colbyjack

I have to catch up on some of my player observations from the past two weekends. There have some pretty good players on display on TV the past several weeks, with a few more good games this upcoming weekend. I'm going to try and keep my thoughts quick as like I said I have seen quite a few players that I jotted down notes for. Sean Doolittle Virginia visited UNC two weekends ago, a battle against two very good teams, both with their fair share of draft talent. Doolittle was probably the best draft-eligible player on display for this year, although I saw him hit, not pitch. I have seen Doolittle several times the past two years, and not much has changed for him at the plate. He employs a very quiet stance, he's very patient, takes a ton of pitches, and resembles Todd Helton. Like Todd Helton there are going to be some questions about him hitting for power coming out of college, as he keeps his lead leg planted firmly on the ground, which allows him to hit for very good contact and allows him to hit the ball to the gaps, but he's going to be more of a doubles hitter than a home run hitter with that approach. He did drive a couple of balls to deep CF, he doesn't swing and miss, and he remains very calm with two strikes. He also looked very good around the first base bag as he always does. A good hitter, but his upside is limited. David Adams Adams flanks Doolittle on the right-side of the Cavaliers infield. While Doolittle's offensive upside is somewhat limited, the sky is the limit for Adams, who is more of an aggressive hitter that looks to punish mistakes. While he has more of a pull approach, he did have drive to the opposite field. You can tell he has added a lot of mass and strength to his frame since HS, where many, including my PG boss and our very own Blazer25, felt he was one of the best hitters in the country. Very good bat speed and pitch recognition. He looks good at second base as well. He isn't draft eligible until next year. Jacob Thompson Another '08, and as of right now one of the top 10 '08s in the nation. Thompson is going to have to firm up his pitching mechanics to win me over, as he brings his arm straight down, and then straight over the top as part of his pitching delivery, which appears to put a tremendous amount of stress on his throwing shoulder. I have seen two other pitchers throw like this in the past few years: Tim Lincecum and Bradley Clark, an Aflac All-American in 2004 that has seemingly disappeared. Thompson is tall and lanky, with good stuff (I'm guessing he was in the low-90s all day with his fastball) and a very good curveball. He threw his curve very well for strikes, but he fell way too in love with the pitch, and is going to need to learn to pitch off of his fastball more. It may have just been that day, but his FB command was shaky, and the pitch was about as straight as they come. In his defense, his fastball did look at its best in the 7th inning, his last inning of the game I watched, and he struck out UNC's Chad Flack to end the frame. Robert Woodard I've seen and reported on Woodard before. Same old same old. He doesn't beat himself, he throws strikes, changes speeds and he fields his position well. His fastball can't top 86 mph, and that lack of velocity will cause him to get knocked around and then some in the upper levels of the minors, if not sooner. Josh Horton If I had to put money on one player from this year's draft that I was confident would play in the big-leagues for a good five to 10 years, my money would go on Horton. He's having a good year at the plate, and does everything well, but he doesn't stand out in any one area. I have compared Horton to Bill Spiers in the past, and I think that is how Horton profiles at the big-league level: Starter for a few years, utility man for his most productive years. He has a good swing from the left side with a little bit of pop and a very patient eye. A little bit of speed, a good arm, average range and he makes all of the players he can get to. Drew Poulk UNC's CF...keep an eye on this kid. A good looking athlete with nice range in CF and a very good arm. You can see his potential at the plate, although I think his swing is a little big at this point in time. ----------------------- Onto the players from the next game, Arizona State vs. USC... Arizona State's entire lineup resembles the Oakland A's: Big, lefty sluggers with their socks pulled up and euro-mullets that take a ton of pitches. Brett Wallace Only a sophomore, but I have loved this kid's swing since HS. Terrible body, very soft, but the more he hits the more people will look past his body. He hit a 2-run HR to straight away CF in the 2nd. Shows a very patient eye, and can surprise you by swapping a bag once in a while. Tim Smith Smith was a Brewers DFE candidate a year ago, but reportedly was looking for too much money. He is the next good all-around left-handed hitting OF prospect that should follow Andre Ethier and Travis Buck. He can hit, draw walks, hit for a little pop, swipe a few bags and play either corner spot in the OF. The question is how much power he'll hit for, as he doesn't have the wheels to play CF. Ike Davis Another '08 eligible player, and another former Aflac All-American (Wallace and Paramore also were Aflac AA's). Tall, strong big-league body. Very good power potential. Among the league leaders in doubles, with a smooth natural swing. Also pitched a year ago, but his future is as a hitter. Petey Paramore ASU's catcher. Played a lot as a freshman. Among league leaders in walks with a very, very patient approach. Powerful switch-hitter, launced a 2-run HR in the 4th as a right-handed batter. Another '08. Matt Spencer Started the year hot. Transfer from UNC. Well-known talent coming out of HS but was considered a tough sign. Another big guy with a very patient approach. Upright, slightly open stance. Smoked a single up the middle in the 3rd inning. Power has cooled since hitting 4 HRs in I think the first week or two of the season, but he's still hitting over .400. Josh Satow ASU's Friday starter. A fiery little lefty that attacks hitters. FB has nice deception as well as very good dip and dive. I'm guessing it maxes out around 88, 89, sits in the mid-80s. Pretty good curve, more of a sweeping breaking ball, and a nice changeup as well. He's only 5'9" I think, 150 pounds sopping