colbyjack

Gallardo dominated the FSL for 13 starts last year over 77 innings, so I'm guessing that's a fair estimate for Inman this year.

As always, most of BA's coverage is subscirber-based, but I did want to share this great picture of Jason Heyward wearing a classic East Cobb Astros uniform. Check out BA's draft blog for some updated news on various prospects, including a few on the rise. http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/jheyward07428309ds.jpg

I am willing to leave this be as a difference in opinion between someone who is in the game, and someone who enjoys it. Wow, what a condescending post and comment. I never claimed to be an authority, although I seem to remember you sending me a PM not too long ago in which you told me that you were just a former player and son of a high school ballcoach, and that you would defer your opinion to my own because I was more involved with the game than you were. Your tone has certainly changed. Oh yeah, and just so you know, I do talk to teams, I do talk to scouts and I do speak with scouting directors. I also speak with the players themselves. I attend events in person in which I compare my own notes with scouts in an attempt to learn and get better at assessing talent. Scouts, scouting directors and college recruiters are directly involved with the day-to-day operations of Perfect Game USA. Most of the Perfect Game staff is comprised of former players, scouts, coaches, recruiters, etc. Trust me, I have heard plenty of people share their gripes about Perfect Game, and I have heard that high school teams aren't always thrilled with showcase organizations and traveling teams. However, those complaints never come from the scouts or the recruiters, who, whether you want to believe it or not, use the resources at Perfect Game as much as they can, some teams more than others. And just so you know, there are similar complaints from the scouting community directed towards the high school teams and coaches and how they hurt their individual player's chances by encouraging them not to travel to play with and against the best players in the nation. I have heard this complaint in relationship to legion ball as well. Usually when coaches don't want their players traveling their are selfish intentions involved, as the focus isn't on what is best for the player. Perfect Game was started to help players get recognized, from the biggest names in the nation to the smallest. Their #1 priority is the players themselves, helping them not only get recognized by big-league clubs, but by colleges big and small. Their partnership with Rawnlings has no effect on how they rank or assess players. Baseball America has plenty of similar partnerships, yet it doesn't seem to tarnish their image. I'll tell you what, why don't you tell me specifically the problems you have against Perfect Game and the supposed short-cuts they take and I will be sure to share those with Jerry Ford.

Bradyo, just curious, are you aware that I work for Perfect Game and PG Crosschecker? If so, you're taking a pretty deliberate and blatant shot at me. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, so I don't want to sound like a company stooge while challenging your comments, but please explain what prompted you to type what you did about PGCC and Perfect Game, particularly with their relationship with Rawlings (which is a more recent partnership, for what it's worth). We haven't agreed about very much, and you usually don't back up your points with anything of substance, but now you're just sounding like a troll who stirs up crap just for the sake of doing so. As for Vitters ranking, I also didn't agree with where PG had him, as I think he more than proved himself last summer and fall. To each their own, and I do know that PG places a lot of value on big tools, of which Vitters is lacking other than his bat (again, which more than makes up for his other perceived deficiencies).

That's tough question, as it's hard to figure out Jack Z. The basic premise is tools. He wants something dominant, such as Fielder's bat or Jeffress' fastball. Braun, Weeks and even Krynzel represented five-tool talents. Jones, Rogers and Jeffress all had athletic frames and deliveries, big fastballs and good makeup yet their polish was in question. So, here's my stab: 1. Josh Vitters He probably won't be there at #7, but his bat is the best of anyone available. 2. Jason Heyward Arguably the best all-around positional player available this year. 3. Neil Ramirez Starting to come around this spring, a power arm that mixes polish with an impressive arsenal. 4. Michael Burgess His power could be the biggest and best tool of any prospect available. He has been pressing a little too much recently though. 5. Michael Main Mike Jones, Mark Rogers, Jeremy Jeffress...Michael Main fits the mold perfectly (or not so perfectly depending on how you look at it). A couple of names to remember include Blake Beaven (who I didn't include because his delivery is a little stiff) and Nevin Griffith (soaring up draft charts this spring). I didn't include Porcello, Harvey and Bumgarner because I have heard all three will be advised by Scott Boras, an agent the Brewers typically have avoided. Which also means they won't mess with Wieters and Brackman should either of them fall. And Price won't fall, so I didn't even consider him. I didn't intentionally leave any college players out, I just don't think there is a good fit given Jack Z's history. One name that does stand out to me is Todd Frazier of Rutgers, who is big, athletic and full of tools, not to mention he's having a huge season this spring.

