colbyjack

Player updates for the week of 4/13/06 Many teams bumped up their weekend series to Thursday-Saturday because of the Easter holiday. Jeff Samardzija 7 IP, 11 H, 2 ER, 5 K, 3 BB vs. St. John's I'm going to start with Samardzija since I had the chance to see him pitch yesterday. First off, here's BA's weekend preview, which profiles the 2-sport star: www.baseballamerica.com/t...61004.html I also picked Samardzija as a player to watch a few weeks ago in a Crack of the Bat column: PG Crack of the Bat-Rising College Arms It's easy to like Samardzija. He is a perfectly proportioned athlete, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His motion is free and easy and his delivery is effortless. His fastball has been sitting in the 92-93 range all spring and has touched 96. He has scrapped his curveball in favor for a slider since he throws from a low 3/4 delivery, and he reportedly is refining his changeup (I didn't see him throw one yesterday). Since he garners a lot more attention on the gridiron, currently ranked as Mel Kiper's #1 WR for the '07 NFL draft, he hasn't had as much time on the diamond to polish his game. He has shown dramatic improvements this year, and the sky is the limit for him if he does indeed focus on baseball. Right now his fastball does tend to be too straight, and he gets too much of the strike zone. The ump yesterday wasn't giving him the high or low strike, and he wasn't missing by much. For the most part he works up and down, not inside and out, but he did catch the corner a few times with his fastball to ring a couple of batters up. Once he refines his slider and changeup his fastball is going to be much more effective. That's not to say that his slider is a bad pitch. It shows a lot of break, and it actually more a slurve with more downward movement than side-to-side break. However, you can tell he just doesn't command it as he could at this point in time. Like I mentioned before, I didn't see a changeup. Each of the 7 innings he pitched someone got on base. All three walks came in the first two innings (as did the two runs), but the St. John's batters were taking all the way, and in that event he is going to have to learn to throw more first-pitch strikes and pitch more to contact. And while he did induce a couple of ground balls that led to double plays, he gave up a lot of hard contact to the outfield gaps. He's not far off from being a really special pitcher, but he needs to focus on baseball to become more of a pitcher than a thrower, although he's far from wild. Reports are that he wants to be drafted, signed and play pro ball this summer while leaving in August to re-join the ND football team. I don't know if any team is going to agree to that, especially with a pitcher. Jared Hughes 7.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R (0 ER), 6 K, 2 BB vs. CS Northridge CalNiner already brought up Hughes' stats, a good line but LBSU isn't giving him any support offensively or defensively. Brandon Morrow 7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 8 K, 5 BB vs. Washington State This is pretty much the line Morrow has posted in every start this year...get those walks down! Joba Chamberlain 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 11 K, 3 BB vs. Texas A&M A strong start for Chamberlain. Ian Kennedy 5.1 IP, 11 H, 8 ER, 4 K, 2 BB vs. Arizona State Many thought Kennedy turned the corner after last week's start, not so. Tim Lincecum 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 14 K, 1 BB vs. BYU I've been hard on Lincecum in the past, pretty much leading up to last weekend. But, I have learned some information that has changed my opinion of him. I have commented before on his delivery, and how he puts so much torque on his shoulder. I guess he has worked hard to change his mechanics, and is using his lower body a lot better now, not to mention putting on weight to sustain velocity deeper into games. We've all heard the reports of him working in the mid-90s, touching 98 or so, and staying in the 92-93 range late in games. HIs delivery isn't as violent, and that has allowed him to be more consistent, and he has amazing recovery time in between starts with what seems to be a rubber arm. Scouts are still talking about him as a closer candidate, given his two knockout pitches and continued struggles walking batters, but I see no reason to try him as a starter first, even if he could be getting batters out in the late innings at the big-league level right now. So, look for his name to rise in my next ranking. Basically, I received the information I wanted to hear for me to change my mind. Brad Lincoln 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 6 K, 2 BB vs. Southern Miss. Another solid start for Lincoln, who has arguably been the best, most consistent starter this spring. Andrew Miller 8 IP, 5 H, 4 R (0 ER), 2 K, 4 BB vs. Virginia Tech A good line with the exception of the walks, which are uncharacteristic for Miller this spring. Wade LeBlanc 6 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 5 K, 4 BB vs. LSU LeBlanc got knocked around by LSU's big bats. David Huff 9 IP, 12 H, 8 R (6 ER), 11K, 1 BB vs. Arizona An interesting line for Huff, who really didn't allow many baserunners, but still gave up 6 ER in a CG effort, and only one of the hits allowed went for extra bases (a double). Those 11 K's sure are purty. Huff has pitched WAY to deep in games this year, so buyer beware. Daniel Bard 7 IP, 5 H, 4 R (0 ER), 5 K, 5 BB vs. Virginia Tech One of his best lines in weeks, still walks way too many.

