Lefthanders Highly In Demand

By ALLAN SIMPSON

Los Angeles Angels scouting director Eddie Bane says, without hesitation, that the crop of lefthanders in this year’s draft is the best he’s seen in all the years he’s been scouting.

“It’s far better than normal,” he said. “It’s as good as I’ve seen in 25 years.”

Bane has a unique perspective where elite lefthanders are concerned, since he was one himself. He was drafted in the first round in 1973 by the Minnesota Twins after a brilliant college career at Arizona State , where he went 40-4 and still holds the school record for strikeouts in a career with 504. He was so advanced when he came out of college that he was one of just 20 drafted players to advance directly to the big leagues.

With the number of lefthanded people only about five percent of the population at large, it’s obvious that the standard for lefthanded pitchers is often less than for righthanders, and Bane, who relied on finesse, guile and deception more than pure stuff in his playing days, is keenly aware of the difference.

“The old rule was that righthanders had to have something special from a velocity or movement standpoint to get noticed, and that a lefthander with an arc on his fastball was considered a prospect,” he said. “With lefthanders, you often need to put down the radar gun and look for life on their pitches, something that goes away from lefthanded hitters or moves in on righthanded hitters.

“But this year, you can stack up the lefthanders with any righthander in terms of stuff—and even command. That’s highly unusual.”

Florida Marlins scouting director Stan Meek is a lefthander from his playing days as well, and he also is impressed with the depth and quality of the lefthanders he has seen this spring.

“It’s a mixed bag of power guys and finesse guys, starters and closers,” he said. “We’ve got a little bit of everything.”

Unlike Bane, Meek doesn’t believe his experience as a lefthanded pitcher gives him an edge when scouting lefthanded pitchers.

“I was an old soft tosser so I don’t know what it was like to be a hard-throwing lefthander, but it doesn’t give us that much of an advantage,” said Meek, a star lefthander at Oklahoma who went on to pitch four years in the St. Louis Cardinals system. “You’ve got 28 other scouting directors that have been doing this for a while, too, and that would be almost the same as those people that were position players in their day having an advantage over us. It doesn’t work that way.

“But you do scout lefthanders differently than you do righthanders. You have to have a better feel for different kinds of lefthanders, so from that standpoint we might look at things a little differently.”

The record for most lefthanders drafted in the first round is seven, which occurred in 2004. A year ago, there were only three.

This year that number could reach double digits. As many as eight college lefthanders have been mentioned prominently as potential first-round picks, starting with Vanderbilt southpaw David Price, a heavy favorite to be the first player drafted. Only once in the last 30 years (Brien Taylor in 1991) has a lefthander been drafted first overall. Three high school lefties have also drawn significant first-round attention, with at least four others knocking on the door.

“You could have 10 lefthanders go in the first round this year,” Bane said, “but my sense is some of these guys will fall off towards the end, for one reason or another.”

But that doesn’t diminish the strength of this year’s crop.

“Everyone’s always looking for lefthanders,” Meek said, “and this year gives you a few more to pick from.”

Price Sets Standard for Lefties

Price, who has gone 5-0, 2.79 with 79 strikeouts in 52 innings in his first seven starts, continues to roll along as the heavy favorite to be the first player selected in this year’s draft. He has also set the tone for this year’s powerful group of lefthanders.

Clemson closer Daniel Moskos and Missouri State starter Ross Detwiler are right on his heels, and are given the strongest consideration for joining Price in the top 10 picks overall among the group of college lefthanders.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Moskos (2-2, 2.70, 5 SV) has showcased his customary strong three-pitch mix this spring, including a fastball that routinely tops out at 96 mph and a hard breaking ball. But he has battled command issues at times, walking 10 in 17 innings.

“He reminds you a lot of Randy Myers,” a national crosschecker said. “He’s got that same stocky build, the same power arm and that same bulldog approach. Because of the role he’s in, he should move quickly.”

Detwiler (3-1, 1.45, 37 IP/44 SO) has also solidified his position near the top of the draft. At 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, Detwiler is extremely projectable but already throws his fastball in the 91-93 mph range with an easy, effortless delivery. He has a solid three-pitch mix, as well, with excellent life in the strike zone.

Maryland closer Brett Cecil (3-2, 3.13, 7 SV) is also viewed as a certain first-rounder for some teams, but a fringe first-rounder for others. He has been used almost exclusively as a closer in college and summer league competition, but some scouts believe his long arm action might be better suited to a starting role at the next level. He has two dominant pitches that are suited to closing, however: a 92-96 mph fastball and a hard, mid-80s slider.

Two others starters, San Francisco’s Aaron Poreda and Arkansas’ Nick Schmidt, are also candidates for the first round on some team’s boards but would factor into the back end of the round, at best. They are physical clones at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, but the comparisons end there.

Poreda (4-2, 3.38, 45 IP/37 SO) throws as hard as any lefthander in the draft but he remains a darkhorse candidate because he has never mastered a breaking pitch.

Schmidt (5-0, 1.80, 50 IP/48) doesn’t throw nearly as hard, but is a more complete pitcher. He has solid command of three pitches when he’s on his game, but his velocity has been inconsistent this spring. His fastball peaks at 92 mph but frequently dips into the high 80s.

