick first step on defense, shows plus range is balanced through the ball, plays low and under the ball, refined footwork, has quick hands and a very quick and compact release from multiple arm slots, has a feel and a flair for playing defense. Right handed hitter, deep hand drop load, short and direct swing, gets to his front side well with his shit, line drive gap to gap approach. Excellent student, verbal commitment to Vanderbilt

 

 Prospect Worldwide -

 

Rob Gordon – SS: Range could be better at Shortstop, but shows a fantastic 1st step to make up for some of it. The body has some projection left, and there is potential to see Above-Average (55) Grades moving forward. Although, I do think he fits best at 3B. Fairly balanced hitter with (50) Hit and (50+) Power Potential. Not looking to take many walks, with his aggressive approach, but it works for him. If the plate discipline ticks up the offensive ceiling is pretty impressive. 

 

  6-26-20 -  Prep Baseball Report -

 

Vanderbilt recruit. Wiry frame at 6 feet, 176 pounds with strength to come. Twitchy athleticism. Quick, loose hands from the right side produce gap power. Maintains short, direct path. Glides on his feet, aggressive baserunner. Moves well at shortstop with good internal clock

Mack's spin - 

This is a kid with mad defensive skills that might be served better by going to college to work on his hitting.

Still, someone will draft him in the first five rounds. You can't have enough ++ defensive middle fielders in your organization.

 Click here for the full list of Mack's Scouting Reports.     

Scouting Report - SS - Maxwell Muncy

 

Maxwell Muncy

 

SS      6-1      170      Thousand Oaks HS (CA) 

 

1-14-21  -  Baseball America

 

Maxwell Muncy Thousand Oaks (Calif.) HS SS

 

Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 170 | B-T: R-R

Commit/Drafted: Arkansas

Age At Draft: 18.7

 

A 6-foot-1, 170-pound shortstop committed to Arkansas, Muncy has a solid collection of average to above-average tools led by an exciting hit/power combination. He has a chance to be at least an average hitter with average power and shows good rhythm and loose hands in the batter’s box, swinging with intent and showing an ability to put the barrel on the ball in a number of different spots. Muncy is an average runner with average arm strength, though most scouts think he’s more likely to move off of shortstop and play either third base or second long term. Wherever he winds up he should add defensive value, which makes his bat all the more appealing. 

 

11-11-20 - Prospects Live Top 300 Prospect List - ​

 

90. Maxwell Muncy - SS

 

Bio:

Height: 6-2

Weight: 190 lbs

Hits/Throws: R-R

Hometown: Thousand Oaks, CA

School: Thousand Oaks

 

Muncy is yet another California middle infielder that can do a little bit of everything. Quick actions at the position with average hands. Average arm allows him to make most throws. Tall, lanky upper body with weight to come. Struggles a little to his right. Solid and smooth coming in. Very loud bat with stinging gap power. Pull-side power present. Excellent barrel angle and quick hands/wrists. Never gets beat on inside velo. Open stance, can get pull-happy. 

 

PG -

 

Maxwell Muncy is a 2021 IF/SS with a 6-1 170 lb. frame from Camarillo, CA who attends Thousand Oaks. Lean athletic build with plenty of physical projection. 6.93 runner, has bounce to his step and easy and polished infield actions on defense, hands work well at the ball and in his exchange/release, makes accurate throws with good carry. Right handed hitter, well timed leg lift trigger to start his swing, quick and direct line drive swing, works from gap to gap and showed carry up the opposite field game, very balanced and under control at the plate. Also pitched, works from the stretch, mid 3/4's arm slot. Worked mostly mid-80's with his fastball, topped out at 89 mph, gets good sinking life. Tended to lower slot more on his curveball. Pro typical polished Southern Californian middle infielder with high level skills 

 

Prospect Worldwide -

 

Maxwell Muncy – SS: Muncy has my absolute favorite swing and approach in the entire draft. It’s just so consistent and hardly shows any weaknesses. He has a strong Hit Tool (55) that shows potential of reaching 60’s in the future. Power (45+) that shows up to all fields with consistent high Exit Velocities with an ability to hand breaking balls, and fastballs above the letters with his quick hands. An Average Defender at Shortstop showing the necessary range, arm strength, and quickness to last at the position. Some projection left in the frame, and with his ability to drive the ball to all fields, likely could become a 20+ HR threat.

Mack's spin - 

Muncy is an average hitter with average speed and average hands. Notice the key word here?

