I went to Orleans on Wednesday to see some more pitchers I hadn't yet gotten a look at.
Falmouth was down to its last strike in the top of the ninth inning then rallied to tie the game before eventually losing 6-5 in the bottom of the 12th inning.
Left-handed starter Rob Rasmussen from UCLA started for Orleans. I saw him throw an inning during the All-Star Game, but this was the first time I watched him for an extended appearance. Rasmussen is a small-body guy at 5'11" 170, but he doesn't throw with as much effort as many other pitchers in the league with similar size. He has a tight motion and throws with good arm action, and the ball looks like it's really flying out of his hand. Rasmussen's fastball sat in the 90-92 mph range. He had good command of it early in his start Wednesday but he started to lose it later in the appearance and lost some of his effectiveness. He also throws a really good 77-78 mph curveball with sharp, tight break that he could both throw for strikes and get hitters to chase out of the zone. Rasmussen also had an 82-84 mph slider with horizontal run that gives hitters a different look to think about but which isn't as effective as the curve. His fastball/curveball combination makes him one of the better starters in the league.
Right-handed starter Jordan Cooper from Wichita State had the ball for Falmouth. Cooper is average height with a solid build at 6'0" 200. He has good arm action, good balance and throws easily. His stuff is really just average. Cooper's fastball sat in the 86-88 mph range. He spun a 78-80 mph slider that didn't have much to it early in the game. He started getting a better feel for it as the start went on and become a more effective pitch. He also threw an average 79-80 mph changeup. Cooper has put up good numbers this summer but he isn't outstanding.
Right-handed reliever Patrick Cooper from Des Moines Community College looked really good for Falmouth with his fastball/slider combination. Cooper is average height with a solid, athletic build at 6'2" 200. He stands tall in his delivery and throws with some effort. Cooper's fastball sat in the 90-92 mph range, and his 83-84 mph slider was excellent. The slider had very sharp break and he got a lot of swings and misses with it. Cooper has an ERA under 1 this summer and he is one of the better relievers in the league.
I only caught a brief glimpse of Falmouth right-handed reliever Jason Zylstra from Jacksonville State and only saw him throw fastballs. Zylstra is tall with an average build and room to fill out at 6'4" 220. He gets good extension and throws with good, loose arm action. His fastball sat in the 91-93 mph range and had good sinking action.
Orleans right-handed reliever Brett Weibley from Kent State hit 96 with his fastball. Weibley is above-average height with a solid build at 6'3" 220. He throws with a lot of effort and falls off the mound toward first base, but he throws with good arm action. Weibley's fastball sat mostly in the 93-95 mph range and did hit 96 once. He does well changing his locations. Weibley threw mostly all fastballs, showing just an average slider and a good changeup that he only threw during warmups.
Among position players, Orleans shortstop Devin Lohman from Long Beach State played well. He put a good swing on a wind-aided opposite field home run, then made an athletic play coming in a ground ball. He has an above-average arm.
Thursday is an off day.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Bourne 13 Cotuit 1: Second baseman Raynor Campbell from Baylor, Cleveland's 31st-round pick, went 4-for-5 with a home run and six RBIs for Bourne. Right-handed starter Alex Wimmers from Ohio State allowed one run on four hits and struck out 10 in five innings pitched.
Chatham 10 Brewster 1: Leftfielder Joey Terdoslavich from Long Beach State went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and third baseman Matt Duffy from Tennessee went 2-for-4 with two RBI for Chatham. Second baseman Jedd Gyorko from West Virginia University and designated hitter Tant Shepherd from the University of Texas each had two hits for Brewster.
Wareham 10 Hyannis 3: Leftfielder Alex Dickerson from the University of Indiana went 3-for-5 with a home run and rightfielder George Springer from UConn went 2-for-4 with a home run for Wareham.
Harwich 8 Y-D 4: Centerfielder Leon Landry from LSU went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and first baseman Connor Powers from Mississippi State, the Dodgers' 11th-round pick and rightfielder Trent Mummey from Auburn each homered for Harwich.
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Wednesday, July 29, 2009
July 29 for July 28 Update
I went to Cotuit on Tuesday to catch Cotuit and Chatham in another matchup of pitchers I hadn't seen yet this summer.
Cotuit won 2-1 as Chatham continues to freefall and looks more and more likely to miss the playoffs after starting the season 9-1.
Right-handed starter Craig Fritsch from Baylor, the Tigers' 8th-round pick last month, started for Cotuit and looked a lot less impressive than he did when I saw him pitch for Y-D in 2008. Fritsch is tall with a thin, athletic build at 6'4" 180 but he stands too tall in his motion and doesn't get good drive from his lower body. He does have good arm action and throws fairly easily. Fritsch's fastball sat in the 90-91 mph range and occasionally touched 92. It had some tailing action in on right-handed hitters, but Fritsch had some trouble locating his fastball and tended to leave it up in the zone. Fritsch spun a 73-74 mph breaking ball that would hang some of the time and he also showed a 78-80 mph changeup. Fritsch really showed a lot more ability last summer.
Right-handed starter Mike Dennhardt from Boston College pitched for Chatham. Dennhardt's stuff isn't overpowering but he throws at least five different pitches and mixes them effectively. None of his pitches are better than league average but he throws strikes and pitches to contact to get outs. Dennhardt is average height with a solid build at 6'1" 205. His arm trails behind the rest of his body and he sort of flings the ball. Dennhardt's fastball sat in the 88-90 mph range and his two-seamer had good tailing action in on right-handed hitters. He also threw an effective 83-86 mph cutter. Dennhardt's 74-78 mph curveball had sharp break when he threw it well and he was able to throw it for strikes, and he is mixing in a 78-81 mph slider with horizontal run. Dennhardt also throws an average 81 mph changeup that tails in on right-handed hitters. The depth of Dennhardt's repertoire is his biggest asset.
Chatham right-handed reliever Taylor Hill from Vanderbilt, who has impressed me more than once this summer, looked great again Tuesday. His low 90s fastball has a lot of movement including some sinking action and his 80-83 mph slider was nasty. Hill can either get hitters to chase the late-breaking pitch with tight break out of the zone or sneak it in the back door. When Hill froze highly-touted Cotuit catcher Cameron Rupp from the University of Texas with a slider to strike him out, Rupp started walking back to the dugout almost simultaneously to when the pitch hit the catcher's glove.
Cotuit right-handed reliever Navery Moore from Vanderbilt had good outing, a rare occurrence for him this summer. One National League scout said Moore was "kind of a phenom" early in his high school career before he underwent Tommy John surgery. The scout said Moore's velocity went way down after the procedure and it affected his confidence which in turn affected his command. Moore has struggled with terrible control issues this summer after seeing limited action at Vanderbilt in the spring, but he threw strikes Tuesday. Moore is above-average height with a solid build at 6'3" 205. He has a jerky motion and throws with some effort. Moore's fastball sat in the 91-92 mph range, and he threw a 78 mph curveball with tight overhand break. He also threw a 77 mph changeup.
Cotuit right-handed reliever Ben Rowen from Virginia Tech was intriguing as well. Rowen is the only submarine-style pitcher I have seen on the Cape, and Cotuit uses him often to give hitters a different look. Rowen doesn't throw harder than the mid-80s, and his stuff which also includes a slider and a changep isn't that good, but everything he throws moves a lot and he baffles a lot of hitters at this level with his delivery.
Cotuit third baseman Zack Cox from the University of Arkansas had another big game. He hit three singles, one to leftfield, one up the middle and one to right and he hit each one on the first pitch of the at-bat. Some think Cox's lack of patience is a negative, but I love his aggressive style at the plate. He gets in the box and hits, and he almost always puts a good swing on the ball.
Cotuit centerfielder Jeff Rowland from Georgia Tech, the Indians' 21st-round pick, has struggled at the plate and he has a below-average arm, but he can cover a lot of ground in the outfield.
I will likely be at Falmouth at Orleans on Wednesday.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Brewster 4 Orleans 2: Third baseman Harold Martinez from the University of Miami hit a home run and second baseman Jedd Gyorko from West Virginia went 3-for-4 for Brewster.
Harwich 5 Bourne 1, Bourne 7 Harwich 2: In the first game, Harwich right-handed starter Mike Gipson from Florida Atlantic allowed one run on five hits and struck out six. Designated hitter Kyle Roller from East Carolina homered for Bourne. In the second game, second baseman Pierre LePage from UConn and designated hitter Nick Schwaner from the University of New Orleans, the Giants' 42nd-round pick, each went 2-for-3 for Bourne. Centerfielder Leon Landry from LSU went 2-for-3 for Harwich.
Y-D 8 Wareham 3: Centerfielder Jordan Casas from Long Beach State went 2-for-4 and leftfielder Austin Wates from Virginia Tech went 2-for-5 with four RBIs for Y-D. Designated hitter Zach Wilson from Arizona State went 2-for-4 for Wareham.
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Cotuit won 2-1 as Chatham continues to freefall and looks more and more likely to miss the playoffs after starting the season 9-1.
Right-handed starter Craig Fritsch from Baylor, the Tigers' 8th-round pick last month, started for Cotuit and looked a lot less impressive than he did when I saw him pitch for Y-D in 2008. Fritsch is tall with a thin, athletic build at 6'4" 180 but he stands too tall in his motion and doesn't get good drive from his lower body. He does have good arm action and throws fairly easily. Fritsch's fastball sat in the 90-91 mph range and occasionally touched 92. It had some tailing action in on right-handed hitters, but Fritsch had some trouble locating his fastball and tended to leave it up in the zone. Fritsch spun a 73-74 mph breaking ball that would hang some of the time and he also showed a 78-80 mph changeup. Fritsch really showed a lot more ability last summer.
Right-handed starter Mike Dennhardt from Boston College pitched for Chatham. Dennhardt's stuff isn't overpowering but he throws at least five different pitches and mixes them effectively. None of his pitches are better than league average but he throws strikes and pitches to contact to get outs. Dennhardt is average height with a solid build at 6'1" 205. His arm trails behind the rest of his body and he sort of flings the ball. Dennhardt's fastball sat in the 88-90 mph range and his two-seamer had good tailing action in on right-handed hitters. He also threw an effective 83-86 mph cutter. Dennhardt's 74-78 mph curveball had sharp break when he threw it well and he was able to throw it for strikes, and he is mixing in a 78-81 mph slider with horizontal run. Dennhardt also throws an average 81 mph changeup that tails in on right-handed hitters. The depth of Dennhardt's repertoire is his biggest asset.
Chatham right-handed reliever Taylor Hill from Vanderbilt, who has impressed me more than once this summer, looked great again Tuesday. His low 90s fastball has a lot of movement including some sinking action and his 80-83 mph slider was nasty. Hill can either get hitters to chase the late-breaking pitch with tight break out of the zone or sneak it in the back door. When Hill froze highly-touted Cotuit catcher Cameron Rupp from the University of Texas with a slider to strike him out, Rupp started walking back to the dugout almost simultaneously to when the pitch hit the catcher's glove.
Cotuit right-handed reliever Navery Moore from Vanderbilt had good outing, a rare occurrence for him this summer. One National League scout said Moore was "kind of a phenom" early in his high school career before he underwent Tommy John surgery. The scout said Moore's velocity went way down after the procedure and it affected his confidence which in turn affected his command. Moore has struggled with terrible control issues this summer after seeing limited action at Vanderbilt in the spring, but he threw strikes Tuesday. Moore is above-average height with a solid build at 6'3" 205. He has a jerky motion and throws with some effort. Moore's fastball sat in the 91-92 mph range, and he threw a 78 mph curveball with tight overhand break. He also threw a 77 mph changeup.
Cotuit right-handed reliever Ben Rowen from Virginia Tech was intriguing as well. Rowen is the only submarine-style pitcher I have seen on the Cape, and Cotuit uses him often to give hitters a different look. Rowen doesn't throw harder than the mid-80s, and his stuff which also includes a slider and a changep isn't that good, but everything he throws moves a lot and he baffles a lot of hitters at this level with his delivery.
Cotuit third baseman Zack Cox from the University of Arkansas had another big game. He hit three singles, one to leftfield, one up the middle and one to right and he hit each one on the first pitch of the at-bat. Some think Cox's lack of patience is a negative, but I love his aggressive style at the plate. He gets in the box and hits, and he almost always puts a good swing on the ball.
Cotuit centerfielder Jeff Rowland from Georgia Tech, the Indians' 21st-round pick, has struggled at the plate and he has a below-average arm, but he can cover a lot of ground in the outfield.
I will likely be at Falmouth at Orleans on Wednesday.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Brewster 4 Orleans 2: Third baseman Harold Martinez from the University of Miami hit a home run and second baseman Jedd Gyorko from West Virginia went 3-for-4 for Brewster.
Harwich 5 Bourne 1, Bourne 7 Harwich 2: In the first game, Harwich right-handed starter Mike Gipson from Florida Atlantic allowed one run on five hits and struck out six. Designated hitter Kyle Roller from East Carolina homered for Bourne. In the second game, second baseman Pierre LePage from UConn and designated hitter Nick Schwaner from the University of New Orleans, the Giants' 42nd-round pick, each went 2-for-3 for Bourne. Centerfielder Leon Landry from LSU went 2-for-3 for Harwich.
Y-D 8 Wareham 3: Centerfielder Jordan Casas from Long Beach State went 2-for-4 and leftfielder Austin Wates from Virginia Tech went 2-for-5 with four RBIs for Y-D. Designated hitter Zach Wilson from Arizona State went 2-for-4 for Wareham.
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Tuesday, July 28, 2009
July 28 for July 27 Update
I went to Falmouth on Monday to watch Falmouth play Harwich. And even though it was a lopsided 11-2 win for Falmouth and a game that was decided by about the fourth inning, it was a great choice because I saw five pitchers I had not yet seen.
One might say it was an especially good night to be watching the players first and the game second.
Righthander Kyle Winkler from TCU started for Falmouth and looked really good. Winkler threw the only true sinker I can remember seeing all summer and it was a great pitch. Winkler has a stocky build at 5'11" 195, and while he has a jerky motion and throws with some effort he has good arm action and a very strong-looking lower body which should limit some concerns about his durability. Winkler's fastball sat in the 91-93 mph range and once touched 94. The 85-86 mph sinker was really effective and with its late movement was very difficult for hitters to pick up. Winkler also threw a decent 76-78 mph curveball with sharp break and an 81-83 mph slider with hard run that wasn't really that good. Winkler just turned 19 last month, and he is somebody to watch for the 2011 draft.
Harwich right-handed starter John Gast from Florida State was fairly average. Gast is average height for a pitcher with a solid build at 6'2" 215. He drops down then drives when he pitches. Gast's fastball sat in the 89-91 mph range and once touched 92. It had some tail in on left-handed hitters. He spun an average 73-76 mph curveball he could throw for strikes and threw a 77 mph changeup with some tail in on lefties that he tended to leave up in the zone. Gast really didn't have a go-to pitch and the Falmouth hitters were able to get to him when he couldn't locate.
Right-handed reliever Daniel Bradshaw from LSU came in next for Harwich. Bradshaw is average height with an athletic build at 6'1" 208. He throws easy but he falls slightly off the mound when he releases. Bradshaw's fastball sat in just the 85-87 mph range. He floated in a late-moving 73-75 mph changeup and threw a good 68-72 mph curveball with 3/8 break that he could throw for strikes. He also showed a cutter during warmups but didn't use it in the game. If hitters are patient enough to stay back against his slow stuff, they are going to get to Daniel Bradshaw.
Right-handed reliever Les Williams from Northeastern was the third Harwich pitcher of the night. Williams is average height for a pitcher with a solid build at 6'2" 220. He has stiff arm action and throws across his body. Williams fastball sat in the 87-89 mph range. He threw a decent 78-81 mph curveball with sweeping break and also showed a harder slider. Williams' appearance was brief, and while he wasn't bad I don't think it's especially pressing to see him again before the end of the season.
