brew2

I went to see Justin Bristow play last week & I wasn't disappointed. He pitched 4 innings & came out with a 9 -2 lead (he gave up 1 earned run & struckout 11 of 12 outs). At the plate, he hit HR's his first 2 times up (first one went 400'+ to straight away CF - it was climbing as it went out). The 2nd HR was a rope to LF that never got 15 feet off the ground. After those 2 AB's, he got plunked in the ribs & walked. I heard he's hit 3 HR's in only 11 or 12 official at bats as most teams don't pitch to him. I think his team is 7 - 0 and he's 3 -0 on the mound. But his size & athleticism is very impressive for a HS player. He looks like a man among boys on the field. Lots of scouts at the game - I heard his velocity was 89 - 92 & it looked like it. Going back this week to see him play the field - will try to report later.

does Grant Brittain cover VA now ?? If not, who does ??

BA did have a mock draft in their early Nov. issue (the one with Khalil Greene on the cover). Obviously, they did their mock draft on the picks at the time, but the order has changed as a result of the free agent signings. Here is what they had: Ariz - Upton KC - Maybin Sea - Gordon Wash - Clement Milw - T. Greene Toro - Townsend Colo - Hochevar TB - Pelfrey NYMets - Head Det- Tulowitzki Pitt - Mayberry Cinci - McCormick Balt - Hansen Cleve - Zimmerman ChiWS - Mullins Fla - O'Sullivan Phil - Romero SD - Buck Tex - Quigley ChiCubs - Bristow Oak - Pennington SF - Volstad Ana - Kahn Houst - McCutcheon Minn - B. Clark LA - J. Danks Atlanta - Putnam Bost - Corley NYYankees - Bogusevic STL - Lowrie as colbyjack said, its very early & lots will change between Nov. & June.

colbyjack: As a follow up to my response yesterday, go to the TeamOne Baseball website as they rank the HS middle infielders. They have Upton @ #1, Bristow @ #2 and Snyder @ #4. I guess they agree with my assessment as well. Hey, all 3 are great players & from Va. which is pretty cool - that's pretty amazing that 3 of the top 4 HS middle IF's in the country are from the state of VA.

colbyjack- yeah, I've seen B. Snyder play a few times. He's athletic - swings the bat well and has a very good arm. He plays mostly SS in HS, but lots of baseball folks think his quickest route to pro ball is as a catcher. Can't comment as I've never seen him catch - but he could probably do it. He's about 6'2" and 190 lbs. I would rank him behind Upton & Bristow as far as Va. prospects go in overall talent & projectability - but he could be a late 1st rounder or an early 2nd round pick. Lots of talent in Va. for the '05 draft. Should be very interesting next June.

hey colbyjack: yeah, I've seen Bristow play baseball several times. He's big, smooth, powerful, has a great arm (hit 94 last spring) and can crush. He hit 3 HR's in his first HS game last year & then teams intentionally walked him everytime there was a runner in scoring position. As a pitcher, he beat Upton's team in the VA. State tournament. He didn't have a great AFLAC game mostly because he had a severely sprained wrist that he hurt at the East Coast Showcase the week before. He didn't get to participate in the HR derby at AFLAC because of the wrist but didn't want to pass up playing in the game. Don't forget he was the MVP of the USA team (in Taiwan) when he was 16 as the SS. He's gonna be a great pro - hope the Brewers grab him early.

Hey, I'm from Virginia and J. Bristow would be a great pick for you guys. I saw him play football this fall. He's gotten bigger, faster & more athletic. He's listed at 6'4" and 220 & moves very well - he's still only 17. He has a cannon for an arm - I believe he leads the Central Va. area in passing. And I heard this summer he really raked with a wood bat. He's played mostly SS his whole career, but would likely move to 3B because of his size. He's gonna be a great player at the pro level - he crushes the baseball & is only gonna get better.