battlekow

Yeah, Chad Stang, our 8th-rounder, is from BC, though he was drafted out of a Texas JC.

Andy Seiler said of Del Howell: "I wonder if he goes back to school. This is a very low slot." What do you think, colby?

3 Amigos settle in Randy Sachs Seeking better opportunities in baseball, education and a way of life, Brian Vigo-Suarez and his family left Puerto Rico and arrived in Keller three years ago. And because those same opportunities were so alluring, Vigo-Suarez was joined by friends and Fossil Ridge baseball teammates Carlos Rodriguez and Reggie Rodriguez. Not related, Carlos and Reggie left their families behind and have come to live with the Suarez family. Carlos came to Texas about the same time as Vigo-Suarez, while Reggie came a year later. Now, the three seniors are a nucleus of the Panthers team which is in the thick of the District 5-5A playoff hunt. Ridge battled 10 innings with district leader Colleyville Heritage Friday before losing the contest, 3-1. That leaves the Panthers at 4-4, in a three-way tie for third, and 11-10 overall. What's been more difficult than adjusting to the move up from 4A has been the transition to learning a new language and culture. "I didn't know any English before coming here," Vigo-Suarez said. "Learning the language and culture was difficult for me." Having his two buddies alongside him, and with the cooperation of the baseball team, the tension of walking into a brand new world for Vigo-Suarez was eased. Vigo-Suarez's mother was also of great assistance, as she already had a good grasp of English, while Reggie knew a bit more English than Brian or Carlos. What the three transplants have done for the Panthers' baseball team is substantial. Reggie leads the Panthers with a .400 batting average, while Vigo-Suarez and Carlos Rodriguez are both at about .300. The three Panthers have combined for 34 RBI, while Vigo-Suarez has two homeruns. One of those homers was at the Ballpark in Arlington in a game against Carroll. "That was a big deal," Vigo-Suarez said, explaining that playing in the Major League is a dream he works toward every day with plenty of hitting practice and weight-training. Vigo-Suarez' athleticism at shortstop is noticeable, giving solid defensive help to the Panthers pitching. "They wanted more opportunities for playing baseball and an education," Panthers head coach Doug Dulany said. "The families knew that if they were going to do well in college, they needed to get them here as soon as possible, and they've done well." Indeed, college ball awaits the three of them. Vigo-Suarez has committed to Navarro College in Corsicana, Carlos will play at Odessa College and Reggie at North Central Texas College next year. The baseball diamond affords the three "adopted brothers" an environment with a common language. "There have been communication gaps," Dulany noted, but said that one of the assistant coaches knew some Spanish to help in the transition. "My teammates have been helping me a lot with the language and school; we hang out together a lot," Vigo-Suarez said. He noted that his sister, a sophomore at Fossil Ridge, is also benefitting. "My family will stay here to wait for my sister to graduate," he said referencing the plan to stay in Keller before a move back to Puerto Rico. Dulaney said it's been a "win-win situation for the guys and the team." "We've learned a bit from each other and we're all better because of it," he said.

Franklin Romero went to the same high school as Angel Salome, George Washington in NYC.

Longer version of the video interview with Walla. It's really cool to see how giddy he is.

