5 Tool Talk - Draft-Related Baseball Notes

College Notes 3-27-11

It was a good week to catch talent, with Jungmann pitching against Oklahoma State’s Mike Strong on Friday, Jed Bradley going against E.J. Enicosa of Miami on Saturday and Karsten Whitson throwing on Sunday. I also got to catch three of South Carolina’s games, with my eyes on centerfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr.

Taylor Jungmann

I’m not sure if I can recall a more consistent pitcher. Jungmann is what he is, as he isn’t particularly dynamic, but you never see him get hit hard. Opposing batters have such a difficult time hitting him, and even when they do, you rarely see them back-to-back. He pounds he strike zone so effectively he rarely walks batters, which also allows him to record out early in the count. You rarely see him throw anything meaty down the middle of the plate, as he hits the corners so incredibly well. He effectively works down in the zone to induce weak ground balls, and does a nice job spotting his fastball and dropping his curveball into the lower half of the zone. He continues to show his improved curveball, a big, slow breaking 12-to-6 bender that he also consistently throws for strikes. It is quite impressive to see how frequently he can get the pic to drop in right at the knees. He can throw his breaking pitch a little harder which takes the life of more of a darting slider, and there is also some running life on his fastball. There is some effort to his delivery and he lands a little stiff on his plant leg, but his arm overall works well and he repeats that delivery.

Mike Strong

I covered Strong last summer in the Northwoods League, as he received a lot of support from the coaches I spoke with as one of the league’s top pitchers with arguably the best breaking ball. That breaking ball is a sharp, slow curveball that worked just as effectively as Jungmann’s. He did a good job throwing his fastball for strikes, putting batters away with his curve. He has a decent frame with somewhat of a low three-quarters crossfire delivery that was very similar to Chris Capuano’s. That delivery is easy enough, and he repeats it well, and I could see him being particularly tough on left-handed batters at the next level.

Chris Marlowe

After Jungmann went 9 innings in a 15 inning affair, Texas turned to three relievers to get through the rest of the way. After Strong went 8.1 frames, Marlowe went the rest of the way, and was the hard luck loser in a 1-0 game in which he struck out 12 batters in 6.2 innings of work.

He's a long, loose and flexible athlete, with a smallish, slender frame. There appears to be some effort and a visible head snape as part of his delivery with a little bit of herk and jerk. His delivery and overall profile can be described as a less exaggerated version of Tim Lincecum's. His fastball exploded out of his hand and showed some diving life, although he really liked throwing his breaking ball. That pitch was a hard curveball that had some slurve like movement to it, diving down and out of the strike zone giving him a legitimate strike out pitch that induced some ugly weak swings. He commanded the pitch very well, with the ability to drop it in for strikes as well, which made his lively fastball that much more difficult to catch up with. If he continues to pitch out of relief, his fiery intensity and confidence should continue to serve him well in that role. This was my first taste of Marlowe as a juco transfer, eligible for this year's draft, and I really liked what I saw.

Jed Bradley

I hadn’t seen Bradley since last summer, and I was reminded instantly why I (and so many others) liked him so much. He really spots his fastball well, and his success is predicated off of the success of his fastball, which I always like to see from pitchers. According to the broadcast his velocity was in the 93-95 range to open the game, settling in around 91-92 and still touching 93-94 in his last inning of work. Batters really had a hard time catching up with his fastball, and he started to mix in more and more sliders as the game progressed, but still was around 75% fastballs the entire outing. His slider is a really nice pitch. Coming out of his hand like a fastball and diving down and in on right-handed batters. There is some sweeping action to it as it sits in the low-80s. He can take a little off of the pitch to throw more of a true curve that he mixed in the later innings to give batters something else to look at, and I only noticed one or two changeups in this game (he didn’t really need it). He wasn’t afraid to climb the ladder with his fastball, for the most part pitching up and away from right-handed batters. There is some arm-side tail to his fastball at times.

Physically he has a tall frame with a high waist and is sturdy throughout his lower half. He repeats his delivery well and is very balanced throughout. His arm works incredibly easy, and as I noted maintained his velocity well deep into the game. Bradley is probably the second best college pitcher in the nation behind Gerrit Cole, and I could easily see him going among the top three overall picks. I wouldn’t even count him out for the first overall selection.

E.J. Encinosa

I wrote up Encinosa a few weeks ago, as he doesn’t have the greatest profile for the next level, but nothing he throws is straight. His fastball, which sits in the upper-80s and can touch 90 to 91 at times, has good sink, and he also throws a good slider, curve and changeup. His slider is probably the best of those pitches, thrown in the low-80s with sharp downward break. He is somewhat of a slinger with a lower arm angle, which is odd for his larger size and overall stature. I noticed in my last write-up that he will have to keep his conditioning in check at the next level, as he is a little on the soft side.