wet, but I would take a flier on his demeanor and stuff, as he could be an interesting specialist in the lines of Ricardo Rincon down the line. Matt Cusick USC's Captain and starting 2B. Nice approach with a very good eye and a bat made for contact. Some power potential, and some speed. Another classic good but not great all-around player. Very good defense. Lucas Duda USC's 1B, very nice size and a well-proportioned athlete. Duda was well known coming out of HS, and while he has hit well, the power hasn't progressed as many hoped. He has a nice approach and a very good left-handed swing. He stays back well, but again, he's going to have to hit for more power to garner early round interest. Hit well in the NWL last summer. ----------------------- I caught all three games of the South Carolina vs. Mississippi State matchup from this past weekend, which gave me a great chance to zero in on sophomore slugger Justin Smoak of the Gamecocks. Justin Smoak His body and stance is very much like Arod's, in that he has a very mature, big-league looking body. His stance is also somewhat like Adam Dunn's, and while Smoak has Dunn's awesome power potential, Smoak should hit for a higher average and likely will never strike out at such alarming rates. He has a very balanced swing, from both sides of the plate, and had some great ABs even when he wasn't getting on base by fouling pitches off and working the opposing pitchers. He showed his best swing on a RBI double to deep left-center field (as a left-handed hitter) in the first game. Just a classic stroke. He yanked a 2-run HR in Sunday's contest, although this I thought had more to do with the metal bat than his swing. He added a few other good hits off of good ABs, hitting a flare single on an outside changeup, an RBI 1B to RF on a high FB and another RBI single to CF on a chest-high FB. Smoak, Pedro Alvarez and Yonder Alonso are going to make the '08 draft class for college pretty special on their own. Reese Havens Havens has the talent, but that talent hasn't converted into production on the field yet for the Gamecocks. He did have a great night on Friday, tallying five hits, three of which were doubles, and just when you thought he was turning his season around, he went back to solid but unspectacular the rest of the weekend. I do like his approach, as he is a patient hitter, he stays back on the ball and has a good-looking inside-out swing that clearly knows how to go with the pitches that are given him. That may be because he's hitting 8th now, so some pressure has been taken off of him. There is clearly some power in his frame and his left-handed swing, it's a matter of him finding it more consistently. Trent Kline I've liked Kline since HS, who was highly touted for his cannon for an arm. He began his career at UNC, but TJ surgery caused him to bounce around a little bit (he transferred to a JC before transferring to SC). He's very short, a left-handed hitter with an open stance. Physically he has sloped shoulders, and actually looks more like a sparkplug SS. He's got some pop in his bat, although I'm not sure how much arm strength he has left these days. I think he's an interesting catching project for the pros, as he should hit a little. Wynn Pelzer SC's closer dazzled on Sunday. There is no wasted movement to his delivery. Very, very smooth. I saw Pelzer two years ago at the DQ Classic and I remember being impressed with his arm. Now I am impressed with the way he pitches, and would be tempted to move him back to the starting rotation as a pro. Being a relatively shorter African American with his bill pulled very low, he definitely resembles Tom Gordon. He has very good late movement to his fastball, which sits in the low-90s and can tough the mid-90s. He threw two different kinds of breaking balls, a very sharp slider and a tight curveball. It also looked as though he pulled out his changeup in his 2+ innings of work. He is very hard to hit and has very consistent arm action no matter what pitch he is throwing. He struck out one of the nation's top hitters, Ed Easley, to end Sunday's contest. Ed Easley I added my thoughts on Easley a week ago, and while he didn't have as good of a series statistically, he still had some very, very good ABs despite not getting much to hit. When he makes contact the ball is hit very hard. He did hit a HR in Sunday's game in the 7th inning (which prompted the Gamecocks to bring in Pelzer) that was smoked to straight away CF. He hit a FB down the pipe that just carried and carried. Same thoughts on his defense from last week as well. I like his athleticism, although I'm a little concerned about his arm. ----------------------- I finally got to catch up and watched Florida take on Auburn. Matt LaPorta I have seen LaPorta a ton the past few years. He definitely is dialed back in, and has done a great job adjusting his appraoch to tone down on his Ks while offering more productive ABs. He had a great weekend series, going 7 for 13 with 3 bombs, although he did strike out 3 times. I saw him hit one of his bombs in Saturday's game, in which he quickly turned on a low, inside FB and crushed it over Auburn's green monster. Josh Donaldson Auburn's catcher who is putting up big numbers this year. I haven't seen Donaldson before, and I liked what I saw. Nice movements behind the plate, although he seems to want to move too much like a third baseman, where he plays when he's not behind the dish. He has a very strong arm and he's not shy about showing it off. He also seems to frame pitches very well. He needs work on positioning himself and blocking balls in the dirt, but I saw no reason why he couldn't succeed behind the plate. At the plate he had a very quiet approach and stance. No wasted movement, and a very quick bat. He didn't swing at anything outside of the strike zone, and ripped a single in the third to left field. He has a good eye and seems to know that opposing teams are pitching around him. Mike Bianucci A draft-eligible sophomore, Bianucci reminds me of Clemson's Tyler Colvin from a year ago. A good, not great athlete with solid tools across the board. Bianucci would help himself with better speed so he could play CF, or even a left-handed bat, but he does drive the ball very well as a right-handed hitter. His bat will have to carry him, so he's going to have to stay hot this spring.

