colbyjack

I'm currently in Nashville, and just got out of the Tennessee-Vanderbilt game about an hour ago. David Price pitched a dandy, taking a perfect game into the seventh inning. Actually he was one out away from taking it into the 8th when Tony Delmonico stroke an opposite field single to right field. Price proceeded to strike out Arencibia to end the frame. Price shouldn't have been allowed to pitch the 9th. I'm sure Vandy coach Tim Corbin puts his trust in his players and that it does something that I could never explain, but Adkins had already taken long enough to get out of the bottom of the 8th inning, and Price had pitched enough (14 Ks through 8 IP). Casey Weathers came in and closed the game out, so in addition to the Vols opposing pitcher, James Adkins, I got to see pretty much every prospect I was hoping to. Look for a more detailed report from this game next week on PGCC, in the meantime, enjoy some crappy pictures I took (I thought they would turn out better until I uploaded them onto my computer...Photoshop can't save these). David Price warming up in the bullpen http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/colbyjack/price-bullpen2.jpg Hawkins Field http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/colbyjack/hawkinsfield.jpg Price's first pitch http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/colbyjack/firstpitch.jpg David Price http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/colbyjack/price1.jpg James Adkins http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/colbyjack/adkins1.jpg Pedro Alvarez http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/colbyjack/alvarez1.jpg Julio Borbon http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/colbyjack/borbon1.jpg

Cory Gearrin is legit. He's Mercer's closer, and has been nearly unhittable this year (7 hits allowed in 32 innings of work). He has 52 Ks, however he also has 21 BBs. Opposing batters are hitting .072 against him. The reports you have heard are true. He throws from a low, sidearm-esque delivery with a nasty low-90s fastball. He has a good slider, and his delivery offers a lot of deception according to reports I have read/heard. He obviously has some bouts with wildness, and he doesn't have a good enough repertoire to be a starter, at least not at this point in time, and of course there are some questions about Mercer's level of competition. However, as you pointed out via your friend who plays for Auburn, he has had great success against some pretty good teams. Speaking of Auburn, what happened to them once they hit their SEC schedule?

I think Heyward could very well be the Brewers pick. I think he goes somewhere between the Brewers pick and the 15th pick. He hasn't been getting much to hit this year, but when he does the ball usually doesn't come down.

Another interview up this week, this time speaking with Hunter Morris, another Aflac All-American and one of the top power hitters available for this year's draft. He should have broken Jeremy Brown's (which was 54) Alabama single-season walk record by now, and physically he's 10x the prospect Brown was coming out of high school. Hunter Morris Interview

I know we have some new people on the team this year, and I have been meaning to ask those people what names they want on the back of their jerseys and what number they want. This is what I have to the best of my knowledge (please excuse any errors, trying to match up poster names with the names I know of the players on the team can lead to confusion): Brewerjamie15 - Jamie #15 Brian the Automator - Automator #28 Colbyjack - Colbyjack #9 Iron Chef Napalm - ZAC #00 (requested name change) bball123h - Kenny #31 Houlie24X - Houlie #8 radman12484-683-5882300-8675309 - Raddatz #54 Ajay - Ajay #2 nullbyte - Russell #34 jason21L - NEW? Ajohnson104 - Al #20 Jimbo - Jimbo #99 Valpocrewsader - Matt #13 My94rt - Rouse #19 rightomac13 - T Mik #25 Brewerfanmatt - Schubert #12 robin19 - B Ken #14 I will try to get to these next week. Thanks.

I'm out of town this weekend as well, but should be there on the 28th.

I didn't realize that Magruder created any heated arguments. Was this how they went down? Yeah, I shouldn't have said arguments, because they were pretty one sided. I meant to say people got pretty fired up when talking about Chris Magruder being the team's 25th best player. We had to have been able to do better than that, right?

I hope Melvin sticks to his guns with Capellan and doesn't give in. Capellan not showing up absolutely takes a toll on any trade value he may have had. Melvin clearly wasn't getting counter-offers for what he was looking for before this incident happened. And because of that, as spiteful as it may sound, I hope Melvin makes an example out of Capellan. Melvin has helped players in the past out of respect for their careers, moving them to another team or simply letting them go to give them a better chance to make the big leagues (such as catcher Mark Johnson). At this point in time, I would love to see Capellan get his head on straight, but at the same time if he rots at AAA, as some have suggested, it wouldn't really bother me one bit. I still think he was a complete steal for Dan Kolb, and has already more than justified that trade.

