We made it.
With the end of the regular season comes the end of the traditional format of the Cape Cod League Blog.
I am leaving the Cape on Thursday to begin my fall job covering the Maryland Terrapin football team for The Diamondback, the student newspaper at The University of Maryland. Training camp starts Monday, and classes for my senior year start August 31.
But this is not the end of the Cape Cod League Blog. After a brief traveling hiatus, I will begin posting my end-of-summer prospect rankings on Sunday.
Beginning Sunday morning with the catchers, I will count down the Top 5 players at each position with a brief scouting report on each player. I will do one position each day, culminating with the Top 40 pitchers and the Top 40 overall position players. The rankings will be based on the players' professional potential, with Cape League performance only one factor in that analysis.
So, definitely check back for that beginning on Sunday. It might actually be more entertaining than my daily game reports.
I would like to take this time to thank everybody who read my blog either regularly or occasionally over the course of the summer. It was fun getting your e-mails and accumulating Twitter followers, and I enjoyed meeting some of you at the ballparks. I really appreciate all the positive feedback I got from everybody. Thanks.
A special thanks goes to Buster Olney for posting links and excerpts on his ESPN.com page as often as I sent them to him, and for really getting the ball rolling with my readership. Thanks also to the guys at Right Field Fog and Codball for linking to my blog on their sites and helping me build a local following even more.
When I first started the blog I figured it would be a good way to keep my writing sharp and share my opinions with the few people who actually came across it. I didn't imagine I would accumulate hundreds of readers and generate feedback from writers, scouts and even a few executives across Major League Baseball. It has really been a great experience.
Thanks also to Kevin Blackistone for telling me I should start a blog, and to Ed Schimmel for occasional informal copy editing.
It's been real Cape Cod. I'm out.
Until Sunday,
Greg Schimmel
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
Thursday, August 6, 2009
August 6 for August 5 Update
I went to Cotuit on Wednesday for the last day of the regular season and my last Cape League game of the summer.
You might be saying to yourself, "Wait, you're leaving? What will become of the Cape Cod League Blog?" Glad you asked. I will be unveiling my exciting blog plans for the next few weeks Thursday morning.
Cotuit and Brewster tied 1-1 after 10 innings, but Cotuit still backed into a home game in Friday's wild card playoff after Wareham lost to Bourne.It all would have been a lot more exciting if Cotuit and Wareham were fighting for the final playoff spot under the old format instead of just playing for homefield in a wild card game.
Cotuit right-handed starter Craig Fritsch from Baylor, the Tigers' 8th-round pick in June, looked good in five shutout innings against Brewster hitters swinging like they were ready to go home for the rest of the summer. Fritsch is tall with a thin, athletic build at 6'4" 180. He still didn't look as good to me as he did last summer when he pithed for Y-D. Fritsch stands tall on the mound and has a slightly awkward motion, but he throws fairly easily with loose arm action. Fritsch has a low-90's fastball but his secondary stuff is just average. His slider spins and doesn't have much too it, his curveball is also a spinner with a steeper trajectory and his changeup is just average with downward movement. Fritsch does have a projectable body and has a good mix of pitches, so where he went in the eighth round seems about right.
Cotuit right-handed reliever Seth Blair from Arizona State was very impressive. Usually a starter, Blair has a really good fastball/changeup combination and while his breaking pitches need some refining he definitely has a lot of potential. Blair is average height with a thin, athletic build at 6'2" 190. He throws with some effort but has good, loose arm action. Blair throws a low 90s fastball with late life that has really good tailing action in on right-handed hitters. The pitch appears to find a new gear in midair. His changeup also moves a lot and is a good, deceptive pitch. Blair throws a curveball with tight break that he tends to leave up in the zone, and a slider with two-plane break he has trouble commanding. Blair needs to throw his curveball with more consistency and develop a better feel for the slider to maximize his effectiveness, but he should be selected in the first few rounds of next June's draft.
Cotuit right-handed reliever Daniel Tillman from Florida Southern appeared to be back at top form after his velocity was down in his last appearance. Tillman finished the regular season without allowing a run in 22 innings pitched over 16 appearances. He entered a tie game in the bottom of the eighth Wednesday with the bases loaded and one out and got a strikeout and a flyout to get out of the jam. His low 90s sinking fastball/hard slider combination makes him one of the best relievers in the Cape League. He will be a high pick next year.
Brewster left-handed starter Matt Lujan from the University of San Francisco had a good start but his stuff wasn't that good. Lujan is average height with a solid build at 6'1" 200. His motion isn't very tight and he wastes movement, and he throws with some effort. Lujan's fastball is nothing special, and his secondary stuff is also just mediocre. He throws an average curveball with sweeping, 3/8 break and a slider with horizontal run that also doesn't have much to it. His changeup is just so-so as well.
Cotuit third baseman Kevin Patterson from Auburn had an interesting game. Patterson is mostly a one-dimensional power hitting DH/first baseman, but he has been playing third since stud Zack Cox decided to shut it down for the rest of the summer. Patterson has proven time and again that he only hits fastballs, but he hit two singles on curveballs Wednesday. He stayed back and drove one to center, then hit a single to left for Cotuit's only RBI of the game. He then booted a sure double-play ball in the top of the eighth that would have ended the inning but instead led to Brewster's only run. A disgruntled elderly man yelled "Why is he out there in the eighth inning? The kid can't field." Patterson's raw power might make him a high draft pick next year, but he has a lot of holes in his game.