Right-handed reliever Cecil Tanner from the University of Georgia looked good as a short-relief prospect for Falmouth. One NL scout said he saw Tanner sit consistenly around 96-97 mph this spring during his freshman season at UGA. I haven't seen him hit higher than 94 in three glimpses of him this summer, but he is still worth keeping an eye on. Tanner has good size at 6'6" 240. He looks a little stiff and awkward on the mound, but it's possible he is still growing into his body. Tanner's fastball sat in the 91-93 mph range Monday and had some sinking action. He also showed a good 77 mph slider with sharp break. If Tanner can regain that alleged 96-97 mph heat, one would have to believe he will be a high pick in 2011.
Finally, right-handed reliever Chad Sheppard from Northwestern State threw well for Falmouth. Sheppard is above-average height with an athletic build at 6'3" 200. He throws only from the stretch, so his motion consists of him rearing back, pausing, then driving toward the plate. He throws with some effort. Sheppard's fastball sat in the 90-93 mph range and once touched 94. He also threw a good 76-79 mph slider with tight two-plane break. I like Sheppard a lot in a short relief role.
Among position players, Falmouth shortstop B.A. Vollmuth from Southern Mississippi is quickly becoming one of my favorite guys to watch. He has improbably supplanted Derek Dietrich from Wareham and Georgia Tech as my top prospect among Cape League shortstops, even though I think both of those guys will eventually end up being third basemen, and he has cracked my Top 3 position-player prospects. Before the game Monday, Vollmuth took the type of batting practice session I had been yearning to see all summer. With his smooth and fairly effortless right-handed stroke, Vollmuth crushed ball after ball over the leftfield fence. In the game, he took an outside fastball to right for an opposite-field home run and he drove the ball in two other at-bats. His range isn't outstanding in the infield but he is solid and moves with athleticism out there. He also has a plus arm. Vollmuth should be a very high draft pick in 2011.
Leftfielder Brian Fletcher from Auburn and second baseman Conner Mach from the University of Missouri both homered for Falmouth as well. Harwich rightfielder Dan Grovatt from the University of Virginia did a good job staying back on a slider and hit a home run for the Mariners. Fletcher looked a little ridiculous taking a moment to admire his no-doubter, and he also gave an annoying Sammy Sosa-esque salute when he finished circling the bases.
I will be at Chatham at Cotuit on Tuesday.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Hyannis 5 Bourne 0: Right-handed starter Tyler Wilson from the University of Virginia allowed two hits and one walk over seven shutout innings. First baseman Ryan Cuneo from Delaware, Ryan Graepel from the University of North Carolina and rightfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr., from the University of South Carolina each had two hits for Hyannis.
Cotuit 5 Brewster 3: Catcher Zach Maggard from Florida Southern and rightfielder Zach Cone from the University of Georgia homered for Cotuit. Third baseman Harold Martinez from the University of Miami homered for Brewster.
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One might say it was an especially good night to be watching the players first and the game second.
Righthander Kyle Winkler from TCU started for Falmouth and looked really good. Winkler threw the only true sinker I can remember seeing all summer and it was a great pitch. Winkler has a stocky build at 5'11" 195, and while he has a jerky motion and throws with some effort he has good arm action and a very strong-looking lower body which should limit some concerns about his durability. Winkler's fastball sat in the 91-93 mph range and once touched 94. The 85-86 mph sinker was really effective and with its late movement was very difficult for hitters to pick up. Winkler also threw a decent 76-78 mph curveball with sharp break and an 81-83 mph slider with hard run that wasn't really that good. Winkler just turned 19 last month, and he is somebody to watch for the 2011 draft.
Harwich right-handed starter John Gast from Florida State was fairly average. Gast is average height for a pitcher with a solid build at 6'2" 215. He drops down then drives when he pitches. Gast's fastball sat in the 89-91 mph range and once touched 92. It had some tail in on left-handed hitters. He spun an average 73-76 mph curveball he could throw for strikes and threw a 77 mph changeup with some tail in on lefties that he tended to leave up in the zone. Gast really didn't have a go-to pitch and the Falmouth hitters were able to get to him when he couldn't locate.
Right-handed reliever Daniel Bradshaw from LSU came in next for Harwich. Bradshaw is average height with an athletic build at 6'1" 208. He throws easy but he falls slightly off the mound when he releases. Bradshaw's fastball sat in just the 85-87 mph range. He floated in a late-moving 73-75 mph changeup and threw a good 68-72 mph curveball with 3/8 break that he could throw for strikes. He also showed a cutter during warmups but didn't use it in the game. If hitters are patient enough to stay back against his slow stuff, they are going to get to Daniel Bradshaw.
Right-handed reliever Les Williams from Northeastern was the third Harwich pitcher of the night. Williams is average height for a pitcher with a solid build at 6'2" 220. He has stiff arm action and throws across his body. Williams fastball sat in the 87-89 mph range. He threw a decent 78-81 mph curveball with sweeping break and also showed a harder slider. Williams' appearance was brief, and while he wasn't bad I don't think it's especially pressing to see him again before the end of the season.
Right-handed reliever Cecil Tanner from the University of Georgia looked good as a short-relief prospect for Falmouth. One NL scout said he saw Tanner sit consistenly around 96-97 mph this spring during his freshman season at UGA. I haven't seen him hit higher than 94 in three glimpses of him this summer, but he is still worth keeping an eye on. Tanner has good size at 6'6" 240. He looks a little stiff and awkward on the mound, but it's possible he is still growing into his body. Tanner's fastball sat in the 91-93 mph range Monday and had some sinking action. He also showed a good 77 mph slider with sharp break. If Tanner can regain that alleged 96-97 mph heat, one would have to believe he will be a high pick in 2011.
Finally, right-handed reliever Chad Sheppard from Northwestern State threw well for Falmouth. Sheppard is above-average height with an athletic build at 6'3" 200. He throws only from the stretch, so his motion consists of him rearing back, pausing, then driving toward the plate. He throws with some effort. Sheppard's fastball sat in the 90-93 mph range and once touched 94. He also threw a good 76-79 mph slider with tight two-plane break. I like Sheppard a lot in a short relief role.
Among position players, Falmouth shortstop B.A. Vollmuth from Southern Mississippi is quickly becoming one of my favorite guys to watch. He has improbably supplanted Derek Dietrich from Wareham and Georgia Tech as my top prospect among Cape League shortstops, even though I think both of those guys will eventually end up being third basemen, and he has cracked my Top 3 position-player prospects. Before the game Monday, Vollmuth took the type of batting practice session I had been yearning to see all summer. With his smooth and fairly effortless right-handed stroke, Vollmuth crushed ball after ball over the leftfield fence. In the game, he took an outside fastball to right for an opposite-field home run and he drove the ball in two other at-bats. His range isn't outstanding in the infield but he is solid and moves with athleticism out there. He also has a plus arm. Vollmuth should be a very high draft pick in 2011.
Leftfielder Brian Fletcher from Auburn and second baseman Conner Mach from the University of Missouri both homered for Falmouth as well. Harwich rightfielder Dan Grovatt from the University of Virginia did a good job staying back on a slider and hit a home run for the Mariners. Fletcher looked a little ridiculous taking a moment to admire his no-doubter, and he also gave an annoying Sammy Sosa-esque salute when he finished circling the bases.
I will be at Chatham at Cotuit on Tuesday.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Hyannis 5 Bourne 0: Right-handed starter Tyler Wilson from the University of Virginia allowed two hits and one walk over seven shutout innings. First baseman Ryan Cuneo from Delaware, Ryan Graepel from the University of North Carolina and rightfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr., from the University of South Carolina each had two hits for Hyannis.
Cotuit 5 Brewster 3: Catcher Zach Maggard from Florida Southern and rightfielder Zach Cone from the University of Georgia homered for Cotuit. Third baseman Harold Martinez from the University of Miami homered for Brewster.
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Sunday, July 26, 2009
July 27 for July 26 Update
I went to Chatham on Sunday to watch Y-D at Chatham, and I can finally close the books on Y-D after catching the last of its pitchers I hadn't yet seen, lefthander Mario Hollands from UC Santa Barbara.
I promised in my last post to make a more concerted effort to catch unseen starting pitchers these last couple weeks, and Sunday was a good start.
Chatham's left-handed starter Tyler Lyons, the Yankees' 10th-round pick last month, was the more impressive of the two pitchers, but Y-D came from behind to win 6-4.
Hollands' trademark is his unconventional delivery, which looks like a toned-down version of Dontrelle Willis', but it could be holding him back . He has a high leg kick and spins part of the way around, and keeps his bare hand separate from his glove the whole time. Hollands' stuff is just average and he is not particularly effective. Hollands has a good pitcher's body at 6'5" 220, but his jerky motion and slinging arm action limit how hard he can throw. Perhaps if a team took the time to reinvent his mechanics he could be improved. Hollands' fastball sat in the 87-89 mph range and had some tail in on left-handed hitters. His best pitch was probably his 72 mph curveball with late, sweeping break. His slider needs work, as it looks like he holds onto the ball too long when he throws it and he often throws it in the dirt. He also threw an 84 mph changeup that wasn't really deceptive. Hollands is an athletic kid, and it wold be interesting to see what might happen if a professional team took the time to work with him.
Lyons was a lot more conventional, and while he stuff was not overpowering he had four pretty good pitches and was effective. Lyons is average height for a pitcher with an athletic build at 6'2" 205. He has a smooth motion and has good arm action but does throw with a little effort. His fastball sat in the 87-89 mph range and once touched 90. His two-seamer had good tailing action in on left-handed hitters and his four-seamer moved a little bit the other way. He threw a very good 75-76 mph curveball with sweeping break which he could throw for strikes, and also threw a good 78-79 mph slider with late break. The two breaking pitches had a similar trajectory but the curveball had more depth to it. Lyons also threw a deceptive 79-80 mph changeup with some downward movement. The Yankees have several guys under control up here, and Lyons is one of their better ones.
Y-D right-handed reliever Chase Dempsay from the University of Houston impressed even though his fastball only topped out at 86 mph. He entered the game with the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the six inning and didn't allow any runs to score. Dempsey is above-average height with an athletic build and slightly thin frame at 6'3" 200. He throws with effort and drops down to throw sidearm. Again his fastball is lacking in velocity but it has tremendous movement, with late sinking action and some tail in on right-handed hitters. He also showed a decent 76 mph slider and a 76-79 mph changeup with some downward movement. It seems like his fastball is either going to have the velocity or the movement, but not both, and that could hold him back going forward.
Y-D catcher Ben McMahan from the University of Florida looked good Sunday. He has quick hands and a smooth right-handed stroke that allows him to drive the ball. He's athletic behind the plate and also has a decent arm. He is one of the better catchers in a league with only a few good ones.
Otherwise it wasn't a great game for position players. There were only a few solidly hit balls and a lot of sloppy defense. Plus, I ran out of pages in my second scorebook of the season so until I get a new one Monday it was a little more difficult to keep track of hitters.
I plan to be at Harwich at Falmouth on Monday.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Bourne 8 Wareham 0: Right-handed starter Seth Maness from East Carolina pitched a one-hit shutout for Bourne, striking out 11. Designated hitter Rob Segedin from Tulane went 3-for-3 and second baseman Pierre LePage from UConn went 2-for-4 for Bourne.
Brewster 4 Hyannis 3, Hyannis 3 Brewster 2: Right-handed starter Kyle Blair from the University of San Diego didn't allow a hit and struck out five in four innings pitched for Brewster. First baseman Ryan Cuneo from the University of Delaware homered for Hyannis and designated hitter Tant Shepherd from the University of Texas homered for Brewster. In the second game, third baseman Harold Martinez from the University of Miami homered for Brewster. Rightfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr. from the University of South Carolina went 2-for-3 in both games for Hyannis.
Falmouth 4 Cotuit 3: Centerfielder Todd Cunningham from Jacksonville State went 2-for-5 for Falmouth and third baseman Zack Cox from the University of Arkansas went 2-for-4 for Cotuit.
Orleans 3 Harwich 1: Orleans right-handed starter Jorge Reyes from Oregon State, the Padres' 17th-round pick last month, pitched eight shutout innings, allowing one hit and striking out nine. First baseman Riccio Torrez from Arizona State went 2-for-2 with a home run for Orleans.
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I promised in my last post to make a more concerted effort to catch unseen starting pitchers these last couple weeks, and Sunday was a good start.
Chatham's left-handed starter Tyler Lyons, the Yankees' 10th-round pick last month, was the more impressive of the two pitchers, but Y-D came from behind to win 6-4.
Hollands' trademark is his unconventional delivery, which looks like a toned-down version of Dontrelle Willis', but it could be holding him back . He has a high leg kick and spins part of the way around, and keeps his bare hand separate from his glove the whole time. Hollands' stuff is just average and he is not particularly effective. Hollands has a good pitcher's body at 6'5" 220, but his jerky motion and slinging arm action limit how hard he can throw. Perhaps if a team took the time to reinvent his mechanics he could be improved. Hollands' fastball sat in the 87-89 mph range and had some tail in on left-handed hitters. His best pitch was probably his 72 mph curveball with late, sweeping break. His slider needs work, as it looks like he holds onto the ball too long when he throws it and he often throws it in the dirt. He also threw an 84 mph changeup that wasn't really deceptive. Hollands is an athletic kid, and it wold be interesting to see what might happen if a professional team took the time to work with him.
Lyons was a lot more conventional, and while he stuff was not overpowering he had four pretty good pitches and was effective. Lyons is average height for a pitcher with an athletic build at 6'2" 205. He has a smooth motion and has good arm action but does throw with a little effort. His fastball sat in the 87-89 mph range and once touched 90. His two-seamer had good tailing action in on left-handed hitters and his four-seamer moved a little bit the other way. He threw a very good 75-76 mph curveball with sweeping break which he could throw for strikes, and also threw a good 78-79 mph slider with late break. The two breaking pitches had a similar trajectory but the curveball had more depth to it. Lyons also threw a deceptive 79-80 mph changeup with some downward movement. The Yankees have several guys under control up here, and Lyons is one of their better ones.
Y-D right-handed reliever Chase Dempsay from the University of Houston impressed even though his fastball only topped out at 86 mph. He entered the game with the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the six inning and didn't allow any runs to score. Dempsey is above-average height with an athletic build and slightly thin frame at 6'3" 200. He throws with effort and drops down to throw sidearm. Again his fastball is lacking in velocity but it has tremendous movement, with late sinking action and some tail in on right-handed hitters. He also showed a decent 76 mph slider and a 76-79 mph changeup with some downward movement. It seems like his fastball is either going to have the velocity or the movement, but not both, and that could hold him back going forward.
Y-D catcher Ben McMahan from the University of Florida looked good Sunday. He has quick hands and a smooth right-handed stroke that allows him to drive the ball. He's athletic behind the plate and also has a decent arm. He is one of the better catchers in a league with only a few good ones.
Otherwise it wasn't a great game for position players. There were only a few solidly hit balls and a lot of sloppy defense. Plus, I ran out of pages in my second scorebook of the season so until I get a new one Monday it was a little more difficult to keep track of hitters.
I plan to be at Harwich at Falmouth on Monday.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Bourne 8 Wareham 0: Right-handed starter Seth Maness from East Carolina pitched a one-hit shutout for Bourne, striking out 11. Designated hitter Rob Segedin from Tulane went 3-for-3 and second baseman Pierre LePage from UConn went 2-for-4 for Bourne.
Brewster 4 Hyannis 3, Hyannis 3 Brewster 2: Right-handed starter Kyle Blair from the University of San Diego didn't allow a hit and struck out five in four innings pitched for Brewster. First baseman Ryan Cuneo from the University of Delaware homered for Hyannis and designated hitter Tant Shepherd from the University of Texas homered for Brewster. In the second game, third baseman Harold Martinez from the University of Miami homered for Brewster. Rightfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr. from the University of South Carolina went 2-for-3 in both games for Hyannis.
Falmouth 4 Cotuit 3: Centerfielder Todd Cunningham from Jacksonville State went 2-for-5 for Falmouth and third baseman Zack Cox from the University of Arkansas went 2-for-4 for Cotuit.
Orleans 3 Harwich 1: Orleans right-handed starter Jorge Reyes from Oregon State, the Padres' 17th-round pick last month, pitched eight shutout innings, allowing one hit and striking out nine. First baseman Riccio Torrez from Arizona State went 2-for-2 with a home run for Orleans.