Onto some observations from the weekend... Corey Brown I actually watched Ok St. last week from a game from a week ago Sunday. Brown's stance is a lot like Geoff Jenkins in that his front leg is positioned behind his back leg, yet it isn't an open stance, and he holds his bat high behind his left ear. He doesn't twirl his bat like Jenkins does, but that's just to give somewhat of a visual. His swing isn't as big as I thought it was, but he does have the propensity to swing and miss. He takes a ton of pitches, which leads to the high walk and strikeout totals. When he hit the ball it left his bat in a hurry. He actually reminded me of a former Oklahoma State outfielder: Jeromy Burnitz. Brown doesn't have much of an arm though, as his throws had a lot of air under them from the outfield. He has been slumping a little bit in the past couple of weeks, so I may have had a different opinion of him when he was streaking. Matt Mangini It was hard to get a read on Mangini because the bat hardly left his shoulder. I've seen him in the past, a couple of times last year at NC State, both when he was hot early in the season and cold later. He is hitting the ball pretty well right now, and he has a great frame. He walked a couple of times and hit a ball hard through the hole on the right side of the infield. While many believe the power will come, when I have seen him hit the ball they're usually hit low, meaning there isn't much loft to his swing. I didn't get a good read of him on defense. Tyler Mach I'm only throwing Mach in here because someone may ask about him down the road as he has put up a couple of huge seasons. He's a shorter, scrappy type of player with a swing built for an aluminum bat. Meaning, he knows how to get the bat on the ball for base hits, hits that probably wouldn't be hits with a wood bat. Nice player to take a flyer on, but he's not a big-leaguer, at least not an everyday player IMO. Scott Maine Moving onto the Georgia Tech-Miami contest from last Saturday, left-handed senior Scott Maine started for the Hurricanes. I saw Maine several times last year, and while Maine had a better year in the W-L column a year ago, I have never seen him pitch better. He has a really nice delivery, with a slow windup and a quick delivery and follow-through as he throws from a low 3/4 delivery. He commanded his fastball extremely well, and there appeared to be a little "hop" to the pitch. When he had the hitters thinking fastball he would mix in his sweeping slider, and racked up seven strikeouts in six innings mostly with that pitch. He also fielded his position well. If Maine keeps it up, he's going to be taken in the top three rounds. Yonder Alonso Not much to say about Alonso that I haven't shared already. He's really getting pitched around, as he drew four walks in this game. Ryan Jackson Miami's freshman shortstop has the smoothest glove I have seen at the college level, which isn't surprising since he has the smoothest glove coming out of HS a year ago. Danny Payne GT's scrappy leadoff hitting CF that also pitches out of the bullpen. Payne puts up some big numbers, and was leading the nation in walks (he may still be, I haven't checked). I'm not sure about how his bat plays at the next level, but he does remind me a lot of Rich Becker, or possibly a destitute man's Lenny Dykstra. He struck out in his first two ABs on Maine sliders. He's a better prospect than Tyler Mach as detailed above, but I wouldn't take him in the top 5-10 rounds. Eddie Burns GT's starter, a tall and lanky redshirt sophomore that has recently been inserted into the Jackets rotation, Burns looked pretty good, and was a pleasant surprise. He commanded his FB extremely well, and also mixed in a very sharp curveball. For such a tall guy (6'8") his limbs weren't all over the place and had a sound delivery. I think this guy is a sleeper to keep an eye on for the upcoming draft, and I hope to see him again before the season is over. Burns has had a history of arm troubles, and has only pitched 1.1 innings before this year, so I'm guessing he's a pleasant surprise for anyone that has seen him pitch. Matt Wieters I finally got the chance to see Wieters this year, who I have seen quite a bit of in the past. He's the same player I remember him as, as big athlete with an imposing bat. Against the left-hander Maine, Wieters started the game batting right-handed, and used a nice, clean stroke while staying back on a fastball to hit a long single the opposite way to right-centerfield. He struck out in the third on a Maine slider, hit a sharp groundout to second base trying to advance a runner (a ball that almost snuck through) and turned on an inside fastball in the eighth inning as a left-handed batter for another long single. He has great bat speed and knows how to stay back on balls, letting his hands do the work. I just don't see this guy not being an impact bat at the MLB level. Defensively he also continued to impress me. I love how he lets the ball come to him, and snatches up balls with his glove (you often see catchers lunge at balls or reach out for them...by letting the balls come to his glove he frames them better). He blocked a couple of balls in the dirt, and despite his size, he is such a great natural athlete that he moves so well from the crouch. While he didn't get a chance to show off his arm, I liked how he flicked the ball to third base on strikeouts. Seeing Wieters again reaffirmed my initial position that he and Price are prospects 1A and 1B for this year's draft. J.P. Arencibia From one catcher to the next, unfortunately Arencibia was playing first base in the Tennessee game I caught from last weekend vs. Kentucky. Arencibia looks like Vin Diesel. I'm serious, he's a big boy, with big, sloped shoulders and a strong base. That alone makes him a serious threat at the plate. He has very good bat speed, and surprising foot speed for a catcher of his size. He hit a two-run home run in the eighth to left-centerfield as he crushed a breaking ball. The hit actually went straight up into the air and just carried, as that ball may not have gone out with a wood bat, but it still gives you a good understanding of his power potential. I'm looking forward to seeing him catch again, as I don't remember him being this big. i remember him being more rangy which made me hopeful about his chances to stick behind the plate. I shouldn't draw conclusions since I didn't see him catch, but again, I don't know if I can envision an athlete with his proportions sticking behind the plate. Julio Borbon Borbon has his legs split wide open in his straight up stance. He takes a bunch of pitches, and resembles Otis Nixon in appearance and in his stance. He slapped two balls into the ground, and on a day he went 0 for 6 I didn't see much power in his swing, nor did I get a chance to see his speed. Similar to Arencibia, he'll be a player that I watch closely the next time I get to see him play. Andrew Albers I'm adding comments on Albers only because the Brewers drafted him out of HS (Canada) a few years ago. He's a nice looking lefty, loose, long and lanky that will definitely draw some interest in the draft. He has a good fastball and very good deception from an odd delivery that is hard to explain. Albers is one of Kentucky's weekend starters. Antone DeJesus DeJesus was a pleasant surprise. I've known about him, but have never really followed him, and this was my first chance to watch him play. I really like his baseball skills and his toolset. I know he was a Cape All-Star last summer, and he showed why on the day, going three for three with a walk and a HBP. He gets hit by a lot of pitches (13 on the year) but doesn't really crowd the plate. He does crouch over a little bit with a slightly open, wide legged stance. He makes very good contact, and swats balls to all parts of the field, kind of like Juan Pierre. The speed is there, although I don't know if it is game-changing speed. I was surprised to see that he has 26 strikeouts on the year when I checked his stats this morning, because I just can't see how he would rack up that many Ks given his short swing and approach. That's a big concern though for a player with his skill set, as he's never going to hit for much power, but he looked better than Borbon on this day.