I plan to be going home on Thursday. Again, check the blog Thursday morning for an explanation of what will be happening in this space over the next few weeks. Rankings will commence.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Orleans 3 Chatham 2: Left-handed starter Rob Rasmussen from UCLA pitched 6.2 solid innings for Orleans, allowing one run on six hits and striking out five. Rightfielder Whit Merrifield from the University of South Carolina and centerfielder Addison Johnson from Clemson each had two hits for
Chatham.Y-D 8 Harwich 6: Leftfielder Brian Hernandez from UC Irvine, Cleveland's 39th-round pick, went 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBIs for Y-D. Shortstop David Herbek from James Madison homered for Harwich and leftfielder Leon Landry from LSU went 3-for-4.
Hyannis 4 Falmouth 3: Designated hitter Jackie Bradley, Jr. from South Carolina went 3-for-4 for Hyannis. Designated hitter John Nester from Clemson went 2-for-3 for Falmouth.
Bourne 7 Wareham 5: First baseman Stefen Romero from Oregon State went 2-for-5 with a home run and five RBIs for Bourne. First baseman Jordan Swagerty from Arizona State went 3-for-4 for Wareham.
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
You might be saying to yourself, "Wait, you're leaving? What will become of the Cape Cod League Blog?" Glad you asked. I will be unveiling my exciting blog plans for the next few weeks Thursday morning.
Cotuit and Brewster tied 1-1 after 10 innings, but Cotuit still backed into a home game in Friday's wild card playoff after Wareham lost to Bourne.It all would have been a lot more exciting if Cotuit and Wareham were fighting for the final playoff spot under the old format instead of just playing for homefield in a wild card game.
Cotuit right-handed starter Craig Fritsch from Baylor, the Tigers' 8th-round pick in June, looked good in five shutout innings against Brewster hitters swinging like they were ready to go home for the rest of the summer. Fritsch is tall with a thin, athletic build at 6'4" 180. He still didn't look as good to me as he did last summer when he pithed for Y-D. Fritsch stands tall on the mound and has a slightly awkward motion, but he throws fairly easily with loose arm action. Fritsch has a low-90's fastball but his secondary stuff is just average. His slider spins and doesn't have much too it, his curveball is also a spinner with a steeper trajectory and his changeup is just average with downward movement. Fritsch does have a projectable body and has a good mix of pitches, so where he went in the eighth round seems about right.
Cotuit right-handed reliever Seth Blair from Arizona State was very impressive. Usually a starter, Blair has a really good fastball/changeup combination and while his breaking pitches need some refining he definitely has a lot of potential. Blair is average height with a thin, athletic build at 6'2" 190. He throws with some effort but has good, loose arm action. Blair throws a low 90s fastball with late life that has really good tailing action in on right-handed hitters. The pitch appears to find a new gear in midair. His changeup also moves a lot and is a good, deceptive pitch. Blair throws a curveball with tight break that he tends to leave up in the zone, and a slider with two-plane break he has trouble commanding. Blair needs to throw his curveball with more consistency and develop a better feel for the slider to maximize his effectiveness, but he should be selected in the first few rounds of next June's draft.
Cotuit right-handed reliever Daniel Tillman from Florida Southern appeared to be back at top form after his velocity was down in his last appearance. Tillman finished the regular season without allowing a run in 22 innings pitched over 16 appearances. He entered a tie game in the bottom of the eighth Wednesday with the bases loaded and one out and got a strikeout and a flyout to get out of the jam. His low 90s sinking fastball/hard slider combination makes him one of the best relievers in the Cape League. He will be a high pick next year.
Brewster left-handed starter Matt Lujan from the University of San Francisco had a good start but his stuff wasn't that good. Lujan is average height with a solid build at 6'1" 200. His motion isn't very tight and he wastes movement, and he throws with some effort. Lujan's fastball is nothing special, and his secondary stuff is also just mediocre. He throws an average curveball with sweeping, 3/8 break and a slider with horizontal run that also doesn't have much to it. His changeup is just so-so as well.
Cotuit third baseman Kevin Patterson from Auburn had an interesting game. Patterson is mostly a one-dimensional power hitting DH/first baseman, but he has been playing third since stud Zack Cox decided to shut it down for the rest of the summer. Patterson has proven time and again that he only hits fastballs, but he hit two singles on curveballs Wednesday. He stayed back and drove one to center, then hit a single to left for Cotuit's only RBI of the game. He then booted a sure double-play ball in the top of the eighth that would have ended the inning but instead led to Brewster's only run. A disgruntled elderly man yelled "Why is he out there in the eighth inning? The kid can't field." Patterson's raw power might make him a high draft pick next year, but he has a lot of holes in his game.
I plan to be going home on Thursday. Again, check the blog Thursday morning for an explanation of what will be happening in this space over the next few weeks. Rankings will commence.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Orleans 3 Chatham 2: Left-handed starter Rob Rasmussen from UCLA pitched 6.2 solid innings for Orleans, allowing one run on six hits and striking out five. Rightfielder Whit Merrifield from the University of South Carolina and centerfielder Addison Johnson from Clemson each had two hits for
Chatham.Y-D 8 Harwich 6: Leftfielder Brian Hernandez from UC Irvine, Cleveland's 39th-round pick, went 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBIs for Y-D. Shortstop David Herbek from James Madison homered for Harwich and leftfielder Leon Landry from LSU went 3-for-4.
Hyannis 4 Falmouth 3: Designated hitter Jackie Bradley, Jr. from South Carolina went 3-for-4 for Hyannis. Designated hitter John Nester from Clemson went 2-for-3 for Falmouth.
Bourne 7 Wareham 5: First baseman Stefen Romero from Oregon State went 2-for-5 with a home run and five RBIs for Bourne. First baseman Jordan Swagerty from Arizona State went 3-for-4 for Wareham.
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
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
August 5 for August 4 Update
I went to Brewster for a few innings Tuesday to watch Harwich starter Mike Gipson then went to Hyannis to watch Hyannis play Bourne.