Jones County's Roberts set for baseball draft Jonathan Heeter Tyler Roberts has had a different kind of senior trip. The recent Jones County graduate has logged an impressive amount of frequent flier miles during the past few weeks on job interviews that took him to Atlanta, Washington D.C. and New York City. Roberts will find out what kind of impression he made during the next three days. The Jones County catcher is expected to be drafted at some point during the next few days in the Major League Baseball draft. The first three rounds are today, with rounds four through 30 on Wednesday and the remainder of the draft Thursday. "It's hard to get a handle on it," Roberts said. "I've heard someone might jump up and (draft) me in the second round, or I might fall to the 13th. I've got five teams right now that are very interested." Roberts worked out for the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees and Washington Nationals in recent days. He got a chance to hit some long home runs in the hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium and caught San Diego State pitcher Steven Strasburg - the likely No. 1 overall pick - in Washington. But Roberts' best memories will come from his workout for the Braves at Turner Field. He got to put on the uniform of his favorite team and then hit between 10 to 15 home runs with a wooden bat. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Roberts said. "I was at Chipper Jones' first game with the Macon Braves. I've grown up a Braves fan. If I could choose one team to pick me, it would be the Braves. But that's not how it works." Roberts is on the mind of many scouts because of his play at Jones County and because of his time with the Atlanta Blue Jays, with whom was a teammate of last year's No. 1 overall pick, Tim Beckham. "I've played a lot of baseball and matured over the years," Roberts said. "I've played with some of the best players in the nation with the Blue Jays. It has all been a process to get me ready for this chance." Roberts hit .584 as a senior with 13 home runs and 51 RBI. He walked nearly 40 times. "I've been coaching high school baseball for 20 years, and this is by far the best offensive season I've ever seen," Jones County head coach Barry Veal said. "He is such a great hitter and never gets frustrated. He stays patient and produces." Roberts signed with Meridian Community College, keeping his options open if he doesn't like where he is drafted. "Signing with a junior college gives you five chances to get drafted," Roberts said. "If you go to a four-year school, you only have three chances (as a high school senior and after the junior and senior college seasons). I'm just keeping my options open." http://media.macon.com/smedia/2009/06/08/17/4-20090608-171927-pic-934399340.standalone.prod_affiliate.71.jpg Jones County catcher Tyler Roberts watches a first inning homerun fly off his bat during play against East Coweta recently. (Grant Blankenship/The Telegraph)

BA on Gennett: BA on Gennett again (jjfanec linked this in the general thread, and this one's free): Gennett was in SaberScouting's top 30 HS juniors last year, and it sounds like he has some promise as a pitcher as well:

I guess Gennett hasn't lost as much luster as I thought. He was ranked #154 nationally by BA, but I remembered him being in SaberScouting's top 30 HS players last year.

Brewers draft Scooter Gennett. Cool. I know he was a touted guy coming into the year and that he's lost his luster, but that's about it. Seiler indicates signability is a concern.

Bryan Smith at BP said Khris Davis was one of his guys on the second day (that's a free article):

James just went to the Rays.

Davis certainly comes off here as if signing is a possibility: Former Theodore High star Kentrail Davis drafted in the first round by Milwaukee Brewers Mike Herndon After bypassing a shot at the pros two years ago when he was drafted in the 14th round out of high school, former Theodore standout Kentrail Davis was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 39th selection in the Major League Baseball draft Wednesday. The 5-foot-9, 200-pound outfielder was a compensatory pick at the end of the first round and the first player from the state of Alabama to be selected in Tuesday's draft. He's played the last two years at Tennessee and said Tuesday's selection validates his decision to go to college. "Obviously, it paid off," he said Tuesday night. "I got my stock up a little bit more and matured as a player. I would encourage every high school player to get in a couple years of college. I'm really happy with my decision."

Bruce Seid audio on the first day's picks. The two most notable things I heard is that "it's possible" that Davis might stick in center, and that Heckathorn will indeed begin as a starter. Nice little video interview of Max Walla. He's clearly really excited, and it's cool to see.

