I spent my July 4th at Brewster, mainly to see Harwich right-handed starter Rob Gariano from Fairfield, the reigning Cape League Pitcher of the Week who entered the game with a 0.73 ERA.
Multiple readers had e-mailed me after Gariano's last start to ask what I thought of him, and unfortunately he was a big disappointment. Gariano gave up five runs on eight hits in just 1.1 innings pitched and Brewster won 7-4.
Gariano is undersized at 5'10" 180, so I figured maybe either the size of his body or the size of his school prevented the junior from being drafted last month. But the truth is his stuff just isn't good enough for him to win consistently against top collegiate players. Gariano's fastball sat in 87-89 mph range, and he left it up in the zone Saturday where Brewster hitters just crushed it. Gariano allowed five extra base hits, and almost got his head taken off by another sharp single up the middle. He did have a good 78-81 mph curveball with tight downward break, but he wasn't able to establish the fastball enough to make his curve effective. He also showed a 79 mph changeup. He has a lot of effort in his delivery and falls off the mound toward first when he releases. He also has a strange hitch in his motion. Gariano probably isn't as bad as his results were today, but he's definitely not as good as the results he posted in his first two starts for Harwich. I don't see him being a legitimate professional prospect.
Brewster left-handed starter Scott Alexander from Pepperdine pitched very well, allowing two runs on just two hits in seven innings. I wrote about Alexander in my June 28 for June 27 update, but he was definitely more effective today. His fastball sat mostly in the 90-92 mph range, his slider sat 78-79 and his good changeup sat between 78-81.
Right-handed reliever David Goforth from Ole Miss showed one of the best arms in the league pitching the eighth and ninth for Brewster. Goforth is a little small for a pitcher at an athletic 5'11" 185, and he throws with a lot of effort in his delivery. But Goforth's fastball repeatedly touched 95 mph, sitting in the 93-95 mph range for both of his two innings. His heater is straight, though, and his command comes and goes. His most impressive batter faced was when he broke Harwich's star right fielder Dan Grovatt's bat with a fastball in on Grovatt's hands. Goforth also showed an average 83 mph slider with sweeping break that he could throw for strikes and the occasional changeup. His consistent velocity alone makes him one of the better relievers in the league.
Pitching effectively with a much different style than Goforth was Harwich reliever Eric Jokisch from Northwestern. Jokisch is above average height with a thin, athletic build at 6'2" 182. He throws with ease and has good, smooth arm action. Jokisch showed very good command of an 84-87 mph fastball with really good tailing action. He threw a 77 mph curveball and floated a good 77 mph changeup. Jokisch really knows how to pitch and projects to throw harder in the future.
Right-handed reliever Matt Price from Virginia Tech also showed a good arm for Harwich, but he struggled with his command and an inconsistent release point. Price is thin with a projectable frame at 6'2" 185. He throws with good loose arm action but he throws across his body and as previously noted frequently changes his release point. Price's fastball sat in the 90-92 mph range Saturday and touched 93. He threw a 79 mph slider that was good when he threw it well, but he didn't throw it well each time He also showed a good changeup with nice downward movement.
Among the hitters, Jedd Gyorko from West Virginia stood out again for Brewster. Gyorko still doesn't really have a position, and he was playing second base tonight, but he is a great hitter. He turned on a mediocre Gariano fastball and crushed a no-doubt home run to left-centerfield, then later in the game went very nicely with an outside pitch and stroked a single to right. Gyorko is still a little small despite his muscular build at 5'10" 180, and he needs to find a place to play, but someone will draft him high next year if he keeps hitting like this.
Harwich centerfielder Trent Mummey from Auburn went 0-for-4, but he impressed me for the second day in a row and is making a major case to crack my top 15 position players. He has really quick hands, puts the ball on the ground and showed 4.1 speed to first base from the left side of the plate. He's also a very good defensive outfielder.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Bourne 9 Wareham 1: Leftfielder Nick Schwaner from the University of New Orleans, the Giants' 42nd round pick, went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and rightfielder Ben Klafczynski from Kent State went 2-for-4 with three RBIs for Bourne. Shortstop Derek Dietrich from Georgia Tech went 2-for-4 for Wareham.
