colbyjack

Dave Huff-LHP-UCLA Freshman Year, UC Irvine, 2004: 3-0, 3.00 ERA, 31 games (2 starts), 42 IP, 51 H, 26 K, 10 BB Summer of 2004, Cape Cod League: 3-3, 1.09 ERA, 12 games (4 starts), 49.1 IP, 37 H, 48 K, 9 BB Sophomore Year, Cypress Community College, 2005: 4-2, 3.24 ERA, 86 IP, 91 K* Summer of 2005, Cape Cod League: 2-2, 1.46 ERA, 6 games (5 starts), 37 IP, 27 H, 49 K, 4 BB Cumulative Statistics: 12-7, 2.39 ERA, 49* games (11* starts), 214.1 IP, 115* H, 214 K, 23* BB * Full statistics at Cypress CC not available. Huff gets a lot of comparisons to Barry Zito in that his fastball maxes out at 88 mph, but he keeps getting hitters out by changing speeds exceptionally well and using his own signature pitch: A nasty changeup. That changeup has compared to Trevor Hoffman's, so you might as well think of Matt Wise's too. So even if his stuff isn't good enough to get out big-leaguers consistently as a starter, that pitch alone should make him an effective short reliever. The changeup is so effective because it is thrown with the exact same arm speed as his fastball, and tails away from right-handed batters. He also throws a good enough curveball that keeps hitters honest, particularly left-handed hitters. His lack of dominant stuff does make him hittable, but he doesn't hurt himself by walking batters. He has very good control, and he has averaged a strikeout per inning during his college career, a great statistical combination for any pitcher. His fastball velocity is still going to draw scrutiny. It reportedly was down to the 82-84 range late last spring, which was often blamed on some forearm tenderness. That along with his reported bonus demands (2nd round money), caused him to fall in the draft. His bonus demands were largely because he was intent on transferring to UCLA this year, re-joining his coach at UC Irvine his freshman year. He is expected to provide stability to the Bruins' weekend rotation this spring, and should be an early draft pick come June.

Zach Braddock, as I pointed out in the story, has a very high ceiling. He is not currently with the Chipola team, and his coach (Jeff Johnson) recently pointed out to me that Braddock is addressing an unspecified family issue and hopes to get Braddock on the mound later this spring. I'm not sure how much he'll get to pitch, if at all, but no other candidate excites me as much as Braddock does. If he were playing the entire season he is probably the only guy that has the potential to explode into the type of DFE candidate that could seek a seven-figure bonus. Toby echoed my interest in Michael Ramlow in the DFE resource thread. His size alone makes him intriguing, and his coach was pretty confident that his high-80s fastball would reach the low-90s this spring. He was also a little baffled why Ramlow didn't draw more draft interest, although some seem to be really concerned about his lack of weight (he is really, really skinny). Consistent improvement is always a good sign. With the rest of the pitchers, it's really hard to say. There are some really good arms in the mix, from Core to Barnes to Vendette to Kjeldgaard. Core's & Kjeldgaard's seasons don't start until next month, so we'll have to wait to hear anything on those two. It's hard not to like what Tim Smith has done. I think he's a lock to be in the organization come June. I've always felt the DFE process helps pitchers more than hitters, but you never know. He won't sniff seven-figures, but $500,000 wouldn't be surprising. Taylor Green is a good natural hitter, and would already be in the pro's if scouts felt he could stay at SS. Of course, there's nothing wrong with a sweet-hitting 2B, but you do have to use a visa to allow him to play in the states, which is probably his biggest hold-up. I'm skeptical of the 1B/corner OF types like Murray, Lennerton & Regan. Guys that are followed for their bat alone should have already shown your scouts enough to know whether or not they can hit. I guess I don't see guys like this being late-bloomers, you tend to see that more with more toolsy type players. Pennington is a little different since he pursued football first, and may be somewhat slow getting back to baseball. Pennington's bio and measurables are actually really similar to those of Gabe Gross. The toolsy type players are Chris Hopkins and GW Washington, both of whom I am relatively excited about. Brad Miller excels both as a hitter and as a pitcher, and could very well be the next Justin Barnes. And of course I have to mention Kyle Eveland http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

Fox College Sports Atlantic.

