• Rankings
• Features
• Notes
• Mock Draft
• Draft Order
• About

Analyzing Amateur Baseball Talent as it pertains to the MLB Draft

Dandy Dozen 2-24-11

The college baseball season is upon us, as is the high school baseball season in much of the sun belt states. With this, the seventh edition of the Dandy Dozen, the scouting report total reaches 84. As mentioned in the previous Dandy Dozen, this one will focus solely on pitchers, the strength of a very deep 2011 draft class.

SP

Far from a power pitcher, Ramirez, like his Cal State Fullerton teammate Nick Ramirez (no relation) offers one of the most polished changeups at the amateur level. His fastball maxes out around 91-92, and he typically works in the upper-80s, but he commands the pitch well. Overall he does a really good job changing speeds to upset hitters’ timing, and also mixes in a good slider, giving him three pitches, all with movement, that he’s able to throw for strikes. He used a quick windup and low-quarters delivery to create a fair amount of deception out of his hand as well. Ramirez went 12-1 as a sophomore, posting an impressive 119 to 19 strikeout to walk ratio in over 106 innings of work, a tribute to his command of the strike zone. That polish allowed him to go 9-2 as a freshman, and while he doesn’t have the highest of ceilings due to the lack of dominant stuff, he also has a relatively high floor.

SP

Pfeifer’s physical stature may not lead you to believe that he’s one of the top prospects available for this year’s draft, but he gets the job done, again and again, on the mound. He has a shorter, skinny yet square-ish, pear-shaped frame. His delivery has some herk and jerk to it, which creates a fair amount of deception, making the ball appear to explode out of his hand. He typically works in the upper-80s with the ability to reach the low-90s, and is at his best spotting his fastball while mixing in a hard curveball that he is able to change speeds effectively with. One he has established these two pitches, he does a nice job turning to his changeup the second and third time through the batting order. His strength is his aggressive, competitive nature on the mound with a fearless approach. Should his perceived lack of ideal size and stature prevent him from being selected in the early rounds, he may take his talents to Vanderbilt to continue their recent success of dominant left-handed pitchers.

SP

Winkler gives TCU a solid Saturday starter following ace Matt Purke in the Horned Frogs’ weekend rotation. Winkler doesn’t have Purke’s projectability, as his listed height may be generous. He’s an intense competitor that doesn’t back down, or give up, when on the mound, and that approach has served him well attaching hitters and inducing early contact. He’s at his best when he’s throwing his two-seam fastball as well as he can, typically thrown in the 88-91 range with very good natural sinking movement. He can get his four-seamer up to the 93-94 range, but he tends to elevate this pitch and it also flattens out considerably, making it more hittable. He also throws a very good slider that complements his sinker very well, with the ability to miss bats and induce ground balls. Questions will remain about his stature, but he pounds the strike zone pretty well presently, and is a big reason why TCU remains a favorite to make a return trip to Omaha this spring.

SP

Meo pushed his name into first-round consideration last summer with a strong performance on the Cape. He has a live arm with a fastball that sits in the 92-94 range and can touch the 97-98 range. His nasty slider gives him two power pitches, and has been clocked as high as the upper-80s, usually sitting in the 82-85 range when used as a starter. He quietly went 13-2 a year ago serving as the Chanticleers’ ace, and went 9-2 as a freshman. There is some concern moving forward that due to his somewhat max effort delivery and inconsistent control he may be better suited to a relief role, where his one-two punch may suit him perfectly if used as a closer at the next level. He’s a good athlete with a high waist and strong lower half. He does throw somewhat across his body, incorporating a very high leg kick as part of his delivery. He is hard to hit, and even more difficult to hit hard, and has some of the best pure stuff available for this year’s draft.

SP

Smith’s delivery and stuff leads to questions about his future role. He can throw hard, with the ability to touch the mid-90s, typically working in the 90-93 range from game-to-game, but he hasn’t shown the consistency to maintain that velocity deeper into ballgames. He also can struggle with control, leading to higher pitch counts in the early innings that leads to shorter outings. He has a tall, projectable frame, but slings the ball from an odd, frisbee type side-arm delivery. It’s hard to argue too much with that delivery when he throws as hard as he can, but it does lead one to wonder if he could improve his consistency, both in velocity and command, if he used a more conventional arm slot. Both his slider and changeup have shown the potential to also be solid to plus pitches, but again, he needs to find more consistency with both to be effective multiple times through the batting order.

SP

Armstrong status as a prospect for the 2011 draft looked a lot better after his strong Cape performance during the summer of 2009 when he touched the upper-90s on radar guns. He hasn’t approached that kind of velocity since however, although he can still reach the mid-90s and typically settles in at 89-92. His changeup has been an advanced pitch since his high school days, although he doesn’t throw it as much when he struggles to command his fastball. When that occurs he also relies on his curveball more than he should. He throws his breaking ball in the mid-70s, and it has good break on it and he can throw it for strikes as well as burying it in the dirt. He is an impressive athlete, with very good size that gave him promise in high school to play basketball at the college level. His strong academic commitment to Vanderbilt led to him slipping in the 2008 draft after he participated in the Aflac All-American classic the summer before. The depth in Vandy’s pitching staff has pushed Armstrong out of the weekend rotation, at least to open the season.