Harold Martinez

I really don’t have much to say about Martinez, other than that he doesn’t appear to have much confidence at the plate. If there were an award for the best baseball body, Martinez would probably win it, but it would seem for him to enjoy success he needs more protection in the lineup like he had last year in Grandal. He played shortstop in this game with Stephen Perez out, and made the plays that were hit his way well enough.

Matt Skole

Skole has very good size, with a strong, chiseled build. He has an aggressive, big swing that is always going to lead to big strikeout numbers, but you can see his power potential. I believe I have compared him to Chris Davis before, and that is who he continues to remind me of as a left-handed slugger. He currently plays third base, but likely slides across the diamond to first at the next level. He made one nice play in this game, coming in on a weak Zeke DeVoss chopper, fielding and throwing out the speedy baserunner, but didn’t look particularly smooth in doing so.

Brandon Thomas

Keep an eye on Thomas for next year. He’s playing right field for the Jackets, with a lean yet strong frame, long legs and sloped shoulders. He is a left-handed hitter with a good approach, laying off soft stuff, even though he didn’t do much in this game.

Overall Georgia Tech has a very young team, and one to watch the next few years in regards to draft-eligible talent. The starting lineup had four freshmen including centerfielder Kyle Wrenn, designated hitter Daniel Palka, catcher Zane Evans and second baseman Mott Hyde. Wrenn is the team’s catalyst atop the order, while both Palka and Evans offer good size and intriguing power potential over the next few years. I also was impressed with Evans behind the plate, displaying nice quickness blocking balls in the dirt (necessary with Bradley’s slider) and a cannon for an arm.

Hudson Randall

Randall is going to be a name a lot of people will be talking about between now and the 2012 draft given the way he has been pitching. He’s similar to Jungmann in that he very consistent, changes speeds well, hits his spots and drops in a really nice curveball, although he doesn’t pitch off of his fastball as well. He pitches backwards, using his curve to set up his fastball, as well as his changeup. His curve and change are really good pitches that he throws for strikes with very good effectiveness, and his fastball is good enough since it appears faster than it is given the way he uses it. He has a very lean frame with an easy delivery, but just doesn’t have much when it comes to fastball velocity. I could still see him going earlier next year, similar to Tim Stauffer several years ago, if he continues to pitch as well as he has.

Randall went the distance, evening up the series with South Carolina after they got to Brian Johnson in the series opener.

Karsten Whitson

This was my first look at freshman Karsten Whitson, assuming the Sunday role for the Gators. White Randall is all about command and upsetting opposing hitter’s timing, Whitson is all about power. He has two plus present day pitches in his fastball and slider, and he can also throw an effective changeup. He is a very good looking athlete with good present day strength in both his upper and lower halves with room for more. His fastball, which he can run up to the mid-90s, has a little bit of dip to it, and his slider may be his best pitch. It shows nasty two-plane break, and he showed the ability to backdoor a few of them on right-handed batters. He took a little off his breaking ball a couple of times for more of a curveball break. He climbed the ladder a few times to get clumbsy swings and misses, but overall did a nice job staying down in the zone and commanded the strike zone pretty well. He’s the favorite to go first overall in 2013, and really has no business being in college given the way he has been pitching this year.

I can’t count how many times I have seen Florida, but I think I have seen at least 50 of Preston Tucker’s at-bats over the years. Throw in 30 or more each of Austin Maddox, Nolan Fontana, Mike Zunino and others, not to mention the entire pitching staff. Now that I saw Whitson, I’d say I have a pretty good sense of what this team is all about.

Nick Maronde was the first pitcher called upon in the sixth after Whitson walked Adam Matthews to open the frame, and while I don’t have much to say about him, he did throw a couple of sliders that showed pretty good break. That’s notable to me since the times I have seen him the last two years, he has thrown 98% fastballs. Hard throwing right-handed reliever Tommy Toledo walked in South Carolina's go-ahead run in the eighth. He continued to show good run on his fastball and a potentially nasty slider.

Austin Maddox

I’m adding Maddox here since he came in as a pitcher in the sixth inning, the first time I have seen him pitch at the college level. His size is obvious, with a tall chiseled frame that makes it look as though he belongs on the field. While his bat has been a little slow to develop this year, and while I also believe his future position is likely at first base, I am starting to wonder if his future might be brightest on the mound. He has always been a good two-way performer dating back to high school, with a live arm, a boring fastball and a big breaking slider. His slider could stand to be tightened up, but I liked the way he pitched away from batters, for the most part inducing relatively weak contact with power stuff. South Carolina tied the game against the Gators against Maddox in the sixth, but the only hit he allowed was a weak chopper up the middle the scored two runs (charged to Whitson and Maronde), with the other run coming on an error by shortstop Nolan Fontana. He recorded three pretty quick outs in the seventh working with the bases empty, although I didn't care for him dropping his head back in disappointment every time he didn't get a call he wanted.

