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.

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