With all due respect to Ned Yost IV, I wouldn't spend too much time trying to figure out if he can play a whole bunch of spots, because I personally don't feel he ever sniffs the big leagues. He was moved from behind the plate because his arm reportedly was shot. That pretty much means he would be a weak-armed third baseman even if he had the agility to play there. Ditto for LF and RF. He's the son of the big-league manager, was added to the system probably more out of respect to Ned the third than anything else, has been brought along one level at a time, has put up good numbers despite being old for each level he's played at and hasn't been promoted aggressively despite being the son of the big-league manager. That's not a very good collection of signs for a player the organization is trying to figure out how they're going to make a place for him at the big-league level down the road. If Ned the Fourth makes the team someday as the 25th man, prepare yourself for some heated arguments that far surpass those that Chris Magruder created.

Texas played Rice last night, a game carried live on CSTV, and offered plenty of interesting prospects. Jordan Danks Danks is a former Aflac All-American, a player that could have easily been a first-round pick in the 2005 draft had he not made it very clear that he was attending Texas. Danks is a great looking athlete, built tall with long, strong limbs and room for added strength. He's a very similar athlete to Kyle Russell, although Danks is actually more filled out at this point in time. He has good speed (he probably could play CF down the road), good power potential and a disciplined eye at the plate. The home runs haven't started coming for him yet, but I think they will. He's draft eligible next year. Kyle Russell Russell hit his 21st home run on the season last night, hitting a high outside fastball the opposite way to left field, on almost an excuse me swing. I say this because it's clear how much power this guy has, even with a metal bat. And he will need to realize this sooner or later, because he tends to overswing which leads to some eye-popping strikeout totals. When he learns to trust his natural power he is going to be a better overall hitter. Even if he doesn't, he already could be the second coming of Adam Dunn, although Russell should be a much better defender in one of the corner outfield spots with pretty good speed and a strong arm. Brad Suttle I didn't get a real good feel for Suttle, but there are tons of Bill Mueller comparisons out there. It makes sense, as he's a switch hitter, a solid defender at third base, he has a good eye, hits for contact and a high average and has double-digit home run power. In other words he's a good, not great, hitter and overall player, and I have a feeling he will return to Texas for his junior year despite being draft eligible. Preston Clark Texas' catcher, and another draft-eligible sophomore. Clark is exactly what he is advertised as: A very good defensive catcher with some pop in his bat. He could be a Gold Glove candidate behind the plate, and while he may hit well enough for a catcher, I don't think he's going to earn his paychecks with his bat. The bat speed just isn't there, despite the fact that he laced a couple of singles in this game. Tyler Henley Rice's leadoff hitter smoked a triple to deep centerfield to lead off the game. This guy is the second coming of Lenny Dykstra, the definition of scrappy. He has some pop, some speed, tracks balls down well in CF and has a good enough arm. Again, nothing stands out, but he's solid across the board and his approach will allow him to play above his tools. Brian Friday Rice's SS. I listed him in my notes next to Suttle as a good but not great player. He can run a little, hits pretty well, has a little bit of pop and plays sound defense. Joe Savery Savery has very good plate coverage and pitch recognition, but I'm not sure if the power is in his swing. He is a very good natural hitter with power to the opposite field (he hit a towering fly ball to LF in the 1st and a solo HR to LF in the 7th). That power has not shown much this season, as IIRC his SLG is lower than his OBP. He didn't pitch, as he's Rice's Sunday starter, as I still think his arm makes him more of a first-rounder than his bat. Like Sean Doolittle I think his best comparison as a hitter is John Olerud, which of course would make him a very good hitter, but his power needs to continue to develop to reach that status. Cole St. Clair St. Clair came in the 7th inning with a runner on and nobody out, and worked the rest of the game facing just one over the minimum. He got Danks to groundout to end the game, struckout Chance Wheeless and walked Kyle Russell. He threw almost all fastballs in this game, and according to the stadium gun he was throwing in the 86-88 range, topping out at 90. I've seen him throw in the 93-95 range before, and I have also seen him throw a dominant slider and a very impressive changeup in the past. I think I saw only two sliders, which were very loopy, and didn't see a single changeup. He commanded the strike zone extremely well, which is good to see for a guy who missed the first couple of months of the season with biceps soreness. His delivery also wasn't as funky as I remember, but he still has a big leg kick that he'll need to tone down with runners on. I'm not sure if Rice is limiting what he throws or if his fastball was the only pitch working for him coming out of the bullpen, but it was nice to have the chance to see him pitch again. I think his draft stock has had to have suffered so far given his injury and what he's throwing right now, but he's still a solid prospect given his FB command and the fact that he's a lefty. The good thing is that his arm should be relatively fresh for the summer months. Randy Boone Texas' closer came in the 7th to face one batter, and made that batter look silly swinging over a nasty slurve. He command his fastball extremely well, and physically resembled Bryce Cox, Rice's closer from a year ago. He started the year slow and has been pitching much better as of late, which could mean big things for the Longhorns down the stretch. Chris Kelley Rice's starting pitcher. I haven't seen or really paid too much attention to this junior RHP before, but he did a really nice job changing speeds and commanding the strike zone against a tough Texas lineup. He has a fastball, curveball and changeup, of which the latter two pitches showed really nice movement. I'm guessing he only throws in the 87-88 range, but still he could be a name to watch to be selected in rounds 3 through 10 come draft day. I won't be offering any weekend previews for the weekend series, as I'm leaving tomorrow night for Nashville to cover the Tennessee-Vanderbilt series. I'll have plenty of reports to share upon my return, which likely will be posted on PG Crosschecker's site at some point next week.

