colbyjack

I got a chance to see Oak Creek LHP Anthony Butler pitch today as part of the Perfect Game Wisconsin Spring Scout League in Pewaukee. He tossed three innings today, and I'll have to check the tape again, but I think he struck out the side in both the first and third innings, while K'ing another two in the 2nd. It was a chilly day here in Wisconsin, but one batter did manage to club a double off of Butler in the 3rd (which followed a walk). No damage done though. He pitched in the 86-90 range, and flashed a pretty good curveball per usual. I like that when he misses he misses down, which is always a good sign. He appeared on PG's Who's Hot list (link above) after turning a few heads at the Perfect Game Indoor Showcase in Cedar Rapids, Iowa a few weeks ago. I will provide a picture or two later on when I correct a few technical issues with my computer. I also took video of his 3 innings of work, which I took so it could be showed on BaseballWebTV for all to enjoy. I'll be sure to let you know when it's up on their site. Here's the pic... Anthony Butler http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/colbyjack/tony_butler3.jpg

The Tulane vs. Rice matchup from last night offered some interesting prospect watching. Sean Morgan started for Tulane, and is a name familiar to Brewers fans that keep tabs on the draft (he was a 25th round pick of the Brewers in '04). Morgan has a good frame, build solid from top to bottom, particularly a strong lower half. He's built like Andy Benes. Nice power repertoire, low-90s sinking fastball, and a hard curve that probably is more of a slurve. He commands his fastball very well, his breaking ball looked sharp when he got going. Retired 18 of 19 at one point, but ran out of gas in the 8th. He's be a top prospect for '07. Eddie Degerman has been brought up before by Madtown Bomber. His deliver is very similar to Tim Lincecum in that he comes straight over the top and there is some odd movement as part of his windup. He works well down in the zone, and he shows two breaking pitches, both of which are strikeout pitches. He didn't have the best of control in this game, but he managed the game well and didn't get burned. Joe Savery is a 1B/LHP for Rice that pitches on Sundays for the Owls. He has a very nice, free and easy swing from the left-side of the plate, with very natural hitting mechanics. He hit a ball a ton to the left-center gap that probably would have been a home run in a ballpark with more modest dimensions (Tulane is playing at Zephyr field this year). Good glove at 1B, I hope to see him pitch again some day. Josh Rodriguez played 3B for the Owls, and has DH'ed quite a bit this year due to a ailing shoulder. He is built well, and resembles Derek Jeter at the plate. Good bat, as he should hit at the next level. Glove needs work, and he could wind up in LF, where he'll need to hit for more power to justify the move. Cole St. Clair came in relief of Degerman in the 7th. Someone asked about St. Clair earlier in this thread I believe. I like what I saw, and I'm not sure why he doesn't start, even if it's as the weekday starter given the Owls' strong rotation. He commands his fastball very well. There was no radar reading, but I would guess 88-90 range. He offers a fair amount of deception in his delivery. He only threw about 4 curveballs over 3 innings of work. He's going to need to tighten up that pitch, but two of them looked really good. Just when I was thinking to myself "does he throw a changeup?" he pulled the string and K'd a batter with a really nice looking one, the only one I noticed him throw. He struck out the first 5 batters he faced, and 7 overall in those 3 innings of work (including Tulane slugger Mark Hamilton). He's a big guy like Morgan, built strongly throughout, and employs a high leg kick that likely will make him easy to run on if he doesn't perfect his pickoff move. Degerman is a senior, and Rodriguez is a junior, the other guys listed aren't eligible until '07, but they should help bolster what is looking to be a very talented '07 class. I watched Saturday's tilt between North Carolina and Florida State on Saturday. This included another interesting pitching matchup pitting UNC's Robert Woodard vs. FSU's Tyler Chambliss. Robert Woodard I got to see Woodard pitch in the Cape Cod All-Star Game last summer, and it's pretty much the same with Woodard. Low effort delivery produced a mid to high-80s fastball. You could see a few scouts behind the plate not even using a radar gun to clock him (I think they were more interested in Chambliss). His fastball has a bit of dip to it, and he uses the whole strike zone well as you would expect from a guy who has success despite not having very good stuff. I still think Woodard could cruise through A-ball, but he is going to face more difficulty when he faces better hitters at AA and above. Tyler Chambliss Shorter yet athletic pitcher who owns the best breaking ball in the ACC. His fastball is in the low-90s, and his curveball is a true breaker that brings out a lot of bad looking swings. He reminded me of Tim Hudson, as he has that same kind of demeanor on the mound, and I could see him having success at the next level given his intensity and breaking ball, particularly if he continues to command his fastball the way he does. I could see him going somewhere in rounds two through five. Shane Robinson This was the 3rd time I've seen Robinson this year, and he's been the same player each time out. High energy, and plays much bigger than his stature. He electrifies the entire lineup. Ryne Malone Malone currently plays 3B for the Seminoles, but can play almost anywhere on the field. I think he profiles the best at 2B at the pro level, where he would profile as a Todd Walker type of 2B with a little bit of thump from the left-side of the plate and a disciplined eye. I also saw Vanderbilt crush Florida on Sunday, 16-2. Florida is just not the same team from a year ago. Florida has become like Nebraska from a year ago when it comes to TV coverage. I think they've been on TV every weekend for the past month. Matt LaPorta Still taking a big swing, and not getting much contact. Ended the game with a K. Adam Davis Playing shortstop since Justin Tordi has moved on, but he's a 2B at the next level. Good line drive bat as a switch-hitter. Will draw David Eckstein comparisons, but Davis has more physical potential than Eckstein did/does. Brian Jeroloman Very good defensive catcher, but I wonder how good he will be at the plate. I still feel he's going to struggle against LHP as a lefty batter. Arizona plays Arizona State later tonight, and it looks as though there will be some more interesting matchups on TV next weekend. With the Brewers season starting, I don't know how much attention I will continue to pay to the college games on TV.

