1-9-10 from http://www.jjscouting.com/ : - Sonny Gray: Sonny Gray is a competitor out of the University of Vanderbilt. By scouts standards Gray would be "undersized", standing at 5'11, but that doesn't matter, as he goes out there an competes. The right-handed pitcher was originally drafted by the Cubs in the 27th round and slipped so far due to such a strong commitment to Vanderbilt. If not, Gray wouldn't have lasted past the second round in 2008, most likely not even past the first round. Like Cole, Sonny had a strong freshman campaign, with which he followed it up with a superb summer circuit. At Vanderbilt, he went 5-1 with a 4.30 ERA, recording 5 saves and striking out 72 and walking only 20 in 58 2/3 innings. Not impressing you? Gray then went on to do equally great things with Team USA, going 3-1 in 24 innnings pitched, with a miniscual .75 ERA, averaging 1 strike out an inning and only walking 8. Another elite pitcher,that will have his name called early come 2011.
2-11 from http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/ - While Cole possesses the best pure arm in the nation in any class, Vanderbilt sophomore teammates Sonny Gray and Jack Armstrong, also teammates on the 2007 Aflac All-American team, offer a more intimidating one-two punch. Gray’s arm may rival Cole’s, even though Gray continues to be scrutinized for his less than ideal 5-foot-11 frame. He, too, lights up radar guns and offers an equally neutralizing breaking pitch. He joined Cole on the Team USA squad last summer, where both may return this coming summer to help cement their status as premium, first-round picks for the following year’s draft.
5-29-10 from: - http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/MLB_Draft - Sonny Gray is like most top pitching prospects who have played for Vanderbilt in recent years, but also very different. A sophomore righty who is eligible for the 2011 draft, Gray has the same sort of drive and work ethic as the four Commodore hurlers -- Jeremy Sowers, David Price, Casey Weathers and Mike Minor -- drafted in the first round since 2004. But the main difference is in his arm -- his fastball can hit 95 mph. “We’ve had some good armed right-handers, but maybe not quite at that level,” Vanderbilt pitching coach Derek Johnson said. At first glance, Gray does not look like a power pitcher. He stands 5-11, weighs 195 pounds and has a youthful visage. But on the mound, he works his fastball from 92-95 mph to both sides of the plate, and keeps hitters off balance with a curveball and a changeup
6-11-10 from: - http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/wait-til-next-year-draft-11-preview -pitchers - RHSP - The rest of the top tier: I have to start with Vanderbilt ace Sonny Gray (3.28 FIP), who is just a tick behind Cole, Purke and Jungmann, mostly due to the bias about his slight build. But Gray is just as consistently 93-96, and his power curveball is more developed than either of the right-handers ranked ahead of him. Due to the 5-11 build and lack of a third pitch, though, some have Gray earmarked for the bullpen …
6-13 from: - http://perfectgame.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=114295945&f=6174069131&m=3221081702 - RHP, Sonny Gray, Vanderbilt, 5'9 180, quick quick arm, will run it up there, from 90-94, occasionally 95-96, he has to keep the ball in on RHH and down and away. Breaking ball explodes when he's in rhythym, other times very readable. Competes and wants it!!
6-14-10 from: - http://prospectinsider.com/360mock.php - 2011 Mock Draft - 2 Pittsburgh Sonny Gray, RHP -- Vanderbilt
6-15-10 from: - http://www.deepleagues.com/?p=1830 – 2011 Mock Draft - 8. Milwaukee Brewers Sonny Gray P, Vanderbilt University
6-29 from: - Andy Seiler Mock Draft - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/6/28/1541924/andys-first-2011-top-50#storyjump – 9. Sonny Gray, RHP, Vanderbilt
7-1 from: - http://sullydraft.blogspot.com/ – 2011 Mock Draft – 10. Sonny Gray- RHP, Vanderbilt
7-1 from: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/6/30/1544396/pats-first-2011-top-50#storyjump – Pat Hickey Mock Draft – 10. Sonny Gray, RHP, Vanderbilt
7-3 from: - http://milbprospects.blogspot.com/2010/07/early-version-of-top-50-prospects-for.html - Top 50 - 5 Sonny Gray , RHP , Vanderbilt
7-4 from: - http://pnrscouting.com/articles_teamusacollegiate_trialroster_07042010.html - Gray is a mere 5-11/195, but the power arsenal each boasts is equally impressive... Gray sits 93-96 mph with his fastball, pairing it with a second plus offering in his low-80s slider, which can climb as high as 85 mph. His off-speed is an 80-82 change with some depth. Gray racked-up 113 SO in 108.7 IP and a 9.65 SO/9, good for 21st and 68th overall, respectively, through conference tournament play. The primary knock on the Commodore power arm is his smallish frame, which leads some to believe he will ultimately land in the pen. His quality arsenal could play out of the rotation or pen with Team USA, and he logged innings in both capacities last summer.