Sam, you probably haven't been following all of the draft threads, but Savery hasn't been pitching much this season, seemingly as Rice HC Wayne Graham takes it easy with him after he builds his arm strength back up after some shoulder issues a year ago. Those shoulder issues prevented him from pitching most of last spring, all of last summer, and in fact, he didn't start pitching again until just after the first of the year. Savery had a very high upside, but he really needs to prove himself this spring to be worthy for the 7th overall pick, and so far, not so good.

I hear what you're saying Toby, and I agree with most to all of your points. Earlier this offseason, I agreed that if anyone should have been moved to the OF (when Hall was being considered for LF when the team was still actively pursuing other CF options), it should have been Braun. I agree, his bat is ready, and his bat is needed. I was responding to your comment in which you said the odds are against one of Braun or Gamel sticking at 3B. With the team clearly committed to Braun sticking at third, I think the odds are in Braun's favor of sticking at 3B, and while I agree that Gamel may have to move sooner rather than later, that move would be predicated more by Braun's presence at third than Gamel's inability to stay there long-term.

Kershaw's performance last year wasn't that much different from Inman's at Helena two summers ago, and I'm pretty glad the Brewers didn't skip Inman past WV last summer just because it seemed as though he dominated the competition and probably had the makeup to succeed against older hitters. To me it's not so much about how they do, not with prep pitchers, but taking it slow as to not have them pitch too many pitches (and innings) early in their career. With every level they skip they also skip a level of pitch counts, assuming the Dodgers players development is similar to the Brewers and many other teams out there. Time will tell, but I can't think of anything wrong with taking it slow with a young pitcher, no matter how advanced that pitcher may seem. Pushing a pitcher to me just never seems to be a good idea.

