By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
August 20, 2010
I had a look at Anthony Ranaudo in one of his five starts on the Cape. We have video we’ll run a bit later, but this is the summary and comparison to how he was when I saw him at UCLA in June. The Red Sox forked out $2.55 million for him.
By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
August 11, 2010
One aspect of Cory Hahn’s game that doesn’t get discussed much is his defense, which will be the focus of this scouting update.
By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
July 23, 2010
I’ve run across Ryon Healy, formerly of Crespi High, a few times on the trail: Area Codes, Fall Ball, high school, and now summer ball with wood again. He did not get drafted, and really, most teams don’t want to spend money for Division I college players that aren’t 10 minutes away from the big leagues. In Healy’s case, he one’s of an absolute ton of guys Oregon is getting from Southern California. And whenever I see him, I’m pretty much convinced that one of these years I’m going to see legit right-handed power. I can see the signs. For me, I don’t care if it’s not 10 minutes away. I know power production potential when I see it.
By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
July 1, 2010
Kevin Gausman bounced around the mound like a pitcher who had found himself again. In my first look at him since summer 2009, I felt he successfully re-established his fastball and arm speed as premium right-handed weapons. If you’re a Dodger fan, he’ll probably never get to you, because he just threw the best he’s thrown in a year, and nobody was in the house while Gausman pitched about 50 miles from their ballpark.
If you’re an LSU fan, be excited, because this guy’s arm speed is better than your previous Friday night guy. All this and not a scout in the house. Oh, wait, except for me. At least somebody is making the effort to see players in person.
By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
June 30, 2010
The first thing you would notice about Kris Bryant in this look has nothing to do with his power, which is his money tool that offers upward mobility. What you find is a young player trying to be the most complete player he can be, which, in effect, means playing to improve himself rather than to prove himself.
If you were around for BP, you got one ball pulled down the left-field line by the right-handed hitting Bryant, a clean shot well over and past the 330 mark. Good enough for me. I felt he was looser and more coordinated than when I saw him in Summer 2009 and felt his athletic actions were much smoother than they were in the summer. I also felt his hands and wrists are stronger, which is reflected in the quick, easy looseness from the BP swings. That’s why the power is there even if you don’t see it in a game on a given day – most guys don’t have what I would call “easy” power. Some raw power is generated by max-effort swings with multiple moving parts. I don’t like complexity in swings. I like loose and easy explosiveness with physical projection. I like effortless weight shifts, loading, keeping hands back, and throwing the head and bat speed. Bryant has a very simple swing that probably should keep him out of prolonged slumps throughout his career. He trusts his hands and his front side.
By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
June 12, 2010
The Mets selection of North Carolina right-hander Matt Harvey with the seventh pick in the 2010 draft reminds me a great deal of the club’s selection of Wichita State right-hander Mike Pelfrey in 2005.
By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
June 7, 2010
You can take LSU right-hander Anthony Ranaudo in the first round if you like, but enter into the deal with the expectations that the build up for this guy will not meet expectations at the major league level if he does not address some serious issues immediately. I base these conclusions off a six-inning look at the UCLA Regional, where I was excited to finally see Ranaudo, but disappointed with what I saw.
By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
June 6, 2010
You have to have something to walk into Cal State Fullerton and shut down a lineup with an automatic first-round pick, shut up a traditionally loud and feisty crowd, and shut out a strike zone that usually finds a way to shrink.
By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
June 6, 2010
I had my first look at LSU outfielder Leon Landry since the Cape at the UCLA Regional. What I found was a guy who has taken the next step up the athletic conditioning ladder. Always a good athlete, Landry is much leaner and meaner than he was in the summer, and he’s turning himself into a classic National League top-of-the-order guy with the potential for punch.
By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
June 2, 2010
Peter Tago’s final start of his high school career showed one last time his ability to maintain his power deep into games, pitch with his fastball but also show confidence with his breaking ball in fastball counts, and to know when to pitch for precision and when to reach back to find something extra.
Tago struck out 13 and walked two in this seven-inning complete game. He reached 95 in the first inning and 95 in the seventh inning.
He also touched 96 in the first inning and proceeded to pitch comfortably with his fastball at 93-94 into the sixth. Tago typically generates more consistent power the deeper he gets into games. I thought his best fastball inning was the sixth, when he was getting great extension and downhill plane, and his arm slot and release points were consistent and accurate.
