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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Showing posts with label Brian Fletcher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brian Fletcher. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
July 6 for July 5 Update
I went to Cotuit on Sunday evening mainly to see right-handed starter Justin Grimm from the University of Georgia pitch for the Kettleers, but ended up being much more impressed by two of the last late-arriving position players who I hadn't seen yet.
Grimm entered the game with a 0.57 ERA, and I was considering placing him among my Top 5 pitching prospects after seeing him a couple of weeks ago in Hyannis. But he made me question that decision when really struggled Sunday and Falmouth exposed all of his potential weaknesses. Terrible defense by Cotuit made things a lot worse and Falmouth won 14-9.
Grimm's fastball still sat in the 91-93 mph range, but it was a lot flatter than I remembered it. He threw a 75 mph curveball with big break and a good 81-83 mph changeup with downward movement. Grimm has good stuff and good size with a thin, athletic build at 6'4" 195, but he threw a lot of pitches over the middle of the plate and Falmouth took advantage. Once Falmouth started reaching on some bloopers and misplayed balls, Grimm seemed to lose his concentration, showing poor body language and failing to hit his spots. He really struggled to miss bats, and once the ball was put in play it was bad news for Cotuit.
The two late-arriving position players who immediately stand out as two of the best players in the league are Cotuit third baseman Zack Cox from the University of Arkansas and Falmouth first baseman Hunter Morris from Auburn.
Cox, who will be a draft-eligible sophomore next summer, is probably the best all-around player on the Cape. He went 3-for-5 on Sunday and is the closest thing to a five-tool prospect that I've seen. Cox has a solid, mature body at 6'0 215, but he is really athletic as well. He shows good balance at the plate, has strong hands and is really quick to the ball. He shows good plate coverage and is not afraid to use the whole field as all three of his hits Sunday went to the opposite field. He also showed some pop during batting practice. Cox is an average runner with 4.3 speed from the left side of the plate, and he is also a very good defensive player. Cox has smooth hands, and he showed off his range Sunday with a diving stop on a hard-hit ground ball. He's got a strong arm too. I'm hearing good things about Yarmouth-Dennis catcher Micah Gibbs from LSU, but until I see Gibbs in person later this week Cox is my No. 1 overall position player.
Morris has the best raw power on the Cape, and he can really crush a fastball. He put on the best power display I've seen this summer in his batting practice session on Sunday, and absolutely demolished a Grimm fastball for a home run that must have traveled farther than 400 feet. Morris has a powerful body at 6'4" 205, and he looks like he still has more room to fill out. He swings hard with a slight uppercut but he has good balance and is generally in control at the plate, though he does tend to get out in front of good off-speed pitches. He's not very athletic in the field but he's servicable as a first baseman. Morris, like Cox, is very likely to be a first-round pick next year.
Falmouth centerfielder Todd Cunningham from Jacksonville State also stood out Sunday when he went 3-for-5 with a walk. With his .364 batting average entering the game he has been one of the best hitters in the league in the first third of the season. Cunningham has a slightly long swing, but it doesn't prevent him from making contact as he has a pretty low strikeout rate. He is not afraid to hit the ball where it is pitched and he can hit with authority to all fields. He could be another Jacksonville State product who makes a name for himself in Falmouth after right-handed reliever Ben Tootle did it when he touched 98 mph as the Commodores' closer last summer.
Rightfielder Brian Fletcher from Auburn also had three hits for Falmouth. He's a free-swinger who swings hard to the point where he bucks his head upon contact, but when he connects he can drive the ball. Sticking with Auburn, designated hitter Kevin Patterson struggled for Cotuit, going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. He got way out in front of several off-speed pitches, and continually looked bad waving at changeups. Patterson has good raw power, but he needs to learn to stay within himself at the plate.
The 23 runs and 28 hits make me feel like I don't want to discuss any of the other pitchers today besides Grimm. None was that good.
I've now gotten multiple requests to mention where I'm going to be the following day. Right now the plan is to catch one or both games of the Wareham at Hyannis doubleheader on Monday, then go see Gibbs play for Y-D in Orleans on Tuesday.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Chatham 1 Orleans 0: Left-handed pitcher Tyler Lyons from Oklahoma State, the Yankees' 10th round pick last month, pitched seven shutout innings for Chatham, allowing two hits and striking out one. Centerfielder Steven Brooks from Wake Forest went 2-for-3 for Chatham and third baseman Michael Olt from UConn went 2-for-3 for Orleans.
Bourne 8 Wareham 5: Designated hitter Kyle Roller from East Carolina homered for Bourne and third baseman Shea Vucinich from Washington State homered for Wareham.
Y-D 9 Hyannis 8: Y-D catcher Micah Gibbs from LSU hit two home runs, finishing 2-for-3 with four RBIs. Hyannis first baseman Ryan Cuneo from Delaware went 3-for-5 including a grand slam and finished with six RBIs. Leftfielder Steve Chatwood went 3-for-4 for Y-D.