Here are a few of the more interesting pitching lines so far from the weekend: Ian Kennedy, vs. Florida International 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 10 K, 2 BB Kennedy keeps on striking batters out like he has his entire career. Jared Hughes, vs. Cal 4.1 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 K, 3 BB Brandon Morrow, vs. Long Beach St. 5 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 K, 2 BB Both Hughes and Morrow had rather suspect performances against one another, although it should be noted both teams are very good at scoring runs. Dallas Buck, vs. Nevada 5 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 9 K, 4 BB Buck continues to walk too many despite being dominant. Kyle McCulloch, vs. Rice 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 9 K, 3 BB McCulloch out-duels LHP Joe Savery, one of the top '07 prospects. Brad Lincoln, vs. Texas Tech 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 9 K, 1 BB A very impressive debut for Lincoln, who like Morrow, really put his name in consideration for the first round last summer on the Cape. Greg Reynolds, vs. Kansas 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 9 K, 0 BB Reynolds now as a 12:0 K:BB ratio in 12.2 IP this season. His name gets somewhat lost in the shuffle, but few college pitchers have the upside Reynolds does, with great size and stuff, but with inconsistent results leading into his junior season. Remember the name Matt Mangini. He was named the Northwoods League top prospect last summer despite getting only 31 ABs at NC State as a freshman. He started the season going 11 for 13, and went 9 for 12 over this past weekend. Overall he's hitting .800 so far over 25 ABs. He's a big kid at 6'4", 225 pounds, with a powerful left-handed swing and good overall athleticism. Look for him to develop into the next Alex Gordon at the hot corner, although he's not available until the 2007 draft. TV note: The first TV game is scheduled for next Saturday, 2/18, at 10:30 pm (Florida @ Miami) on Fox College Sports Atlantic, with a few replays already scheduled. Check out Matt LaPorta, Brian Jerolman, Jon Jay & Chris Perez, all of whom could be taken in the first two rounds of this June's draft.

Here is a snippet from my '05 draft recap/early '06 draft preview story: With visa restrictions as they are, more and more teams are scouting Canada less and less, choosing to use their limited visas on Latin American and international signees. With the Brewers closing down their Dominican and Venezuelan camps, choosing to stress quality over quantity in their Latin American scouting efforts, the Brewers have more visas to use for their Canadians draftees than most teams have. It is a pro-active effort to find a niche in an attempt to take advantage of an area that may not be scouted as much as it should be. The DFE process can be really, really beneficial to teams that use it well (like the Brewers). Brett already pointed out some of it's advantages, but specifically related to Canadians, since visas are already at a premium, the DFE process allows them to whittle down the list even further. And I agree, I'm more excited about this year's class than last year's. While Tim Smith is already a proven hitter, it always seems to be the pitchers that make or break a DFE draft class. Zach Braddock and Michael Ramlow in particular have very high ceilings for lefties.

As you can see, the 2006 DFE preview feature is up on the homepage. I have added those profiles to this thread for easy reference. Several of the players' seasons have already started. While it's hard to get updates from many to most of the JC websites, a few keep up to date in this day and age of information. Taylor Green http://pe.cypresscollege.edu/sports/men/images/base060127.jpg No stats for Green, but his picture was on Cypress College's baseball page after he had a 2 for 4 performance with a HR. Patrick Murray Murray is hitting .250/.333/.292 on the young season in 24 ABs (1 double, 2:3 BB:K ratio). For a guy that is being followed for his power, Murray's slugging % obviously is going to have to climb. He only has one putout this year, so it's clear he's playing as the DH at Santa Ana. Spencer Pennington Alabama's season was supposed to start last night, but that game was postponed until today due to the weather. Stephen Barnes Lake City does a great job keeping their stats updated. Barnes in two starts is 1-0 with a 0.90 ERA. In 10 IP he has given up 1 ER, 10 hits and 6 walks with 6 strikeouts, holding opposing batters to a .206 BA. I will also be following Barnes' teammates, local products Tyler Beranek and Brandon Hall, this spring. Beranek is hitting .265/.324/.324 in 34 ABs so far this year with 2 2B and a 2:10 BB:K ratio, while Hall is hitting .393/.514/.643 in 28 ABs with 1 2B, 2 HR and a 7:5 BB:K ratio.

Thanks for the update BrewCrewWS2008. I hope to get up and see a Fondy game or two this spring, with May 5th in particular already circled on my calendar (they play Oshkosh West that night). With Munson in regards to the draft, I've been thinking lately that it would be kind of cool to have a Wisconsin-focused draft. Between the college and HS guys I would love to see the Brewers select and sign two to three (or more) of Berken, Zink, Rohlinger, Beranek, Seidel, Pierce, Butler, Munson, Roberts & Hooper.

