colbyjack

Some notes on a couple of the Brewers' Canadian DFEs from Slam! Sports player of the week feature (adding updates from a link Mass Haas provided above): ...OF Tim Smith (sophomore, Toronto, Ont.) and RHP Brad Cuthbertson (sophomore, Sherwood Park, Alta.), of the Midland Chapparals earned berths on the Baseball America's Pre-Season All-America Team. Smith has been drafted twice by two separate organizations (by the New York Mets took in the 22nd round in 2004 and the Milwaukee Brewers selected him in the 17th). Cuthbertson was taken in the sixth round of last year's draft by the San Francisco Giants... ...Jordan Lennerton (sophomore, Langley, BC) took the loss in a El Paso Tejanos 9-1 setback against Chandler-Gilnert the annual Glendale tournament at Chandler, Az. Lennerton pitched 7 1/3 innings allowing six hits and eight unearned runs, as he walked one and struck out three. Lennerton singled in a 2-2, 10-inning tie against Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Az. Lennerton singled in a 4-2 loss to Mesa... ...LHP Jordan Lennerton (sophomore, Langley, BC) pitched five innings as the El Paso Tejanos beat Pima 8-3 at Tejano Field in El Paso, Tx. Lennerton allowed five hits and two runs -- one earned -- while walking two and striking out three. 1B Lennerton had two hits in a 10-7 loss to Pima. Lennerton doubled in a run 5-2 win over Eastern Arizona in Thatcher, Az. Lennerton singled and knocked in a pair of runs in the nitecap a 14-9 loss. Lennerton was 3-for-3, with a double and an RBI in a 14-2 win over Eastern Arizona at El Paso. He also doubled in a run in the second game of the doubleheader, an 11-6 win... ...Tim Smith (sophomore, Toronto, Ont.) had three hits and drove in five runs as the Midland Chaparrals beat the Wayland Baptist JVs 14-0 in the season opener. Smith had a two-run triple in the third inning in a 6-0 win over Wayland Baptist... Interesting that Lennerton is also getting some looks as a LHP. Taylor Green http://pe.cypresscollege.edu/sports/men/images/base060218.jpg Green is showing his power stroke so far this season, although he could bring up his BA a little. In 45 ABs he's hitting .289/.373/.600 with 3 2Bs, 1 3B and 3 HRs with a 4:3 BB:K ratio. Patrick Murray is now hitting .325/.372/.525 in 40 ABs for Santa Ana College. He has 2 doubles and 2 dingers. For whatever reason, none of Alabama's stat pages are working, so I'm unable to provide the early numbers for Spencer Pennington. Their stat page is almost 2 weeks without an update, but Northeastern Oklahoma's A&M's Sebastien Vendette had a 4.91 ERA after his first start in which he went 3.2 innings giving up 5 hits, 2 ER, 2 BBs while striking out 2. None of the hits he gave up went for extra bases. Lake City CC has one of the most informative sites out there for a JC, and RHP Stephen Barnes already has 5 starts under his belt. Overall he is 2-1 with a 1.53 ERA, 29 IP, 27 H, 17 K, 12 BB. Local Update: Tyler Beranek is now hitting .305/.388/.356 in 59 ABs while Brandon Hall is hitting .267/.371/.400 over 60 ABs. Chris Hopkins is off to a good start, hitting .333/.458/.422 in 45s ABs. He has 2 2Bs and a 3B, and has exhibited nice on-base abilities with a 7:2 BB:K ratio to go along with 5 HBPs. He is 6 for 9 in stolen base attempts. Cowley College used to have good stat updates, two years ago on their own site, and last year on NJCAA, but nothing doing so far (3 games). According to the game recaps I can tell you that SS Brad Miller opened the season with a 3-hit performance. Jordan Lennerton as noted above is being used as both a hitter and a pitcher, and has been successful in both aspects so far this season. As a hitter he's hitting .352 in 54 ABs with 3 2B and a HR. As a pitcher he has a 1.04 ERA over 17.1 IP, having given up 19 H, 13 R (only 2 earned!) and 8 BBs with 9 Ks. College of the Canyons hasn't updated their stats since mid-March 2005, so I can't tell you of Kyle Eveland's exploits this spring.

A new wrinkle to the draft talks, since you know Team Canada has an eye north of the border. Slam! Sports is always a great resource for Canadian baseball, and Bob Elliott does a good job providing top prospect lists and other info concerning some of the best amateur prospects. Here is his list for the top Canadian prospects for the '06 draft: slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Baseba..._2006.html Tim Smith mentioned in the "others to watch." I'm not sure if he's not ranked higher because he's under the control of the Brewers, but there is no way Smith isn't among the top-25 native Canadians eligible for the draft (if the Brewers didn't sign him that is). This year's class offers two well-built, athletic outfield prospects in Kyle Orr and Jonathan Waltenbury. Orr doubles as a pitcher, but his power potential is too great to pass on, and he could find himself being taken in the top 3-5 rounds like Canadian power prospects Justin Morneau and Mike Saunders. Waltenbury has a pretty good bat as well, although his overall athleticism is a noth below Orr's. Orr has committed to play for the University of Kentucky. Some interesting notes on some familiar Canadian names in this feature, most of which I will cover in the DFE thread: slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Baseba...60-ca.html

