Baseball Prospect Report

By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
May 30, 2012

Hunter Virant is seen here. I’ll admit that he lost me from the start. First time I saw him, he was 86. I had people puting Cliff Lee on him, which I felt was a reach. I saw him twice as a junior. He topped out at about 92 both times. The thing I didn’t like about Virant was his body language on the mound. I can remember that start when Danny Keller came in and mopped the field with him, and instead of my memories being about Virant hitting 92, it was of him glaring at fielders behind him. I look at that, and as a scout, I say, well how can I envision this guy on the mound in Game 7 of the World Series? 

I don’t buy, “well, the guy is a teenager,” not in this day and age. No I do not. They show you who they are and they show you right away. Composure is everything. It is.

This guy has had one comparison after another…Lee, Hammels, Owens. OK, fine. I saw him this spring and he looked slow. I’m told he had been sick. OK. I’m just not feeling it. To be fair, I think the biggest grade I’ve ever put on him is 52. I just think it’s bad scouting — he is what he is, except for physical strength, which will only add to stamina, not turn that 92 into an everyday 95. Plus, I’ve seen better left-handed curveballs…Skaggs, Owens, Radke. Yes, Radke. You remember Radke. I do.

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Category: '12 Videos | No Comments »
Tags: Hunter Virant, Hunter Virant Video

By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
February 13, 2012

A fine Saturday was had at Major League Baseball’s Dominican Republic facility in South Los Angeles. I took some time away from my duties editing my “Bushville Wins!” typeset pages from my publisher, St. Martin’s, to put on the old scouting hat and go see what the Disco Dan Spectacular had in store for us here in 2012.

My first comment is that 2012 is vastly better than 2011. I’m glad, because last year nearly crushed my will to live. I mean, there are guys starting at schools in the Pac-10 as freshman who weren’t invited to this thing last year, so I always enter the thing with a little bit of a grain of salt and half a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich to get me through. And I don’t have black wingtip shoes on, so I know I’m not an agent, and none of the kids are mine, so I know I’m not a dad. I’m not even a snarky shrimpy scouty sniffer type. Hey, look at me. Man of the people.

OK, my usual social commentary aside, here’s the deal. It’s a good year for right-handed pitching. It’s an OK year for defense at the skill positions. Save for one dude, there is virtually no raw power. There’s not a whole lot of speed to go around. There are only a few hitters I would really feel confidant dreaming on at the major league level. In other words, it’s a pretty typical year save for a few real obvious prospects and the right-handed depth.

What I’m going to do in these two stories is recount everyone I saw. I have notes on everyone and I have tons of video. I’m going to depart from the norm and do a top 10 prospects list off this thing, but not here. This is to encourage new readership, since many people find us for the first time because of coverage of events like this.

We will run a top 10 list, forthcoming, with video, in the coming days.

And as for the new readers, kids and families and fans, etc. – yes, this is how I write this site. I absolutely play no favorites like the pay-to-play world does, though I often am harder on guys I like the most. Yes, I do enjoy my voice. Just don’t crush my will to live. Thanks.

First the pitchers, in no special order:

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Category: 2012 Draft | No Comments »
Tags: Andrew Potter, Brooks Kriske, Chase De Jong, Cody Poteet, Connor Baits, Corey Oswalt, Daniel Starwalt, Dillon Tate, Felipe Perez, Hunter Virant, Jake Pintar, James Kaprielian, Justin Garza, Kieran Lovegrove, Kyle Twomey, Lucas Giolito, Max Fried, Nolan Gannon, Other Events, Ryan McNeil, Shane Watson, Tanner Kiest, Troy Conyers, Zach Jemiola, Zach Williams

By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
August 14, 2011

The way I figured it, I had three group 1 pitchers, nine group 2 pitchers and seven group 3 pitchers. Since I’m borrowing from the pro structure, I’ll say that your group 1 guys are expected to be major league front-end rotation starters, your group 2 guys should be middle rotation starters or potential closers, and your group 3 guys are fringy college guys, roster fillers, bullpen types, and eventually employable yet interchangeable arms.

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Category: 2012 Draft | No Comments »
Tags: 2011 Aflac All-American, Addison Russell, Austin Fairchild, C.J. Hinojosa, Carson Fulmer, Clate Schmidt, Cody Poteet, Corey Seager, Duane Underwood, Hunter Virant, Jameis Winston, Joey Gallo, Kayden Porter, Keon Barnum, Lance McCullers, Lucas Giolito, Lucas Sims, Max Fried, Mitchell Traver, Nelson Rodriguez, Ryan Burr, Ryan McNeil, Taylore Cherry, Trey Williams, Walker Weickel

By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
August 9, 2011

I woke up this morning to pick up a newspaper (for those of you reading at home who might be too young to remember what a newspaper is, it was like a text message, but with sentences) to find a wire story about the soccer club Real Madrid signing a seven-year old prospect to a contract. Yes, seven years old.

Then I headed over to Blair Field to watch all the old geezers, the 16, 17 and 18-year olds, play Day 5 of the Area Codes, the last full day. Man, how it must stink to be over the hill at age 17. Don’t look back, something might be gaining on you. Satchel Paige said that. No, I don’t have time to explain who Satchel Paige was, other than to say, there ain’t no Satchel here this year. (more…)

Category: 2012 Draft | No Comments »
Tags: 2011 Area Code Games, Austin Aune, Austin Dean, Chris Shaw, Clint Coulter, Dylan LaVelle, Felipe Perez, Grayson Long, Hunter Virant, Joe Munoz, Michael Rucker, Riley Ferrell, Taylor Jones, Tim Lopes