Bourne won 7-4 in front of no Major League scouts but plenty of random locals playing with giveaway inflatable beach balls.
Gipson, a righthander from Florida Atlantic, had decent stuff but he threw an incredibly straight fastball and got hit pretty well by Brewster. Gipson is average height with a solid build at 6'1" 195. He throws with big effort and falls forward when he releases and falls way off the mound toward first. He threw a very good curveball with big downward break, and once every few times he threw it, it had devastating 12/6 movement. Gipson also threw a deceptive changeup with good tailing action in on righties. But hitters sat on his fastball and took advantage of it.
Over in Hyannis, righthander Alex Wimmers from Ohio State started for Bourne and looked very strong in four shutout innings. Wimmers is average height for a pitcher with a thin, athletic build at 6'2" 195. He has good arm action and throws fairly easily but he does fall off the mound toward first. Wimmers has a low 90's fastball he loves painting the outside corner with. He has an excellent curveball with big, sharp break, and a very good changeup with big movement that tails down and in on right-handed hitters. Wimmers' three-pitch combination is among the best in the Cape League, and he should be a high pick next June.
Hyannis left-handed starter Raul Torres from Faulkner was not as good. Torres is average height with a solid, athetlic build at 5'11" 190. He throws straight over the top with some effort and falls off the mound toward third base. Torres' fastball sat in the 84-87 mph range. He threw an average curveball that tended to hang up in the strike zone, and occasionally showed a changeup he didn't have much feel for. Torres is a temporary guy who is not really a professional prospect.
Among hitters, centerfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr. had a good day for Hyannis. After a slow start this summer, Bradley, Jr. has swung the bat very well the past few weeks and he can really do a lot of things well on the baseball field. He runs well, he's solid in the outfield and he has a strong arm. Bradley is also a good bunter. If he shows he can hit consistently for extended periods of time, he could be a guy to watch in the 2011 draft.
Bourne centerfielder Scott Woodward from Coastal Carolina also had a big game. He hit his first home run of the summer off the top of the right-centerfield fence and over, and showed off his very strong arm in the outfield. Woodward is also a plus runner.
First baseman Kyle Roller received some "M-V-P" chants from some Bourne fans when he hit a double to the wall in straightway centerfield. The kid can flat-out hit.
I plan to be at Cotuit on the last day of the regular season Wednesday.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Falmouth 5 Wareham 4: First baseman Hunter Morris from Auburn went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Falmouth. Rightfielder George Springer from UConn went 3-for-5 for Wareham.
Orleans 5 Chatham 1: Leftfielder Kevin Muno hit a grand slam from Orleans. Catcher Jacob Stallings from UNC went 3-for-4 with a home run for Chatham.
Y-D 9 Cotuit 8: Designated hitter Cameron Rupp from the University of Texas went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs for Cotuit. Catcher Ben McMahan from the University of Florida homered and third baseman Steve Chatwood from the University of San Diego went 2-for-4 with four RBIs for Y-D.
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
Bourne won 7-4 in front of no Major League scouts but plenty of random locals playing with giveaway inflatable beach balls.
Gipson, a righthander from Florida Atlantic, had decent stuff but he threw an incredibly straight fastball and got hit pretty well by Brewster. Gipson is average height with a solid build at 6'1" 195. He throws with big effort and falls forward when he releases and falls way off the mound toward first. He threw a very good curveball with big downward break, and once every few times he threw it, it had devastating 12/6 movement. Gipson also threw a deceptive changeup with good tailing action in on righties. But hitters sat on his fastball and took advantage of it.
Over in Hyannis, righthander Alex Wimmers from Ohio State started for Bourne and looked very strong in four shutout innings. Wimmers is average height for a pitcher with a thin, athletic build at 6'2" 195. He has good arm action and throws fairly easily but he does fall off the mound toward first. Wimmers has a low 90's fastball he loves painting the outside corner with. He has an excellent curveball with big, sharp break, and a very good changeup with big movement that tails down and in on right-handed hitters. Wimmers' three-pitch combination is among the best in the Cape League, and he should be a high pick next June.
Hyannis left-handed starter Raul Torres from Faulkner was not as good. Torres is average height with a solid, athetlic build at 5'11" 190. He throws straight over the top with some effort and falls off the mound toward third base. Torres' fastball sat in the 84-87 mph range. He threw an average curveball that tended to hang up in the strike zone, and occasionally showed a changeup he didn't have much feel for. Torres is a temporary guy who is not really a professional prospect.
Among hitters, centerfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr. had a good day for Hyannis. After a slow start this summer, Bradley, Jr. has swung the bat very well the past few weeks and he can really do a lot of things well on the baseball field. He runs well, he's solid in the outfield and he has a strong arm. Bradley is also a good bunter. If he shows he can hit consistently for extended periods of time, he could be a guy to watch in the 2011 draft.
Bourne centerfielder Scott Woodward from Coastal Carolina also had a big game. He hit his first home run of the summer off the top of the right-centerfield fence and over, and showed off his very strong arm in the outfield. Woodward is also a plus runner.
First baseman Kyle Roller received some "M-V-P" chants from some Bourne fans when he hit a double to the wall in straightway centerfield. The kid can flat-out hit.
I plan to be at Cotuit on the last day of the regular season Wednesday.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Falmouth 5 Wareham 4: First baseman Hunter Morris from Auburn went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Falmouth. Rightfielder George Springer from UConn went 3-for-5 for Wareham.
Orleans 5 Chatham 1: Leftfielder Kevin Muno hit a grand slam from Orleans. Catcher Jacob Stallings from UNC went 3-for-4 with a home run for Chatham.
Y-D 9 Cotuit 8: Designated hitter Cameron Rupp from the University of Texas went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs for Cotuit. Catcher Ben McMahan from the University of Florida homered and third baseman Steve Chatwood from the University of San Diego went 2-for-4 with four RBIs for Y-D.