RHP Jared Hughes is part of another intriguing matchup this Friday facing RHP Brandon Morrow of Cal. Check Morrow's line in the post just above to see how dominating he was last weekend, and he already may be considered the player with the most helium this spring (although he already was considered a mid-first-round pick). You can listen to the game free of charge at 3:30 pm CST on Friday, 2/10/06 via Long Beach State's website: www.longbeachstate.com/gen/thisweek.html Hughes will face yet another nationally known staff ace in two weeks when RHP and Madison native Ryan Zink and UIC travel West to face the Dirtbags. Ricky Romero was my favorite pitcher to listen in on last year, a position Hughes will likely take on my spring Friday's this year. Missouri RHP Max Scherzer was supposed to get the ball today as Missouri's season began vs. East Tennesse State. Apparently Scherzer cut a finger on his throwing hand Tuesday (his hand got caught in a door), and has been scratched for the weekend. Scherzer is a guy I think many are anxious to see what he can do after a dominant performance during his sophomore year followed by an equally dominant showing for Team USA. Like Morrow, Scherzer is regularly clocked in the upper-90s, and both have to prove their secondary stuff is legit to be considered starters down the road.

Watch Stock play both, as at this point in time scouts aren't sure where he rates better. Throwing 95 at the WWBA certainly changed a few minds, as I think going into that event more viewed him as a catcher. Also watch his teammate, Jason Stoffel, who is an '06 RHP that I was very impressed with at the PG Aflac showcase. He not only throws hard (93 range) with a very good curve, but he also displays an advanced knowledge of pitching. He broke a few bats in the two innings he worked, and induced a few weak grounders when he wasn't striking batters out.

If you do indeed draft for an organizational weakness, I think you have to take a catcher. No position is in more need IMO. Of course you can never have enough pitching, and at least the organization has some good corner OFs at the big-league level and a few knocking at the door. I'll play along though. As you noted, if Sapp is in the conversation, it's as a catcher. I'm not sure I see him in the OF even if he doesn't stick behind the plate. Drew Stubbs is a CF, and Cooper would likely begin his career there. Matt LaPorta could more than hold his own as a LF if not in RF, and would be a no-brainer pick if he fell to the 16th pick (which I don't think he will) even if 1B was his best position. That leaves Cody Johnson. As I noted in Johnson's profile, no 2006 draft-eligible prospect has as much power potential as him, however, he is a true boom or bust type of prospect. He reportedly has slipped a little bit in the eyes of scouts, but when he connects the ball goes a long, long way. His swing can get mighty long, although I could see him developing as an Adam Dunn type of player. As I always point out such comparisons are extremely unfair, so please don't take them too seriously. If you want a corner OF that can hit, take Chris Parmelee, who has the smoothest bat from the prep crop. As for your last comments, while the pitching is strong there could always be the right hitter available at the 16th slot. I'm certainly more open to drafting hitters in the first round than pitchers. And you can never ever be comfortable with the organization's depth in pitchers. To be honest, I think the system is in greater need of a leadoff-type CF. The organization does have several that fit that description based on tools, but I guess I'm not sold on any of them as everyday starters (Krynzel obviously has issues, Gwynn has no power, Moss is an enigma, while Cain, Brantley & Ford are years away). That said, I do believe the pick will be a college arm.

I want to point out that I missed one big name from the WI prep ranks, RHP R.J. Seidel from La Crosse Central. He is 6'6", 205, and currently throws in the 87-88 range with plenty of room for added velocity. He also throws a decent CB, and he could easily vault up prospect ists this spring if he starts to refine his stuff while improving his velocity. He like Chad Pierce and Tony Butler has committed to Arkansas. He also attended the Area Code Games last spring in California, invted by the White Sox to participate. Another emailer wanted to bring another prep RHP to my attention, Jason Hooper from Lake Mills. Known in the state more for football than baseball, he has committed to Jacksonville University to play both sports. He's another big kid at 6'5", 235 pounds, and his fastball is in the 87-90 range with a decent curve. Like Seidel, he has the measurables and present day stuff to make a big jump this spring.

