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.
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Showing posts with label Brett Eibner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brett Eibner. Show all posts
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
July 7 for July 6 Update
I went to Hyannis on Monday afternoon and evening for a doubleheader between Wareham and Hyannis. I originally went mainly to see some of the Hyannis hitters again, but ended up being very impressed by each of Wareham's starting pitchers. Wareham won 4-0 and 4-3.
Wareham's Game 1 starter was righthander Jack Armstrong from Vanderbilt, who I'm told was considered a top prospect nationally after his junior year in high school, but whose stock plummeted during his senior season in Jupiter, Fla. and his freshman year with the Commodores. Armstrong had a very effective fastball-changeup combination and while he might project to a bullpen role in the future, he has a major-league arm. Armstrong has a great body for a pitcher at 6'7" 230, and he throws with good, smooth arm action. He throws with a lot of effort but his mechanics are sound. Armstrong's fastball sat mainly in the 94-95 mph range early on and he once touched 96. His velocity did drop to the low 90s by the end of his seven-inning outing, but he was still missing bats at the end of his start. Armstrong's 80-82 mph changeup was also a really good, deceptive pitch that got him a lot of outs. Armstrong also showed a decent 81-82 mph curveball. He is certainly somebody to keep an eye on as a top prospect for the 2011 draft.
Wareham's Game 2 starter was righthander Brett Eibner from the University of Arkansas. Eibner is one of the better hitters in the league, and I was unaware before Monday the Gatemen had even planned to use him on the mound this summer. Eibner had a really good arm, though he did get tired quickly and didn't make it out of the fourth inning. Eibner has a thin, athletic build at 6'3" 205, and he throws easily with good, loose arm action. He tends to fall off the mound toward first base. Eibner's fastball sat in the 93-95 mph range in his first two innings, but he was down to 89-91 mph by the fourth. He threw an 85-88 mph slider with hard biting action, and a decent 84-87 mph changeup. He also showed an occasional 81 mph curveball. I still think Eibner is a better hitter than he is a pitcher, but there's a chance a Major League team will see what it can do with his 95 mph arm.
Hyannis' starters were both fairly nondescript. Righthander Jay Brown from South Carolina started the first game, and showed Cape League-average stuff at best. He has an athletic build at 6'4" 215, and throws easily with smooth arm action, but his fastball sits in the 86-89 mph range. He throws a sweeping 76 mph curveball and a decent 80-81 mph changeup, though the change doesn't really present that much difference from the fastball.
The Game 2 starter was lefthander Kevin Brandt from East Carolina. His fastball sat in the 85-87 mph range, he threw a 73-77 mph curveball with sweeping 3/8 break, and he showed a 76-78 mph changeup he tended to leave up in the zone and which didn't do much for me.
Among the hitters, Hyannis second baseman Nick Crawford from UAB impressed me, even though at a generously-listed 5'9" 150 he is probably too small to be considered a prospect. Crawford was leading the league in hitting entering Monday, and he seems to just be able to consistently find a way to put the ball in play and get on base. He's also a tremendous second baseman, as he made a couple of really good plays on balls to his left.
Wareham catcher Cole Leonida from Georgia Tech crushed a 400-foot home run, and his college and summer teammate Derek Dietrich continued to look like a major leaguer both at the plate and in the field.
Heading to Orleans on Tuesday to check on Firebirds starter Jorge Reyes, who I loved for some reason last summer when he pitched for Falmouth even though a lot of people didn't.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Chatham 4 Harwich 3: Dean Green from Oklahoma State and Whit Merrifield from South Carolina homered for Chatham.
Orelans 9 Bourne 3: Left-handed starter Jimmy Reyes from Elon pitched seven strong innings for Orleans, scattering six hits and striking out six. Gary Brown from Cal State Fullerton and Devin Lohman from Long Beach State each had two hits for Orleans.
Y-D 7 Falmouth 6: Y-D scored four runs in the seventh inning to come from behind to beat Falmouth. Brian Fletcher from Auburn and Ryan Jones from Wichita State, Arizona's 39th round pick, each homered for Falmouth.