And Gamel has the same problems Braun does. It would be great if one of them could stick there, but the odds aren't strongly in favor of it. Everyone in the Brewers organization is dead-set on Braun sticking at 3B, and Gamel is three years away. Gamel has more than enough time to make the necessary adjustments, and Braun has the trust of the organization. I would say the odds are pretty good that one of them sticks at 3B long-term, as I don't think Hall would have been moved permanently to the OF if the organization thought otherwise. And that seems to be just about every talent evaluator in baseball except those with the Brewers organization. One thing that bugs me about BA's comments on Braun's is that they seem to be coming from the same AL scout each and every time. The comment really hasn't changed that much over the past year or two, and maybe that is indeed because scouts are seeing the same thing. Or maybe it is because BA keeps asking the same scout his opinion on Braun and whether or not he's improved (defensively). As for everyone else's opinion on Braun's defense, whose opinion have we really heard from first-hand? I would guess every other scouting publication, online or print, has never seen Braun play first-hand, and are simply repeating the same things they have heard through BA. I know pogo has seen Braun play in person and believes Braun can stick at 3B. I have seen Braun play on TV several times during his junior year at Miami and I saw nothing that would lead me to believe he would have to be moved at some point in time (in fact I felt he should have been tried at SS to begin his career). We have heard from a few other observers from WV two years ago and at Huntsville last year that pretty much said the exact same thing. The only reason I was all in favor of moving Braun to LF was to get his bat in the lineup more quickly. Since that isn't an option anymore, I think it is best to prepare yourselves with the idea that Braun is the team's 3B of at least the immediate future.

Jamie, did you pick that up intending for it to be the team bat? If so I'd gladly chip in.

If Kershaw opens the year at high-A, 3B Josh Bell would be the best Dodgers prospect to open '07 in the MWL. He tore up the Pioneer League a year ago. Preston Mattingly may open the year in EST before the short-season leagues begin. You should see Kiker at Clinton, who may be joined by Marcus Lemon and one of either Taylor Teagarden and Chad Tracy, both catchers drafted out of college. Lemon is a toolsy SS while Teagarden is a defensive-minded backstop and Tracy is an offensive-minded one. Travis Snider could very well be the best prospect in the league. RHP Brandon Magee is expect to skip low-A, but he's another possibility from the Blue Jays organization (and he's a WI native). Brian Jeroloman is a lot like Taylor Teagarden in that he's hailed for his defensive skills behind the plate but doesn't do much with the bat. Chris Parmelee is expected to return to Beloit this year, but if he hits well he may not stay there long. OF Joe Benson is also expected to return to Beloit. LHP Tyler Robertson is another Twins prospect to watch at Beloit. Jermaine Mitchell should form an exciting Kane County OF along with Matt Sulentic and Larry Cobb. I believe Craig Italiano is expected to return to the MWL once he's healthy. Drew Stubbs is the big prospect in the Reds organization to watch, but Loo is a pretty good call as well, at least between Loo and Chris Valaika, last summer's Pioneer League MVP, as Valaika is more likely to bump past a level. Sean Watson may return to Dayton. RHP Josh Ravin may front the Dragons starting staff. Cedar Rapids could be loaded with talent. Hank Conger could open the year at Cedar Rapids, but he didn't get many ABs in Arizona last summer and may play short season ball. A name to watch is Korean signee Young-Il Jung, a RHP who could make his pro debut in the MWL. Fellow RHPs Sean O'Sullivan, Trevor Bell and Kenneth Herndon will be at CR as well. Infielders P.J. Phillips (younger brother of Brandon Phillips of the Reds organization), and Ryan Mount make the Kernels one of the more interesting teams to follow prospect-wise. Since Tyler Colvin saw some time in the Cubs big-league camp this spring, I would be a little surprised if he opened at low-A. Former Notre Dame WR star Jeff Samardzija seems like a fairly good bet to be in the MWL. 2005 1st-round pick LHP Mark Pawelek should be at this level. If Travis Snider isn't the league's best hitting prospect, Padres OF Cedric Hunter should be. He should be joined in the OF by Kyler Burke, another promising prep bat from last year's draft. The Padres aren't loaded with prospects, but Hunter is considered their best. RHP Adam Ottavino and OF Darryl Jones of the Cardinals organization may return to the MWL. Royals SS Jeff Bianchi is a player to watch for Burlington, and could be joined by OF Derrick Robinson, who will be one of the fastest players in the minors. Keep an eye on Tigers OF prospect Gorkys Hernandez who is long on talent and is expected to start at West Michigan. Scott Sizemore should be one of the league's better hitters. Brennan Boesch was a teammate of Chris Errecart's at Cal, and was considered to be the better overall power prospect of the two. The D-Backs have one of the best systems in baseball, arguably the best, so you won't see any of their top guys since they're all playing at AA or higher. If RHP Max Scherzer signs, he could debut in the MWL. Same goes for Brett Anderson, although as a prep pick he is more likely to debut in rookie ball. OF Gerardo Parra had a big year in the Pioneer League last summer, and RHP Brooks Brown was a first-round supplemental pick that was rumored last summer to be one of the players the Brewers were considering with their first-round pick.