Plowjockey, thanks for the report. Could you ask your daughter if the radar gun being used was a Jugs gun (smaller and cylindrical) or a Stalker (larger and boxier)?

Allan Simpson is leaving Baseball America to pursue other baseball ventures. Mr. Simpson has been somewhat of a personal role model for myself given our similar interests and passions for the game of baseball at all levels, particularly everything under the big-leagues (particularly the draft). Here is Baseball America's release: www.baseballamerica.com/t...26994.html A year ago I had the pleasure of speaking with Simpson in an interview for Perfect Game: Perfect Game Allan Simpson interview

I have it on pretty good authority that you might not see Scherzer for the rest of the year.... Ouch. That hurts, not only Scherzer, but the overall talent level. Scherzer in my mind was pretty much the only guy that could have given Andrew Miller a run for the #1 overall pick (even though I entered the season saying I wouldn't mind taking Ian Kennedy first overall). Blazer, have you heard if it's the biceps injury that is still bugging him, or has that led to elbow/shoulder problems?

PG's Who's Hot list corroborates the stats that NFWB has provided on Cody Johnson. Seems he's found that HR stroke. Colby, do you think Johnson will climb back into the top half of the first come draft time, or do you think he'll be in the bottom half no matter what stats he puts up? Johnson could definitely move back up to the top half. Draft charts are so fluid, although Johnson has to show the scouts watching him that he has made the necessary adjustments at the plate. I think he is always going to be prone to strikeouts, but how quickly has he adjusted to breaking balls skipping in the dirt before they even reach home plate? As I've said before, his power potential alone could have him drafted very high. I know I've compared him to Adam Dunn in the past, and that still is his upside. Patrick, what do you know about Jeremy Barfield? I heard an interview with Jesse Barfield last week, and he mentioned that Jeremy was a pretty highly thought of draft prospect. Jeremy Barfield is a big kid, 6'5", 215 or so, and he's a LHP, so he is somewhat different than dad and his older brother in the Padres organization. His fastball is in the 86-88 range, and he throws a pretty mean split. His breaking ball needs to be sharpened up, and I'm sure coaches at the pro level will try to get him to ditch the split in favor of a change. According to Perfect Game's hot list, he is tearing it up at the plate this spring with no updates on his pitching performances. With his size for all I know he's throwing in the 90s now, and if not, he could be one day in the next couple of years. Not a top, top ranked guy, but certainly someone to watch for the top 3-5 rounds.

College baseball TV schedule for week of 4/10/06: The schedule gets better as the spring rolls on... Thursday, 4/13 St. John's @ Notre Dame Doubleheader on CSTV Game 1: 11:00 am Game 2: 3:00 pm Being the first and second games of the series, we should see the Irish' two best starters, Jeff Manship and Jeff Samardzija. Friday, 4/14 Baylor @ Texas 7:00 pm, CSTV Texas is loaded with players, Baylor has an interesting LHP to follow, Cory Van Allen who I think is their Friday starter. Saturday, 4/15 Clemson @ Georgia Tech Noon, FCSA I haven't looked in a while, but Jason Berken may be Clemson's Saturday starter now. Georgia Tech's offense is loaded. Baylor @ Texas 2:00 pm, CSTV Game two of the series, which should be Kyle McCulloch's turn in the rotation for the Longhorns. Mississippi @ South Carolina 3:00 pm, FCSA Not really a game to watch in regards to prospects, but both teams are near the top of the rankings in every poll. Missouri @ Oklahoma 3:00 pm, FCSC Ok, this is the game to watch! If Missouri's schedule holds, Max Scherzer will take the ball and face West Bend native Ryan Rohlinger. Miami @ Florida State 6:00 pm, FCSA Plenty of draft eligibles to watch in this one, highlighted by the two team's centerfielders, Jon Jay and Shane Robinson. Sunday, 4/16 Clemson @ Georgia Tech Noon, FCSA Keep an eye on the schedule, as both games are scheduled to be televised, but that has happened before in recent weeks only to have one of the two games being live. Miami @ Florida State Noon, FCSC Same as above.

