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Summer Collegiate  | Story  | 7/6/2016

Cape Cod notes: Singer debuts

Jheremy Brown     
Photo: Tim Casey


The Perfect Game National Showcase is the unofficial beginning point of the 2016 summer circuit with the top prep players then making their way from the Tournament of Stars, to the 17u WWBA World Championship, and eventually to the East Coast Pro, Area Code Games and the PG All-American Classic (for the very best). Of course, these are for the high school players and it's on Cape Cod that you'll find most of the top collegiate players, several of whom have already been deemed as "must sees" for the 2017 MLB draft despite still being a full calendar year away. Jheremy Brown will be on hand and to provide several recaps throughout his two weeks in what become the pinnacle of college baseball with top talent (and scouts) coming in from all over the country.

*All references to graduation class refer to their standing in the upcoming school year.


June 27 notes | July 1 notes | July 6 notes


Simply put, arms like Florida righthander Brady Singer don’t make it to campus and understandably so. Drafted in the second round by the Toronto Blue Jays out of high school, Singer elected to turn down the pro ranks and honor his commitment to Coach Kevin O’Sullivan and the Gators, a decision that evoked reactions along the lines of “the rich get richer”.

Singer’s decision immediately vaulted him to the top of early 2018 draft lists and he backed up those preseason rankings with a solid freshman campaign in which he worked primarily out of the bullpen though it’s a foregone conclusion that’s he’ll be a rotation piece this upcoming spring. Listed at 6-foot-5, 190-pounds Singer has all the traits of a starting pitcher and projects as well as any physically with broad, angular shoulders and a high waist which exudes lots of looseness and athleticism throughout his frame.

With a single warm up pitch you know Singer means business as he warmed up at 93-95 mph with his fastball in the top of the first and proceeded to pump fastballs within that range through the first inning. Using an abbreviated arm action through the back, Singer has raised his arm slot a little bit since his high school days yet he stills retains the live, whippy right arm that produces the big velocity with relative ease. If the velocity and frame don’t already have you intrigued then consider the hard running life in on righthanded hitter’s hands, or his ability to harness that life and spill it back over the outer half to either a right or lefthanded batter.

The tempo to his delivery is plenty quick and once he gets in a rhythm watch out as he simply starts playing catch in the mid-90s with easy plus arm speed and plenty of late hop out of the hand. Throughout his six innings of one-hit ball Singer worked almost exclusively off of his fastball, inducing consistent weak ground ball contact without issuing a walk. When he did venture away from his fastball he went to a 79-81 mph breaking ball which featured tight rotation and short depth, along with occasional tilt when he got around the pitch. And only in warmups did a Singer show his changeup, a mid-80s offering that will serve as a quality third pitch in a starting role.

Michigan lefthander Oliver Jaskie is an arm who’ll need to be monitored throughout the spring, especially if he sustains or even adds another tick to his fastball at present. After working in the 88-90 mph range this spring, the 6-foot-3 Jaskie came out and sat comfortably over the early half of his start in the 90-92 mph from a near over-the-top arm slot, generating consistent sharp plane while showing the ability to move the ball throughout the zone with comfort. At the top of his delivery Jaskie has a big hip coil that adds plenty of deception to go along with his quick arm and full three-pitch mix. Both his slider and changeup proved to be swing-and-miss pitches and featured subtle but late life, mimicking the fastball until it was too late for the hitter to detect the difference.

He did a nice job of maintaining both the shape and velocity of his off speed pitches from out of the stretch and as the outing wore the fading life to his changeup improve and settled into the 83-85 mph range as opposed to the 86-87 he was showing early. Jaskie’s slider proved to be an effective pitch to both righthanded and lefthanded hitters with short tilting live and occasional depth. His overall feel for his secondaries was impressive as he threw four straight changeups at one point and opening up the fourth inning by going CH-SL-FB to record the strikeout.