I have him as a late Day 2 pick.

Click here for the full list of Mack's Scouting Reports.     

Scouting Report - 2B - Tyler McDonough

 Tyler McDonough

 

2B      5-10      185      NC State 

 

1-20-21 - D1 Baseball's top 100 College Prospects -

 

87 Tyler McDonough 2B/OF NC State ACC

1-14-21  -  Baseball America

 

# 188

 

Tyler McDonough

 

North Carolina State 2B/OF

 

Ht: 5-10 | Wt: 185 | B-T: R-R

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

Age At Draft: 22.3

 

An undersized, 5-foot-10, 185-pound infielder and outfielder, McDonough ranked as the No. 283 player in the 2020 class but went undrafted and will head back to North Carolina State. McDonough is the sort of player who gets overlooked initially because of his size, but scouts like him more and more after seeing him play over longer periods. A second baseman and center fielder for the Wolfpack, McDonough is a solid-average runner who consistently puts the barrel on the baseball from both sides of the plate. While he doesn’t project to be a huge home run hitter, he has surprisingly loud exit velocities and can drive the ball into the gaps and potentially get to double-digit home runs over a full pro season. McDonough controls the zone well and has walked (40) nearly as much as he’s struck out (50) over his career at NC State. Also a savvy baserunner, McDonough has gone 17-for-19 (89.5%) in stolen base attempts in his 78-game career. While his tools and physicality don’t jump off the page, McDonough has a lot of positive performance indicators and is the type of player who could simply keep performing.

 

11-11-20 - Prospects Live Top 300 Prospect List - ​

​

293. Tyler McDonough - 2B/OF

 

Bio:

Height: 5-10

Weight: 185 lbs

Hits/Throws: S-R

Hometown: Liberty Township, OH

School: NC State

 

Previously eligible in the 2020 draft, McDonough returns to campus where he looks to build on his .327/.407/.473 slash line in Raleigh. McDonough is a switch hitter that has consistent contact from both sides of the plate, but his power does lag behind (8 HR in college). He is a quick runner and has played well in center field for the Wolfpack, where he has a solid arm and a good glove.

Mack's spin - 

Undersized players fair better in the infield and that is where McDonough's future will be. 

I don't have him as one of the handful of premier middle fielders in this draft, but I do have him going in the 5th-7th round range.

Click here for the full list of Mack's Scouting Reports.     

 

Mike's Mets - Should I Care About GameStop?

 

By Mike Steffanos January 30, 2021 

Steve Cohen's Twitter account was fun while it lasted, but I can't say that I'm too sorry to see it go. I've been on Twitter since 2012, but I never was consistently active on the platform until I started blogging again last spring. Before that, I used to spend most of my Twitter time following either politics or the Mets. Both of those topics can get pretty emotional, so I learned long ago to take a pause when I felt myself being sucked in too deeply. And I'm not important enough to be a real target of the ugliness that runs deeply through much of social media.

Steve Cohen didn't say he was leaving the platform for good, but I'd be kind of surprised to see him back, His official statement, per Mack's Mets:

"I’ve really enjoyed the back and forth with Mets fans on Twitter which was unfortunately overtaken this week by misinformation unrelated to the Mets that led to our family getting personal threats. So I’m going to take a break for now. We have other ways to listen to your suggestions and remain committed to doing that. I love our team, this community, and our fans, who are the best in baseball.  Bottom line is that this week’s events in no way affect our resources and drive to put a championship team on the field. #LGM!"

By the way, I believe him that the losses that his firm endured due to their investment in another hedge fund won't affect his spending on the Mets. It was a lot of money, but he still has much more money, and taking some big losses at times is part of the game that people like Cohen play so well.

I'm not a big fan of the system that is rigged to mostly help extremely wealthy people get wealthier. The stock market has turned into an institution where wild, unfunded bets are a vehicle for guys like Gabriel Plotkin of Melvin Capital to make a fortune betting against a company like GameStop. These "shorts" aren't of any benefit to the real economy where most of us are trying to get by. I'm not rooting against Cohen, of course, but I don't feel sorry for the beating his former employee Plotkin took, and I'm not sorry that Cohen's investment in Plotkin's fund took a big hit. You win some, you lose some.

I don't feel sorry for these companies, either. Most publicly traded companies are more interested in propping up their share values and paying exorbitant salaries to their top execs than they are in doing right by their normal employees and the country in general.