College weekend preview starting 2/24/06 The past few weeks have seemed to offer a lot more intriguing matchups that this weekend's slate of games. Many of the top teams seem to have a few cupcakes on the schedule, not to take anything away from the Elon's & Bethune-Cookman's of the world. Here are a few of the more intriguing matchups: Pepperdine @ Tulane This is the best matchup on paper, as both team are ranked in the top 10 by different publications. Not a whole lot of names to tell you about, although I have profiled Pepperdine's Chad Tracy & Tulane's Mark Hamilton. UCLA @ Cal State Fullerton UCLA is a much improved ballclub from a year ago, and Cal State Fullerton is always tough. It will be interesting to see if UCLA's pitching staff can silent Fullerton's bats. Minnesota @ Florida State Not the biggest of matchups, but intriguing for us northerners. Minnesota travels south to take on a tried & true FSU club. Illinois-Chicago @ Long Beach State I was bummed to learn of Ryan Zink's injury, as I had the Friday game of this series circled on my calendar from a few month's ago, looking forward to a matchup between Zink and Jared Hughes. A reminder that LBSU has free online broadcasts if you're itching to listen to some baseball. Tennesse vs. Georgia Tech Both teams are taking part of a weekend tourney that includes Virginia Commonwealth and Coastal Carolina. The Volunteers & Yellow Jackets square off on Friday, which could provide the most entertaining matchups of the weekend. San Diego @ Georgia San Diego is a team on the rise, so it will be interesting to see how they do on the other side of the country facng a tough SEC ballclub. Another big weekend tourney hosted by Florida offers these teams: Ohio State Wake Forest Missouri Florida Every team has a player to watch with great interest. Saturday's game between Ohio State and Florida will be televised. That broadcast will be on tape delay, shown at 2:00 am early Sunday morning on FCSA, so set your TiVO. Another interesting tourney in Houston that Rice will host includes Nebraska, St. John's, Texas State and of course, Rice. Rice and Nebraska face off on Saturday, the most interesting matchup of this tourney. Notre Dame, Air Force, Oklahoma & Memphis will be in Millington, TN at USA Baseball Stadium for yet another tourney. ND vs. Oklahoma on Sunday is the game to watch in this series. BA's weekend preview includes a nice feature story on Nebraska ace RHP Joba (pronounced Jabba) Chamberlain. Take the time to read this one, as you're going to hear more and more about this special young man as the spring progresses: www.baseballamerica.com/t...eview.html Joba Chamberlain http://www.baseballamerica.com/images2005/jchamberlain450350dh.jpg Jason Berken had a short yet strong start against Mercer. 4 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 3 K, 0 BB. Apparently no injury concerns for Berken, he was on a pitch count and Clemson was determined to use three pitchers in this game to get their staff some work. Brandon Morrow continued to impress against UC Santa Barbara: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 9 K, 6 BB. The walks are high, but everything else is impressive. Josh Bulter (San Diego) and Brooks Brown (Georgia) created a very good pitcher's duel in which Georgia won 1-0. Butler: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 K, 5 BB. Brown: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 7 K, 2 BB. Max Scherzer shut down an impressive Florida lineup, although the Gators were without Matt LaPorta (nothing in the game notes about LaPorta's absence). Scherzer's line: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER (a solo HR), 8 K, 1 BB. Baseball America has reported that Dallas Buck isn't pitching as well as he has in the past. He's still notching W's, but his fastball is in the 88-90 range and his slider doesn't look as sharp. This reminds me of Wade Townsend during his junior year, who still enjoyed success yet didn't have as explosive stuff. Buck's line on Friday vs. BYU: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 8 K, 2 BB Brad Lincoln vs. Monmouth: 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R (2 ER), 11 K, 2 BB. On the season Lincoln now has a 2.22 ERA and in 24.1 IP he has given up 19 H, and 6 BB while striking out 35. Ian Kennedy vs. Hawaii: 7 IP, 7 H, 4 R (3 ER), 5 K, 2 BB. Not a bad line, but about as bad as you're going to find next to Kennedy's name. Jared Hughes vs. Illinois-Chicago: 8.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 9 K, 0 BB. Hughes entered the 9th having pitched to just two over the minimum. All of the damage against him came in that 9th inning. He threw 102 pitches, 68 for strikes. Nebraska decided to save their best pitcher, Joba Chamberlain, vs. the top opponent they are facing, Rice (and Joe Savery) for Saturday's game of their weekend tourney. EDIT: It turns out Savery didn't go today, but Eddie Degerman, a senior RHP that has a good chance of being drafted in the top 5 rounds. Chamberlain took sthe loss today, but pitched well, going 6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 10 K, 1 BB. Kyle McCulloch continues his up & down season, this weekend on the up: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R (0 ER), 4 K, 2 BB. Lefty David Huff with another strong outing, today against mighty Cal State Fullerton. He did give up 3 runs, but they came on a 2-out RBI single, a groundout and a wild pitch. BA reported heading into the weekend that Huff has been pitching 88-90 this spring, and has been turning a lot of heads in the scouting community. I have compared him to Barry Zito before. Huff doesn't have a curve like Zito's, but he does have a very good changeup, and is a master of changing speeds and recording outs, and like Zito could see himself taken much earlier in the draft than where his kind of stuff would usually warrant. The rest of today's line: 7.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 5 K, 3 BB. Gagne already noted Andrew Miller's start below. He went 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 9 K, 1 BB. His teammate, RHP Daniel Bard went 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 9 K, 1 BB. Long Beach State had an even more impressive performance from their Saturday starter, Andrew Carpenter, a slider-splitter specialist with a low-90s heater. He tossed a CG 1-hit shutout, allowing only 1 BB while striking out 8 on 94 pitches. Andrew Carpenter http://www.baseballamerica.com/images2005/acarpenter450350.jpg