Brevard County would seem to be the team to watch this year. Kind of nice change, as the Brewers haven't had a high-A team to watch for several years now.

No offense fellas, but we don't need a separate post for every update. Feel free to edit your existing posts to include your fave performances. I will say thank you for the updates, but you forgot Brad Lincoln http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif (8 IP, 6 H, 1 R (0 ER), 12 K, 2 BB).

This really screams front page material. Nice research Russ. I don't necessarily agree with some of your conclusions, but if everyone agreed with every single projection this discussion would be pretty lame http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . And of course it would make for a very interesting follow-up story at the end of the year, as I'm sure you will learn a thing or two from the players you didn't peg. I'm curious, on Woah Solvdd you said you didn't think Hall would match his '05 numbers, but yet you seem to be somewhat hopeful of what he can do based on your comments above. Since you have brought up his age, a big part of me believes that last year wasn't him reaching his potential, but just starting to.

I'm anxious to see how Andrew Miller does tomorrow vs Florida State. After absolutely shutting down Georgia Tech, I expect big things from him against the Seminoles. That's a good call Gagne. I always love to see what the top pitchers in the nation do against the best teams. Florida State is another big test for Miller, and Bard for that matter. As of right now Saturday's game is scheduled to be televised. Here is the weekend slate of games, a pretty impressive list of matchups: Friday Rice @ Tulane 6:30 pm, CSTV Saturday Florida State @ North Carolina Noon, FCSA Wichita State at Creighton 3:00 pm, CSTV Mississippi State @ Alabama 3:00 pm, FCSA Sunday Vanderbilt @ Florida Noon, FCSA Arizone State vs. Arizona 6:00 pm, FCSP And to follow a couple of recent fave radio broadcasts, Long Beach State opens their Big West season this Friday vs. UC Irvine (8:30 start CST) while Houston travels east to face East Carolina (6:00 pm, see above for linnks to LBSU & Houston audio pages, I have a feeling I'm the only one tuning in anyway).

Having practice on Easter Saturday will make it tough for me to be there. The following weekend is Henry's baptism, and the next weekend after that I'm out of town. So, I may just be a friendly observer come game-time, which I kind of suspected to begin with. If anyone lives on or around the South side and wants to get together to toss/hit the ball around on a weekday night, let me know.