SP

Ross is the younger brother of Tyson Ross, currently a member of the Oakland A’s organization who enjoyed a very impressive career for the Cal Bears. Joe is built differently than his taller brother, with lean, wiry strong limbs and overall proportions. He works consistently in the low-90s and the ball explodes about of his hand thanks to lightning quick arm speed. He throws both a slider and a changeup, with his breaking pitch being the better and more advanced of the two secondary offerings, although both are in need of more consistency and overall improvement. The ease in which Ross throws leads many to believe that he is just starting to scratch his overall potential, and his lean, athletic frame gives him plenty projectability for both added growth and overall strength. He has committed to play for UCLA.

SP

Verrett is somewhat of a sum-of-its-parts pitcher that profiles as a middle-of-the-rotation starter at the next level. He throws three pitches (fastball, slider, changeup) for strikes and does a good job using all three to change speeds and improve the individual effectiveness of each pitch. His fastball sits in the 90-93 range and has shown some nice sink to it. Both his slider and changeup are solid secondary offerings, with his slider being the better or the two pitches. He needs all three pitches to be working for him from game-to-game since he doesn’t have the heat to simply blow his fastball by batters. He is a great overall athlete, with sloped shoulders and tapered proportions through his waist. He enjoyed success immediately since attending Baylor, going 7-1 as a freshman serving in a versatile swing role before leading the Bears in innings pitched during his sophomore season, and was named to the Cape all-star team last summer.

SP

Conley keeps getting better, and is coming off of the best appearance of his collegiate career to open the 2011 college baseball season. He has added about 20 pounds to his projectable frame in the last two years, with more room for added strength, and his fastball has gone from the upper-80s during his freshman year to the mid-90s now. He topped out at 96 in his first start of the season, and reportedly touched 97 during a bullpen prior to the season. He comfortably works at 91-93 in game action, and is also improving his slider. He throws both a slider and a curveball, although neither pitch has shown the consistency to date. His changeup is his second best pitch and a nice complement to his fastball. He served primarily as the Cougars closer as a sophomore, registering 12 saves, and some still view his future in that role at the next level. There is a fair amount of deception in his exaggerated delivery, throwing from a low three-quarters arm slot. Should his success continue this spring, he could easily be taken in the first round.

SP

With a lean, athletic and projectable build and an electric arm, Guerrieri is a player that could soar up draft boards this spring, and likely already is doing so. So far the results have been encouraging, with reports of him hitting 97 early this spring after hitting 95 last summer and generally working in the 91-93 range. He has a whip-like delivery in which the ball explodes out of his hand, although there is some concern about his controlling the strike zone. His slider is his second best pitch, which he can throw in the mid-80s that is a wicked pitch when working as well as it can. He also throws both a curveball and a changeup, but has relied mostly on his fastball and slider to record outs up to this point in his career. Like many players at his age, he could stand to clean up his mechanics some. Should his name continue to rise he may never step foot on South Carolina’s campus.

SP

Gardeck began his college career a year ago at the University of Dayton. He spent the season coming out of the bullpen for the Flyers, with 25 strikeouts and 25 walks in just over 27 innings of work. That ratio gives you an idea of just how raw Gardeck is, who is relatively new to pitching, and has since transferred to Angelina College in the juco ranks. His has a pure power arsenal with a mid-90s fastball that touched the 96-97 range last summer and reportedly has been up to 98-99 so far this spring. He also throws a wicked, yet inconsistent slider in the mid to upper-80s, giving him two legitimate strikeout pitches. His control issues and somewhat of a violent max-effort delivery leads many to believe that his future role may lie in relief, but he maintains his velocity so well deep into ballgames that it is too early to give up on him as a starter now. He has a mature, strong and stocky, barrel-chested build, and has committed to play for Alabama next year, although he is expected to be taken in the early rounds of this year’s draft.

SP

Stafford enjoyed a very successful summer on the California Collegiate Baseball League last summer, putting up impressive numbers in which he gave up only one earned and nine hits in 28 innings of work. He also struck out 51 batters in that time, although he did walk 16. He has a smooth and repeatable delivery with a little bit of deception that makes him more difficult to time. His fastball can sit in the low-90s, typically working in the 89-92 range with the ability to touch 93-94. He commands this pitch fairly well at times, but needs to improve his overall consistency when it comes to his control. He also throws a promising sweeping curveball, but like his fastball, he needs to continue to work on both the break, command and consistency of this pitch. The same is true for his changeup. He has a tall, projectable build and a fairly fresh arm. The depth of the Longhorns’ pitching staff in recent years has limited his workload, but now has started this season as the team’s Sunday starter as a member of the weekend rotation.

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

more

Dandy Dozen Archives

• 4-9-11
• 3-22-11
• 2-24-11
• 1-20-11
• 1-3-11
• 12-12-10
• 11-14-10
• 10-23-10
• 9-19-10
• 2010 Archives
• 2009 Archives

© 2009 ebertdesign.com