It seems more and more people are getting out to see college baseball while toting their video camera along with the intent of posting it online. A few links have been brought to my attention. One is from a site you may be familiar with if you follow the minor leagues. CalLeaguers.com has several videos up of players mostly from California (go figure), but also a few of visitors (most notably Texas' Drew Stubbs & Kyle McCulloch). Almost every one of the players with video available we have talked about in depth already. Take the time to check these out: www.calleaguers.com/index.html The next is from an eager Royals' fan with his own website/blog called Royals Corner. You know Royals fans are looking forward to the #1 overall pick, as that is about all they have to look forward to this year (no offense to Royals' fans, as the Brewers were in the same boat up until this last season). Video of Andrew Miller is currently available, and more on Daniel Bard is reportedly on the way: royalscorner.blogspot.com/ Finally, BaseballWebTV.com has three games from the WWBA currently up on their homepage that are free for all to view right now. Some of the best performers from the event are featured, including LHPs Ryan Morris & Josh Smoker, along with C Max Sapp & OF Derrick Robinson: www.baseballwebtv.com/ David Rawnsley of BaseballWebTV.com is currently breaking down some of the top players available for the 2006 draft in a 39-part series (so far they're at 10)

I should have said that it didn't completely backfire on him. He could have blown out his arm (like he did after he signed) which would have completely robbed his draft chances (and bonus aspirations). Unfortunately for Townsend, he seemed to have peaked the summer after his sophomore year.

Chris Parmelee does have decent wheels, as he's not a blazer by any means, but he runs the bases well, which should translate into at least adequate range in the outfield. And he definitely has a strong enough arm. He won't be a Gold Glove candidate, but he should be able to stick. Like LaPorta, his best pure position is at 1B, but their value is greater elsewhere.

Wade Townsend decided to return to school, but he said he wouldn't be re-joining the baseball team, a move he hoped would allow him to continue to negotiate with the Orioles. He and/or his advisor didn't do their homework, as the rules clearly stipulate any player that returns to school in any way, shape or form is ineligible to sign and no longer under the control of the team that drafted him. It worked out fine for him, as he was drafted at the same slot last June by the D-Rays as we was by the O's the year before.

Yes, it is a rule passed down by MLB. I don't think anyone has really challenged it because that's just the way it is, and has been, for quite some time. The only situation that I can remember someone trying to "challenge" the ruling was when Landon Powell received his GED high school equivalency as a high school junior. Team's were unaware of this, or at least unaware of the ramifications, and Landon Powell went undrafted the summer after his junior year in high school, in which he became an undrafted free agent. No team gave into Powell's bonus aspirations (he was advised by Scott Boras, so you know those aspirations were high), and he ended up going to South Carolina. Powell's situation set a precedent that Jeremy Bonderman followed a year or two later, in that he too was draft eligible as a high school junior having completed his GED equivalency, and as we know he became a first-round pick. I don't see why any player would challenge the rules once they are in college. They are aware of them, and if they want to play in pro ball that bad they shouldn't attend a 4-year college. High school players often use their college commitment as a negotiation tactic, and others attend junior colleges because they know attending a 4-year university will make them ineligible for the draft for another three years. As for a player that becomes academically ineligible and drops out of college, I would imagine they would become eligible for the draft. I do know that they would not become a free agent, at least not immediately, because every player in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico has to go through the drafting process before they become an undrafted free agent.

If Robinson can come close to matching his 2005 season I think his performance alone will boost him up into the first round. I agree his size is going to hold him back on some draft boards, but there are plenty of teams that will overlook his size if he's putting up gaudy numbers for the second consecutive year. Entering the year I felt Robinson was the favorite to win the Golden Spikes award. Either him or Ian Kennedy.