Jemile Weeks is majoring in business management: hurricanesports.collegesp...ile00.html

I'm not blaming Logan White for the Hochevar saga. Like I said, ask any Dodgers fan (and there are a few that participate here) and they'll tell you that selecting Hochevar was a mistake. That isn't meant to place blame on White, just noting that the gamble taking a player like Hochevar seemed to have backfired. As for Jason Berken, I could see him rising up into the first round with a big spring. As I noted in my Scouting WI story, his fastball touches 94 now after TJ surgery instead of topping out around 92. If he consistently pitches 92-94, with his repertoire (which includes three other very good pitches), he could definitely be considered a first-round pick. Lance Broadway had a similar rise last year. You brought up an interesting point on college closers. If the Brewers are in the thick of a playoff race in June, would you take a college closer like Blair Erickson if you felt he could be contributing to the team by the end of the year, and possibly bolster the bullpen for a playoff run? With the Brewers selecting 16th as opposed to being in the top 5-10 I'm more open to such a pick, although I doubt they will pursue such an option.

Playmaker, are you on the UWM team? If so, do you mind if I ask who you are? If you are on the team, best wishes this season. I hope to get out to see a couple of games this spring, and at some point I want to talk to Jerry Augustine for a feature story.

I'm with Blazer, you can't prove statistically the mental effect a proven base-stealer has on a pitcher. I read the story, and some of the results were interesting, and I also agree that any runner at 1B is going to help the hitter. But you can't just discredit the notions Blazer brought up and assume he didn't properly analyze the study because he didn't agree with it.

I appreciate the replies, as I received quite a few emails as well. The story was about the '06 draftees, so I wasn't about to mention Reinhard, who is already in the D-Rays system. Kevyn Feiner also signed, with the Reds, so he also doesn't apply to this story (unless you're referring to my comment about '05 being a down year, which it still was). I do agree that UWM needs to work on their recruiting better. My understanding is that they don't put much effort into the program, as any UWM alum from before the past 5-7 years can tell you they didn't put much effort into any of their spots not too long ago, and now basketball is the only one that seems to get their love & attention. Check out Henry Aaron Field sometime. It's too bad they can't play at Miller Park, as I'm sure that would be a huge recruiting chip, but I would imagine there are some serious financial issues involved just for the upkeep (not like the Golden Gophers playing in the turf-based Metrodome in which little to no maintenance is required).

Up until last year, we've operated within Bud Seligs' pocketbook parameters. If his team were to grossly overpay above slotted value, wouldn't that speak negatively of the MLB commissioner? I'm not a big fan of saying the Selig's prevented the Brewers from taking a Boras advisee. I do agree that it wouldn't look good if the commish's team broke the league's suggestions for slot value, but saying the Selig's pocketbooks prevented the team from spending money is somewhat of a misconception. I know I and others, most notably SoCal, have pointed out before that the Brewers have been anything but cheap when it comes to the draft. I'm not complaining that they stick to the slot values for the most part in the first several rounds, but they have done a good job signing their picks under Jack Zduriencik, and have even signed a few later picks for above slot value (Steve Moss and Tom Wilhelmsen quickly come to mind). Plus, they've signed several DFE candidates for big money, Manny Parra being the most obvious, all when the Seligs still owned the team. And I'm not saying the Brewers won't pull the trigger, but we've gone through this almost every year, speculating on why or how the Brewers could select and sign someone like Drew, Pelfrey, Hochevar, etc. So far under Jack Z's watch they have passed each time, and until they don't I'm taking a "I will believe it when I see it" type of approach. As a warning, if we do select someone like Kennedy, don't be surprised or upset when he is still unsigned through Christmas. Ask a Dodgers fan what they think about the selection of Hochevar, and they'll probably tell you it was Logan White's biggest mistake.

I remember eyeing up Clark in the Rule 5 draft a few years ago. As Al noted, he has a really nice OBP, and he adds speed to his game. It's too bad he doesn't play SS, although if he did he would have already had his chance to stick.

Sheets' fastball has added a few ticks the last couple of years, particularly during his awesome '04 season in which there were a few games where he was regularly clocked at 97. As a prospect and coming out of college he was mostly 92-95. Here's BA's writeup on his stuff from 2001: Strengths: Sheets has an above-average fastball that he throws regularly in the 92-95 mph range, but his bread-and-butter pitch is an old-fashioned, 12-to-6 curveball that buckles the knees of hitters. Because he has a good, sinking fastball and a decent changeup, hitters can?t sit on his curve. Kennedy's fastball is a shade below that, and his curveball isn't as dominant as Sheets', but few have that kind of curve. Kennedy has a more well-rounded repertoire, using his changeup more than Sheets does, as well as mixing in a slider.