July 7, 2010 - http://web.usabaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100707&content_id=12054480&vkey=news_usab&gid= - Sonny Gray (Vanderbilt) toed the rubber for the Blue to start the contest working 3 2/3 innings where he allowed two runs (both earned) on three this with four punch outs and two strikeouts.
7-15 from: - http://perfectgame.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?q=Y&a=tpc&s=114295945&f=6174069131&m=3221081702&p= – Sonny Gray, Vandy flash, was throwing pees last night, up to 97 on several pitches, hammer was working keeping the KRP at bay and looking, 9 k's, many swings and misses, good downward plane on his pitches from the 5'9ish righty.
7-15 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/07/14/team-usa-defeats-korea-3-0-with-a-combined-no-hitter - The sophomore pitching trio of Sonny Gray (Vanderbilt), Kyle Winkler (Texas Christian) and Noe Ramirez (Cal State Fullerton) struck out 13 batters and combined to toss a no-hitter in the Collegiate National Teams 3-0 win Wednesday night over Korea. Gray (1-0) retired 13 of the first 14 batters he faced issuing a walk to the third batter of the game on is way to a nine-strikeout performance
7-15 from: - http://perfectgame.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?q=Y&a=tpc&s=114295945&f=6174069131&m=3221081702&p=3 – Sonny Gray, Vandy flash, was throwing pees last night, up to 97 on several pitches, hammer was working keeping the KRP at bay and looking, 9 k's, many swings and misses, good downward plane on his pitches from the 5'9ish righty.
7-23-10 from: - http://pnrscouting.com/articles_teamusacollegiate_finalroster_07212010.html - USA CNT Roster Breakdown, Spring Stat Links and Trials Notes: - Sonny Gray RHSP So. Vanderbilt Univ.- Trials Notes: Gray was one of two of the 39 players at the Trials that I did not get to see in person, as he threw right before my arrival and did not throw a second time. Word from other evaluators was that Gray was his "usual self", and I can give you some notes on what I consider to be his "usual self", based on my viewings this Spring and last Summer with the USA CNT. Gray is generally 93-96 with a lively fastball and mixes-in a low-80s slider that flashes plus with hard late action and good tilt. His off-speed is inconsistent, vacillating between below average to a tick above. He gets fade and some drop, but can sometimes slow his arm speed -- the velo delta between his CH and FB can range from 14 to 9 mph. The biggest "knock" on Gray is his size, or more accurately his height. While the Vandy ace stands sub-6-foot, he has a strong build and is put together well. He throws with some effort, but his arm action is solid and he repeats well. Detractors place him in the pen as pro, but he will almost certainly log significant time in a rotation to begin his Minor League career, either way. Only Cole has better raw stuff on the squad.
7-25: - http://www.fanhouse.com/ : - Fanhouse Top 70 Prospects - 7. Sonny Gray, RHP, Vanderbilt
7-30-10 from: - http://web.usabaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100730&content_id=12802124&vkey=recap_usab - Sonny Gray (Vanderbilt) struck out a career-best 14 batters setting a new USA FISU single-game record as the Collegiate National Team (CNT) used the 15-run rule after five innings to record its first win at the V FISU World University Championships Friday afternoon over Sri Lanka, 15-0 at Utsumi Shimaoka Ball Park. Gray was unhittable through 3 1/3 inning retiring 10 in a row, nine by strikeout, before Theekshana Gammanpila singled down the right field line on a ball that hit first base and popped over the head of Nick Ramirez (Cal State Fullerton). In all the right-hander allowed just two runners to reach base, one was on a wild pitch strikeout) and faced two over the minimum through five innings (17 hitters) notching his second win of the summer tour. With his 14-strikeout performance, Gray also tied a CNT single-game record for punch outs joining Jason Jennings (7/1/98) and B.J. Wallace (7/20/02) in the record books.