I think a D1 team in Wisconsin could be successful, if that was their intent. I think any time a university places any program as a priority more than likely it will enjoy success. Madtown brings up a great point about UWM's facilities. Why would anyone want to play where they do? The field is horrible. UWM has done a good job putting more money into their basketball program over the past 7-10 years, as their success didn't happen overnight, and hopefully that success may spill over to some of their other athletic programs. The Big Ten used to be a lot more competitve in national play. Talent-wise, you used to hear about players like Winfield, Molitor & Larkin coming out of Big Ten schools. Why don't you anymore? You can argue that both Winfield and Molitor were MN natives and wanted to play close to home, but if you use that argument, why is it unrealistic to expect guys like Berken to stay close to home? As for Rohlinger, he didn't go to OK straight out of HS. Obviously Blazer would know his intentions better than I would, but if Wisconsin had a legit D1 program he may have chose that over Clarendon College. Same goes for guys like Zink, Beranek, Schweikert, etc. Even Hall is returning to UWM should he not sign this summer. Minnesota also has been known for prying away some of the better WI talent, such as Dusty Brabender, and Chris Roberts committed to Michigan State, not exactly a warm-weather team. There is also no reason why a strong Wisconsin program couldn't dip into northern Illinois and other surrounding states. If the reputation was strong enough the players would come. This is all separate of UWW becoming a D1 program. I have no idea how this would work, and Blazer's points make a lot of sense. I do agree with Madtown that with their commitment there is no reason they couldn't compete with some of the better schools in smaller conferences, such as UIC, if they did indeed make that jump.

Madtown, I wrote about the uniform start date in my most recent Crack of the Bat column: PG Crack of the Bat: Uniform Start Date I agree, I think it takes away from the game from a fan's point of view more than anything else. Reportedly the Big Ten threatened to leave D1 baseball if the NCAA didn't so something about this. As I note in the column, I think the Big Ten, and other northern conferences, should be more pro-active in their quest to improve their own college baseball programs. The good thing is that it doesn't start until 2008, so we get this year and next year to enjoy college baseball as is. Also, that's a lot of time for it to start, as you never know how that ruling may change between now & then.

Matt LaPorta would be a great pick for most organizations, but he's strictly a 1B. Most reports say he has a very limited range, thus he isn't an option in the OF. I'm not sure if you have been reading my reports, but I disagree with the notion that LaPorta is a 1B only. He'll play a little 3B this spring, and I think he could easily slide to LF a la Pat Burrell.

Baseball America released their preseason All-American teams today (for subscribers only): www.baseballamerica.com/o...1hsaa.html They also listed their preseason top 50 prep teams (for all to view): www.baseballamerica.com/t...top50.html Russell County is loaded, with Cory Rasmus & Kasey Kiker, both of whom could be first-rounders come June (like Cory's brother Colby was a year ago). Monsignor Pace has Chris Marrero, while Agoura has another fearsome twosome in Jason Stoffel, a '06 RHP, and Robert Stock, a RHP/C that currently stands as the top prep prospect for the '07 draft. Marcus Lemon and Kyle Drabek http://www.baseballamerica.com/images2005/lemondrabek450350.jpg

Thanks for the reports Madtown Bomber! Did you fly down just for that event? Did you happen to catch LBSU on Saturday with Andrew Carpenter on the mound? He's another sleeper pitching prospect on the rise.

I dont really see a "Moneyball" team in the top 10. And the top 5 look like they'd want pitching. What team would be a good fit for Longoria? I think the list of suitors for Longoria will be fairly long, and it won't be limited to Moneyball teams. The Pirates, Mariners, Tigers and Orioles need bats more than arms, and the Giants are also a good candidate. And the Dodgers have Delwyn Young in Vegas, Tony Abreu in Jacksonville and Blake DeWitt took infield at 2B in Instrux. Looking at the Dodgers system, you could probably make an excuse why not to take someone because of every position. I personally don't think it's wise not to take someone because of depth, unless you have a near-can't-miss player on the cusp of contributing. That's a good formula to miss on a talented player, and you never know what is going to happen to even the most talented of young prospects. Oh yeah, I'm not so sure this is the best thread for mock drafts.

I think Longoria could play SS as a pro. He may not have the greatest range, and he's not even playing SS for LBSU at this point in time (although that has to do with where he's most valuable to his team as well), but he has proven that he can play the position. It will likely depend on who drafts him. A team like the A's, Blue Jays, Red Sox, etc. would be more likely to keep him at SS. A team like the Dodgers that seems to be more traditional in their approach to scouting would probably put him at 2B or 3B. At 2B he might just be your answer as Jeff Kent's replacement after this season since the Dodgers seem stocked at 3B with Mueller, LaRoche, and others. I know Brett had interest in Longoria to open the season, but was skeptical of his walks. Since he started the season with 11 walks (vs. 3 strikeouts) in 32 at-bats, while hitting everything that is thrown in the zone, I'd say he has good command of the strike zone, and is a lock to be taken in the top 10 picks.