I noted above in the weekly notes that Scherzer missed one start due to a strained biceps. BA has reported that he missed last week's start due to shoulder tendonitis.

Mike Adams into the game, as Ueck put it, fighting for a job tonight. Bush's final line: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 4 K, 3 BB

1290 is coming through at my house loud and clear.

Perfect Game's Who's Hot list is back, which offers some very good updates on a very impressive (and growing) list of high school players: www.perfectgame.org/stori...hos%5Fhot/

Thanks for adding Doolittle, he has to be considered as well. He is very similar to Savery in that it's not certain if he will be developed as a pitcher or a hitter. And you're right, Price could very well be the best pitcher in the nation right now. Wherever he pitches this summer, he could be followed (and talked about at great lengths) from the summer through next spring like Mark Prior was from the summer of 2000 through 2001. Next year's draft crop should be very good to the Royals and Rockies.

Take a peak above templeUsox, as I do mention Wes Roemer's success this season given his showdown with Jared Hughes on Friday. He doesn't blow it by batters, but he does carve them up. The report from Friday was that his fastball was around 91 for most of the game, which isn't bad at all, but isn't exactly what scouts look for from an early first-round pick. However, Tim Stauffer didn't have that velocity either a few years ago, and after drawing Greg Maddux comparisons for his command and ability to change speeds, he went 4th overall. Roemer is that kind of pitcher. And Fullerton never plays weak competition. Neither does Long Beach, as I personally feel the East Coast teams get too much credit while beating up on the Coastal Carolina's of the world while the best teams from the West are playing one another before conference play starts (again as noted above, while LBSU & Fullerton are conference foes, last weekend's series was actually a non-conference series). As for Cole St. Clair, I honestly don't know how hard he's throwing. There was a poster here that saw Rice earlier this season (Madtown Bomber I believe, are you out there?) that may have some thoughts to share on him. The numbers are pretty sick so far, as they were last year as well. Plus he's what, 6'4", 6'5", and left-handed? I'm pretty sure he got knocked around a little in his only start this year a few weeks ago, so I'm not sure if he's missing something to be a starter (maybe he's a one-pitch pitcher). I'll ask around about St. Clair. Speaking of '07 LHPs, and this will be a future Crack of the Bat column, keep an eye on three LHPs from the SEC, Nick Schmidt of Arkansas, David Price of Vanderbilt and James Adkins of Tennessee, to go along with Rice's Joe Savery (if he's taken as a pitcher instead of a hitter). Those guys along with two really good catchers, Tennessee's JP Arencibia and Georgia Tech's Matt Weiters, are going to make the '07 draft pretty special.

Yes, Johnson could fall that far, but if he falls that far, you have to wonder why and if he'll keep tumbling. BA has a nice story up on Washington slugger Travis Snider, along with a few other quick notes: www.baseballamerica.com/t...hheat.html You may want to change your focus from Johnson to Snider Gagne...

I have listed four of the rumored Boras advisees previously, but Jim Callis added a four more in his recent Ask BA column: We've confirmed that Boras is advising eight prospects for the 2006 draft, all college players. In order of how they ranked on our initial College Top 100 Prospects list , they are: Missouri righthander Max Scherzer (No. 3), Southern California righty Ian Kennedy (No. 5), Florida first baseman Matt LaPorta (No. 7), Arizona shortstop Jason Donald (No. 17), Arizona State outfielder Colin Curtis (No. 19), Cal Poly righty Gary Daley (No. 24), Tulane first baseman Mark Hamilton (No. 33) and Mississippi third baseman Chris Coghlan (No. 3http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/glasses.gif . LaPorta, Daley, Hamilton and Coghlan are the ones I had previously not known about. LaPorta and Hamilton's inclusion are particularly interesting because they are the top two power hitters available in the draft. No word on the high school players, and quite often we won't hear about these players until three years from now when they are once again eligible for the draft.