Two great draft-related stories hit PGCC's homepage last Friday: www.pgcrosschecker.com/20..._4607.aspx www.pgcrosschecker.com/20..._4607.aspx A few notes... ? Price is clearly the top prospect for this year's draft, surprise, surprise. The D-Rays are reportedly narrowing in on four players for the top picks who are believed to be Price, Wieters, Brackman and Detwiler. I suspect a few weeks ago after seeing Detwiler in person that a few of the teams at the top may be considering him higher than many would guess. ? Price is not advised by Scott Boras, as I've seen a few fan sites leak out. I think a lot of people too often associate the top prospects to Boras simply out of presumption. Price will still come at a hefty price (no pun intended), but it seems more and more clear that the D-Rays would be incredibly foolish to pass on this guy. ? The Pirates have already been associated with Josh Vitters, the top prep hitter. This makes a ton of sense for the Pirates, who need some impact bats in their system. ? Expect the uniform signing date (August 15th) to cause team to stop drafting after the 25th to 35th rounds. I'm guessing this will likely prompt a rule change down the road, one that in my mind should have already been made. ? Here's a Boras list of advisees: Andrew Brackman, Matt Wieters, Jake Arrieta, Julio Borbon, Josh Fields, Matt LaPorta, Wynn Pelzer, Matt Harvey, Greg Peavey, Rick Porcello, Mike Moustakas and Kentrail Davis. That may not be all of them, but the majority of the ones in the mix for round one. I have heard that Madison Bumgarner was also a possible Boras advisee, although I'm sure PGCC's list is thorough. ? Blake Beaven was said to be a sure-bet to be taken in the top 10. ? Catching is expected to be strong and deep, with many teams jumping at the chance to improve their talent at the position early. ? Scouts are still skeptical given Kyle Russell's success. I've comment on other thread about his big swing and high strikeout totals, which leads to his inconsitent trends. ? The DFE signing date is May 31st. Jordan Walden. who was once rated the top prep prospect available for the 2006 draft, is the nation's most prominent DFE canidate, currently under the control of the Angels. ? The TV deal with ESPN is not as solid as originally thought, as MLB made a deal with Direct TV. The deal may speed up the negotiations with ESPN.