Brewster 4 Cotuit 1: Brewster right-handed starter Kyle Blair from the University of San Diego allowed one run on five hits and struck out 10 in eight innings pitched.
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Wareham's Game 1 starter was righthander Jack Armstrong from Vanderbilt, who I'm told was considered a top prospect nationally after his junior year in high school, but whose stock plummeted during his senior season in Jupiter, Fla. and his freshman year with the Commodores. Armstrong had a very effective fastball-changeup combination and while he might project to a bullpen role in the future, he has a major-league arm. Armstrong has a great body for a pitcher at 6'7" 230, and he throws with good, smooth arm action. He throws with a lot of effort but his mechanics are sound. Armstrong's fastball sat mainly in the 94-95 mph range early on and he once touched 96. His velocity did drop to the low 90s by the end of his seven-inning outing, but he was still missing bats at the end of his start. Armstrong's 80-82 mph changeup was also a really good, deceptive pitch that got him a lot of outs. Armstrong also showed a decent 81-82 mph curveball. He is certainly somebody to keep an eye on as a top prospect for the 2011 draft.
Wareham's Game 2 starter was righthander Brett Eibner from the University of Arkansas. Eibner is one of the better hitters in the league, and I was unaware before Monday the Gatemen had even planned to use him on the mound this summer. Eibner had a really good arm, though he did get tired quickly and didn't make it out of the fourth inning. Eibner has a thin, athletic build at 6'3" 205, and he throws easily with good, loose arm action. He tends to fall off the mound toward first base. Eibner's fastball sat in the 93-95 mph range in his first two innings, but he was down to 89-91 mph by the fourth. He threw an 85-88 mph slider with hard biting action, and a decent 84-87 mph changeup. He also showed an occasional 81 mph curveball. I still think Eibner is a better hitter than he is a pitcher, but there's a chance a Major League team will see what it can do with his 95 mph arm.
Hyannis' starters were both fairly nondescript. Righthander Jay Brown from South Carolina started the first game, and showed Cape League-average stuff at best. He has an athletic build at 6'4" 215, and throws easily with smooth arm action, but his fastball sits in the 86-89 mph range. He throws a sweeping 76 mph curveball and a decent 80-81 mph changeup, though the change doesn't really present that much difference from the fastball.
The Game 2 starter was lefthander Kevin Brandt from East Carolina. His fastball sat in the 85-87 mph range, he threw a 73-77 mph curveball with sweeping 3/8 break, and he showed a 76-78 mph changeup he tended to leave up in the zone and which didn't do much for me.
Among the hitters, Hyannis second baseman Nick Crawford from UAB impressed me, even though at a generously-listed 5'9" 150 he is probably too small to be considered a prospect. Crawford was leading the league in hitting entering Monday, and he seems to just be able to consistently find a way to put the ball in play and get on base. He's also a tremendous second baseman, as he made a couple of really good plays on balls to his left.
Wareham catcher Cole Leonida from Georgia Tech crushed a 400-foot home run, and his college and summer teammate Derek Dietrich continued to look like a major leaguer both at the plate and in the field.
Heading to Orleans on Tuesday to check on Firebirds starter Jorge Reyes, who I loved for some reason last summer when he pitched for Falmouth even though a lot of people didn't.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Chatham 4 Harwich 3: Dean Green from Oklahoma State and Whit Merrifield from South Carolina homered for Chatham.
Orelans 9 Bourne 3: Left-handed starter Jimmy Reyes from Elon pitched seven strong innings for Orleans, scattering six hits and striking out six. Gary Brown from Cal State Fullerton and Devin Lohman from Long Beach State each had two hits for Orleans.
Y-D 7 Falmouth 6: Y-D scored four runs in the seventh inning to come from behind to beat Falmouth. Brian Fletcher from Auburn and Ryan Jones from Wichita State, Arizona's 39th round pick, each homered for Falmouth.
Brewster 4 Cotuit 1: Brewster right-handed starter Kyle Blair from the University of San Diego allowed one run on five hits and struck out 10 in eight innings pitched.