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
Monday, August 3, 2009
August 4 for August 3 Update
I went to Bourne on Monday for both ends of a doubleheader between Bourne and Brewster. Bourne won both games to secure a playoff spot and knock Brewster out of contention.
Right-handed starter Kendal Volz from Baylor started for Brewster and showed he is still struggling to regain the dominant form he displayed as Team USA's closer in 2008. The Red Sox selected Volz in the ninth round of this year's draft, and had a very high ranking member of their front office scouting Volz on Monday. Volz is big with a solid build at 6'4" 220, but he is short-arming his pitches and landing on a stiff front foot which is limiting his velocity. Volz was known to touch 97 mph with his fastball last summer, but it sat between 87-90 mph on Monday and only once touched 91. He threw a 77-79 mph curveball that was very good when he threw it well, but that was only once every three or four times he threw it. The curve simply spun and stayed up in the zone too often, and Bourne's hitters were able to get to it. Volz also threw an 83 mph changeup and a hard slider that had tight break but which didn't move a whole lot. Volz clearly needs to find his velocity again to maximize his effectiveness, but he has shown potential in the past.
Bourne's Game 1 starter was Robert Morey from the University of Virginia. Morey is average height with a thin frame at 6'1" 185. He comes almost straight over the top when he throws and throws with some effort. His fastball sat in the 88-90 mph range, and he threw a good curveball with tight overhand break which he could throw for a strike. Morey also threw an 84 mph slider with tight break but which didn't a lot and had the effect of a cutter. He rarely showed a 79 mph changeup. Morey is decent but his stuff is not outstanding.
Righthander Michael Dimock from Wake Forest got a spot start for Bourne in Game 2. Dimock is also average height with a thin frame at 6'1" 185. He throws with some effort but gets good extension and has good arm action. Dimock is not afraid to throw his fastball over both sides of the plate. He has an average slider with sharp run, a curveball with slow, overhand break and an average changeup with downward movement. Morey and Dimock were really quite similar, aside from just the identical height and weight. Both were solid, both knew what they were doing on the mound, but neither had exceptional stuff.
The offensive hero of the day was Bourne first baseman/designated hitter Kyle Roller from East Carolina. Roller has put up monster numbers this season and is the odds-on favorite to win the league's MVP award. Roller wasn't selected until the 47th round of the draft by Oakland, but the Red Sox executive said he was surprised Roller lasted that long. That comment begged the question why didn't the Red Sox just take him, but the answer is perhaps that Roller might not be more than a DH in professional ball. But Roller can hit. He smashed an outside fastball for a double to the left-centerfield gap and hit a moon shot grand slam in the first game, then smoked a single up the middle in the second game. Roller is slow and is not very good in the field, but he is making himself some money with the display he has put on this summer.
Bourne rightfielder Ben Klafczynski from Kent State also had a big day at the plate. Klafczynski has proven to be a tremendous athlete in the outfield, but he has struggled to hit all summer. He hit two ground-rule doubles and hit a third double toward the fence Monday. Klafczynski has quick hands but he has kind of a one-plane swing that makes him prone to strikeouts. Still, Klafczynski has good size and great athleticism and will get a lot of looks next spring. He was an All-American coming out of high school in 2007.
Brewster third baseman/second baseman Jedd Gyorko from West Virginia still looked uncomfortable in the infield but he is continuing to prove he is a really good hitter. Gyorko steps in the bucket and never fully closes his open stance which leaves him susceptible to outside pitches, but he still manages to get his bat to the ball and make solid contact more often than not. He has good pitch recognition and does well sitting back on breaking pitches. His biggest issue is his lack of position in the field.
I will be at Harwich at Brewster for a few innings and then over to Bourne at Hyannis on Tuesday.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Y-D 3 Falmouth 0: Four pitchers combined for a four-hit shutout for Y-D. Third baseman Steve Chatwood from the University of San Diego went 1-for-3 with a run scored.
Chatham 5 Harwich 4: Third baseman Matt Duffy from Tennessee went 2-for-4 with a home run for Chatham. Leftfielder Leon Landry from LSU went 4-for-5 with two RBIs for Harwich.
Orleans 6 Hyannis 5, 11 innings: Right-handed pitcher Matt Hiserman from Santa Clara pitched 5.1 shutout innings in relief for Orleans, allowing one hit and striking out one. Designated hitter Ryan Cuneo from the University of Delaware went 3-for-6 for Hyannis.
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
Sunday, August 2, 2009
August 3 for August 2 Update
I went to Cotuit on Sunday for a very good pitching matchup between Cotuit lefthander Chad Bell from Walter State Junior College and Orleans lefthander Jimmy Reyes from Elon.
I had seen Bell throw in a relief appearance early in the season and came away nonplussed, but I had been meaning to give him a second look after he became a starter and threw a no-hitter.
I had also heard good things about Reyes, and only saw him throw three pitches when I caught the tail end of one of his appearances a few weeks back.
In addition to the pitching, Sunday's game featured the best managerial tantrum I have seen all summer when Orleans manager Kelly Nicholson ran out to argue a call at third base in the seventh inning. He yelled at both base umpires and chest bumped the home plate umpire who was attempting to stop Nicholson from continuing to get in his partner's face after Nicholson was already tossed. Nicholson finally absquatulated, but he caused another stir by stopping briefly in the Orleans bullpen on his seemingly aimless wander toward the woods surrounding the field. It was good times.
Cotuit won 7-4 in a game stopped by darkness after 7 1/2 innings.