Shortstop Josh Prince helps Tulane turnaround in baseballTed Lewis Josh Prince can see clearly now -- literally and figuratively. Literally, because Prince, a Tulane junior shortstop, is wearing glasses when he bats. That has enabled him go from a disappointing .236 average last season -- his first at Tulane after transferring from Texas, where he had been a Freshman All-American -- to .363 going into this weekend's Conference USA series against Memphis. Figuratively, because he and his teammates seemingly have put aside the sometimes unfair expectations put on the program, resolving to relax and enjoy themselves the rest of the season, regardless of how things wind up. The result: seven victories in the past eight games that have kept the Green Wave (24-17, 5-7 C-USA) in the discussion for its 13th NCAA Tournament berth in 16 seasons. "When you play for Tulane, it means something, " Prince said. "I think we were all feeling that pressure and putting too much on ourselves, especially when we'd lose a close game. "We had a team meeting (after a 4-2 loss at Central Florida on April 10) and decided it was time to go back and play like when we were kids and you didn't worry about things like that. Now, whatever happens, happens, and things are going right for us." Prince is the epitome of that change in attitude. Batting leadoff, he has he hit safely in all eight games since the team meeting. And, he shook off two errors in last Saturday's loss to East Carolina with two spectacular plays in Sunday's 4-3 victory against the No. 23 Pirates, one that resulted in an out. On that play, he went four steps to his left, made a diving stop, got up and made the throw to first just in time for a crucial out in the ninth inning. On the play that didn't result in an out, he went even deeper into the hole, scooped up the ball, pivoted off his left foot and made a Derek Jeter-like throw off his right foot, although this one wasn't quite in time. Still, it had the crowd buzzing. "I've been practicing that throw since I was a kid, " said Prince, who did get the out on a similar play earlier this season against Northern Colorado. "Every shortstop wants to be able to make it." Tulane Coach Rick Jones said Prince's skills compare to two of his outstanding shortstops of recent years -- Andy Cannizaro and Tommy Manzella. "Josh has terrific range, " he said. "And he's got all of the other tools and instincts he needs to have a good shot at making the big leagues." Such was predicted for Prince out of Barbe High School in Lake Charles, where he also was a Class 5A All-State cornerback in football. He fulfilled those predictions as a freshman at Texas, where he hit .370. But after transferring to Tulane last year, Prince struggled, at first because he was recovering from elbow surgery, and then because of an astigmatism he found out about later. "It got to the point where all I could see was a white spot coming at me, so I knew something was wrong, " he said. "I couldn't pick up the spin of the ball at all. That created some bad habits for me. Now I can see the laces coming at me." With his batting touch restored and his fielding ability never in question, Prince is likely playing his final season at Tulane. But he's less concerned about improving his draft prospects than helping the Wave continue on its roll. "I've had a pretty good year, and my ultimate goal is to play Major League Baseball, " he said. "But that's not what I play for. I play to win, and if we don't win, who cares if I've had a good game or not? We haven't won as many games as we could have, but we're on the right path now, and that's what's important."