Thanks for the updates on a few of the Wisconsin kids. It is always fun to hear about the best kids the state has to offer, even if Wisconsin is no California. I read last weekend that Jordan Zimmerman touched 95 in a one-inning relief outing vs. UW Platteville in a rain-delayed triple-header last Monday. The weather has been messing with all of the Wisconsin team's playing schedules, as I believe Stevens Point had to delay their weekend games vs. UW Whitewater to today and tomorrow. Zimmerman has been rumored as a possible late first-round pick. I had one scout tell me that he is one of the top five overall players that he has seen over the past year, which obviously is huge praise.

Wieters is a stud. I tried looking for the post(s) that discussed Wieters staying behind the plate, but I couldn't find it. I personally think he will stick behind the plate, although I haven't seen him play yet this year (I did DVR Saturday's game). I really like the way he moves behind the plate, and the only real issue with him sticking back there is his size and the perception that big catchers don't remain as catchers for very long. In previous discussions I remember two names distinctly brought up: Joe Mauer and Sandy Alomar, Jr.

Bobby was wearing gloves, so the gun shouldn't be traced back to him. The only thing I could see it circling back is if the rounds used were hollow point bullets, or whatever the issue with Tony's gun was. I agree with FTJ, I recall other shootings on TV in which the weapon is left at the scene. What will be interesting is if Bobby's ripped shirt comes back to haunt them, as there likely will be some kind of hairs in the shirt, especially since Bobby and Tony discussed the whole DNA issue when they were fishing. The passive Bobby thing doesn't bother me. As FTJ noted, he's been the brunt of jokes before, and there was a lot of booze involved. I forgot to mention that I think Bobby is safe. As many problems as there have been between Tony & Janice, remember that Tony smiled when watching the videos of the old-time videos that Janice gave him on DVD as his b-day present. He has taken care of his sister for the most part throughout the series.