I believe Reid Nichols mentioned on Talkin' Brewers last weekend that Salome would indeed begin the season on the DL.

Al's got it right, Bon Jovi will do quite well at Summerfest. All of the shows in the amp that have gone on sale so far have sold very well (Roger Waters and Toby Keith sold out quickly). Someone commented (danzig?) about how Bon Jovi is sure to have many skantily-clad women in the audience. If you're a single guy with half a brain, you would be stupid not to go. And SF isn't just about old people and hippies (although that is true that they don't cause any trouble, the problem is hippies don't have any money), although I'm curious what people consider to be old. The demographic, like almost everything else, is 25-50 or so, or people that have money and are willing to spend it on music, beer and food. It's funny, you would normally think Tom Petty, a guy who made most of his music starting in the 70s, would skew towards an older crowd, but it was amazing to see how many young kids (high school through college age) attended his shows the past several years, and not just because of Pearl Jam either. Bon Jovi's music isn't as timeless, but no one complained that Summerfest booked Petty several times over the past several years.

LaPorta has always crowded the plate, as he's put up big HBP numbers in previous years. It also is important to note that the college game in general sees more players hit by pitch due to the nature of the game, as college pitchers try to crowd college hitters more given the metal bats (look at Wes Roemer's HBP numbers sometime, a guy that is usually praised for his control).

Moskos has been up to 97 this year, and as I've mentioned somewhere in this forum, there are several scouting directors that believe he'll be taken in the top five picks of the draft. Not sure if that's as a starter or as a reliever, as he has the repertoire to thrive in either role. I dont like the idea of taking closers early, much less in the first round. I dont care if you're getting a guy like, let's say, Eric Gagne. The simple fact is they're not going to contribute as much as a starting pitcher or hitter. Even in Gagne's 3 year run, he worked just over 80 innings each season. That's one inning in every other game. While I started this thread as more of a theoretical question, and agree that closers are made not born, it's better to get a more regular player, etc., if you know you were getting Eric Gagne, you absolutely positively have to take him. Not just with the 7th overall pick, but with the first overall pick. Not necessarily given Gagne's injuries the past several years, but I'm talking in terms of effectiveness and pure dominance. Not draft pick, first overall or 131st overall, is any kind of a sure thing. If the team was pretty confident they could get Huston Street or Chad Cordero 7th overall I would support the selection. Of course, you can't guarantee any pick, at any spot, at any position, which makes a specialist like a closer a more criticized pick, but if you are closer to knowing that you are getting a tried and true big-league stud closer, any team would be foolish to pass on such a player.

Oof. Saturday's really suck for me. I'm definitely out on the 7th (out of town for Easter weekend) and the 21st (going to Nashville). Next Saturday is iffy, as I may be in Platteville. Hopefully my schedule remains open for the 14th and 28th. I know last year valpo, Fever, bball and myself met on a Sunday in West Allis or somewhere in that area, so if there is interest in additional, smaller practices, let me know.

