Crack of the Bat
by Blaine Clemmens
Hawaii Events
What a tough life I lead. The last two weekends I HAD to go to Honolulu for two separate events; the Hawaii Showcase two weekends ago and the 18U Winter BCS last weekend. Both events took place at the University of Hawaii's Les Murakami Stadium.
Even better than being in Hawaii in January was the opportunity for us to see some of Hawaii's top young players. The 2008 grads we saw were an exciting group to watch play the game. There were four teams at the 18U Winter BCS, so let's discuss some of the prospects I saw as college prospects, focusing on those that I felt can or will play at the D1 level. The teams at the tournament were the ABD Bulldogs, MVP Baseball, and two PG teams.
PG Hawaii Blue
This team was made up of most of the top players from the previous weekend's showcase, including '06, '07, and '08 grads.
2006 grads
Christian Johnson (5'9" 185, Iolani HS) is a L/L centerfielder with a very interesting skill set. He can run (6.90 60) has some power and at times flashes well above average defensive ability. He is aggressive with the bat and his pop on the pull side suggests that he has a chance to hit in the middle of the line-up someday. He has a strong arm and gets rid of the ball well, generally making accurate throws. Johnson's skill set would be an asset and add quality freshman depth to most mid-upper level D1 programs.
Robert Reid (6'1" 165, Mililani HS) would be able to pitch out of the pen for a lot of D1 programs. He has good armside movement and command of his 82-84 mph fastball and also has command of his breaking ball. That breaking ball for me was a slider with two plane action and pretty late action. He can go back foot to righties well and also get down and away from lefties. Reid is aggressive and did his best pitching late in games in save situations. He had three saves in the four wins by his team. His arm is pretty quick and he is likely to pick up 3-5 more mph in the next year or two. Very interesting lefty.
2007 grads
Evander Ledward (5'11" 160, Damien Memorial HS) is a strong follow type of lefty. He reached up to 83 and the leverage in his arm stroke suggests that he has a chance to be in the 86-87 range this time next year. He also has a usable and still developing overhand curveball that is as firm as 73 mph. He has a lean body type and a good delivery but it is the way his arm works that was most intriguing to me.
2008 grads
Kolten Wong (5'8" 165, L/R, Kamehameha Schools-Hilo) can simply hit and should be on the recruiting list of every D1 program. He has plus bat speed and an instinct for hitting that is not taught. He is primarily a catcher for his high school and he flashes very solid catch/throw skills at times, but as a second baseman he becomes a different caliber of prospect.
Wong can run a bit (4.25 H1, 6.95 60) too. As a left handed hitting second baseman that is offensive oriented, can run, and brings the utility option of catching, he should draw plenty of attention after we bring him to some of our higher profile showcases in 2006 and 2007.
Aaron Fujiki (5'8" 165, R/R, Mid-Pacific Institute) has catch throw skills that rate with the very best catchers in the 2008 class. For that matter, those skills rate with any catcher in any class right now. He is a legit sub 2.0 thrower and in workouts will go as low as 1.87. He was as good in the games as he was in workouts so his abilities are for real. In one game he hosed three runners, showing feel for the game by going as fast as he needed to. Too many catchers go way too fast when they actually have time to make a good accurate throw. Not Fujiki, he understands the speed of the play he is involved in.
As a hitter he is a very good contact guy with a little gap pop. In the two-hole he can make a difference in an offense. He can punish a mistake, but generally he works the count well and sprays the ball all around the yard. Like Wong, Fujiki should be on the recruiting lists of every D1 program, certainly those in the West. He will also get plenty of attention after we get him to some higher profile showcases this and next summer.
Dane Kinoshita (Mid-Pacific Institute) can pitch. He has command of four pitches, pitches to both sides of the plate, and understands how to change speeds. His arm stroke is long and extremely leveraged. One scout compared his delivery and arm stroke to that of former Iowa high school star Jeremy Hellickson. I never saw Hellickson, but I read plenty about his ability. He doesn't yet have Hellickson's fastball as Kinoshita topped out at 85 in the two events we saw.