The FAQ has it correct. Draft eligible sophomores are those eligible for the draft if they turn 21 within 45 days of the draft. Most draft-eligible sophomores technically are in their 3rd year in college, having red-shirted their first year at school. In Jemile Weeks case, since he attended the University of Miami, he won't be eligible to be drafted again until the 2008 draft as noted (his birthday is 1/26/1987, meaning he doesn't turn 21 until 1/27/2008, well beyond the 45-day window to be eligible for the 2007 draft). The Brewers lost their controlling rights over Weeks as soon as he attended class last fall. The only way Weeks would be available sooner than 2008 is if he transferred to a junior college for the 2007 season. There is no way he would be eligible for this June's draft.

Jack Z. just told Jim Powell at Talkin' Brewers that he's down in Florida and caught the first two games of the Florida-Miami series (if the replay is of today's game, you should be pleased watching LaPorta Brett). When Jack Z. is at a game you know a player is involved that they're considering early in the draft. Of the Miami players, you're probably only talking CF Jon Jay and closer Chris Perez, and with Florida you have 1B Matt LaPorta and C Brian Jeroloman. Jack Z. also noted that he was at a Florida HS game yesterday before the Miami-Florida game. EDIT: I hope Brett got to watch this game, as LaPorta blasted a solo shot in the 8th inning off of sophomore LHP Manny Miguelez. The pitch was a pretty good one, as it looked like a tailing changeup that was fading away from the right-handed batter. LaPorta also blasted a shot down the third base line that would have been an easy double if it didn't hit the third base bag so hard. He also drew a walk in the first. LaPorta's power/patience is evident. Anything he made contact with he hit hard. I don't think his swing is particularly long, but he does seem to go in streaks (as so many power hitters do). I don't think he's just a first baseman, as there has been some talk of him playing a little 3B this spring. He has reminded me of Pat Burrell before, and like Burrell I think he could handle LF just fine. Brian Jeroloman batted behind LaPorta in the cleanup spot. Jeroloman also shows a good deal of patience at the plate, but it was different from LaPorta's. LaPorta offers more of an intimidating presence, and therefore gets pitched around. Jeroloman seems more timid as a hitter, which is why he takes more pitches. Just my opinion of course. Jeroloman looked very good behind the plate, very confident and natural back there. It's hard not seeing him at a big-leaguer for his defense alone. As a left-handed batter, I think he's always going to have problems against LHPs, as he did against the one he faced on Saturday. Speaking of good defensive catchers, the game had two. Miami's Eddy Rodriguez has reminded me of Henry Blanco before in that he's more animated behind the plate. A very confident and adept catcher with a very strong arm, his D' like Blanco's could carry him to the big-leagues. Unfortunately, his bat, like Blanco's, is likely to always be a weakness. He has some power, but has trouble making contact. I mentioned sophomore LHP Manny Miguelez just above, and I think he's a player to watch over the next year. He's listed at 6'3", 220 pounds, and when I see measurables like that I think of someone a little more bottom heavy. That isn't the case, as Miguelez is a very well-proportioned athlete. He commanded the strike zone very well, and showed a good fastball, breaking ball and a very polished changeup. He went 8 innings in yesterday's game, and the blast by LaPorta in the 8th was the only earned run he gave up. Florida SS Adam Davis leads off for the Gators, and does a good job setting the table for LaPorta & Jeroloman. He has very good speed, and a quick, line-drive bat with some pop despite being one of the shorter players on the field. As the Gators' SS, he's going to draw a lot of comparisons to former Gator SS and current Cardinals SS David Eckstein. Davis was a 2B up until this year, and some wonder if he'll be a 2B down the road, but from what I've seen of Davis (yesterday and before), I think he has enough range and arm to stick at SS. Miami CF Jon Jay continued to impress me with his ability to hit. He has interesting swing mechanics, but has a very quick bat and a line drive approach. He's very fast down the line to 1B as a left-handed hitter, and while he bats 3rd now, I think he will be better as a leadoff hitter at the next level. The radar guns didn't come out until Miami closer Chris Perez entered the game. In fact, you could see Jack Zduriencik among the scouts behind the screen that had moved down to clock him. Perez did give up 2 runs in the 9th, and didn't look himself. There were no radar gun readings, but you could see how good his stuff was. His slider is a very good pitch, and he likely will be a candidate like Chad Cordero, Huston Street & Joey Devine that could make his big-league debut later this year. Florida's closer is Darren O'Day, and while he doesn't bring the heat like Perez, he has very good control and throws side-armed as a RHP, similar to Chad Bradford. I think that will make him susceptible to left-handed batter, but I think he could make a career as a right-handed specialist. Also, I spotted prep 3B Chris Marrero in the crowd twice during the telecast. I guessed that Marrero was likely the prep player that Jack Z. was down to see, as he noted on Talking Brewers (and sure enough Marrero's team did play Friday evening). Marrero is currently in my top 10 among draft-eligible prospects, and while he has committed to Miami, if he's draft in the top 10 he likely will never step on campus. EDIT #2: I forgot to mention anything about Jemile Weeks, Miami's 2B. Jemile is a lot smaller than Rickie, although Rickie wasn't as big as he is now when he was 18-19 years old. Jemile is a switch-hitter, and probably won't have the same kind of power potential that Rickie does, but I can see Jemile being more of a prototypical, top of the lineup type of 2B. He has very good speed, and looked a lot more natural at 2B. He has a line-drive bat, and makes good contact often using his speed to get on base. Miami's entire lineup is based on speed, as only freshmen Yonder Alonso and Dennis Raben are pure thumpers. Miami is a young team, and seemed to beat themselves more than they allowed the other team to beat them. Errors, baserunning gaffes and other blunders led to several of Florida's runs, and from what it sounded like, that's how they lost on Friday as well (and peeking at today's game, they have already allowed 3 unearned runs). I forgot to mention Florida OF Gavin Dickey before. Dickey is a very good athlete that reminded me of Billy Hall. He came to Florida more known for his football prowess than for his baseball skill, and even entered last fall as the #2 QB to Chris Leak. He decided to focus full-time on baseball, and while he hasn't enjoyed a tremendous amount of statistical success so far, I think he could be a sleeper to watch. He needs refinement, but has faced some of the better pitchers in the country playing for Florida in the SEC. It also should be noted that the Gators were the nation's #2 team last year, losing to Texas in the College World Series.