They really did an awesome job building up the suspense in tonight's season debut, not right in your face, just with several subtle touches that preceeded the fight. Everyone has to believe big things are going to happen this season, and while I remain unconvinced, I think those expectations has everyone on the edge of their seats waiting for someone big to get knocked off this season. The tension built between Tony and Bobby was great, especially pushing Bobby into doing something he obviously wasn't anywhere near comfortable with, particularly after their discussion on the boat about Bobby's father. While they made some obvious leads into how Bobby potentially screwed up, I wouldn't be surprised if they're setting that up to make everyone think something is going to come of that. While I do believe The Sopranos is somewhat overrated at this point of the series, this was a nice start for the final season.

BA is reporting that Daniel Moskos is moving into Clemson's weekend rotation starting this weekend in their series vs. Virginia Tech: www.baseballamerica.com/b...lege/?p=72 If his velocity holds, he's definitely going to be a top 3-5 pick, and right now I'm thinking he could very well go second overall to the Royals. They also have their midseason awards out, although for subscribers only. Here's a pick of Kyle Russell to share with all, who gets their nod for player of the year so far: http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/krussell07428309aw.jpg David Price is their pitcher of the year so far, Dustin Ackley the freshman of the year, and Casey Weathers the senior of the year. I don't think Ackley is a no-brainer as freshman of the year as they state. I think Vanderbilt's Mike Minor has been awesome so far, rewarded with his promotion to the team's weekend rotation last weekend. If he continues this success on Saturday's deep into the SEC schedule, he may be the one considered the no-brainer. With the Easter weekend, many teams adjusted their weekend schedules to play Thursday through Saturday. There are a bunch of good matchups this weekend on TV, with CSTV getting into the mix with a much stronger televised lineup now with the winter sports out of the picture. I'm not going to bother providing the games, as you can check your own local lineups if you're interested enough to follow the games. Here are the early returns: Jake Arrieta 6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 4 K, 4 BB vs. Air Force Just another ok, but not overly impressive outing by Arrieta. David Newmann 5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 K, 1 BB vs. Texas Tech Newmann's season started very well, but his starts have been looking more and more like this one in recent weeks. Of the games to watch this weekend, Andrew Brackman faces a huge test when facing #1 (#2 by BA) Florida State. His performance could have a huge impact on where he is selected in the draft. I'm out tomorrow morning for the Easter holiday, so no more updates until Sunday. Have a Happy Easter everyone! EDIT (4/8/07): Onto more weekend results: David Price 9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 10 K, 4 BB vs. Alabama Another impressive complete game effort, another 120+ pitch (128 to be exact) game. Ross Detwiler 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 10 K, 4 BB vs. Bradley Bradley now has a 60 to 21 K to BB ratio in 50.1 innings while allowing only 28 hits. Andrew Brackman 7 IP, 7 H, 5 R (2 ER), 3 K, 3 BB vs. Florida State A solid effort in a win against FSU, Brackman tossed 117 pitches in this one. Joe Savery 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 K, 2 BB vs. East Carolina Savery continues to have good but not great performances. Cole St. Clair returned to action this weekend with mixed results. Sean Doolittle 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R (0 ER), 2 K, 1 BB vs. Duke Not overpowering, but effective as Virginia takes its fourth straight ACC series. Tony Watson 9 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 12 K, 0 BB vs. Oklahoma State A very impressive performance against a very loaded OK State offense. James Simmons 8 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 10 K, 0 BB vs. UC Santa Barbara It took Simmons only 95 pitches to get through 8 innings in this impressive performance, and now has a 64 to 7 K to BB ratio in 64.2 innings. Nick Schmidt 7 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 9 K, 2 BB vs. Ole Miss In a recurring theme with many of the top pitchers entering the spring, a good not great effort, although Schmidt only tossed 107 pitches in this one. Daniel Moskos 4 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 4 K, 0 BB vs. Virginia Tech A nice starting debut for Moskos, who definitely was on a strict pitch count as he loosens up his arm for starter duty. Beau Mills .460/.521/.914 in 139 AB, 15 2B, 16 HR, 64 RBI, 12:12 BB:K, 10 HBP The one hitter profiled on this list, Mills had two doubles and five home runs on the week, and his 64 RBI is an extremely telling figure on just how big Mills has been all season long. I hope to share some observations on players from over the weekend and a few late ones from the weekend before in the next couple of days.