In my Crack of the Bat column this past week I profiled the extremely talented group of prep bats from Southern California eligible for this year's draft: www.pgcrosschecker.com/cr...ocal_bats/ Keep in mind that the Brewers have had plenty of good looks at most to all of these players inside and out as they host both California teams at the Area Code Games. That really hasn't meant a thing in regards to the draft since the Brewers started to host those teams several years ago, at least not as much as we thought it might. EDIT: Since Mike Moustakas was included in my column, I thought I would add those of John Manuel here from BA's draft blog the other day: PGCC also reported on Chatsworth this past week, and noted that Moustakas is going to be advised by Scott Boras, which may very well mean that he's USC bound.

I broke down the top draft-eliglbe closers in my Crack of the Bat column two weeks ago: www.pgcrosschecker.com/cr...e_closers/ (The COTB collumns have been moved over to PGCC, although they still can be found on PG's homepage). Either Allan Simpson or David Rawnsley commented in their column a week or two ago that Clemson's Daniel Moskos is expected by many to go within the top five picks of the draft, while Brett Cecil is now considered a first-round lock as he continues to show his mid-90s heat and mid-80s slider this spring. Boston College's Terry Doyle is another college closer to consider in the early rounds that I overlooked when I wrote my column.

Sure it's possible, if he maintains his current production and finishes the year with 25-30 HRs, especially given the perceived lack of impact college bats. Of course there is a difference of what could happen and what is more likely to happen. Again, I'm the only person that had Brown in the first-round mix to open the season, so if he is taken in the first, it's more likely that he goes in the 20-30 range.

Updates for the week of 3/23/07 David Price 6 IP, 6 H, 5 R (4 ER), 8 K, 4 BB vs. Arkansas You have to wonder if last week's long outing had an effect on Price's effectiveness this week. Nick Schmidt 7 IP, 6 H, 5 R (3 ER), 8 K, 4 BB vs. Vanderbilt Schmidt is starting to stretch out his arm more and more, however his walks have been up this season. ***Casey Weathers took the loss for Vandy as Arkansas won Friday's game in extra innings. Jake Arrieta 6 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 10 K, 5 BB vs. BYU Arrieta tossed 110 pitches on Thursday. The Ks are nice, but again it doesn't seem as though he's pitching effectively. Ross Detwiler 8 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 12 K, 3 BB vs. Northern Iowa Another solid start for Detwiler, although not against a marquee opponent. Wes Roemer 4.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R (1 ER), 5 K, 4 BB vs. Long Beach State Roemer hasn't been particularly sharp lately, which leads me to wonder (again) if the long innings and high pitch counts are starting to catch up with him. David Newmann 6.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 5 K, 3 BB vs. Oklahoma Newmann continues to rack up the Ks (and walks) against good teams. Andrew Brackman 4 IP, 9 H, 6 R (5 ER), 2 K, 3 BB vs. Wake Forest Ugh, the starts keep getting uglier for Brackman as the competition increases. Sean Doolittle 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 7 K , 1 BB vs. Miami Two earned runs on only two hits and one walk? Tough luck loser for Doolittle, who pitches well against a tough ACC opponent. Joe Savery 3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 K, 1 BB vs. Southern Mississippi I think Savery needs to take a break from these updates, as he hasn't done much on the mound to deserve this inclusion. At the plate however he went 2 for 4 with 2 runs, 2 walks and 4 RBI today.

Isn't the fact that they're letting Price pitch into the 10th inning pretty scary for major league teams? I'm sure the big-league teams aren't a big fan of seeing those pitch counts go that high, as I'm not a big fan of seeing it either. Price in particular has thrown quite a few innings ever since his freshman year, logging quite a bit of innings during the summer in between as well. However, I think whomever takes him know that the negotiations alone will prevent him from pitching at all this summer after his college season is over. If for some crazy reason he did sign early enough, I think any team would be wise to simply shut him down until instrux in the fall. colby, i know he strikes out a ton, but he is showing some of the best power in the country and is a pretty athletic outfielder. how high do you think he could go? I think I was the only person that had Brown ranked in the top 30 prior to the scouting season, so obviously I feel he has the talent to be drafted in the first round. I think those strikeouts are pretty telling of some holes in his swing, and he did struggle on the Cape last summer swinging the wood bat. His athleticism is a huge plus, as is his power potential, but I think a team would have to be pretty confident they can find a way for Brown to do a better job controlling his swing and understanding what he can and can't hit. However, if he keeps hitting as he has he could easily go in the top 10. 20+ strikeouts already just isn't a good thing, as much as I like the guy.

