By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
May 15, 2012
The last time I saw Jon Meyer, he was hitting after a Simi Valley High game for about 30 scouts back in the days when (ahem) “private” workouts were legal. Ah, I miss the good old days, but nowadays what the CIF doesn’t know won’t kill them.
By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
February 17, 2012
Wheeler in the Day (photo: Baseball Beginnings)
Ryan Wheeler is the classic example of why, as a scout, you must refute the notion that “there are no secrets.”
Man, I love Wheeler. Pretty soon he’ll have a dollar for everyone who missed him.
He played more basketball than baseball. And when he played baseball, you would have seen a left-handed high school hitter with a smooth, easy swing. Now, about five years later, he’s knocking on the door of the big leagues. This is a guy who was going to beg his way onto a junior college team until he tripped into Loyola Marymount.
By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
February 7, 2012
Marisnick in the day (Photo: Baseball Beginnings)
I have this mental image of Jake Marisnick playing high school ball. It’s a hot day in Norco in 2009 and there are a ton of scouts in to see Marisnick and Hobgood. I don’t remember all the specifics, but I remember Marisnick, at various points, beating out an infield hit, stealing second, stealing third and scoring on a sacrifice fly.
You had to like him because he was graceful and athletic and had the ability to make it look easy, but he also had that country boy work ethic honed from working hard in the sun. As Casey Stengel would say, “I ain’t got no time for no Cherry Pies.”
Now, that’s a subtle plug for “Bushville Wins,” my next book, but it’s also a solid plug for Marisnick. The guy signed late, took his lumps as a young pro, and then blossomed in 2011 in the Midwest League. Cherry Pies don’t last long in the Midwest League, where the weather sucks, the ballparks are huge, and the bus rides also stink. My stopwatch on the desk just beeped in an unsolicited fashion, so I know I’m right.
We caught up with Jake, who a long time ago was called Jacob, before he packed it up and headed to Florida. Sit back, and enjoy yet another example of yours truly, John Klima, getting to the heart of what makes a young ballplayer tick. And then watch Marisnick go hit in 2012 and beyond which, on the bright side, will help soften the blow for the Blue Jays when Kris Bryant blossoms at the big league level in the coming years. Hey, you could try to find somebody else to do what I do, but good luck finding a guy who can speak baseball to baseball players and gets the same respect in return.
By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
June 17, 2010
It is a sad day in the life of the young minor league ballplayer when his last good bat breaks – on the road, no less. What he’s left with is the stock wood the parent club gives the kids. For those unfamiliar with how this feels for a young player, it’s a little bit like trying to cut a tin can with a plastic knife. As if the life on the road isn’t lonely enough, it is a little rougher to do it without a bat that feels right and helps create solid contact.
Solid contact has always been what Ryan Wheeler is about. Drafted in the 5th round of the 2009 draft from Loyola Marymount, Wheeler is in his first full pro season at Class A Visalia in the California League, where Baseball Beginnings had a fresh look at Wheeler playing at Lancaster.
By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
June 17, 2010
Ryan Wheeler is at the developmental stage where is learning to remember to dance with the lady who brought him to the dance. In his case, it’s his hands and his swing. Always a gap hitter, Wheeler hasn’t had much difficulty making consistent contact in the California League. On the road between college and the big leagues, Wheeler is learning to find the same load that will allow him to retain his natural swing, but also drive through the ball and generate lift. Peering into the future, I think 30 home runs per season is a reach, but 19-21 as a major leaguer isn’t.
By Jen Marder
June 7, 2010
Today the Detroit Tigers selected Nick Castellanos in the compensation round (#44 overall) in the 2010 MLB Draft. Baseball Beginnings has scouted Castellanos. Enjoy links to the content we have published on him through the year.
By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
May 9, 2010
Derek Dietrich should be the best hitter of the college shortstops in the 2010 draft over the long haul. The best you can say is I see no reason why this guy should not hit. Everything else will be adequate. He won’t run a lot, his arm will be more than enough, his glove will work. You might see him wind up at second base, where his arm strength would play on the double play pivot. You could find him at third if there’s more power. I think you move him to second and you get an above-average offensive player at the position.
By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
April 2, 2010
When we last saw Trayce Thompson, Baseball Beginnings was putting a pretty fat OFP on him. A 58 to be exact, which if you know our scouting scale, means we thought he was a definite prospect with all-star potential in his best years. He’s still a baby as far as baseball goes, but in his first minor league spring training, Thompson showed signs that he’s moving in the right direction.
By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
January 2, 2010
I’ve done some good work in Alabama. So has Brandon May, who went to work over the summer in the Cape Cod League and then signed with the Chicago Cubs. Here’s a look at some of that hard work.
By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
December 20, 2009
We recently got a one-inning look at Andy Oliver in the Arizona Fall League, after we first saw him pitching in Palm Springs for Oklahoma State in March. Oliver held out until the signing deadline and just got in some bullpens in the Extra Work League.
