2013 Draft-Notes - Chad Girodo, Kyle Zimmer, Columbia Blowfish, East-West, Western PA Showcase

LHP Chad Girodo, Mississippi State -- The talented left-handed pitcher had just a 5.87 ERA for the Bulldogs this past spring, but really blossomed this summer with a strong showing. He made 16 appearances and had a 0.99 ERA in 27 1/3 innings. He also struck out 44 and walked three http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=7522

Kyle Zimmer has been with the Kane County Cougars for less than three weeks, but he’s already making a big impression. Following his last start on Friday, Aug. 10 — a three-hit, 10-strikeout performance in 6.2 innings against the Clinton LumberKings — Zimmer endured a two-plus hour bus ride with his team back to Geneva, Ill. His next start will come five days later, and there’s much work to be done before then. The day after Zimmer pitches is no walk in the park. He’ll wake up around 8 a.m. and head to the gym for a two-hour workout, which consists of anything from core to legs to conditioning. Then he’ll get some food and go to the ballpark around 1:30 to get his shoulder work in. Then he’ll throw. Then he’ll run. Then he’ll do more core work before shagging balls during team batting practice. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=7534

The Columbia Blowfish defeated the Fayetteville SwampDogs 8-3 Tuesday night to win their first ever Coastal Plain League Petitt Cup Championship. In what has been a magical season for the Blowfish they ended the season with a dog pile on top of the pitchers mound celebrating the teams first championship in teams history. The Blowfish ended the season with a 38-24 record.

PGCBL -  Congratulations to the 2012 PGCBLbaseball Pitcher of the Year Chandler Shepherd (Kentucky) of Mohawks Baseball

Kendall Rogers - Big props to the Duke coaching staff. Snagged national elite RHP J.R. Holloway… another undrafted FA signing to report. Indiana Wesleyan P Sam Lewis signed w/ Royals today. 63 K's in 59 IP last year…

Prep Baseball Report‏ -  IL: Keaton Wright, a LHH corner infielder from Triad HS, commits to SIU-Edwardsville. Wright led Triad to a 4th place finish in Class 3A

Frankie Piliere‏ -  Andrew Thurman out of UC Irvine had excellent stuff for YD tonight. 90-93, up to 94 and breaking ball was a weapon… Velo recap of Game 1 of the CCBL championship. Kendall Graveman - 87-89, 90, Andrew Thurman 90-93, 94, Holder 89-90 & Suggs at 96-97…

Aaron Fitt -  He was the best I've ever seen him (Suggs). Nothing below 96, his best velo of the summer & this is 3rd day in a row he's worked

Matt Garrioch‏ -  Rob Kaminsky has a plus curve right now. 72 with great shape, tight spin… Kaminsky not showing great command but consistently 91-93. Not as good as at PG National. Still easy 1st rounder. Curve up to 79 there… Rowdy Tellez has zero chance of playing anything other than 1B. Body concerns me. Plus power potential displayed at PG National… Oscar Mercado needs to become more physical but is a great defender… Kohl Stewart is exciting but he's a thrower right now… Zack Collins looks like a hell of a hitter. I don't have a good feel for his D behind the dish though…

Bleday topped out at 87mph on the mound to lead a promising group of 15 pitchers who toed the rubber at the event. His 76mph curveball and 80mph change up were equally as impressive. Blaise McCarty (Riverside), the No. 55 ranked player in the Class of 2013, topped out at 85mph in his bullpen session. McCarty added a 74mph change up and a 70mph curveball to his arsenal. Matt Rafferty (Seneca Valley), Class of 2014, displayed an array of impressive pitches including an 81mph fastball, a 68mph change up and a 74mph cutter that was one of the nastiest pitches of the day. Nathan Neiderhiser (Bishop McCort), Class of 2014, showed a great deal of polish for a pitcher of his age. Niederhiser topped out at 81mph with a 70mph change up and a 69mph curveball from the left side. Lastly, Matthew Yough (Karns City), Class of 2015, displayed a great deal of promise. The young right hander displayed solid mechanics and a deceptive delivery. http://www.prepbaseballreport.com/news/PA/Wrap-Up-From-Western-PA-Top-Prospect-Showcase-3619475280