I wanted to share some thoughts on some players I have been able to watch play recently. The Florida State-Duke game that I mentioned a few posts above was indeed broadcast, just not live like it was originally supposed to be, meaning I got a chance to see FSU ace Bryan Henry pitch. Bryan Henry-RHP-FSU Henry has posted impressive stats thus far in his career at FSU, all the more impressive considering he started his career as a third baseman. The best thing I liked when watching Henry is the way he commands the strike zone, particularly with his fastball. I do think he works up in the zone too often, something he won't get away with as much as a pro, but he is able to hit the corners when he needs to. In that regard, he is similar to Ian Kennedy in that he commands his fastball well enough (even if the pitch sits in the low-90s) to allow the rest of his arsenal to be that much better. And Henry has a pretty good curveball. He actually threw two different ones, the first a bigger, slow breaker and the second a more sharp, harder downer that he used as a fishing pitch down in the dirt. He tends to work the outside part of the plate, which is the opposite of Kennedy. In this regard he pitches like a big-leaguers, as he starts outside and creeps in until he finds the strike zone and then he starts to stretch that strike zone every so slightly in the eye of the ump. Duke got a few questionable called third strikes, but it was a tribute to Henry commanding the zone. He's very athletic and has a great pitching frame. His delivery is a little long arm, and at times he seemed to rush himself in which his follow through got a little sloppy. He needs work pitching out of the stretch, as he seems to be more arm and needs to incorporate his lower half more with runners on. I think Henry could be a supplemental first rounder/2nd round pick similar to Billy Buckner of South Carolina a few years ago that was picked up by the Royals in the 2nd round. He's yet another college pitcher that adds to the impressive depth of this year's class. I was also able to watch Shane Robinson for the third time this year. I profiled Robinson in greater detail in the player breakdown thread. I saw a poster on a different forum compare Robinson to a right-handed version of Brett Butler, which I think is as good of a comp. as you're going to find. Like Butler, Robinson is very small, and he doesn't have much of a frame to get bigger. However, he is very explosive, has a very quick bat, and you can see his intensity on the field. He's very proficient at stealing bases, and his power will surprise you if you're not careful. His size will cause him to fall a little bit, but I could see a team picking him up in the later third of the first round if they fall in love with his game from top to bottom. Bryan Henry, photo courtesy of Brandon Goodman from FSU's site http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/fsu/galleries/06_Baseball_Duke/nf4e2456-lg.jpg

The picture is actually of Andrew Liebel, not Hughes. Thanks for the head's up. They look mighty similar. I've removed the picture posted above, not that I didn't want to give Liebel any love, it was just a little out of context. Any love for Jeff Manship at ND. He seems to be putting together a pretty quality year for a kid that looks to be finally over his TJ surgery. Is he considered draft eligible this year or next because of his injury? There's plenty of love for Manship, who was considered a first-rounder coming out of high school before he blew out his arm. Many feared this would happen early in his career, as he threw a very good curveball, but threw way too many of them. Now he's back healthy and the word is his curveball is as good as ever, and he has learned that he needs to throw his fastball more consistently. He is draft eligible, and he is listed as a junior despite missing his entire freshman season (2004) recovering from Tommy John surgery. Last I checked, Manship assumed the role as Notre Dame's Friday night starter. Is that a great stat line for college baseball? I know he's very good, but are there a number of firstbasemen with those numbers? Hopkins' numbers are very good, but they have to be taken in the right context. New Mexico State always seems to produce a hitter each year that puts up sick numbers. The ballpark is extremely hitter friendly, as is the entire WAC. It's like playing at El Paso in the Texas League in AA ball. I don't mean to take anything away from the guy in saying that, but when the numbers don't match the national attention he has received you often wonder if scouts feel his game translates well at the next level.