The other similarity Kinoshita has to Hellickson is that he is an undersized righty. How undersized? How about 5'8" 140 lbs. He is a 2008 grad so the velocity is not a concern right now. He is obviously going to have to get taller to get serious D1 attention, but I am here to say that this kid can pitch at the D1 level. Follow him, see what happens. I saw him pitch four times in three days last weekend and he also went back to back days at the showcase two weekends ago. He may be small right now, but his arm is resilient and he can do what so many other young pitchers can't; he can pitch.
Russell Doi (5'7" 120, L/R, Mid-Pacific Institute) is obviously another small young player, but give him some time to add weight and strength. He has a very solid game, both offensively and defensively (plays second base). He has a very sound hitting approach and nice looking swing. He is going to hit, likely in the two or eight spot, but he does swing the bat well. Defensively Doi has excellent for defense. His hands are good, he takes good angles and positions himself well before each pitch. Put him on your mailing list and follow him. He can play baseball.
PG Hawaii Green
This team was also made up of players entirely from the Hawaiian islands and had players from the 2006, 2007, and 2008 classes.
2006
In so many ways Chad Takabuki (5'8" 155, R/R, Mid-Pacific Institute) reminded me of a player I had the pleasure of coaching at the University of San Francisco, the best 5'3" player, maybe in the history of college baseball. Anyone that played against Royce for his four years at USF understands what he brought to the table and what a pain in the *$# hitter he was. Well, Takabuki has many of the same offensive abilities that Fukuroku did. All Takabuki did in the five BCS games was go 9 for 14 with three doubles, one triple, three stolen bases, four runs scored and only one strikeout.
He is short to the ball with a quick bat. He has surprising pop and if a pitcher takes him for granted he will punish him with his extra base hit power, same as Fuks. In the field Takabuki is a good second baseman and has the ability to fill in at the other infield positions, as well in the outfield. He has good hands, has a quick release and just plays solid all-around defense. He is an '06 grad an considerably under the radar right now. I can see him contributing sooner rather than later in a conference like the West Coast Conference.
Makana Kitamura (6'1" 185, S/R, Kamehameha HS-Oahu) is capable of playing all three outfield positions. He is not likely to be a front line player at the D1 level, but he certainly can and would contribute early in his career as a fourth outfielder type. I watched him for five games and he kept getting hits, occasionally driving the ball. He is not thunderous with the bat, but he has some strength. Anyone that still is looking for some outfield depth, Makana Kitamura is available and a good player.
ABD Bulldogs
This was not the traditionally powerful ABD team (no Parmalee, no Pham, no Tovar, etc.) but they had some good underclassmen that are D1 players and a couple of uncommitted '06 grads with some ability with the bat.
2006
Brandon Hines (6'2" 185, R/R, Esperanza HS, Yorba Linda CA) is a player I had not seen before. Well, he got my attention by going 7 for 14 with six RBI and four runs scored. He consistently was squaring up at contact and making hard line drive type contact. He does a very nice job of getting inside the ball and still driving it. He is built well and looks like his offensive abilities fit the defensive position he plays best, 3rd base. Any programs in Southern California out there still looking for another bat in the '06 class should make a call to Esperanza HS and get out to see Hines this spring.
I am on the fence about Bucky Aona (6'2" 270, R/R, Punahou HS, Oahu) being a D1 hitter, at least at the mid-upper D1 level. He has enough bat speed, but does not have a very quick trigger. I think with good coaching to develop a better timing mechanism there is a load of power to unlock with Aona.
Once his swing gets started you can see the bat speed and he drives the ball in the middle of the field. He keeps his hands inside the ball and is not a swing and miss hitter. It is likely he needs to go to a JC first for reps and to face better pitching for a couple of years, but I can also see a D1 program inviting him to walk-on in the fall with no guarantees and seeing what they can do with him. I remain intrigued. At 1st base he does a nice job of picking balls out of the dirt and is not a sluggo on defense. Aona even swiped a couple of bases in the tournament; he is surprisingly athletic for a big young man.
True to what we wrote in a piece about some of the unsigned seniors we have seen and liked at our events, lefty Sam Spangler (6'2" 170, Valley HS, Albuquerque) simply got hitters out and won the only game he started. He is still developing his velocity, but he already knows how to pitch with the fastball and with the down angle he creates through the zone he is the type of pitcher that can last deep into games using primarily one pitch. I did not see a breaking ball or a noticeable change-up, but I think he will come on in the spring time and eventually will find himself pitching significant innings at the D1 level.