“There are a lot of lefthanders in the 94-95 mph range,” an American League scouting director said, “but Schmidt is the exception. He’s been 87-90 most of the year. He can pitch and he’s a warrior on the mound, but he’s more of a feel guy. His stuff is not as electric as most of the other pitchers.”

There was a time when Rice lefthanders Joe Savery and Cole St. Clair looked like they would be locks to go in the first round, too. But Savery continues to rebound from minor labrum surgery and St. Clair had yet to pitch this year as he recovers from a strained shoulder muscle.

Savery (3-1, 2.51, 32 IP/23 SO) has shown glimpses of his old form, with command of three pitches, including a fastball at 92 mph. But he has been brought back slowly, working only an average of four innings in his first eight starts, and his performance predictably has been erratic.

“I think it’s in there,” a scouting director said, “but he just hasn’t turned the corner yet. He’s been 88-92, touched 93, but we need to see it more consistently over longer stretches.”

Meanwhile, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound St. Clair threw off a mound March 26 for the first time this year and could be ready to pitch again by the first weekend of April. But scouts are reserving judgment whether he might still be a viable first-round candidate. St. Clair went 7-2, 1.82 with 11 saves and 100 strikeouts in 74 innings as one of the nation’s premier closers a year ago and had a dominant summer with Team USA . His fastball reached 93-95 mph, but there’s concern about his stuff overall and some awkwardness in his delivery—not to mention a sore arm.

With a well-documented history of injuries involving recent first-round pitchers from Rice, scouts have become increasingly wary of sore-armed pitchers from that school and have taken a decided wait-and-see approach with Savery and St. Clair.

“You don’t want to point the finger at Rice,” a scouting director said, “but sooner or later you have to. None of the Rice pitchers has done anything in pro ball, and these two guys are hurt or are stumbling their way back. Sooner or later, they’ll have to step up.”

On the high school side of the ledger, North Carolina lefthander Madison Bumgarner, Massachusetts lefthander Jack McGeary and Georgia lefthander Josh Smoker are given the best shot of going in the first round.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Bumgarner (South Caldwell High, Lenoir) has ascended to the head of the pack off his early-season performance. He has the best arm strength of the trio, routinely touching 94-95 mph with an easy arm action, but his lack of a true breaking ball and a somewhat unorthodox high three-quarters delivery that may make it difficult for him to develop a legitimate breaking ball in the future are mild concern to scouts.

“He’s a big, physical kid who has made a lot of strides,” a scouting director said. “He throws a whole lot of fastballs in the low to mid 90s and I was impressed with the feel he’s developed for his changeup. The question remains the breaking ball. It’s a sweepy, slurvy pitch that lacks the power of his other pitches.”

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Smoker (Calhoun High, Sugar Valley ) has a history of being as good as any prep lefthander in his class on a given day. His fastball has been a steady 90-92 mph this spring, topping out at 94.

McGeary (Roxbury Latin High, Newton) is the least exposed of the three and had yet to make his 2007 debut because of the late start of the high school season in New England. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder is scheduled to start pitching in early April. McGeary’s chances of going in the first round may hinge more on his signability than ability, as he has committed to Stanford and is considered one of the tougher signs in the entire high school class.

“When it’s all said and done, he might be the first prep lefty drafted,” a crosschecker said. “He has three solid pitchers, including command and life on an 89-92 mph fastball. He’s also got an easy, consistent, resilient delivery. But it may all come down to his signability where he’s drafted.”

Other high school lefthanders that are attracting attention from scouting directors and national crosscheckers include Florida’s John Gast, Utah’s Tanner Robles, Georgia’s Nathan Vineyard, Texas’ Drake Britton and Arizona ’s Sammy Solis . Fast-rising Illinois lefty Casey Crosby was also just beginning to attract national attention.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Gast (Lake Brantley High, Longwood) has built off his success late last year and may be further along in his development than any of the elite group of prep lefthanders. He has a fluid delivery with good present stuff, though may not be as projectable as some of his peers. Robles (Cottonwood High, Murray) isn’t as smooth mechanically as Gast, but he has better stuff, including a fastball that has touched 95.

Weathering The Storm

Scouts and a near-record crowd of more than 9,000 fans got an opportunity to see a primetime matchup of ace lefthanders last Friday in Fayetteville, Ark., when Vanderbilt’s Price hooked up with the Razorbacks’ Schmidt. Neither potential first-rounder particularly distinguished himself, however, as Price worked six innings, gave up five runs, walked four and struck out eight. Schmidt went seven, and also allowed five runs, walked four and struck out eight. Arkansas went on to win the game 8-7, in 10 innings.

In the end, both pitchers were upstaged by Vandy senior closer Casey Weathers, who absorbed the loss but was clocked at 99 mph—making him the hardest throwing college pitcher on record this spring.

“Without question, he’s made the biggest jump in terms of elevating his draft status among all the college pitchers this spring,” a scouting director said. “In my mind, he’s a definite first-rounder now and has even passed (Georgia ’s Josh) Fields, who was the top righthanded closer coming in.”