Reyes was probably the better of the two southpaws. He is average height with an athletic build at 6'0" 190, though the 6'0" listing might be generous. He has a tight motion but throws with some effort and falls off the mound toward third base. Reyes is what you would call an advanced pitcher because he has four pitches, he mixes them well, and he has very good command. Reyes' fastball sat between 86-88 mph and had good tailing action in on left-handed hitters. Despite his limited velocity, Reyes was not afraid to challenge hitters inside. His 73-75 mph curveball was a very good pitch. It had slow, sweeping break but its late movement and Reyes' ability to spot it made it effective. Reyes also threw a slider with a similar trajectory but less depth than the curveball and a 78 mph changeup. Reyes isn't really a high ceiling guy, but he is solid and his command and know-how could translate to success at higher levels.
Bell was also solid and in a similar mold to Reyes. Bell is big with a solid build at 6'4" 215 but still has room to fill out. He has good arm action and throws with minimal effort but he does have balance issues and tends to fall off the mound toward third base. Bell's fastball sat in the 86-87 mph range and had some sinking action. His 78 mph floating changeup was perhaps his best pitch, but he tends to slow his body down when he is going to throw it. Bell showed a good curveball with sharp break during some of his warmup sessions between innings, but he didn't have feel for it during the game and really threw it effectively. He relied more on his average 79-81 mph spinning slider. Bell also has a poor pickoff move to first base for a lefty, and twice he failed to cover first base on ground balls to the right side. Bell his decent stuff, he's been very successful this summer and probably has the potential to add a few mph to his fastball. But he is not outstanding and Cotuit has better pitchers than him.
One of those pitchers is right-handed reliever Daniel Tillman from Florida Southern who has now thrown 21.1 innings this summer without allowing a run. Tillman didn't have his best stuff Sunday, to the point where resting third baseman Zack Cox from Arkansas came into the scouts' area during Tillman's appearance to ask if anyone noticed anything wrong with Tillman. His low 90's fastball/slider/changeup combination is still pretty good and has confounded hitters all season.
Among hitters, designated hitter and usual catcher Cameron Rupp had a big game for Cotuit. Rupp drove a fastball for a solo home run and added an RBI double down the leftfield line later in the game. Rupp is a big guy at 6'2" 235 with big power, but he doesn't have great balance at the plate. He also has a plus arm when he catches.
Cotuit shortstop Chris Bisson from the University of Kentucky made a couple of athletic plays in the field. Bisson leads the league in stolen bases and is clearly a very athletic player, but he often misses the routine play and he had made 16 errors in 39 games coming into Sunday.
Cotuit leftfielder Zach Cone from the University of Georgia did a good job using the whole field when he hit a three-rbi double to the right centerfield gap. Cone also has a good arm in the outfield and held Orleans third baseman Michael Olt from UConn at first base on a hit down the left field line.
I plan to be at Brewster at Bourne on Monday.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Bourne 7 Hyannis 6: Designated hitter Rob Segedin from Tulane went 3-for-4 and second baseman Pierre LePage from UConn went 2-for-3 for Bourne. Bourne first baseman Kyle Roller hit his league-leading ninth home run of the summer.
Harwich 1 Chatham 0: Left-handed starter Aaron Meade from Missouri State, the Yankees' 28th-round pick in June, pitched seven shutout innings for Harwich, allowing four hits and striking out five. Chatham left-handed starter Tyler Lyons from Oklahoma State, the Yankees' 10th-round pick in June, allowed one run on seven hits and struck out seven in 7.1 innings pitched.
Wareham 6 Falmouth 5: Leftfielder Alex Dickerson from the University of Indiana went 2-for-2 with a home run for Wareham. First baseman Hunter Morris from Auburn went 2-for-4 with a home run and leftfielder Brian Fletcher from Auburn went 3-for-4 for Falmouth.
Y-D 15 Brewster 5: First baseman Mickey Wiswall from Boston College went 4-for-5 with two home runs and six RBIs for Y-D. Second baseman Jedd Gyorko from West Virginia homered for Brewster.
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
I had seen Bell throw in a relief appearance early in the season and came away nonplussed, but I had been meaning to give him a second look after he became a starter and threw a no-hitter.
I had also heard good things about Reyes, and only saw him throw three pitches when I caught the tail end of one of his appearances a few weeks back.
In addition to the pitching, Sunday's game featured the best managerial tantrum I have seen all summer when Orleans manager Kelly Nicholson ran out to argue a call at third base in the seventh inning. He yelled at both base umpires and chest bumped the home plate umpire who was attempting to stop Nicholson from continuing to get in his partner's face after Nicholson was already tossed. Nicholson finally absquatulated, but he caused another stir by stopping briefly in the Orleans bullpen on his seemingly aimless wander toward the woods surrounding the field. It was good times.
Cotuit won 7-4 in a game stopped by darkness after 7 1/2 innings.
Reyes was probably the better of the two southpaws. He is average height with an athletic build at 6'0" 190, though the 6'0" listing might be generous. He has a tight motion but throws with some effort and falls off the mound toward third base. Reyes is what you would call an advanced pitcher because he has four pitches, he mixes them well, and he has very good command. Reyes' fastball sat between 86-88 mph and had good tailing action in on left-handed hitters. Despite his limited velocity, Reyes was not afraid to challenge hitters inside. His 73-75 mph curveball was a very good pitch. It had slow, sweeping break but its late movement and Reyes' ability to spot it made it effective. Reyes also threw a slider with a similar trajectory but less depth than the curveball and a 78 mph changeup. Reyes isn't really a high ceiling guy, but he is solid and his command and know-how could translate to success at higher levels.