Pitchers picked to boost farm By Tom Haudricout It makes a scouting director smile when organizational need merges with the top name left on his draft board. That convergence led the Milwaukee Brewers to select Indiana University right-hander Eric Arnett with the 26th pick in the first round of the June draft Tuesday evening. Arnett, 21, was the first college pitcher taken by the Brewers in the first round since Ben Sheets in 1999. "I feel with the selection of Eric Arnett, we took the best player available," said scouting director Bruce Seid, conducting his first draft for the Brewers. "He is someone that will be a great fit in our organization and will make us better as a whole." It's no secret that the Brewers are thin in pitching prospects at the top levels of their farm system. Right-hander Jeremy Jeffress, rated as the top pitcher in the system, was demoted from Class AA Huntsville to Class A Brevard County a few weeks ago because he couldn't command his pitches. To help ease that deficit, the Brewers added another college arm in the supplemental first round when they took hard-throwing right-hander Kyle Heckathorn from Kennesaw (Ga.) State with the 47th pick. Rated as the 13th-best pitcher available by Baseball America magazine, Arnett went 12-2 with a 2.50 earned run average during his junior season at Indiana, with 39 walks and 109 strikeouts in 108 innings. He tossed six complete games and held opponents to a .212 batting average. At 6 feet 5 inches and 225 pounds, Arnett is a power pitcher whose fastball has registered consistently in the mid-90s. He has a sharp slider in the mid-80s that also serves as a strikeout pitch and a developing changeup. Arnett was a workhorse at Indiana, averaging nearly eight innings per start and completing six games. He was named Big Ten co-pitcher of the year and first-team all-Big Ten, and second-team All-American by Louisville Slugger and Collegiate Baseball News. A native of Pataskala, Ohio, Arnett was an outstanding all-around athlete at Watkins Memorial High School, where he also played football and basketball. He was a wide receiver/safety as well as a power forward but decided to concentrate on baseball when Indiana offered a scholarship. As it turns out, the Brewers had an unofficial scout at Indiana in basketball coach Tom Crean, who left Marquette to take over a Hoosiers program left in tatters by the recruiting scandal of Kelvin Sampson. Short of players, Crean had Arnett work out with the team and travel as a practice player but he never suited up for games. "He's been awesome, calling people and using him as a reference," Arnett said in a conference call later in the evening. "He knew (general manager Doug) Melvin with the Brewers, and some scouts." Arnett attended a workout Saturday the Brewers held for several draft-eligible players, so he knew Milwaukee was interested in him. "I felt if I got there (to No. 26), I knew I had a good chance of going to Milwaukee. I knew I was a potential prospect for them." The Brewers always place a premium on "signability" of draft picks and Arnett seemed eager to get his professional career going. "I'm looking forward to signing as soon as possible," Arnett said. "I'm a fairly 'signable' guy. I don't think it would take too long." Two of Arnett's Indiana teammates were selected in the supplemental first round: catcher Joshua Phegley (Chicago White Sox) and right-hander Matt Bashore (Minnesota). "Indiana hasn't always been so great in baseball," Arnett said. "We were able to get Indiana back on the map and make some noise." With their first supplemental first-round pick (No. 39), the Brewers selected University of Tennessee outfielder Kentrail Davis, a sophomore-eligible player whose performance didn't match his talent on a poor team this year. Compact and strong at 5-9 and 200 pounds, Davis batted .308 with nine home runs and 30 RBI. Davis has been timed at 6.6 seconds in the 60-yard dash but stole only four bases. He is considered an average defender in center and might have to move to left field. Though Heckathorn played at a small college, he has a big arm. Large (6-6, 240) and strong like Arnett, he throws his fastball in the mid- to high 90s with a hard slider, with command issues at time. Some scouts project Heckathorn as a reliever at the major-league level. With the Nos. 73 and 74 picks in the second round, the Brewers selected two prep players, outfielder Max Walla of Albuquerque (N.M) Academy and catcher Cameron Garfield of Murietta (Calif.) High School. Walla, only 5-11 and 195 pounds, nevertheless packs a big punch in his swing. The left-handed hitter was a sensation during workouts with several clubs, including the Brewers, showing lots of power and climbing up draft boards. In 72 at-bats during his senior year, Walla compiled 10 doubles and 12 home runs. Garfield had a disappointing year on offense but is rated a strong defensive catcher with the promise of power in his bat. In the third round, with the No. 105 pick, the Brewers selected Tulane shortstop Josh Prince. http://media.journalinteractive.com/images/eric60909b.jpg The Brewers drafted Indiana right-hander Eric Arnett with the No. 26 pick in the draft Tuesday. (Herald Times)

I hope to be able to interview Arnett and Walla pretty soon, yeah.

Draft starts at noon tomorrow.

Cal Eldred (yes, him) says that Arnett's breaking ball is more of a curve than a slider.

John Manuel on the Davis selection: "Gutsy pick with big upside." Will Heckathorn be shifted to the bullpen? Manuel: "Heckathorn could move quickly if he's moved to the bullpen, as most scouts expect."

Josh Prince was rated the #7 prospect in Louisiana by BA, with no other comment.

Josh Prince?

Madison Younginer, too.

Wil Myers finally off the board.

Excerpt from the BA blog entry on Walla that I posted in the round-specific thread: "we've been told that during his workout in Anaheim, Walla was thrown 60 balls during a BP session and put 38 of them in the seats for home runs."

There goes Dominguez to the Giants.