Given how Boras advisees have fallen the past couple of years, I don't think it's that crazy to think that Ian Kennedy could fall to the 16th spot. Would the Brewers consider taking him? Since they've watched Stephen Drew, Jered Weaver, Mike Pelfrey and Luke Hochevar all slide right past them, I doubt it. Plus, Rickie Weeks is the only first-rounder under Jack Z's watch that hasn't signed relatively quick. The Brewers clearly value being able to get a player in their system, and they also clearly adhere to the recommended slot values as determined by the commissioner's office. I agree though, on pure talent I take Kennedy if I have the #1 overall pick, because I think he's a more sure thing than Miller, Scherzer, etc. I disagree that he's similar to Prior, and he certainly doesn't have Seaver's fastball, but Anthony Reyes or Seth Etherton (hopefully with better results, although Reyes had a big year last season) may be a more fair comparison. Actually, the way he pitches and his stature is almost exactly like Ben Sheets.

I pointed out an exciting matchup that took place last night between USC and Long Beach State on another thread, a matchup that included two potential first-round picks: RHPs Ian Kennedy and Jared Hughes. Hughes ran into trouble early, walking three batters in the first inning, walking one batter in with the bases loaded (two of which reached via a walk). He gave up a total of 2 runs in the first inning, but didn't give up another run (or walk) over his final 5 innings. For a while it seemed as though those 2 runs would be enough for USC with Ian Kennedy on the mound. However, fog rolled in, and proved to be costly as three runs scored in the 6th on two misplayed pop-ups to the OF, both of which fell for base hits (one a two-run double, the other a RBI single). Here are there final lines: Jared Hughes: 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 K, 3 BB Ian Kennedy: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 7 K, 1 BB Here's Kennedy's line if those pop-ups would have been recorded as they should had (or had been recorded as errors): 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 1 BB Hughes got the win and Kennedy took the hard-luck loss. These things happen, and I'm sure the ball will bounce the other way for each of these young men before the season is through. Brandon Morrow had an incredible performance for Cal vs. UC Irvine last night. Morrow is now Cal's Friday starter despite being projected as a closer with a 97-99 fastball and deadly split. He enjoyed a breakout performance last summer on the Cape despite not performing very well at Cal his first two years: 6.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 12 K, 1 BB

BA recently ranked Locker as their 87th prep player, so there is definitely national buzz. He was rated as one of their best athletes, noting that he has been clocked up to 94 mph. You're right, scouts prefer him as a RHP, but he also plays SS, and Tuiasosopo was a pretty big guy as well IIRC and he still plays the IF. I would imagine that he is going to have to soar up draft charts to sign away from football. EDR, how close are you to Everett? Travis Snider, the best of Washington's prep class hails from there. He's one heck of a hitter. It seems the great players from Washington always end up at Arizona State, and he may be next in line.

if he's already throwing 92 heading into his senior yr, with plus cb and plus change up, he seems extremely polished and would probably make way into the first round somehow, or at least the supp 1st round. He seems like a logan white type pitcher. Yup. That's why I said there's a good chance he creeps up a la John Danks. Although the "logan white type pitcher" comment is a little funny. I think he's just about any scouting director's type of pitcher, with the exception of maybe the Blue Jays'. As for his commitment, 99% of players are signable for first-round money. It's just hard to pass up seven figures, no matter how badly you want to go to college. Plus, while I'm not aware of where he was born, he lives in Florida now, as you noted, so I doubt his Texas commitment will be as difficult to deal with as it was with Jordan Danks a year ago.

Giardina's best pitch is his changeup, and that may tell you already that he is more of a control pitcher than a power pitcher. He tops out around 91 or so, and works 88-90, which is pretty good velocity for a lefty. He may sneak into the first round like John Danks did a few years ago with a similar approach to pitching. Brett Anderson is the best prep LHP of this year's class. You can watch Giardina pitch at BaseballWebTV.com in WWBA tourney game #69, as he pitches for Chet Lemon's Juice against College Select. I think the games are $1.99 each. You can also watch Marcus Lemon, another Texas recruit, play SS and bat leadoff for his father's team.

BA's draft coverage is out, and here's an interesting story from Allan Simpson that talks about the talent available as a whole: www.baseballamerica.com/t...rview.html In their mock draft, they have Chris Tillman going in the 16th slot (for the Dodgers fans out there, Ian Kennedy is pegged 7th, although I doubt they mess with a Boras client again, no matter where he's from). If I'm the Brewers, I look at the college arm BA has going right ahead of us, Dallas Buck, or right behind us, Kyle McCulloch. Joba Chamberlain, Jared Hughes and Brad Lincoln also make a lot of sense for the Brewers if they're looking at pitchers. For the prep pitchers, I take Dellin Betances before Tillman, but Tillman is no slouch.