8-5 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/08/05/team-usa-defeats-japan-to-advance-to-fisu-championship-game/#more-28750 - Sonny Gray (Vanderbilt) scattered three hits over seven innings as USA defeated host team Japan 4-2 in semi-final action at the V FISU World University Baseball Championships inside Yokohama Stadium Thursday night. With the win, USA (16-2) will make its fourth-straight appearance in the FISU gold medal game when they square off against Cuba on Saturday, Aug. 7 at 5 a.m. (EST). Gray, who improved to 3-0 on the summer, allowed two runs (one earned) and struck out six to push his summer total to 37 punch outs. The right-hander surrendered a run in each of the first two innings before settling down where he allowed just four base runners of the next five innings, two of those reaching second base.
8-6-10 from: - http://projectprospect.com/article/2010/08/05/summer-college-baseball-update - Perhaps the best performance this summer belongs to Vanderbilt righty Sonny Gray (pictured above). Spending his summer with Team USA, Gray stood tall in a very deep group of hurlers for the Collegiate National Team. Through just 17 innings so far, Gray has yet to allow a run, or an extra base hit for that matter. He has struck out 31 of the 58 batters he's faced (53.4%) while walking two. Gray gets knocked some for his size - he's listed at 6-feet tall, which seems rather generous - but has a mid-90's fastball and devastating curveball to go along with a usable changeup. Gray generates a lot of power from a small frame, and the effort in his delivery is obvious. Effort in a delivery is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as it's controlled. Gray's motion is fairly efficient, save for his late hand break. Gray removes the ball from his glove a little late in his delivery which causes a timing problem. However, Gray's raw stuff as well as his production match up with anyone in the 2011 draft class. His upside is as a true ace, with a reasonable downside of a high-leverage reliever.
8-12 from: - http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=11729 - The U.S. embarrassed Sri Lanka 15-0 before the mercy rule was instituted in the fifth inning. Sonny Gray struck out 14 of Sri Lanka’s 17 batters, allowing only one hit and surrendering no walks. In his second start, Gray shut down Japan’s national team, scattering two runs (one earned), three hits and two walks over seven innings. This is characteristic of Gray, who ties for the team lead with three wins, leads the team with 37 strikeouts, 0.50 WHIP and an ERA of 0.38. Even by comparison to his nearly equally dominant teammates (10 of the 11 pitchers have earned run averages under 2.70, and over half allow less than a run per nine innings) Gray has been the team ace.
8-31-10 from: - http://www.prospectwire.com/pw/article.php?id=142 - Travis Harrison - OF, 6'2" 225, R/R, Tustin HS (CA) - If Harrison does not hit as a professional player, most scouts will be quite surprised. He has shown his ability with the bat since his freshman year and even when he isn't going all that well, which he wasn't in Long Beach, Harrison is still a productive hitter. He is an RBI man with plus raw power and though he might only be an average hitter at best, his hits are not soft. In many ways he reminds me of Carlos Quentin of the White Sox.
9-17-10 from: - http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/chat/2010/2610683.html - What is the current thought on Sonny Gray and where he ends up? The previous couple of seasons the prevailing thought was that he would end up in the bullpen due to his size, but has that changed at all? Aaron Fitt: I think he is starting to convince some people that he has a chance to start. The fact is he's undersized, and some scouts will always look at a 5-foot-11 righthander who throws 95 and say, "He's a bullpen guy." But Gray is very strong, and he holds his velocity deep into games. He also is making progress with his changeup, as well as his command and feel for pitching. I chatted with Sonny this summer for our Summer POY feature, and he bristles a bit when people say he won't be a starter—he thinks he can succeed in either role. I think I agree with him, but my sense is that at least a slight majority of scouts still see him in the 'pen down the road.
9-24 from: - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/470764-2010-mlb-mock-draft-40-shaking-up-the-order-and-the-picks#page/2 - Gray had one of the best summers of any prospect, high school or college. He shut down just about everyone he faced off against for Team USA, and has unlimited momentum headed into his senior season at Vanderbilt. Gray features a mid 90s fastball, rather impressive for a tiny guy, and he compliments it with some solid secondary stuff. Gray profiles as a number two starter, and Baltimore doesn't have anybody quite like him. He would be a perfect compliment in a rotation that includes Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman, Jake Arrieta, and Zach Britton.
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