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Saturday, July 25, 2009
July 25 for July 24 Update
I went to Yarmouth-Dennis on Friday, but the scheduled pitching matchup had changed and once again I ended up seeing only pitchers I have already seen and written about. With less than two weeks left in the season, and still between 20 and 30 pitchers left unseen, I am making it a point to avoid situations like these from now on.
The postponements and inconsistent accuracy of the Cape League's "Pitchers: Next 3 Days" page are making things difficult, but I am going to try to overcome these obstacles.
As for Friday, Y-D won 6-3 and is starting to distance itself from the pack in the Eastern Division.
Righthander Michael Goodnight from the University of Houston started for Y-D and put together an average performance. Goodnight's main issue is his front side flies open too early and it leads to struggles with his command. Goodnight has good size and a projectable frame at 6'4" 215. His fastball sat in the 91-93 mph range, and he showed an inconsistent 75 mph curveball. When he threw the pitch well it had sharp downward break, but he sometimes didn't finish it and it would hang up in the zone. Goodnight also threw an average changeup with some tail down and in.
Chatham's starter was Patrick Johnson from the University of North Carolina, who is really just held back by his size. Johnson is 5'10" 170 and he throws with big effort. Johnson's fastball sits in the 87-89 mph range and he will occasionally touch 90. His best pitch is a hard 78-82 mph slider with tight break that he can throw for a strike. He also has a pretty deceptive 80 mph changeup with downward movement and an average 72-75 mph curveball. The problem with Johnson is he is pretty much showing you all that he will be, and that is not going to be good enough against professional hitters.
A reliever of interest was Y-D righthander Tyler Burgoon from the University of Michigan, who has put up tremendous numbers as Y-D's closer since I last saw him during the first week of the season. Burgoon hasn't allowed an earned run all season, and he entered Friday's game having given up just four hits in 17.1 innings pitched and striking out 27. He's doing it with only two pitches and a fastball that tops out at 91 mph. Burgoon is undersized at 5'10" 165 and he throws with big effort. His fastball sat in the 89-91 mph range and had good tailing action in on right-handed hitters. He threw a very good 81-82 mph slider with sharp two-plane break. It is pretty clear it is that slider that gets him a lot of his strikeouts. You can't argue with his results, but he is still not a top-level prospect because of his size and average velocity that is clearly maxed out.
Among hitters, three of Y-D's better players put good swings on balls during the game Friday. First baseman Mickey Wiswall turned on a high and inside fastball and hit a line drive home run that left the park in a hurry. He showed really quick hands and a compact swing. Rightfielder Austin Wates from Virginia Tech drove an outside fastball off the top of the rightfield fence, and catcher Ben McMahan from the University of Florida also did nicely taking a outside fastball the opposite way for a double.
I am taking my second non-rain-related day off of the summer on Saturday to attend a function back home in Connecticut. I will return to the Cape on Sunday intent on seeing as many of the elusive unseen pitchers as I can over the last week-and-a-half of the regular season.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Harwich 3 Cotuit 2: Both second baseman Phil Gosselin and rightfielder Dan Grovatt, each from the University of Virginia, went 2-for-4 for Harwich.
Falmouth 3 Hyannis 2: Shortstop B.A. Vollmuth from Southern Mississippi hit a home run for Falmouth. Second baseman Nick Crawford from UAB and centerfielder Trent Whitehead from East Carolina each had three hits for Hyannis.
Wareham 2 Orleans 1: Rightfielder George Springer from UConn, first baseman Jordan Swaggerty from Arizona State and catcher Chris Hannick from Cal State Northridge each had two hits for Wareham.
The Brewster at Bourne doubleheader was rained out.
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The postponements and inconsistent accuracy of the Cape League's "Pitchers: Next 3 Days" page are making things difficult, but I am going to try to overcome these obstacles.
As for Friday, Y-D won 6-3 and is starting to distance itself from the pack in the Eastern Division.
Righthander Michael Goodnight from the University of Houston started for Y-D and put together an average performance. Goodnight's main issue is his front side flies open too early and it leads to struggles with his command. Goodnight has good size and a projectable frame at 6'4" 215. His fastball sat in the 91-93 mph range, and he showed an inconsistent 75 mph curveball. When he threw the pitch well it had sharp downward break, but he sometimes didn't finish it and it would hang up in the zone. Goodnight also threw an average changeup with some tail down and in.
Chatham's starter was Patrick Johnson from the University of North Carolina, who is really just held back by his size. Johnson is 5'10" 170 and he throws with big effort. Johnson's fastball sits in the 87-89 mph range and he will occasionally touch 90. His best pitch is a hard 78-82 mph slider with tight break that he can throw for a strike. He also has a pretty deceptive 80 mph changeup with downward movement and an average 72-75 mph curveball. The problem with Johnson is he is pretty much showing you all that he will be, and that is not going to be good enough against professional hitters.
A reliever of interest was Y-D righthander Tyler Burgoon from the University of Michigan, who has put up tremendous numbers as Y-D's closer since I last saw him during the first week of the season. Burgoon hasn't allowed an earned run all season, and he entered Friday's game having given up just four hits in 17.1 innings pitched and striking out 27. He's doing it with only two pitches and a fastball that tops out at 91 mph. Burgoon is undersized at 5'10" 165 and he throws with big effort. His fastball sat in the 89-91 mph range and had good tailing action in on right-handed hitters. He threw a very good 81-82 mph slider with sharp two-plane break. It is pretty clear it is that slider that gets him a lot of his strikeouts. You can't argue with his results, but he is still not a top-level prospect because of his size and average velocity that is clearly maxed out.
Among hitters, three of Y-D's better players put good swings on balls during the game Friday. First baseman Mickey Wiswall turned on a high and inside fastball and hit a line drive home run that left the park in a hurry. He showed really quick hands and a compact swing. Rightfielder Austin Wates from Virginia Tech drove an outside fastball off the top of the rightfield fence, and catcher Ben McMahan from the University of Florida also did nicely taking a outside fastball the opposite way for a double.
I am taking my second non-rain-related day off of the summer on Saturday to attend a function back home in Connecticut. I will return to the Cape on Sunday intent on seeing as many of the elusive unseen pitchers as I can over the last week-and-a-half of the regular season.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Harwich 3 Cotuit 2: Both second baseman Phil Gosselin and rightfielder Dan Grovatt, each from the University of Virginia, went 2-for-4 for Harwich.
Falmouth 3 Hyannis 2: Shortstop B.A. Vollmuth from Southern Mississippi hit a home run for Falmouth. Second baseman Nick Crawford from UAB and centerfielder Trent Whitehead from East Carolina each had three hits for Hyannis.
Wareham 2 Orleans 1: Rightfielder George Springer from UConn, first baseman Jordan Swaggerty from Arizona State and catcher Chris Hannick from Cal State Northridge each had two hits for Wareham.
The Brewster at Bourne doubleheader was rained out.
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Friday, July 24, 2009
July 24 for July 23 Update
I went to Boston on Thursday for the Cape League All-Star Game. It was a really cool experience to have free rein over any section in Fenway Park, and the players were obviously having a blast taking BP, shagging balls and then playing a game in a Major League ballpark.
The persisting rain cut everything short and gave the West a 3-0, 5-inning win, but it didn't really put a damper on the experience while it lasted.
I still advocate keeping the All-Star Game on the Cape because it makes it easier for the diehard fans and volunteers to attend, but it was a lot of fun and would be a good idea to hold the festivities at Fenway once every few years. The announced crowd of 14,317 was bigger than I anticipated.
A lot of guys seemed to be overswinging during batting practice, but a few players stood out for taking solid rounds of BP. Chatham's Mike Murray from Wake Forest kept hitting solid line drives from his wide-base stance. Cotuit's Cameron Rupp from the University of Texas crushed a couple balls out of the stadium. Rupp also has the best arm among catchers. Orleans' Gary Brown from Cal State Fullerton, Y-D's Mickey Wiswall from Boston College and Falmouth's B.A. Vollmuth from Southern Mississippi hit well too.
I decided to make a random list of guys who hit at least one ball over the Green Monster seats during batting practice. They were Brown, Harwich's Connor Powers from Mississippi State, Orleans' Alex Hassan from Duke, Brewster's Harold Martinez from the University of Miami, Y-D's Micah Gibbs from LSU, Brewster's Jedd Gyorko from West Virginia and Rupp.
I didn't pay much attention to the Home Run Derby because I was actually talking to my former employer Peter Gammons during most of it (always good to name drop). It was almost an uncomfortable situation for the league when the first couple of guys struggled to find their home run swings. Congratulations to Powers, who beat Rupp in the finals.
Because each pitcher only threw one inning, I spent the game focusly mostly on them. Like many scouts I went to a section farther from the plate so I could sit under cover during the game, and I had to rely on the stadium radar gun for pitchers' velocities. As far as I can tell it was accurate compared to velocities I had seen from most guys earlier in the summer, considering each guy could let loose for his short appearance.
Wareham righthander Brandon Workman from the University of Texas looked like an All-Star starter in his inning of work. His fastball sat in the 94-95 mph range, and his 77-78 mph hammer curveball looked tremendous even from a more distant vantage point. Barring injury I would be very surprised if he didn't go in the first round of next June's draft.
Orleans lefthander Rob Rasmussmen from UCLA impressed me in my first live look of him since last summer. He is the only All-Star who appeared yesterday who I hadn't seen yet, and I had been meaning to catch him since one American League front office guy said earlier this summer that Rasmussen is a "Randy Wolf clone." Rasmussen is undersized at 5'11" 160, but he has tight mechanics and good arm action and throws with some effort but not extreme effort. His fastball sat in the 92-93 mph range and touched 94. His 81-82 mph curveball was a good pitch with tight break and it complemented his 85-87 mph slider well. He also threw a good 83 mph changeup with good tailing action down and in on left-handed hitters. He is another guy who should go in the first few rounds next year.
Wareham righthander Jack Armstrong from Vanderbilt put up the best velocity numbers of the day, as his fastball sat in the 95-96 mph range and he did a great job pounding it in on hitters' hands. His 83 mph changeup is a good pitch he is able to throw for strikes. He only threw one 78 mph slider with hard run, and he threw two curveballs, one at 80 mph and the other at 81. The one curveball he threw well had really impressive downward break.
Brewster righthander Kyle Blair from the University of San Diego struggled with his control. He was throwing across his body which really hurt his command. Blair's fastball sat around 92 mph, his 78 mph slider had good, hard run, his 79-81 mph changeup tailed in on right-handed hitters and he threw a decent 77 mph curve with steep break.
Wareham lefthander Eric Pfisterer from Duke still strikes me as more of a good college pitcher but he pitched effectively in his inning of work. His fastball sat in the 86-88 mph range and once touched 90. He threw a 78 mph curveball with sweeping 3/8 break and an average 81 mph slider with harder break. His best pitch is a deceptive 78-79 mph changeup with good downward movement.
Y-D lefthander Chris Sale from Florida Gulf Coast was the East Division MVP, but his inning was so quick we didn't get to see much from him. His goofy, deceptive motion is probably still his best asset, as the tall and very thin Sale flies at the hitter with all arms and legs. Sale's fastball sat in the 93-94 mph range and he also showed a good 80 mph slider. He is another guy scouts are talking about as a potential high pick next year.
Hyannis righthander Dallas Gallant from Sam Houston State pitched a quick fourth inning. His fastball sat around 93 mph and had good tailing action in on right-handed hitters. He showed a 79-80 mph curveball with sweeping break and a really good, hard 85 mph slider.
Orleans lefthander Elliot Glynn from UConn was probably the pitcher who impressed me the least, even though he didn't allow a run in his inning. He slings his pitches and has slight balance issues. His fastball sat around 87 mph and he threw an average slider that would run out of the strike zone.
Finally, Bourne righthander Stephen Harrold from UNC Wilmington came in and struggled with his control before a double play bailed him out to preserve the win. His fastball sat in the 90-92 mph range and had some tail in on right-handed hitters. His 80-82 mph slider had sharp break and he also showed an 80-81 mph curveball.
To me, Workman was the most impressive pitcher, followed by Armstrong, Rasmussen and Sale in that order.
It is also worth mentioning Cotuit third baseman Zack Cox looked great in his two at-bats which earned him the West Division MVP award. He crushed a triple off the centerfield fence against Rasmussen. It hit right near the garage door and must have travelled about 400 feet. He then went with an outside pitch for a single to left in his second at-bat. I like Cox's aggressive approach at the plate and he often swings at the first good pitch he sees and hits it well. It has been a struggle for me for the past couple of weeks now whether to make him or Gibbs my No. 1 position player prospect.
I will most likely be at Chatham at Y-D on Friday.
QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? E-Mail me at schimmeldbk@gmail.com
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The persisting rain cut everything short and gave the West a 3-0, 5-inning win, but it didn't really put a damper on the experience while it lasted.
I still advocate keeping the All-Star Game on the Cape because it makes it easier for the diehard fans and volunteers to attend, but it was a lot of fun and would be a good idea to hold the festivities at Fenway once every few years. The announced crowd of 14,317 was bigger than I anticipated.
A lot of guys seemed to be overswinging during batting practice, but a few players stood out for taking solid rounds of BP. Chatham's Mike Murray from Wake Forest kept hitting solid line drives from his wide-base stance. Cotuit's Cameron Rupp from the University of Texas crushed a couple balls out of the stadium. Rupp also has the best arm among catchers. Orleans' Gary Brown from Cal State Fullerton, Y-D's Mickey Wiswall from Boston College and Falmouth's B.A. Vollmuth from Southern Mississippi hit well too.
I decided to make a random list of guys who hit at least one ball over the Green Monster seats during batting practice. They were Brown, Harwich's Connor Powers from Mississippi State, Orleans' Alex Hassan from Duke, Brewster's Harold Martinez from the University of Miami, Y-D's Micah Gibbs from LSU, Brewster's Jedd Gyorko from West Virginia and Rupp.
I didn't pay much attention to the Home Run Derby because I was actually talking to my former employer Peter Gammons during most of it (always good to name drop). It was almost an uncomfortable situation for the league when the first couple of guys struggled to find their home run swings. Congratulations to Powers, who beat Rupp in the finals.
Because each pitcher only threw one inning, I spent the game focusly mostly on them. Like many scouts I went to a section farther from the plate so I could sit under cover during the game, and I had to rely on the stadium radar gun for pitchers' velocities. As far as I can tell it was accurate compared to velocities I had seen from most guys earlier in the summer, considering each guy could let loose for his short appearance.
Wareham righthander Brandon Workman from the University of Texas looked like an All-Star starter in his inning of work. His fastball sat in the 94-95 mph range, and his 77-78 mph hammer curveball looked tremendous even from a more distant vantage point. Barring injury I would be very surprised if he didn't go in the first round of next June's draft.
Orleans lefthander Rob Rasmussmen from UCLA impressed me in my first live look of him since last summer. He is the only All-Star who appeared yesterday who I hadn't seen yet, and I had been meaning to catch him since one American League front office guy said earlier this summer that Rasmussen is a "Randy Wolf clone." Rasmussen is undersized at 5'11" 160, but he has tight mechanics and good arm action and throws with some effort but not extreme effort. His fastball sat in the 92-93 mph range and touched 94. His 81-82 mph curveball was a good pitch with tight break and it complemented his 85-87 mph slider well. He also threw a good 83 mph changeup with good tailing action down and in on left-handed hitters. He is another guy who should go in the first few rounds next year.
Wareham righthander Jack Armstrong from Vanderbilt put up the best velocity numbers of the day, as his fastball sat in the 95-96 mph range and he did a great job pounding it in on hitters' hands. His 83 mph changeup is a good pitch he is able to throw for strikes. He only threw one 78 mph slider with hard run, and he threw two curveballs, one at 80 mph and the other at 81. The one curveball he threw well had really impressive downward break.
Brewster righthander Kyle Blair from the University of San Diego struggled with his control. He was throwing across his body which really hurt his command. Blair's fastball sat around 92 mph, his 78 mph slider had good, hard run, his 79-81 mph changeup tailed in on right-handed hitters and he threw a decent 77 mph curve with steep break.