Joba Chamberlain and Nebraska started their season today against NC State, and won 4-3. NC State did their damage in the 9th inning, while Chamberlain went 7.1 IP, allowing 2 hits and 4 walks while striking out 7. Wisconsin native Jason Berken is off to a fine start as Clemson's season opened today. He tossed 5 scorless innings, allowing only two hits and a walk while striking out 9. Arkansas LHP Nick Schmidt already drew a lot of buzz last weekend after leading three Arkansas pitchers to a no-hitter over Oklahoma State. Today he followed that up with another strong performance over TCU. He went 6 innings in both games, and has yet to give up a hit or a run. In total he has 13 Ks and 4 BBs in those 12 innings of work. Schmidt is only a sophomore, and is among a very strong class of SEC LHPs for the '07 draft that includes Vanderbilt's David Price and Tennessee's James Adkins. Jared Hughes got somewhat of an ugly win today over Lamar. He gave up 5 runs in 6 innings, but only two of those were earned. One of the errors was his own on a comebacker to the mound. Once again Hughes induced a bunch of groundballs to get out of a few jams, and overall gave up 7 hits and three walks while striking out only one. I think we have our official first fast-riser of the college baseball season. RHP Josh Butler of the University of San Diego tossed 8 shutout innings vs. David Price and Vanderbilt today, leading the Torreros to a 10-0 victory. Butler shut down the mighty Texas Longhorns to open the season with 5 strong innings, leading USD to a sweep over then-#1 Texas, and followed it up with 7 shutout innings last weekend vs. UC-Davis. Today as noted he went 8 strong, striking out 8 while giving up 4 hits and zero walks. On the season he is 3-0 in 20 IP, giving up 9 H, 0 R, 2 BB while striking out 18. He's 6'5", 200 pounds, and throws in the 91-94 range. He also has a very good slider and a refined changeup. I should note that Butler isn't a complete unknown commodity. He was the 66th best draft-eligible college player entering the season according to Baseball America, but as it stands right now I'm sure he would easily be somewhere in the top 25. Josh Butler http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/usd/sports/m-basebl/auto_wide/381820.jpeg Mark Melancon had somewhat of a rough start after being moved to Arizona's Friday starter after he became the club's all-time saves leader. Over 5 innings he gave up 8 hits, 6 runs (5 earned) and 2 walks while striking out 7 vs. New Mexcio. After spending most of his career as a reliever, he threw 104 pitches, so I'm sure he needs more time to stretch his arm out (I'm a little surprised the Wildcats let him go that long). RHP Dallas Buck tossed 6 innings against Pepperdine, giving up 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB with 3 K. Houston RHP Brad Lincoln was cruising through 5 innings, giving up only 4 hits, 1 ER and 1 BB with 8 Ks. And then the 6th inning rolled around, in which he recorded only one out while giving up 5 runs (4 earned) on 3 H a BB and a big HR by Arizona State. I'm not sure why or how I forgot to check this one earlier, but Ian Kennedy was one out away from tossing a complete game no-hitter on Friday vs. Kansas. He ended up going 8.2 innings, giving up a run (unearned), one hit and 3 walks with 13 Ks. He just keeps on dealing. Greg Reynolds and Kyle McCulloch faced their respective teams (Stanford & Texas), but on different days, and had lackluster results. Reynolds went 6 innings giving up 8 hits, 3 ER & 3 BB with 2 Ks while McCulloch went 4.2 IP with 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB & 2 K UNC teammates Daniel Bard and Andrew Miller had their season debuts over the weekend. Bard went 7 innings, giving up 5 H, 3 ER & 0 BB while striking out 5. Miller went 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB w/ 9 K. Miller wasn't scheduled to pitch until Tuesday, and control artist Robert Woodard remains the team's Friday starter. Missouri RHP Max Scherzer also had his season debut over the weekend. Against Louisiana-Monroe, he tossed 6 innings giving up 4 hits, 1 ER, 3 walks while striking out 6. UCLA LHP David Huff continues his Barry Zito impressions by striking out 15 in 8 innings of work last Friday vs. Pacific. He gave up only 2 hits one earned run and 2 walks. Another LHP had a dazzling outing, Brad Furnish of TCU, who had a no-hiter (a 7-inning game) with 13 Ks & 2 BBs against Stephen F. Austin. Here are some of the season stats for some of the hitters we've been following. Probably in early March I will provide season cumulative stats for many of the top prospects being discussed. Shane Robinson .567/.605/.700 in 30 AB, 4 2B, 5:1 BB:K, 7 for 7 SBs Drew Stubbs .297/.373/.432 in 37 AB, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5:12 BB:K, 4 for 4 SBs Chad Tracy .238/.298/.357 in 42 AB, 2 2B, 1 HR, 3:3 BB:K, 2 for 2 SBs Matt LaPorta .304/.528/.435 in 23 AB, 1 HR, 10:5 BB:K Brian Jeroloman .208/.441/.500 in 24 AB, 1 2B, 2 HR, 7:& BB:K Jon Jay .359/.471/.590 in 39 AB, 3 2B, 2 HR, 4:3 BB:K (6 HBP), 2 for 4 SBs Evan Longoria will be on Cold Pizza Monday morning .438/.609/781 in 32 AB, 1 3B, 3 HR, 11:3 BB:K, 2 for 3 SBs Matt Antonelli .286/.375/.619 in 21 ABs, 1 2B, 2 HR, 3:5 BB:K, 2 for 2 SBs Colin Curtis .294/.368/.431 in 51 AB, 4 2B, 1 HR, 4:8 BB:K, 8 for 8 SBs