Scouts don’t have to wait two more years to draft lefthander Brendon Little like they had originally thought as he’s transferred from the University of North Carolina to the State College of Florida, expediting the draft process by a year. Strongly built at 6-foot-2, 196-pounds the Pennsylvania native looks the part of a power arm and he certainly has the arsenal to back it up. In the first of my two viewings Little worked in the 93-95 mph range in the opening frame and proceeded to pump low-90s fastballs with sharp downhill plane when on top of the pitch. Working to a higher three-quarters arm slot with a short and fast arm stroke through the back, Little’s signature pitch is a hard, downer biting 12-6 curveball that shows plus and has the potential to be a true swing-and-miss pitch. His delivery appeared to be more compact out of the stretch allowing for more strikes while still pumping 95s to the bottom of the zone with nice angle to his arm side.

The SEC already has a banner crop of pitching prospects for next June’s draft and it appears as though the conference might have to make room for another arm in Texas A&M’s Corbin Martin. An athletically built righthander with plenty of quick-twitch muscle and additional room to fill out Martin came in pumping easy heat sitting in the 93-95 mph for his lone inning of work. After throwing just 26 1/3 innings this spring, the fast armed Martin showed riding life to his heater up in the zone while also showing command to his arm side throughout and cut action when locating to his glove side. Though he walked almost exclusively off of his fastball Martin flashed a 12-to-6 breaking ball that featured sharp depth in the low-80s as well as a changeup that came across at 83 mph.

It’s not often that you get a player on the Cape who had a tough freshman season and then truly explode during the summer, but that’s exactly what Oregon State’s Trevor Larnach has done. After just 51 at-bats this spring in which he hit .157, Larnach has been a shell of that version and has been arguably one of the single most impressive bats on the Cape, regardless of class. The first thing you notice about Larnach is his physical 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame and after a single at-bat several other aspects of Larnach’s game become evident. His overall approach at the plate is one you typically don’t see in a player who just completed his freshman campaign as he sees the pitch extremely well, can recognize spin, and most importantly won’t expand the zone, fighting off the tough pitch until getting something he can handle. In more than a handful of looks Larnach consistently impressed with his ability to not only fight off the outer half pitch, but also get his arms extended and drive the outer pitch just as he did to pick up a line drive single into left field. The most impressionable swing however came on an inner half 90 mph fastball from a lefthanded pitcher in which he shortened up and showed off his fast hands, blasting the pitch over the right field fence for a no doubt home run, his first of the summer.

Nothing that Mississippi State sophomore outfielder Jake Mangum does on the field speaks to his youth, then again that’s almost to be expected based off of what he accomplished during his true freshman season. A switch-hitter and easy plus runner from both sides of the plate, clocking in as low as 4.12 righthanded in my most recent look though there’s definitely better times there, Mangum demands respect from the pitcher as he digs into the box and gives off the aurora of a seasoned veteran. Instead it appears as though his reputation precedes him and pitchers work very carefully around the draft-eligible sophomore and he’s not afraid to take his walks, though he also won’t succumb to easy pitches. His hand-eye coordination is off the charts and though he begins his lefthanded swing with a tight and busy hand set behind his ear, he’s more than capable of generating enough whip through the zone with hard contact to all fields. On top of the offensive tools and speed, Mangum shows more than enough arm strength to play in right field at the next level with above average carry, however he’ll likely play center due to the shear fact that he’s a plus runner and exceptional athlete.

Vanderbilt righthander Collin Snider is a personal favorite of mine having seen him throw each of his two years in Nashville and with each looks he seems to get stronger and improved a little bit more. Already sporting ideal size at 6-foot-4, 200-pounds, Snider shows a very long and loose arm action through the back which has continued to produce an uptick in velocity and in this outing lived pretty much at 92-93 mph with his heater. Reports have him working into the mid-90s and its not at all unrealistic given the ease and cleanliness of which the fastball comes out. The slider was a quality second pitch as it always seems to be, thrown in the low-80s with with tight lift and the ability ability to spot to his arm side when facing lefthanded hitters. The new pitch for me in this viewing was his changeup, an 85-87 mph pitch which he threw with a great deal of confidence and even tripled up on in one point of the game while maintaining his arm speed and action very well on the pitch. The changeup provides a quality third pitch for Snider who has all the ingredients to start next year, though he may prove to be just too valuable out of the bullpen for Coach Tim Corbin.