Man, it's so good to have the link report back. I always make it a point to thank Jim for his year-long efforts, as you just can't bring that up enough. I just want to point out that Nashville is facing Mets prospect Phillip Humber tonight, who was the third overall pick a couple of years ago, and a pitcher many Brewers fans hoped would fall to the team's 5th overall pick in 2004. And that is who Braun hit his double off of, and also drew a walk against. Nice to hear about the DirectTV viewing possibility, thanks JohnBriggs (I'm not a DirectTV subscriber, but if that keeps up, I would imagine there may be quite a few games for others to catch this year).

Jason Schmidt is probably the only Braves pitching prospect that they gave up on too soon. David Neid (Rockies-expansion draft) and Bruce Chen are a couple of others that come to mind (although Chen has been decent in recent years, but not someone they're losing sleep over losing). Capellan for either Jeff Baker, who couldn't be any more blocked, or Chris Nelson, who could use a change of scenery, makes a ton of sense for the Brewers. I'm guessing Melvin would prefer Baker since he's one of those guys on the verge of contributing at the MLB level.

I agree with RyDogg, it's not like the weather is going to get any better. I was at an opening game for the Snappers a few years ago of which the weather couldn't have been that much better than today's. Bump up the time so at least you're playing during the day, althoug postponing the games to June never seems like a bad idea (until the teams have to play a double-header). This comment from the press release is worded a little funny: Don't forget, Snappy has two tickets on him at all times when he is outside of Pohlman Field... ...Make sure you are the first to spot him because he is only able to carry two tickets on him at a time. I know what they are trying to say, but still, it sounds funny.

If it were the Brewers (and it has been in the past, and even present), we wouldn't be asking "when can they catch a break" as much as we would be asking "what are they doing wrong?" The Pirates have had a pretty bad recent string of injuries to top prospects, which would make me wonder what the Pirates are doing wrong. You can't chalk it up entirely to bad luck. They really need to start making the right decision when it comes to their early picks, as they're losing far too many of them to the knife.

Thanks for sharing your observations parkside. I didn't know if Butler would open '07 back with the T-Rats since he pitched for them a little bit a year ago. I took some video of him last spring in the PG spring scout league (Oak Creek's season is in the summer) when he was throwing 91 in 40-degree weather. Just to give you some background on Varvaro, he was a potential 1st round pick in 2005 until he ran into arm problems late that spring. Before those arm problems he was throwing in the mid-90s with a knockout slider, and was part of the same pitching staff that included Red Sox prospect Craig Hansen. You're right, Truinfel has no business debuting at low-A, but the Ms have never been shy about aggresively promoting prospects. Gavin Dickey was a sleeper prospect of mine a year ago for the Florida Gators, as he's long on tools but short on production. He has the athleticism to put up big numbers, but needs to start proving he can do so soon. While I like Chris Tillman, an Aflac All-American from two summers ago, it's pretty indicative of the Ms system when he's the team's #2 prospect.

An interesting distinction of success stories from top picks of the 2006 draft. Brad Lincoln, the 4th overall pick (Pirates), is going to be shut down for the arm problems listed earlier in this thread. Brandon Morrow, the 5th overall pick (Mariners) is starting the season with the big-league club after only 16 minor league innings. Bad news for the Pirates, and while I can't say that's good news for the Mariners, because good things rarely happen when you rush prospects, it is very good news for Morrow. If the Ms intend to keep Morrow in the bullpen, he could flourish a la Chad Cordero and Huston Street, but then the debate opens about using the 5th overall pick on such a player.