I'm excited about tommorrow...If anyone has a particular player they want me to watch closely, let me know. Thanks for the first-hand reports pogo, I look forward to more the next few days. I would like to hear you talk about Michael Brantley in greater detail. You mentioned that he is pretty exciting, but then that he reminded you of Will Lewis. Exciting isn't a word I would use to describe Will Lewis, a player who I think there was a reason why he wasn't moved up more quickly (or even kept around) despite people calling the Brewers out on it. I guess does Brantley profile to do anything above average? If he does everything well that's good, but if he's a LF with a contact bat, not much power and not game-changing speed he may not be considered more than a 4th OF (although the walks are nice). Lorenzo Cain is another player I'd like to know more about. At one point in time he looked like a tall, rangy leadoff type OF, but after last year people were talking about him more as a power-hitting RF prospect. And any reports on the pitchers would be swell. Welch, Renkert, Ryan, Roberts, Parillo...and of course Inman.

talk about ouch in 2003 the cardinals drafted ian kennedy, max scherzer, and brett sinkbeil and couldn't sign any. Yeah, that definitely hurts. Tim Lincecum keeps on chugging on, doesn't he? Into the 1st round at least, that's for sure. While Lincecum has been all of the talk this spring, I don't really understand why he is magically considered a 1st-round pick now. He's really not that much different than what he was a year ago. He had a mid-90s fastball and killer breaking ball then, just like he does now. It's not like he stopped walking batters, as he has 39 BBs in 71 IP this season, not a good formula at all, and while he is about as unhittable as they come, when he is hit he seems to be hit hard (5 HR so far this year, and college ratios to innings pitched are never the same as they are at the pro level). And of course, that delivery hasn't changed one bit. Buyer beware... Is there any reason for the disappointing season of Justin Bristow? I understand he is only a freshman, but he might have been the best player not to sign with a professional team (Jordan Danks certainly has an argument). I have to think that Auburn expected more than a .246/.321/.297 line. Hopefully he will rebound in the next two years so he can regain the draft status he once had. I haven't heard a peep about Bristow. I know there were a few people around here, myself included, that thought Bristow would have a big enough year to be considered for the Brewers' first-round pick (5th overall). That obviously didn't happen, but what is more perplexing to me is the fact that he's not pitching at Auburn. There were quite a few people that thought Bristow was more talented on the mound, and that if he attended college he would be one of the better 2-way talents in the game. That said, plenty of freshman have a hard time adjusting to college ball, and his career his young. For his own sake though, I hope he finds his swing.

Minnesota does play quite a few games in the Metrodome. In fact, I think their entire home schedule might be played indoors. If not the entire season, most of it. I have suggested that the Brewers approach the Brewers about more games at Miller Park, but it may be a financial issue more than anything. The Brewers look for revenue when they bring in outside events to the stadium, such as the Miller 150th anniversary late last summer and other concerts, and I'm guessing their sponsorship/partnership with UWM doesn't cover the operation expenses. Although UWM did play a DH vs. Butler at MP after yesterday's Brewer game.

Welch is definitely a true sleeper as a prospect, as there aren't too many players that don't have their very own one-man fan club around these parts. Here's what I wrote about him from my '05 draft recap: 20. David Welch, LHP 4-1, 2.77 ERA in 12 appearances, 26 IP, 21 H, 29 K, 12 BB with Helena Welch, a native of Australia, is a well-built pitcher at 6'4", 215 pounds, with a live arm and a sturdy frame. He had committed to play for Texas Tech for his junior year of eligibility, but the Brewers were able to sign him away from that commitment to play professionally, and he responded well with the Helena Brewers. Welch earned a few starts later in the season after being used predominantly out of the bullpen, and he may find himself as a piggy-back starter for West Virginia in 2006. Like Patrick Ryan, Welch could be a sleeper to watch next season.

