Crack of the Bat
More Jupiter Part 6
By Blaine Clemmens
The first game I decided to scout on the morning of Day Two (Saturday, Nov. 19) at the 2005 WWBA Championships was the Indiana Mustangs vs. the South Florida Bandits on Blue #3. After watching a few innings of that game, I moved over to Blue #2 to catch a bit of the St. Louis Pirates vs. PG USA Orange. After seeing what I wanted during those two games, I spent the rest of time in the 8:00 AM block roaming the complex, mostly on the "red" side. This report will focus on the players from the Mustangs, Bandits, Pirates, and PG Orange.
When I was in route to the complex on Saturday morning I made my morning call to Dave Rawnsley, our resident "eye in the sky." During a tournament like the WWBA Championships, Dave is located in the main tower and is the hub of all our information gathered for each game. As I stated before, each game at a WWBA game has two or three PG scouts compiling game notes and scouting notes. After each game, one of them brings the game book up to Dave and then he inputs all the information into the database ASAP. That is where you get the game capsules and the results during the tournament, from Dave going through each and every score sheet for each and every game.
Not only was Dave doing all of that data input and posting of information, he also gathered the names of as many starting pitchers as he could before each game. If he had it in time, he posted it on the website so coaches and scouts that had access to the internet could make a decision on which game to see at any given time. I did not have internet access at the hotel I was at, so I had to call Dave each morning on the way to the complex. If he had an idea, he recommended certain games for me to see. If there were not any "known" big-time pitchers scheduled, he would tell me of games that had some players that perhaps I had not seen before. Also there was a big screen television located by the Blue Tower that had this information posted for scouts.
Another note about Dave's role for us at WWBA and future events. As you know, we have launched BaseballWebTV.com and if you were in Jupiter, you know that each day or night, Dave put together a highlight show from that days' action. So he not only was constantly updating the website as information on game results and starting pitchers rolled into the tower, at the end of the day, he compiled all of the days' action and put together a highlight show for BaseballWebTV.com.
If any of you listened to last year's MLB draft, you heard Dave on that broadcast and understand the depth of his knowledge of the game, but also his passion for players and the game. You can expect to see and hear Dave much more as we get rolling with more content on BaseballWebTV.com.
So, the long and short of it is (and for me it is usually the long of it) that is how I came to be at the Mustangs vs. Bandits game on Saturday morning. The top recognized player on the Mustangs is '06 1st baseman Andrew Clark (6'2" 195 L/L). I had been told that Clark can really handle the bat and that he patterns himself after another 1st baseman by the last name of Clark (Will), I was also told that he approaches the game somewhat like Will the Thrill did. After watching him, I agree.
Offensively Clark is a strong hitter with a quick bat. He gets himself ready to hit early and does an excellent job of using the whole field. The ball gets off his bat well and he showed opposite field drive power when he hammered a ball deep to left center that just kept on carrying. I also saw him smoke a ball up the middle off the pitcher's body. In all, I saw him get three hits in this game.
At first base I noted his good verbal presence on defense, not just chatter, quality and useful talk that keeps his infield and pitcher aware of situations. He showed nice agility and plays defense aggressively. In all, yeah, I can see why someone might want to mention Will Clark when talking about Andrew Clark. He plays hard, is verbal, can hit, uses the whole field, and is a quality defensive 1st baseman. Clark played in the 2005 AFLAC All-American game so he has been seen on a big stage. Look for him, as a physical L/L hitter with a well-rounded game, to get strong first day consideration in next June's MLB draft.
There were a couple of other players on the Mustangs that I liked as quality ballplayers, but one young pitcher in particular was intriguing to me; '07 LHP Jon Clarence (6'2" 175, Columbus North HS). Clarence is not yet a hard thrower, but he is a lean and long bodied pitcher with a good, rhythmic delivery. He pitches from an over the top slot with a long arm action and creates some deception because hitters do not pick up the ball well against him. I spoke to some of the Bandits players and that was what they indicated to me after I asked them what made Clarence so difficult to hit. The ball came out of his hand easily, making his fastball a bit sneaky. Looking at his body, including his shoulders, there is certainly some projectability with him.
I saw Clarence in the 80-83 range with the fastball, but was more impressed with the way he was able to pound the zone down and away from right hand hitters. He tilted the fastball through the zone and had some natural arm side action on it. His breaking ball was an overhand curveball (67-68 mph) with decent spin and big shape. Clarence also showed feel of a usable change-up (73 mph) with some arm side movement. Put him down on your '07 LHP follow list, he will keep getting better.