I'm not exactly positive how that will shake out. There are two other players/freshmen that were booted from the South Carolina program, Lonnie Chisenhall and Nick Fuller, that could also affect the draft. If I had to guess, as long as all three of them would make themselves eligible for the draft, basically eliminating their remaining college eligibility, they could become draft eligible since they are no longer affiliated with their school's baseball programs. The article above did note that Clark is going to remain in school for the semester, but again, his semester should be over by the time the draft rolls around. I'm guessing all three of them would have to write a letter to the commissioner's office to determine whether or not they would be eligible for the draft, and we may not find out until a few weeks beforehand. However, they would probably be better off returning to school somewhere to improve their status. The problem is that no one will have seen them play for several months, and no one entered the draft season expecting them to be draft eligible, so they probably haven't been scouted very much (meaning scouts would have to rely on their notes on them from their high school days). All three are better off either transferring to another D1 program or going to a JC to improve their status. If the draft is on their mind, they should go to a JC so the scouting community knows to follow them more closely next year. And if they do become draft eligible this year, you may see some team take a flyer on them hoping that these players show something playing summer ball.

Due to a rain delay, last Friday night's Nebraska-Oklahoma game was televsied on Saturday afternoon, meaning both team's Friday starters, Tony Watson and Stephen Porlier were on display. Tony Watson Watson throws almost sidearm from a very low 3/4 delivery. There's a lot of arm to his delivery, kind of like he's throwing a javelin, but it seems to work for him. He pitches very aggressively with his fastball, and isn't afraid to throw that pitch over the plate. This leads to some hard contact against him, but he does do a good job keeping the ball down in the zone, which should translate well against wood bats. His changeup is a very good pitch, which acts a lot like a very heavy sinker. Lefties can seem to get away with a fastball-changeup repertoire more than a righty can, at least when it comes to starters, as Watson barely threw his breaking pitch (for the most part, he didn't need it). He did give up three runs over seven innings of work. When he misses the strike zone, he just misses. I've compared him to David Huff before, who was a supplemental pick a year ago, and they both have very similar stuff and approaches to the game. Watson's changeup isn't as good as Huff's, but his fastball is consistently better. Stephen Porlier Porlier has been a pleasant surprise this season, although he was a very talented pitcher coming out of high school that started his career at Tulane. He received a medical redshirt in 2005 and had Tommy John surgery, so he's draft-eligible sophomore. He has a great pitcher's frame, very similar to Jake Arrieta as profiled below, and I like the way he pitches more than Arrieta. He has a stiff lead leg when he lands as part of his delivery, which causes him to throw across his body somewhat, which is a little scary given the fact that he's already had major arm surgery. He has three very good pitches that he throws for strikes. His fastball reportedly sits in the low-90s, he has a 12-to-6 curveball that was very sharp at times, and a very good changeup that drew some pretty awkward swings when he had the batters thinking fastball. He recorded strikeouts on all three pitches, which is good to see, especially against a tough Nebraska team. All of his pitchers were in or around the zone, except when he tried to get batters fishing for a hard curveball in the dirt. He pitched aggressively, going right after hitters and trying to make them hit for contact early in the count. He tossed a complete game shutout, allowing only four hits and no walks while striking out six, usng 123 pitches to do so. His stuff wasn't as dominant later in the game, as the Ks tailed off after the fifth inning, but his ability to change speeds and hit his spots allowed him to stay in the game as long as he did. A very nice pitching prospect, not a staff ace or true #2, but he should be a second to third rounder unless he decides to return to Oklahoma for his junior year of eligibility. Jake Arrieta CSTV carried the TCU-UNLV game from Friday night last evening, which meant getting a look at TCU's staff ace and potential first-round pick Jake Arrieta. His body is similar to Porlier's with a high waist, strong, long legs and a barrel-chested upper-body. He has a wide backside, which by no means he's fat, as he is in very good shape. His strong lower half makes him look like a prototypical staff ace workhorse, and resembled Roger Clemens a little bit. The first thing I noticed is that he overthrows quite a bit, pushing his fastball and curveball into the dirt seemingly without intentionally doing so. He didn't pitch as aggressively as either Porlier or Watson did, consistently working away from right-handed hitters. His fastball is definitely hard to hit, as few players managed