Matt Price

Price serves as the Gamecocks’ closer, but I would really like to see him in a starting role. He has a large frame, with good strength throughout and decent flexibility for his size. Conditioning will be something he has to keep in check in the years to come. He has a good, not great fastball, and the same can be said for his breaking ball. Given his size and relatively easy delivery, I would like to see him used as a starter to maximize his potential. He doesn’t have a wipeout pitch, or even the seemingly required demeanor on the mound to close or even pitch as a set-up man. It looked as though he changed the arm slot and release point on his curveball, which was thrown a little odd to me in that it looked as though he was slinging it a little like a slider, only to have slower, 12-to-6 break. He could also throw more a true slider, but seemed to be more comfortable with his curve. His fastball was rather straight, increasing the importance of his secondary stuff working for him. I saw him pitch twice on the weekend, as he did a nice job closing out the game versus the Gators on Sunday to secure the series, two games to one.

Adam Matthews

Matthews power and speed potential is exciting, as he flew down the line in all three of the games I watched him play this past week, and also showed very good bat speed. In a game on Tuesday against the College of Charleston, the ball exploded off of his bat, hitting a pair of home runs. He also shows a quick first step out of the box, with a well defined physical stature build somewhat similar to Bryce Brentz. Matthews has enough bat speed to turn on a good fastball, but showed that he can be fooled over the weekend against Florida by soft stuff. He can be way too over-aggressive at times, and will have to significantly alter his approach at the next level to enjoy consistent and sustained success.

Peter Mooney

Mooney is a good little player, especially at the college level. He’s listed at 5-foot-7 or so, so obviously he has some limitations for his future potential. He’s a left-handed batter that shows a good approach and some gap power from a level swing. There is some strength in his smaller frame, he has some footspeed and was rather steady at the shortstop position.

Christian Walker

Walker is the right-handed hitting version of Florida’s Preston Tucker, as he doesn’t have the greatest physical stature in the world, but he has been very productive at the plate. He didn’t have the great game against College of Charleston, but showed that the ball does jump off his bat in a few of his at-bats over the three games I watched. Like Tucker, he’s limited defensively to first base, and possibly an outfield corner, but Walker did look fairly comfortable at first with soft hands around the bag. He isn’t draft-eligible until next year.

Evan Marzilli

Marzilli and Brandon Thomas are similar players, both with long limbs and lean, well-proportioned statures. Marzilli is also a left-handed hitter, showing a very patient approach at the plate. He walked a few times, crowded the plate for a hit by pitch in another, and did a really nice job bringing in his hands to drive an inside fastball for a double in another. He too is draft eligible in 2012.

Jackie Bradley Jr.

With Bradley it all starts with his approach at the plate. He is a selective hitter that comes to the plate with a consistent plan, looking to make solid contact on a pitch, thinking up the middle and the other way with the ability to turn on good fastballs with good bat speed. He doesn’t seem to change that approach with two strikes, confident in his abilities to hit despite being behind in the count. He showed good physically strength in one at-bat, driving an outside pitch the other way, drilling a three-run home run over the left centerfield fence. He put a pretty easy swing on that pitch, and it just carried. Bradley probably maxes out in the 20 home run range annually at the next level, but I’ve been impressed with the way the ball jumps off of his bat in the past. He can get a little too home run happy at times, as he really needs to stay within himself and drive the ball from gap-to-gap, taking the home runs when they come to him.

He has good, not great speed, although he doesn’t run as much on the bases since Head Coach Ray Tanner has a very patient, station-to-station philosophy that doesn’t seem to want to risk outs on the basepaths. He does show to run the bases extremely well. I like the way he plays center, taking direct routes to fly balls, playing the position relatively effortlessly while showing a good throwing arm.

In addition to the home run he hit as mentioned above, he had a pair of singles off of Randall on Saturday, both off of curveballs. I always like seeing hitters collect hits off of a pitcher’s best pitch, and Bradley did a nice job lacing an outside breaking ball through the hole on the left side of the infield on one such offering, while pulling his hands in on another in his second at-bat.

Against Whitson on Sunday, he pulled a belt-high fastball over the plate to the right-field wall for a double in the first inning. Later in the game against tough lefty Nick Maronde, he hit a high fly ball to deep centerfield that allowed Adam Matthews to advance to third which turned out to be the first run of the game for South Carolina. In his next at-bat, he laid down a bunt that allowed the eventual go-ahead run to advance to third.

Overall he had a very productive week. Bradley is similar to Jungmann in that he is what he is, and may not be a perennial all-star at the next level, but he may be one of the most polished and well-rounded prospects available for this year’s draft.

HTML Comment Box is loading comments...

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

Analyzing Amateur Baseball Talent as it pertains to the MLB Draft