As for the South Florida Bandits, they had numerous '07 players that caught my eye as prospects. The most impressive one for me was 1B/P/OF Jaron Mathews (6'2" 190 L/L). Mathews has a strong and athletic build and moves around the diamond with good actions and looks like he has feel for the game. At first base he showed light feet with soft hands and a strong arm. Frankly he looked like his defensive strengths would make him a very quality right fielder, though I never did see him out there.
At the dish Mathews (Don Bosco HS, Teaneck NJ) has a nice and quiet approach. He took an aggressive, yet easy hack with good bat speed and good timing. I had not seen Mathews before but from a tools perspective, he certainly looked like he belonged in the category of the most highly regarded '07 prospects. Time will tell, hopefully we will bring him to PG National and I get to see him again.
Outfielder Steven Brooks ('07 6'1" 170 R/R) was another Bandit player that caught my eye. I had seen Brooks before, in September at an underclassmen national event. In that event, among some of the biggest names in the '07 class, Brooks handled the bat as well as any of them, and better than most. He has above average bat speed and is quite strong. One of his most impressive at-bats was in a game vs. Midland, when he was facing hard-throwing LHP Michael Burgess (went up to 94 in that game). Brooks had absolutely no trouble getting to Burgess's heat. His listed weight of 170 seems light when you are up close to Brooks. He is put together very well, yet maintains strong athleticism.
Defensively Brooks (Seton Hall Prep, Teaneck NJ) has good feet and a quick arm. In another game at WWBA (though I did not see it), he had three outfield assists. The ball gets out of his hand very well and he showed near 90 mph arm strength in the Skill Show workout. Not only does he have a strong arm, but he has an accurate arm. Brooks plays hard and in the times I have been around him, he is a confident and engaging young man. He is another player I would like to see some more, especially against top notch pitching. I have a feeling that Brooks is the kind of player that rises up to the caliber of the players around him.
Junior catcher Curtis Casali (6'3" 190 R/R) was a player that on the Bandits that Rawnsley told me about. The '07 catching class appears to be pretty strong and Casali is among those that will get attention from top notch D1 programs and MLB scouts. He has an excellent frame and is athletic behind the plate. Casali is a quiet receiver and showed good block and recover technique, if a little bit late in shifting laterally. He needs to learn to pick up the ball a bit earlier out of the pitchers delivery window. Actually, catchers should use the same "soft to fine focus" technique to pick up the ball as hitters.
One play in particular that Casali made stood out to me. He got out of his crouch easily and busted down the line to back-up a play at first base. Ok, that is just a case of a catcher doing his job, but he got down the line better than most catchers. On this particular play, the ball did get past the first baseman and Casali pounced on it quickly. He then quickly fired a strike to second base to get the runner that tried to advance on the wild throw. I know that doesn't sound like much, but it was an out (ground ball) that became a base runner (error) that became an out again due to Casali's ability.
In the Skill Show workout Casali (New Canaan HS, New Canaan CT) was posting pop times from 1.92 - 2.03 and he was on the bag. He has a good exchange and good feet with a strong arm that tracks well to the bag. On the offensive side of the game Casali is still developing. He has some bat speed but I saw him getting around the ball, due mostly to not being on time. Just like his need to pick up the ball earlier as a receiver, he needs to do the same as a hitter. All the same, stay on Casali, he is one of the better catchers in the '07 class.
RHP Nathan Striz ('07 6'3" 210) showed a fastball with some liveliness up to 89 when I saw him (range was 86-89). He has a short backside arm action and comes at hitters from over the top slot, but not a traditional long arm over the top slot with the ball coming out significantly over the head. With Striz, the ball comes out a little sooner than that and makes his good fastball seem even better, a bit sneaky if you will. Actually, his arm action reminds me a lot of a former summer baseball teammate of mine with the Cherry Creek Bruins, Cleveland Indians (currently a free-agent) RHP Scott Elarton.
Even as a young power pitcher, Striz (Santa Fe Catholic HS, Lakeland FL) showed pitchability and he worked quickly with an aggressive demeanor. He has a power pitcher build but maintains good body control during his delivery, which obviously allows for his pitchability. He showed two types of breaking balls, a 71-75 mph curveball and a slider that registered at 78 mph. He used the curveball as his primary secondary pitch (that seems weird to write, primary secondary).
Still two more '07 Bandits to mention. Abraham Fernandez (Cypress Bay HS, Weston FL) is a strong and physical corner position player (3B/OF). Not only does he have some physicality with the bat, he also showed a nice hand path with some bat speed and his hands really worked in his swing. LHP Matt Tomshaw (Kingston HS, Kingston NY) is a quality college type lefty. He pitches from a high 3/4 slot and everything he threw moved; 82-84 mph FB with arm side action, 68 mph curveball with tight rotation and big shape. Tomshaw is 6'0" and 175, pretty average in terms of his frame and future projectability.