Moustakas is having a big spring, but he's another guy that was considered a supplemental guy or a 2nd rounder to enter the spring, so I don't know how far he can move up. It really proves that true sleepers are very, very rare. BA is reporting that Denny Almonte is making a big name for himself this spring. In my post just above, I forgot to mention Eric Eiland, who was rated BA's 30th best prospect to open the spring, but didn't get much pub before that.

Bumgarner is a good call for the Braves at #14. Since Smoker was brought up, he took would make a ton of sense for the Braves, a team that always looks to its own backyard. They just seem to focus so heavily in the Atlantic area down to Florida, and cover their backyard better than any other team. Are there any players who have come out of nowhere this year? I had heard that SS/3B Kevin Ahrens has dramatically helped his draft stock early on. Are there any guys who have gone from afterthought to perhaps going in the top half of the first round? I actually had quite a few players move up into the top 30. They replaced a few players that were extremely tough to remove from the top 30 from now (Arencibia, Ramirez), players that I think will recover from slow starts (Ramirez is already throwing much better recently). I don't know if Ahrens has really helped himself, just because I know there are a lot of people that already considered him a potential first-round pick for his lightning-quick impact bat. PGCC has reported on several prep players that have dramatically helped their stocks this spring. Will Middlebrooks, Chris Turner, Chris Withrow, Nevin Griffith and Angel Morales have become bigger names on scouts and crosscheckers follow lists. Withrow in particular has some serious helium working for him, as he's extremely athletic and has been throwing in the 91-93 range with ease this spring. Justin Grimm as reported at the PG Indoor Showcase a month or so ago really helped himself with his showing. So did Illinois LHP Casey Crosby, who touched 94 and showed a deep, although inconsistent, arsenal. Also, who do you see as the top 10 or so hitters? I am a Mariners fan, and am hoping the M's can get a big bat with the 11th pick. There's a quartet of really impressive prep bats, Josh Vitters, Jason Heyward, Michael Burgess and Kentrail Davis. All are extremely polished hitters, although Burgess does have some holes in his mighty swing. Heyward is a physical specimen and a great all-around player, Davis plays far above his physical stature, and Vitters is arguably the best pure prep hitter to enter the draft since Delmon Young. On the college side I really like Beau Mills of Lewis-Clark State College. He has a big-time and proven power bat, and is off to another big season this year. Matt Mangini is probably the best pure hitter from college, but I'm skeptical of his skills. While he's hit really well during his two summer stints, leading the Cape in hitting a year ago, he strikes out way too much for such a good hitter. It kind of baffles me, and makes it hard to get a read on him. And for as much power potential he has, he really hasn't hit for much power so far. Those are your best bests for a big bat at #11. Justin Jackson, a well-rounded, slick fielding SS, and Julio Borbon, a prototypical leadoff hitting CF from Tennessee, would also be in the #11 range, but don't fit the big bat profile you seemed to be interested in. I personally feel Vitters, Heyward and Burgess all go in the top 10, and all three are actually pretty good targets for the Brewers at #7. If I were you, I'd be pining for Beau Mills, although I'm not sure if anyone else has him rated as high as I do.

White would be in my top 10, possibly top five if I really took the time to break it down. I think many think he could be considered the best in the biz in a few years, and he already is thought incredibly highly of by his peers. He's similar to Jack Z. in that he took over a previously empty system and filled it with a ton of talent, but that talent only started to make its way up last year.