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Wednesday, July 1, 2009
July 1 for June 30 Update
I made the drive up to Orleans on Tuesday night to see Orleans take on Wareham. It was really foggy and about 30 degrees colder than it was in Hyannis in the afternoon, but the Orleans fans were really impressive with their loud support and general knowledge about their team.
I spoke with one elderly gentleman during batting practice who asked my opinion about several players on Orleans, nodded, then politely responded "I've been coming here for many years, and between you and me this year's team is a little thin." He then wistfully told me about the time he saw Mark Teixeira hit a home run off a big rock beyond the 434 sign in dead centerfield and said the players don't look as big to him as they used to.
The starting pitching matchup is what brought me to Eldridge Park, as I had heard good things about Wareham starter Matt Barnes from UConn and Orleans starter Cole Cook from Pepperdine. Both pitched very well and showed good stuff on Tuesday. Orleans won 4-2.
Cook is very tall with a thin, athletic build at 6'7" 215. He has a really jerky motion in which he moves his hands all over the place and then speeds up everything right before he delivers. He throws with a lot of effort for a guy who is so big. Cook's fastball sat in just the 88-89 mph range, but it had really good sinking action that got him a lot of ground balls. In fact, Cook induced 12 ground ball outs in his eight innings of work. Cook also threw a very good 77-78 mph slider with really tight break. He relied mostly on two pitches, and they were enough for him as he kept everything down in the zone and threw a lot of strikes. If Cook smoothed out his mechanics he could be even better.
Barnes was also really impressive and had one of the Top 5 arms I have seen so far. He just turned 19 earlier this month, and there are indications that he has not even reached his full potential. Barnes has good size at 6'4" and a thin, very projectable 185-pound frame. He throws with really smooth arm action and makes everything look natural and easy. Barnes' fastball sat in the 90-93 mph range, and for the most part he spotted it really well and worked both sides of the plate. He threw a very good 75-76 mph curveball with tight break that he was able to throw for strikes, and also showed a good 83-84 mph changeup with sharp downward movement. Barnes is definitely a freshman to watch.
Among the position players, Wareham rightfielder Brett Eibner from the University of Arkansas is somebody who has made big strides since last summer. Eibner always had raw power, and he is clearly an athletic kid with a strong arm in the outfield, but he never had any approach at the plate and he struck out far too often last summer. He did strike out to end the game Tuesday, but he had three quality at-bats and ended up 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk. He appears to have shortened up his stroke a little bit and is a little more patient in the batter's box. His opposite field home run, which plated the only run scored against Cook, showed he still has some pop.
Orleans third baseman Riccio Torrez, who was playing in his second game after arriving late from Arizona State, also looked good. He had two hits, hit the ball hard another time, and made a couple of athletic plays in the field.
Orleans first baseman Jaren Matthews from Rutgers is still impressive as well, as he can really turn on the ball and drive it, and Orleans centerfielder Gary Brown from Cal St. Fullerton showed incredible 4.0 second speed down to first base from the right side of the plate.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Harwich 1 Brewster 0: Harwich Left-handed starter Aaron Meade from Missouri State pitched seven shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out 12. Brewster left-handed starter Matt Lujan from the University of San Francisco allowed one run on three hits in seven innings pitched.
Chatham 2 Falmouth 0, 6 innings: Chatham right-handed starter Patrick Johnson from North Carolina pitched five no-hit innings in a game shortened by fog. Leftfielder Steven Brooks from Wake Forest had two hits for Chatham.
Bourne 3 Hyannis 2: Leftfielder Stefen Romero from Oregon State and designated hitter Nick Schwaner from the University of New Orleans and San Francisco's 42nd round pick each went 2-for-4 for Bourne. Second baseman Nick Crawford from UAB and third baseman Dustin Harrington from East Carolina each went 2-for-4 for Hyannis.
Yarmouth-Dennis 7 Cotuit 3: Centerfielder Jonathan Jones from Long Beach State went 3-for-5 and designated hitter Mickey Wiswall from Boston College went 2-for-4 with a home run for Y-D. Zach Cone from the University of Georgia hit a pinch-hit three-run home run for Cotuit.
