5 Tool Talk - Draft-Related Baseball Notes

College Notes 4/12/11

The focus on pitching continues as the spring progresses, as I had the opportunity to catch Trevor Bauer and Josh Osich pitch for the first time this year, as well as seeing freshman sensation Kevin Gausman for the second time. A few other notes on hitters such as Mikie Mahtook, James McCann and Deven Marrero are also sprinkled in.

Trevor Bauer

It’s impossible not to make a reference to Tim Lincecum when you’re trying to explain how Bauer pitches. His delivery isn’t quite that exaggerated, and his stuff also isn’t that good, but it’s a good frame of reference to point to. He is aggressive on the mound, and all business. He can elevate his fastball and get away with it (at least at the college level), and in the early innings he was showing a really sharp slurvy curveball that had sharp downward break to it. The pitch almost acted as a power sinker, and it wasn’t the same curveball I had seen him throw in the past. He threw a few more true curveballs later in the game, as you could identify them immediately out of the hand as the trajectory was more distinct. He only threw three to four really good curves, all of them later in the game, two of which I believe came in the ninth inning. The first breaking pitch/hybrid curve, or whatever you want to call it, was a pretty impressive pitch, and I don’t recall seeing that previously. I don’t think it was the ‘reverse slider’ that some people have mentioned, as it didn’t have two-plane break.

It was interesting to see his approach throughout the game. He started off with the sharper of the two breaking balls early in the game, using the pitch down in the strike zone and even down in the dirt before busting hitters up high with his fastball (or vice-versa). In the middle innings he tried to snap off more true curveballs, and when that pitch wasn’t working for him he turned to a nifty changeup in the fifth through seventh innings. From the sixth through the ninth he tried more and more curveballs, and as noted above, found his grip on the pitch a handful of times.

He has a tremendous work ethic, and his pre-game and in-game rituals have been well documented. So have his pitch counts, more concerning to observers since he also is known to go to the bullpen between innings to stay warm. But it works for him. There were no radar gun readings available, but he appeared to maintain his velocity and his control (which isn’t great, but effective) throughout all nine innings of this game against Washington State. Leaving his fastball up can lead to some hard hit balls in the air, including one solo shot, and that is a concern of mine at the next level when more and more hitters will be able to catch up to his fastball. Bauer isn’t particularly big and has a rather modest build. He works very quickly, has swing-and-miss stuff and certainly is one of the more interesting characters in college baseball.

Josh Osich

I was pleased to have caught Osich, one of the more intriguing players available for this year’s draft given his return and recovery from Tommy John surgery with reports of him throwing in the upper-90s. He’s a well built lefty with noticeably strong arms. His delivery is pretty much straight over the top, and given his recovery he has been throwing a lot of fastballs. His fastball is good enough, particularly for a lefty, that he’s able to get batters out time and time again with that pitch alone. That of course won’t always be the case, and he did mix in several changeups since he isn’t throwing a breaking pitch yet. His changeup was an effective pitch, at least early, dying down in the zone and creating some awkward looking swings with the hitters looking fastball. I will really be excited to see what Osich can do once he starts throwing his curveball again.

He worked pretty quickly in the early innings, throwing strikes, getting strikeouts and inducing weak groundballs. In the third he looked out of sync, hitting the first batter and giving up a two run shot to the second batter (Andy Workman) after starting him with a 3-0 count. The next batter, Johnny Ruettiger, laced a single to left field. It was also evident during this inning how the lack of a breaking ball hurt him. He tried to throw a few changeups that didn’t do anything other than miss the zone. He seemed to have lost the feel for the pitch, as his arm noticeably slowed down when throwing it in the third and fourth. He also started to overthrow his fastball, and overall didn’t appear to have his best stuff. He entered the fifth inning, but was unable to record an out, and was removed after throwing 81 pitches.

That isn’t meant to be overly critical of Osich, as he certainly pitched better, at least at times, than his line indicated, and you can see the future promise. The million dollar question of course revolves around his health and injury history. You have to love his live arm and his size, and if it weren’t for that injury he would be a legitimate first-rounder in the mold of Andrew Oliver coming out of Oklahoma State a few years ago.