Orleans 1 Chatham 0, 10 innings: Orleans left-handed starter Rob Rasmussen from UCLA pitched seven shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out seven. Chatham right-handed starter Matt Harvey pitched six shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out six. Right-handed reliever Jesse Hahn from Virginia Tech pitched three shutout innings for Chatham, allowing one hit and striking out five.
Cotuit 5 Falmouth 1: Right-handed starter Seth Blair from Arizona State pitched a complete game for Cotuit, allowing one run on five hits and striking out six. Third baseman Zack Cox from the University of Arkansas went 2-for-4 and designated hitter Kevin Patterson from Auburn homered for Cotuit.
Hyannis 6 Y-D 4: Designated hitter Cody Hawn from the University of Tennessee homered twice for Hyannis, finishing 2-for-3 with four RBIs. Second baseman Nick Crawford from Alabama-Birmingham went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Hyannis. Rightfielder Austin Wates from Virginia Tech went 4-for-5 for Y-D, and first baseman Brian Hernandez, Cleveland's 39th round pick last month, went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
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Showing posts with label Trent Mummey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trent Mummey. Show all posts
Saturday, July 4, 2009
July 4 for July 3 Update
I went to Harwich on Friday night, mainly to finally get a good look at three late-arriving hitters from College World Series teams--Virginia's Dan Grovatt and Phil Gosselin and North Carolina's Levi Michael. All three were impressive, and all three played a role in Harwich's 6-0 win over Chatham.
The Mariners have now won four games in a row, and quite possibly have the best lineup in the Cape League now that it is complete.
Grovatt, a rightfielder, was the best hitter of the group, and will almost certainly end up among the league leaders in hitting at the end of the season. He swings hard and doesn't allow himself to get cheated, yet he shows really good bat control and has good plate coverage. He is not afraid to go with pitches and use the whole field. Grovatt also has a strong arm in the outfield. He doesn't have great size at 6'1" 187, but he still has some room to fill out. He's a player that's going to hit for a high average and spray doubles into the gaps, but he isn't a big-time power guy.
Michael started at shortstop for Harwich, and really impressed me as a hard-nosed, scrappy athlete who is going to do what it takes to help his team win. Michael is undersized at 5'10" 175, but he's a switch-hitter who can drive the ball when he connects. He hits the ball hard, puts the ball on the ground, and is able to use his very good speed to make things happen. I clocked him rounding first base in 4.3 seconds from the left side of the plate. In the field Michael showed tremendous range up the middle and a strong arm for somebody his size. Michael is more naturally suited to play second base, but that is Gosselin's position too, and because Michael is the better athlete of the two and has a better arm he is playing short.
Gosselin is just a solid all-around player. He doesn't have any spectular tools, but he's pretty good everywhere. He has really good hands that do work for him both at the plate and in the field. They are quick enough for him to get around on good fastballs with the wood bat, and strong enough to allow him to fight off an inside pitch and get it into the outfield for a hit. Gosselin also plays a really good second base, as he has good footwork and really soft hands that make him excellent at turning the double play. He's pretty much exactly what you want in a second baseman.
Another Harwich hitter who stood out was centerfielder Trent Mummey from Auburn. He has really good speed and tries to make things happen at the top of the Mariners' batting order. He also has decent pop for a guy who is 5'11" 185, as he has very quick hands which generate good bat speed. Mummey is probably the Mariners' best hitter after Grovatt.
On the mound, Harwich right-handed starter Brett Bruening from Grayson Community College, the Yankees' 35th round pick, had a live arm but poor mechanics and he really struggled with his command and control. Breuning is tall with a big, projectable frame at 6'6" 210, and his fastball already sits in the 90-93 mph range, but he needs to learn how to harness his stuff. Bruening throws with slightly stiff arm action, throws across his body and falls off the mound toward first base. There were times his fastball dipped to the 87-88 mph range as he needed to take something off it to be able to throw strikes. He showed a 76-78 mph curveball with slurvy movement, and that was pretty much it for his secondary stuff.