Seriously, it's hard to tell the bad guys from the good guys in this scenario. The whole ongoing GameStop story is not a black and white issue. Hap tip to Patrick Glynn at Metsmerized Online for his link to an explainer by Alexis Goldstein which really helped me to understand this complicated drama a lot better. Well worth your time if your interested.

I guess I'm supposed to feel sorry for the investors who pumped up GameStop stock in order to stick it to Plotkin and others shorting the stock, but I don't see them as heroes, either. As Ms. Goldstein pointed out, "GameStop madness isn't David vs Goliath. It's Goliath vs. Goliath, with David as a fig leaf." I'm not rooting for or against these investors who banded together to try to game the system for themselves. I'm definitely not rooting for the hedge fund guys, not even the one who owns my team. I'm rooting for a system that takes the toys away from these folks and gives us an economy that works better for those of us who could care less about these gamblers and their extravagant plays.

Continue reading by clicking here. 

Lunch Time Links 1/31/2021

Here are some of the News and Headlines around Major League Baseball courtesy from our friends at SportSpyder .

PRESS RELEASE - METS SIGN LHP AARON LOUP (Includes Stats)

 

 

METS SIGN LHP AARON LOUP

 

FLUSHING, N.Y., January 30, 2021 – The New York Mets announced today that the team has signed left-handed pitcher Aaron Loup to a one-year contract. 

 

Loup, 33, spent the 2020 season with the Tampa Bay Rays, going 3-2 with a 2.52 ERA (seven earned runs/25.0 innings) with four walks and 22 strikeouts in 24 games. He allowed two earned runs in 5.1 innings in the postseason, striking out six and allowing two walks.

 

Overall, he owns a career record of 15-22 with six saves, a 3.38 ERA (132 earned runs/351.0 innings) with 104 walks and 326 strikeouts in 406 games. The southpaw has held left-handed hitters to a .232 batting average in his career, including a .212 (7-33) mark last season.

 

The Raceland, LA native was originally selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the ninth round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft out of Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. He pitched for Toronto from 2012-2018 before the Philadelphia Phillies acquired him at the 2018 trade deadline. In 2019, he appeared in four games for the San Diego Padres.

Baseball Reference Stats:

Baseball Reference Projections:

Even More Draft News

 

1-25-21 - BA -

 

MLB and USA Baseball also announced the return of the Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) League for the 2022 high school class. The PDP League was initially launched in 2019 and was held in Bradenton, Fla., but was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

 

The 2021 PDP League is set to take place from July 22 through Aug. 1 and will feature the top 96 high school players for the 2022 draft. The event will continue to serve as the primary identification event for the 18U National Team and will be hosted in Cary, N.C.

 

The inaugural draft combine will take place from June 20-28 and—according to a press release—will “feature top high school and college baseball prospects, as identified by MLB Clubs, who will have the opportunity to participate in a series of medical and performance assessments as well as educational programming designed to prepare them for a career in professional baseball.”

 

Like the PDP League, the combine is also slated to be hosted in Cary, N.C., at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.

 

As part of the combine, the top 88 high school players eligible for the 2021 draft will be selected to participate in a showcase tournament taking place from June 20-26. The tournament will feature eight games and a pro-style workout.

 

Mack’s spin -

 

This is great news, both for prospect huggers like me but also the players that have been starved from playing.

 

More exposure means better analysis of their future talent ceiling.

 

Love it!

 

  

1-23-21 - Joe @JoeDoyleMiLB

 

San Jacinto JC (TX) opening its season today with SS Harold Coll leading off. He's off to a hot start. After two sharp singles, he smokes this double to LCF that almost gets out. 3 for 3 on the day.

 

Coll was a popular name in the 2020 MLB Draft. He'll be eligible again in 2021

 

@harold_coll

 

Mack’s spin -

 

Coll has moved around. First Massachusetts, then Georgia, and now Texas.

Tools on both side… ++ defense and 100+ exit velocity with a bat in his hands.

 

Interesting.

 

  

1-23-21 - NCAA- 

 

Fourth-year junior left-hander Michael Kirian has been brilliant over the last two years at the back of the Louisville bullpen, posting a 1.69 ERA and five saves in 2019, then posting a 0.00 ERA and six saves along with an 11-1 K-BB mark in the abbreviated 2020 campaign. He was a shoo-in top-10-rounds talent who might have wound up in the top five rounds had the season played out, but instead he’s back in Louisville, and he’ll have a chance to step into one of those vacated weekend starter jobs. When discussing Kirian’s trajectory, McDonnell invoked the name of former Cardinal left-hander Adam Wolf, who dominated out of the bullpen before moving into the ace role and putting up All-America numbers as a junior in 2018.