Draft Notes 6-1-12 – Kyle Zimmer, KlawChat

 John Manuel‏ -

Hear Lucas Giolito's throwing program gaining steam, getting out to 250 feet, 100 throws. Still 3-4 weeks from throwing off a mound

:)

Byron Buxton  struck out 18 Pierce County Bears in Game 3 of the Class AA championship series 

At Jesuit, Lance McCullers is named the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year. 

Kyle Zimmer

5. Kyle Zimmer RHP, San Francisco - Who he is: There are many teams who have Zimmer ahead of Appel on their boards. He has size and extreme athleticism for a pitcher, along with plus command and control of a bigtime fastball that consistently touches the upper 90s while touching 98-99 mph. His curveball is a plus pitch, and while his changeup needs consistency, it has potential. With two dominant offerings in a non-elite conference, he's been able to blow hitters away, and will need to learn how to sequence as a pro. Draft skinny: Zimmer could go as high as No. 2 overall to Minnesota, and it's hard to see him falling out of the top five picks.

Keith Law –

Q - Any word on if teams will get to see Lucas Giolito throw before the draft? He's running out of time.

Klaw - He's thrown several times already on flat ground. I'm convinced he goes in the top 20, probably top 15.

Q - Do you think Giolito signs if drafted out of the top-10, and offered something around $2M?

Klaw - No. No reason for him to take that little (relative to expectations/what he could get in three years).

Q - Any chance Andrew Heaney is still around when Cleveland picks @ #15?

Klaw - Between 25% and 50%. Could go 9, don't think he goes higher than that.

Q - Highest/lowest Addison Russell goes?

Klaw - Highest is 11, Oakland. Lowest is 30, Yankees, but I doubt he gets past St. Louis twice.

Q - Guesses on first guy from this class to make the majors?

Klaw - Marcus Stroman. Gets there this year.

Draft Notes 5-10-12 – Kyle Zimmer, Luc Giolito, Catchers

There is some concern around the scouting world about USF (24-28) P Kyle Zimmer. He stretched his hamstring last week when he was fielding a bunt and had to be scratched from this past weekend series with Pepperdine. The bigger problem is the failure to heal in time and some scouts fear this could linger. Zimmer shot up the mocks mainly due to his incredible 76.1-85-13 IP-K-BB ratio for a basically bad team. I had him in my top five picks for a few weeks, but it’ hard to wrap your arms around someone with a current injury. Talent wise, I think he’s the best righty in the draft, but I have him behind Mark Appel and Lucas Giolito right now.  

 Speaking of Giolito, his rehab continues and we’re still some time away from any kind of organized session involving velocity. I spoke with five people that do this for a living and asked them, ‘if Giolito was shut down by his advisors today, where would he still be drafted. All agreed he would be a first round pick and four of them had him as a top 10 pick anyway. Two had him top five. We that do this look at people like Anthony Renaudo and Matt Purke for exampled of once number one projected players that fell due to injuries suffered in their last year of school ball. Renaudo currently looks to be, at best, a middle reliever and Purke is far from being able to project. There’s a lot of money being given out in the first five picks and a team would sure like to hand that check to someone with exceptional wings. My guess here is two-fold. If the rehab and scout sessions go well, look for Luc to be picked 5^th or 6^th overall. If they done, it’s off to college (but, that’s just me…).

Remember, every injury is different. Broken bones heal, but arthritis inside your lower back’s spinal column doesn’t. You can’t change Mother Nature and genetic abnormalities. 