Deven Marrero

I provided more detailed reports on the likes of Johnny Ruettiger, Zack MacPhee, Riccio Torrez and Zach Wilson a few weeks ago, so I decided to take a closer look at shortstop Deven Marrero. He of course is one of the more promising prospects for the 2012 draft, frequently mentioned among Stanford teammates Mark Appel and Kenny Diekroeger among the top college sophomores.

He showed the strength in his swing by muscling an outside fastball the opposite way to shallow right-centerfield for a single in the second inning. Sometimes it is the more simple swing an approach that causes to grab my attention, but I liked the way he went with the pitch while putting a little charge in the ball.

In the fifth inning he hit a three-run bomb off of reliever Scott Schultz after Josh Osich was removed from the game. Marrero yanked a hanging slider to deep left field that easily cleared the fence in Eugene. On that swing he showed his bat speed and easy strength as the ball jumped off of his bat and let the ballpark in a hurry.

He has a good frame, although physically he doesn’t look like a prototypical shortstop. He looks fine at short, although isn’t particularly flashy, and I’m not so sure he sticks there long-term down the road. He has good instincts and quickness, which may allow him to stick at second base, and the power potential to be considered at short if a switch is needed.

Kevin Gausman

I’ll keep my notes on Gausman short after sharing a lengthier, more detailed report a few weeks ago. My impressions are the same since that viewing, as he showed very easy arm strength, and even mixed in a pretty good looking changeup in his start against Arkansas over the weekend. It was nice to see that pitch thrown more than just show-me fashion, as the fastball and the true, hard-breaking 12-to-6 curveball are already there, as is the size and delivery. I still need to see Mark Appel to say this with complete confidence, but Gausman is currently my favorite to be considered the top prospect available for the 2012 draft.

Mikie Mahtook

Like Gausman, I profiled Mahtook recently, but it’s impossible to watch this guy and not mention how good of an athlete he is just by watching him stand in the batter’s box. That natural athleticism means the sky is the limit with him as long as he continues to make the necessary adjustments. He is having a big year statistically, although I remain a little skeptical about his bat. He did a nice job turning on a high breaking ball that didn’t break much for a long single in the second, a laser that just missed clearing the fences.

James McCann

McCann had the big hit in this game, a three-run shot in the bottom of the ninth off of reliever Ryan Berry, who replaced Gausman after eight shutout innings. McCann is a slender, loose backstop that really looks the part behind the plate. At the plate he obviously showed some thunder in this game, and while his bat considered to be behind his glove at this stage, his defense could carry him to the big-leagues as long as he continues to show occasional power.

Dominic Ficociello

Ficociello is enjoying a big freshman season for the Razorbacks. He’s playing first base, but doesn’t look like a prototypical first baseman, at least not yet. He is rail thin with long limbs, but the bat speed and extension are evident. You can see the room in his shoulders for added strength, as I wouldn’t be surprised to see him look significantly different next year and even two years from now as he hits the weight room and follows Arkansas’ strength and conditioning program. He also showed a patient eye at the plate and an overall solid approach, although he has struck out quite a few times so far to begin his college career. Watching him for the first time, he reminded me of the first time I saw Clemson’s Will Lamb play two years ago during his freshman year.

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Dandy Dozen

SP	Andrew Gagnon	Well rounded RHP w/ good size, repertoire
SP	Erik Johnson	Big bodied RHP with good FB/CB combo
SP	Deshorn Lake	Live-armed RHP with sharp breaking ball
CL	Nick Maronde	Lived-armed LHP tough to catch up to
C	Nick Delmonico	May not be C long-term, big body, LH bat
1B	Zach Wilson	Aggressive hitter can put sting in ball
IF	Sean Trent	Well built hitter with pop, speed, arm
3B	Dante Bichette, Jr.	Clone of father with big build, power
SS	Austin Nola	Steady D' at shortstop, improving strength
OF	Nick Martini	Good all around player with patient eye
OF	Shon Carson	Shorter, well built 2-sport speedster
OF	Granden Goetzman	Fast riser w/ exciting power/speed combo

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Analyzing Amateur Baseball Talent as it pertains to the MLB Draft