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.
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Showing posts with label Jack Armstrong. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jack Armstrong. Show all posts
Friday, July 24, 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.
QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? E-Mail me at schimmeldbk@gmail.com
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