Wareham lefthander Eric Pfisterer from Duke still strikes me as more of a good college pitcher but he pitched effectively in his inning of work. His fastball sat in the 86-88 mph range and once touched 90. He threw a 78 mph curveball with sweeping 3/8 break and an average 81 mph slider with harder break. His best pitch is a deceptive 78-79 mph changeup with good downward movement.
Y-D lefthander Chris Sale from Florida Gulf Coast was the East Division MVP, but his inning was so quick we didn't get to see much from him. His goofy, deceptive motion is probably still his best asset, as the tall and very thin Sale flies at the hitter with all arms and legs. Sale's fastball sat in the 93-94 mph range and he also showed a good 80 mph slider. He is another guy scouts are talking about as a potential high pick next year.
Hyannis righthander Dallas Gallant from Sam Houston State pitched a quick fourth inning. His fastball sat around 93 mph and had good tailing action in on right-handed hitters. He showed a 79-80 mph curveball with sweeping break and a really good, hard 85 mph slider.
Orleans lefthander Elliot Glynn from UConn was probably the pitcher who impressed me the least, even though he didn't allow a run in his inning. He slings his pitches and has slight balance issues. His fastball sat around 87 mph and he threw an average slider that would run out of the strike zone.
Finally, Bourne righthander Stephen Harrold from UNC Wilmington came in and struggled with his control before a double play bailed him out to preserve the win. His fastball sat in the 90-92 mph range and had some tail in on right-handed hitters. His 80-82 mph slider had sharp break and he also showed an 80-81 mph curveball.
To me, Workman was the most impressive pitcher, followed by Armstrong, Rasmussen and Sale in that order.
It is also worth mentioning Cotuit third baseman Zack Cox looked great in his two at-bats which earned him the West Division MVP award. He crushed a triple off the centerfield fence against Rasmussen. It hit right near the garage door and must have travelled about 400 feet. He then went with an outside pitch for a single to left in his second at-bat. I like Cox's aggressive approach at the plate and he often swings at the first good pitch he sees and hits it well. It has been a struggle for me for the past couple of weeks now whether to make him or Gibbs my No. 1 position player prospect.
I will most likely be at Chatham at Y-D on Friday.
QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? E-Mail me at schimmeldbk@gmail.com
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Wednesday, July 22, 2009
July 23 for July 22 Update
I went to Hyannis again on Wednesday to see Hyannis play Brewster mainly because it was the most convenient place to go as I get my stuff together for the All-Star Game on Thursday.
I had already seen both starters, and with Brewster winning 1-0 there weren't many hitters to talk about either. But a few of the relievers who came in are worth discussing.
Righthander Kendal Volz from Baylor made his 2009 Cape League debut for Brewster, and it was a pleasant surprise to get to watch him pitch up here. Volz has been a highly-touted prospect and made a big name for himself last summer as Team USA's closer, but he fell to the ninth round of this year's draft when the Red Sox selected him after an up-and-down college season. Volz has reportedly thrown 97 mph in the past but his fastball sat in the 87-89 mph range Wednesday. His 76-80 mph slider was a very good pitch with late movement, and he didn't throw his changeup in his inning of work Wednesday. Volz is big with a solid build at 6'4" 220, but he throws with effort. He clearly wasn't at top form.
Brewster right-handed reliever Tyler Thornburg from Charleston Southern was also interesting to watch. I caught Thornburg throw during the first week of the season, but hadn't seen him since then before Wednesday night. Thornburg is undersized at 5'11" 176, and he throws with big-time effort. He gets good extension and has a hitch in his motion before he throws straight over the top. I hesitate to make this comparison, as his mechanics are not as exaggerated and his stuff is not as good, but Thornburg evokes a faint comparison to Tim Lincecum. But Thornburg's command is not as good, he doesn't throw as hard and his curveball doesn't break as much. Still, Thornburg's fastball sat in the 93-94 mph range, and his 77 mph curveball had very good overhand break. He also showed a decent changeup with some tailing action in on right-handed hitters. Thornburg impressed me more than he did the last time I saw him when his curveball wasn't working for him, but with his command he is kind of an adventure every time out.
Brewster right-handed reliever Stayton Thomas from the University of Texas was decent too. He is also undersized at 5'11" 175, and he throws with some effort. Thomas' fastball sat in the 87-89 mph range and had some glove-side run and sinking action. He threw a very good 72-74 mph curveball with big break. With his size his velocity might be maxed out, and his current two-pitch combination likely wouldn't be good enough to consistently fool professional hitters.
Hyannis right-handed reliever Dallas Gallant from Sam Houston State showed good stuff again but struggled with his control. One of the more successful relievers in the league this summer, Gallant's fastball sat in the 91-92 mph range, his hard 84-85 mph slider had really tight break, and it complemented his sweeping 77-79 mph curveball well. Gallant has good size and a thin, athletic build at 6'3" 185. Scouts are talking about him as one of the better relievers on the Cape.
Finally, Hyannis left-handed reliever Mark Gormley arkfrom Brown, who pitched for Brewster earlier in the summer, looked better than I remembered him in previous outings. Gormley is average height for a pitcher with an athletic build at 6'2" 200. He has good arm action but he throws with effort and falls off the mound when he throws. Gormley's fastball sits in the 87-88 mph range. He has a decent changeup that tails back in toward left-handed hitters, and an average slider.
Both catchers looked good behind the plate Wednesday, and each threw out two runners trying to steal second base. Brewster's Dan Butler from the University of Arizona moves very well back there and has a really accurate arm. His bat isn't as good as his defense, and Butler is already three months away from his 23rd birthday which limits his status as a prospect. He is also a little undersized for a catcher at 5'10" 190. Hyannis' Kenny Swab from Young Harris has struggled terribly at the plate this summer, but he is also a good defensive backstop.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Falmouth 7 Chatham 6, Falmouth 5 Chatham 2: In the first game of the doubleheader, rightfielde Ryan Jones from Wichita State went 3-for-3 and second baseman Connor Mach homered for Falmouth. Centerfielder Whit Merrifield from the University of South Carolina went 2-for-3 with three RBI. In the second game, shortstop B.A. Vollmuth from Southern Mississippi homered for Falmouth and first baseman Dean Green from Oklahoma State homered for Chatham.
Bourne 4 Wareham 0: Bourne right-handed starter Alex Wimmers from Ohio State pitched six shutout innings, allowing four hits and four walks and striking out 10. Second baseman Pierre LePage from UConn and shortstop Zack MacPhee from Arizona State each had two hits for Bourne.
My All-Star Game recap will appear Friday afternoon, highlighting the best performances of the league's signature event.
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I had already seen both starters, and with Brewster winning 1-0 there weren't many hitters to talk about either. But a few of the relievers who came in are worth discussing.
Righthander Kendal Volz from Baylor made his 2009 Cape League debut for Brewster, and it was a pleasant surprise to get to watch him pitch up here. Volz has been a highly-touted prospect and made a big name for himself last summer as Team USA's closer, but he fell to the ninth round of this year's draft when the Red Sox selected him after an up-and-down college season. Volz has reportedly thrown 97 mph in the past but his fastball sat in the 87-89 mph range Wednesday. His 76-80 mph slider was a very good pitch with late movement, and he didn't throw his changeup in his inning of work Wednesday. Volz is big with a solid build at 6'4" 220, but he throws with effort. He clearly wasn't at top form.
Brewster right-handed reliever Tyler Thornburg from Charleston Southern was also interesting to watch. I caught Thornburg throw during the first week of the season, but hadn't seen him since then before Wednesday night. Thornburg is undersized at 5'11" 176, and he throws with big-time effort. He gets good extension and has a hitch in his motion before he throws straight over the top. I hesitate to make this comparison, as his mechanics are not as exaggerated and his stuff is not as good, but Thornburg evokes a faint comparison to Tim Lincecum. But Thornburg's command is not as good, he doesn't throw as hard and his curveball doesn't break as much. Still, Thornburg's fastball sat in the 93-94 mph range, and his 77 mph curveball had very good overhand break. He also showed a decent changeup with some tailing action in on right-handed hitters. Thornburg impressed me more than he did the last time I saw him when his curveball wasn't working for him, but with his command he is kind of an adventure every time out.
Brewster right-handed reliever Stayton Thomas from the University of Texas was decent too. He is also undersized at 5'11" 175, and he throws with some effort. Thomas' fastball sat in the 87-89 mph range and had some glove-side run and sinking action. He threw a very good 72-74 mph curveball with big break. With his size his velocity might be maxed out, and his current two-pitch combination likely wouldn't be good enough to consistently fool professional hitters.
Hyannis right-handed reliever Dallas Gallant from Sam Houston State showed good stuff again but struggled with his control. One of the more successful relievers in the league this summer, Gallant's fastball sat in the 91-92 mph range, his hard 84-85 mph slider had really tight break, and it complemented his sweeping 77-79 mph curveball well. Gallant has good size and a thin, athletic build at 6'3" 185. Scouts are talking about him as one of the better relievers on the Cape.
Finally, Hyannis left-handed reliever Mark Gormley arkfrom Brown, who pitched for Brewster earlier in the summer, looked better than I remembered him in previous outings. Gormley is average height for a pitcher with an athletic build at 6'2" 200. He has good arm action but he throws with effort and falls off the mound when he throws. Gormley's fastball sits in the 87-88 mph range. He has a decent changeup that tails back in toward left-handed hitters, and an average slider.
Both catchers looked good behind the plate Wednesday, and each threw out two runners trying to steal second base. Brewster's Dan Butler from the University of Arizona moves very well back there and has a really accurate arm. His bat isn't as good as his defense, and Butler is already three months away from his 23rd birthday which limits his status as a prospect. He is also a little undersized for a catcher at 5'10" 190. Hyannis' Kenny Swab from Young Harris has struggled terribly at the plate this summer, but he is also a good defensive backstop.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Falmouth 7 Chatham 6, Falmouth 5 Chatham 2: In the first game of the doubleheader, rightfielde Ryan Jones from Wichita State went 3-for-3 and second baseman Connor Mach homered for Falmouth. Centerfielder Whit Merrifield from the University of South Carolina went 2-for-3 with three RBI. In the second game, shortstop B.A. Vollmuth from Southern Mississippi homered for Falmouth and first baseman Dean Green from Oklahoma State homered for Chatham.
Bourne 4 Wareham 0: Bourne right-handed starter Alex Wimmers from Ohio State pitched six shutout innings, allowing four hits and four walks and striking out 10. Second baseman Pierre LePage from UConn and shortstop Zack MacPhee from Arizona State each had two hits for Bourne.
My All-Star Game recap will appear Friday afternoon, highlighting the best performances of the league's signature event.
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Tuesday, July 21, 2009
July 22 for July 21 Update
All games were rained out on Tuesday.
I'm planning on going to Hyannis on Wednesday assuming they can get their field ready, then off to Boston for the All-Star Game on Thursday.
I'm planning on going to Hyannis on Wednesday assuming they can get their field ready, then off to Boston for the All-Star Game on Thursday.
Monday, July 20, 2009
July 21 for July 20 Update
I went to Hyannis on Monday night to watch Hyannis play Cotuit. An e-mailer, a fellow scout and the league's ERA leaderboard persuaded me to catch right-handed starter Jake Buchanan from North Carolina State pitch for Cotuit, and sure enough he pitched a complete-game,three-hit shutout and struck out 10. Cotuit won 3-0.
Buchanan, whose ERA was 0.67 before he pitched a shutout Monday, didn't have tremendous stuff, but he had a good feel for four solid pitches and he wasn't afraid to throw any of them in any count. In the middle innings of his start, one American League scout said "This guy doesn't ever throw the same pitch twice in a row." Hyannis' hitters were off-balance the entire game, and only four balls left the infield. Buchanan is average height with a stocky build at 6'0" 205. He short-arms his pitches a little but throws easy and has good balance. Buchanan's fastball sat in the 88-90 mph range but hitters always seemed unsure of when it was coming and therefore it was effectively faster than its actual speed. Buchanan's best pitch was probably his tumbling 74-77 mph curveball with very good, sharp break. He also threw a 76-80 mph slider with good run and a good 76-79 mph changeup with nice downward movement. None of Buchanan's pitches, other than maybe his curveball, was sensational on its own but his full repertoire was very effective. He could certainly be drafted in the first few rounds next June.
Hyannis' starter was righthander Austin Hudson from Central Florida, the Mariners' 27th-round pick last month. He looked better than when I saw him recently, but he still wasn't anything that special. His fastball sat in the 88-89 mph range, his 76-79 mph slider had good run to it and his 80-82 mph changeup was effective Monday. He pitched a good game but was definitely outshined by Buchanan.
Cotuit catcher Cameron Rupp from the University of Texas got the day off, but I got to watch him take batting practice and to be quite honest I didn't know what to make of it. Something about his swing looked off, but he made really good contact anyway. He hunches forward in his batting stance and has an uppercut swing. I still haven't seen him in person in a game as he has sat out each time I've seen Cotuit since his late arrival. But I get the feeling he will need to straighten out his swing to continue to hit in pro ball. From what I hear he is still one of the best catching prospects on the Cape, though.
Hyannis shortstop Elliot Soto from Creighton is now officially the best defensive player on the Cape. He just looks incredibly smooth every time the ball is hit to him. I just noticed today he hasn't made an error in 29 games this summer. If only he wasn't 5'9" 155 and a light hitter.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Bourne 4 Falmouth 3: Right-handed starter Eric Cantrell from George Washingto allowed no earned runs on four hits and struck out five in seven innings pitched. Centerfielder Scott Woodward from Coastal Carolina, Rob Segedin from Tulane and Ben Klafczynski from Kent State each had two hits for Bourne.
Wareham 3 Brewster 0: Five Wareham pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout, and rightfielder George Springer from UConn had two hits for the Gatemen.
Harwich 7 Chatham 2: Right-handed starter Mike Gipson from Florida Atlantic pitched seven shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out 10. Leftfielder Leon Landry from LSU went 2-for-4 with a home run and rightfielder Dan Grovatt from the University of Virginia went 3-for-4 for Harwich.
Y-D 4 Orleans 1: Y-D left-handed starter Chris Sale from Florida Gulf Coast allowed one run on seven hits in seven innings pitched, striking out five. Leftfielder Austin Wates from Virginia Tech went 2-for-4 for Y-D.
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Buchanan, whose ERA was 0.67 before he pitched a shutout Monday, didn't have tremendous stuff, but he had a good feel for four solid pitches and he wasn't afraid to throw any of them in any count. In the middle innings of his start, one American League scout said "This guy doesn't ever throw the same pitch twice in a row." Hyannis' hitters were off-balance the entire game, and only four balls left the infield. Buchanan is average height with a stocky build at 6'0" 205. He short-arms his pitches a little but throws easy and has good balance. Buchanan's fastball sat in the 88-90 mph range but hitters always seemed unsure of when it was coming and therefore it was effectively faster than its actual speed. Buchanan's best pitch was probably his tumbling 74-77 mph curveball with very good, sharp break. He also threw a 76-80 mph slider with good run and a good 76-79 mph changeup with nice downward movement. None of Buchanan's pitches, other than maybe his curveball, was sensational on its own but his full repertoire was very effective. He could certainly be drafted in the first few rounds next June.
Hyannis' starter was righthander Austin Hudson from Central Florida, the Mariners' 27th-round pick last month. He looked better than when I saw him recently, but he still wasn't anything that special. His fastball sat in the 88-89 mph range, his 76-79 mph slider had good run to it and his 80-82 mph changeup was effective Monday. He pitched a good game but was definitely outshined by Buchanan.
Cotuit catcher Cameron Rupp from the University of Texas got the day off, but I got to watch him take batting practice and to be quite honest I didn't know what to make of it. Something about his swing looked off, but he made really good contact anyway. He hunches forward in his batting stance and has an uppercut swing. I still haven't seen him in person in a game as he has sat out each time I've seen Cotuit since his late arrival. But I get the feeling he will need to straighten out his swing to continue to hit in pro ball. From what I hear he is still one of the best catching prospects on the Cape, though.