DHonks, I actually took a sneak peak at the '07 draft in my Crack of the Bat column last week, at least some of the groupings from the college crop (in other words, good timing http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ): Crack of the Bat: College draft class of '07 I've mentioned David Price a few times now, and the other players discussed in that column really should make next year's talent on the top (which always improves the depth) pretty special (2005, 2003 and 2001 special). The high school depth always takes longer to establish itself, but John Tolisano would easily be the best prep infielder in the '06 class if he were available, while Robert Stock has touched 95 off the mound with a killer curveball and has drawn comparisons to Joe Mauer as a left-handed hitting catcher. Michael Main is an incredible athlete.

I've added player profiles for some of the more notable college LHP available for this June's draft. I hope to add the prep southpaws tomorrow. www.brewerfan.net/ViewDra...;draftId=4 EDIT: Two days later than what I was hoping, but the profiles for 16 prep pitchers have been added to the database. Use the above link to view all of the draft-eligible LHPs, high school and college, that I have profiled.

If signability wasn't as big of a factor, Price never would have stepped on Vandy's campus. Don't be too happy over the fact that Logan White drafted him out of HS, it's not like he knew something other team's didn't. If anything be upset that White didn't do what it took to sign him, as now that price wouldn't likely look like a bargain. Price is the total package. Mid-90s fastball, a deadly breaking ball and a very good changeup. Extremely athletic 6'6" frame. While I compared him to Mark Prior in regards to how much attention he will receive between now and June in '07, his size and stuff will probably garner more Mark Mulder comparisons. Here's my profile of him from '04: www.brewerfan.net/ViewAma...;draftId=2 On a sidenote, the Twins did a good job signing fellow Vandy recruit Kyle Waldrop away from that commitment in that '04 draft. I remember there were some rumblings at the time about Price possibly going in the first round as well with a similar pre-draft deal, but obviously that never happened. Didn't the Dodgers also take Savery in '04? Ouch. Who did they take in '04 that they were worried about not signing, as Savery and Price sound like contingency plans?

Actually, Morrow might be the perfect comp for Thomas Diamond, who had a very good fastball but everything else was in question. Morrow does have a wicked split-fingered fastball, but that pitch won't let him succeed as a starter alone. BA reported earlier this week that Morrow's curveball has improved, and he did flash a good one last summer on the Cape. The big difference with Verlander (realizing these comps are just for kicks) is that Verlander had a huge breaking ball coming out of college, much like Scherzer does. Both are big, strong guys with two big pitches that really only have/had questions about their changeups. Their stuff is so good that neither needs one much, although Scherzer's reportedly has been throwing a pretty good one this spring when he's been healthy. The comparisons really don't continue as well to the HS side. Drabek could be this year's Texas fireballer, but he doesn't have the Texas-sized stature of Bailey, Beckett, Wood, etc. I suppose Dellin Betances could be this year's Mark Rogers in that he's from a northern state, hasn't pitched as much but the sky's the limit. The prep class needs a positional player to be excited about. I still contend that the biggest aspect of this year's draft that will mirror the '04 draft (and the '02 draft) is my guess that the Royals will screw up the first overall pick.