2007
Ryan Pineda (5'11" 165, R/R, Bonanza HS, Las Vegas) was the most impressive '07 grad at this tournament. I had seen him on two other occasions and liked him as a potential two way player at the college level. On the mound he has a compact and athletic delivery and flashes command of four pitches, including a 12/6 hammer for a curveball. When right he is in the mid-80s and will flash an 86.
However, after this tourney I am inclined to say he is a better offensive player. Pineda led off for ABD in each game and in every game he reached bases in the first inning, three times with an extra base hit. He also scored in each of those first innings. Pineda has a quick bat and he drives the ball in the middle of the field by keeping his hands inside the ball and staying behind the ball. When he enters a college program the hitting coach is not going to have to do much if anything with Pineda's approach to hitting.
On defense he made a number of very nice plays on the move at SS, but he also showed to be a bit of an erratic thrower, so much so that I feel he would be better at another position, maybe 2nd base or in the outfield. I am just not sure he is going to make the everyday play everyday at the college level. Then again, I feel he is a player that needs to be challenged because basically things come pretty easy to him, so maybe in the right program he will iron out the wrinkles he has at SS. He has good range and hands with a good arm so he does have a chance.
Daniel Duran (6'1" 175, R/R, Guayaqil, Ecuador) is a player I saw for two straight weekends and I think he also has a chance as a two way guy at the college level. However, opposite of Pineda, I think his future is one the mound. His arm action is long and strong and after coming out of his backside action, Duran really gets on top of the ball well. He has enough arm speed and strength to easily project him as a consistent 87-91 type guy. Duran also spins both his slider and curveball well and showed resilience by pitching in three games in the tourney and twice in the showcase. He is a weekend type arm.
On the offensive side he has good bat speed and very good hand eye coordination. He battles in each at bat and even though there is some length in his swing, he has good timing and proved to be a very capable run producing type hitter. I think he can and will be pitched to at the higher levels and eventually will settle into a pitcher only role, but I would think that most college coaches would give him an opportunity to swing the bat in the fall of his freshman year to see what he has to offer.
2008
Matt Sisto (6'4" 200, R/R, Cypress HS, Anaheim CA) is a player to certainly follow. Due to the lack of another catcher he was forced to catch all five of his team's games in the three day tourney and even found time to get on the mound once. I am not sold on him behind the plate, but there are moments when he shows some things that make you really take notice. The best way to describe those moments is to say that there are times it doesn't look like it takes very much effort for him to flash his ability.
He has some strength with the bat and a good arm. I think long term he will end up at a corner and settle in as a five or six hole hitter. But I saw him do some good things on the mound and don't want to shut down that part of the game either, especially considering that in a PG tournament a few weeks back he showed very well on the mound. Sorry I am not very specific on him, but suffice to say that you will see him with the ABD club in the next couple of summers so make sure you check him out, he is interesting.
MVP Baseball
They had a number of players with solid D2 or JC follow type ability, but only one D1 prospect for me, other than the one player already committed to a D1 program, RHP Dylan Slocum who is headed to Santa Clara Universitiy.
2006
Tom Filip (6'2" 175, R/R, Granite Hills HS, Apple Valley CA) is a player I had not seen before and he is pretty good. I think his long term future is on the mound, but he did produce big results with the bat. On the mound one of our scouts mentioned (and after he said it I agreed) that his delivery and breaking ball were reminiscent of Kyle Hancock, the Rockies 3rd round pick last year. He is not as strong and powerful as Hancock, but his breaking ball is a potentially plus pitch.
Filip was in low-mid 80s but his breaking ball was in the 74-77 mph range and at times had very hard and late downer action. He has some presence on the mound and is competitive with a good arm. He is a good athlete and though I am not sure where he is headed for college, if he goes to a JC, he could be a very high profile guy in two years. If he is headed to a four-year school, give him a full year of development and coaching and then I think he pitches as a sophomore.
Offensively he hit four triples in the tournament, three in one game, but two of those were flair fly balls that eluded slow outfielders on a turf field. He can hit a bit, he runs pretty well and his body is clearly athletic. If you are a coach at a Southern California four year school and are still looking for some low money players with upside to add depth, go see him.