Bell was also solid and in a similar mold to Reyes. Bell is big with a solid build at 6'4" 215 but still has room to fill out. He has good arm action and throws with minimal effort but he does have balance issues and tends to fall off the mound toward third base. Bell's fastball sat in the 86-87 mph range and had some sinking action. His 78 mph floating changeup was perhaps his best pitch, but he tends to slow his body down when he is going to throw it. Bell showed a good curveball with sharp break during some of his warmup sessions between innings, but he didn't have feel for it during the game and really threw it effectively. He relied more on his average 79-81 mph spinning slider. Bell also has a poor pickoff move to first base for a lefty, and twice he failed to cover first base on ground balls to the right side. Bell his decent stuff, he's been very successful this summer and probably has the potential to add a few mph to his fastball. But he is not outstanding and Cotuit has better pitchers than him.
One of those pitchers is right-handed reliever Daniel Tillman from Florida Southern who has now thrown 21.1 innings this summer without allowing a run. Tillman didn't have his best stuff Sunday, to the point where resting third baseman Zack Cox from Arkansas came into the scouts' area during Tillman's appearance to ask if anyone noticed anything wrong with Tillman. His low 90's fastball/slider/changeup combination is still pretty good and has confounded hitters all season.
Among hitters, designated hitter and usual catcher Cameron Rupp had a big game for Cotuit. Rupp drove a fastball for a solo home run and added an RBI double down the leftfield line later in the game. Rupp is a big guy at 6'2" 235 with big power, but he doesn't have great balance at the plate. He also has a plus arm when he catches.
Cotuit shortstop Chris Bisson from the University of Kentucky made a couple of athletic plays in the field. Bisson leads the league in stolen bases and is clearly a very athletic player, but he often misses the routine play and he had made 16 errors in 39 games coming into Sunday.
Cotuit leftfielder Zach Cone from the University of Georgia did a good job using the whole field when he hit a three-rbi double to the right centerfield gap. Cone also has a good arm in the outfield and held Orleans third baseman Michael Olt from UConn at first base on a hit down the left field line.
I plan to be at Brewster at Bourne on Monday.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Bourne 7 Hyannis 6: Designated hitter Rob Segedin from Tulane went 3-for-4 and second baseman Pierre LePage from UConn went 2-for-3 for Bourne. Bourne first baseman Kyle Roller hit his league-leading ninth home run of the summer.
Harwich 1 Chatham 0: Left-handed starter Aaron Meade from Missouri State, the Yankees' 28th-round pick in June, pitched seven shutout innings for Harwich, allowing four hits and striking out five. Chatham left-handed starter Tyler Lyons from Oklahoma State, the Yankees' 10th-round pick in June, allowed one run on seven hits and struck out seven in 7.1 innings pitched.
Wareham 6 Falmouth 5: Leftfielder Alex Dickerson from the University of Indiana went 2-for-2 with a home run for Wareham. First baseman Hunter Morris from Auburn went 2-for-4 with a home run and leftfielder Brian Fletcher from Auburn went 3-for-4 for Falmouth.
Y-D 15 Brewster 5: First baseman Mickey Wiswall from Boston College went 4-for-5 with two home runs and six RBIs for Y-D. Second baseman Jedd Gyorko from West Virginia homered for Brewster.
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
Saturday, August 1, 2009
August 2 for August 1 Update
I went to Harwich on Saturday to catch the first game of a doubleheader between Harwich and Falmouth.
The last time I was at Harwich there were about 25 Major League scouts in attendance. On Saturday there were zero. Harwich won 4-2.
Righthander Matt Price from Virginia Tech started for Harwich. I had seen Price throw out of the bullpen earlier in the summer, and I think he is better-suited for a bullpen role. Price really only had two consistently reliable pitches, and he tired considerably after just a few innings. Price is average height for a pitcher and thin at 6'2" 165. He has some unnecessary movement in his motion but throws with loose arm action. He tends to throw his slider from a lower arm slot. Price's fastball has sat in the low 90's and it has a lot of tail in on right-handed hitters. His slider looked a lot better than I remembered it, with sharp two-plane break when he threw it well. It got a lot of swings and misses. Price's changeup was just occasionally deceptive and he didn't have much feel for the curveball he showed once in awhile. Overall, Price is a kid with a good arm who needs some refining.
Harwich right-handed reliever Les Williams from Northeastern had a good appearance. Williams was brought in to face Falmouth slugger Hunter Morris from Auburn with the bases loaded and two out in a one-run game. Williams went right after Morris, getting him to pop out weakly on a good slider in on his hands. Williams is average height with a solid build at 6'2" 220. He throws with effort and slings it. Williams' slider has good run, and as he did against Morris, he throws it right at hitters. Williams also floats a decent changeup with downward movement.
Morris hit another home run, his seventh of the summer, in an earlier at-bat against Price. After watching him two games in a row, it is unclear why anybody would ever throw Morris a fastball. He often takes bad swings at good breaking pitches, but he has continually proven he can hit a good fastball. After hitting a 400 plus-foot bomb Friday night, Morris hit one about 380 on Saturday on a heater Price left over the middle of the plate. Morris may have the best raw power in the Cape League, but he needs to learn how to hit a slider.
Harwich first baseman Connor Powers from Mississippi State has a similar problem. The Dodgers' 11th-round pick in June after has very good raw power, but he hasn't shown he can consistently hit a breaking ball.
I plan to be at Orleans at Cotuit on Sunday.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Cotuit 6 Bourne 2: Right-handed starter Justin Grimm allowed one earned run on six hits and struck out 10 in 7.1 innings pitched for Cotuit. Second baseman Rico Noel from Coastal Carolina went 3-for-4 for Cotuit.
Chatham 3 Brewster 0: Chatham right-handed starter Patrick Johnson from UNC pitched six shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out seven. Desginated hitter Mike Murray from Wake Forest went 2-for-2 for Chatham.