The baseball world continues to look for a few, good men catchers before draft day and, frankly the crème at the top is down to one. Florida’s Mike Zunino started off the mock season in the top 15, but quickly rose as high as number one. He’s cooled off a little lately, but I believe he’s safe as one of the top five picks. Past him is questionable. Everybody jumped on the Stryker Trahan train early who, on his best day, played marginal defense. Trahan picked the wrong year to let his bat go dry so anyone that drafts him now does so as a crap shoot.

I’m old school and I was taught that you never draft a high school catcher because you just don’t know if he is going to develop into that position at the major league level. Then I was told not to draft a college junior because he already has three more years squatting behind the plate and his legs will go earlier than when arbitration runs out. Lastly, I was told always sign international players for your catcher needs because it’s still a position that kids like to play in those counties.

The next 50 catchers projected in this draft suffer from one of three problems:

1.     They can hit but not catch

2.     They can catch but not throw

3.     They can throw but not hit

Draft 2012 – Kyle Zimmer, Lewis Brinson, Stryker Trahan, Michael Wacha, DJ Baxendale

Kyle Zimmer — 6’-3”, RHP, San Francisco Zimmer is a power righty whose fastball has been clocked at 97 mph with late sink. He also features a power curve that projects to a wipe-out pitch at the next level. His slider is above average, his change-up is still developing, and he has excellent command of all four pitches. He had a 3.38 ERA at the Cape Cod League with 37K/14 BB over 48 innings. At 6’-3”and 200 lbs, he has the frame to be a workhorse. http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/top-50-draft-prospects-for-2012-50-thru-26/15621/

Lewis Brinson, OF, Coral Springs (Fla.) - Brinson brings mixed reviews at this stage of the evaluation process, displaying plus athleticism and five-tool potential. At 6-foot-4, he may ultimately outgrow center field, but his arm should fit in right, provided his raw power plays in pro ball, too. Brinson has been timed in the 60 at 6.5 seconds, which is among the fastest in the entire draft class. http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/baseball/post/_/id/940/mccullers-jr-is-top-florida-diamond-star

http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/top-50-draft-prospects-for-2012-25-thru-1/15694/ - Stryker Trahan — 6’-2”, C, Arcadiana HS (LA) - Left-handed hitting catchers are rare. Athletic ones who can hit for power are even rarer. Trahan is the top prep catcher in the draft and should be able to stay at the position at the major-league level. At 6’-2” and 215 lbs, he makes for a good target and has a very strong arm. He runs a 6.6/60 and would play well in right field, as well. Hit .460 with five home runs as a junior in 2011 with a 1.281 OPS.

We continue the countdown today at number 26 with Texas A&M junior RHP Michael Wacha.The Texarkana, Texas native attended Pleasant Grove High School where he was a two-time All-State selection. As a senior,  he went 6-3 while leading the squad to a state semifinal appearance while going 16-3 as a junior bringing the squad to the State Championship Game.  As a freshman in 2010, he made 25 appearances, 10 as a starter while having a 9-2 record and an ERA of 2.90 which ranked him sixth in the league. He struck out 97 batters while walking just 22 in 105.2 innings pitched. He was selected a Freshman All-American by Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball as well as honorable mention All-Big 12 selection http://ht.ly/1guGrf

We continue the countdown today at number 25 with Arkansas junior RHP DJ Baxendale. The Jacksonville, Arkansas native attended Sylvan Hills High School where he went 25-1 as a junior and senior while being named State of Arkansas Gatorade Player fo the Year, Arkansas Player of the Year by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Louisville Slugger and MaxPreps following senior season. As a freshman in 2010, he served as the team’s closer making appearances in a team-high 29 games with a record of 0-2 record with a team-leading seven saves and a 3.58 ERA. He spent the summer in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox where he continued to work out of the bullpen with a 2-3 record with a team-leading nine saves and a 2.57 ERA. He was able to hold opponents to a .187 batting average and striking out 14 in 21.0 innings of work  We continue the countdown today at number 25 with Arkansas junior RHP DJ Baxendale. The Jacksonville, Arkansas native attended Sylvan Hills High School where he went 25-1 as a junior and senior while being named State of Arkansas Gatorade Player fo the Year, Arkansas Player of the Year by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Louisville Slugger and MaxPreps following senior season.  http://ht.ly/1gvMoe

