Aflac Player Reports 4

Here are the last, but far from the least, player reports on all 38 Aflac All Americans.

Robbie Grossman WEST OF, 6-1/195, B/L, Cy Fair,Cypress, TX

Summer Team – Houston Kyle Chpman

Aflac Report: August 11^th, 2007

Grossman is a multi-talented outfielder who plays the game at full speed from the first pitch until the last pitch.  He put on quite a show in the 2007 Aflac game and the practices that were held before hand.  Harold Martinez was robbed twice by Grossman’s great catches in center field.  One diving catch in the right center field gap and one over the head catch at the center field wall 410 feet away.  Grossman has the whole package, he’s a plus runner, obvious great defensive player, strong arm, a very advanced left handed hitter and he also showed some serious power potential during the week.  That’s it… All 5 tools.  And there’s more… He has outstanding instincts, excellent base runner, he has a very good work ethic, and championship caliber makeup along with great character .  Robbie Grossman is a special player, one that is easy to envision playing a long time at the highest level.  That of course being the Major Leagues.  He is one of those players who can best be described as, “The more you see him, the more you like him”.  We’re very glad that we have seen him a lot, and we really like him!

Jarred Cosart WEST RHP, 6-3/175, R/R, Clear Creek, League City, TX

Summer Team –  South Texas Sun Devils

Aflac Report: August 11^th, 2007

Cosart is a prospect we saw for the first time about a year ago.  He topped out at 93 mph from the mound, hit very well and even ran a good 60.  He’s very athletic and with a very strong, fast arm.  Unfortunately he suffered a minor injury during the workouts and was unable to pitch in the 2007 Aflac game.  He did show his ability during the workouts and impressed our staff once again.  His future is most likely on the mound, but he is a potential 2 way guy at the college level.  His fastball is always in the low 90’s with good life at times.  He should be able to master a good breaking ball and changeup as he continues to progress.  Cosart has room to put on some more weight which might push him up into the mid 90’s in a hurry.  His arm works very well and he gets good leverage.  Cosart is just scratching the surface right now.  He could really turn it on over the next few years.  We wish everyone could have seen him pitch in the game.

Eric Hosmer EAST 1B, 6-4/210, L/L, American Heritage, Cooper City , FL

Summer Team – Midland Redskins

Aflac Report: August 11^th, 2007

Hosmer wasn’t able to attend the workouts leading up to game day.  He was busy helping the Midland Redskins win their 10^th Connie Mack Championship in Farmington, New Mexico .  Help he did… He was named the MVP of the Connie Mack World Series.  He flew in on Joe Hayden’s (Midland Owner)  private jet late the night before the Aflac Game.  Because of the timing we decided to not start Hosmer.  He entered the game in about the third inning.  Eric Hosmer is possibly the top high school prospect in the ‘08 class.  We rank him as the top hitter and he has serious power to all fields.  In addition, he is an athlete who can play defense and even throw in the 90’s from the mound.  Left-handed bats like Hosmer tend to go really early in the draft.  Though he missed a lot of Aflac Week, he is yet another big time makeup guy, One that his teammates seem to like a lot and respect.  He was a finalist for the prestigious Jackie Robinson Award as the High School Player of the Year and he would have had a chance to win the home run derby as well.  Eric Hosmer looks and acts the part.  He is one of the most professional looking hitters we’ve seen in high school baseball.  He has spent the summer hitting with metal bats, but we’ve seen what he can do with the wood.  Give him a few days with the wood and any of the questions will be answered, and loudly, with that sweet sound of the baseball cracking off of a wood bat!!.  