to have hard hit balls off of him, as the five runs scored against him seemed to be a product of walks and singles strung together. He did allow one very hard hit ball, a home run in the second inning. His breaking ball doesn't fool anyone. It shows promise, but it doesn't have a very tight break to it. I'm not sure if the pitch was inconsistent or if he throws two versions of it, as one was tighter than the other. I didn't see a changeup. although theoretically with his potential power arsenal he won't need it. The thing with Arrieta is that all of his problems are completely correctable with a good pitching coach, which made me like him more than I have been by just following his success through the box scores. His mechanics and delivery need to be brushed up so he repeats his delivery better and doesn't overthrow as much. He needs to stop nibbling and go right after batters, and this might simply be a matter of increasing his confidence. I'm not sure if he's a legit first-rounder, as he's definitely not in the same mold as Max Scherzer or Luke Hochevar, a couple of Boras-advised college righties from the past couple of years.

Since my last round of observations were from the weekend prior to this last one, I'm going to start a new post on my observations from this past weekend. UCLA @ USC Brandon Crawford Crawford looks like a Stephen Drew clone, a perfect athlete for the shortstop position and a left-handed batter to boot. His athleticism and bat speed are evident, he runs the bases extremely well and he offers a nice presence at the plate. He's more aggressive as a hitter than Drew, but he does work the count which leads to high walk and strikeout totals. He smoked a Robert Stock fastball for an RBI single, then he hit a high fastball to the opposite field off Paul Koss in the ninth inning to drive in two runs to tie the game (Koss had Crawford in an 0-2 count, using his nasty curve to get ahead, before elevating that fastball). He scored the winning run from second base on an infield single (that was misplayed) by Cody Decker. Crawford will be talked about quite a bit between now and the 2008 draft, as he's only a sophomore, and is one of many talented sophomore hitters that should help make the '08 class special. Cody Decker Mentioned just above, Decker drove in the winning run off of Koss in the top of the ninth inning. He has a great approach at the plate and an impressive swing. He crushed a HR to left-centerfield earlier in the game, and on Sunday he hit a grand slam. He has a very quick bat. He's a shorter, stockier player, and while he came to UCLA as a catcher, he plays first base or left field now. He's short on tools but looks like his bat may carry him. Brant Rustich UCLA's closer, he only came in to face one batter in this game (Grant Green), who he got swinging on a loopy curveball down in the dirt. He's an intimidating presence on the mound, with a big, big body and his hat pulled down low a la Derrick Turnbow. While he has good stuff, a fastball that sits int he 91-94 range, his stuff isn't as good as Turnbow's, and his breaking ball needs to be tightened up quite a bit. Still, with his size, approach and pure stuff he should be taken in the top three rounds come June. Some team may try to use him as a starter, but I think he will be at his best as a short reliever. Grant Green Over to USC, Green is a freshman SS built tall and lanky. It's funny, I remember being impressed with Green's size watching him at the 2005 Aflac game, but next to college athletes he looks really skinny and needs to put on weight/strength. He had a good game, at least early in the contest, going 3-3 in his first three ABs with a single a double and a triple. He strikes out a lot, but that can be expected for a freshman. He'll be good, but there are definitely parts of his game that he needs to improve. Robert Stock Pitched 1.1 innings in this game. Gave up the RBI single to Crawford and then that was it. His fastball command was a little spotty to start off with, but then after Crawford he unleashed his hammer curveball and no one could touch him. He got Decker swinging on his curve. Didn't get to see Stock too much in this one, and like Green he's a freshman with a boatload of talent. Paul Koss USC's closer. Like Stock, Koss couldn't command his fastball as he entered the game. He walked the first batter he faced, and then decided to go to his curveball, which for the most part UCLA couldn't touch. As noted above, he got Crawford swingining on his curve to go ahead 0-2, but then elevated a fastball which burned him and he lost the lead, and eventually the game. Decker's RBI infield single came on a curveball down in the zone, a pitch that Decker was lucky to make contact with. There were two outs at that point, as there were with Crawford, so the pitch sequences were a little confusing and he also ran into a little bad luck. It seems to come down to confidence with Koss, who lost his confidence during his junior year and struggled, which came after a very strong sophomore year and he bounced back with a strong performance last summer on the Cape. I don't think Koss is a future closer, as he just doesn't seem to fit in that role. He could be used as a starter as a pro or he could be a valuable late inning reliever with closing experience.