A year ago, Weathers was a virtual unknown to scouts. He had transferred to Vanderbilt from California’s Sacramento City College , where he was an outfielder, and didn’t begin pitching with any sense of regularity until near the end of the 2006 college season. No club thought enough of his prospects to draft him last June before the Detroit Tigers stepped up in the 25th round.

As Vanderbilt’s closer this season, Weathers has gone 3-1, 1.76 with 23 strikeouts in 15 innings.

“I’m glad to see his draft status skyrocketing as he is one of the hardest workers we have ever had, with makeup off the charts,” said Vanderbilt assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Erik Bakich. “He has been consistently throwing in the 96-98 mph range this season, while flashing 99 at times. His slider has turned into a legitimate second pitch with hard sweep and depth. He has been throwing his slider in the 86-90 range and has very good command of it.

“Ever since Casey pitched in Houston at the start of the season, scouts have talked about him as a potential first-rounder. Now that we are almost in April, his first-round potential seems very realistic. His best years are ahead.”

Entering the 2007 season, North Carolina State junior Andrew Brackman, another pitcher with a limited pitching background, was touted as the college righthander with the best fastball. The 7-foot, 240-pounder was clocked at 99 mph last summer in the Cape Cod League. He was expected to continue his evolution into full-time pitcher this spring after abandoning his basketball career with the Wolfpack, but hasn’t dominated as expected.

Brackman (4-2, 3.79, 40 IP/38 SO) pitched to expectations his first two or three times out, but has deteriorated with each outing since. Against Wake Forest in his most recent outing, he was the losing pitched as the Wolfpack was beaten 16-3. Brackman worked the first four innings, allowing nine hits and six runs (five earned).

“His velocity was consistent with most of his other appearances, meaning he sat between 93-95 mph for the most part with some higher readings thrown in,” a scout said. “He had no command of his off-speed pitches, however, and Wake’s hitters were sitting dead red. By the fifth, Andrew’s pitch count was up around 85 and the command of his fastball waned to the point that he started leaving pitches out over the plate instead of on the corners. And the Deacons crushed them.”

With Brackman not pitching to his potential, it has left a widening void in the crop of college righthanders in this year’s draft. At this point, only Brackman is assured of going in the first round.

“It may be the thinnest crop of college righthanders ever,” Meek said. “It’s become a custom for us to see college pitchers on Fridays because you want to see the two best starters on each team go head-to-head, but a lot of us have been running off to see high school position players on Fridays this year. The pitching is just not there.”

Texas Christian righthander Jake Arrietta ranked right behind Brackman among righthanded college starters entering the season, but he has struggled this year (4-2, 3.23) with his velocity and command after going 14-4, 2.35 in a breakout sophomore campaign.

Cal State Fullerton’s Wes Roemer and UC Riverside’s James Simmons are other college righthanders given a chance of going in the first round, but they lack the overall stuff normally associated with first-round picks.

Approaching Triple Digits

On the basis of his 99 mph fastball, Weathers hold the distinction of being the fastest college pitcher in this year’s draft.

There have been rumblings in the scouting community that Grayson County (Texas ) CC righthander Jordan Walden has touched 100, but those reports were refuted by Bane and Grayson coach Dusty Hart.

“He hasn’t hit 100 that I’m aware of,” Hart said. “He has really thrown good, though. He did take his second loss of the season last week, but he had a 1-0 lead in the ninth with runners on second and third and two outs, and induced a ground ball to our shortstop who promptly threw it away and allowed both runners to score. Most of the scouts I have talked to have said he’s been 92-96 all year. Now, he did close the other day and threw only one inning and it looked to me like he was throwing harder than he had all year, but I did not see any guns.”

Bane says that, according to his scouts, Walden has peaked at 97 this spring. His Angels drafted Walden in the 12th round last year and the 6-foot-5 righthander remains under that club’s control as a draft-and-follow. The Angels will have until May 31, a week before this year’s draft, to sign Walden or he’ll re-enter the draft. Walden was a potential first-rounder a year ago when his velocity spiked to 99 mph, but teams got cold feet when the speed on his fastball dropped significantly prior to the draft.

Through his first seven appearances as a freshman at Grayson County , Walden was 4-2, 1.62 with nine walks and 49 strikeouts in 33 innings.

While Weathers and Walden unofficially hold the distinction of being the hardest-throwing pitchers at the college and junior college levels, respectively, this spring, the honor of hardest-throwing high school pitcher goes to Florida righthander Michael Main and Canadian righthander Phillippe Aumont, who have touched 97.

Aumont attracted a large throng of scouts when he was in Florida in early March with Team Quebec . Several scouting directors say the 6-foot-8 Aumont may be capable of throwing in triple digits one day. “He’s a very physical guy,” one said. “With a little tweaking of his delivery, he may throw 100 one day.”

It’s also possible Main (DeLand High, Deltona) may top what he and Aumont have accomplished to date as he was clocked as high as 99 mph last year. Righthander Blake Beavan of Irving (Texas) High is right on Main’s heels as he’s reached 96 in a dominating start to his senior season.

Aumont, Beavan and Main are all projected first-rounders in June.