Orleans 2 Wareham 2, Orleans 6 Wareham 5: In the first game, Wareham right-handed starter Cole Green from the University of Texas struck out 10 in seven innings pitched, allowing two runs on eight hits. Left fielder Connor Rowe from the University of Texas homered for Wareham. Shortstop Devin Lohman from Long Beach State went 3-for-4 for Orleans. In the second game, designated hitter Steve Selsky from the University of Arizona went 2-for-2 with a home run, and right fielder Jeremy Gould from Duke went 3-for-3 for Orleans. Second baseman Jake Lemmerman from Duke went 2-for-3 with a home run for Wareham.
Hyannis 6 Y-D 4: First baseman Ryan Cuneo from the University of Delaware hit a grand slam and third baseman Dustin Harrington from East Carolina went 4-for-5 for Hyannis. Left fielder Caleb Ramsey from the University of Houston and right fielder Jonathan Jones from Long Beach State each had two hits for Y-D.
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
The last time I was at Harwich there were about 25 Major League scouts in attendance. On Saturday there were zero. Harwich won 4-2.
Righthander Matt Price from Virginia Tech started for Harwich. I had seen Price throw out of the bullpen earlier in the summer, and I think he is better-suited for a bullpen role. Price really only had two consistently reliable pitches, and he tired considerably after just a few innings. Price is average height for a pitcher and thin at 6'2" 165. He has some unnecessary movement in his motion but throws with loose arm action. He tends to throw his slider from a lower arm slot. Price's fastball has sat in the low 90's and it has a lot of tail in on right-handed hitters. His slider looked a lot better than I remembered it, with sharp two-plane break when he threw it well. It got a lot of swings and misses. Price's changeup was just occasionally deceptive and he didn't have much feel for the curveball he showed once in awhile. Overall, Price is a kid with a good arm who needs some refining.
Harwich right-handed reliever Les Williams from Northeastern had a good appearance. Williams was brought in to face Falmouth slugger Hunter Morris from Auburn with the bases loaded and two out in a one-run game. Williams went right after Morris, getting him to pop out weakly on a good slider in on his hands. Williams is average height with a solid build at 6'2" 220. He throws with effort and slings it. Williams' slider has good run, and as he did against Morris, he throws it right at hitters. Williams also floats a decent changeup with downward movement.
Morris hit another home run, his seventh of the summer, in an earlier at-bat against Price. After watching him two games in a row, it is unclear why anybody would ever throw Morris a fastball. He often takes bad swings at good breaking pitches, but he has continually proven he can hit a good fastball. After hitting a 400 plus-foot bomb Friday night, Morris hit one about 380 on Saturday on a heater Price left over the middle of the plate. Morris may have the best raw power in the Cape League, but he needs to learn how to hit a slider.
Harwich first baseman Connor Powers from Mississippi State has a similar problem. The Dodgers' 11th-round pick in June after has very good raw power, but he hasn't shown he can consistently hit a breaking ball.
I plan to be at Orleans at Cotuit on Sunday.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Cotuit 6 Bourne 2: Right-handed starter Justin Grimm allowed one earned run on six hits and struck out 10 in 7.1 innings pitched for Cotuit. Second baseman Rico Noel from Coastal Carolina went 3-for-4 for Cotuit.
Chatham 3 Brewster 0: Chatham right-handed starter Patrick Johnson from UNC pitched six shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out seven. Desginated hitter Mike Murray from Wake Forest went 2-for-2 for Chatham.
Orleans 2 Wareham 2, Orleans 6 Wareham 5: In the first game, Wareham right-handed starter Cole Green from the University of Texas struck out 10 in seven innings pitched, allowing two runs on eight hits. Left fielder Connor Rowe from the University of Texas homered for Wareham. Shortstop Devin Lohman from Long Beach State went 3-for-4 for Orleans. In the second game, designated hitter Steve Selsky from the University of Arizona went 2-for-2 with a home run, and right fielder Jeremy Gould from Duke went 3-for-3 for Orleans. Second baseman Jake Lemmerman from Duke went 2-for-3 with a home run for Wareham.
Hyannis 6 Y-D 4: First baseman Ryan Cuneo from the University of Delaware hit a grand slam and third baseman Dustin Harrington from East Carolina went 4-for-5 for Hyannis. Left fielder Caleb Ramsey from the University of Houston and right fielder Jonathan Jones from Long Beach State each had two hits for Y-D.
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
August 1 for July 31 Update
I went to Falmouth on Friday night to watch Falmouth and Bourne, and between the rain that poured down during the last few innings and the lack of a reliable radar gun, it was not the most successful of evenings.
But I got to take a look at Falmouth lefthander Taylor Wall from Rice, and Wall and his devastating changeup did not disappoint.
Falmouth won 9-2 in a game that was stopped after 7 1/2 innings because of the rain.
Wall is certainly one of the 10 best starters in the Cape League, and he should be a high draft pick when he becomes eligible in 2011. Wall is average height for a pitcher with a thin, athletic build. He rushes through his motion but he throws with ease and with good arm action. Wall's fastball sits in the upper 80's but he spots it well. He throws a devastating changeup that is probably the best change on the Cape this summer, and is the pitch that makes him such an intriguing prospect. It is very deceptive out of his hand and floats in with big time movement. He relies heavily on the change, and understandably so as it gets a lot of swings and misses. Wall still needs to develop a reliable breaking ball to maximize the effectiveness of his fastball/changeup combination. He throws both a curveball and a slider, but both pitches are just average at this point.
Bourne's starter was lefthander Bryan Morgado from the University of Tennessee, the White Sox' third-round pick last month. Morgado is above-average height with a thin, athletic build at 6'3" 205. Morgado has a tight motion and throws easily with good arm action. His fastball touched 94 mph the last time I saw him pitch, but he left it out over the plate too often on Friday and it got hit. Morgado throws a good slider with late movement and a good changeup with downward movement. He is extremely slow to the plate, and runners steal bases off of him almost at will. Morgado is an advanced pitcher and when he hits his spots he is effective.