Toby nailed it, the hit scene was incredible. Probably the best one I have ever seen in the entire Sopranos series. The NY mob scene has always been portrayed as disfunctional since the series began, and that continues (and will seem to end that way). Paulie's comments were typical Paulie. There's nothing more to read in to that, I can almost guarantee it. I still think the entire series ends just where it began: With Tony as the big boss, bigger and better than anything NY has to throw at him. They're trying to make it seem as though he's wavering, but I don't buy it. Just as a side note, the "Wings" cast has seemed to do well for themselves. I couldn't remember the female actress in that series though. Crystal Bernard??? That doesn't sound right, but guys like Monk and the dude that was in Sideways (and the upcoming Spiderman movie) have made well for themselves, even if it has been a while.

Some thoughts on players after watching an Arizona State - Stanford contest taped from last weekend. I'm not going to breakdown the Arizona State players since I already did so a couple of weeks ago. Nolan Gallagher Stanford's starter, who opened the season as the Cardinal Friday ace, but now starts Sundays. His size and stuff make him a potential first rounder, but he is really having a hard time commanding any of his pitches, and it seems as though his confidence is somewaht lost right now. He has a very nice delivery, with some deception to it. He pitches down in the zone, which is a good thing, but misses the strike zone too much to have success. Initially he walked way too many batters, although the Sun Devils couldn't get any solid contact at first. That changed in the second inning, and while Gallagher didn't get any help from his defense behind him, he lasted only two innings. Big upside, but the results just aren't there right now. Brian Flores ASU's starter, a transfer this season who had a huge JC career. He's like ASU's Friday starter, Josh Satow, in that he's a shorter lefty that pitches very aggressively and has decent stuff. Everything he threw was in or around the zone, but he did have the tendency to pitch up in the zone more than I would like to see. His stuff isn't good enough for him to succeed at the next level to live up in the zone. He threw a very good breaking ball, and while I have heard he has a very good changeup, I didn't see him throw any. His fastball is relatively straight. Balls not hit in the ground were hit pretty hard, although right at his defenders in this game, as he allowed only four base hits. He's a nice player, and will get every chance in the world to succeed as a lefty. Like Satow, he could be a future bullpen candidate in the mold of Ricardo Rincon. Michael Taylor Remember Michael Taylor? One of the most exciting high school players entering the 2004 spring season, scouts started to sour on Taylor due to some big holes in his swing. Those holes are still very evident, and he doesn't have the greatest of swings either. He's having a solid junior campaign for the Cardinal, and is an incredible athlete standing at a chiseled 6'6", 260 pound frame. That size makes him look more like a tight end prospect, and unfortunately I think he would probably have more success in the NFL has his swing will keep him from sniffing MLB. He has a good arm in right field, and the tools overall are there. Erik Davis Davis pitched in the inaugural Aflac All-American Classic in 2003, and I was really impressed with his showing that year. Now he's in Stanford's bullpen, and while the stuff is still there the command is not. Both his fastball and curveball were all over the place, although he does find success being effectively wild. Him not being in the Cardinal weekend rotation at this point in his career is telling of his overall effectiveness in college. Brett Wallace Ok, I will profile one Sun Devil hitter, briefly. Wallace is going to hit at the big-league level. Terrible body, but a great, great swing and overall hitting mechanics. He stays back on the ball extremely well, is patient, and has few holes in his swing while driving balls to all parts of the field.