College player updates for the weekend of 4/7/06 Brad Lincoln 8.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R (2 ER), 9 K, 3 BB Faced biggest test of year in C-USA rival Tulane, and passed with flying colors, also went 2-4 with HR as cleanup hitter. Wade LeBlanc 7.2 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 7 K, 6 BB vs. South Carolina The silver lining is that LeBlanc only allowed one extra-base hit, a double, against a very tough S. Carolina ballclub. Andrew Miller 6 IP, 5 H, 4 R (2 ER), 3 K, 4 BB vs. Miami This and the Maryland outings were his most lackluster of the season, but he still wasn't horrible. Joba Chamberlain 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 K, 4 BB vs. Missouri Still not sharp, but Nebraska out-slugged Mizzou LHP Nathan Culp. Brandon Morrow 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R (0 ER), 5 K, 6 BB vs. USC Morrow's unhittable, but he can definitely be worked for a walk. Ian Kennedy 10 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 8 K, 1 BB vs. Cal Kennedy goes the distance in a 10-inning, 2-1 game vs. Cal that USC and Kennedy win. Good performance after 3-4 blah ones. David Huff 8.1 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 9 K, 1 BB vs. Washington State Another good start for Huff, although he remains too hittable. Josh Butler 8 IP, 15 H, 6 ER, 2 K, 1 BB vs. Portland While Butler goes 8 innings and walks only one, this still looks like a very odd line. He gets hit around more than what he has been used to. Max Scherzer 4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 K, 1 BB vs. Nebraska A good line despite a short start. While he's building his arm strength back up, it will be interesting to see how long it takes before he's pitching 7-8 innings again. Daniel Bard 4.2 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 6 K, 3 BB vs. Miami UNC won this game, but Bard once again pitched poorly. And since templeUsox brought him up last week, and I did again in my Crack of the Bat column this week, I thought I would point out that Vanderbilt LHP David Price struck out 17 Arkansas batters in 8 innings of work. Seriously, watch Price's name as he approaches Mark Prior status leading up to the '07 draft. While the NC State/Wake Forest game is still being played (there was a 45-minute rain delay), I got to see a few key draft eligible hitters today. Matt Antonelli is a player any stat fan could appreciate. I broke his profile down in the player breakdown thread, with his ability to draw walks being his most notable statistical attribute. I noted in that breakdown that Antonelli may be an ideal #1 or #2 hitter at the big-league level depsite batting third in college, and Wake Forest recently has moved him to the top of their order. While he's listed at 6' tall, he's probably more in the 5'10" range. Physically, he looked like a member of the Giles family with a shorter but strong build. Marcus Giles would probably be a good offensive comparison for Antonelli, who with his patient eye has some pop, some speed and is steady on defense. I've had Antonelli among my top 30 prospects overall all spring, and I think he is taken somewhere in the first round. Aaron Bates is NC State's 1B, and I got to see some of him last summer at well. He's a big guy, a right-handed hitter and thrower, and has moved to 1B from behind the plate full-time. While I like his bat, I don't know if he's going to be a thumper at 1B, and I don't see him playing anywhere else. Maybe a corner OF spot, but his ticket is with the bat. He has put up big numbers for the Wolfpack, and I wouldn't doubt to see him put up some big numbers initially in the minors. Jon Still for the most part is NC State's DH, after transferring from Stetson where he spent more time as a catcher. Like Bates, Still's catching days are behind him. I liken Still to Kevin Millar, and similar to Bates he will always make a living by how much he hits. Finding a spot for him defensively may be a problem, so he's probably best suited to be taken by an AL club. Matt Mangini isn't eligible until '07, and he hasn't been hitting nearly as well recently as he was to open the season (when he was hitting .800 or so after the first 3-4 weeks of the season). He's batting 8th now in the Wolfpack lineup, but you can see the offensive potential with his big frame, and I think he's going to be a pretty good defender at the hot corner. I've compared him to Alex Gordon before, but I'm not so sure he is going to have that kind of potential. Maybe a hair below that.

As much as I liked Verlander two years ago, I didn't think he would progress as quickly as he has. His command and control have improved dramatically since entering pro ball, as I thought his timetable would have an added year or two than what it's been. So while Miller is as good of a prospect as Verlander is (or was, now), it's hard to say if he will follow that same path. Even if Verlander took an extra year to develop that would still be considered an extremely fast progression. I'll say mid-to-late 2008 for Miller, as he won't pitch this summer, will debut and pitch at A+ and AA in '07, will open '08 at AAA. That timeline is bumped up a year if Miller opens '07 at AA and cruises through AAA within months like Verlander did. In fact, the pitcher's available for this year's draft are comparable to those available in '04: Andrew Miller = Jeff Niemann (minus the injuries) Ian Kennedy = Jered Weaver (size-wise they're way off, but both had great success using less than dominant pure stuff) Max Scherzer = Justin Verlander/Thomas Diamond (great pure stuff) Daniel Bard = Wade Townsend (the teammate of MIller/Niemann that is a little perplexing) Brad Lincoln = Phillip Humber (good fastball-curveball combo) Wade LeBlanc/David Huff = Jeremy Sowers (unless it's a signability deal, neither LeBlanc nor Huff will go nearly as high as Sowers did) And Longoria could very well be similar to Stephen Drew. Drew's value obviously was increased in that he can play SS (although I'm not convinced Longoria can't), can swipe some bags for you and bats left-handed (it always helps). It is a similar year talent-wise to '04.