I know Blazer and myself have offered a few of our personal favorite draft-eligible players for this June's draft. I wanted to create a new thread in which everyone could add their own. It will be interesting to see what turns this thread takes as the spring progresses. 1. Ian Kennedy-RHP-USC I love the way Kennedy pitches, and his success so far at USC is hard to deny. He's advised by Boras, which always presents a formidable roadblock in negotiations, but on talent I take Kennedy first overall at this point in time if I'm given the pick. 2. Kyle Drabek-RHP/SS-The Woodlands HS (TX) Kyle Drabek was the one player I was most anxious to watch at the Aflac game and events, and he didn't disappoint. On top of his mid-90s heater & killer curveball, he also displayed very intriguing loft power potential. He's a great athlete, and his dad was one of my favorite big-leaguers during his time. 3. Dellin Betances-RHP-Grand Street HS (NY) Watching Betances was a treat, as he really opened my eyes. I'm expressed my concern about super-tall pitchers before, but I'm always open to making exceptions. He's a great kid, and really showed his dominance on the mound against the top players in the nation. 4. Brett Anderson-LHP-Stillwater HS (OK) The third consecutive prep pitcher, and the first lefty on my list. Anderson opened my eyes with the way he commanded the strike zone with his entire repertoire, and also excelled with Team USA. 5. Max Sapp-C-Bishop Moore HS (FL) Sapp can really swing the bat, and he reminded me immediately of some of the top hitting prep catchers over the past few years including Jeff Clement, Brian McCann and Daric Barton. He quieted a lot of questions about his D' as well. 6. Jared Hughes-RHP-Long Beach State I liked Hughes coming out of HS, so I have had the added bonus of following his college career. He pitches 92-94, and induces a ton of groundballs. Jack Z. likes him as well, and we know Melvin likes those sinkerball pitchers. 7. Jason Stoffel-RHP-Agoura HS (CA) Stoffel was a pleasant surprise for me at the PG Aflac Showcase. The batters he wasn't striking out he was inducing weak little choppers and a couple of broken bats. He knows how to pitch, works down in the zone, and don't be surprised to see his name soar up the charts this spring. 8. Nathan Bridges-SS-Villa Park HS (CA) I love the way Bridges plays the game. His style and appearance reminded me quite a bit of Khalil Greene, and like Greene there is some surprising pop in his bat. Some scouts think he's college-bound (Cal State Fullerton), but I think his bat is more than polished enough for pro ball. 9. Jon Jay-CF-Miami I have been a little skeptical of Jay in the past, but he is making me more of a believer, and a few people have told me more power will come. He's not a prototypical leadoff man as he's not a pure burner, but he has decent speed, is a natural, pure hitter, has a good eye at the plate and plays good defense. 10. Chad Tracy-C-Pepperdine I'm not sure what I like better, Tracy himself or just the idea of having a catching prospect that can hit. Tracy isn't going to win any Gold Gloves, but he's not going to be a huge liability behind the plate either. So, despite my studies proving that college pitchers have a higher rate of success than prep ones, four prep pitchers still grace my list. I do tend to like pitchers that show an advanced knowledge of pitching, something Drabek, Betances, Anderson & Stoffel showed me more than guys like Jordan Walden & Matt Latos. Who are your favorites? Profiles for Bridges and Jay have not been completed yet.