I haven't heard the Dodgers connected to McGeary, but it is still relatively early to start connecting players with teams. It isn't surprising, and I'm a big fan of McGeary, who would be a solid pick for your Dodgers. Mock drafts need to be taken with a huge grain of salt. While the writer seems to have some solid info, he did try to figure out team needs out too much, as teams rarely draft players for organizational need. The biggest thing I have heard regarding the draft is that Daniel Moskos is nearly a lock to go within the top 3-5 picks, so he has him being selected a little too low (and I hope the Brewers don't pass on the guy should he be there...you just can't pass on a lefty that can touch 97, even if his future -- starter vs. reliever -- is somewhat undetermined).

Bowman is now at Nebraska, and is having a good year bouncing between the rotation and the bullpen. He hasn't thrived as much as everyone thought he would in college, and for a relatively polished pitcher coming out of high school, he really hasn't had too many opportunities, or at least he hasn't made the most of those opportunities, until last summer starring in the Jayhawk League. He's a draft-eligible sophomore, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him return to Nebraska next year. Sean Morgan, another pitcher taken in the same draft as Bowman a couple of rounds later, is having a very nice year for Tulane.

Interesting question igor, and I think I agree with your overall assessment. I think pitchers with shaky command and overall control get exposed the most as they move up. You can see a flamethrower dominate in the lower levels, but if they can't throw a strike or a consistent breaking ball as they move up, they're going to struggle. On the flip side you may often see a polished college pitcher that has very good command yet marginal stuff at best flourish in the lower levels only to struggle more as they reach the higher levels when the better hitters learn to lay off their breaking stuff and tee off on their fastballs. I think we're going to see that with Robert Woodard, currently a senior RHP at UNC, in a few years once he's pitching professionally.

At this moment in time, I am definitely rooting for Moskos to be the Brewers first round pick. I think Jack owes me for when he didn't pick Sowers. You and me both PTH, although I really don't think Moskos makes it to the 7th overall selection. Thanks for the head's up on Clark. The Brewers did draft him last summer. I also want to point out just how many college pitchers are having lackluster seasons this year. The lack of college righthanders has been discussed in great detail, but no one has really stood up and separated themselves from the pack. Arrieta has been mediocre and inconsistent, Roemer seemingly has regressed and Simmons is good although he seems to get roughed up by better teams. This is a good year to get a lefty though. I also want to comment on Casey Weathers. I've brought up before that I would try using him as a starter upon drafting him. Last night's game wasn't the first time he has been stretched out for 3-4 innings this year, and each time he has been very effective in the process. He can dominate alone with his fastball, and he also has a wicked slider. He is relatively new to pitching, has a fresh arm, and given the way he has picked up pitching so quickly there's no reason to think he can't develop a changeup as well. I'm going to ask around and see what he was throwing in his fourth inning of work yesterday, as if he was in the upper-90s per usual that could be a very encouraging sign for the possibility of him being developed as a starter.

Reid Nichols reported on Talkin' Brewers this spring that Salome will start the season in extended spring training. He didn't say when or where he would start the season once his ankle is fully healed, but he did make it sound as though the organization was extremely pleased with his progress. The man is a workout warrior, so you know he busted his butt in rehab. He broke his ankle in August IIRC last summer running the bases (I believe in a bang-bang play at second base), not an easy injury for any player to come back from, much less a catcher.