Falmouth first baseman Hunter Morris from Auburn absolutely crushed a Morgado fastball that missed its location and hit a home run that must have traveled more than 400 feet. Morris has big-time raw power, and he can certainly hit a fastball, but Morgado made him look bad waving at sliders in a previous at-bat. Morris also made an athletic play at first base tagging out a runner after bringing down a high throw.
Bourne first baseman Kyle Roller from East Carolina, Oakland's 47th-round pick last month, also showed off his power with a home run to straightaway center. Roller has been one of the most impressive hitters in the league all summer, leading everybody with eight home runs, and one has to think he is making himself a lot of money either this year or next year if he decides to return to school.
Falmouth centerfielder Todd Cunningham from Jacksonville State, the league's leading hitter, hit a home run over the foul pole. Bourne second baseman Pierre LePage from UConn twice drove the ball to the opposite field for hits, and also showed off his superior athleticism with a leaping grab of a line drive to rob Cunningham of a hit.
I plan to be at Falmouth at Harwich on Saturday.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Brewster 1 Y-D 0: Four Brewster pitchers combined to scatter eight hits in the shutout. Y-D third baseman Tyler Hanover from LSU went 3-for-4. Leftfielder John Barr from the University of Virginia and first baseman Harold Martinez from the University of Miami each had two hits for Brewster.
Cotuit 8 Wareham 2: Leftfielder Zach Cone from the University of Georgia, designated hitter Cameron Rupp from the University of Texas, rightfielder Kevin Keyes from the University of Texas and third baseman Kevin Patterson from Auburn all homered for Cotuit.
Chatham 8 Hyannis 7: Leftfielder Joey Terdoslavich from Long Beach State and shortstop Tyler Rahmatulla from UCLA each went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Chatham. Rightfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., went 3-for-5 for Hyannis.
Orleans 3 Harwich 2: Pinch Hitter Matt Koch from Loyola Marymount hit a walk-off single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and rightfielder Jeremy Gould from Duke went 2-for-3 and scored the game-winning run for Orleans. Shortstop Levi Michael from UNC had two hits for Harwich.
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
But I got to take a look at Falmouth lefthander Taylor Wall from Rice, and Wall and his devastating changeup did not disappoint.
Falmouth won 9-2 in a game that was stopped after 7 1/2 innings because of the rain.
Wall is certainly one of the 10 best starters in the Cape League, and he should be a high draft pick when he becomes eligible in 2011. Wall is average height for a pitcher with a thin, athletic build. He rushes through his motion but he throws with ease and with good arm action. Wall's fastball sits in the upper 80's but he spots it well. He throws a devastating changeup that is probably the best change on the Cape this summer, and is the pitch that makes him such an intriguing prospect. It is very deceptive out of his hand and floats in with big time movement. He relies heavily on the change, and understandably so as it gets a lot of swings and misses. Wall still needs to develop a reliable breaking ball to maximize the effectiveness of his fastball/changeup combination. He throws both a curveball and a slider, but both pitches are just average at this point.
Bourne's starter was lefthander Bryan Morgado from the University of Tennessee, the White Sox' third-round pick last month. Morgado is above-average height with a thin, athletic build at 6'3" 205. Morgado has a tight motion and throws easily with good arm action. His fastball touched 94 mph the last time I saw him pitch, but he left it out over the plate too often on Friday and it got hit. Morgado throws a good slider with late movement and a good changeup with downward movement. He is extremely slow to the plate, and runners steal bases off of him almost at will. Morgado is an advanced pitcher and when he hits his spots he is effective.
Falmouth first baseman Hunter Morris from Auburn absolutely crushed a Morgado fastball that missed its location and hit a home run that must have traveled more than 400 feet. Morris has big-time raw power, and he can certainly hit a fastball, but Morgado made him look bad waving at sliders in a previous at-bat. Morris also made an athletic play at first base tagging out a runner after bringing down a high throw.
Bourne first baseman Kyle Roller from East Carolina, Oakland's 47th-round pick last month, also showed off his power with a home run to straightaway center. Roller has been one of the most impressive hitters in the league all summer, leading everybody with eight home runs, and one has to think he is making himself a lot of money either this year or next year if he decides to return to school.
Falmouth centerfielder Todd Cunningham from Jacksonville State, the league's leading hitter, hit a home run over the foul pole. Bourne second baseman Pierre LePage from UConn twice drove the ball to the opposite field for hits, and also showed off his superior athleticism with a leaping grab of a line drive to rob Cunningham of a hit.
I plan to be at Falmouth at Harwich on Saturday.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Brewster 1 Y-D 0: Four Brewster pitchers combined to scatter eight hits in the shutout. Y-D third baseman Tyler Hanover from LSU went 3-for-4. Leftfielder John Barr from the University of Virginia and first baseman Harold Martinez from the University of Miami each had two hits for Brewster.
Cotuit 8 Wareham 2: Leftfielder Zach Cone from the University of Georgia, designated hitter Cameron Rupp from the University of Texas, rightfielder Kevin Keyes from the University of Texas and third baseman Kevin Patterson from Auburn all homered for Cotuit.
Chatham 8 Hyannis 7: Leftfielder Joey Terdoslavich from Long Beach State and shortstop Tyler Rahmatulla from UCLA each went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Chatham. Rightfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., went 3-for-5 for Hyannis.
Orleans 3 Harwich 2: Pinch Hitter Matt Koch from Loyola Marymount hit a walk-off single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and rightfielder Jeremy Gould from Duke went 2-for-3 and scored the game-winning run for Orleans. Shortstop Levi Michael from UNC had two hits for Harwich.
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)