Results for the games the weekend of 3/24/06: I was pretty excited about the TV coverage this weekend, but so far, not so good. The Florida State/Duke game that was supposed to be on in the afternoon was replaced by girl's high school basketball. A Florida State game did come on eventually, around 8:00pm, but it was a re-broadcast of the FSU-Maryland game that was on last weekend. Hopefully today's game was taped and will be re-broadcasted at a later time. I wanted to watch FSU today because their Friday ace, Bryan Henry, has been pitching extremely well so far this season, and is another name with helium to watch. He won again today against Duke to go 7-0 on the season for the #1 Seminoles. His line: 8.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 12 K, 0 BB The second TV disappointment came when I saw that Andrew Miller started today's UNC/Georgia Tech ACC matchup. I was hoping to get a chance to see him pitch over the weekend to see how he has progressed since last year (and from his freshman year). He certainly was dealing today, shutting down arguably the most lethal lineup in the nation: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 13 K, 1 BB Brandon Morrow of Cal and Tim Lincecum were supposed to face off today, but Lincecum didn't get the start (he did pitch an inning in today's game). I'm not sure if the Huskies were saving Lincecum so he didn't have to face Cal's best starter this weekend (which some coaches do, which I think is pretty weak). Here's Morrow's line (walking none is his most notable accomplishment): 7 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 8 K, 0 BB While it wasn't against the toughest of opponents, Brad Lincoln continues to deal, tossing a 101-pitch CG shutout tonight. I was a little worried that he would be a little stiff after a very long, 4-run bottom of the 8th inning for the Cougars, but it didn't effect him at all, using 11 pitches to finish the 9th. His line: 9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 8 K, 2 BB (faced two batters over the minimum) Lefty Wade LeBlanc also continues to deal, leading Alabama to a victory over SEC rival Ole Miss. His line: 7.2 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 7 K, 3 BB Friday night offered a classic pitching matchup between two long-time rivals and baseball powerhouses. Jared Hughes took the mound for Long Beach State against Wes Roemer and Cal State Fullerton. While they are conference foes, this is a non-conference series. Roemer is a sophomore, so I won't get too much into him, but he's a very good sinker-slider pitcher, not unlike Hughes, but not with Hughes' velocity. Most impressive about Roemer is that through 60.1 innings he has struck out 58 and has NOT allowed a walk with an ERA under 2.00. Watch his name next year. Jared Hughes ran into trouble in the 1st inning and the 5 inning, but a solo HR was the only run he gave up (I believe in the 6th inning). He got out of a bases loaded jam in the 1st (a 22-pitch inning), had a 10 pitch 2nd inning, and retired each batter in the next three innings until the 5th inning, in which he got out of a jam with runners on 2nd and 3rd. Through those 5 innings he had thrown 73 pitches, and it didn't seem as though he'd last much longer. An 18 pitch 6th inning (91 total pitches through 6) seemed to re-affirm that, but then he followed with a 9-pitch 7th (100 pitches), a 11-pitch 8th (114 total innings), and finished his work through 9 innings in a 1-1 game. There were plenty of weakly hit ground balls in this one holding the mighty Cal State Fullerton Titans (a lineup that collectively is hitting over .300) to just 4 hits and one earned run. Hughes' final line: 9 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 2 BB Joba Chamberlain returned to the mound for Nebraska today, pitching in game one of a DH vs. upstart Kansas. Another start, another fine outing, and here's to better, sustained health for Chamberlain the rest of this year, and it's hard not to root against the guy. Here's his line: 6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 6 K, 1 BB Josh Butler of San Diego with another impressive outing today against UNLV. His line: 7 IP, 8 H, 3 R (2 ER), 5 K, 0 BB UNC with a much uglier day on Saturday evening. RHP Daniel Bard had troubles commanding the strike zone, as he walked 6 in just 3.2 innings of work, and added a couple of wild pitches. I have seen Bard much better than today, but like Miller's performance yesterday, I really wanted to see how he did against a potent lineup after facing teams like George Mason, Seton Hall and George Washington. Not to mention, this was North Carolina's first trip out of the state of North Carolina, and only their second road series so far this year. One thing that has bugged me about Bard's stuff, and I've seen him pitch each of the past three year's now and last summer on the Cape, is that his fastball is very straight and his breaking ball is very slurvy. For him to be successful he needs to command his fastball extremely well, because good hitters can still hit the best fastballs a long, long way. I will say that I am continually impressed by how easy he throws the ball, and he still will get drafted high for his live arm alone. His final line: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R (2 ER), 2 K, 6 BB USC and UCLA idle this week, so no lines for Ian Kennedy or David Huff. Not sure why, but Max Scherzer didn't pitch again this weekend (he missed last weekend as well with a strained biceps).

plowjockey - yes I did, thanks, I plan to respond shortly.