Right-handed reliever Brian Dupra from Notre Dame showed he is one of the better relievers in the league again this summer, pitching for Harwich for the second consecutive season. Dupra has good size and a solid, athletic build at 6'3" 205, and he has a smooth motion until the end and throws with good arm action. He does buck his head upon release. Dupra throws a 91-93 mph fastball with good tail in on right-handed hitters, and also throws an 88-91 mph cutter that runs nicely the other way. He also has a good 79-81 mph slider with tight break. His repertoire is well-suited for the bullpen, and he thrives in that role in the summer.
Right-handed reliever Garrett Davis from North Carolina made his first appearance of the summer Friday night. Davis is big with a solid build at 6'4" 215, but he too has effort in his delivery as he also bucks his head upon release. He throws with good arm action, though, and has good command and is able to throw a lot of strikes. Davis showed an 86-88 mph fastball with glove-side run, and a 74 mph slider.
Right-handed reliever Glen Troyanowski from Florida Atlantic finished things up for Harwich, showing a 90-92 mph fastball and a 73-74 mph curveball with big, sweeping break. Troyanowski has a good arm, but at 6'1" 165, and already throwing with effort, Troyanowski is probably already just about maxed out.
Chatham trotted out to the mound a generally random assortment of mediocrity Friday night, as usually good right-handed starter Kaleb Fleck from Pittsburgh-Johnstown didn't have his best stuff and got pulled in the fourth inning. Right-handed reliever Parker Bangs from South Carolina, Pittsburgh's 46th round pick last month, was the best of Chatham's relievers, showing an 87-88 mph fastball with good late life and arm-side run. He also showed a decent slider with frisbee-like movement that he could throw for strikes. Bangs has good size and a big frame at 6'4" 210, but he tends to throw with all arm and doesn't get all he can out of his body.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Hyannis 3 Cotuit 3: Second baseman Chris Bisson from the University of Kentucky went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two stolen bases for Cotuit. First baseman Ryan Cuneo from the University of Delaware went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Hyannis.
Orleans 8 Bewster 7: Orleans blew an early 7-0 lead then scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to beat Brewster. First baseman Jaren Matthews from Rutgers went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs, and leftfielder Jeremy Gould from Duke also homered for Orleans. Third baseman Harold Martinez from the University of Miami went 2-for-4 with two RBI for Brewster.
Wareham 6 Falmouth 4: Shortstop Derek Dietrich from Georgia Tech homered for Wareham. Rightfielder Ryan Jones from Wichita State went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored for Falmouth.
Bourne 1 Y-D 0: Leftfielder Stefen Romero from Oregon State hit his league-leading fourth home run for the only run of the game against Y-D left-handed starter Chris Sale from Florida Gulf Coast. Bourne right-handed starter Turner Phelps from James Madison pitched 5.1 shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out four, and the Bourne bullpen threw 3.2 innings without allowing a hit.
Questions? Comments? E-mail me at schimmeldbk@gmail.com
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The Mariners have now won four games in a row, and quite possibly have the best lineup in the Cape League now that it is complete.
Grovatt, a rightfielder, was the best hitter of the group, and will almost certainly end up among the league leaders in hitting at the end of the season. He swings hard and doesn't allow himself to get cheated, yet he shows really good bat control and has good plate coverage. He is not afraid to go with pitches and use the whole field. Grovatt also has a strong arm in the outfield. He doesn't have great size at 6'1" 187, but he still has some room to fill out. He's a player that's going to hit for a high average and spray doubles into the gaps, but he isn't a big-time power guy.
Michael started at shortstop for Harwich, and really impressed me as a hard-nosed, scrappy athlete who is going to do what it takes to help his team win. Michael is undersized at 5'10" 175, but he's a switch-hitter who can drive the ball when he connects. He hits the ball hard, puts the ball on the ground, and is able to use his very good speed to make things happen. I clocked him rounding first base in 4.3 seconds from the left side of the plate. In the field Michael showed tremendous range up the middle and a strong arm for somebody his size. Michael is more naturally suited to play second base, but that is Gosselin's position too, and because Michael is the better athlete of the two and has a better arm he is playing short.