The only '06 player on the Bandits that caught my eye was not even on the regular roster, Manuel Peralta, an 18 year old 3B from Santiago, Dominican Republic. Peralta has a strong and athletic frame and tools that fit the 3B profile. His arm tracks well across the diamond with an audible sizzle as the ball leaves his hand. His feet worked around the bag and his hands showed promise. As good as he looked defensively, Peralta's bat stood out more.
In the game against Midland Peralta took Burgess deep over the left field fence. His swing is compact with power, the best type of power swing. He has excellent bat speed and is short to the ball. With that combination Peralta will still be able to get to pitches even if he is late with preparation or recognizes spin late. His lower half really works well. That is all the dope I have on him. I imagine that he is a free-agent and not subject to the draft, but I cannot say that with certainty.
I didn't see a whole lot of the St. Louis Pirate/PG Orange game, but a few players did jump out a bit. I did see the Pirates in their Skill Show workout, so I got to see many of their arms, but not all of them. In any case, their most intriguing '06 prospect was Lawrence Watson (6'1" 175 R/R). Watson was listed as a 2B/OF but for me he was clearly a better prospect in the outfield. He showed plus arm strength from the outfield during the Skill Show workout (I believe he was one of the players to touch at least 90 mph from out there). In the infield his arm stroke change considerably as did the way the ball came out of his hand.
Watson (O'Fallon HS, O'Fallon IL) has a wiry and lively body. In many respects, he reminds me of Tommy Pham. Watson has a lively swing and that live, quick arm. He is still just scratching the surface of his abilities, which like Pham, project best in the outfield. I don't see him as a centerfielder due to below average speed and he does not have much power projection that suggests a corner spot in the traditional sense, which is probably why someone has him working on figuring out second base. He seems like a very interesting player for a possible draft and follow opportunity. Not sure if that arm can translate to the mound, but...
There were some other follow type players on the Pirates, mostly as college prospects; '07 MIF Adam Gleibe (Christian Brothers HS, Ballwin MO) - short swing, ok feet, quick arm, good hands, strong body - '06 catcher Jim Jacqout (Belleville East HS, Swansea IL) - ok feet, good 6'1" 180 lb. build, accurate arm in the 2.00-2.09 range - '06 OF/SS Zach Gerler (Howell Central HS, St. Charles MO) - ball exits hand well, loose arm, good feet, athletic with 6'3" 190 lb. build - and '06 RHP Patrick Doyle (Oakville HS, St. Louis MO) - decent pitchability, FB 85-87, SL 77-80, CH 74-77 (best pitch), aggressive to the zone with all pitches, power type 6'2" 200 lb. build.
The PG Orange team had a few college follow prospects and one very good '08 player. That '08 player, Pablo Bermudez (Miami Springs HS, Miami Shores FL), was the best player I saw on this team. Bermudez (5'11" 175 R/R) has a quick bat, is aggressive, and short to the ball - all good things for a young hitter to show at this early stage.
The couple of good '07 follows for me were MIF Charlie Culberson (5'11" 170 R/R) - decent hack with some bat speed, stays in the middle, pretty short to ball and RHP Brandon Swann (6'3" 195) - FB 82-84, big 12/6 type rolling 66-68 CB with decent spin, decent arm, some mechanical issues related to keeping his body centered during the delivery. Culberson attends Calhoun HS and lives in Rome, GA. Swann goes to Sandy Creek HS, and resides in Fayetteville, GA. Again, they should be on a follow list for now because they might really come on by next summer.
Yes, it is fun to sit and watch the "known" players, but it is also fun to scout one of the younger teams or one of the teams that may not have a lot of high profile guys and see if there are any potential prospects that can be dug out or discovered or projected (two-three years out). That is how I had to do it when I was first scouting players as a coach at the University of San Francisco and it is fun to go back to my scouting roots. I feel that it keeps you sharp because you have to focus in a different way.
College coaches can contact the PG office (319-298-2923) for contact information for these and all players at our events.
The next report will pick up with the 10:20 block of games from the Saturday at '05 WWBA Championships. There are still a number of the top teams I have not touched on yet, so stay tuned. Remember, I did not see each and every team during the tourney and even for the teams I did see, I didn't see each and every player. Inevitably there are going to be some players that don't get mentioned because either I didn't see them, or they didn't catch my eye. That last part about "not catching my eye" will be touched upon at the start of the next report when I will talk about some of the ways, outside of ability, that a player can stand out at a tournament or showcase. Stay tuned.