Walker Kelly WEST LHP, 5-11/180, Arlington Heights , Ft Worth, TX

Summer Team – Midland Redskins

Aflac Report: August 11^th, 2007

Kelly is an absolute treat to watch on the mound.  One of the very best lefties in America .  He combines finesse with the ability to throw in the 90s as well as any high school pitcher we have seen in several years.  He has outstanding command of three pitches and you just don’t see much if any solid contact off any of his pitches.  The fastball shows plus life and he can put it where he wants.  Kelly is not big, but he’s a very advanced and polished pitcher who is a lot of fun to watch.  Unfortunately, Walker Kelly has a minor injury and the doctors have shut him down for awhile.  If Walker Kelly comes back as strong as before, he’s going to set a lot of records in Texas , and followed closely by Major League clubs.  Once again, we are so fortunate that we have seen Kelly pitch numerous times over the past few years and he’s one of the best. Walker is yet another top makeup kid who everyone appreciated in San Diego .  It was tough, but there he was at every single workout and scheduled event, willing to do anything that was asked of him. Walker would have joined Hosmer in New Mexico as Midland ’s number one pitcher, had he been able to throw.

Anthony Ferrara EAST LHP, 6-1/170, L/L, Riverview, Riverview, FL

Summer Team – All American Prospects

Aflac Report: August 11^th, 2007

Ferrara is a lanky lefty who has an electric arm that produces fastballs up to the mid 90’s range.  Everytime we have seen him he has topped out at a minimum of 93 mph.  At times his fastball just explodes on hitters.  His breaking ball is very promising but not as consistent as his fastball.  To think Ferrara is going to get bigger and stronger is a scary thought.  It’s really hard to tell just how good he might end up being.  Unfortunately he too was unable to throw in the Aflac Game due to injury.  The good news is that Dr. Andrews has told him that surgery is not needed and the rest he received this summer will be all it takes.  Soon we may be seeing Ferrrara’s magical arm again.  Scouts will be covering him like a blanket.  Anthony also attended each and every workout and event during the week.  It was great to see how these young guys with so much talent handled themselves so well in San Diego .

Daniel Marrs EAST RHP, 6-3/200, R/R, James River, Midlothian, VA

Summer Team – Virginia Cardinals

Aflac Report: August 11^th, 2007

Marrs was ranked one of the very top right-handers in high school baseball before suffering a minor injury late this spring.  It is a similar type problem that shut down Tim Melville two years ago and did not require surgery.  In fact, Marrs felt like his arm was back to 100% during last week’s Aflac Classic.  He will be back on the mound very soon and has targeted the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter Florida (late October) as his first big event.  No question he will be a big focus at that event because Marrs is one of the best arms in next year’s draft class.  We, once again, have been very lucky that we have seen him so many times before this summer.  And it’s all been very good, to say the least.  He is a mid 90’s type with three good pitches and very good command of all three.  He has the right frame and arm action to project very high.  Marrs, just like the other players who couldn’t actually play in the Aflac game, worked out and helped in every way possible in San Diego .  Watching him warm up in the outfield before the game was very encouraging.  He is yet another example of why these young men and Aflac All Americans are so highly regarded both on and off the field.

Kyle Long EAST 1B/LHP, 6-7/280, L/L, St Anne’s Belfield, Ivy, VA

Summer Team – None

Aflac Report: August 11^th, 2007

Long was perhaps the most interesting baseball player we have seen this year.  He is the son of football Hall of Famer, Howie Long. In Cincinnati he hit a tape measure home run and topped out at 96 mph from the mound.  He ran a 6.9 60 and showed unbelievable agility and athletic ability.  He is left/left and looks every bit of his listed 6-foot7, 280 lbs.  Long also displayed a real love for the game and the type of enthusiasm you rarely see at a showcase event.  He didn’t want to just show up and show off, he wanted to compete and have fun… And he did!  He was one of the most well liked players in Cincinnati by everyone who played with him as well as the PG Staff.  Unfortunately Kyle suffered an injury to both arms lifting weight for football.  He is also the captain of his high school football team.  He wrestled with the decision but ended up staying with his football team.  Long has been recruited by nearly every highest level football program in the country, but he has committed to Florida State to play baseball.  We missed him in San Diego , and there are some who will question his decision, but this is one outstanding young man.  We hope people understand his situation, though we all really wish he had been in San Diego for the entire nation to see.  It’s hard to find anyone in baseball that you could compare him to. Babe Ruth just wasn’t that big!