Gosselin is just a solid all-around player. He doesn't have any spectular tools, but he's pretty good everywhere. He has really good hands that do work for him both at the plate and in the field. They are quick enough for him to get around on good fastballs with the wood bat, and strong enough to allow him to fight off an inside pitch and get it into the outfield for a hit. Gosselin also plays a really good second base, as he has good footwork and really soft hands that make him excellent at turning the double play. He's pretty much exactly what you want in a second baseman.
Another Harwich hitter who stood out was centerfielder Trent Mummey from Auburn. He has really good speed and tries to make things happen at the top of the Mariners' batting order. He also has decent pop for a guy who is 5'11" 185, as he has very quick hands which generate good bat speed. Mummey is probably the Mariners' best hitter after Grovatt.
On the mound, Harwich right-handed starter Brett Bruening from Grayson Community College, the Yankees' 35th round pick, had a live arm but poor mechanics and he really struggled with his command and control. Breuning is tall with a big, projectable frame at 6'6" 210, and his fastball already sits in the 90-93 mph range, but he needs to learn how to harness his stuff. Bruening throws with slightly stiff arm action, throws across his body and falls off the mound toward first base. There were times his fastball dipped to the 87-88 mph range as he needed to take something off it to be able to throw strikes. He showed a 76-78 mph curveball with slurvy movement, and that was pretty much it for his secondary stuff.
Right-handed reliever Brian Dupra from Notre Dame showed he is one of the better relievers in the league again this summer, pitching for Harwich for the second consecutive season. Dupra has good size and a solid, athletic build at 6'3" 205, and he has a smooth motion until the end and throws with good arm action. He does buck his head upon release. Dupra throws a 91-93 mph fastball with good tail in on right-handed hitters, and also throws an 88-91 mph cutter that runs nicely the other way. He also has a good 79-81 mph slider with tight break. His repertoire is well-suited for the bullpen, and he thrives in that role in the summer.
Right-handed reliever Garrett Davis from North Carolina made his first appearance of the summer Friday night. Davis is big with a solid build at 6'4" 215, but he too has effort in his delivery as he also bucks his head upon release. He throws with good arm action, though, and has good command and is able to throw a lot of strikes. Davis showed an 86-88 mph fastball with glove-side run, and a 74 mph slider.
Right-handed reliever Glen Troyanowski from Florida Atlantic finished things up for Harwich, showing a 90-92 mph fastball and a 73-74 mph curveball with big, sweeping break. Troyanowski has a good arm, but at 6'1" 165, and already throwing with effort, Troyanowski is probably already just about maxed out.
Chatham trotted out to the mound a generally random assortment of mediocrity Friday night, as usually good right-handed starter Kaleb Fleck from Pittsburgh-Johnstown didn't have his best stuff and got pulled in the fourth inning. Right-handed reliever Parker Bangs from South Carolina, Pittsburgh's 46th round pick last month, was the best of Chatham's relievers, showing an 87-88 mph fastball with good late life and arm-side run. He also showed a decent slider with frisbee-like movement that he could throw for strikes. Bangs has good size and a big frame at 6'4" 210, but he tends to throw with all arm and doesn't get all he can out of his body.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Hyannis 3 Cotuit 3: Second baseman Chris Bisson from the University of Kentucky went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two stolen bases for Cotuit. First baseman Ryan Cuneo from the University of Delaware went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Hyannis.
Orleans 8 Bewster 7: Orleans blew an early 7-0 lead then scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to beat Brewster. First baseman Jaren Matthews from Rutgers went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs, and leftfielder Jeremy Gould from Duke also homered for Orleans. Third baseman Harold Martinez from the University of Miami went 2-for-4 with two RBI for Brewster.
Wareham 6 Falmouth 4: Shortstop Derek Dietrich from Georgia Tech homered for Wareham. Rightfielder Ryan Jones from Wichita State went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored for Falmouth.
Bourne 1 Y-D 0: Leftfielder Stefen Romero from Oregon State hit his league-leading fourth home run for the only run of the game against Y-D left-handed starter Chris Sale from Florida Gulf Coast. Bourne right-handed starter Turner Phelps from James Madison pitched 5.1 shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out four, and the Bourne bullpen threw 3.2 innings without allowing a hit.
Questions? Comments? E-mail me at schimmeldbk@gmail.com
Want to be alerted every time I update this blog? Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/greg_schimmel
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