One thing that always makes me skeptical of players like Rivera, and the sometimes irrational love people have for players like this, is the fact that no other team has given him the chance either. You could point to players like Kolb, Podsednik and Turnbow and note they weren't given a chance either, but Rivera has been around for a while, and while he does have good power, the rest of his offensive skills are questionable (meaning I don't think I would say he can really mash http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ). In the limited number of ABs he would get over Moeller, how many more dingers would he hit? I'm just playing devil's advocate, because the backup catcher spot was one position I wanted to see upgraded over the offseason. There are relatively cheap options out there, with Jason Phillips being one of my more favorite ones (and now it looks like he's going to catch in the minors for the Blue Jays).

EDR, do you know which column of his this came from? Another person pointed this out to me as well. I saw his column today, which starts incredibly similar to a feature I have written here (the player procurement story), but didn't see any mention of Reynolds or Hodges in his last 2-3 stories. I know it's a subscription-based site so I'm wondering if only a snippet of the story is viewable. Anyway, if you could point me in the right direction or paraphrase what is said about Hodges I would appreciate it. I'm not so sure I agree with their assessment of Reynolds. He did start out extremely well, but is still getting hit around too much for a guy with his arsenal. His size and stuff will continue to draw scouts attention, but again, for me there is just something missing with Reynolds.

Johnson struggling wasn't based off of stats, it was based off word of mouth. He still isn't making the proper adjustments at the plate. His power is awe-inspiring, but he needs to do a better job setting himself up for more success while he's in the batter's box. I think some of the hype may have caught up to him unfortunately, but that's just a guess on my part.

Woodard did get bumped from his Friday starter status, and was put in the Sunday slot. He's 2-0 right now with a 3.06 ERA. Only 14 Ks in 32.1, IP, and that doesn't figure to go up in pro ball with a fastball that maxes out in the upper-80s (he maxed out at 86 mph at the Cape Cod League All-Star Game last summer). The command is still there, with only 7 BBs.

There are going to be a few exciting matchups televised this weekend. Especially interesting to follow is the North Carolina-Georgia Tech series, as it looks like both Saturday's and Sunday's game will be aired live. Not only are UNC & GT ranked in the top 10, but Saturday you should be able to watch projected #1 overall pick Andrew Miller face the most lethal lineup in all of college baseball. Here's the lineup (all times CST): Duke @ Florida State Friday, 3/24, 11:30 pm, FCSA Florida State is ranked #1 in 3 of the 4 major polls, Friday starter Bryan Henry is 6-0 with a 1.41 ERA North Carolina @ Georgia Tech Saturday, 3/25, 6:00 pm, FCSA Sunday, 3/26, noon, FCSA Miller as noted above should go Saturday, with Robert Woodard expected to start Sunday for UNC, this series is loaded with talent Florida @ South Carolina Sunday, 3/26, 12:30 pm Florida has been covered before within this thread, USC has some good talent, even if that talent isn't draft-eligible for '06, SS Reese Havens and 1B Justin Smoak are of particular interest, and maybe Brookfield native Dan Luczak will pitch Other intriguing matchups over the weekend... Long Beach State @ Cal State Fullerton A classic rivalry, and the entire series can be listened to online via LBSU's site. Jared Hughes to face Wes Roemer on Friday: www.longbeachstate.com/gen/thisweek.html Not a compelling matchup, but a chance to listen to one of the top prospects online for free, as Brad Lincoln and Houston play Marshall. uhcougars.collegesports.c...media.html Cal and Brandon Morrow square off against Washington and Tim Lincecum starting Friday. Audio available via the Huskies' site: gohuskies.collegesports.c...05aaa.html

Agoura High School has taken over the #1 spot in BA's HS rankings, led by potential first-rounder Jason Stoffel and the potential #1 overall pick for 2007, Robert Stock. New Orleans Jesuit is just behind Agoura Hills, off to a 16-0 start and led by SS Ryan Adams. Here's a nice picture of Adams from the WWBA tourney courtesy of BA: http://www.baseballamerica.com/images2006/radams450350rb.jpg