Questions? Comments? E-Mail schimmeldbk@gmail.com
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I spoke with one elderly gentleman during batting practice who asked my opinion about several players on Orleans, nodded, then politely responded "I've been coming here for many years, and between you and me this year's team is a little thin." He then wistfully told me about the time he saw Mark Teixeira hit a home run off a big rock beyond the 434 sign in dead centerfield and said the players don't look as big to him as they used to.
The starting pitching matchup is what brought me to Eldridge Park, as I had heard good things about Wareham starter Matt Barnes from UConn and Orleans starter Cole Cook from Pepperdine. Both pitched very well and showed good stuff on Tuesday. Orleans won 4-2.
Cook is very tall with a thin, athletic build at 6'7" 215. He has a really jerky motion in which he moves his hands all over the place and then speeds up everything right before he delivers. He throws with a lot of effort for a guy who is so big. Cook's fastball sat in just the 88-89 mph range, but it had really good sinking action that got him a lot of ground balls. In fact, Cook induced 12 ground ball outs in his eight innings of work. Cook also threw a very good 77-78 mph slider with really tight break. He relied mostly on two pitches, and they were enough for him as he kept everything down in the zone and threw a lot of strikes. If Cook smoothed out his mechanics he could be even better.
Barnes was also really impressive and had one of the Top 5 arms I have seen so far. He just turned 19 earlier this month, and there are indications that he has not even reached his full potential. Barnes has good size at 6'4" and a thin, very projectable 185-pound frame. He throws with really smooth arm action and makes everything look natural and easy. Barnes' fastball sat in the 90-93 mph range, and for the most part he spotted it really well and worked both sides of the plate. He threw a very good 75-76 mph curveball with tight break that he was able to throw for strikes, and also showed a good 83-84 mph changeup with sharp downward movement. Barnes is definitely a freshman to watch.
Among the position players, Wareham rightfielder Brett Eibner from the University of Arkansas is somebody who has made big strides since last summer. Eibner always had raw power, and he is clearly an athletic kid with a strong arm in the outfield, but he never had any approach at the plate and he struck out far too often last summer. He did strike out to end the game Tuesday, but he had three quality at-bats and ended up 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk. He appears to have shortened up his stroke a little bit and is a little more patient in the batter's box. His opposite field home run, which plated the only run scored against Cook, showed he still has some pop.
Orleans third baseman Riccio Torrez, who was playing in his second game after arriving late from Arizona State, also looked good. He had two hits, hit the ball hard another time, and made a couple of athletic plays in the field.
Orleans first baseman Jaren Matthews from Rutgers is still impressive as well, as he can really turn on the ball and drive it, and Orleans centerfielder Gary Brown from Cal St. Fullerton showed incredible 4.0 second speed down to first base from the right side of the plate.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Harwich 1 Brewster 0: Harwich Left-handed starter Aaron Meade from Missouri State pitched seven shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out 12. Brewster left-handed starter Matt Lujan from the University of San Francisco allowed one run on three hits in seven innings pitched.
Chatham 2 Falmouth 0, 6 innings: Chatham right-handed starter Patrick Johnson from North Carolina pitched five no-hit innings in a game shortened by fog. Leftfielder Steven Brooks from Wake Forest had two hits for Chatham.
Bourne 3 Hyannis 2: Leftfielder Stefen Romero from Oregon State and designated hitter Nick Schwaner from the University of New Orleans and San Francisco's 42nd round pick each went 2-for-4 for Bourne. Second baseman Nick Crawford from UAB and third baseman Dustin Harrington from East Carolina each went 2-for-4 for Hyannis.
Yarmouth-Dennis 7 Cotuit 3: Centerfielder Jonathan Jones from Long Beach State went 3-for-5 and designated hitter Mickey Wiswall from Boston College went 2-for-4 with a home run for Y-D. Zach Cone from the University of Georgia hit a pinch-hit three-run home run for Cotuit.
Questions? Comments? E-Mail schimmeldbk@gmail.com
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