Lincoln was rated too high to open the season to be available in the first-round supplemental round. Now I think it is safe to say that he'll go in the top 10, if not the top 3-5 overall. If as a Dodgers fan you want him, and he's available at #7 overall, you should feel pretty lucky that he's there. And no, there haven't been any mock drafts to speak of. I have seen a couple on the Scout.com network, but most of that information is for subscribers only, and it's not worth the price you pay (and I can tell from reading other fan's attempts at draft coverage out there that most of them get quite a bit of their draft information from Brewerfan.net anyway). For mock drafts in particular, it is way to early to guess even at this point in time. As we well know, signability often plays a bigger role of who goes where than actual talent. In a month from now we should have a better idea of who is going to go where. I still believe the Royals' pick will surprise (disappoint) people. On another topic, Jim Callis addresses some draft issues in his recent AskBA column: www.baseballamerica.com/t...26969.html I can't believe any scout thinks Andrew Miller is a future closer. Maybe before this year, but Miller has answered almost every single question out there regarding him IMO. He has sacrificed some of his velocity (working more 90-93 now than 95-97 in the past) for control, and is incorporating both a two-seamer and a cutter more into his repertoire. In other words, he has learned to pitch more, which is why he is carving up batters at a high rate this spring. As we've seen from some first-hand reports such as the one from Dave Cameron from USS Mariner, Miller also does a very good job inducing groundballs as well as missing bats. That is a very good combination to have, and makes Miller the no-brainer for the 1st overall selection. If the Royals reach and mess up the pick by thinking of anything other than talent, they are doomed to continue to be as bad as they have been.

Welcome back Jim, and thanks as always for the Link Report. The Brewers 3-0 start still seemed somewhat empty without the affilaites to follow around these parts. Happy as heck to have you back. And I'm happy as heck to follow a very exciting night in the minors. Some pretty exciting lines from some pretty exciting names.

Since there will likely be more and more general draft updates, that doesn't necessarily relate only to college and/or the high school levels, I thought I'd start an updated and more general 2006 draft thread. BA has a story out today about how the Royals may be expanding their list of those eligible for their first overall pick, citing that the talent pool is weak. Personally I think this excuse is pretty weak, as I think what they are essentially saying is that they don't want to pay the $4.5 million-plus for Andrew Miller (KCBrewerfan, I haven't forgotten about our friendly wager). www.baseballamerica.com/t...26940.html The story also stocks a little bit more about the talent available for the draft. The story fails to mention a few notable players that have been on the rise that I covered in a recent Crack of the Bat column. A few players have risen up their list that I have covered with greater attention lately, such as David Huff, Wade LeBlanc, Stephen Wright, Nathan Culp and Josh Butler, although they still have several pitchers rated far too low IMO. Here's their updated list of draft eligible collegians (for subscribers only): www.baseballamerica.com/o...26941.html Brad Lincoln, who is now BA's #3 ranked college player http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/blincoln06428309bm.jpg

Just a reminder, Perfect Game is constantly updating their Who's Hot list. I checked it earlier today, and noticed several updates from over the weekend. Max Sapp is a name I've brought up several times before, and like his opposite coast catching peer Hank Conger, Sapp hasn't wasted any time putting up some gaudy power numbers this spring. Baseball America has updated their high school team rankings, with Kyle Drabek's The Woodlands team knocking Jason Stoffel's Agoura HS off of the top spot. A nice picture of Kyle Drabek below, courtesy of Baseball America. http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/kdrabek06428309.jpg

Thanks Madtown, I'm going to take you up on your offer... Did the scouts show more love for Rohlinger? While I have seen McCulloch pitch before, I'm interested in getting your thoughts since he's coming off arguably his best start of the year. I admit, I kind of stop paying attention to him a few weeks ago given his relatively lackluster start. His overall stats aren't that bad, but he just doesn't seem to be as sharp as he has been. For some of Texas' future talent, I'm assuming you're referring largely to Kyle Russell and Jordan Danks. Did you get to see Tennessee's James Adkins? Anything you have on him and his battery-mate, J.P. Arencibia, would be appreciated.