I already pointed out that there will be a game on TV this weekend, Miami vs. Florida, Saturday at 10:30 pm CST on FCS Atlantic. Here are a few of the other more intriguing matchups: There are two big tournaments taking place. The first is the Coca-Cola Classic hosted by Rice in Houston, with Lamar, Oklahoma and Long Beach State attending. The most intriguing matchup will be Saturday, when LBSU takes on Rice at 1 pm. Some teams re-align their pitching probables to face the best teams in such matchups, so it will be interesting if LBSU saves Jared Hughes for Sat. and if Rice does the same with LHP Joe Savery. USC is also hosting a tournament, with Kansas, Vanderbilt and San Diego in attendance. All four teams have some very good talent, as there could be some exciting upsets as Kansas already has a few of those under their belts this season. Texas takes on Stanford all weekend long, whcih is probably the best pure matchup of the weekend (I believe it's a re-match of the CWS from a few years ago). Oregon State travels to Pepperdine, which may not be as intriguing as a national matchup but pits two top-15 teams against one another. Both Clemson and UNC open their seasons tomorrow, as fans and scouts alike are anxious to see both teams (particularly UNC's rotation including Andrew Miller & Daniel Bard). And just imagine, while you're shoveling snow and staying inside to avoid the chilly temps, just somewhere out there it is nice enough to play baseball...http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . Here's BA's weekend preview: www.baseballamerica.com/t...eview.html And if you're at work (or home) and want some background noise, tune into Long Beach State vs. Lamar at 1pm CST: www.longbeachstate.com/gen/thisweek.html

I just wanted to point out that with the Angels signing Jeff Weaver, all of the free agents that would effect the draft order have been signed. The Dodgers get the Angels' 1st-round pick instead of the Nationals, and the Dodgers also get the first-pick in the sandwich round. You know SD Logan White is licking his chops at those two extra selections, which may make it easier to let Luke Hochevar go. The Brewers overall picks are as follows: First round: 16th overall Second round: 60th overall Third round: 92nd overall For all subsequent rounds just add 30 for each round

I just wanted to let you know that there are scouting reports for 18 of the more intriguing draft-eligible catchers available for this June's draft under Brewerfan.net's draft section. To access the individual positional rankings just use the drop-down menu towards the top of the ranking page, or follow this link: www.brewerfan.net/ViewDra...;draftId=4 You will see if you select "All" there are many more players entered, most of which do not have a report written on them yet. Also, disregard the individual player rankings past the top 30. Trying to rank even the players I have entered right now is an extremely tedious task. I started with the catchers because I feel that is clearly the Brewers' biggest organizational weakness. It seemed like I campaigned the Brewers for years to target a third baseman, and last year they finally granted that wish. Not only with Ryan Braun, but with Mat Gamel and even Michael Bell. Their presence along with the emergence of Billy Hall and the acquisition of Corey Koskie has quickly turned a glaring organizational weakness into one of it's strengths. I'm not sure how I feel about the Brewers using the 16th pick on a catcher, but there should be some talent to be had in the top 3-5 rounds should they choose to stockpile the position like they did with the hot corner a year ago. Max Sapp and Hank Conger are the most likely first-rounders of the prep players, while Chad Tracy and Brian Jeroloman represent the most-likely college catchers to be taken in the first round. The problem with all four of these players is that none of them are well-rounded players. Sapp, Conger and Tracy are all known for their bat, while Jeroloman is praised for his D'. It's a good chance two to three of these guys are available for the Brewers' 2nd-round pick. The Brewers have had plenty of looks at both Conger and Travis Tartamella, as both played on their Area Code teams last August at the Area Code Games. Tartamella is probably the most well-rounded catching prospect of the bunch. The college crop offers several intriguing athletes and a few pretty good hitters, but there are several questions regarding their defensive skills. Vin DiFazio could be a wild-card, and may be a similar type of pick to the selection of Lou Palmisano a few years ago. Remember, a perceived shoulder problem caused Cap'n Lou to fall to the 3rd round, as the Brewers may not be that lucky with someone of DiFazio's talents this year. Jordan Abruzzo is a sleeper if he can replicate his '04 season, while Chad Pierce is a local favorite as profiled in the Scouting WI feature. Will this be the year the Brewers target a catcher early, or at least earlier (Palmisano and Salome are both recent high picks at the position)? I have a feeling a catcher will be among the team's top three selections. I meant to add that while catching is somewhat thin at the top since there isn't a catcher that is legitimately considered a first-rounder at this point in time, next year there are three, two from college and one from high school. Matt Wieters from Georgia Tech is a switch hitter that also serves at GT's closer, and some may prefer him on the mound. I think his power potential as a catcher is too good to pass up. J.P. Arencibia of Tennessee is a well-rounded catcher that led Team USA in battig last summer. Robert Stock represents the prep catcher, who is a similar catcher & hitter to Joe Mauer, although some may prefer him as a pitcher now after he touched 95 at the WWBA tourney.

Like with Drew Olson, right? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif I agree, and even making the smallest of errors does bother me, so thanks again.

No need to delete the post, thanks for the head's up.