Hyannis shortstop Elliot Soto from Creighton is now officially the best defensive player on the Cape. He just looks incredibly smooth every time the ball is hit to him. I just noticed today he hasn't made an error in 29 games this summer. If only he wasn't 5'9" 155 and a light hitter.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Bourne 4 Falmouth 3: Right-handed starter Eric Cantrell from George Washingto allowed no earned runs on four hits and struck out five in seven innings pitched. Centerfielder Scott Woodward from Coastal Carolina, Rob Segedin from Tulane and Ben Klafczynski from Kent State each had two hits for Bourne.
Wareham 3 Brewster 0: Five Wareham pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout, and rightfielder George Springer from UConn had two hits for the Gatemen.
Harwich 7 Chatham 2: Right-handed starter Mike Gipson from Florida Atlantic pitched seven shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out 10. Leftfielder Leon Landry from LSU went 2-for-4 with a home run and rightfielder Dan Grovatt from the University of Virginia went 3-for-4 for Harwich.
Y-D 4 Orleans 1: Y-D left-handed starter Chris Sale from Florida Gulf Coast allowed one run on seven hits in seven innings pitched, striking out five. Leftfielder Austin Wates from Virginia Tech went 2-for-4 for Y-D.
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July 20 for July 19 Update
I went to Falmouth on Sunday to catch the second game of a doubleheader between Falmouth and Brewster. I hadn't seen either starting pitcher yet, which was a rare and welcome occurence at this point in the season.
Brewster had won the first game, 2-1, but Falmouth won the second, 3-0, as three pitchers combined for the seven-inning shutout.
Falmouth's starter was righthander Mark Pope from Georgia Tech. Pope was average height for a pitcher with a solid, athletic build at 6'2" 200. He threw with some effort and had balance issues as he fell off the mound toward first base and sometimes hopped after he finished his delivery. He seemed antsy on the mound and his mechanics weren't very tight. Pope's fastball sat mostly in the 87-88 mph range and it touched 90. Pope had spotty command of the pitch and often fell behind in the count. His curveball varied in speed from 74-79 mph, but when he threw it well it was closer to the high end of that range and was a decent pitch with tight break. He also threw one 71 mph changeup but it didn't look like he had much feel for that pitch. He looked uncomfortable throwing it and it came out of his hand weird.
Brewster left-handed starter Nathan Baker from Ole Miss, the Pirates' fifth-round pick last month, showed good stuff in the loss. Baker is above-average height with an athletic build at 6'3" 210. He throws easily but his movement are slightly mechanical on the mound. Baker's fastball sat in the 86-88 mph range and touched 89. He threw a 78-79 mph breaking pitch that I am going to call a slurve that had good sweeping break. Baker's best pitch when he threw it well was his 77-78 mph changeup. It took him a couple innings before he threw it comfortably, but once he got a feel for it the changeup was a pretty deceptive, but straight, pitch.
Another fifth-round pick, righthander Caleb Cotham from Vanderbilt, who was selected by the Yankees' last month, looked even more impressive in relief for Brewster. Cotham is above-average height with a solid build at 6'3" 210. He throws easy with tight mechanics and has good arm action. Cotham's fastball sat in the 90-92 mph range and he had pretty good command of it. He threw a hard 85-87 mph breaking ball with tight movement and a very good 83-84 mph changeup with very good downward movement. The Yankees would do well to sign him.
Among the hitters, shortstop B.A. Vollmuth from Southern Mississippi really impressed me. Vollmuth was a late arrival after his school team's surprise run to the College World Series, and Sunday was the first time I got a good look at him. Vollmuth is big for his position at 6'3" 200, and the way he moves in the field makes me think he will be better-suited to play third base professionally. His footwork in the field wasn't great, but Vollmuth is an athletic kid with a very strong arm. At the plate he showed a quick bat and a short swing, and turned on an inside fastball for a home run.
Falmouth second baseman Scott Lawson from the University of Miami, who has been getting a lot of interest all summer from teams as a potential undrafted free agent after nobody selected him last month, looked good Sunday too. He stuck his bat out for an opposite-field single to left, beat out an infield hit and made a very athletic play in the field when he grabbed a ground ball heading up the middle then did a little spin move to get the force at second base before completing a 4-4-3 double play. Lawson is a little undersized at 5'10" 185, but he is a decent player who will probably be offered a contract at some point.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Chatham 1 Wareham 0: Chatham left-handed starter Tyler Lyons from Oklahoma State, the Yankees' 10th-round pick last month, pitched a complete game two-hit shutout, striking out 11. Right-handed starter Cole Green from the University of Texas allowed one run on two hits in 8.1 innings for Wareham.
Cotuit 5 Bourne 3: Third baseman Chris Bisson from the University of Kentucky and first baseman Tony Plagman from Georgia Tech, the Yankees' 46th round pick, each went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Cotuit. Third baseman Rob Segedin from Tulane went 3-for-4 for Bourne.
Harwich 4 Hyannis 2: Left-handed starter John Gast from Florida State pitched 6.1 scoreless innings for Harwich. Catcher Anthony Sosnoskie from Virginia Tech homered twice for Harwich and finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs.
Y-D 5 Orleans 1, Y-D 2 Orleans 1: In the first game, second baseman Blake Kelso from the University of Houston and rightfielder Austin Wates from Virginia Tech each went 2-for-3 for Yarmouth-Dennis. In the second game, right-handed starter Austin Ross from LSU pitched six scoreless innings for Y-D, and second baseman Tyler Hanover went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
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Brewster had won the first game, 2-1, but Falmouth won the second, 3-0, as three pitchers combined for the seven-inning shutout.
Falmouth's starter was righthander Mark Pope from Georgia Tech. Pope was average height for a pitcher with a solid, athletic build at 6'2" 200. He threw with some effort and had balance issues as he fell off the mound toward first base and sometimes hopped after he finished his delivery. He seemed antsy on the mound and his mechanics weren't very tight. Pope's fastball sat mostly in the 87-88 mph range and it touched 90. Pope had spotty command of the pitch and often fell behind in the count. His curveball varied in speed from 74-79 mph, but when he threw it well it was closer to the high end of that range and was a decent pitch with tight break. He also threw one 71 mph changeup but it didn't look like he had much feel for that pitch. He looked uncomfortable throwing it and it came out of his hand weird.
Brewster left-handed starter Nathan Baker from Ole Miss, the Pirates' fifth-round pick last month, showed good stuff in the loss. Baker is above-average height with an athletic build at 6'3" 210. He throws easily but his movement are slightly mechanical on the mound. Baker's fastball sat in the 86-88 mph range and touched 89. He threw a 78-79 mph breaking pitch that I am going to call a slurve that had good sweeping break. Baker's best pitch when he threw it well was his 77-78 mph changeup. It took him a couple innings before he threw it comfortably, but once he got a feel for it the changeup was a pretty deceptive, but straight, pitch.
Another fifth-round pick, righthander Caleb Cotham from Vanderbilt, who was selected by the Yankees' last month, looked even more impressive in relief for Brewster. Cotham is above-average height with a solid build at 6'3" 210. He throws easy with tight mechanics and has good arm action. Cotham's fastball sat in the 90-92 mph range and he had pretty good command of it. He threw a hard 85-87 mph breaking ball with tight movement and a very good 83-84 mph changeup with very good downward movement. The Yankees would do well to sign him.
Among the hitters, shortstop B.A. Vollmuth from Southern Mississippi really impressed me. Vollmuth was a late arrival after his school team's surprise run to the College World Series, and Sunday was the first time I got a good look at him. Vollmuth is big for his position at 6'3" 200, and the way he moves in the field makes me think he will be better-suited to play third base professionally. His footwork in the field wasn't great, but Vollmuth is an athletic kid with a very strong arm. At the plate he showed a quick bat and a short swing, and turned on an inside fastball for a home run.
Falmouth second baseman Scott Lawson from the University of Miami, who has been getting a lot of interest all summer from teams as a potential undrafted free agent after nobody selected him last month, looked good Sunday too. He stuck his bat out for an opposite-field single to left, beat out an infield hit and made a very athletic play in the field when he grabbed a ground ball heading up the middle then did a little spin move to get the force at second base before completing a 4-4-3 double play. Lawson is a little undersized at 5'10" 185, but he is a decent player who will probably be offered a contract at some point.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Chatham 1 Wareham 0: Chatham left-handed starter Tyler Lyons from Oklahoma State, the Yankees' 10th-round pick last month, pitched a complete game two-hit shutout, striking out 11. Right-handed starter Cole Green from the University of Texas allowed one run on two hits in 8.1 innings for Wareham.
Cotuit 5 Bourne 3: Third baseman Chris Bisson from the University of Kentucky and first baseman Tony Plagman from Georgia Tech, the Yankees' 46th round pick, each went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Cotuit. Third baseman Rob Segedin from Tulane went 3-for-4 for Bourne.
Harwich 4 Hyannis 2: Left-handed starter John Gast from Florida State pitched 6.1 scoreless innings for Harwich. Catcher Anthony Sosnoskie from Virginia Tech homered twice for Harwich and finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs.
Y-D 5 Orleans 1, Y-D 2 Orleans 1: In the first game, second baseman Blake Kelso from the University of Houston and rightfielder Austin Wates from Virginia Tech each went 2-for-3 for Yarmouth-Dennis. In the second game, right-handed starter Austin Ross from LSU pitched six scoreless innings for Y-D, and second baseman Tyler Hanover went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
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Sunday, July 19, 2009
July 19 for July 18 Update
I went to Y-D on Saturday to watch Y-D play Chatham. On paper, the pitching matchup should have been a good one, but Y-D right-handed starter John Leonard from Boston College and Chatham right-handed starter Matt Harvey from UNC didn't have their best stuff and Y-D won 9-4.
Leonard is an All-Star with good numbers who I had heard good things about, but by the last inning of his outing Saturday a few scouts were muttering about how they hoped Chatham would get a couple more hits so Y-D would take Leonard out and put in a pitcher they had more interest in seeing. Leonard is average height with a solid build at 6'1" 200. He throws easy with good arm action and he generally has good balance on the mound. Leonard's fastball sat in the 88-90 mph range with some tailing action in on right-handed hitters. He threw a good 73 mph curveball with sweeping movement and an average 78-79 mph slider with tighter break. Leonard also threw a 78 mph changeup that was good when he kept it down in the strike zone. All-in-all Leonard was a decent pitcher and he probably just had a bad day and got hit a little on Saturday. See how he does the rest of the season and next spring.
Harvey is a really interesting case to me. He was one of the nation's best pitching prospects out of high school in 2007, dropped to the third round of the draft because he had signability issues, didn't sign, and then watched as his stock has dropped dramatically over the past two years. His mechanics are really out of whack right now, but he still has the potential to be really good and a team might take a chance on him with a high draft pick next June anyway. One scout said he should have signed in '07, and another agreed and said it must "leave a mark" every time Harvey watches fellow '07 high school phenom Rick Porcello pitch for the Detroit Tigers. Harvey is big with a solid build at 6'5" 225. He has poor arm action and a strange hitch in his delivery toward the top of his motion. He falls off toward third base and sometimes throws severely across his body. All of these things affect his command and velocity. I saw Harvey throw 94-95 for Chatham last summer, but his fastball sat in the 86-89 mph range on Saturday. He has a really good 73-75 mph overhand curveball with big break, but he tends to leave it up in the zone. He also throws a good 77-79 mph changeup with good downward movement when he throws it well. It'll be interesting to see what happens with Harvey next year, but ultimately he could have saved himself a lot of stress by taking what would have been big money in 2007.
Right-handed reliever Taylor Hill from Vanderbilt looked really good for Chatham. Hill is tall with a solid, athletic build at 6'4" 225. He has raw mechanics in which he wastes some movement and he throws with some effort, but his stuff is really good. Hill's fastball sat in the 89-92 mph range with late sinking movement. He threw a very good 80-82 mph slider with late frisbee-like movement that was his most effective, impressive pitch. He also threw a very good 78-79 mph changeup with downward movement and some tail in. All of his pitches have late life. Hill is one of the better relievers in the league.
Three East Division All-Stars stood out among the position players. Y-D first baseman Mickey Wiswall from Boston College had three singles, and each went to a different part of the outfield. Wiswall swings hard but he is always in control and he really handles the bat well. He has also greatly improved at first base since the beginning of the summer when he made the switch from his usual college position at third. He made a couple of good scoops on throws in the dirt Saturday.
I wrote the other day Y-D infielder Tyler Hanover from LSU could have been replaced in the All-Star Game, but he really impressed me Saturday. He's really undersized at 5'7" 165, but he has such a nice swing he was able to drive a grand slam out of the park off Harvey. He's really just a solid all-around player, but it's possible his size will be too much to overcome as a professional.
Chatham catcher Mike Murray from Wake Forest also had a good game. He has a really quick bat, and he got around on a high fastball for a home run early in the game. He also moves really well behind home plate and has a good stocky catcher's build at 6'0" 205. Murray is really slow running to first base. Catcher is a weak position this year on the Cape, with late-arrivals Cameron Rupp from Texas and Cotuit and Micah Gibbs from LSU and Y-D the best prospects. But Murray is a solid all-around player.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Leonard is an All-Star with good numbers who I had heard good things about, but by the last inning of his outing Saturday a few scouts were muttering about how they hoped Chatham would get a couple more hits so Y-D would take Leonard out and put in a pitcher they had more interest in seeing. Leonard is average height with a solid build at 6'1" 200. He throws easy with good arm action and he generally has good balance on the mound. Leonard's fastball sat in the 88-90 mph range with some tailing action in on right-handed hitters. He threw a good 73 mph curveball with sweeping movement and an average 78-79 mph slider with tighter break. Leonard also threw a 78 mph changeup that was good when he kept it down in the strike zone. All-in-all Leonard was a decent pitcher and he probably just had a bad day and got hit a little on Saturday. See how he does the rest of the season and next spring.
Harvey is a really interesting case to me. He was one of the nation's best pitching prospects out of high school in 2007, dropped to the third round of the draft because he had signability issues, didn't sign, and then watched as his stock has dropped dramatically over the past two years. His mechanics are really out of whack right now, but he still has the potential to be really good and a team might take a chance on him with a high draft pick next June anyway. One scout said he should have signed in '07, and another agreed and said it must "leave a mark" every time Harvey watches fellow '07 high school phenom Rick Porcello pitch for the Detroit Tigers. Harvey is big with a solid build at 6'5" 225. He has poor arm action and a strange hitch in his delivery toward the top of his motion. He falls off toward third base and sometimes throws severely across his body. All of these things affect his command and velocity. I saw Harvey throw 94-95 for Chatham last summer, but his fastball sat in the 86-89 mph range on Saturday. He has a really good 73-75 mph overhand curveball with big break, but he tends to leave it up in the zone. He also throws a good 77-79 mph changeup with good downward movement when he throws it well. It'll be interesting to see what happens with Harvey next year, but ultimately he could have saved himself a lot of stress by taking what would have been big money in 2007.
Right-handed reliever Taylor Hill from Vanderbilt looked really good for Chatham. Hill is tall with a solid, athletic build at 6'4" 225. He has raw mechanics in which he wastes some movement and he throws with some effort, but his stuff is really good. Hill's fastball sat in the 89-92 mph range with late sinking movement. He threw a very good 80-82 mph slider with late frisbee-like movement that was his most effective, impressive pitch. He also threw a very good 78-79 mph changeup with downward movement and some tail in. All of his pitches have late life. Hill is one of the better relievers in the league.
Three East Division All-Stars stood out among the position players. Y-D first baseman Mickey Wiswall from Boston College had three singles, and each went to a different part of the outfield. Wiswall swings hard but he is always in control and he really handles the bat well. He has also greatly improved at first base since the beginning of the summer when he made the switch from his usual college position at third. He made a couple of good scoops on throws in the dirt Saturday.
I wrote the other day Y-D infielder Tyler Hanover from LSU could have been replaced in the All-Star Game, but he really impressed me Saturday. He's really undersized at 5'7" 165, but he has such a nice swing he was able to drive a grand slam out of the park off Harvey. He's really just a solid all-around player, but it's possible his size will be too much to overcome as a professional.