Clemson's Daniel Moskos has thrived so far since being put in the Tigers' rotation, serving as their Friday ace the past two weekends. Here's a nice picture of him from Clemson's site: http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/clem/sports/m-basebl/auto_wider/931240.jpeg He went 6 innings tonight, allowing 6 hits, 1 ER (a solo HR) and 1 BB while striking out 7. Here's his line the past two weeks as a starter (yes, yes, small sample, but a good small sample after being converted from the team's closer): 1.80 ERA, 10 IP, 12 H, 11 K, 1 BB, 141 pitches Also in that span he has a 12 to 5 groundout to flyout ratio, always a good indicator of his effectiveness given his propensity to miss bats. Of course I don't have reports of his stuff after being moved to the rotation, as I obviously wasn't there myself to make this report, but it's nice to see the Tigers easing him into the rotation, letting him toss 57 pitches last week and 84 pitches this week. If his stuff has held true, and I don't expect him to hit 97 now as often as he did as the team's closer, he is truly a top 3-5 pick, and as I've said before, don't be surprised if the Royals pluck him 2nd overall, where the selection would be 100% warranted. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Onto the other weekend action... David Price 6 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 9 K, 2 BB, 109 pitches vs. Kentucky Price gets knocked around a little bit in this one, although 6 hits and 2 BB in 6 IP isn't that bad. Casey Weathers tossed 4 scoreless/hitless/walkless innings. Jake Arrieta 6.2 IP, 9 H, 6 R (5 ER), 3 K, 1 BB, 108 pitches vs. UNLV These starts are becoming commonplace for Arrieta. James Simmons 5 IP, 9 H, 7 R (4 ER), 7 K, 3 BB vs. Washington Simmons gets roughed up in a non-conference matchup with the Huskies. Wes Roemer 8 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 5 K, 2 BB, 120 pitches vs. UC Davis Another week, another long game for Roemer. He's having a good year, but nowhere near the season he had as a sophomore. Scott Maine 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R (1 ER), 7 K, 0 BB, 96 pitches vs. NC State I'm adding Maine to the list as he had another strong game this week despite some shaky defense behind him. As I noted last week, I was really impressed with his command against Georgia Tech, and while I didn't see him with my own two eyes this week, I'm guessing he continues to cruise, and I also llike that his pitch counts are kept right around 100. Ross Detwiler 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 10 K, 4 BB vs. Dallas Baptist Another strong outing for Detwiler, as his line today mimics what he's been doing all spring. Lots of Ks, more BBs than you would like to see. Andrew Brackman 7 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 5 K, 3 BB vs. Miami While Brackman allowed 5 runs in this game, the peripherals look good using 98 pitches over 7 innings against a tough Miami team. Enrique Garcia 9 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 12 , 0 BB vs. NC State Garcia opposed Brackman, and twirled a gem. Garcia started the year as the Hurricanes closer, and has flourished since being moved to the weekend rotation. David Newmann 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 7 K, 2 BB vs. Missouri These were the types of games Newmann was having at the beginning of the year. He started the year as the team's Sunday's starter, and has been bumped back to the Sunday role after serving as the Aggies' Friday ace for over a month. Joe Savery 4.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 K, 4 BB vs. Houston I know he's rehabbing the arm and all being brought back slowly, but these starts have become far too familiar this season. Any team that drafts this guy in the top 15 picks, if not the entire first round, is taking a big chance on him, or they believe more in his bat, and he hasn't exactly been putting up big power numbers this year either. Virginia's Sunday contest was rained out, so no Sean Doolittle on the mound htis weekend, another player who has been underwhelming over the last month or so.

I had a nice, candid interview discussion with Josh Smoker, one of the top LHP prospects for this year's draft. The story is now up on PG Crosschecker: Josh Smoker Interview

Here's BA's weekend preview. Not a whole lot of intriguing matchups standings wise. Their series of the week is Michigan vs. Ohio State, which obviously is more intriguing to the Midwest followers. www.baseballamerica.com/t...63709.html Here's a picture of Michigan's Zach Putnam, an Aflac All-American a few summers ago and a player that I remember quite a few people around these parts expressing interest in. http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/zputnam07428309.jpg

I won't be at the April 21st practice either. Have a great time in Boston Jimbo, and best of luck at the marathon!

I just want to cross-check the possible starters for Nashville for my trip a week from tomorrow based on the early returns. 4/13: R.A. Dickey 4/14: Chris Oxspring 4/15: Yo! 4/16: ZachJack 4/17: Dillard 4/18: Dickey 4/19: Oxspring 4/20: Yo! 4/21: ZachJack 4/22: Dillard The games in bold are the games scheduled to be in Nashville while I'm in town, games against the Iowa Cubs. I realize the weather may have something to say about who starts when and where, but I'm just looking for confirmation of this loose 10-day outlook. Thanks in adance. For what it's worth, the game on Sunday, April 22nd is the game I intend on being at, so I'm either hoping for Dillard (who I haven't seen pitch, ever) or that there are two rainouts to get the chance to see Yo. I'll be checking out Vanderbilt host Tennessee on Friday and Saturday, and any Nashville tips are greatly appreciated. For the I-Cubs I looked forward to watching Felix Pie, Eric Patterson and my 2002 draft fave Scott Moore.