 

Built like a thoroughbred at 6-foot-6, 235 pounds, Kirian certainly looked the part of a workhorse weekend starter in Thursday’s Pizza Bowl fall world series opener, striking out eight over five innings of one-hit ball, allowing just that one baserunner. Not only was his velocity considerably better than I’ve seen it in the past, peaking at 95 mph in the first inning, but he held 91-94 heat through four innings, then still dealt at 89-90 in the fifth. He had outstanding feel for his sharp 78-81 mph slurve, which is particularly tough against lefties but also effective against righties. He seldom used his mid-80s changeup on this look, and he’ll need to continue to refine that pitch to truly reach his potential as a starter, but McDonnell said he’s working hard on the offering with pitching coach Roger Williams, and he’s making progress.

 

Mack’s spin -

 

The lack of a full 2020 season really screwed Kirian from becoming one of the first relievers chosen in that being said.

 

That being said, he will now get a chance to start which could be a whole new path to the draft.

 

  

1-21-21 - 13 top 2021 prospect breakouts -

 

 Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, Mets

 

The first thing people tend to point to with the Mets' 2020 first-round pick is his defense. There's strong consensus on that aspect of Crow-Armstrong's game. He has the athleticism, speed, instincts, range and arm to be a plus defender in center field. As much as Crow-Armstrong's defense is impressive, what also stands out is his hitting ability. He has a fairly simple lefty stroke, good contact skills with the ability to square up fastballs and offspeed stuff to all fields and a good plan at the plate for his age. There was a gap in the draft between where he was selected (19th overall) and the three other big high school outfielders—Robert Hassell (8th), Zac Veen (9th) and Austin Hendrick (12th)—but he belongs in the same tier as that trio. (BB)

 

Mack’s spin - Many project PCA;s ETA as 2023 which would be just fine by me.

 

This is the top defensive centerfielder in that draft… and he can hit too!

 

  

1-21-21 - where will top 100 prospects play in 2021 -

 

Low-A St. Lucie (Mets)

 

Potential Players: C Francisco Alvarez (48), RHP Matt Allan (98)

 

With an outstanding season in the Appalachian League in 2019, Alvarez was one of the game’s biggest breakout prospects. He brings a potential mix of offense and defense to a premium position, with projected average or plus tools in every category but speed. Allan is the system’s highest-ranked pitching prospect and was outstanding at the team’s alternate training site. Like Rutschman and Rodriguez, the Alvarez-Allan battery should be appointment viewing every five days.

 

Mack’s spin -

 

Both have an ETA of 2024.

 

Hopefully, we won’t trade either one of them.

Click here for the full list of Mack's Scouting Reports.     

More Weekly Draft News

 

1-27-21 - jesse litsch @JesseLitsch

 

2021 Jquann Smith  Polk State

 

6-3 195 lbs.  Long, Lean, strong frame with tons of athleticism. Stands tall and creates leverage with a line drive approach and present power to the pull side.

 

Mack’s spin.

 

Smith is a native from the Bahamas.

 

I have him currently as a late second day pick.

 

 

 1-27-21 - Baseball America @BaseballAmerica

 

Joe Mack ranks as one of the top catching prospects in the 2021 class.

 

He fits a similar mold to Tyler Soderstrom or Noah Naylor.

 

Mack’s spin -

 

Mack is climbing the charts as we write. I don’t have him as a first round pick, but he probably has risen to the second now.

 

 

 1-27-21 - Joe @JoeDoyleMiLB

 

6-foot-7 RHP Max Debiec (Seattle, WA) has one of the more projectable bodies in the 2021 Draft. Armed w/a fastball that's touched 97 and an assortment of breaking balls and a developing changeup, Debiec figures to be a hot name in the Top 100 picks.

 

Mack’s spin -

 

I can see everybody passing on Debiec in the first round, but probably not the second and definitely not the third.

 

This is a serious power pitcher.