Chatham catcher Mike Murray from Wake Forest also had a good game. He has a really quick bat, and he got around on a high fastball for a home run early in the game. He also moves really well behind home plate and has a good stocky catcher's build at 6'0" 205. Murray is really slow running to first base. Catcher is a weak position this year on the Cape, with late-arrivals Cameron Rupp from Texas and Cotuit and Micah Gibbs from LSU and Y-D the best prospects. But Murray is a solid all-around player.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Orleans 11 Bourne 1: Shortstop Devin Lohman went 4-for-5 with a home run and rightfielder Jeremy Gould from Duke also homered for Orleans. Centerfielder Scott Woodward went 3-for-3 for Bourne.
Cotuit 4 Harwich 1: Centerfielder Zach Cone from the University of Georgia, designated hitter Zack Cox from the University of Arkansas and rightfielder Kevin Keyes from the University of Texas each had two hits for Cotuit.
Wareham 6 Falmouth 2: Centerfielder Ryan LaMarre from the University of Michigan went 3-for-5 for Wareham. First baseman Brett Eibner from the University of Arkansas homered for Wareham and first baseman Hunter Morris from Auburn homered for Falmouth.
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Friday, July 17, 2009
July 18 for July 17 Update
I went to Bourne on Friday, mainly because most of the league's pitching matchups were between guys I have already seen, and I had heard a rumor Chatham's right-handed starter Matt Harvey from UNC was getting moved up a day to pitch. Unfortunately, he was not and I ended up seeing a game with seven pitchers I have already seen extensively.
Bourne scored nine runs in the sixth inning when 12 consecutive batters reached base and Bourne beat Chatham 10-1.
Bourne starter Bryan Morgado from the University of Tennessee, the White Sox' third-round pick who disappointed me the last time I saw him, had better stuff Friday but he struggled with his control. Morgado's fastball sat in the 90-92 mph range and a couple of times crept up to 94. This was an improvement from the 88-91 I saw a couple of weeks ago. One Major League scout said he saw Morgado touch 96 in a relief appearance earlier in his pitching career. Morgado's 78-80 mph slider was average and he threw a decent 78-81 mph changeup. Morgado walked six and hit a batter in five innings, but also struck out eight. He still knows how to pitch, and the increased velocity made him more impressive, but I'm still not sure he was worth a third-round pick.
Chatham's starter was righthander Patrick Johnson from UNC. Johnson is undersized at 5'10" 170 and throws with a lot of effort. Johnson's fastball sat in the 87-90 mph range and once touched 91. He threw both a 78-82 mph slider and a 72-75 mph curveball, and both were good but not great. He also threw an 80 mph changeup with good tailing action down-and-in. Johnson pitched effectively for five innings Friday and was out of the game before the nightmarish sixth. Johnson is really just a good college pitcher and is probably not a professional prospect.
I have already written a few times about Bourne right-handed reliever Kevin Munson from James Madison, but he looked good pitching a garbage inning at the end of the game Friday. His fastball reached 95 and his slider is still really good.
A position player who continues to impress me is Bourne third baseman Rob Segedin from Tulane. Segedin went just 1-for-5 Friday, but his one hit was a good piece of hitting when he a stroked a triple to right-center field. Segedin has a really smooth right-handed stroke and is one of the better right-handed hitting prospects in the league. He is also a solid third baseman and made a really good play and a strong throw on a sharp ground ball early in the game.
Bourne centerfielder Scott Woodward from Coastal Carolina ruffled some feathers when he stole second base toward the end of the sixth inning after Bourne had already scored a nine-run lead. Chatham manager John Schiffner yelled an expletive across the field to Bourne manager Harvey Shapiro, and Chatham threw at Bourne first baseman Stefen Romero from Oregon State in the next inning. I'm told Shapiro has yelled repeatedly at Woodward for running on his own. He does have very good speed.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Y-D 3 Brewster 1: Right-handed starter Michael Goodnight from the University of Houston pitched five shutout innings for Y-D. Third baseman Jedd Gyorko from West Virginia University homered for Brewster.
Falmouth 8 Cotuit 3: Centerfielder Todd Cunningham from Jacksonville State and 1B Hunter Morris from Auburn each had three hits for Falmouth. Leftfielder Cory Vaughn from San Diego State homered for Cotuit.
Wareham 7 Hyannis 3: Centerfielder Ryan LaMarre from the University of Michigan went 3-for-4 with four RBIs for Wareham. Designated hitter Eddie Rohan from Winthrop went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Hyannis.
Orleans 10 Hyannis 2: Centerfielder Gary Brown from Cal State Fullerton had four hits for Orleans.
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Bourne scored nine runs in the sixth inning when 12 consecutive batters reached base and Bourne beat Chatham 10-1.
Bourne starter Bryan Morgado from the University of Tennessee, the White Sox' third-round pick who disappointed me the last time I saw him, had better stuff Friday but he struggled with his control. Morgado's fastball sat in the 90-92 mph range and a couple of times crept up to 94. This was an improvement from the 88-91 I saw a couple of weeks ago. One Major League scout said he saw Morgado touch 96 in a relief appearance earlier in his pitching career. Morgado's 78-80 mph slider was average and he threw a decent 78-81 mph changeup. Morgado walked six and hit a batter in five innings, but also struck out eight. He still knows how to pitch, and the increased velocity made him more impressive, but I'm still not sure he was worth a third-round pick.
Chatham's starter was righthander Patrick Johnson from UNC. Johnson is undersized at 5'10" 170 and throws with a lot of effort. Johnson's fastball sat in the 87-90 mph range and once touched 91. He threw both a 78-82 mph slider and a 72-75 mph curveball, and both were good but not great. He also threw an 80 mph changeup with good tailing action down-and-in. Johnson pitched effectively for five innings Friday and was out of the game before the nightmarish sixth. Johnson is really just a good college pitcher and is probably not a professional prospect.
I have already written a few times about Bourne right-handed reliever Kevin Munson from James Madison, but he looked good pitching a garbage inning at the end of the game Friday. His fastball reached 95 and his slider is still really good.
A position player who continues to impress me is Bourne third baseman Rob Segedin from Tulane. Segedin went just 1-for-5 Friday, but his one hit was a good piece of hitting when he a stroked a triple to right-center field. Segedin has a really smooth right-handed stroke and is one of the better right-handed hitting prospects in the league. He is also a solid third baseman and made a really good play and a strong throw on a sharp ground ball early in the game.
Bourne centerfielder Scott Woodward from Coastal Carolina ruffled some feathers when he stole second base toward the end of the sixth inning after Bourne had already scored a nine-run lead. Chatham manager John Schiffner yelled an expletive across the field to Bourne manager Harvey Shapiro, and Chatham threw at Bourne first baseman Stefen Romero from Oregon State in the next inning. I'm told Shapiro has yelled repeatedly at Woodward for running on his own. He does have very good speed.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Y-D 3 Brewster 1: Right-handed starter Michael Goodnight from the University of Houston pitched five shutout innings for Y-D. Third baseman Jedd Gyorko from West Virginia University homered for Brewster.
Falmouth 8 Cotuit 3: Centerfielder Todd Cunningham from Jacksonville State and 1B Hunter Morris from Auburn each had three hits for Falmouth. Leftfielder Cory Vaughn from San Diego State homered for Cotuit.
Wareham 7 Hyannis 3: Centerfielder Ryan LaMarre from the University of Michigan went 3-for-4 with four RBIs for Wareham. Designated hitter Eddie Rohan from Winthrop went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Hyannis.
Orleans 10 Hyannis 2: Centerfielder Gary Brown from Cal State Fullerton had four hits for Orleans.
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All-Star Selection Analysis
The Cape Cod League unveiled the rosters Thursday for next week's All-Star Game at Fenway Park. The game is the league's signature event, and you can expect to see about 100 scouts in attendance at Fenway on Thursday.
The challenge each year for the 10 field managers who meet and select the teams is to find a balance between rewarding the players who are having good summers while still making sure the league's best prospects are put on display.
I was hoping to have some serious gripes about the rosters so I could provide a hate-filled blog post that would show everybody how much smarter I am than the managers, but all-in-all I think they did a pretty good job. There are a few questionable selections, but none that are too outrageous.
I'm glad Wareham's Brandon Workman and Cotuit's Cameron Rupp from Texas made the West team even though the two Longhorns have only been here for a week or two. They are two of the bigger prospects on the Cape and they belong in the game. Same goes for Y-D's Micah Gibbs from LSU, who was named an East Division alternate even though he is hitting just .179 in his first few games up here. Gibbs is a major talent as a switch-hitting catcher and he deserves the recognition.
Still, here are a few players who should be on the All-Star team who got snubbed, and who those players should be replacing.
EAST
RHP Jesse Hahn, Chatham/Virginia Tech: Hahn is one of the top pitching prospects in the league and has incredible numbers this summer, but somehow got left off the East squad. Hahn is the only pitcher I've seen touch 97 or 98 mph with his fastball this summer, and scouts eagerly anticipate each one of his relief appearances. The idle chatter among scouts is instantly stopped and they start getting serious when Hahn trots in from the bullpen. Plus, he has allowed no runs on one hit in 9.1 innings pitched this summer and has struck out 10. He has been limited to five appearances, but he has thrown just one-third of an inning fewer than Workman. He belongs in the game. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if he replaced any of the pitchers currently on the East roster, but I think it would be most fair if he took Chatham teammate Russell Brewer's spot. I like the way Brewer knows how to pitch, and he has been an effective closer for two teams up here this summer and last. But Hahn is the bigger prospect, has better numbers other than saves, and Brewer got to be an All-Star last year.
OF Trent Mummey, Harwich/Auburn: Mummey was one of the best players in the league the first few weeks of the season, carrying Harwich until their College World Series guys arrived. But a recent dry spell cost him a spot on the All-Star team. Mummey has showed off all five tools this summer, and he is really an exciting player to watch. I would have taken him over Orleans' Alex Hassan from Duke. The fact that Hassan was a Red Sox draft pick last month probably has something to do with him being selected, but the Red Sox took him as a pitcher, and I think he is better as a pitcher, too. He is on the All-Star team as an outfielder, and Mummey is just better.
1B Jaren Matthews, Orleans/Rutgers: Matthews is Orleans' second-best position player prospect behind outfielder Gary Brown, and he was their only player to do any hitting during their early-season struggles. Matthews has cooled off recently as the rest of the team has heated up, but as a professional prospect and a guy who has been pretty solid since the very beginning of the season he deserves a spot on the All-Star team. Mickey Wiswall from Y-D is very deserving as the East's starting first baseman, but I would have taken Matthews instead of Y-D's Tyler Hanover from LSU and just moved Wiswall to third base when you wanted to insert Matthews. Hanover is a good player, but he's really small which works against him as a professional prospect. Plus he has only been here for a couple weeks which qualifies the argument for his solid statistics.
WEST
Brandon Cumpton, RHP Cotuit/Georgia Tech: Cumpton looks like a third-to-fifth round draft pick next June, and he has put up very good numbers for a Cotuit pitching staff that is among the best in the league. He has really good stuff and has been successful on the Cape for two seasons now. He should replace Eric Pfisterer from Wareham and Duke. Pfisterer has put up good numbers so far this summer, but he is maybe the fourth or fifth best pitching prospect Wareham has after Workman, Jack Armstrong, Matt Barnes and maybe Blake Monar. Cumpton is another glaring performance/projectability combo guy who was left out of the game.
Hunter Morris 1B Falmouth/Auburn: This isn't a terrible omission because Kyle Roller is very deserving at first base and Ryan Cuneo should continue to be allowed to make a name for himself in his breakout summer as the designated hitter. But Morris has the raw power to be a star. He snubbed the Red Sox after they couldn't sign him as their second-round pick out of high school, and the Boston fans will still get a chance to see what they're missing out on in the home run derby. Having him participate in the home-run hitting contest is a good compromise, but as a guy with solid statistics and a possible first-round pick next year, they should have found a place for him in the game.
Those are really the only issues I have. As for some All-Star predictions, the West has better pitching, but the East has a better lineup and as we saw last year it only takes one big inning to win a Cape League All-Star Game. I think the East will win 6-4.
Jedd Gyorko will be the East MVP and Zack Cox will be the West MVP.
The home run derby is going to be low-scoring as the right-handed hitters will struggle to get the ball over the Green Monster, the left-handed hitters will struggle with deeper dimensions in right-center, and everyone will struggle with the pressure of trying to hit home run in Fenway Park. I'll take Gyorko to edge out Morris.
QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? E-Mail me at schimmeldbk@gmail.com
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The challenge each year for the 10 field managers who meet and select the teams is to find a balance between rewarding the players who are having good summers while still making sure the league's best prospects are put on display.
I was hoping to have some serious gripes about the rosters so I could provide a hate-filled blog post that would show everybody how much smarter I am than the managers, but all-in-all I think they did a pretty good job. There are a few questionable selections, but none that are too outrageous.
I'm glad Wareham's Brandon Workman and Cotuit's Cameron Rupp from Texas made the West team even though the two Longhorns have only been here for a week or two. They are two of the bigger prospects on the Cape and they belong in the game. Same goes for Y-D's Micah Gibbs from LSU, who was named an East Division alternate even though he is hitting just .179 in his first few games up here. Gibbs is a major talent as a switch-hitting catcher and he deserves the recognition.
Still, here are a few players who should be on the All-Star team who got snubbed, and who those players should be replacing.
EAST
RHP Jesse Hahn, Chatham/Virginia Tech: Hahn is one of the top pitching prospects in the league and has incredible numbers this summer, but somehow got left off the East squad. Hahn is the only pitcher I've seen touch 97 or 98 mph with his fastball this summer, and scouts eagerly anticipate each one of his relief appearances. The idle chatter among scouts is instantly stopped and they start getting serious when Hahn trots in from the bullpen. Plus, he has allowed no runs on one hit in 9.1 innings pitched this summer and has struck out 10. He has been limited to five appearances, but he has thrown just one-third of an inning fewer than Workman. He belongs in the game. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if he replaced any of the pitchers currently on the East roster, but I think it would be most fair if he took Chatham teammate Russell Brewer's spot. I like the way Brewer knows how to pitch, and he has been an effective closer for two teams up here this summer and last. But Hahn is the bigger prospect, has better numbers other than saves, and Brewer got to be an All-Star last year.
OF Trent Mummey, Harwich/Auburn: Mummey was one of the best players in the league the first few weeks of the season, carrying Harwich until their College World Series guys arrived. But a recent dry spell cost him a spot on the All-Star team. Mummey has showed off all five tools this summer, and he is really an exciting player to watch. I would have taken him over Orleans' Alex Hassan from Duke. The fact that Hassan was a Red Sox draft pick last month probably has something to do with him being selected, but the Red Sox took him as a pitcher, and I think he is better as a pitcher, too. He is on the All-Star team as an outfielder, and Mummey is just better.
1B Jaren Matthews, Orleans/Rutgers: Matthews is Orleans' second-best position player prospect behind outfielder Gary Brown, and he was their only player to do any hitting during their early-season struggles. Matthews has cooled off recently as the rest of the team has heated up, but as a professional prospect and a guy who has been pretty solid since the very beginning of the season he deserves a spot on the All-Star team. Mickey Wiswall from Y-D is very deserving as the East's starting first baseman, but I would have taken Matthews instead of Y-D's Tyler Hanover from LSU and just moved Wiswall to third base when you wanted to insert Matthews. Hanover is a good player, but he's really small which works against him as a professional prospect. Plus he has only been here for a couple weeks which qualifies the argument for his solid statistics.
WEST
Brandon Cumpton, RHP Cotuit/Georgia Tech: Cumpton looks like a third-to-fifth round draft pick next June, and he has put up very good numbers for a Cotuit pitching staff that is among the best in the league. He has really good stuff and has been successful on the Cape for two seasons now. He should replace Eric Pfisterer from Wareham and Duke. Pfisterer has put up good numbers so far this summer, but he is maybe the fourth or fifth best pitching prospect Wareham has after Workman, Jack Armstrong, Matt Barnes and maybe Blake Monar. Cumpton is another glaring performance/projectability combo guy who was left out of the game.
