DRAFT NOTEBOOK
By David Rawnsley
If you’ve ever driven on Florida’s main highways, whether it be Alligator Alley, the Florida Turnpike, I-95 in Southeast Florida or I-10 across the Panhandle, you know that those periodic signs that wishfully say “Speed Limit 70” are just as routinely ignored as the “Disney Discounts!” billboards.
In Florida you move fast and encourage others to get out of the way.
The same can be said about the pitching in the Sunshine State this spring. It’s all about the velocity.
A veteran Florida scout noted during late April, “If you wanted to, you could see 92-93 mph every day for weeks. Those kind of arms aren’t really hard to find this year. But in a couple of weeks of looking at those fastballs, you might only see a couple of kids who have a real idea how to spin the ball. Good breaking balls have been really at a premium.”
The scout cited the Florida Atlantic staff as an example.
“You have two big right handers who will routinely show you 95 mph fastballs in Mike Crotta (6-7) and Brandon Cooney (6-6) and a lefty who can get into the 90’s in Chris Salberg and none of them have a workable breaking ball right now. They get hit hard by average college hitters and it’s hard to get excited by that. That’s pretty much what you are seeing this spring.”
Not surprisingly, multiple scouts cited Vero Beach HS’s Alex Cobb as perhaps the fastest rising pitcher in the state. Cobb, a 6-2, 185 lb right hander who has signed to go to Clemson, was a premium quarterback and is concentrating on baseball for the first time this spring.
“Cobb shows you 88-92 mph on his fastball,” another scouts said, “but he has a really nice curveball, a feel for his change up and is loose and athletic. He has a nice idea of how to pitch and that breaking ball really does stand out.”
Many of the top Florida pitching prospects are still the ones who can bump it up in the 95-96 mph range, though. RHP Matt Latos (Coconut Creek HS) has been consistent every outing and receives plenty of first round discussion. RHP Colten Willems hasn’t had the sharp breaking ball he showed last summer but the mid-90’s velocity has also been there. RHP Sam Dyson (Tampa Jesuit HS) has advanced his fastball up to 97 mph at times this spring and risen on the draft charts. Miami’s Chris Perez still shows inconsistent command but his mid-90’s heat and sharp slider are there every outing.
The Florida Enigma
The Florida Gators were the nation’s top ranked college team in late February. They still held on to a top 10 ranking in late March. By the start of May, the team was trying to stay above .500 and was 5-16 in SEC conference play.
The strength of the team coming into the season was a core of five junior position prospects. 1B Matt LaPorta was college baseball’s reigning home run king. C Brian Jeroloman the country’s top defensive catcher. SS Adam Davis an offensive middle infielder and leadoff standout. OF’s Brian LeClerc and Gavin Dickey mature, strong hitters with pop in their bats.
As of May 1, all have endured disappointed seasons. In all fairness, LaPorta missed the first 13 games with an oblique muscle strain and has 12 home runs in 127 at bats since, although he is only hitting .268 with one additional extra base hit. Dickey is the only one of the quartet with a .300 batting average and that’s at exactly .300 with only 5 walks on the season in 42 games. Davis has struggled both with solid contact and on defense. Jeroloman, who hit .298-9-48 last year with 50 walks, is hitting only .237 with significant drops in all other areas.
In a draft that scouts bemoan the lack of quality, proven hitting prospects, this group defines their concerns.
Puerto Rican Prospects
The Major League Scouting Bureau held its annual pre-draft workout for the scouting community Thursday, May 4. The workout precedes the Excellence Games that run through the weekend, the scout’s best chance to see the top players from the Island perform against each other in competition.
RHP Hector Correa (Hatillo, PR) and SS Helder Velazquez (Cagaus, PR) look to be the top Puerto Rican prospects a month before the draft, although neither is likely to be a top 5 round pick going into this weekend. Correa is a lanky and projectable 6-3 with a fastball that tops out at 92 with a nice curveball and smooth arm action. Velazquez is a top level athlete, a tall middle infielder at 6-3 with plus defensive skills and 6.5 speed. His bat is holding him back from higher round consideration.
Bookend Catchers
Two high school catchers have separated themselves from rest of the draft pack, one from the West Coast, the other from the East Coast.
Hank Conger (Huntington Beach HS, CA) and Max Sapp (Bishop Moore HS, FL) are actually very similar players on the field.
Conger, who is of Korean dissent, was nicknamed “Hank” after the legendary Hank Aaron by his grandfather. His given name is Hyun. Conger’s home run exploits dating back to Little League have given him his own legend in Southern California but it’s his improved defense that has fueled the talk that he could be the first high school selected. He’s a switch-hitter whose power from both sides grades out at the top of the scout’s scale.
Like Conger, Sapp’s big tool is his left handed bat and power potential. Also like Conger, scouts are impressed with Sapp this spring because of improvement in his defense.
“Sapp’s told me that he’s lost 15 lbs since last summer,” said an American League scout about the Orlando native, who used to weigh in at 225 lbs on his 6-1 frame. “It’s obvious in his defensive play. He’s added lots of quickness and body life.”
While there is some talk of Sapp being selected late in the first round, the compensation round or second round seems more likely at this point.
Around the Country
-- Not surprisingly, arm problems were beginning to chip away at the list of top prospect pitchers in late April. Fortunately most seemed minor. Some of those down included Clayton Kershaw (strained oblique), Brett Sinkbeil (strained oblique), Mark Melencon (strained ligament), Harold Mozingo (thumb fracture), Jordan Walden (pulled groin), Brandon Holden (sore elbow) and Austin Creps (knee surgery).
-- Two Illinois based scouts will have an extra interest in the draft. Arizona Diamondbacks regional cross checker Steve McAllister’s son Zach is a 6-5, 230 lb right handed pitcher (Illinois Valley Central HS) can pitch in the low 90’s with an easy delivery and arm action. He’s signed with Nebraska. San Diego Padres area scout Jeff Stewart’s son Luke is a 6-5, 190 lb third baseman (Normal West HS) with a sweet left handed swing and great projectability. Stewart has signed with Georgia.
-- C Ty Weeden (Santa Fe HS) has emerged as the second best high school prospect in Oklahoma behind potential first round pick, LHP Brett Anderson. Weeden, a 6-2, 225 lb power hitter, is the brother of New York Yankees 2002 second round pick RHP Brandon Weeden.
-- Dallas area outfielder Matt Sulentic (Hillcrest HS) is one of the least likely players to be found high on draft lists in early May. Rarely are 5-10 outfielders with just big league average speed seen by hordes of national cross checkers. But Sulentic, who is hitting .671 with 18 home runs, is such a good left handed hitter that he’s the exception. “This kid can really hit,” said an American League scout. “He’s got plus, plus make up and isn’t going to fail because he doesn’t work hard enough.” Sulentic could go as high as the second round in this hitter starved draft.
-- The hottest high school player in the country off the stat sheets isn’t Sulentic but probably Virginia RHP Jeremy Jeffress (Halifax County HS). Jeffress was 95-98 mph in a couple of late April starts with an improved curveball and there were reports that he touched 100 a couple of times in another start May 2. “He’s scratching the top 10 in the draft,” commented a National League cross checker, “and you would have never thought about that early in the year.”