 

 

 1-26-21 - BA - Mets pick at 1.10:

 

10. Andrew Painter, RHP, Calvary Christian HS, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

 

Areas To Improve: Be the same pitcher last summer this spring over more innings

 

Of all the players on this list, Painter might be the toughest to find a true area of weakness to suss out. He’s a complete prep pitching prospect that checks most boxes scouts want to see with a projectable frame, loose and easy arm action, four-pitch mix and potential for above-average control. Since “be lefthanded” isn’t really an option, we’ll instead say that Painter needs to go out this spring and simply be the same pitcher he was last summer, but over more innings. If he can increase the power of his breaking balls, that would be a cherry on top.

 

 

1-26-21 - daily hoosier -

 

Indiana outfielder Grant Richardson was named a third-team preseason All-American by D1Baseball.com on Monday.

 

It’s Richardson’s third preseason All-America honor. He was named to the first team by College Baseball Newspaper and Perfect Game.

 

In 14 games in his sophomore season before the season was cancelled due to COVID in March, Richardson produced a .424/.453/.797 slash line with 25 hits, eight doubles, two triples, five home runs and 17 RBIs in 59 at-bats. As a freshman in 2019, the 6-foot-2, 186-pound left-hander slashed .264/.335/.491 with nine home runs and 37 RBIs.

 

  

1-25-21 - umterps 

 

Maryland junior infielder Maxwell Costes was selected as a preseason first-team All-American, D1baseball.com announced Monday.

 

Costes – who emerged as one of the premier first basemen in the Big Ten during his COVID-shortened sophomore campaign – slashed .432/.620/.750 in 15 games last spring. The junior infielder from Baltimore's final 2020 on-base percentage of .620 ranked second in the nation while also leading the team in several other offensive categories.

 

Now heading into his third season at Maryland and garnering high-profile Major League Baseball draft attention, Costes collects his fourth preseason honor of the 2021 offseason. In December 2020, Costes was named a Collegiate Baseball third-team preseason All-American, while also earning Perfect Game third-team preseason All-American honors and also being named one of three Terps to be named preseason All-Big Ten by Perfect Game.

 

Mack’s take -

 

Costes was a non-draft factor until this monster shortened season. Now some have him projected as one of the first 90 picks in the draft.

 

I’d like to see one full season out of this guy until I sign on.

 

 

 1-25-21 - 247 sports -

 

A pair of Tennessee baseball sophomores — second baseman Max Ferguson and catcher Connor Pavolony — were named Monday to D1Baseball.com's Preseason All-America Team.

 

Ferguson, a versatile performer who can play several spots on the infield, was named a preseason First-Team All-American, while the steady Pavolony was named to the second-team squad.

 

The left-handed-hitting Ferguson has been a mainstay in Tennessee’s lineup the past two seasons, and he, like several teammates, was on track for a huge season before the COVID-19 pandemic cut short the 2020 campaign. He hit .333 with two homers, 12 runs scored and two home runs in 12 games. Ferguson, a Florida native, is essentially a consensus top-50 prospect heading into the 2021 Major League Baseball draft — for which he’ll be eligible since this will be his third season with the Vols.

 

Pavolony, also considered by some a top-50 prospect for the 2021 draft, also got off to a great start in the COVID-curtailed 2020 season. He started 11 games behind the plate, hitting .342 and slugging .737, four home runs and 12 RBI. Pavolony also has a powerful throwing arm, which will do nothing but help the Vols and the player’s status as a prospect.

 

Mack’s take -

 

It’s good to see both these guys get these honors.

 

Especially Pavolony, who will probably move up on the draft charts after this honor.

 

  

1-25-21 - auburn tigers -

 

Auburn right-handed pitcher Richard Fitts has been named Second Team Preseason All-America by D1 Baseball, the publication announced Monday.

 

Fitts has earned a plethora of preseason recognition after a strong performance during the fall. He has been ranked the No. 8 and No. 9 college prospect by Perfect Game and D1 Baseball, respectively, entering the 2021 season. Fitts has also been tabbed the No. 13 overall prospect by Perfect Game, the No. 15 overall prospect by Baseball America and the No. 17 overall prospect by MLB.com.

 

A key contributor since his freshman season in 2019, the Helena, Alabama, native has made 27 career appearances, including six starts, and has posted a 6-3 record with a 4.88 ERA. Fitts made appearances in the SEC Tournament, regional, super regional and College World Series as a freshman before going 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA in six appearances as a sophomore.

 

Mack’s take -

 

Boy, the hits just keep coming for Fitts.

 

As I have said before, his name wasn’t even mentioned three months ago. Now he projects as a late first round pick without even throwing another pitch.

 

Click here for the full list of Mack's Scouting Reports.