Brewster 5 Harwich 3: First baseman Lyle Allen from Georgia homered for Brewster.
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Grimm entered the game with a 0.57 ERA, and I was considering placing him among my Top 5 pitching prospects after seeing him a couple of weeks ago in Hyannis. But he made me question that decision when really struggled Sunday and Falmouth exposed all of his potential weaknesses. Terrible defense by Cotuit made things a lot worse and Falmouth won 14-9.
Grimm's fastball still sat in the 91-93 mph range, but it was a lot flatter than I remembered it. He threw a 75 mph curveball with big break and a good 81-83 mph changeup with downward movement. Grimm has good stuff and good size with a thin, athletic build at 6'4" 195, but he threw a lot of pitches over the middle of the plate and Falmouth took advantage. Once Falmouth started reaching on some bloopers and misplayed balls, Grimm seemed to lose his concentration, showing poor body language and failing to hit his spots. He really struggled to miss bats, and once the ball was put in play it was bad news for Cotuit.
The two late-arriving position players who immediately stand out as two of the best players in the league are Cotuit third baseman Zack Cox from the University of Arkansas and Falmouth first baseman Hunter Morris from Auburn.
Cox, who will be a draft-eligible sophomore next summer, is probably the best all-around player on the Cape. He went 3-for-5 on Sunday and is the closest thing to a five-tool prospect that I've seen. Cox has a solid, mature body at 6'0 215, but he is really athletic as well. He shows good balance at the plate, has strong hands and is really quick to the ball. He shows good plate coverage and is not afraid to use the whole field as all three of his hits Sunday went to the opposite field. He also showed some pop during batting practice. Cox is an average runner with 4.3 speed from the left side of the plate, and he is also a very good defensive player. Cox has smooth hands, and he showed off his range Sunday with a diving stop on a hard-hit ground ball. He's got a strong arm too. I'm hearing good things about Yarmouth-Dennis catcher Micah Gibbs from LSU, but until I see Gibbs in person later this week Cox is my No. 1 overall position player.
Morris has the best raw power on the Cape, and he can really crush a fastball. He put on the best power display I've seen this summer in his batting practice session on Sunday, and absolutely demolished a Grimm fastball for a home run that must have traveled farther than 400 feet. Morris has a powerful body at 6'4" 205, and he looks like he still has more room to fill out. He swings hard with a slight uppercut but he has good balance and is generally in control at the plate, though he does tend to get out in front of good off-speed pitches. He's not very athletic in the field but he's servicable as a first baseman. Morris, like Cox, is very likely to be a first-round pick next year.
Falmouth centerfielder Todd Cunningham from Jacksonville State also stood out Sunday when he went 3-for-5 with a walk. With his .364 batting average entering the game he has been one of the best hitters in the league in the first third of the season. Cunningham has a slightly long swing, but it doesn't prevent him from making contact as he has a pretty low strikeout rate. He is not afraid to hit the ball where it is pitched and he can hit with authority to all fields. He could be another Jacksonville State product who makes a name for himself in Falmouth after right-handed reliever Ben Tootle did it when he touched 98 mph as the Commodores' closer last summer.
Rightfielder Brian Fletcher from Auburn also had three hits for Falmouth. He's a free-swinger who swings hard to the point where he bucks his head upon contact, but when he connects he can drive the ball. Sticking with Auburn, designated hitter Kevin Patterson struggled for Cotuit, going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. He got way out in front of several off-speed pitches, and continually looked bad waving at changeups. Patterson has good raw power, but he needs to learn to stay within himself at the plate.
The 23 runs and 28 hits make me feel like I don't want to discuss any of the other pitchers today besides Grimm. None was that good.
I've now gotten multiple requests to mention where I'm going to be the following day. Right now the plan is to catch one or both games of the Wareham at Hyannis doubleheader on Monday, then go see Gibbs play for Y-D in Orleans on Tuesday.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Chatham 1 Orleans 0: Left-handed pitcher Tyler Lyons from Oklahoma State, the Yankees' 10th round pick last month, pitched seven shutout innings for Chatham, allowing two hits and striking out one. Centerfielder Steven Brooks from Wake Forest went 2-for-3 for Chatham and third baseman Michael Olt from UConn went 2-for-3 for Orleans.
Bourne 8 Wareham 5: Designated hitter Kyle Roller from East Carolina homered for Bourne and third baseman Shea Vucinich from Washington State homered for Wareham.
Y-D 9 Hyannis 8: Y-D catcher Micah Gibbs from LSU hit two home runs, finishing 2-for-3 with four RBIs. Hyannis first baseman Ryan Cuneo from Delaware went 3-for-5 including a grand slam and finished with six RBIs. Leftfielder Steve Chatwood went 3-for-4 for Y-D.
Brewster 5 Harwich 3: First baseman Lyle Allen from Georgia homered for Brewster.
QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? E-Mail me at schimmeldbk@gmail.com
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