If they are willing to deal Milledge and start Alou, Lastings isn't our answer. I don't think it is as cut and dry as that. I think all scouts in baseball know how good Lastings Milledge is, and it's important to remember that the Mets are in win-now mode, and were drooling at the opportunity to have one of the best everyday lineups on paper when they acquired Alou this past offseason. Basically, they aren't willing to be patient with Milledge, and would rather have him be as ready as possible next year so there is less of a learning curve when he becomes an everyday player. Aren't Alou and Green only signed through this year anyway? Milledge could still very well be a big part of the Mets plans. The guy turns 22 tomorrow and has 500 ABs between AA and AAA, so some more AAA time isn't going to hurt him. The Mets aren't going to come even close to giving him away, as it will take more than Capellan, as others have noted. Milledge definitely is a player that I would call about, as I'm sure Melvin already has, as Minaya is one of his protege's.

I just got done reading the breakdown in Baseball America that bradyo has referenced, and I thought I should point that the Dodgers finished 2nd to last in the study to the Brewers. The Dodgers of course have Logan White, considered by many to be the best scouting director in all of baseball (which I don't agree with, but he's certainly one of the best). If these studies are to ring true as to how to rate the best scouting directors in the game, Logan White would be lumped with Jack Z. Fortunately, the rest of us know that both White and Zduriencik need more time to be analyzed fairly as scouting directors, as it takes time to procure talent, and both should be given credit for the amount of talent they have already supplied their respective systems with. And for what it's worth, even BA recognized these points.

This hasn't been talked about much, if at all, this spring, but I'm very happy to see that Jeffress wasn't pushed up to the WV roster. He may be called up should an injury occur, but overall I like the intent for keeping him in EST. The history speaks for itself. Mike Jones, a first round pick, opened his first full season in low-A Beloit. Now it should be noted that he deserved to, as he dominated the Pioneer League the summer after he was drafted and signed. Mark Rogers, not so much, whose career has been wildly inconsistent, even at rookie level Arizona. He skipped Helena to open his first full season at WV just two short years ago. There are other examples, including Tom Wilhelmsen, who signed late during the summer after he signed his pro contract and made his debut with Beloit. Of course his career took a turn for the worse for reasons outside of baseball, but I think the point is pretty clear. Even as a first-round draft pick there is no reason to rush Jeffress. There shouldn't be any pre-conceived expectations of what he can do at what level at what age, and I hope the Brewers are actively thinking about these things, especially since they continue to take gambles on prep arms in the first round of the draft. Jeffress has the stuff, no doubt, but it was pretty obvious that he has a ways to go with his ability to pitch, and I hope keeping him in EST and having him start the year in Helena helps him realize this. Neither place is kind to pitchers, as he's going to have to learn to pitch more efficiently while keeping the ball down low to succeed, particularly for Helena. End of commentary...I'm excited to see what Jeffress does this year, and when I first heard that Brewer would be playing for WV I feared Jeffress would be joining him. I'm very excited to learn that won't be the case, and I am a lot more excited about Jeffress' future because of the Brewers patience. And just to make this post related to the original point, Kevbo, if you get to see any of the Brewers farmhands pitch, please share your observations. Everyone can be an autograph hound http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

Lewis Clark College 3B Beau Mills is red-hot right now, and he's been hitting the ball well all spring. He is somewhat expected to hit well playing in the NAIA after transferring from Fresno State, but still, it's nice to see him living up to his talent. Here's his numbers on the year: .464/.522/.875 in 112 AB, 13 2B, 11 HR, 8 BB, 10 K, 10 HBP, 5 Es Recently I have talked about the fact that both Matt LaPorta and Corey Brown have some pretty significant holes in their swing, and likely will always put up big strikeout totals. While I've never seen Mills play, speaking to those that have it seems as though he is a much more refined overall hitter, with a line drive approach. He may not walk as much as LaPorta or Brown, but he also will probably hit for a higher average than both of those players. I have likened Mills to Jim Thome in the past, but as I warn with all player comparisons, they're similar, and comparing anyone to someone as productive as Thome is simply unfair. And like Thome, Mills probably gets moved to first base, possibly a corner OF spot, possibly earlier in his career than Thome made the switch. http://www.lcsc.edu/athletics/Baseball/2007/pressreleases/graphics/IMG_2654.JPG