Draft 2012: - Hayden Hurst, Carlos Correa, Cullen Mahoney, Kyle Zimmer,

10-28-11: - http://orioles-nation.com/2011/10/26/wwba-2012-highlights - Hayden Hurst (Jacksonville FL; Bolles HS) – Power right handed pitcher with solid foundation that should improve lower half strength and a tick or two on the fastball.  Strong drive to the plate with borderline arm action and some quick action of the elbow.  He sets in nicely and it might be more of a concern for command than any pressure on the arm down the road.  It tends to look jerky, but I think the amount of effort is minimum and does a solid job allowing his core/legs do most of the work in the delivery.  He throws in the low 90s and will touch 93 right now.  Throws a heavy fastball diet at this stage, but works it around and will pound down in the strike zone.

11-15-11: - http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=6369  - Carlos Correa (2012 SS, PRBAHS)- The top ranked shortstop in the class had an impressive showing in Jupiter, hitting .400/.571/.900 with a Home Run, four Runs and seven RBIs in five games. The emerging power and improved plate approach are very encouraging signs for Correa, whose scouting notes from the 2011 World Showcase in January included "future plus hitter with adjustments/maturity, too spread/long right now...projects for power...raw with upside, good bat speed, approach needs work." Fast forward ten months and the latest set of notes include praise such as "sound hitting approach...power approach at plate...impact type bat...power to all fields." Correa's strong lean build at 6-foot-4, 185 pounds projects for significant increase in strength and muscle mass. There is a concern that the additional weight will diminish his range at shortstop, and though quick and athletic, Correa is not a premium burner (6.83 60-yard dash at 2011 National Showcase). Correa typically plays an extra step deep at short to increase his lateral range, something his plus arm allows him to pull off at 185 pounds. An eventual move to third base wouldn't be a huge blow to Correa's long term value. His arm strength will play anywhere, his soft hands and quick reflexes are well suited for the hot corner and he has the offensive tools to produce enough for a corner position. However his bat would make him a rare commodity if he is able to stick at shortstop. Regardless of his future defensive home, Correa looks to have a bright future on the left side of the infield.

11-15-11: - http://www.collegesummerbaseball.net/2011/11/top-50-position-players-in-northwoods.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter  - Cullen Mahoney   2B   Thunder Bay Border Cats---Loyola Marymount   Cullen will attend Loyola Marymount after transferring from South Mountain College. He was second in the league with a .347 batting average in 213 at-bats. He scored 33 runs, knocked in 29 and he lead the league with 5 triples. He also walked 27 times for the Border Cats. Perfect Game ranked him as the 66th best prospect in the league. Here is a really nice video of him from a game in August.

11-19-11: - http://ht.ly/1fJsU6  - We continue the countdown today at number 63 with San Francisco RHP Kyle Zimmer. The La Jolla, California native attended La Jolla High School where he played four years of baseball. As a senior he led team with a .410 batting average, .492 on base percentage, and .701 slugging percentage on his way to team MVP honors. His freshman season saw him struggle making five appearances and pitching a total of 5.1 innings. He spent the summer of 2010 with the Alexandria Aces in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League. Zimmer finished the summer with a 1.37 ERA in 46 innings of work. Zimmer had a breakout season in 2011 with the Dons going 6-4 with a 3.73 ERA in over 94 innings of work in 20 appearances (16 starts). His best performance came against St. Mary’s when he struck out 14. He was named to the 2011 NCAA Los Angeles Regional Team and a First Team All-West Coast Conference selection.