I updated the top 30 just after the New Year. I probably will update the list again in early April and probably again between early April and the June draft, possibly twice in that span. It really depends on the players more so than any kind of pre-determined schedule.

Here's BA's weekend preview: www.baseballamerica.com/t...63559.html Some interesting notes include David Price's performance from last week vs. Ole Miss: The story compares Price to Nick Schmidt, as Vandy squares off vs. Arkansas starting today. No details on Schmidt's stuff, although I have heard reports that he is pitching in the 87-90 mph range. Price working 95-96 in the 10th is extremely impressive. Also, given the conversation surrounding Arrieta on a different thread in this forum, I thought I would share this: This pretty much goes along what I've heard and guessed about Arrieta this spring. Good stuff, shaky secondary stuff and command. As of right now, he's not worth the seventh overall pick IMO, as he's probably more of of a fit for the 20th-30th overall selections.

Hmm...no more Salty Dog talk Agreed. But the idea of obtaining Jarrod Saltalamacchia is realistic (not for Parra and Closser though). I had flashbacks to "Mr. Cannon"...

Not necessarily the association with Boras, but the general fact that they will cost a lot more than slot value. The Brewers aren't necessarily cheap when it comes to the draft, as they spend more than most teams and always have a couple of guys they spend more on in later rounds (for example, they gave 16th rounder RJ Seidel somewhere in the $400-500K range a year ago, and they dropped about $1.5 million on DFE Manny Parra in 2002), but they do tend to stick to slot value for their first-rounders.

Wieters has also been rumored to be a Boras client, so he too could drop (I've actually seen Price's name associated with Boras as well). Like I said, I don't see the Brewers touching the guys that fall. Michael Main could very well be the second coming of Mike Jones, which will please no one. Gimme a bat.

Allan Simpson has a really nice weekly column up today that covers a lot of different draft-related stories, including the D-Rays approach to the number one overall pick, draft-eligible sophomores and the Chatsworth program in SoCal: www.pgcrosschecker.com/20...32207.aspx

I just want to remind people that it is more likely that the Brewers take a player that likely wouldn't go any higher than the 7th overall pick than take a player that falls. With the 7th overall pick in 2002 (Fielder) the 5th overall pick in 2004 (Rogers) and the 5th overall pick in 2005 (Braun), the Brewers took a player that no other team considered taking earlier than that spot. During those drafts Scott Kazmir (2002), Jered Weaver (2004) and Stephen Drew all fell further than expected, or at least fell further than they should have, and the Brewers passed on all three of them (we already know how much this upsets bradyo even today). I'm not bringing that up to cause people to get angry, I bring it up because history tells us that even if Price, Brackman or Wieters falls it is unlikely that the Brewers will take any of them. I don't think there is any way that Price falls. College pitchers such as Weaver, Luke Hochevar and Mike Pelfrey may have fallen a little bit in recent years, but none of them were as "perfect" as a pitching prospect at the same stage as Price is. He's the best college pitching prospect since Mark Prior IMO.

There are some good college games on TV this weekend... South Carolina at Mississippi State All three games of this series will be televised on FCS. Friday's game will be on FCSC at 6:30 PM Saturday's game will be on FCSP at 3:00 PM. Sunday's game will be on FCSP at 1:30 PM. This is a great chance to see how South Carolina rebounds after losing two of their stud freshmen earlier this week, not to mention just being able to check out several promising draft-eligible prospects, including MSU's Ed Easley as profiled just above. South Carolina is highlighted by two stud sophomores, 1B Justin Smoak and SS Reese Havens. Arizona State at USC Friday, FCSP, 9:00 PM Arizona State is loaded with offensive talent, while USC has a few interesting draft-eligible prospects of their own to follow in this game, no matter who starts. Boston College at Florida State Saturday, FCSA, 5:00 PM Sunday, FCSA, Noon Not the most loaded games as far as prospects are concerned, as BC's Terry Doyle is the Golden Eagles' Friday starter, but FSU does have some intriguing underclassmen to watch.