He’s listed in the program as a primary outfielder but for a single inning Nebraska’s Luis Alvarado very much looked the part of a high level pitching prospect. Listed at a long and lean 6-foot-4, 194-pounds, Alvarado impressed by striking out the side, working around a couple of cheap base hits, but more importantly he showed the ability to repeat his delivery and fill up the strike zone. With a fast right arm Alvarado pumped consistent 91-93 mph fastball with short running life and could envision another tick or two with added reps on the bump. And his feel for the slider was especially advanced for his first appearance of the year, tripling up on the pitch to end his outing, getting three swings-and-misses on the tight, late biting low-80s pitch.

Though I saw an earlier start from Kentucky sophomore righthander Zachary Pop, the most recent viewing was even better as he showed more than just big arm strength and sinking life. Showing the same long, loose, and easy arm action Pop again lived in the 91-94 mph range just as he did the other night and even touched higher as he threw a few 95s and peaked at 96 in the third inning of work. Despite swinging his front hip early after breaking his hands Pop showed the type of arm speed that allowed for some command to either side of the plate, regularly working to his arm side in on batter’s hands. The running life on the fastball was a constant and when he was truly on top of the ball he was able to induce hard sinking life which in turn led to weak ground ball contact.

Another difference from my previous look was Pop’s feel for his secondaries, both of which were much sharper than prior. His slider was the go-to, a mid-80s pitch that offered tight rotation and short biting life from the same extended three-quarters release point. Pop still didn’t throw his changeup with regularity but when he did he managed to throw the pitch for strikes. On the handful he threw at 85 mph Pop maintained his his arm speed well on the pitch and had Jake Mangum out on his front side with the first offering showing short fading life to his arm side.

Tony Dibrell of Kennesaw State may not have overpowered the opposition with his fastball that comfortably worked 88-90 mph, bumping a handful of 91s throughout, but he did shows some of the better pitchability I witnessed throughout my two weeks on the Cape. And when you factor in the reports of his fastball bumping upwards of 94 mph this spring he becomes all the more interesting.

With a long and loose 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame that still projects nicely with room to fill throughout, Dibrell proved capable of generating consistent downhill plane to his fastball, working to either side of the plate with short running life to his arm side. As mentioned above it was Dibrell’s feel for a true four-pitch mix that helped him cruise over his six innings of two-hit ball in which he punched out eight and regularly had hitters off balance and basically guessing at the plate. Though his slider is the newest of his secondaries, a pitch he developed later this past spring, it proved to be his most consistent off speed and flashed two-plane bite in the 80-82 mph range which hitters read as a fastball until too late. Dibrell’s changeup also proved to be a swing and miss type pitch in a similar velocity range, thrown regularly to lefthanded hitters with late fading life from the same three-quarters arm slot. Roudning out the arsenal is a 12-6 shaped curveball that Dibrell dropped in on hitters more than once for a called third strike showing big depth to the pitch in the low-70s.

In what’s shaping up to be a strong year for the Atlantic Sun in terms of higher end prospects, Dibrell is an arm to follow very closely this upcoming spring, especially if the velocity climbs back up.

Auburn righthander Casey Mize, like Pop above, impressed in my first viewing but was even better his second time out and appears to be one of the more electric arms thus far in the sophomore collegiate class. Listed at 6-foot-3, 190-pounds Mize has been working out of the bullpen this summer after logging 69 innings out of both the ‘pen and in a starting role and the stuff has been noteworthy. Working exclusively out of the stretch for his lone inning of work Mize opened up bumping 95 mph with his fastball and continued to do so, sitting mostly at 94-95, peaking at 96 mph for a couple of pitches. There’s not a ton of effort needed to produce the big velocity either and though he’s not necessarily going to show that type of velocity, the arm action and lack of effort should be conducive to a starting role long term. Working around a couple of weak contact singles Mize went 95-96-96-95-96 on his final five fastballs to close out the win for the Wareham Gatemen. He worked almost exclusively off his fastball but he did manage to flash a couple of tight low-80s curveball which though inconsistent, did flash sharp depth when on top of this pitch.