DFE update as of 4/3/06 Usual disclaimer of information restrictions... Tim Smith .459/.550/.714 in 98 AB, 16 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 18:10 BB:K, 10 for 10 SBs Midland College finally updated their stat page, and Smith has some good ones to share. Not much HR power, but I like the patience, contact bat, doubles and surprising stolen base speed. Taylor Green .267/.380/.455 in 101 AB, 5 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 16:8 BB:K Green has a good eye, I just wish he would heat up with the bat as far as hits are concerned. Who knows, maybe he's getting pitched around, but I don't think so looking at the rest of Cypress' stats. Patrick Murray .329/.368/.471 in 70 AB, 4 2B, 2 HR, 4:10 BB:K Back from mononucleosis. He's still hitting well, but his calling card is power, and hopefully he'll get the mono out of his system and re-find his power stroke. Spencer Pennington .315/.398/.342 in 73 AB, 2 2B, 8:15 BB:K, 1-1 SBs, 3 Es I got to see Pennington play over the weekend, and I can see why scouts would like him given his frame, as he's the perfect baseball athlete physically with naturally sloped hitting shoulders. His average has increased, but with his size you would like to see more power. Sebastien Vendette 2-1, 3.65 ERA, 5 games (all starts), 24.2 IP, 15 H, 30 K, 14 BB, 0 HR, .174 BAA Vendette may have some bouts with wildness given the walk totals, but he looks to be rather unhittable. Stephen Barnes 2-4, 3.25 ERA, 15 games (7 starts), 1 save, 55 IP, 56 H, 35 K, 24 BB, 2 HR, .265 BAA Things started well for Barnes, but his move to the bullpen seems permanent, and he's not pitching his way back to the rotation with his success lately. Chris Hopkins .314/.417/.384 in 86 AB, 4 2B, 1 3B, 12:7 BB:K, 14-18 SBs Hopkins has a nice eye at the plate, and some nifty stolen base speed, but he needs to show a little more power than just another contact bat to warrant a pro contract. Brad Miller .282 BA, 3 2B, 1 3B in 39 AB, 2 stolen bases 9.00 ERA, 5 IP, 7 H, 3 K, 4 BB Stats are very incomplete coming from NJCAA site. Hard to comment, but thought I'd throw them out there. Cowley used to have one of the more up-to-date JC sites out there (hint hint). Jordan Lennerton .402/.519/.575 in 127 AB, 7 2B, 5 HR, 30:13 BB:K, 6-7 SBs 4-4, 4.57 ERA, 8 games (all starts), 41.1 IP, 54 H, 28 K, 21 BB, 2 HR, .309 BAA Lennerton has found his power stroke since the last update, boosting his SLG by nearly 100 points. It's clear his future isn't on the mound despite respectable totals. He along with Smith are the DFEs to watch, at least statistically. Kyle Eveland .329/.409/.427 in 82 AB, 5 2B, 1 HR, 11:18 BB:K Lil' Eveland has turned it up since the last update. The Brewerfan.net nation would love to welcome another Eveland to the family. George Washington .189 batting average in 37 AB, no extra-base hits and one stolen base I'm not sure if these stats courtesy of NJCAA or even worth posting. It seems his lackluster start has definitely effected his playing time. Thanks to Mass Haas for including a few Zach Braddock updates as he can find him. I still believe he's the most exciting of the '06 DFE candidates, and hopefully both he and Smith will be playing in Helena come June.

College baseball TV schedule for week of 4/3/06: I want to point out the busy college baseball TV schedule this week, as there are some intriguing matchups particularly on Saturday. Wednesday, 4/5 Nebraska @ Creighton 8:30 pm, CSTV Thursday, 4/6 BYU @ UNLV 8:30 pm, CSTV Friday, 4/7 Florida @ Kentucky 5:30 pm, FCSA Saturday, 4/8 Wake Forest @ NC State Noon, FCSA LSU @ Tennessee 3:00 pm, FCSA Washington @ Arizona State 3:00 pm, FCSP Hawaii @ Fresno State 8:30 pm, CSTV Sunday, 4/9 Texas @ Kansas State Noon, FCSP Tulane @ Houston 3:00 pm, CSTV I'm glad I got a DVR this year... The Brewers are on tonight, so there probably won't be any listeners interested (including myself), but there is one very interesting game on the radio for those that are interested: Houston vs. Tulane uhcougars.cstv.com/multim...media.html Brad Lincoln faces his toughest test of the season as he faces the Tulane lineup, which is built on patience and power, like any good Earl Weaver ballclub. Missouri vs. Nebraska www.ktgr.com/ Unfortunately, tonight's game will not consist of Joba Chamberlain and Max Scherzer as it should had the two of them stayed healthy all spring. Chamberlain is scheduled to pitch tonight, although against Missorui LHP Nathan Culp who I profile above. Scherzer goes tomorrow. A Scherzer-Chamberlain matchup may have prompted a last-minute roadtrip.