Hunter Morris 1B Falmouth/Auburn: This isn't a terrible omission because Kyle Roller is very deserving at first base and Ryan Cuneo should continue to be allowed to make a name for himself in his breakout summer as the designated hitter. But Morris has the raw power to be a star. He snubbed the Red Sox after they couldn't sign him as their second-round pick out of high school, and the Boston fans will still get a chance to see what they're missing out on in the home run derby. Having him participate in the home-run hitting contest is a good compromise, but as a guy with solid statistics and a possible first-round pick next year, they should have found a place for him in the game.
Those are really the only issues I have. As for some All-Star predictions, the West has better pitching, but the East has a better lineup and as we saw last year it only takes one big inning to win a Cape League All-Star Game. I think the East will win 6-4.
Jedd Gyorko will be the East MVP and Zack Cox will be the West MVP.
The home run derby is going to be low-scoring as the right-handed hitters will struggle to get the ball over the Green Monster, the left-handed hitters will struggle with deeper dimensions in right-center, and everyone will struggle with the pressure of trying to hit home run in Fenway Park. I'll take Gyorko to edge out Morris.
QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? E-Mail me at schimmeldbk@gmail.com
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July 17 for July 16 Update
I went to Hyannis on Thursday to watch Hyannis play Brewster. The skies threatened rain during most of batting practice, but aside from a very brief drizzle in the first few innings they played the game in dry conditions.
The Major League scout total was once again near 20, and this time the best non-baseball-related conversation I overheard was about how you can't find tins of tobacco at a reasonable price anywhere on the Cape.
Hyannis won 5-1 behind a great pitching effort from right-handed starter Tyler Wilson from the University of Virginia.
Wilson was dominant Thursday, and he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. He ended up going seven and allowed no runs on two hits while striking out nine. Wilson is average height for a pitcher with a thin, athletic build at 6'2" 185, but you can tell he is a really good athlete and he brings an intense, competitive presence to the mound. Wilson throws easily with good arm action. Wilson's fastball sat in the 90-91 mph range, and he had really good command working both sides of the plate Thursday. His 81-82 mph slider had tight break but was just average, and he also threw a pretty good 78 mph changeup. Wilson competes, but he needs to have command like he did Thursday to be continually effective.
Brewster left-handed starter Sean Bierman from Vanderbilt looked good until the sixth inning when he got shelled for four of the five runs he allowed. Biermann is average height with a solid build at 6'0" 200. He gets good extension and throws easily but he has stiff arm action and he falls off the mound toward third base when he throws. Biermann's fastball sat mostly in the 87-89 mph range but crept up to 90 and 91 once or twice. He would fall into lapses where he would struggle with his control. Biermann also threw an average 74-76 mph curveball with sweeping break, and he spun an 80-82 mph slider that had kind of a cutter effect but was really just a subpar slider.
Right-handed reliever Dallas Gallant from Sam Houston State showed a good arm out of the bullpen for Hyannis. He's above-average height with a thin athletic build at 6'3" 185. He throws with some effort, and his fastball sat around 91 mph. He had a really good 75-77 mph curveball with sharp 3/8 break, and also showed an 82 mph slider that wasn't as good. Gallant was named an All-Star as Hyannis' closer, and he is one of the better relievers in the league.
Brewster centerfielder Jarrett Parker from the University of Virginia really impressed me during batting practice but then struggled in the game. Parker comes to the Cape as a highly-regarded prospect, but he's hit just .209 since he arrived a couple of weeks ago after the College World Series. Under the batting cage before the game, Parker showed a really smooth, easy swing and drove the ball to all fields. He launched a deep home run on one of his last few swings in BP. But in the game he just looked really uncomfortable at the plate and finished 0-for-3 with a walk, striking out twice. Parker is a good outfielder and an athletic kid with a good body, but he needs to apply his hitting ability to the games more consistently.
Hyannis rightfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr. from the University of South Carolina played really well Thursday. Bradley is undersized for a corner outfielder at 5'11" 178, and he was hitting just .195 coming into the game. But Bradley showed some really advanced hitting with his three-hit game Thursday. His first hit was a double to left-center when he stayed within himself and drove an outside fastball to the gap. His second hit he stayed back on a curveball away and just stuck his bat out and poked it to left for a single. In his final at-bat he showed really quick hands and turned on an inside fastball he drove down the rightfield line for a triple. Bradley has great speed as well.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Cotuit 8 Orleans 5: First baseman Tony Plagman from Georgia Tech homered for Cotuit, and left fielder Cory Vaughn from San Diego State and centerfielder Jeff Rowland from Georgia Tech, Cleveland's 21st round pick, each had two hits. Leftfielder Kevin Muno from the University of San Diego went 4-for-4 for Orleans.
Look for a SPECIAL COMMENT (I'm stealing that from Keith Olbermann) about Thursday's All-Star selections. Who got snubbed? Who shouldn't have gotten picked? That should be up sometime in the early afternoon.
QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? E-Mail me at schimmeldbk@gmail.com
Want to be alerted every time I update this blog? Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Greg_Schimmel
The Major League scout total was once again near 20, and this time the best non-baseball-related conversation I overheard was about how you can't find tins of tobacco at a reasonable price anywhere on the Cape.
Hyannis won 5-1 behind a great pitching effort from right-handed starter Tyler Wilson from the University of Virginia.
Wilson was dominant Thursday, and he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. He ended up going seven and allowed no runs on two hits while striking out nine. Wilson is average height for a pitcher with a thin, athletic build at 6'2" 185, but you can tell he is a really good athlete and he brings an intense, competitive presence to the mound. Wilson throws easily with good arm action. Wilson's fastball sat in the 90-91 mph range, and he had really good command working both sides of the plate Thursday. His 81-82 mph slider had tight break but was just average, and he also threw a pretty good 78 mph changeup. Wilson competes, but he needs to have command like he did Thursday to be continually effective.
Brewster left-handed starter Sean Bierman from Vanderbilt looked good until the sixth inning when he got shelled for four of the five runs he allowed. Biermann is average height with a solid build at 6'0" 200. He gets good extension and throws easily but he has stiff arm action and he falls off the mound toward third base when he throws. Biermann's fastball sat mostly in the 87-89 mph range but crept up to 90 and 91 once or twice. He would fall into lapses where he would struggle with his control. Biermann also threw an average 74-76 mph curveball with sweeping break, and he spun an 80-82 mph slider that had kind of a cutter effect but was really just a subpar slider.
Right-handed reliever Dallas Gallant from Sam Houston State showed a good arm out of the bullpen for Hyannis. He's above-average height with a thin athletic build at 6'3" 185. He throws with some effort, and his fastball sat around 91 mph. He had a really good 75-77 mph curveball with sharp 3/8 break, and also showed an 82 mph slider that wasn't as good. Gallant was named an All-Star as Hyannis' closer, and he is one of the better relievers in the league.
Brewster centerfielder Jarrett Parker from the University of Virginia really impressed me during batting practice but then struggled in the game. Parker comes to the Cape as a highly-regarded prospect, but he's hit just .209 since he arrived a couple of weeks ago after the College World Series. Under the batting cage before the game, Parker showed a really smooth, easy swing and drove the ball to all fields. He launched a deep home run on one of his last few swings in BP. But in the game he just looked really uncomfortable at the plate and finished 0-for-3 with a walk, striking out twice. Parker is a good outfielder and an athletic kid with a good body, but he needs to apply his hitting ability to the games more consistently.
Hyannis rightfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr. from the University of South Carolina played really well Thursday. Bradley is undersized for a corner outfielder at 5'11" 178, and he was hitting just .195 coming into the game. But Bradley showed some really advanced hitting with his three-hit game Thursday. His first hit was a double to left-center when he stayed within himself and drove an outside fastball to the gap. His second hit he stayed back on a curveball away and just stuck his bat out and poked it to left for a single. In his final at-bat he showed really quick hands and turned on an inside fastball he drove down the rightfield line for a triple. Bradley has great speed as well.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Cotuit 8 Orleans 5: First baseman Tony Plagman from Georgia Tech homered for Cotuit, and left fielder Cory Vaughn from San Diego State and centerfielder Jeff Rowland from Georgia Tech, Cleveland's 21st round pick, each had two hits. Leftfielder Kevin Muno from the University of San Diego went 4-for-4 for Orleans.
Look for a SPECIAL COMMENT (I'm stealing that from Keith Olbermann) about Thursday's All-Star selections. Who got snubbed? Who shouldn't have gotten picked? That should be up sometime in the early afternoon.
QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? E-Mail me at schimmeldbk@gmail.com
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Thursday, July 16, 2009
July 16 for July 15 Update
I went to Harwich on Wednesday evening for a doubleheader between Harwich and Wareham. There were at least 20 Major League scouts in attendance, and because there is not much room behind home plate at Harwich for scouts to sit, I overheard some interesting conversation by the end of the second seventh-inning game.
A few of the topics of discussion as Wareham's slow-working right-handed starter Brett Eibner from Arkansas checked the runner a few more times were hunting accidents, Dunkin' Donuts and Bailey's Irish Cream.
The Major League Scout 50-yard dash to the parking lot as soon as the last pitch was thrown was also a sight to behold. Wareham won the first game 5-1 and the second game 2-1.
The first game was a great pitcher's duel by Wareham right-handed starter Brandon Workman from the Univeristy of Texas and left-handed starter Aaron Meade from Missouri State.
The Phillies drafted Workman out of high school in the third round of the 2007 draft, and if they had been able to sign him and he consistently threw like he did Wednesday he would have been nice trade bait for the Phils to obtain Roy Halladay. He allowed one run and scattered six hits in eight innings pitched and struck out nine. Workman has great size at 6'5" 225 and simply has the best curveball in the Cape League. Workman has a slightly awkward motion in which he leans forward and then throws with some effort, but he has really good command of both his fastball and his curveball. Workman's fastball sat in the 91-93 mph range and his 74-76 mph curveball had tremendous 12/6 break. He only threw his 84 changeup once or twice the entire game, but his best two pitches were enough. Workman is definitely a potential first round pick next June.
Meade also looked very good in Game 1, allowing one run on five hits in seven innings pitched and striking out nine. Meade is above-average height with a thin, athletic build at 6'3" 185. He throws easily with good arm action, though he doesn't always follow through and he can tend to allow his pitches to drift up in the strike zone. Meade's fastball sat in the 88-90 mph range with good arm-side run. He threw an average, running 80 mph slider, and his best pitch was his 77-78 mph changeup. He tipped the changeup a little bit by slowing his body down as he threw it, but it was still a really good pitch and got him a lot of his strikeouts.
Eibner started Game 2 for Wareham and pitched a seven-inning complete game, allowing one run on four hits and striking out eight. Eibner is above-average height with a thin, athletic build at 6'3" 205. He throws easy with pretty good arm action, though his motion is a little loose and he struggled at times with his control. Eibner's fastball sat in the 92-95 mph range early in the game, but was down to the 89-90 mph range by the end of the game, an alarming sign for scouts. All of Eibner's secondary pitches were decent but not outstanding. He threw a hard 85-87 mph slider with tight break, an 80 mph curveball he didn't throw very often and an 81 mph changeup with good downward movement.
An interesting position player to watch was Harwich outfielder Leon Landry from LSU, one of the last late-arriving College World Series position players I hadn't yet seen. Landry is a great athlete with very good speed and a quick bat that suits him well for a role as a leadoff hitter. He is also a good defensive outfielder who does a good job going back on fly balls. One Major League scout said Landry is a fringe Major League prospect.
Wareham designated hitter/outfielder Alex Dickerson from the University of Indiana finally hit his first home run of the season Wednesday. He put a really smooth swing on a good fastball and drove it out of the park. Dickerson's raw power has impressed me every time I have watched Wareham take batting practice, but he gets off balance a lot of the time in the games and hasn't been able to put it together when it counts. Dickerson was just a freshman this spring, so he has time to figure it out. The ability is definitely there.
Cape League All-Stars will be selected Thursday. I will be at Brewster at Hyannis.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Hyannis 6 Bourne 0: Right-handed starter Seth Rosin from the University of Minnesota pitched five shutout innings, allowing five hits and striking out five, and third baseman Dustin Harrington for East Carolina went 3-for-5 for Hyannis.
Orleans 3 Brewster 3, 12 innings: Third baseman Jedd Gyorko from West Virginia University went 3-for-6 for Brewster. Centerfielder Gary Brown from Cal State Fullerton went 2-for-5 with a home run and a triple for Orleans.
Chatham 6 Falmouth 4: First baseman Dean Green from Oklahoma State went 2-for-3 with a grand slam for Chatham. Third baseman Matt Skole from Georgia Tech homered for Falmouth.
Cotuit 3 Y-D 0: Cotuit right-handed starter Ricky Bowen from Mississippi State, the Reds' 43rd-roun pick last month, allowed two hits over five shutout innings. Left fielder Cory Vaughn from San Diego State went 2-for-2 for Cotuit and third baseman Tyler Hanover from LSU went 2-for-4 for Y-D.
QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? E-Mail me at schimmeldbk@gmail.com
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A few of the topics of discussion as Wareham's slow-working right-handed starter Brett Eibner from Arkansas checked the runner a few more times were hunting accidents, Dunkin' Donuts and Bailey's Irish Cream.
The Major League Scout 50-yard dash to the parking lot as soon as the last pitch was thrown was also a sight to behold. Wareham won the first game 5-1 and the second game 2-1.
The first game was a great pitcher's duel by Wareham right-handed starter Brandon Workman from the Univeristy of Texas and left-handed starter Aaron Meade from Missouri State.
The Phillies drafted Workman out of high school in the third round of the 2007 draft, and if they had been able to sign him and he consistently threw like he did Wednesday he would have been nice trade bait for the Phils to obtain Roy Halladay. He allowed one run and scattered six hits in eight innings pitched and struck out nine. Workman has great size at 6'5" 225 and simply has the best curveball in the Cape League. Workman has a slightly awkward motion in which he leans forward and then throws with some effort, but he has really good command of both his fastball and his curveball. Workman's fastball sat in the 91-93 mph range and his 74-76 mph curveball had tremendous 12/6 break. He only threw his 84 changeup once or twice the entire game, but his best two pitches were enough. Workman is definitely a potential first round pick next June.
Meade also looked very good in Game 1, allowing one run on five hits in seven innings pitched and striking out nine. Meade is above-average height with a thin, athletic build at 6'3" 185. He throws easily with good arm action, though he doesn't always follow through and he can tend to allow his pitches to drift up in the strike zone. Meade's fastball sat in the 88-90 mph range with good arm-side run. He threw an average, running 80 mph slider, and his best pitch was his 77-78 mph changeup. He tipped the changeup a little bit by slowing his body down as he threw it, but it was still a really good pitch and got him a lot of his strikeouts.
Eibner started Game 2 for Wareham and pitched a seven-inning complete game, allowing one run on four hits and striking out eight. Eibner is above-average height with a thin, athletic build at 6'3" 205. He throws easy with pretty good arm action, though his motion is a little loose and he struggled at times with his control. Eibner's fastball sat in the 92-95 mph range early in the game, but was down to the 89-90 mph range by the end of the game, an alarming sign for scouts. All of Eibner's secondary pitches were decent but not outstanding. He threw a hard 85-87 mph slider with tight break, an 80 mph curveball he didn't throw very often and an 81 mph changeup with good downward movement.
An interesting position player to watch was Harwich outfielder Leon Landry from LSU, one of the last late-arriving College World Series position players I hadn't yet seen. Landry is a great athlete with very good speed and a quick bat that suits him well for a role as a leadoff hitter. He is also a good defensive outfielder who does a good job going back on fly balls. One Major League scout said Landry is a fringe Major League prospect.
Wareham designated hitter/outfielder Alex Dickerson from the University of Indiana finally hit his first home run of the season Wednesday. He put a really smooth swing on a good fastball and drove it out of the park. Dickerson's raw power has impressed me every time I have watched Wareham take batting practice, but he gets off balance a lot of the time in the games and hasn't been able to put it together when it counts. Dickerson was just a freshman this spring, so he has time to figure it out. The ability is definitely there.