My viewing of North Carolina righthander Jason Morgan marked my first this summer but second overall as I was able to see him earlier in the spring with the Tar Heels. And just as he did earlier in the spring Morgan sat comfortably in the 90-92 mph range with his fastball throughout the early portion of the game, bumping some 93s along the way. Listed at 6-foot-6 Morgan puts his long levers and athleticism to good use as he came out pounding his fastball downhill to the lower third of the strike zone with short sinking life on the pitch.

With a clean and quick arm action not only did Morgan show comfort in working down in the zone, but he also displayed command of the fastball both east and west, painting to either side of the plate with intent. He proved he wasn’t afraid to bust hitters in, including to his glove side and challenge lefties, and when you take both the command and life Morgan was effectively able to stay off barrels and elicit weak contact.

Unlike this spring in which he went to his changeup as his primary secondary, Morgan showed more of a feel for his slider though he did tend to pitch heavily off of his fastball. A low-80s offering, Morgan’s slider proved to be a potential swing-and-miss pitch as he continues to throw it though he can already work the tight, short tiling pitch away from righthanders who read the pitch as a fastball out of the hand. He showed both a curveball at 77 mph and a two-seam fastball at 88 mph that featured solid running life to his arm side, and of course the changeup, a mid-80s pitch that he’s established a feel for and turns over well to generate nice fading life.

Sticking with the theme of smaller school bats who’ve made a loud impression while on the Cape, Saint Mary’s second baseman Zach Kirtley has done just that with his righthanded stroke. But then again maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise as Kirtley finished his sophomore season slashing .323/.428/.504 while tying for the team lead in home runs with seven. Like most power hitters Kirtley shows a knowledge of the strike zone and won’t willingly expand the zone, something that was prominently featured in a specific at-bat. Fighting pitch after pitch to eventually load up the count Kirtley finally forced the pitcher to make a mistake and the end result was rather loud as he connected for a sinking line drive home run over the left field fence that registered 104 mph off the barrel and never got higher than 20 feet off the ground. All the requirements to drive a ball that hard and that far can be found in Kirtley’s swing as the path is both direct and leverage with big bat speed, the hands are loose and plenty quick, and there’s no mistaking the physical strength on Kirtley’s 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame.

Mercer was put on the prospect map over the last couple of years courtesy of star outfielder and eventual first round pick Kyle Lewis. Well, it appears as though the Bears have another high end prospect on their hands in outfielder Trey Truitt who trailed just Lewis in most major categories this spring, hitting .335/.430/.636 with 17 home runs and 16 doubles. The swing is similar to Lewis’ as well as he features a high leg kick trigger and a busy load to his hands. Physically built at 6-foot-1, 190-pounds, Truitt is able to generate big time bat speed from the right side, though more impressive is just how easy and loose his hands and wrists are leading to the point of contact. It was only a look at Truitt’s batting practice but the end results were more than noteworthy as he proved capable of producing hard jump to all parts of the fields with seemingly regular contact. There’s been some swing and miss to his game this summer but the tools and overall profile are very loud and will prove to be highly intriguing to scouts alike.

Known primary for his glove and defense up the middle during his freshman season at Rice, shortstop Ford Proctor is by no means a slouch with the bat either. After hitting .336 this past spring, Proctor has continued to swing it well while on the Cape and his .321 is amongst the league’s leaders. And while his in game swing is short, direct, and geared towards all fields line drive contact it was fun to watch the lefthanded hitting Proctor let it go and show off some of that hidden strength. With plenty of quickness and athleticism to his swing Proctor spun on four consecutive pitches and put them over the right field fence and finished with five out of six swings resulting in home runs.
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