Thanks to a few posters for the updates provided above. I'm not going to repeat those lines here, so if you see someone notable missing, scroll back. Daniel Bard 3.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R (3 ER), 5 K, 2 BB Bard's struggles continue Ian Kennedy 6.1 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 6 K, 2 BB Same goes for Kennedy, he picked the wrong year to struggle after dominating his first two Max Scherzer 4 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 K, 2 BB Scherzer returns to the mound against Kansas, here's to his health Josh Butler 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R (2 ER), 10 K, 5 BB The walks are uncharacteristically high, but he's not a big K guy either David Huff 9 IP, 10 H, 2 R (1 ER), 7 K, 1 BB Huff continues to pitch better after having a couple of consecutive shaky weekends Wade LeBlanc 9 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 7 K, 0 BB He shuts down #1 Mississippi State, has a 62:9 K:BB ratio in 61.2 IP I want to bring up two pitchers that have not previously been discussed that are having fine seasons: Nathan Culp Culp is a 6'2", 180 pound LHP that has assumed the role as Missouri's ace in Scherzer's absence. He has pitching well all year, and is a prototypical crafty lefty with exceptional control. His numbers on the year: 6-2, 1.98 ERA, 8 games (all starts), 54.2 IP, 45 H, 37 K, 4 BB, 3 HR, .223 BAA Cody Crowell Mass Haas would like this Harwichport, MA native, who is having a very good year for surging Vanderbilt, and has created a very good bookend weekend rotation with Friday ace and fellow lefty David Price. Crowell spots his fastball very well, and mixes in a pretty good curveball. He's a draft-eligible sophomore after red-shirting his freshman year. 4-0, 1.76 ERA, 7 games (all starts), 46 IP, 37 H, 32 K, 8 BB, 0 HR

CJ, is there any legitimacy to not drafting Rice pitchers? Are they overused or taught mechanics that don't translate at a higher level? They recently have had the reputation of being "tarnished goods" upon their arrival into the pros. Would this scare you in the future for St. Clair? I imagined it already scared off some scouts last year with Degerman, who had stats that warranted a much better draft selection. First of all players don't get drafted because of the stats they post. That just doesn't happen, no matter how literally you took Moneyball. Even stat-minded organizations look above and beyond stats to evaluate players. Second, if there was any legitimacy to not drafting Rice pitchers, you wouldn't have seen three taken within the top 8 picks in 2004, not to mention one more in the fourth round (Josh Baker). Most of the criticism is generally directed at HC Wayne Graham, but that's unfounded since he is also credited fo the development of Rogers Clemens and Andy Pettite (San Jacinto JC). Third, as I noted, Degerman has some really odd mechanics going on. I'm on record for stating how much I dislike Tim Lincecum's delivery, and Degerman's might be worse. I poked around Baseball America's draft coverage from a year ago and it seems as though I'm not the only one with such concerns: RHP Eddie Degerman (55) has contributed to Rice's rebuilt rotation by going 7-1, 2.94 and ranking among the NCAA Division I leaders with 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings. But his draft status is uncertain because he pitches with a stiff, over-the-top delivery that scouts compare to an Iron Mike pitching machine. He throws an 88-91 mph fastball, a curveball and a changeup all from the same slot, and his unorthodox mechanics throw hitters off. Ok, I'll admit, when I said that players don't get drafted for stats I should have made an exception. There are a fair share of seniors that get drafted almost entirely based on their stats, as it's always interesting to see how much better certain seniors (the ones that put up better numbers despite not having ideal stuff & overall projection) elevate their draft stock with another year under their belt. Degerman without a doubt will be one of those seniors this year. Personally, I wouldn't touch him with anything more than a courtesy pick well after the 10th round, with all due respect to Degerman.