Cape League All-Stars will be selected Thursday. I will be at Brewster at Hyannis.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Hyannis 6 Bourne 0: Right-handed starter Seth Rosin from the University of Minnesota pitched five shutout innings, allowing five hits and striking out five, and third baseman Dustin Harrington for East Carolina went 3-for-5 for Hyannis.
Orleans 3 Brewster 3, 12 innings: Third baseman Jedd Gyorko from West Virginia University went 3-for-6 for Brewster. Centerfielder Gary Brown from Cal State Fullerton went 2-for-5 with a home run and a triple for Orleans.
Chatham 6 Falmouth 4: First baseman Dean Green from Oklahoma State went 2-for-3 with a grand slam for Chatham. Third baseman Matt Skole from Georgia Tech homered for Falmouth.
Cotuit 3 Y-D 0: Cotuit right-handed starter Ricky Bowen from Mississippi State, the Reds' 43rd-roun pick last month, allowed two hits over five shutout innings. Left fielder Cory Vaughn from San Diego State went 2-for-2 for Cotuit and third baseman Tyler Hanover from LSU went 2-for-4 for Y-D.
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Wednesday, July 15, 2009
July 15 for July 14
I went to Hyannis on Tuesday night to see Hyannis play Chatham. With the Cape League All-Star Game a little more than a week away, and with the preferred hotel for scouts less than 10 minutes away from McKeon Park, there were about 20 Major League scouts in attendance to see the Anglers beat the Mets 4-2.
Hyannis right-handed starter Austin Hudson from Central Florida, the Mariners' 27th round pick last month, wasn't as good as he looked like he should be. Hudson is tall and thin at 6'5" 195, but he generally looks uncomfortable and awkward on the mound. He doesn't have good balance and he falls off the mound toward first base upon release. Hudson's fastball sat in the 85-87 mph range, and it is really kind of weird to see as you would think somebody with his body type would throw a lot harder. "That's just a disappointing fastball, you know?" one scout said to another. "Disappointing." Hudson also threw a 76-78 mph slider that wasn't that good either and showed an occasional changeup.
I have already written a couple of times about Chatham right-handed reliever Jesse Hahn from Virginia Tech, so I won't go into detail again about his mechanics. But since I made such a big deal about his last appearance, I thought I'd provide an update about his stuff. Scouts clearly got a lot more alert when Hahn trotted out to the mound for the bottom of the seventh inning of a game in which no other pitchers really caught anybody's attention. Hahn's velocity was down from the 96-98 mph he showed last week, but his fastball still sat in the 92-94 mph range Tuesday night. His 75 mph curveball was the best I've seen it, and he also threw his 77-78 mph changeup effectively. Hahn retired all seven batters he faced, and is still quite possibly the best arm on the Cape.
Hyannis right-handed reliever Eric Maust from Notre Dame wasn't bad. He is average height for a pitcher with an athletic build at 6'2" 190. He gets good extension and throws with good arm action. Maust's fastball sat in the 86-87 mph range, he threw a Cape League-average 75-76 mph curveball and a pretty good 76-78 mph changeup. There isn't much good to write about him but there isn't really anything bad. He was very average in pretty much every aspect of his appearance.
The position players who stood out in this game mostly did so for their defense, though Chatham leftfielder Steven Brooks from Wake Forest had a very good day at the plate. I'm told Brooks has done a lot of individual work with Chatham assistant coach David Miller, a former first-round draft choice, and it is clearly paying dividends. Brooks' swing looked really nice Monday, and he went 3-for-4 with three doubles. He went with an outside fastball and stroked a double to the opposite field in one at-bat, then sat back on a curveball and pulled a double in his next at-bat. He's been one of Chatham's better players all season.
Chatham first baseman Dean Green from Oklahoma State impressed me with his glove. I had figured Green to be a one-dimensional power hitter who has shown good pop in batting practice but who hasn't performed in games. But Green made several athletic plays, and really gave you everything you look for in a first baseman. He made a couple of good stretches to handle throws that were off line, he scrambled back to the base in time to cover it after going for a ground ball in the hole, he made a sliding stop on a sharp ground ball and he showed some range on a pop-up in foul territory. It was good to see he could play some defense.
Shortstop Tyler Rahmatulla from UCLA had a good defensive game for Chatham too. Rahmatulla is a little small at 5'10" 170, and he looks overmatched at the plate at this level, but his glove is keeping him afloat up here. He made a great sliding catch on the outfield grass going back on a pop-up and he made a behind-the-back flip with his glove to get the force out at second on a ground ball up the middle.
Shortstop Elliot Soto from Creighton and rightfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr. from the University of South Carolina were the defensive standouts for Hyannis.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Falmouth 5 Bourne 4: First baseman Hunter Morris from Auburn went 3-for-3 with a home run for Falmouth. Third baseman Raynor Campbell went 2-for-3 for Bourne.
Cotuit 6 Orleans 2: Right-handed starter Jake Buchanan from N.C. State threw a complete game for Cotuit, allowing one earned run on six hits and striking out eight. Leftfielder Cory Vaughn homered for Cotuit.
Brewster 5 Wareham 1: Right-handed reliever Bruce Kern from St. John's pitched 3.1 shutout innings for Wareham, striking out six. Brewster right-handed reliever Caleb Cotham from Vanderbilt, the Yankees' fifth-round pick last month, pitched three shutout innings, allowing one hit while striking out seven and walking none.
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Hyannis right-handed starter Austin Hudson from Central Florida, the Mariners' 27th round pick last month, wasn't as good as he looked like he should be. Hudson is tall and thin at 6'5" 195, but he generally looks uncomfortable and awkward on the mound. He doesn't have good balance and he falls off the mound toward first base upon release. Hudson's fastball sat in the 85-87 mph range, and it is really kind of weird to see as you would think somebody with his body type would throw a lot harder. "That's just a disappointing fastball, you know?" one scout said to another. "Disappointing." Hudson also threw a 76-78 mph slider that wasn't that good either and showed an occasional changeup.
I have already written a couple of times about Chatham right-handed reliever Jesse Hahn from Virginia Tech, so I won't go into detail again about his mechanics. But since I made such a big deal about his last appearance, I thought I'd provide an update about his stuff. Scouts clearly got a lot more alert when Hahn trotted out to the mound for the bottom of the seventh inning of a game in which no other pitchers really caught anybody's attention. Hahn's velocity was down from the 96-98 mph he showed last week, but his fastball still sat in the 92-94 mph range Tuesday night. His 75 mph curveball was the best I've seen it, and he also threw his 77-78 mph changeup effectively. Hahn retired all seven batters he faced, and is still quite possibly the best arm on the Cape.
Hyannis right-handed reliever Eric Maust from Notre Dame wasn't bad. He is average height for a pitcher with an athletic build at 6'2" 190. He gets good extension and throws with good arm action. Maust's fastball sat in the 86-87 mph range, he threw a Cape League-average 75-76 mph curveball and a pretty good 76-78 mph changeup. There isn't much good to write about him but there isn't really anything bad. He was very average in pretty much every aspect of his appearance.
The position players who stood out in this game mostly did so for their defense, though Chatham leftfielder Steven Brooks from Wake Forest had a very good day at the plate. I'm told Brooks has done a lot of individual work with Chatham assistant coach David Miller, a former first-round draft choice, and it is clearly paying dividends. Brooks' swing looked really nice Monday, and he went 3-for-4 with three doubles. He went with an outside fastball and stroked a double to the opposite field in one at-bat, then sat back on a curveball and pulled a double in his next at-bat. He's been one of Chatham's better players all season.
Chatham first baseman Dean Green from Oklahoma State impressed me with his glove. I had figured Green to be a one-dimensional power hitter who has shown good pop in batting practice but who hasn't performed in games. But Green made several athletic plays, and really gave you everything you look for in a first baseman. He made a couple of good stretches to handle throws that were off line, he scrambled back to the base in time to cover it after going for a ground ball in the hole, he made a sliding stop on a sharp ground ball and he showed some range on a pop-up in foul territory. It was good to see he could play some defense.
Shortstop Tyler Rahmatulla from UCLA had a good defensive game for Chatham too. Rahmatulla is a little small at 5'10" 170, and he looks overmatched at the plate at this level, but his glove is keeping him afloat up here. He made a great sliding catch on the outfield grass going back on a pop-up and he made a behind-the-back flip with his glove to get the force out at second on a ground ball up the middle.
Shortstop Elliot Soto from Creighton and rightfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr. from the University of South Carolina were the defensive standouts for Hyannis.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Falmouth 5 Bourne 4: First baseman Hunter Morris from Auburn went 3-for-3 with a home run for Falmouth. Third baseman Raynor Campbell went 2-for-3 for Bourne.
Cotuit 6 Orleans 2: Right-handed starter Jake Buchanan from N.C. State threw a complete game for Cotuit, allowing one earned run on six hits and striking out eight. Leftfielder Cory Vaughn homered for Cotuit.
Brewster 5 Wareham 1: Right-handed reliever Bruce Kern from St. John's pitched 3.1 shutout innings for Wareham, striking out six. Brewster right-handed reliever Caleb Cotham from Vanderbilt, the Yankees' fifth-round pick last month, pitched three shutout innings, allowing one hit while striking out seven and walking none.
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Monday, July 13, 2009
July 14 for July 13 Update
I didn't get to take full advantage of the two doubleheaders scheduled Monday because I was driving back from Connecticut where I had a physical earlier in the day. Loyal readers may be relieved to know I am in good enough health to continue writing this blog, and if I were Pedro Martinez the Phillies would probably sign me.
After choosing Orleans over the previously promised Chatham, I made it to Eldridge Park in time for the end of the first game of the doubleheader. I saw Orleans third baseman Riccio Torrez from Arizona State hit a two-run double that sparked a five-run sixth inning for the Firebirds in a 6-2 seven-inning win. Orleans also won the second game 2-1 on a walk-off wild pitch.
I only got to see Orleans left-handed Game 1 starter Jimmy Reyes from Elon throw three pitches, but the curveball he threw looked excellent.
Right-handed reliever Alex Hassan from Duke, the Red Sox' 20th-round pick last month, closed out the first game for the Firebirds. Also a starting outfielder for Orleans, Hassan is above-average height with a thin, athletic build at 6'3" 200. He throws easily, but he tends to short arm his pitches a little bit. Hassan had good command of an 88-91 mph fastball, and threw a 71-73 mph curveball with inconsistent results. When Hassan finished his curveball, once every two or three times he threw it, it was a really effective pitch. The other times he just spun it and it stayed high out of the zone.
Orleans right-handed Game 2 starter Jorge Reyes from Oregon State, the Padres' 17th-round pick last month, was one of my top-rated Cape League starters when he pitched for Falmouth last year, and while he was decent Monday I can't really remember what made me think he was so special in 2008. Reyes is average height for a pitcher with a thin, athletic build at 6'2" 200. He is a quick worker who throws easily with smooth arm action. When Reyes spots his 89-91 mph fastball he is really effective, but his command comes and goes from one inning to the next. He also threw an average 83-85 mph slider that had tight break but which didn't really move all that much.
Bourne right-handed starter Alex Wimmers from Ohio State came to the Cape as a fairly highly-touted prospect, and he looked very good on Monday. Wimmers is average height for a pitcher with an athletic build but a slightly small frame at 6'2" 195. He throws with some effort and falls off the mound toward first. Wimmers' fastball sat in the 88-92 mph range, but his best pitch was definitely his 74-75 mph curveball with really good downward break. The curve's late break fooled a lot of Bourne hitters as it dropped into the strike zone. Wimmers also has a good 76-78 mph changeup with good downward movement.
Orleans designated hitter Gary Brown from Cal State Fullerton hit a deep home run off Wimmers, one of only two hits off of him. Brown doesn't look like he would have much pop at a slight 6'1" 185, but he put such a good swing on the ball that it carried a long way. I know some scouts aren't high on Brown for some reason, but I think he is a really good all-around player. He has tremendous speed, and has been clocked at as fast as 4.0 seconds to first base. He has a really smooth swing with quick hands and he covers a lot of ground in the outfield.
I will be at Chatham at Hyannis on Tuesday.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Y-D 5 Harwich 3: Left-handed starter Mario Hollands from UC Santa Barbara pitched seven strong innings for Y-D, and catcher Micah Gibbs from LSU and third baseman Brian Hernandez from UC Irvine each hit a home run. Shortstop Levi Michael from UNC went 2-for-3 for Harwich.
Hyannis 4 Chatham 3: First baseman Ryan Cuneo from Delaware went 2-for-5 with a home run for Hyannis. Rick Oropesa from USC, Mike Murray from Wake Forest and Dean Green from Oklahoma State each had two hits for Chatham.
Wareham 3 Cotuit 3, Wareham 3 Cotuit 3: Wareham and Cotuit tied both games of a double header by the same score. Wareham right-handed starter Jack Armstrong struck out eight in six strong innings and Game 1.
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After choosing Orleans over the previously promised Chatham, I made it to Eldridge Park in time for the end of the first game of the doubleheader. I saw Orleans third baseman Riccio Torrez from Arizona State hit a two-run double that sparked a five-run sixth inning for the Firebirds in a 6-2 seven-inning win. Orleans also won the second game 2-1 on a walk-off wild pitch.
I only got to see Orleans left-handed Game 1 starter Jimmy Reyes from Elon throw three pitches, but the curveball he threw looked excellent.
Right-handed reliever Alex Hassan from Duke, the Red Sox' 20th-round pick last month, closed out the first game for the Firebirds. Also a starting outfielder for Orleans, Hassan is above-average height with a thin, athletic build at 6'3" 200. He throws easily, but he tends to short arm his pitches a little bit. Hassan had good command of an 88-91 mph fastball, and threw a 71-73 mph curveball with inconsistent results. When Hassan finished his curveball, once every two or three times he threw it, it was a really effective pitch. The other times he just spun it and it stayed high out of the zone.
Orleans right-handed Game 2 starter Jorge Reyes from Oregon State, the Padres' 17th-round pick last month, was one of my top-rated Cape League starters when he pitched for Falmouth last year, and while he was decent Monday I can't really remember what made me think he was so special in 2008. Reyes is average height for a pitcher with a thin, athletic build at 6'2" 200. He is a quick worker who throws easily with smooth arm action. When Reyes spots his 89-91 mph fastball he is really effective, but his command comes and goes from one inning to the next. He also threw an average 83-85 mph slider that had tight break but which didn't really move all that much.
Bourne right-handed starter Alex Wimmers from Ohio State came to the Cape as a fairly highly-touted prospect, and he looked very good on Monday. Wimmers is average height for a pitcher with an athletic build but a slightly small frame at 6'2" 195. He throws with some effort and falls off the mound toward first. Wimmers' fastball sat in the 88-92 mph range, but his best pitch was definitely his 74-75 mph curveball with really good downward break. The curve's late break fooled a lot of Bourne hitters as it dropped into the strike zone. Wimmers also has a good 76-78 mph changeup with good downward movement.
Orleans designated hitter Gary Brown from Cal State Fullerton hit a deep home run off Wimmers, one of only two hits off of him. Brown doesn't look like he would have much pop at a slight 6'1" 185, but he put such a good swing on the ball that it carried a long way. I know some scouts aren't high on Brown for some reason, but I think he is a really good all-around player. He has tremendous speed, and has been clocked at as fast as 4.0 seconds to first base. He has a really smooth swing with quick hands and he covers a lot of ground in the outfield.
I will be at Chatham at Hyannis on Tuesday.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Y-D 5 Harwich 3: Left-handed starter Mario Hollands from UC Santa Barbara pitched seven strong innings for Y-D, and catcher Micah Gibbs from LSU and third baseman Brian Hernandez from UC Irvine each hit a home run. Shortstop Levi Michael from UNC went 2-for-3 for Harwich.
Hyannis 4 Chatham 3: First baseman Ryan Cuneo from Delaware went 2-for-5 with a home run for Hyannis. Rick Oropesa from USC, Mike Murray from Wake Forest and Dean Green from Oklahoma State each had two hits for Chatham.
Wareham 3 Cotuit 3, Wareham 3 Cotuit 3: Wareham and Cotuit tied both games of a double header by the same score. Wareham right-handed starter Jack Armstrong struck out eight in six strong innings and Game 1.
QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? E-Mail me at schimmeldbk@gmail.com
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